Chapter 188: Chapter 188

Everyone drew in a sharp breath.

They were somewhat shocked, disbelieving that Tathagata would actually deal with Sha Chen himself.

Even Guanyin was taken aback, exclaiming in astonishment, "What merits and abilities does Sha Chen have to warrant Buddha’s personal intervention?"

Maitreya Buddha also said, "Indeed, why would Buddha, so high and mighty, go through such trouble for a mere ant?"

Medicine Buddha nodded in agreement, adding, "Sha Chen is but an ant, not worthy of Buddha’s personal attention."

The other Buddhas also persuaded him in turn.

Yet, Tathagata replied, "All beings are equal; if I wish to convert and transform him, why would I care about ranks and statuses?"

And with that, he settled the matter.

Although the other Buddhas were still dissatisfied, none of them challenged him, because Tathagata’s power and influence in Buddhism were growing ever more profound, nearing the point of overshadowing all else.

However, Ran Deng Buddha, Medicine Buddha, and Maitreya Buddha exchanged glances, all wearing solemn expressions.

A tinge of regret flashed in their eyes.

If Tathagata were to intervene personally, Sha Chen, this piece of fat meat, would slip away from their mouths.

The Buddhist assembly lasted for an hour, but the Buddhas were too distracted to listen.

After the meeting dissolved, Guanyin, Bodhisattva Pilanpo, Kassapa, Ananda, and others visited Tathagata’s meditation hall.

Medicine Buddha and the others were not present.

Guanyin asked, "Buddha, do you truly intend to confront Sha Chen yourself?"

She felt that Sha Chen was unworthy.

Tathagata smiled and said, "I have other important matters and no spare time to convert him. This task shall be handled by Kassapa and Ananda. You need only assist from the side."

Guanyin was briefly stunned, then turned to look at Kassapa and Ananda, and suddenly understood.

As it turned out, Tathagata shared the others’ opinion, not deeming Sha Chen significant enough to warrant his personal conversion.

After all, it was a lengthy process, with even the possibility of failure.

Tathagata had merely stepped forward to claim the task, preventing Medicine Buddha and the others from getting involved.

Once he had taken the task, he handed it over to his disciples, Kassapa and Ananda, to complete. He never intended to pay it much attention.

Having arranged all this, Tathagata then smiled and said, "I have foreseen that there will be variables in the Journey to the West, but everything remains under control."

Guanyin remarked, "The biggest variable seems to be Sha Chen. It appears that everyone related to him faces tremendous changes."

She then lowered her head, adding, "Amitabha. The fixed fates on the journey westward have changed as well. For instance, the centipede spirit of Huanghua Temple is already dead, the black bear spirit of Black Wind Cave has fled, and the spider spirit of The Cave of the Silken Web is entangled with Tianpeng, spending their days overseas, robbing and plundering."

She listed them one by one, visibly troubled.

This was without mentioning the transformation of the monk Jin Chanzi; just the predetermined demons along the way had seen a shift in their fates.

For those who had fled, there might be a remedy, but what of those who had perished?

Tathagata was briefly taken aback, furrowing his brow as he said, "From what you say, it indeed seems that many changes have arisen. However, it matters not, for the Three Realms are never short of those who vie for karma and fate."

He then laughed and instructed, "Proceed with the preparations. The eighty-one tribulations must be complete. And now that the monk’s strength has increased, the corresponding trials can also be strengthened."

Guanyin voiced her worry, "In doing so, the quest for the scriptures might elude the control of Buddhism."

Tathagata stretched out his hand, twirled a flower with a smile, and the entire meditation hall was bathed in Buddha’s light.

He confidently declared, "In my grasp is the sun, the moon, and the stars; there is none other like me in this world. No one can elude my control."

「Flowing Sand River.」

Sha Chen was cultivating his physical body, striving to reach the Small Achievement Realm of his Da Luo Dharmakaya as swiftly as possible, aiming to be on par with a middle-level Da Luo Golden Immortal expert.

Suddenly, he felt a chill run through his body, goosebumps erupted all over, his scalp tingled intensely, and an unbearable itching sensation spread across his back.

HISS. "Who’s plotting against me behind my back?"

