Chapter 29: Chapter 29 - The Immortal Rice Ripens, a Load Lasts for Ten Thousand Years【Seeking Collections, Seeking Recommendations】_1
Marshal Tianpeng knew his own destiny and was deeply despondent.
Sha Chen, on the other hand, was overjoyed, for he had received two rewards—the Apricot Yellow Flag of Wuji and the Immortal Rice.
Eager to test his new treasures, he promptly took out the Apricot Yellow Flag of Wuji, refined it, and cast it forth, where it took its place in the sky alongside the Sky Shielding Talisman.
The Sky Shielding Talisman protected him from the prying eyes of others, while the Apricot Yellow Flag of Wuji shielded him from their attacks.
Within the Formation, golden lotuses continually bloomed and faded.
They appeared utterly indestructible.
Only upon seeing this did Sha Chen breathe a sigh of relief; now he finally had a place where he could stand firm and secure his life.
Under the protection of the Apricot Yellow Flag of Wuji, he no longer had to worry about Li Changgeng causing trouble again.
Because Li Changgeng had not yet transcended the Daluo Golden Immortal Realm, and the Apricot Yellow Flag of Wuji could defend against any onslaught from a Daluo Golden Immortal or below.
Sha Chen had always been concerned that Li Changgeng would come to make trouble again; having failed this time, Li Changgeng would surely press even harder the next.
With the Apricot Yellow Flag of Wuji, he was safe from Li Changgeng’s coercion; Li Changgeng simply couldn’t force him.
After all, as long as he didn’t venture out, he had no reason to fear what Li Changgeng could do to him.
Sha Chen then went to the Spiritual Field, retrieved the Immortal Rice, and planted it.
A third of the vast Spiritual Field was now sown with Immortal Rice, which filled a great expanse of previously vacant land.
Another third was planted with various Immortal Elixirs and flat peach trees; they were more spaced out, and though fewer in number, they took up more space.
The final third of the Spiritual Field lay fallow, which pained Sha Chen to see.
He was constantly pondering how to fill the idle parts of the Spiritual Field.
After busying himself for half the day and returning, he found Marshal Tianpeng still in a state of utter dejection.
Seeing this made Sha Chen want to plant him in the fields.
"Tianpeng, still haven’t come to terms with it?" Sha Chen approached and said with a smile.
Tianpeng looked at him, gave a bitter smile, and said, "It turns out that everything was predestined, and I’ve become but a pawn for others."
Sha Chen said, "Without sufficient strength, one is naturally subject to the manipulations of others."
Tianpeng said, "Are you content with that?"
Sha Chen said, "Of course not, which is why I am resisting."
Tianpeng said, "Do you think your resistance is useful?"
Sha Chen said, "I’m doing all I can. For now, it seems that as long as I don’t get involved in the great catastrophe, I can stay out of it."
Tianpeng’s eyes lit up, and he said, "I also wish to stay out of it."
"I don’t want to join Buddhism, I don’t want to spend all day in abstinence and prayer, and I especially don’t want to abstain from the touch of women."
Sha Chen said with a laugh, "Then you’ll have to work hard for these desires—improve your cultivation, but don’t let yourself degenerate into a demon."
Tianpeng asked doubtfully, "Is that enough?"
Sha Chen said, "Buddhism’s strategy is simple. If you fall into demonhood, they meddle in your business and come to convert you. Only then will you be tearfully grateful and unwaveringly loyal."
He shared these thoughts with Zhu Bajie partly out of self-interest.
Having Zhu Bajie take the lead would be enough to give Buddhism a headache and leave him in peace.
Tianpeng’s eyes shone, and he nodded vigorously, "Makes sense, Old Sha, you’re absolutely right."
Then, thumping his chest, he declared, "Then, I must cultivate diligently, definitely avoid demonic deeds, and not fall into depravity."
Sha Chen didn’t have great expectations for Zhu Bajie. Given his inherent nature prone to lust, laziness, and cowardice, it was just a matter of how long he could keep it up.
Zhu Bajie was resolute but lamented, "But I have nowhere to go, and to regain my past strength or even surpass it, I need to relearn my cultivation techniques and divine powers."
"Before my reincarnation, I was made to drink two bowls of Meng Po’s concoction, which made me forget all my cultivation techniques and divine powers. To relearn them is too difficult."
Sha Chen furrowed his brow.
Tianpeng’s predicament must also be a reason why he is easily drawn into calamities.
All the Heavenly Court or Buddhism need to do is extend him a minor kindness, help him retrieve the memories of his lost cultivation techniques and divine powers, and he would be bound to feel deeply indebted.
