Chapter 207: Chapter 207
Sha Chen had not expected that the arrival of the Bull Demon King would attract the attention of so many powerhouses. If he had known, he wouldn’t have risked being here and directly helped Red Boy lift the heavenly scourge. He always preferred to keep a low profile; it would be best if the whole world thought he was dead. This high-profile situation was not what he wished for.
At this moment, Sha Chen was still struggling with the evil force inside Red Boy, which was the ancient primordial Fire evil spirit. Most of the Fire evil’s power had been extinguished by the sage Laozi, leaving only the dregs. Red Boy had absorbed part of it, and Sha Chen had absorbed another part. There was very little power left that the Fire evil could control. It had to struggle with Sha Chen to prevent being absorbed too much, and also with Red Boy, to avoid Red Boy taking over the sovereignty of the body. It could be said that difficulties abounded inside and out. But its weakened position was inevitable. Now it was only at the end of its tether, struggling in its death throes.
The Bull Demon King was already attacking the cave, his Chaos Iron Staff causing the cave to shake violently, swaying continuously. Outside, the Black Tortoise Shell trembled, with black water patterns undulating. Inside, golden lotuses were born and then vanished one after another. Lady Di Yong was completely powerless and was in a panic, not knowing what to do. Sha Chen told her not to respond to anything, and she didn’t even dare to speak. She just kept looking towards the lightning platform inside the formation, where Sha Chen was still thrashing and suppressing Red Boy, who was under the control of the Fire evil.
However, Sha Chen’s aura was growing stronger, and Red Boy’s aura was also becoming more fearsome. Both of them had already become Daluo Golden Immortals. Sha Chen’s aura was even more powerful and terrifying, as if he was about to step into the Middle Level of the Daluo Golden Immortal realm. And Sha Chen was using his physical body and mana to suppress Red Boy, firing on all cylinders and rendering Red Boy completely incapable of fighting back. Lady Di Yong saw this and trembled with fear. She was too weak to be of any help. Now, she was just anxious.
Outside, the Bull Demon King couldn’t see the situation inside, but he could faintly hear Sha Chen thrashing Red Boy. He heard Sha Chen’s shouts and the sounds of his actions, as well as the miserable screams of his son being thrashed. All in all, it was very tragic. He was anxious, roaring and howling continuously, and then attacking the cave.
However, although he was powerful and had extensive divine powers, relying solely on his own strength was not enough to break the Black Tortoise Cave. After half a day of hitting, the Bull Demon King still could not break open the cave. He became even more anxious and said, "That damned minor god! It’s such a pity I came in a hurry and forgot to ask that woman for the Plantain Fan. Otherwise, I would just flip over this cave; there’s no need for so much effort."
He then patted the Aquatic Golden Eye Beast and said, "Old buddy, why don’t you go back and ask that woman for the Plantain Fan?"
The Aquatic Golden Eye Beast suddenly roared to the sky, and the Bull Demon King also looked up at the sky, frowning. Indeed, the rumors say that the Flowing Sand River has a demoted general who has fallen out of favor, but with this display, it’s likely the demoted general hasn’t lost favor but is deeply cherished by the Heavenly Court.
The Bull Demon King saw a million heavenly soldiers and generals, led by Li Jing, with Wang Lingguan and Wen Zhong following close behind. He furrowed his brow, finding this lineup rather troublesome. The rest were manageable, but Wang Lingguan had some capability. If he coordinated with the million heavenly soldiers and generals, as well as Li Jing’s Linglong Tower and Nezha’s Qiankun Ring, it would really be a tough fight for him.
Gritting his teeth, the Bull Demon King said, "Are you saying I should give up? Impossible! How could I give up when my child is suffering inside?"
The Bull Demon King continued to attack the cave while also urging the Aquatic Golden Eye Beast to hurry back to the Flaming Mountain.
After the mount left, the Bull Demon King thought to himself, It will take time to go there and back, and there may be unexpected events. I still need to see what those heavenly soldiers and generals are planning to do.
The Bull Demon King continued to attack the cave, shaking heaven and earth. But he also paid attention to the heavenly soldiers and generals above, ready to retreat if they showed any sign of encircling him. However, it seemed that the heavenly soldiers and generals, seeing him unable to break the cave, had no intention of coming down. The Bull Demon King was taken aback and puzzled. Read complete versıon only at 𝓷𝓸𝓿𝓮𝓵✦𝕗𝕚𝕣𝕖✦𝙣𝙚𝙩
What are they doing? Could it be that they are waiting for me to tire out and then plan to attack me by surprise? he wondered. Truly cunning. This strategy must definitely be the work of that old scoundrel Wen Zhong.
Wen Zhong, serving as a military strategist amongst the ranks of the heavenly soldiers and generals, was unwittingly blamed. He was actually in favor of taking immediate action to capture the Bull Demon King, but Li Jing strictly followed the Jade Emperor’s command, waiting for the right moment to act. Wang Lingguan’s role was more to maintain order and he also acted as a kind of supervisor. He did not get involved in discussions about subduing demons. He was only responsible for ultimately settling things and dealing with the Bull Demon King at the end, to prevent any contingencies. Now, it seemed that the Bull Demon King was unable to break the cave, so they didn’t have to trouble themselves too much.
Wen Zhong said, "The Bull Demon King can’t break the Flowing Sand River Cave. We should take the opportunity to capture him now. If we let him escape upon catching wind of us, it would be a missed opportunity."
Li Jing replied, "The strategist makes a valid point, but the Bull Demon King is currently overwhelming. Even if we all strike together, we may not be able to capture him."
Wen Zhong responded, "Isn’t Wang Lingguan here? Just ask him to make a move."
Li Jing looked at Wang Lingguan and said, "Lord Wang, will you make a move?"
