Chapter 15: Chapter 15: The Spider Demon from The Cave of the Silken Web Seeking a Husband [Seeking Collection and Recommendation Tickets] _1
After harvesting a batch of Elixirs and Immortal Herbs, Sha Chen finally had the confidence to go into seclusion for cultivation.
Originally, he had nothing. If he were to cultivate in obscurity, he could only bide his time; ascending to a higher realm would be fraught with difficulties.
Now, he had his own medicinal field that produced enough Spiritual Medicines for his use.
It gave him a sense of security, like having ample grain reserves at home and thus no worries.
About half a year had passed.
Sha Chen had refined a third of the harvested Spiritual Medicines, and on this day, his cultivation made a breakthrough, reaching the peak realm of Immortal Taiyi.
"Breakthrough in cultivation detected. You have the following choices," the system announced.
"Option One: With your breakthrough in cultivation and progress in strength, it is time to leave Flowing Sand River and make a name for yourself. Reward: Magical Tool [Beat God Whip]. (The Beat God Whip: A Magical Tool originally gifted by Lord Yuan Shi to Jiang Ziya, it has a deterrent effect on gods and immortals and can attack spiritual or soul-form entities.)"
"Option Two: Continue secluding yourself for cultivation, aiming for further advancement. Reward: one [Thirty-Thousand-Year Immortal Peach Tree Sapling]. (Note: This is a sapling of the Immortal Peach Tree variety that matures once every thirty thousand years. Immortal Peach Trees also come in varieties that mature in three hundred or three thousand years, with the thirty-thousand-year type being the finest.)"
Sha Chen looked at the options and was immediately overjoyed.
Although he felt the [Beat God Whip] isn’t bad, it’s clearly meant for me to venture out and specifically deal with deities fond of their Primordial Spirits leaving their bodies. I’m no fool.
If I continue my secluded cultivation, I’ll eventually encounter even better opportunities.
I choose to continue my seclusion, Sha Chen thought, and at the same time, he received the reward: an [Immortal Peach Tree Sapling].
The single [Immortal Peach Tree Sapling] was planted by Sha Chen in the medicinal field, where it grew at a visibly rapid pace.
Sha Chen exclaimed in surprise, Who would have thought that this soil could even accelerate the growth of an [Immortal Peach Tree Sapling]? Seeing this growth rate, it might bloom in thirty years and bear fruit thirty years after that!
The Post-Heaven Earth had shortened the maturation period of the Immortal Peach, filling his heart with immense joy.
At this rate, I might be able to harvest mature Immortal Peaches in sixty years, and this tree might even promote the growth of the other Spirit Grass! he mused with excitement.
Sha Chen, filled with joy, took out another portion of Spirit Grass to refine for his cultivation.
Then he began his secluded meditation.
「At this time」
The sound of chattering suddenly came from above the Flowing Sand River. It seemed some people were talking.
Sha Chen furrowed his brows and opened his eyes, looking upward.
Ever since God Riyou and other deities were abducted by the three rhino spirits, Sha Chen had remained unmoved by external events. The Heavenly Court had subsequently withdrawn these deities, and now, officially, Sha Chen was no longer under anyone’s surveillance.
Therefore, the Flowing Sand River had been quiet for a while, with no one disturbing it.
Added to that, the corrosive nature of the Flowing Sand River had intensified, and the entire river had expanded from a thousand *li* across to a vast ten-thousand *li* waterway.
Within this immense Flowing Sand River, Sha Chen was as insignificant as a sesame seed; affairs on the shore should not have disturbed him.
Yet, the fact that the sounds reached him clearly meant that someone on the riverbank was looking for him.
As expected, Sha Chen saw seven demons on the riverbank, blatantly looking around while also shouting loudly.
"General for Folding the Curtain, we are the adopted sons of the Seven Immortal Maidens from The Cave of the Silken Web! We have come to pay our respects under the order of our mothers!" they called out.
It turned out that the seven demons were the adopted sons of the spider spirits from The Cave of the Silken Web.
Sha Chen frowned, choosing not to respond.
Over the years, it wasn’t as if no demons had sought him out; they either wanted to recruit him into their ranks or to become his disciples. He had paid them no mind. Those demons were nameless and without significant background.
But the seven demons currently on the shore were infamous figures from ’Journey to the West’: the seven adopted sons of the spider spirits of The Cave of the Silken Web.
This made Sha Chen somewhat puzzled.
The spider spirits of The Cave of the Silken Web possess immeasurable strength. During the westward journey, they caused immense trouble for Sun Wukong and his companions, even abducting Zhu Bajie once. In any case, with my current level of cultivation, I am no match for the spider spirits. Moreover, I remember that the chief spider spirit bathes three times every day in the Wash Dirt Spring, unconcerned with worldly affairs. How could she possibly know of my existence and send someone to find me?!