Sha Chen felt that the only way to avoid being led by the nose by others was to not owe anyone anything and to seek nothing.
He wanted Tianpeng to take the lead, so naturally, he couldn’t let him fall so quickly.
Sha Chen hesitated for a moment, then smiled and said, "Tianpeng, as a good brother, how could I turn a blind eye to something like this?"
"Let’s do this: I happen to know your Thirty-six Variations of the Heavenly Gang. I’ll teach it to you, so you won’t need to recover that memory. Then, I’ll also teach you the Eight-Nine Profound Art. You’ll have a cultivation technique, and it’ll be better than the one you had!"
Tianpeng was stunned for a moment, a mix of surprise and joy washing over him. Then, in shock, he asked, "You know the Thirty-six Variations and the Eight-Nine Profound Art too? How are you so powerful?"
Sha Chen laughed and replied, "I learned them by chance; that’s not important. Come, I’ll teach you, to help you recover your cultivation sooner and advance further."
「Then, the following month.」
Tianpeng learned the Eight-Nine Profound Art and the Thirty-six Variations.
That day, Sha Chen prepared a package for him again, putting in some meat and vegetables, and some Immortal Rice that had just ripened.
Originally, Sha Chen hadn’t wanted to include the Immortal Rice, but he figured nothing ventured, nothing gained.
If Tianpeng could become strong sooner, he would be able to resist temptations sooner. So, Sha Chen bit the bullet and gave him some.
It would be enough to increase Tianpeng’s cultivation by ten thousand years.
Sha Chen got everything ready, placed it inside the Qiankun Bag, and gave it to Tianpeng, half-pushing and half-pulling, intending to send him out of the Formation.
Tianpeng was reluctant to leave and said, "Old Sha, it’s comfortable here. Why don’t I stay with you, so you aren’t lonely?"
Sha Chen replied, "I have the company of Thousand Swords Piercing The Heart every day; I’m not lonely at all."
Tianpeng then said, "How about I share the burden?"
Sha Chen’s expression turned strange, and he said, "Today’s Thousand Swords Piercing The Heart is coming soon. Stand in front of the water cave later and take it for me. If you can withstand it, I’ll let you stay."
Tianpeng declared with full confidence, "If you can handle it, surely I can too."
For the whole month, he hadn’t endured it even once. Seeing Sha Chen not only remain untroubled but actually seem to enjoy it each time he bore the brunt, Tianpeng thought he could handle it too.
The Formation for Thousand Swords Piercing The Heart activated.
Terrifying sword glows burst forth, and Zhu Bajie felt his legs go weak.
Sha Chen channeled just a single sword beam into Tianpeng’s chest. Tianpeng instantly collapsed like a pile of soft mud, soiling himself.
"Old Sha, brother, good brother, take good care of yourself! Big brother has things to do; I must go first!"
Tianpeng scrambled out of the Formation and then dashed away without looking back.
At last, Sha Chen had managed to send him away. He chuckled to himself and then began to endure today’s round of Thousand Swords Piercing The Heart.
As the power of the Formation was transformed into cultivation, Sha Chen endured it with satisfaction.
Such a good method of cultivation... Even if Zhu Bajie could withstand it, he wouldn’t let him share the burden.
After dealing with that, Sha Chen went to fetch the Immortal Rice, cooked it, and swallowed the whole pot in one gulp.
Sha Chen immediately felt his stomach bloat; he wanted to forcefully digest it, but he could not.
He furrowed his brows and murmured, "This Immortal Rice is ten times better in quality than the Heavenly Court’s; it needs to be digested slowly. It seems I can’t just get everything I want in one go."
Originally, he had wanted to cook all eight hundred loads of Immortal Rice he had harvested at once, eat them, and directly gain the corresponding cultivation.
But after trying it, he found that Immortal Rice was hard to digest, and it took time to unlock the Divine Power within.
One load of rice contained about ten thousand years of cultivation. However, during the digestion process, absorbing even half would be considered good.
And to completely digest one load of rice, according to Sha Chen’s estimation, it would take at least a month.
Looking at the mountain-like piles of Immortal Rice, Sha Chen never thought he would one day feel troubled because he had too many resources to refine in time.
It seems I need to improve my physical body to speed up the digestion and absorption of the Immortal Rice; otherwise, it’s a waste.
The longer the Immortal Rice was stored, the more severe the loss of Divine Power became.
So, if he didn’t plan on cultivating followers and intended to eat it all himself, he needed to strengthen his physique to absorb and refine it quickly.
Next, as Sha Chen ate the Immortal Rice, his body began to swell. He no longer restrained himself, instead allowing his physique to grow larger.