Journey to the West: Signing in for 500 Years-Chapter 467 - 461: Fighting Tathagata [Seeking Subscriptions and Monthly Tickets]_1
Tathagata launched several fierce attacks but was unable to step into Sha Chen’s cave dwelling.
If Sha Chen didn’t resist or set up spatial defense barriers, Tathagata was confident he could enter directly.
A year ago, he could have entered.
However, he had refrained to show off, listen from outside as Sha Chen expounded on the Dao, and probe Sha Chen’s true capabilities, which was why he hadn’t entered.
He thought he could enter at any time, only to find that Sha Chen had suddenly set up spatial barriers.
For a moment, Tathagata was somewhat bewildered.
As he forced his way in, he encountered Sha Chen’s desperate resistance.
Despite Tathagata’s impressive power, Sha Chen was not to be underestimated. He was also a Middle-level Quasi-saint, and his physical body had even reached the Small Achievement Realm of the Primeval Chaos Law Body.
He was only one step away from Great Accomplishment.
With such combined strength, he could pierce the heavens and shake the earth; ordinary Middle-level Quasi-saints were no match for him.
Moreover, Sha Chen could contend in power against High-Level Quasi-saints. He might not defeat them, but he certainly wouldn’t be defeated.
And let’s not forget his most extraordinary spatial abilities, which had already reached a Small Achievement and were on the verge of Great Accomplishment.
It was because Sha Chen possessed spatial abilities and had mastered spatial secret techniques that he was able to block Tathagata at this time.
Otherwise, relying solely on sheer strength would not have been enough.
To put it simply, Tathagata faced a complex situation. First, he needed to get through the Black Tortoise Armor, then deal with the Deception of Heaven Talisman, the Apricot Yellow Flag of Wuji, the Chaos Chicken Cover, and over a hundred top-tier Formations like the Eight Heaven’s Door Lock Array.
Not only that, but there was also the terrifying Sky Shielding Talisman, a heaven-defying Magical Tool capable of blocking even Saints.
Tathagata could only pass through because he possessed the power of space. Otherwise, even if he used his Divine Powers for a forceful attack, he would have been unable to shake the Flowing Sand River Cave in the slightest.
Keep in mind that even the Tongtian Hierarch had been blocked in the past. If Sha Chen hadn’t allowed him entry, it’s likely the Tongtian Hierarch wouldn’t have been able to get in.
If Saints couldn’t enter, how could Tathagata cross even half a step without having achieved Great Accomplishment in spatial power!
But now, even this half step was extremely difficult for Tathagata, for Sha Chen was still blocking the way.
Having navigated the previous arduous and perilous barriers, Tathagata had expended ninety-nine percent of his energy and Mana. Now, facing Sha Chen’s fierce assault, he found himself sorely pressed.
Therefore, in this battle, Sha Chen seemed to have the upper hand.
This was all due to the perfect alignment of favorable timing, geographical advantage, and harmonious human relations; otherwise, Sha Chen absolutely could not have gained such an upper hand.
However, sometimes luck is also extremely important. Tathagata hadn’t entered on his first visit, and now that he wanted to, it depended on whether Sha Chen would agree.
Sha Chen pursed his lips, having already manifested three heads and six arms. His Law of Heaven and Earth transformation made him appear like an ancient demon god.
Even Tathagata, upon seeing his form, felt somewhat shocked.
Having lived through many eras of the Primordial Age, Tathagata had witnessed countless powerful beings and seen the descendants of gods and demons dominate the desolate lands.
But even among those descendants of gods and demons, Tathagata felt they were not as imposing, as overbearingly dominant as Sha Chen.
Sha Chen’s physical form was too shocking. Merely a glance made Tathagata feel as though he were facing an Ancestral Witch.
Yet in the past, when facing the Ancestral Witches, Tathagata had been merely a junior. Now, facing Sha Chen, he was the elder, yet he still felt a sense of unease.
This child is endowed with remarkable talent, a potential rarely seen in the world, he thought silently. He has mastered both immortal cultivation and martial arts, reaching a state of wondrous perfection. He will surely transcend the ordinary in the future.
Even now, he already possesses the bearing of an Ancestral Witch and wields at least five kinds of abilities, the most formidable being the power of space. Looking at his stance, I actually see the shadow of Di Jiang in him.
Tathagata thought to himself with great shock, yet his expression remained unchanged.
He couldn’t let Sha Chen discern his thoughts. Only by remaining outwardly unmoved, even if Mount Tai were to collapse before him, could he appear unfathomable.