Now a Da Luo Golden Immortal, Sha Chen was still sensitive to the subtle dissonances of the universe.

Although he did not know who was scheming against him, he was aware that someone harbored malicious intentions toward him.

Moreover, the one harboring these malicious intentions might possess tremendous power, far exceeding his capability to withstand.

Keep in mind, he was already a Da Luo Golden Immortal. Yet, he faced someone whose power left him utterly helpless. That person must be transcendent and awe-inspiring in strength.

Sha Chen murmured to himself, "Who is targeting me?"

Looking around, he suddenly felt that even here was no longer safe and that he must find a way to fortify his abode further.

This place must be reinforced; after all, the Black Tortoise Armor is reputed to be indestructible, but in this world, many Magical Tools claim to break the unbreakable. If someone comes with a Magical Tool capable of destroying the Black Tortoise Armor, won’t I be at their mercy?

Besides, I must remain even more low-key. The recent breakthroughs in my cultivation have been too earth-shattering, to the point where even the Jade Emperor wished to offer me amnesty and enlistment. It’s likely that even more have set their sights on me.

Sha Chen was troubled. Couldn’t the breakthroughs occur more quietly?

But the reality of it was, they couldn’t.

The act of transcending tribulations alone was cause enough for widespread notoriety.

Although he now knew someone was plotting against him and understood the need to bolster his defenses and keep a lower profile, for Sha Chen, aside from staying under the radar, there wasn’t a better way to achieve the other two objectives.

Defensive measures were limited to strengthening the Formation, but if the Black Tortoise Armor and the Apricot Yellow Flag of Wuji could be breached, what chance did his own Formation stand?

Furthermore, blocking prying eyes might be a viable option.

But for now, he could at most ward off beings below Saints, for Saints themselves were unblockable.

He also worried that blocking Saints’ oversight might provoke them into taking direct action.

With the temper of the Tongtian Hierarch, it was quite possible.

Better to cultivate in low profile, waiting until one was unmatched in the world before making a grand debut.

Since he had no clear understanding of who was against him and no better way to enhance his defenses at the moment, his most reliable option was to improve his cultivation. That was the safest route.

After realizing he was being plotted against, Sha Chen threw himself into his cultivation with even greater determination; he needed to become stronger.

At this moment, Ao Lie and his sister had just finished their enlightenment. They had reaped great benefits, and although their strength had not increased much, their understanding had skyrocketed several levels.

As long as they had enough accumulation, breaking through their current realm would be no problem at all.

Moreover, they already had the ability to glimpse into the Da Luo Golden Immortal Realm and were filled with excitement, hoping to advance further soon.

The two had planned to continue staying there, but given the massive resources they had consumed during their cultivation, they were now left with hardly anything.

To linger on would mean to rely on Sha Chen’s resources.

However, how could Sha Chen agree, especially since he had made it clear before that they needed to gather resources as a condition for the exchange of the Da Luo methods.

The siblings understood that Sha Chen, who was reluctant to venture out, indeed had difficulty obtaining resources.

Therefore, after their enlightenment, they promptly bid farewell, planning to go out and find their own fortunes and to gather more resources at the same time. Original content can be found at novel⟡fire.net

The Dragon Girl took the elixirs that Sha Chen had refined with new resources over the years and once again went out to run errands.

She probably wouldn’t be able to return to the Dragon Clan anytime soon and receive their aid, so she could only work harder to serve Sha Chen.

As for Ao Lie, things were better. As an outstanding figure of the Dragon Clan who had brought back the True Dragon Body Forging Technique to the clan, he was naturally the pride of the dragons.

After the Dragon Girl had run away from home, many of the clan’s resources were lavished upon him, and his status was quickly surpassing that of his elder brother, Ao Moang.

Ao Lie swaggered back to the Dragon Clan, declaring his intention to assault the Da Luo Golden Immortal Realm and that he needed a massive amount of resources after being instructed by an expert.

The Dragon Clan was initially skeptical, but after witnessing Ao Lie’s insights into cultivation, which indeed pertained to the Da Luo methods, they were overjoyed.

The West Sea Dragon King called his brothers together and announced the news.

The entire Dragon Clan was stirred.

