Chapter 61: Chapter 61: Zhu Bajie and White Bone Demon [Looking for collection and recommendation votes]_1
The Tongtian Hierarch had come again to recruit people.
Sha Chen was stunned for a moment.
"Detecting that the host is being recruited by the Tongtian Hierarch, you have the following options."
"Option One: Agree to the Tongtian Hierarch, become an external disciple and Saint’s apprentice of the Sect of Interpretation, and bear the heavy responsibility of rebuilding the Sect of Interpretation. Receive the reward [Heart-Piercing Lock]. Heart-Piercing Lock: An ornament from the Tongtian Hierarch’s neck, capable of capturing."
"Option Two: Reject the Tongtian Hierarch, continue to seclude yourself for cultivation, and obtain the Magical Tool [Undefined Flying Ring]. The Undefined Flying Ring: It can be large or small, similar to the Golden Hoop that can bind a person but is more robust. It can also be used to defend against the Qiankun Ring."
Sha Chen made his decision instantly. He clasped his fists from afar and said, "Thank you for the invitation, Senior. I am not capable of such a great responsibility and dare not aspire so high. I only wish to continue my cultivation."
In the Biyou Palace on Zi Zhi Cliff, the Tongtian Hierarch was gritting his teeth in frustration. Has this fellow rejected me again?
He asked from afar, "You are already a Greater Primordial Golden Immortal. Although your cultivation is merely passable, in today’s world, you can still make your way. Why are you so timid, fearing both the wolf in front and the tiger behind?"
"Do you know that outside Zi Zhi Cliff, a crowd of Daluo Golden Immortals kneels, wishing to accept me as their master, and I haven’t spared a single glance for them!?"
Sha Chen said, "Thank you for your high regard, Senior. I truly am not up to the task."
The Tongtian Hierarch angrily said, "A man should never say he can’t do it."
Sha Chen remained silent, beginning to excavate the God Source Stone mine, and then continued his cultivation.
Although he didn’t speak, his attitude was clear: he was rejecting the offer.
The Tongtian Hierarch was uncontrollably furious. "This guy dares to ignore me! If it weren’t for seeing some potential in him and wanting to foster his growth, why would I even bother with him?"
By his side, a Kui bull said, "Master, he is so weak, why bother with him?"
The Tongtian Hierarch said, "No, I can’t swallow this insult. You, go down to the Demon World, spread the word, and make Sha Chen’s name known. He wants to keep a low profile, but I will not allow it."
The Kui bull said, "Master, isn’t this helping him by making him famous?"
The Tongtian Hierarch snorted coldly. "He wants to stay under the radar, and I will not let him. Once he gains fame, burdens will follow, and many things will be beyond his control. Then we’ll see if he doesn’t capitulate."
The Kui bull nodded, transformed into a beam of light, and vanished from the Penglai Archipelago.
「Penglai Archipelago.」
Sha Chen’s clone, Chen Sha, had been doing hard labor for twenty years, but his cultivation had already reached the high stage of a True Immortal.
It had to be said that Jinao Island, for the sake of rebuilding the Sect of Interpretation, spared no effort in cultivating those who entered.
Cultivation Techniques, resources, Divine Powers—everything one could need was provided.
Chen Sha was favored by the Golden Spirit Holy Mother and cultivated one of the Sect of Interpretation’s Dao Techniques, the [Sky Profound Dao Technique], its grade not inferior to the Eight-Nine Profound Art.
He also practiced the 72 Polymorphic Transformations. Because it bore Sha Chen’s imprint, he cultivated exceptionally quickly.
This also led the one supervising his cultivation, the Golden Spirit Holy Mother’s second son, Emperor Ziwei Beiji, to perceive that Chen Sha was quite talented and allocated some resources to him.
The clone Chen Sha wanted to take these resources back to the main body. However, Emperor Ziwei Beiji kept such a close watch that Chen Sha didn’t dare try to leave Jinao Island. He couldn’t even tell east from west there.
He could only continue cultivating, for now, to preserve his own useful self.
「Flowing Sand River.」
After Sha Chen rejected the Tongtian Hierarch, he received the Magical Tool, the Undefined Flying Ring.
He quickly refined it. After a simple test of the Undefined Flying Ring, he found that this Magical Tool was better than any other he had acquired, save for the Apricot Yellow Flag of Wuji.
It was a Magical Tool capable of both offense and defense.