Displaying all emotions on one’s face would cause others to look down on him and make it easier for them to find flaws.
Tathagata continued his fierce assault, and Sha Chen continued to fight back.
Back and forth the two went, each exchanging blows.
Yet Tathagata could never breach the final barrier, while Sha Chen’s mastery of spatial secret techniques skyrocketed amidst the battle, his strength increasing dramatically.
"General for Folding the Curtain, do you intend to engage in a war of attrition with this humble monk?" Tathagata asked. "Although I am not exceptionally talented, I am still a Peak Quasi-Saint with boundless Mana, an inexhaustible and ceaselessly regenerating force."
Sha Chen chuckled. "I’ve long known the Buddha’s Buddhist Law is boundless, but I am not far behind either."
He wasn’t suffering immense expenditure at this moment, but to maintain his peak condition against Tathagata, he immediately consumed an Elixir whenever his Mana showed the slightest depletion.
Soon, his Mana was replenished, and his spirit invigorated.
Tathagata’s cheek twitched. Originally, he had hoped to subdue Sha Chen without a fight, making him realize the difficulty of the situation and concede.
Indeed, he possessed boundless, ceaselessly regenerating Mana, but even he had a limit. If he continued to exert himself at peak output, he too would eventually exhaust his Mana.
Now, he was already at peak output, and if this continued for much longer, he himself wouldn’t be able to sustain it.
He thought Sha Chen was also giving it his all and would not be able to recover as quickly as him, so he intended to intimidate Sha Chen into giving up resistance.
Little did he expect Sha Chen to blatantly consume Elixirs right in front of him.
Sha Chen was indeed in a peak output state, but his situation differed from Tathagata’s, in that he only needed to focus on attacking, not defending.
Tathagata, on the other hand, was expending the vast majority of his energy trying to breach the defenses of the Flowing Sand River Cave, using what little remained to parry Sha Chen’s assaults.
It could be said that Tathagata was in a relatively passive state, while Sha Chen fought on his home turf within the Flowing Sand River Cave, surrounded by elemental forces that favored him.
The Flowing Sand River itself was at Sha Chen’s disposal, and the various Magical Tools within it attacked automatically, sparing him considerable effort.
Additionally, Sha Chen could absorb the abundant Divine Power pervading the Flowing Sand River Cave, including the medicinal potency from Elixirs and Immortal Elixirs nourished by both Innate Earth and Post-Heaven Earth.
He constantly replenished his body’s expenditure, as if he had unlocked a cheat.
In combat, this naturally gave him the upper hand.
Moreover, Sha Chen could seize any opportunity to consume Immortal Elixirs and other Elixirs to cover his expenditure, ensuring he didn’t fall behind.
Sha Chen’s state remained full, his spirit vibrant, and he took this opportunity to counter with full force.
Samadhi True Fire, Phoenix True Fire, Heaven’s Thunder, Gang Wind, Divine Water, Flowing Sand, along with the Heavenly Splitting Palm, Space Great Handprint, and various other Divine Powers and Dao Techniques poured forth.
Sha Chen’s Mana was also rapidly depleting, his spiritual energy swiftly draining.
But he quickly replenished both. This time, Red Boy and the others had returned, bringing with them an abundance of resources—enough for Sha Chen to cultivate diligently for decades.
Even though his consumption rate was higher in combat, these resources were still enough to sustain him for eight to ten years.
Under such circumstances, if Sha Chen ended the battle then and there, his strength would skyrocket.
In other words, although he was fighting, it was actually a form of cultivation.
It was genuine, life-or-death combat, and with the constant threat of death, Sha Chen’s potential was being limitlessly activated.
This greatly assisted in enhancing his strength, though the danger was immense as well.
That is, he could be killed or suppressed by Tathagata at any moment, potentially losing everything instantly.
But if Sha Chen chose not to resist, his fate would likely be even more tragic, with Tathagata invading as if entering an undefended territory.
It was better to fight to the death. Even though the current drain was substantial, should he successfully thwart Tathagata, Sha Chen’s strength would make a qualitative leap.
Red Boy and the others were still in seclusion, deeply engrossed in comprehending Sha Chen’s Dao Techniques at a crucial juncture.
They sensed the changes in the outside world but couldn’t awaken, forced to persist in their comprehension.
Luckily, Sha Chen had covered them in advance with the Sky Covering Umbrella. Otherwise, the aftershocks of the battle would have affected them.
If that had happened, they could have truly suffered cultivation deviation and become mad, or even entered demonic states.
Now, being stimulated by the outside but still focusing on their cultivation might actually be a good thing.
