Chapter 176: Chapter 176

The sky crumbled and the earth split; the seas dried and the stones decayed.

Brilliant light reappeared, its radiance extending for tens of thousands of miles.

Today, Sun Wukong would not concede to Sha Chen’s earlier advance; he vowed that his aura would surge to the heavens, his roar shatter the High Firmament.

That day, Tribulation Thunder reappeared.

Countless immortals and Buddhists were shocked. All eyes turned to Five Finger Mountain, each one utterly astonished.

"What day is it today, that someone else has broken through to the Daluo Golden Immortal Realm?"

"It’s from the direction of Five Finger Mountain. Could it be that brash monkey?"

"HISS! How could this be possible? Wasn’t he suppressed? Not only his Legal Body but even his divine semblance was restrained. How could he possibly break through?"

Many were staggered, unable to recover their senses for quite a while. They seemed unable to comprehend how Sun Wukong had made the breakthrough; it just shouldn’t have been possible.

Li Bai, who was within Five Finger Mountain, nearly cursed his rotten luck and hastily made his escape. On the way, he even released many of his backup incarnations. If I were exposed, I would just self-detonate and die, allowing my other incarnations to take over. As he fled, he constantly cursed under his breath, This damned monkey is unworthy of being a conspirator!

「Flowing Sand River.」

Sha Chen had also become aware of the situation at Five Finger Mountain and frowned deeply.

Tianpeng, seeing Sha Chen had finished his tribulation, approached with a fawning smile. "Old Sha, brother, dear brother, you’re like my own flesh and blood, truly awesome! You actually passed the Tribulation Thunder?"

Sha Chen said, "What else?"

Just as Tianpeng was about to ask for some benefits, he noticed another strange celestial phenomenon and said in shock, "Is there no end to this?"

Sha Chen looked eastward, toward Five Finger Mountain.

He shook his head. "It’s not from here. It’s Sun Wukong from Five Finger Mountain undergoing his tribulation." ʀᴇᴀᴅ ʟᴀᴛᴇsᴛ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀᴛ novel[f]ire.net

Tianpeng was shocked. "That monkey who wreaked havoc in the Heavenly Palace? What ability does he have? Wasn’t he suppressed? How did he break through to Daluo Golden Immortal so quickly?"

Sha Chen naturally would not reveal the truth. He simply said, "How would I know?"

Tianpeng felt Sha Chen had a point. In any case, Sun Wukong had nothing to do with him, so he didn’t dwell on it.

He smiled fawningly. "Old Sha, now that you’ve broken through, you haven’t forgotten my contributions, have you?"

Worried Sha Chen might go back on his word, he took out more than ten empty Qiankun Bags and tossed them on the ground where Sha Chen had just been cultivating. He pointed there without speaking, letting Sha Chen see for himself.

Sha Chen’s cheek twitched. He had consumed a vast amount of Tianpeng’s resources, likely all of Tianpeng’s savings. But he thought to himself, Don’t think that just because I was cultivating, I was unaware of everything. Were there really this many bags!?

Tianpeng said, "Old Sha, my entire savings are gone. From now on, you’ll support me."

Sha Chen felt a wave of disgust and said, "In your dreams."

Tianpeng immediately wailed, "Are you trying to go back on your word?"

Sha Chen said, "I won’t. I can teach you the Spirit Summoning Decree."

Tianpeng said, "That’s what you were supposed to teach me anyway, and I paid for it before. You haven’t accounted for my later contributions yet."

Sha Chen said, "You and I are like brothers; why talk about money and hurt our feelings?"

Tianpeng retorted, "Even blood brothers must settle accounts clearly. It’s not talking about money that hurts feelings; *not* talking about it does."

Sha Chen felt that Tianpeng had changed. He was no longer that easily tricked pig-head. This was not a good sign.

However, he was not an ungrateful person. Tianpeng had indeed emptied his coffers to help him, a fact he kept in mind.

