CHAPTER 7: CHAPTER 7 - EVEN THE BODHISATTVA IS SPEECHLESS【PLEASE COLLECT AND RECOMMEND VOTES】_1

Sha Chen chuckled. Kill him, Jinmaohou? He didn’t believe it! This beast was simply Guanyin’s mount, with its endless tricks—nothing but attempts to coerce him into becoming a demon. How could it dare to actually kill him! Even if he tried to commit suicide, he guessed the beast would likely save him!

Seeing Sha Chen remain silent, Jinmaohou felt smug inside. I must have scared him. Soon, he will obediently become a very promising demon.

However, Jinmaohou was disappointed. The Formation broke, and Sha Chen stood before the water cave, meeting Jinmaohou’s gaze.

Although Sha Chen did not believe Jinmaohou would kill him, he had decided it was safer to confront him in front of the water cave. If anything went wrong, he could dive inside, where the Thousand Swords Piercing The Heart Formation would protect him. At the very least, it would cause Jinmaohou some trouble and give Sha Chen a chance to escape.

Sha Chen said, "Sai Tai Sui? You are not Sai Tai Sui. You are Jinmaohou, Guanyin Bodhisattva’s mount."

Jinmaohou was taken aback, blurting out, "How did you know my identity?"

As soon as he said it, he regretted it. He’d been tricked by Sha Chen!

But Sha Chen was completely composed. He said, "I am a deity from the heavens. I’ve served by the Jade Emperor’s side for thousands of years, attended countless banquets, big and small, and seen Guanyin Bodhisattva many times. Naturally, I have seen you."

Jinmaohou nodded. This explanation made sense. Then he added, "So what if you know who I am? I have descended to become a demon already. I wanted to help you out of kindness, but if you won’t listen, I’ll be forced to get angry..."

Sha Chen cut him off, "Save it. You can’t deceive me."

Jinmaohou was startled. Had he been discovered?!

Sha Chen continued, "As Guanyin Bodhisattva’s mount, would you dare kill a deity and besmirch her reputation?"

Jinmaohou’s brow furrowed. Sha Chen’s words had hit his weak spot!

Sha Chen went on, "You can cause chaos on earth as a demon without consequence, but if you dared to touch a deity, the Bodhisattva would definitely flay you and pull out your tendons."

"I don’t care if you’re here to relieve the Bodhisattva’s worries or what your motive is for pressuring me into becoming a demon. If the Bodhisattva finds out, she will never forgive you."

Jinmaohou was beside himself with rage, on the verge of blurting out that the Bodhisattva herself was scheming to force Sha Chen into demonhood to draw him into Buddhism. I’m trying to help you!

But before he could speak, Sha Chen preempted him, "After all, the Bodhisattva is radiant and sublime, a savior of all sentient beings within Buddhism. She would never tolerate her mount abusing its power, forcing the virtuous into depravity, a deity into becoming a demon."

Jinmaohou almost exploded with anger but also snapped to his senses. He had nearly implicated the Bodhisattva! She had said she didn’t want others to know about this; even he had only found out by eavesdropping. If he revealed it, her reputation would surely suffer, and his own death would be certain.

Realizing how close he’d come to disaster, he was both alarmed and deeply irritated. This ignorant minor deity! Refusing such a great opportunity to become a demon and then join Buddhism, rejecting it time and again!

Sha Chen had been observing Jinmaohou’s expressions and inwardly sighed in relief. Good, Jinmaohou hadn’t revealed Guanyin’s plans. He didn’t want to fall out with Guanyin so soon. If Buddhism accused him of tarnishing Guanyin’s name, they would strike him down, and he’d have nowhere to even cry!

Jinmaohou, caught in a bind, said, "I don’t know what you’re talking about. I only took pity on your situation here. Since I am free and unfettered as a demon on earth, I wanted to lend you a hand. Don’t twist my good intentions and accuse me."

Sha Chen, seeing Jinmaohou’s tone soften, knew he was scared and decided to change tactics. "My punishment here is mandated by heavenly law; I cannot defy it. You seek freedom and ease, while I must endure suffering here and cultivate silently."

"Actually, I believe you descended to the mortal realm primarily to help alleviate the Bodhisattva’s concerns, not because you genuinely wished to become a demon."

