Chapter 209: Chapter 209

The Bull Demon King was inwardly shocked. He couldn’t imagine: if Sha Chen was stronger than him, could he still safely take Red Boy away after breaking the Flowing Sand River? He had been completely bluffed by Sha Chen.

Sha Chen probably hadn’t anticipated that his careless remark would actually bluff the Bull Demon King. He was even prepared for the Bull Demon King to ignore his advice and continue trying to breach the Flowing Sand River; in that case, he would have to bide his time and act when an opportunity arose. If the Flowing Sand River was breached, he would act. If not, he would continue to feign death. It was best not to act at all, because an undamaged Flowing Sand River Cave was the safest place to be.

Thankfully, the Bull Demon King believed him.

Sha Chen was relieved and continued to communicate telepathically, "Bull Demon King, I’m not lying to you. You must have sensed the presence of Buddhism’s Guanyin and Ananda, as well as the covetous eyes of the Heavenly Court."

"If you and I engage in combat due to a misunderstanding, it will only bring pain to our loved ones and pleasure to our foes."

The Bull Demon King shouted, "Don’t make excuses! Hand over my son, and all will be well. If you refuse, I will destroy your cave in an instant and flay you alive!"

Inside the cave, Red Boy heard these words and immediately became extremely anxious. He cursed, "My royal father is truly blockheaded! Godfather has explained everything so clearly, yet he remains obstinate."

Lady Di Yong glanced at him. "That’s because your father loves you deeply and cannot rest easy without seeing you." Then she added, "But if we let you go, I’m afraid others will take advantage of the vulnerability; this is not what Master wishes to see."

Sha Chen said, "Lady Di Yong, you understand me best."

However, Lady Di Yong did not delight in the compliment, for Sha Chen used to call her Sweet, and now he was addressing her as Lady Di Yong.

Sha Chen said, "Actually, the Bull Demon King already believes what I said. His words are meant for others to hear."

Red Boy asked, "Could it be that my royal father is acting?"

Sha Chen nodded. "That seems to be the case. I’ll communicate with him again."

Afterward, he continued telepathically, "Bull Demon King, the fire evil within Red Boy has been removed. He is fine now and has even reached the Da Luo Golden Immortal Realm. But I cannot release him right away."

"Otherwise, opening the cave would create a breach. If Ananda, Guanyin, or Wang Lingguan seize the chance to enter, my place will face disaster. I hope you can understand."

The Bull Demon King roared, "Cut the crap! If you won’t release him now, when will you?!"

Though furious, his eyes gradually calmed. Raksasi knew her husband best. Seeing him in this state, she was somewhat puzzled but chose to remain silent.

The immortals laughed, and Li Jing added with a smile, "It seems Sha Chen is planning to quibble, but the Bull Demon King doesn’t believe him at all."

Wen Zhong said, "Sha Chen is full of tricks, and the Bull Demon King is deeply concerned for his son. I’m afraid he might fall for Sha Chen’s cunning."

But Wang Lingguan chuckled. "Master Wen, you jest. Sha Chen is just a brat trying to save his own skin; how could he be full of tricks?"

Wen Zhong shook his head without explaining further. Although he hadn’t had much contact with Sha Chen and had even been defeated by him, he felt he understood Sha Chen well. The lad was slippery. He had many pursuers, yet time and again, he managed to turn misfortune into blessing and survive against all odds. If he didn’t possess great wisdom and silver-tongued eloquence, he couldn’t have achieved this. Both Li Changgeng and he had been defeated by Sha Chen’s glib talking; Li Changgeng had even declared he didn’t want to deal with Sha Chen’s affairs anymore, which showed how much he despised him. Could someone who even gave Li Changgeng a headache really be a mere brat? Only a real simpleton would think so. However, he wasn’t going to tell Wang Lingguan. Just watch; despite the Bull Demon King’s powerful mana, he lacked guile and might just be sold out by Sha Chen. Wen Zhong was starting to lose hope for this trip.

