Journey to the West: Signing in for 500 Years-Chapter 502 - 496: Xuanyuan Sword [Seeking Subscriptions and Monthly Tickets]_1

"The host has been requested by Saint Zhenyuanzi to divulge the method for cultivating Daluo Golden Immortal followers. You have the following options."

"Option One: Truthfully tell Saint Zhenyuanzi and receive the reward [Heavenly Earth Mirror], a top-tier Innate Spirit Treasure that contains the Huoyun space. Inside, divine fire can burn the heavens and boil the seas, and it can also be used to trap people."

"Option Two: Refuse to inform Saint Zhenyuanzi and receive the reward [Xuanyuan Sword], a top-tier Innate Spirit Treasure. It is the sacred sword of Emperor Xuanyuan’s clan, contains Daoist essence, is forged by the fire of faith, possesses infinite power, and is capable of breaking all things."

When Sha Chen saw the rewards, his eyes lit up. A hint of a smile touched the corners of his mouth. I didn’t expect the rewards Saint Zhenyuanzi could activate to be so generous. I’ll have to provoke him more often in the future to get even more.

Sha Chen’s mindset had completely changed. Previously, I didn’t want to provoke those powerhouses. While I still prefer not to, I will if the opportunity arises. I’ll provoke them into coming after me, then activate the system, make a choice, and get a reward. Of course, I must ensure my own safety when causing trouble; if it’s not safe, I won’t pick fights.

Saint Zhenyuanzi clearly can’t get in now, and I won’t be harmed. But because I refused to come out and used a little trick, I forced him to show himself. This prompted him to lose his rationality and make such an unreasonable demand for my secrets. Naturally, I won’t tell him; that way, I can obtain the Xuanyuan Sword, which is an offensive Magical Tool. I have many techniques and quite a few offensive Magical Tools, but as for swords, I only had the Giant Que Sword, and it was destroyed. Now that I can get the Xuanyuan Sword, it will compensate for this deficiency. When I fight others in the future, having the Xuanyuan Sword will allow me to deal with many fiends and diversify my combat methods. With more methods, I’ll have more trump cards, making it harder for others to see through me and discern the limits of my capabilities.

Sha Chen had already made up his mind. I know what to choose. He decided to refuse to tell Saint Zhenyuanzi the truth. This wasn’t the same as not answering; he simply chose not to speak.

I could have spoken, but I don’t need the Heavenly Earth Mirror, and there’s no real need to reveal the truth. Even if I did tell them, Saint Zhenyuanzi and the others wouldn’t be able to replicate my methods. However, the mystique of the Flowing Sand River Cave would be diminished. I need to maintain its enigmatic nature, to inspire awe in people, making them desire what’s within, yet also fear it.

Saint Zhenyuanzi was still outside shouting, already holding the Heavenly Earth Mirror, looking as if he was about to launch another forceful attack on the Flowing Sand River. Sha Chen didn’t want him to cause a ruckus. Tianpeng and Jin Chanzi are still out there. If a rage-blinded Saint Zhenyuanzi kills them, that would be troublesome. Furthermore, Saint Zhenyuanzi just repeatedly mentioned my followers, correctly identifying all of them as my people. I don’t know how he found out, or how he knows about most of them. Regardless, I don’t want to completely infuriate him, lest he shamelessly attacks Red Boy and the others.

So he said, "Why has Saint Zhenyuanzi come to the Flowing Sand River again?"

Saint Zhenyuanzi had been about to set fire to the Flowing Sand River when he suddenly heard Sha Chen’s voice. It was very familiar; he had heard it decades, perhaps even a century ago. Hearing it again now, he was thrilled to his core. He hastily replied, "Sha Chen, it’s Zhenyuanzi. I’ve come to disturb you again."

Sha Chen responded indifferently, "The Saint hasn’t come to disturb, but to attack, right?"

Saint Zhenyuanzi ignored Sha Chen’s mockery and continued, "I have come from afar. Young friend Sha Chen, can’t you invite me in for a drink?" 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

Sha Chen replied, "My humble abode is too simple; I won’t invite the Saint inside."

