Journey to the West: Signing in for 500 Years-Chapter 430 - 424: Sparring? Crushing [Seeking Subscriptions and Monthly Tickets]_1
When the Dragon Girl saw a strange woman, she frowned, her face full of hostility. "Who are you to be so presumptuous? Do you believe I could eat you?"
Her body emitted the powerful aura of a Pinnacle Daluo, and a fierce dragon might surged forth.
The Three Holy Mother sneered, "You think you can eat me? I say it’s you who’s seeking death. Do you believe I could subdue you?"
The two women were on the verge of fighting, posturing aggressively, fierce as demons. Ao Lie naturally stood with the Dragon Girl, and the two of them surrounded the Three Holy Mother, looking as if they intended to join forces and capture her.
They could all tell that the Three Holy Mother’s cultivation was only at Mid-level Da Luo, far inferior to their own. But the Three Holy Mother possessed an extraordinary demeanor that made them somewhat hesitant, so the siblings planned to team up.
The Three Holy Mother didn’t hold back either. She summoned the Treasured Lotus Lantern, holding it before her and silently chanting an incantation, releasing a formidable aura.
The divine might of the Treasured Lotus Lantern was formidable. It inherently possessed a certain suppressive effect on the Dragon Clan. Since Ao Lie and his sister were true dragons, they were suddenly overwhelmed by the lantern’s pressure, struggling to catch their breath.
The two siblings were stunned.
The Dragon Girl exclaimed, "The Treasured Lotus Lantern? You, you, how do you have the Treasured Lotus Lantern? This is impossible! Could it be... are you the Three Holy Mother, Yang Chan?!"
The Three Holy Mother chuckled. "It seems you have some awareness, having heard of this lady’s name. Now, do you recognize my power?"
The Dragon Girl’s brow furrowed. The Nuwa Palace held the Dragon Clan on a tight leash; the Dragon Kings of the Four Seas, and indeed the entire Dragon Clan, owed their survival to Nuwa.
It could be said that Nuwa was the saviour of the Dragon Clan.
Even if a successor of Nuwa was subpar, they wouldn’t dare to act recklessly against them.
Therefore, the brother and sister exchanged a glance, both clasping their fists in respect before retreating, repeatedly saying they wouldn’t dare presume.
The Three Holy Mother wasn’t one to cause trouble unreasonably. Seeing Ao Lie and his sister back down, she also put away her triumphant expression.
Stepping back slightly, she came to Sha Chen’s side, holding the Treasured Lotus Lantern, and smiled. "Congratulations, Big Brother, on your cultivation advancing further. Is this Treasured Lotus Lantern’s effect satisfactory?"
She deliberately mentioned the Treasured Lotus Lantern to show the Dragon Girl how useful she was to Sha Chen.
Truthfully, it was quite unnecessary.
The Dragon Girl naturally felt a step beneath Nuwa’s successor. Even if the Dragon Girl’s own power was greater, she still felt inferior.
After all, Yinglong, the chieftain of the Dragon Clan, had fought alongside the Three Saints of the Fire Cloud Palace to conquer the world, and the leader of the Three Saints, Fuxi, was Nuwa’s elder brother and husband.
Furthermore, Nuwa had enfeoffed the Dragon Kings of the Four Seas, granting them dominion over the waters and giving the Dragon Clan a place to live.
If not for Nuwa’s overt and covert protection, the Dragon Clan would likely have been wiped out long ago.
Thus, the Dragon Clan was exceptionally tolerant towards people from Nuwa Palace. Even when filled with jealousy and feeling wronged, the Dragon Girl endured it.
Sha Chen looked at her and chuckled. "Let me introduce you all. This is the Three Holy Mother, Yang Chan. This is the Third Prince of the West Sea, Ao Lie. And this is the Ninth Princess of the East Sea, Ao Mengmeng. We’re all on the same side, so let’s not have any discord."
Everyone exchanged introductions and nodded.
Ao Lie gazed at the Three Holy Mother, nearly lost in infatuation. As a notorious playboy, he had little resistance to beautiful women. However, he knew that in the Flowing Sand River Cave, all the beauties belonged to Sha Chen. He could only drool in secret, without any improper thoughts.