After some thought, he said, "I’ve taught you the Thirty-Six Polymorphic Transformations and the Seventy-Two Polymorphic Transformations, and now the Spirit Summoning Decree. In terms of Divine Powers and spells, you don’t lack."

Sha Chen added, "And before that, the Eight-Nine Profound Art perfected your Cultivation Technique. You have both Cultivation Techniques, Divine Powers, and spells, so it seems..."

Worried Sha Chen was trying to renege, Tianpeng quickly said, "I lack Magical Tools! Magical Tools! You can give me those. That Sky Shaking Bow and the Sun Shooting Arrows seem pretty good."

Sha Chen rolled his eyes. "In your dreams."

Those were his long-range offensive measures, mainly for deterring external enemies and also for keeping Chang’e around. He knew without a doubt that if he gave them to Tianpeng, Tianpeng would definitely use them to woo Chang’e. He definitely wouldn’t give them away.

Tianpeng said, "If you won’t give me those two, then the Nine-Dragon Divine Fire Cover, or the Undefined Flying Rings, or even the Giant Que Sword would be fine."

Sha Chen said, "All Magical Tools are useful. Ask for something else."

Tianpeng said, "I helped you break through to the Daluo Realm, and you won’t even part with a single Magical Tool? If I make another request, could you even fulfill it?"

Sha Chen said, "Perhaps I can."

After thinking for a moment, Tianpeng casually posed a difficult request. "Then help me break through to the Daluo Golden Immortal Realm too."

He chuckled. "Can’t do that, can you? Heh heh, you’d better just give me a Magical Tool. I’m not greedy; one or two will do."

Sha Chen, however, smiled. "No problem. I will impart to you my insights on breaking through to the Daluo Golden Immortal Realm, along with some methods. If you comprehend them well, you will surely be able to break through."

Tianpeng was stunned and didn’t recover for a long moment.

Actually, he was just trying to put Sha Chen in a difficult position. He didn’t really think Sha Chen would be willing to share his Daluo Method and insights. That was the most precious thing for every Daluo Golden Immortal. Even though his relationship with Sha Chen was very good, he had never dared to hope for it. He had only proposed it to make things difficult.

Yet, unexpectedly, Sha Chen had agreed.

Tianpeng said, moved, "Old Sha, I never thought you’d be so good to me, willing to actually share your Daluo Golden Immortal insights."

Sha Chen, however, said, "It’s just a trivial skill, nothing to be proud of."

He then added, "Besides my insights, I will also teach you the Daluo Chapter of the Tao Te Ching. I trust you know how powerful it is."

Tianpeng sucked in a cold breath, shocked and delighted. "The Daluo Chapter of the Tao Te Ching? Could it be the Tao Te Ching written by the sage Laozi himself?"

Seeing Sha Chen nod, he was even more overjoyed and asked, "How did you obtain it?"

Sha Chen said, "My heart had an epiphany, heaven and earth resonated, and it came to find me."

Tianpeng was utterly shocked. If anyone else had said this, he wouldn’t have believed it, but since Sha Chen said it, he did.

Then, still reeling from shock, he asked, "How will you impart it to me?"

Sha Chen was preparing to impart his insights and explain the Daluo Chapter of the Tao Te Ching.

But at that very moment, a voice came from outside.

"Let this one listen to this method as well."

The voice traveled from far to near, seeming to come from an infinite distance, yet when the last word fell, it was right before them.

Hearing this voice, Tianpeng showed no unusual reaction, as he was unfamiliar with it. But Sha Chen sucked in a cold breath, utterly shaken.

Because the owner of the voice was none other than the Tongtian Hierarch.

How did he get here?!

While his thoughts were in turmoil, Tianpeng said, "Someone else has arrived outside, Old Sha. They must have come, attracted by your reputation. Didn’t you hear? They want to listen to you preach."

Sha Chen’s cheek twitched. Me, preach to the Tongtian Hierarch?!He really wanted to pin Tianpeng to the ground and grind him into it. If this fellow knew the person outside was the Tongtian Hierarch, he wondered if he could still laugh.