Jinmaohou was stunned, then hastily agreed, "Yes, yes, exactly!"

Sha Chen smirked inwardly. He had pushed Jinmaohou hard enough; now it was time to give him an out.

Hence, he said with a smile, "See? I knew I was right."

Jinmaohou’s eyes darted around. I need to get out of here. He was already planning his escape.

However, leaving just like that would be rather undignified. He coughed and said, "Sha Chen, you certainly have guts. Actually, I was just testing you. If you had genuinely wanted to become a demon, I would have looked down on you and would have had to teach you a lesson on behalf of the Bodhisattva."

Sha Chen nodded. "Just as I thought. Rest assured, I will not become a demon."

"Since your resolve is firm, I can be at ease. Continue your Cultivation. I’m off to my carefree life... COUGH, COUGH... I mean, I’m going back to report on my mission."

Then he tossed a Qiankun Bag over. "Inside are some Immortal Elixirs and Divine Grasses. Consider it compensation for destroying your Formation."

With that, he turned and left, tears welling in his eyes. This time, he had suffered a great loss, losing both his wife and his troops.

Sha Chen held the Qiankun Bag, his expression strange. The system had already notified him that he had obtained the Black Tortoise Divine Array.

He hastily set up the Formation, lest Jinmaohou come to his senses and launch a surprise return attack.

「In the sky.」

After Jinmaohou departed, he returned to his cave dwelling, growing angrier the more he brooded. The more I think about it, the more something feels off. Was that brute tricking me? Not only did I fail the Bodhisattva’s mission, but I also lost my savings of many years! It’s infuriating! I absolutely cannot let this go!

Xiaojingling, seeing Jinmaohou fuming silently, was both shocked and scared. His eyes darted about, and he quickly said, "Great King, you mentioned you’re from the Western Heavens, so you must have many friends there. Why not ask a few of them to help you out?"

"As they say, many hands make light work, and many heads are better than one. Perhaps your friends will have a solution?"

Jinmaohou was taken aback, then his surprise turned to delight. He laughed. "You’re right! I do have some friends in the Western Heavens. Especially those three brothers—they’re full of crafty ideas. I’ll go find them!"

「Western Heavens, the Bamboo Grove.」

Muzha returned and reported, "Master, Jinmaohou tried to use a trick to force Sha Chen into becoming a demon, but he failed."

Guanyin nodded.

Muzha continued, "Knowing this, he will probably go himself. Hopefully, he’ll bring back good news."

Guanyin opened her eyes. "That wicked beast has already gone. However, he failed."

Muzha was stunned. "Could it be that Sha Chen can even defeat Jinmaohou?" he asked in astonishment.

Guanyin’s expression was incredibly complex. "He didn’t fight. He simply persuaded Jinmaohou to leave."

Muzha was speechless. "I never imagined he’d be so troublesome! His willpower is also quite strong; even the Thousand Swords Piercing The Heart couldn’t drive him mad. What should be done now?"

Guanyin said, "That wicked beast has already gone to find help. Given the people they’ll find, it might have some effect."

"What I’m more concerned about now is that Sha Chen has endured the Thousand Swords Piercing The Heart for two months. He should be at his limit by now."

「Another half a month passed.」

Guanyin sighed. "This child’s willpower is truly astonishing. He can still endure it. It seems the initial stage of the Thousand Swords Piercing The Heart has little effect on him anymore."

Muzha smiled. "Master, he won’t be able to hold on much longer."

Guanyin simply said, "Oh?"

Muzha explained, "Jinmaohou has already found those three brothers to help. They played a little trick and managed to frame Sha Chen."

Guanyin’s expression turned peculiar. After a quick mental calculation, she also smiled. "It seems those three wicked beasts have some ideas of their own."

Muzha chuckled. "Indeed. They deliberately transformed into demons Sha Chen had previously encountered and falsely accused him of disrespecting the Jade Emperor. The Jade Emperor will surely strengthen the Formation. That will make him regret it!"

Guanyin said, "The intermediate stage of the Thousand Swords Piercing The Heart, the Pure Yang Sword Array, should be enough to drive him mad instantly. My concern now should be that he becomes a complete lunatic, making him difficult to enlighten."

The two of them laughed.