Sha Chen decided to ignore them and quietly observe how things would develop.
He remained silent, but the demons on the shore were unwilling to give up and continued to shout, "General for Folding the Curtain, please do not be suspicious! It is truly our mothers who, having heard of the injustices you suffered from the Heavenly Court, wish to speak up for you. They desire to bring you to The Cave of the Silken Web to enjoy a life of comfort and fortune!"
Sha Chen still did not respond.
「In the sky」
Great White Plane, having divined the presence of demons at the Flowing Sand River, paid special attention to the situation.
Upon hearing they were demons from The Cave of the Silken Web, he furrowed his brows.
It’s actually those seven demonesses from The Cave of the Silken Web who sent them. I wonder what they’re plotting and what they intend to do.
The spider spirits from The Cave of the Silken Web had an extraordinary background; Great White Plane even considered reporting the matter to the Jade Emperor.
But he decided to observe the situation first before making a decision.
Sha Chen had endured the excruciating pain of the Formation that felt like thousands of arrows piercing his heart for several years now, a fact that had almost numbed Great White Plane to shock.
But his view aligned with the Jade Emperor’s: the longer Sha Chen persisted, the deeper his hatred for the Heavenly Court probably became.
Therefore, he had to find every possible way to make Sha Chen emerge from the water as a demon. Then, he would ensure Sha Chen was suppressed and degraded, ultimately leading to his recruitment into Buddhism.
If the spider spirits from The Cave of the Silken Web have a way to achieve this, that would be ideal.
However, Great White Plane also understood that the demons from The Cave of the Silken Web had eccentric personalities. If Sha Chen’s stubborn temper provoked them, they might very well kill him.
So, he needed to keep watch, lest Sha Chen anger the spider spirits and get himself killed.
Nevertheless, Great White Plane felt that Sha Chen would likely find it difficult to escape their clutches this time.
It is said that even heroes find it hard to resist the allure of beautiful women, and each of the spider spirits from The Cave of the Silken Web was as beautiful as a celestial maiden.
Having suffered for years with no outlet for his frustrations, if Sha Chen were to see the incredibly beautiful spider spirits, he might not be able to control himself and could fall completely.
Great White Plane was somewhat looking forward to this development.
Several years had passed, yet Sha Chen still showed no signs of becoming a demon, which was beginning to give him a headache.
Now, at last, there seems to be a possibility.
The seven demons—Bee, Ant, Spinner, Spot, Hopper, Waxy, and Flit—had been shouting on the riverbank for half a day, but Sha Chen remained unmoved.
They were all getting a bit angry.
The Dragonfly demon said, "Our mothers sent us to invite him, yet he pretends to be deaf and mute. This is truly hateful!"
The Ant demon said, "Maybe he didn’t hear us?"
The Bee demon said, "That’s impossible! We’ve been making inquiries for several years. He’s definitely in this Flowing Sand River; there’s absolutely no mistake about it."
"We originally thought that after all these years, he wouldn’t be able to withstand the agony of the Formation of Ten Thousand Arrows Piercing the Heart and would finally emerge. Then we could help him and win him over. But there’s been no news from him all these years, and our mothers are growing impatient. We must take him back!"
The other demons nodded in agreement.
"Let’s tell him the full offer. Maybe he doesn’t realize how fortunate he is to have gained our mothers’ favor," one of them suggested.
The other demons nodded again, confident that their task would be easy.
"General for Folding the Curtain, we mean no harm! It is our mothers who admire your characteristic of not fearing power and wish to take you in as their husband and son-in-law!"
"If you agree and return with us, from now on, you will be the male master of The Cave of the Silken Web, honored above all! You will also be our adoptive father and king!"
Down in the Flowing Sand River, Sha Chen felt his hair stand on end upon hearing these words.
Even though the spider spirits appear in the form of beautiful women, the thought of their true forms being seven spiders disgusts me.
At that moment, the system’s voice resounded.
"Host detected as being invited by the spider immortals of The Cave of the Silken Web to become a husband. You have the following choices:"
"Option One: Accept the spider spirits’ pursuit, go to The Cave of the Silken Web to become their live-in husband and a Demon King. Reward: [Purple Green Sword]. (The Purple Green Sword: The Magical Tool of the Great Demon King, Great Sage Pansi, it can slice through iron like mud and shatter gold and jade.)"
"Option Two: Ignore the spider spirits and focus on cultivation. Reward: [God Needle of Usagi Day]. (The God Needle of Usagi Day: A flying needle Magical Tool refined by the Pleiades Star Official from his own eyes, specialized in overcoming eye-based Divine Powers.)"