He quickly snapped, "Stop spouting nonsense! What am I worth? Besides preaching to pigs, who else could I possibly preach to?"

Tianpeng said, "Old Sha, saying things like that hurts my feelings."

He was about to continue his tactless remarks but was silenced by Sha Chen’s stern glare.

Tianpeng muttered, "What’s there to be afraid of? The person is outside. If you don’t want to preach, he can’t get in. Even Ran Deng fled before. Who are you still afraid of?"

No sooner had he spoken than the Black Tortoise Armor was torn open with a rip, and a Daoist in a green robe walked in. It was indeed the Tongtian Hierarch.

He appeared even younger than before, imposingly tall, handsome and distinguished, exuding an air of composed dignity and profound Daoist charm. He looked to be in his thirties, with a wisp of a long beard under his chin. The Daoist robe he wore looked perfectly natural on him.

Seeing the Tongtian Hierarch, Tianpeng was so terrified he dropped to his knees, trembling all over, and kowtowed repeatedly.

He then started slapping his own face, saying, "This lowly immortal Tianpeng unintentionally offended the Saint! Please, Saint, don’t take offense!"

He was on the verge of tears. How could it be a Saint?!Remembering what he had just said, he wished he could slap his own mouth until it was pulp. It was one thing to be tactless usually, but to dare gossip about a Saint! And to suggest Sha Chen should preach to a Saint?! HISS! Tianpeng wanted to know what on earth had been going through his mind.

Seeing his embarrassed and terrified state, Sha Chen was secretly amused but not worried.

It was rumored that during the Divine Enthronement War, the Tongtian Hierarch was filled with a sky-high murderous aura and rampant killing intent, yet he never indiscriminately killed the innocent. And moreover, the Tongtian Hierarch had a straightforward temperament, was extremely protective of his own, but never killed innocents indiscriminately, and certainly wouldn’t easily strike at those weaker than himself.

Even during the Divine Enthronement War, the instances of him personally taking action were few and far between. In contrast, the Two Western Sages, Jieyin and Zhunti, as well as Laozi and Lord Yuan Shi of the Three Pure Ones, frequently intervened. The Tongtian Hierarch only personally confronted those four Saints and did not attack juniors.

However, the other Saints all had records of attacking juniors, and very many times at that. Only the Tongtian Hierarch did not.

Furthermore, Sha Chen could see that the Tongtian Hierarch was in a decent mood and not angry; he probably wouldn’t take this matter to heart. Of course, the Tongtian Hierarch paid Tianpeng no mind.

After entering, he found a table and sat down on his own, saying, "It has been a hundred years. I have come again. Do you welcome me?"

Sha Chen’s cheek twitched. Did he dare say he wasn’t welcome?

He quickly nodded. "Welcome, welcome! A most enthusiastic welcome! The Sect Hierarch honors Flowing Sand River with his presence to guide this junior’s cultivation work." Then he unleashed a barrage of flattery.

The Tongtian Hierarch chuckled. "You are not my disciple. Why should I guide your cultivation?"

Then, as if it were the most natural thing in the world, he tapped the table and said, "Bring wine, bring food. This master is tired. Let me taste your cooking."

If it were the Sha Chen of before, he would definitely have been most unwilling. But after witnessing the Tongtian Hierarch’s previous generosity, he was afraid that if he was slow by even a step, this great patron would run off.

He quickly served the wine first. Osmanthus wine and Immortal Peach Wine were brought out as if they were free, without the slightest hesitation. Then he went to prepare the food.

The Tongtian Hierarch chuckled. "You young fellow were so stingy before. Why are you so generous this time?"

Sha Chen said aggrievedly, "The Saint misunderstands this junior. This junior is selfless, magnanimous, and extremely generous by nature."

The Tongtian Hierarch said, "Then if I eat and leave without giving you any benefits, would you still be willing?"

Sha Chen’s heart skipped a beat. No way!? His cheek twitched, and his heart turned half-cold. Could a Saint be this shameless?!