Wang Lingguan replied, "The command the Emperor gave me was just to guard against the Bull Demon King, not to capture him." He added, "Moreover, even if I were to fight him one-on-one, I wouldn’t be his match."
Li Jing and Wen Zhong frowned, clearly perceiving the evasion in Wang Lingguan’s words. But they were helpless. Wang Lingguan was the strongest among them, and if he was not willing to make a move, there was nothing they could do. Fortunately, they had brought many people this time. If they worked together, they might be able to defeat the Bull Demon King. Moreover, Li Jing’s son Nezha possessed a treasure that innately restrained the Bull Demon King. If the timing was right, victory would be easily within reach.
Nezha stood silently to the side. Though proud and haughty, he could only watch as the once-inferior Great General for Folding the Curtain advanced by leaps and bounds, while he still struggled to step into the Da Luo realm. His heart harbored displeasure, resentment, and unwillingness. Deep in his eyes, there was also a hint of defeat. This time, he actually hoped that Sha Chen would not run into trouble, for he needed to measure himself against Sha Chen and didn’t wish for Sha Chen to die at the hands of the Bull Demon King.
"Amitabha, it seems our presence is unnecessary."
Guanyin and Ananda were among the colorful clouds, Ananda appearing so carefree and indifferent. The trivial matter of Sha Chen was of no concern to him. But he couldn’t resist Guanyin’s repeated insistence, and with his obstinacy wearing thin, he had come. Even after arriving, he paid it no mind. Seeing the people from the Heavenly Court, he even laughed. He even thought about returning, leaving the matters to be handled by the people of the Heavenly Court.
Guanyin’s brows furrowed as she said, "Ananda Honorable Buddha, have you forgotten the task that Buddha entrusted to you?"
Ananda replied, "I remember, but we still have more than three hundred years ahead of us. There’s no rush."
Guanyin spoke with deep meaning, "Over a hundred years ago, I thought the same. Yet, in just over a century, the situation has gone beyond my control. Now, sovereignty over the Flowing Sand River is beyond my grasp."
Ananda was momentarily stunned, then frowned and said, "Well, since I am here, I will make the best of it. Let this Venerable One see just what that Sha Chen of the Flowing Sand River has up his sleeve." He then deployed his divine vision, intending to observe the situation at the Flowing Sand River.
Yet, he saw nothing clearly. Surprised, he said, "I didn’t expect him to possess such an outstanding formation that can shield against my probing."
Guanyin replied, "Probing may not work, but we can hear bits and pieces."
Ananda nodded and said, "I could hear Sha Chen beating Red Boy, as well as Red Boy’s agonizing wails. I also heard the voice of a once-renowned figure, which seems to confirm the rumors."
Guanyin silently nodded her head and murmured, At first, I thought Sha Chen was deceiving me, that he rescued Red Boy and used subjugating him as an excuse. Now it seems that was truly the case. If she hadn’t heard the voice of the Fire evil, Guanyin might have suspected that it was all an act between Sha Chen and Red Boy. Since the Fire evil had awakened, it confirmed that Sha Chen was truly subjugating Red Boy; she had indeed misunderstood him these past few days.
Sha Chen did not deceive me; it was I who wronged him. Guanyin smiled and said softly, "Since that’s the case, I can no longer employ extreme measures."
She had previously thought Sha Chen and Red Boy were in cahoots, or that Sha Chen was sabotaging her plan to recruit talent. She had contemplated taking extreme measures against Sha Chen, but now it seemed unnecessary. Sha Chen, she estimated, was still likely to be friendly towards Buddhism. At the very least, he wouldn’t dare deceive her.
Guanyin smiled contentedly, then waited for the outcome, to see if the Bull Demon King could break through the Flowing Sand River defenses.
Moments later, Ananda said, "The Bull Demon King has exhausted his tricks. He can’t break through the Black Tortoise Armor of the Flowing Sand River."
Guanyin nodded; she too had noticed this.
The Bull Demon King himself, it went without saying, only had so many tricks up his sleeve and was unable to breach the cave, try as he might. But with the arrival of the people from the Heavenly Court, and the faint sensation of the presence of two great Buddhist figures, it seemed that high-ranking monks had also arrived. He was now besieged on all sides, and even if he could break through the Flowing Sand River Cave, it was highly unlikely he would be able to escape with Red Boy. Some sort of price would have to be paid.
The Bull Demon King grew anxious and even more enraged.
The voice of the Fire evil was weakening, its power largely absorbed by Sha Chen, and Red Boy’s expression also grew less ferocious. The mark of the Three Flowers on Sha Chen’s forehead, representing the will of fire, shone even brighter. His body was enveloped in flames, like an unparalleled Fire God.
A resounding explosion of fire marked the moment Sha Chen’s cultivation finally broke through to the Middle Level of Daluo Golden Immortal. With each rung of the ladder, he climbed one step higher. His cultivation grew stronger, his mana even more boundless.
"Host cultivation breakthrough detected. You have the following choices:"
"Option one: With your cultivation breakthrough, and with immortals, buddhas, and demons gathered outside, it is an excellent opportunity to go out, fight, and make a name for yourself in the world. Reward: [Vajra Bracelet], a divine Magical Tool of Lord Lao Zi of the Great Monad. Brought down to the mortal world by the Buffalo, it has performed brilliantly, able to capture all Magical Tools of the world, and it is indestructible."
"Option two: With your cultivation breakthrough, it’s advisable to be cautious and continue cultivating. Reward: Divine Power [Six Ears of All Heavens], the innate Divine Power of the Six-Eared Macaque. Depending on the caster’s strength, it allows one to listen to the voices within the range of all heavens and worlds. When powerful, it can even perceive the thoughts of those whose soul’s origin is not as potent as the caster’s."