Sha Chen continued to communicate telepathically with the Bull Demon King, "As long as the Flat Heavenly Saint steps back, and all the immortals, along with Guanyin and Ananda, also retreat, leaving no one around, I will certainly release Red Boy."

"Flat Heavenly Saint, don’t worry that I’ll renege on my word. You might wonder why, after killing Jinmaohou, Red Boy didn’t return to the Flaming Mountain but came to me instead. That’s because he trusts me enough, and I hope you can trust him too."

The Bull Demon King had already made his decision, but outwardly, he remained furious, as if he had lost all reason. With a loud shout, he commanded, "Enough smooth talk! I won’t be deceived by you! Wind, come!"

He roared ferociously and swung the Plantain Fan.

Watching this scene unfold in the cave, both Red Boy and Lady Di Yong were shocked and fuming. Especially Red Boy, who exclaimed, "My royal father must have had his brains eaten by some fox spirit! How can he be so single-minded? This isn’t saving me; it’s harming his son!"

But Sha Chen remained composed. Though he couldn’t read the Bull Demon King’s thoughts, he could hear that his breath wasn’t as chaotic as when he first attacked the Flowing Sand River. Instead, it was very steady—the breathing of a calm person. Others might not discern this, but with his Divine Power of Six Ears of All Heavens, he could hear it clearly. The Bull Demon King was acting.

Nevertheless, the Bull Demon King still waved the Plantain Fan. From the outside, there was no sign of anything amiss. Yet, Raksasi was momentarily stunned. She knew that although the Bull Demon King waved the Plantain Fan, he hadn’t used his full strength—only about two-tenths of his power—yet he pretended to use all his might.

As a couple in perfect sync, Raksasi immediately understood her husband was acting and grew cautious. With her twin swords ready, she prepared for a potential battle.

But as the Bull Demon King waved the Plantain Fan, it merely made the Flowing Sand River Cave shake, blowing away one-tenth of the Flowing Sand River’s waters, sending them out to sea. Yet, the cave itself was not blown away.

The immortals watched closely.

The Bull Demon King tried again, more than a dozen times, but failed to break the Flowing Sand River Cave. He stopped, cursing, "Damn it! I didn’t expect this place to be so sturdy that not even the Plantain Fan could break it. Humph, wait until I go back and get the Bahuang Lihuo Brick. I’ll smash your place open!"

Grumbling, he pulled Raksasi onto the Aquatic Golden Eye Beast, and they departed. As they left, he looked back and roared, "You insignificant god, just you wait!"

And then, he rode away on the Aquatic Golden Eye Beast.

The immortals were all dumbfounded, exchanging glances. They finally looked towards Li Jing, not knowing what to do.

Mighty Miracle God said, "Great Marshal, do we pursue?"

Li Jing’s gaze flickered, the corner of his mouth twitching. He hadn’t anticipated this outcome. The Plantain Fan couldn’t even break through the Flowing Sand River Cave’s defenses? That shell was too hard! How had Sha Chen managed to make his cave so large and sturdy? A hint of frustration flashed in Li Jing’s eyes as he waved his hand, leading his troops back home.

He wanted to take action but dared not. Wang Lingguan had said he was only in a defensive state and wouldn’t strike with all his might. So, his millions of celestial soldiers and generals might not defeat the Bull Demon King. Besides, punishing without prior warning would cause chaos among the demons. He also hadn’t received orders from the Jade Emperor to deal with the Bull Demon King, only to protect Sha Chen! Now that the Bull Demon King had retreated, he could only return. As for the Bull Demon King’s claim about smashing the Black Tortoise Armor with the Bahuang Lihuo Brick, he didn’t believe a single word. If the Plantain Fan couldn’t do it, how could the Bahuang Lihuo Brick?

The immortals reluctantly withdrew.