As for the Dragon Girl, acknowledging the Dragon Clan’s continued need for protection from Nuwa Palace, she took the initiative to curry favor with the Three Holy Mother. She humbled herself and actively flattered her, seeking to build a connection.
The Three Holy Mother was inwardly delighted. The Dragon Girl, whose strength was far greater than her own, was actively trying to build a rapport with her. This immensely gratified the Three Holy Mother’s vanity. Especially with Sha Chen present, the Dragon Girl fawning over her gave her the sensation of being the principal wife while the Dragon Girl was merely a handmaiden. She thoroughly enjoyed this peculiar feeling.
The Dragon Girl fawned, "Who would have thought it’s Sister Yang Chan! You truly are, as the rumors say, beautiful beyond compare, worthy of being foremost among the Four Great Beauties of the Heavenly Court."
In truth, there were indeed so-called Four Great Beauties in the Heavenly Court: Chang E, the Three Holy Mother, Fairy Yunlou, and Zixia Fairy of the Seven Fairies.
But to say the Three Holy Mother was foremost among them was an exaggeration.
Her fame simply couldn’t compare to Chang E’s. It was only her recent rampage in the Nether World and the subsequent warrant for her arrest from Nuwa Palace that had gradually brought her renown. Her own insufficient strength naturally meant her fame couldn’t rise.
If she were to leave Flowing Sand River and display her power before everyone, perhaps her reputation would indeed soar.
The Three Holy Mother also chuckled. "Elder Sister is also very beautiful. Hehe, at least you’re almost comparable to me."
The two exchanged insincere pleasantries, while Ao Lie, standing nearby, couldn’t take his eyes off the Three Holy Mother.
Sha Chen coughed, interrupting their disingenuous flattery, and said indifferently, "Alright, that’s enough. It seems your cultivation has progressed. Now that you’ve come out of seclusion, you must be intending to leave. If that’s the case, I won’t stop you."
The Three Holy Mother and the Ao Lie siblings were all stunned. Indeed, their strength had increased, and they had finished their closed-door cultivation, but they had no intention of leaving.
Flowing Sand River was wonderful!
Food and drink were provided, and cultivation progressed rapidly.
This place was a paradise on Earth; none of them wanted to leave. They also understood why Sha Chen was unwilling to leave; the pleasure here was enough to make one forget their home and duty.
Ao Lie said, "Brother, you misunderstand. Although my cultivation has broken through to Pinnacle Daluo, it’s a recent breakthrough, and I don’t wish to leave."
Sha Chen looked at him, patted his shoulder, and said, "No, you do."
Ao Lie was taken aback. "No, I don’t."
Sha Chen looked at him. "Since you don’t wish to leave, then your future cultivation will no longer be in seclusion. Instead, I will be your opponent, to temper your willpower and enhance your combat abilities."
Upon hearing this, Ao Lie wasn’t afraid; on the contrary, he was overjoyed.
The Dragon Girl felt much the same. To engage in actual combat with Sha Chen and receive his guidance, she felt it was an absolute windfall.
The Three Holy Mother felt similarly. She even thought that if something intimate could transpire between them while fighting Sha Chen, that would be even better.
Both of them smiled, their eyes curving into crescents.
Sha Chen chuckled and then said, "I’ll spar with you now to let you get accustomed to it. Also, you must remember one thing: I will not hold back. When I strike, I will use my full strength."
Ao Lie laughed. "There’s no need for that, Big Brother. You’re so powerful; you don’t have to go all out just to train us."
Sha Chen chuckled, a sharp glint in his eyes.
Then he suddenly struck, unleashing his formidable physical strength. Without resorting to Mana or Divine Powers, he simply used his raw power to grab the three of them and proceeded to beat them soundly.
WHAM! WHAM! WHAM!
At first, Ao Lie and the others didn’t react. But when Sha Chen grabbed them and began to pound them mercilessly, they were terrified and dared not be careless, immediately using their full power.
Ao Lie and his sister transformed into their true dragon forms, unleashing various Divine Powers as they leaped and soared like dragons and tigers.
