CHAPTER 388: CHAPTER 382: SAINT SPREADING THE DOCTRINE [SEEKING SUBSCRIPTIONS AND MONTHLY TICKETS]_1

The Tongtian Hierarch saw Sha Chen lost in thought and decided not to disturb him. He contentedly drank tea by himself.

After much contemplation, Sha Chen felt that the Celestial Shen Sha Physique Refining Decision and the Spatial Method really had their merits and could perhaps make him the second Di Jiang. Even if he attained the physical achievements of Di Jiang, he could still continue to advance his mana cultivation. However, the Tongtian Hierarch was right nearby, so naturally, he would not study these things in front of him.

He said, "Why doesn’t the Saint ask me how I came to possess the power of space?"

The Tongtian Hierarch replied indifferently, "That’s your secret; this old man has no interest in knowing."

Sha Chen said, "Does the senior also have no interest in how I mastered the Universe in the Sleeve?"

The Tongtian Hierarch answered, "To tell the truth, indeed, I have no interest." Then, he looked at Sha Chen deeply and said, "Everyone has their own secrets, and yours are certainly the most mysterious I’ve ever seen. But that’s as far as it goes." With a laugh, he added, "Since ancient times, whose secrets among the mighty have not been earth-shattering?"

Sha Chen was startled, then he suddenly understood. Indeed, from ancient times to the present, not to mention the secrets of Saints, even Sub-Sages and ordinary Quasi-Saints have countless secrets. Every secret is earth-shattering. If the Tongtian Hierarch wanted to know them all, that would be impossible. He did not need Sha Chen’s opportunities; he only needed Sha Chen the person. And since Sha Chen clearly did not wish to become a disciple, there was nothing he could do about it; maintaining a good relationship with Sha Chen would suffice.

Sha Chen could see that the Tongtian Hierarch truly didn’t care how many secrets he had hidden. He breathed a sigh of relief and also let go of many thoughts.

It seems that the Saint truly has the confidence to accept all the secrets of the world, considering themselves capable of everything. Any ghosts and goblins or secrets are not worth mentioning in their eyes. It was I who underestimated the Saints and overestimated myself. From now on, I must be even more cautious and careful, not to underestimate the enemy or become complacent.

Sha Chen silently muttered to himself.

The Tongtian Hierarch said, "Kid, do you really plan to continue staying here? Have you really not considered going out?"

Bringing this up again? Sha Chen was surprised, then looked at the Tongtian Hierarch, who appeared regretful yet whose gaze was still resolute. He nodded and said, "Yes, thank you for your concern, Saint. I have no great ambitions, do not seek progress, and only wish to stay here to enhance my strength."

The Tongtian Hierarch asked, "What is the purpose of enhancing your strength?"

Sha Chen answered, "To live longer and more freely."

The Tongtian Hierarch said, "To live like ants, scrabbling for existence in such an ignoble way? Such a life is not as good as death. What kind of freedom is that?"

Sha Chen defended, "The Saint misunderstands. I am quite content here. This place is very peaceful, and I am very happy."

The Tongtian Hierarch sighed deeply. He had also been paying attention to Sha Chen’s mindset while asking, repeatedly doubting Sha Chen’s intentions, whether he truly wished to stay here. Now it seemed that it was indeed the case. Sha Chen truly didn’t want to leave and was indeed content. And with that, he was even more puzzled. One enhances one’s strength to live freely, but what kind of freedom was hiding here? He couldn’t imagine, but everyone has their own aspirations, and he really couldn’t force them, unless he resorted to coercion. But when it came to Sha Chen, he truly didn’t wish to force the issue. Such a compatible person was rare to come by.

The Tongtian Hierarch then casually chatted with Sha Chen, who naturally took the opportunity to swiftly ask about the aspects of Dao enlightenment he didn’t understand. Despite having various aids for enlightenment and mastering the Tao Te Ching, Qingping Jing, and Yuqing Jing, having books is useless without someone to guide you. Sha Chen had the books, but no one to guide him; he had always been working in isolation. It’s no wonder the Tongtian Hierarch scolded him, but not wanting to go out, he could only work in isolation, relying solely on his own understanding.

Now that the Saint was here, and he had helped the Saint so greatly, and the Saint had said to set his terms—he had asked to become a Saint, which the Saint couldn’t grant—so asking the Saint for guidance in the Dao was reasonable, right?

The Tongtian Hierarch, being a Saint, was admirable. Sha Chen’s many questions accumulated over more than two hundred years were all answered one by one by the Tongtian Hierarch. He withheld nothing and answered every question. Many issues that had troubled Sha Chen for a long time were smoothly resolved. Even his Heavenly Splitting Palm and other Great Divine Powers—in fact, any questions about Sha Chen’s cultivation—were all within the Tongtian Hierarch’s knowledge. A Saint truly is omniscient and omnipotent.

The Tongtian Hierarch was actually quite astonished as well, for Sha Chen seemed to know so much, and the questions he asked were all extremely abstruse and difficult to understand. It was only because he was an old hand and possessed knowledge of the Heavenly Dao that he was able to explain things to Sha Chen. Moreover, for many of the things Sha Chen asked about, he could only give a general idea and some explanations, not entirely understanding them himself. But to instruct Sha Chen, that was more than enough.

With the guidance of the Tongtian Hierarch, Sha Chen’s understanding of various Divine Power spells had improved greatly, and his insight into Dao Techniques had reached new heights. With such a good teacher and helpful friend, Sha Chen naturally did not want to let him go. He clung on, bombarding him with endless questions, serving him tea, pouring wine, and cooking meals, almost wishing the Tongtian Hierarch would settle down there.