Only Wen Zhong’s eyes sparkled as he took a deep look at the Flowing Sand River, now restored to its original state. Indeed, just as he had expected.

Guanyin and Ananda were silent for a moment. Then, Ananda flicked his sleeves and departed without a word. Only Guanyin kept scanning the Flowing Sand River, hesitation flickering in her eyes, but eventually, she too turned and left. She had wanted to enter the Flowing Sand River but restrained herself.

Everyone left, and peace returned to the Flowing Sand River.

Sha Chen also breathed a sigh of relief, while Lady Di Yong and Red Boy cheered. They were safe; the crisis was averted.

Using his Divine Power of Eavesdropping and the Wanli Soul Chasing Mirror, Sha Chen repeatedly confirmed that no one was nearby before he finally relaxed.

Red Boy said, "Righteous Father, who would’ve thought your cave would be so sturdy? Even my mother’s Plantain Fan couldn’t break through it." Get full chapters from 𝘯𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭·𝔣𝔦𝔯𝔢·𝗇𝗲𝘵

But Sha Chen gave a bitter smile. "No, I suspect the Plantain Fan *could* break through. At the very least, it could have blown my cave dwelling clear out of the Flowing Sand River." He didn’t explain further. However, he could tell that the Bull Demon King had only used a minuscule amount of effort; the Plantain Fan had unleashed less than twenty percent of its power. Even that had almost sent the cave flying. Had he gone all out, even if it wouldn’t have blown the Black Tortoise Armor to pieces, it would have sent both the armor and the Apricot Yellow Flag of Wuji—the entire cave and its occupants—flying.

Red Boy and Lady Di Yong were ecstatic, feeling the profound relief of having survived a catastrophe.

But Sha Chen wasn’t overly relaxed. The fact that the Plantain Fan *could* break his cave meant it was no longer safe. He had to quickly find a way to enhance its defenses. Soundproofing against those powerful figures also needed to be addressed urgently. Still, he hadn’t found a better method yet. In his dilemma, Sha Chen chose to continue his cultivation.

The Bull Demon King indeed came again, bringing the Bahuang Lihuo Brick. After hammering away at the Flowing Sand River to no avail, he left without success. The Heavenly Court and Buddhism no longer paid attention.

Half a month later, Sha Chen took advantage of the solitude and released Red Boy. In the cave, only he and Lady Di Yong remained.

Lady Di Yong became excited and pounced towards him, attempting to topple Sha Chen over. She cooed, "Master, now that it’s just the two of us, it’s so boring. Why don’t we eat?"

Sha Chen said, "If you want to eat, then go cook. Why are you pouncing on me?"

Lady Di Yong gave a flirtatious glance, hopping around joyously. "This servant is warming up the ’dish’ for you, Master."

Sha Chen paused for a moment, his cheek twitching. This beautiful temptress, trying to sway my Daoist heart!?

Sha Chen subdued her with a set of military boxing moves, knocking her to the ground. Only when she had calmed down did he allow her to go and cook a proper meal.

The meal was served, and as the wine warmed them, Sha Chen noticed Lady Di Yong’s lack of enthusiasm. Worried she might be holding a grudge for the earlier beating, he asked, "Sweet, are you angry?"

Lady Di Yong replied, "How would this servant dare to be angry?" But in her heart, she thought, "He finally asked! Humph, I bet he *is* worried about me. I can be a little more coy."

However, what she hadn’t realized was that Sha Chen had read these very thoughts. He blinked, realizing Lady Di Yong was just playing hard to get, and his mind was set at ease. He planned to discipline her a little and, while at it, make her obediently hand over all the resources she had collected over the years. Hiding a private stash while feigning poverty was wrong. Being a cheapskate was even more disgraceful. Extreme avarice like that was, in his eyes, an offense worthy of death. He wouldn’t allow anyone to be so stingy in a pure place like the Flowing Sand River; it would spoil its character.