Yang Chan did likewise, invoking the Treasured Lotus Lantern, ready to fight back.
Ao Lie said, "Big Brother, our powers are so strong. If our fight damages the flowers and plants in the cave, what then?"
The Dragon Girl added, "Yes, Brother General, we are so formidable! Even the shockwaves from our battle could level everything inside the cave. Please don’t fight too fiercely!"
Sha Chen chuckled, waved his hand, and set up a Space Array, pulling them all into a pocket dimension.
Although the surrounding environment didn’t seem to change much, in reality, to leave this small world and return to the original cave, they would have to shatter this small world. If they attacked with full force, they wouldn’t be able to break through it in a short time. As for the battle’s aftershocks, there was no need to worry; they would have no destructive power against this spatial world.
Ao Lie and the others were stupefied, utterly shocked.
Ao Lie stammered, "Big Brother, you... you... you can actually construct a spatial micro-world? You possess spatial power?"
Sha Chen’s expression remained indifferent as he continued to thrash them.
Then he said, "I mastered spatial power a hundred years ago. I’ve been cultivating it all these years and have achieved minor success. The spatial micro-world I’ve set up, even if you attack with all your might, you won’t be able to break it in under six hours."
The three of them were overjoyed, then they smiled again. 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖
Ao Lie laughed. "In that case, I’m relieved! I can finally fight without holding back!"
The Dragon Girl also smiled and nodded. "Yes! Not having to worry about destroying our surroundings means we can fight with abandon. This is exhilarating!"
The Three Holy Mother similarly unleashed the divine might of the Treasured Lotus Lantern and laughed, "To be honest, even though my cultivation has improved so much, I haven’t had a truly serious fight yet."
THWACK! THWACK! THWACK!
However, what followed was their nightmare. Sha Chen gave them no chance to resist, simply grabbing them and delivering a thorough beating.
Fight without restraint? Sha Chen just tied them up and beat them senseless, or else pinned them to the ground and pummeled them.
Ao Lie suffered the worst; his dragon head was beaten until it swelled up like a pig’s.
The Dragon Girl and the Three Holy Mother fared no better. Sha Chen had no thoughts of being gentle with the fairer sex; he simply pressed them to the ground and thrashed them repeatedly.
If this were any other time, they might have been delighted, perhaps even urging Sha Chen to be rougher.
But now, Sha Chen completely disregarded their image, beating them mercilessly, transforming them from delicate beauties into battered figures. They were on the verge of tears.
Ao Lie was the first to cry out, "Big Brother, Big Brother, stop! Didn’t you say you’d engage in real combat with us, spar with us? Why are you the only one hitting us?"
Sha Chen replied indifferently, "Is it my fault you lack the ability to hit me? Besides, the world outside is far harsher than this. If you don’t take these blows now, you’ll only face blades out there."
Ao Lie had been thrashed for a long time, nearly losing control of his bodily functions. They finally understood Sha Chen’s unspoken meaning: he was trying to drive them away. This so-called combat training was just Sha Chen unilaterally beating them up; it served no real training purpose. Instead, they were in agony, bruised and swollen, on the verge of incontinence. By now, they also gradually understood Sha Chen’s intention: their cultivation had progressed sufficiently, and it was time for them to go out and find their own resources.
This place, under his hand, was more dangerous than the outside world.
Ao Lie and the others began to beg for mercy, saying they didn’t want to fight anymore; they wanted to leave.
Only then did Sha Chen stop. He tended to their wounds and gave them some Healing Pills.
He chuckled. "Don’t blame me. The world is just this dangerous. Better to be beaten by me than killed by someone else."
「Just at that moment」
Nezha broke through. He had stepped into the Pinnacle Daluo realm, his aura immense.
Then he strode out, laughing heartily. Seeing so many people, he paid them no mind and instead grinned, "River Lord, I’ve broken through! What are you all doing?"
Sha Chen replied, "Engaging them in combat training."
Nezha laughed gleefully. "Excellent! I’ve broken through too. River Lord, please grant me your instruction!"
The crowd wore strange expressions.
