CHAPTER 5: CHAPTER 5 THE JADE EMPEROR’S DELIBERATION【SEEKING FAVORITES AND RECOMMENDATIONS】_1

After slaying the Old Turtle Demon, Sha Chen pressed his advantage!

He hurled out his crescent shovel. With one hand forming a seal, divine power instantly suffused the weapon, transforming it into a streak of light!

It directly slaughtered all the panic-stricken demons on the shore. The Blue-Eyed Wolf Demon and the Iron-Backed Bear Demon also died beneath the crescent shovel!

The crescent shovel did not stop there. It razed their lairs to the ground and, as if possessing eyes, swept through the Flowing Sand River’s surroundings, clearing a radius of ten thousand li of demons!

Only then did it return to Sha Chen’s hand. He glanced indifferently at the Jia Lan on duty and the God Riyou on duty in the sky, offering a slight smile.

"These demons have been wreaking havoc. Although I have been demoted to the mortal world and am no longer a divine general of the Heavenly Court, I still consider it my duty to subdue demons and slay monsters. You needn’t thank me for dealing with them!"

GULP.

The Jia Lan on duty and the God Riyou on duty both felt their scalps tingle as they swallowed hard. Only upon hearing Sha Chen’s words did they recover their senses. Their eyes were filled with shock, and they kept running their hands through their hair, clearly bewildered.

When did he become so powerful?

When he was demoted, wasn’t he only at the Initial Stage of True Immortal? Just now, when he used his Magical Tool, his cultivation seemed to have reached the Initial Stage of Immortal Taiyi!

The immortals were dumbfounded! Even Muzha in the clouds was stunned, his expression blank.

He murmured to himself, Didn’t Master say that he was just an Attendant of the Jade Emperor? Although he possesses great destiny, he hasn’t yet been entangled in the karma of the scripture pilgrimage. How did he become so formidable?

Muzha’s heart was shaken, but the light in his eyes grew brighter. I didn’t expect him to have such talent. Not only can he withstand the Thousand Swords Piercing The Heart, but he also has the ability to turn peril into safety. His strength has skyrocketed, and his potential is limitless.

With this in mind, we absolutely cannot let him go. We must find a way to make him become a demon, so our Buddhism can then convert him!

Muzha glanced west again, grinning. Next, it’s up to you, you vile creature, what methods you’ll use to force him into demonhood. Don’t disappoint me.

Then he departed.

Sha Chen did not know Muzha was hiding in the sky. However, after his strength increased, he vaguely sensed someone was prying. After slaying the demons, he returned to the Flowing Sand River. The eight-hundred-li Flowing Sand River also became calm and tranquil.

However, after devouring those demons, it seemed to have expanded even further, now stretching for a thousand li.

At the bottom of the Flowing Sand River, next to that underwater cave, Sha Chen used rocks to build a simple palace and moved in.

He then set up some simple Formations and waited. Only after the sensation of being spied upon disappeared did he finally breathe a sigh of relief.

Who exactly is spying on me? My strength is still insufficient to find out!

Sha Chen murmured to himself, his determination to continue lying low strengthening. There were too many powerful experts outside; it was safer here.

However, he also knew that as long as Buddhism didn’t give up on making him a scripture pilgrim, he would only face dangers without true harm. Sha Chen then claimed his system reward: the Parent-child Sword.

These were two swords: the mother sword was in the scabbard, and the child sword was within the hilt of the mother sword—versatile and unfathomably mysterious!

Only after Refining them did Sha Chen’s mood improve!

My crescent shovel is also a Magical Tool. Now, with the Parent-child Sword, I have an additional safeguard.

After Refining them, he could wield these two swords as if they were extensions of his own limbs.

With a mere thought, they could fly out like flying swords, slaying enemies from ten thousand li away!

Now that I have mastered these two flying swords, I can take an enemy’s head from ten thousand li away, even while within the Flowing Sand River.

However, this Flowing Sand River is ultimately a small place. This underwater cave dwelling was just built by me from some rubble; it absolutely cannot withstand the attacks of powerful experts, nor their prying.

I need a powerful cave dwelling, one that can withstand the attacks of the strong and also evade the prying of others. Only then can I cultivate in peace.