Saint Zhenyuanzi’s cheeks twitched, his fury mounting. Sha Chen had used the same words to rebuff him twice now. Angrily, he said, "You jest, young friend. Who doesn’t know that the Flowing Sand River Cave is the most mysterious place in the world? Its blessed grounds have nurtured many rising talents. Take Red Boy and Tianpeng, for example, or the Spider Demon and Black Bear Demon. Each is a formidable figure among demonkind, having stepped into the Daluo realm and achieved their cultivation levels in a remarkably short time."

This statement seemed like a compliment, but in reality, it was a trap set for Sha Chen.

Sha Chen frowned. "Great Immortal, you must be joking. I know nothing about what you’ve mentioned. Besides, my cave abode is quite humble, situated in a desolate and perilous area; it’s certainly no blessed land. As for the individuals you named, I know even less about them. I only know that most of them are my enemies. We had conflicts in the past. Later, I don’t know what transpired, but rumors started spreading that they were my people. It’s a terrible injustice."

Zhenyuanzi sneered, "Since they are not your people, then it shouldn’t be a problem for me to take them down, right?"

Sha Chen chuckled. "Senior, never mind taking them down; even if you were to capture me, it would be perfectly fine. Look, do I seem upset?"

Zhenyuanzi frowned, not expecting Sha Chen to be so impervious to threats. Indeed, I’m not afraid of his threats. I truly wasn’t intimidated. If I showed even the slightest hint of fear or concern, it would give the likes of Zhenyuanzi an opening to press their advantage. One should never assume these old powerhouses would preserve their dignity and refrain from attacking juniors. If they deem the benefit significant enough, losing face means absolutely nothing to them. Besides, they can always concoct a reason to target others; history is always written by the victors.

I’ve already schemed against Tianpeng, Zhenyuanzi mused. And though I could continue to target him now, I don’t deem it necessary. Tianpeng must not be very important to Sha Chen; otherwise, why didn’t Sha Chen intervene earlier? If I targeted Tianpeng now, I could only threaten his life, not possess his body like before. An overt threat now wouldn’t be to make Tianpeng comply, but to make Sha Chen comply. But I know, with just a little thought, that it’s impossible. If Sha Chen complied, he would suffer great losses, perhaps even his own life. For the sake of others—especially Tianpeng—would Sha Chen willingly face significant losses, even threats to his own life, just to act? Impossible. Sha Chen absolutely wouldn’t.

Therefore, Zhenyuanzi decided against attacking Tianpeng again. It was unnecessary and could backfire—a loss not worth the gain. He wouldn’t do it.

Had Sha Chen shown the slightest concern for Tianpeng, deeming him worth saving, Zhenyuanzi wouldn’t have hesitated to capture Tianpeng and use him as leverage. It was precisely Sha Chen’s display of complete indifference that ensured his followers’ safety. The less Sha Chen appeared to care, the safer the Black Bear Demon and the others were. If Sha Chen wasn’t bothered, the major powers wouldn’t stoop to dealing with his followers, and ordinary cultivators were no match for them. However, some powerful individuals still wished to capture the Black Bear Demon and the others to interrogate them, hoping to extract secrets. Yet, they couldn’t catch up to the Black Bear Demon, and even if they did, they wouldn’t be able to capture him.

The major powers were actually aware of some goings-on within the Flowing Sand River, but they didn’t know the specifics—meaning their knowledge was very limited. So, even if they captured the Black Bear Demon and the others, the information they could obtain would be minimal. If push came to shove, figures like Zhenyuanzi might eventually act against the Black Bear Demon and his companions, but for now, they didn’t feel it was necessary.

Zhenyuanzi hadn’t expected Sha Chen to remain so impervious to persuasion. After all his coaxing, Sha Chen still refused to let him in, leaving him no choice but to speak harshly. He snorted coldly. "Sha Chen, you refuse to let me in. Fine. But telling me the secret of how you cultivate those Daluo realm experts—surely that’s not too much to ask? If you tell me, we’ll be friends. In my Wuzhuang Temple, I have some ginseng fruit; I can give you two. Furthermore, I’d be willing to preach the Dao to you for three years."

Sha Chen laughed heartily. "Great Immortal, you should just go back. As for the secret, it’s impossible for me to tell you."

Zhenyuanzi was enraged. I’ve made such significant concessions! I was even willing to offer two ginseng fruits and preach the Dao to him for three years! Anyone else would have been ecstatic and agreed immediately. And yet, Sha Chen refuses! Damnable!