Then, the Dragon King of the Eastern Sea brought out the cherished Long Yuan, the Dragon King of the Northern Sea presented his beloved Abyss Divine Stone, and the Southern Sea Dragon King offered his treasured South Sea Agarwood.

The West Sea Dragon King, meanwhile, planned to use the full strength of the clan to support Ao Lie, helping him step into the Da Luo Golden Immortal Realm as soon as possible.

Ao Lie mentioned that the person who instructed him was in great need of various resources.

The West Sea Dragon King immediately assured him not to worry, stating that not just the West Sea, but all the dragons of the Four Seas would start collecting cultivation resources right away.

All to allow Ao Lie to cling to the coattails of a great figure. As long as he could step into the Da Luo Golden Immortal Realm, it would all be worth it.

The West Sea Dragon King was bursting with pride over this.

The Dragon King of the Eastern Sea, on the other hand, was extremely annoyed because someone else’s child was so outstanding, while his own child was still out wandering from home.

When the Dragon Clan mobilized en masse to gather resources, it was bound to be a world-shaking event.

But, it seemed the Dragon Clan had also learned from past mistakes and did not dare to act too brazenly. Initially, they only collected resources within the confines of the Four Seas.

So they didn’t startle too many of the higher-ups.

Even if they knew about it, they thought the Dragon Clan was just gathering resources for Ao Lie’s cultivation, to help him break into the Da Luo Golden Immortal Realm.

Upon hearing this, the bigwigs just chuckled dismissively, not taking it seriously.

After how many years, besides Yinglong, has there ever been another pure-blooded dragon who became a Da Luo Golden Immortal?

Those who had surfaced, hadn’t they all died young?

Moreover, a mere pampered scion, whose body was probably hollowed out by debauchery, stepping into the Da Luo Golden Immortal Realm?

He’d probably have trouble even climbing onto the bed.

「Flowing Sand River.」

After seeing off Ao Lie and his sister, Sha Chen once again wholly immersed himself in cultivation.

Yet at this moment, from outside came the sound of startling thunder, followed by a wild storm, and shouting and yelling.

"Sha Chen, if you have the guts, come out and face me! Come out! You’ve left me with nothing! Come out and see me! Get out here!"

With furrowed brows, Sha Chen looked outside and saw a disheveled Taoist holding the Thunder Ruler, with six red and blue wings on his back and thunder surrounding his body.

His horns were imposing, and his face was ugly.

But, Sha Chen discerned a familiar figure; it was actually Taoist Master Gou, the Divine Official of the Thunder Department, in his true form.

However, why was he so frantic?

Sha Chen didn’t hurry out, while Taoist Master Gou was already cursing outside.

Listening to his curses, Sha Chen figured out what had happened.

It turned out, somehow, Taoist Master Gou had grown confused in heaven, became infatuated with a fairy serving wine to the Jade Emperor, and, driven by lust, molested her.

Once the Jade Emperor found out, punishment was imminent.

However, Li Jing and Wen Zhong pleaded on Taoist Master Gou’s behalf, and the Jade Emperor planned to be harsh in his judgment but lenient in the end.

At this moment, Chang E, who hadn’t attended court for a long time, appeared. She stated that the fairy was one she had diligently cultivated, destined perhaps to be selected as one of the Jade Emperor’s palace attendants. Now, having been molested, the fairy was no longer pure.

The Jade Emperor was naturally furious; a flower of a girl that even he hadn’t touched had been defiled by Taoist Master Gou. How could he tolerate this?

He naturally asked Chang E what should be done.

Chang E just commented that since Tianpeng was punished as a pig for his offense against her, the least Taoist Master Gou deserved for molesting a palace maid candidate was to be banished to the mortal world, right?

The Jade Emperor decided to issue the decree, and Chang E continued, suggesting that Flowing Sand River, being vast and sparsely populated, was an ideal place for exile. It was a pity for Sha Chen to be there alone; better to have Taoist Master Gou keep him company.

The Jade Emperor agreed.

And thus, Taoist Master Gou came here and went mad.

After listening, Sha Chen was quite speechless. How could someone even twist this error onto his head!?

However, he understood Chang E’s intention now. She deliberately sent this person over, handing him over to Sha Chen to deal with.