I hope my next choice will be of great help to me. I just want to lie low until the end of time.

After Refining the two flying swords, Sha Chen once again immersed himself in tedious cultivation.

He also consumed the Taiyi Creation Pill, slowly Refining it in conjunction with the Eight-Nine Profound Art!

His aura also grew increasingly powerful.

「In the heavens, Bright Palace.」

The Jade Emperor was reviewing memorials when Thousand-Mile Eye and Downwind Ear, his martial brothers, came in to report.

"Your Majesty, the God Riyou on duty from the Flowing Sand River region has returned to report on the recent situation of the condemned general Sha Chen."

The Jade Emperor chuckled. "He endures the torment of Thousand Swords Piercing The Heart day and night. It must have been over a month by now, right?"

Thousand-Mile Eye replied, "Yes, it has been a month and a half."

The Jade Emperor said, "Even you two couldn’t bear the agony of Thousand Swords Piercing The Heart, let alone him. Has he admitted his wrongs yet!?"

Thousand-Mile Eye and Downwind Ear forced a smile and said, "Your Majesty, Sha Chen acts as if nothing is wrong at all."

The Jade Emperor stopped reviewing the memorials, raised his head, and used his Heavenly Vision to take a look. He then frowned.

This brat actually possesses such endurance and willpower! He can even withstand this Early-stage of Heart-piercing Sword Array. Logically speaking, someone in the True Immortal Realm shouldn’t be able to endure it.

Thousand-Mile Eye said, "The God Riyou on duty reported that condemned general Sha Chen’s cultivation might have already reached the Initial Stage of Immortal Taiyi!"

He then recounted how Sha Chen had slaughtered all the demons in the Flowing Sand River region.

The Jade Emperor was stunned for a moment, then realization dawned. If that’s the case, then it’s understandable. The Early-stage of Heart-piercing Sword Array wouldn’t have such a great impact on an Immortal Taiyi.

A pang shot through his heart. But how could his talent be so formidable? To advance from the Initial Stage of True Immortal to the Initial Stage of Immortal Taiyi in just over a month?

He looked up at Thousand-Mile Eye. After a long moment, he waved his hand to dismiss them. He then stood up, his expression somewhat grim.

In such a short time, his cultivation has improved so rapidly. Could it be that he truly possesses exceptional talent?

I now control the Heavenly Court, but the situation is unstable. Most of the immortals within the Heavenly Court are disciples of the Taoist sect. To balance the current situation, I cooperated with Buddhism, allowing them to send personnel to fill positions as immortals in the Heavenly Court. In return, I handed over two exceptionally talented individuals to Buddhism to initiate the great calamity of the Western Journey.

Tianpeng, needless to say, his exceptional talent is a matter of course. But I am perfectly clear about Sha Chen’s talent. Sending him to Buddhism was more symbolic than practical. It was merely to show my stance to Buddhism: I’ve even sent my personal guard; the Heavenly Court is short-handed, so you must quickly send people to fill the vacancies.

But now, this Attendant’s talent turns out to be so good! I actually feel a sense of loss.

The Jade Emperor was somewhat vexed, feeling as if he had discarded a watermelon to pick up a sesame seed.

Actually, sending two talented individuals to Buddhism was acceptable to the Jade Emperor. However, sending one good one and one subpar one would more clearly indicate the dire situation of the Heavenly Court at that time. Only then would Buddhism quickly arrange for people to enter the Heavenly Court and balance the Taoist faction.

At this moment, Sha Chen’s talent didn’t actually have a major impact on the Jade Emperor’s plans, but it made him lose some face.

Therefore, he decided that Sha Chen must become a demon as soon as possible, to become more mediocre. Otherwise, he would feel imbalanced. After all, to send two prodigies over before even receiving any talents from Buddhism felt somewhat painful, no matter how he looked at it.

The Jade Emperor activated his Divine Power, looked towards the Flowing Sand River, and murmured, Although it’s only the Early-stage Heart-piercing Pure Yang Sword Array, given your Initial Stage of Immortal Taiyi realm, you can at most endure it for a little over a month. I reckon you’ve already reached your limit.

In a few more days, you’ll probably go mad. Ultimately, you are destined to fall into demonhood and become one of Buddhism’s people.