But all good things must come to an end.

「Three years had passed.」

The Tongtian Hierarch had stayed there for three years, the longest in history. The Green Lion, Bai Xiang, and the Golden Winged Dapeng had woken up from their state of enlightenment and plunged back into it more than ten times. Now, the Green Lion and Bai Xiang were at the pinnacle of Daluo, merely half a step away from stepping into the Quasi-Saint Realm. Sha Chen gave them some peaches of immortality and ginseng fruit, as well as osmanthus wine, to help them enhance their potential and change their prospects. As a result, they now possessed the qualifications to step into the realm of Quasi-Saints.

With the teachings of the Tongtian Hierarch, they felt that attaining the Quasi-Saint level was within reach, perhaps coming soon. And so, their gratitude towards Sha Chen deepened. They truly came to know each other through conflict. Sha Chen not only healed their wounds but also granted them ginseng fruit and peaches of immortality—these were all spirit fruits of Heaven and Earth, rare and highly sought after. With their potential altered, their futures broadened, they naturally felt deeply grateful towards Sha Chen. They made no attempts to disturb the Tongtian Hierarch while he preached to Sha Chen, even intentionally continuing their enlightenment several times, all to give Sha Chen and the Tongtian Hierarch more time together. They knew well that Sha Chen did not want to become a disciple but still wanted to benefit from the Tongtian Hierarch’s Dao Techniques, so they proactively sought opportunities for Sha Chen.

However, the Tongtian Hierarch was not completely ignorant. After three years, he took the initiative to stop, and Sha Chen could no longer expect an answer to every question he asked. This made Sha Chen quite distressed, but there was nothing he could do. He also knew that the Tongtian Hierarch planned to leave, so he took the initiative to cook a meal and invite them to eat.

At the feast, the Green Lion and Bai Xiang were extremely grateful to Sha Chen, continuously toasting him and repeatedly stating that if Sha Chen ever issued a command, they would not dare to disobey. They also said farewell to the Golden Winged Dapeng; the three brothers often embraced and wept bitterly at their parting. They were to follow the Tongtian Hierarch back to Zi Zhi Cliff, while the Golden Winged Dapeng would follow Sha Chen. From then on, the chances for the three brothers to meet would become fewer and fewer.

Sha Chen was constantly toasting the Tongtian Hierarch. After all, the Hierarch had taught him for three years, greatly enhancing his understanding of various Divine Powers. The power of the Heavenly Splitting Palm also became stronger, much more so compared to before. Sha Chen even went so far as to say that while he had needed to expend some effort to deal with the Golden Winged Dapeng before, now, he would only need a single palm strike to knock him down, and the Golden Winged Dapeng would not be able to evade it.

In these three years, the Golden Winged Dapeng had watched wide-eyed as Sha Chen grew stronger, and he no longer dared to harbor even the slightest thought of betrayal. He had initially thought his progress over these three years was quite rapid; following Sha Chen, his talents had been enhanced and his potential developed. But who could have known Sha Chen was on another level entirely? Sha Chen was advancing even faster and developing even more. The Tongtian Hierarch had given Sha Chen preferential treatment, and over three years, he had been left far behind. Even though Sha Chen was still at the Initial Quasi-sage Level, his proficiency in traversing heaven and earth had become earth-shattering, and his actual combat strength might already be comparable to the Intermediate Stage of Semi-saint.

The Tongtian Hierarch said, "Sha Chen, since you do not wish to go out, then remember your own thoughts. If you do go out, then as I have said before, you must become my disciple."

Sha Chen replied, "Rest assured, Saint, I will not go out, unless I become a Saint or it is absolutely necessary."

The Tongtian Hierarch added, "There is one more thing you need to be vigilant about: the catastrophe of Buddhism’s journey to the West is imminent. To ensure the smooth progress of this calamity, Buddhism will accelerate the implementation of the planned tribulations." He looked deeply at Sha Chen and said, "You are part of it. Buddhism will scheme against you more vigorously than before. You must guard your original heart."

Sha Chen frowned and said, "Saint, I am here, safely beyond the reach of even the winds from the four corners of Lingjiu Mountain. But I have a brother, Tianpeng, who has also received your teachings, yet it seems he has fallen into the hands of Zhenyuanzi. I fear he will be plotted against and fall into the trap of the journey to the West."

The Tongtian Hierarch replied, "Tianpeng is indeed a part of that journey. If nothing changes, he might even enter Buddhism before you and would be considered your senior brother. However, nothing is certain now. I cannot help you with Tianpeng’s matter; you’ll need to figure that out yourself."

Then he stood up, and the Green Lion and Bai Xiang immediately did the same.

The Tongtian Hierarch then suddenly said, "By the way, you really are capable. You’ve managed to deceive my three disciples, San Xiao, making them confront Zhenyuanzi on your behalf."

Sha Chen was startled and said, "There has been such an event?"

The Tongtian Hierarch said, "Hmph, after Zhenyuanzi returned from the Flowing Sand River, they attacked Wuzhuang Temple half a year later and fought with Zhenyuanzi for a month. Unfortunately, they were too young and naive, and Zhenyuanzi tricked them, leading to all three sisters being defeated."

Sha Chen immediately became extremely anxious and said, "The three sisters, they are alright, aren’t they?"

The Green Lion and Bai Xiang simultaneously gasped, exchanging looks that conveyed the shock in each other’s eyes. The three senior sisters were actually Sha Chen’s sisters? My goodness, what were they thinking, challenging him in the first place!