It could be used for long-range attacks like the Qiankun Ring and for binding like the Golden Hoop.
Sha Chen was so fond of it that he went to the immortal fields and playfully used it to try and ensnare the Immortal Elixirs and Divine Grasses, thoroughly enjoying himself.
After a few hours of play, Sha Chen once again immersed himself in cultivation.
After all, happy times are always fleeting.
"Old Sha, Old Sha, I’m back! Open the Formation!"
Just as Sha Chen was about to continue cultivating, aiming to advance his cultivation from the early stage of a Greater Primordial Golden Immortal to the intermediate stage, someone outside was calling at his Formation again.
Opening his eyes, he peered out with his Illusion-Breaking Divine Eye and saw two figures outside his cave-dwelling.
One was Tianpeng, and the other was an exceedingly beautiful woman dressed in white.
Sha Chen furrowed his brow. Tianpeng was getting more and more out of line, he thought. He even brought a stranger here, and a woman at that.
On the woman, he also detected a demonic aura.
Using his Illusion-Breaking Divine Eye, he confirmed she was indeed a demoness. Her body was devoid of flesh, all bones—a White Bone Demon.
It was unclear whether she was related to the White Bone Demon of the Three Corpse Cave, or if they were the same being.
Tianpeng had been shouting from outside for a long time, but Sha Chen did not respond.
Although he did not know what the White Bone Demon was up to, not responding was the best approach. He hoped they would get tired and leave on their own.
Tianpeng cursed outside, "You damned great hulk! I’ve been shouting for ages and you won’t open the door! If someone were chasing me, I’d have been killed a thousand times by now!"
Then he turned to the woman in white and apologized with a smile, "Miss Bai, my brother is a heavy sleeper. He probably didn’t hear me. I’ll shout again."
The woman in white said, "Could the General for Folding the Curtain have already woken up and be avoiding the Marshal on purpose?"
Tianpeng glared and exclaimed, "How dare he!?"
Then his tone softened. "Miss Bai, please don’t guess wildly. Old Sha and I are good brothers. I’m not here to borrow money, so he has no reason to hide from me."
"Ah, right! Maybe he saw you and was puzzled. He’s very cautious. I just need to explain the situation, and it’ll be fine."
Tianpeng hurriedly said, "Old Sha, open the Formation! Miss Bai is no stranger; she is my savior. Knowing that you and I are brothers, I brought her to meet you."
This time Sha Chen spoke up, "Tianpeng, how did she save you?"
Tianpeng immediately replied, "You damned great hulk! So you were awake after all, just pretending to be a log!"
"You have the gall to say that!" Tianpeng retorted. "Wasn’t it because you asked those immortal ladies from The Cave of the Silken Web to find me for help that I left Fuling Mountain and went overseas? I was ambushed and almost died! It’s all thanks to Miss Bai that I was rescued."
He said matter-of-factly, "Since this whole thing happened because of you, it’s not too much to ask for you to meet Miss Bai, is it?!"
Sha Chen hadn’t expected so many things to have happened in the meantime. Still, he remained unmoved.
He simply said, "Miss Bai, why do you wish to see me?"
His image appeared above the Formation, but he did not come out, nor did he open the Formation.
"The General for Folding the Curtain is truly impressive," the woman in white laughed. "Mainly, I heard of the General’s great name while overseas and have longed to pay a visit."
Sha Chen frowned deeply, feeling uneasy.
He said in a low voice, "I am merely a banished general. What kind of reputation could I possibly have that’s being spread overseas?!"
Seeing that Sha Chen was somewhat unhappy, the woman in white said, "Having a resounding reputation is a good thing, isn’t it?"
Sha Chen said, "I don’t like it."
The woman in white was baffled. There were actually people who disliked fame!?
Sha Chen felt a conspiracy looming over his head. Who exactly intended to harm him?!
He certainly didn’t believe that fame was something good.
What he wanted was to keep a low profile, to be so low that the world knew nothing of him, and then to develop silently.
Tianpeng said, "Old Sha, being famous is a good thing. I know you’re averse to trouble, but with fame comes authority—no one can do anything to you."
Sha Chen said, "Shut up. You two should leave."
Tianpeng was taken aback. "Old Sha, we came all this way. Where do you expect us to go?"
Sha Chen replied, "Go back to where you came from. And by the way, take a message for me to the overseas regions."
Tianpeng asked, "What message?"
Sha Chen said, "Just say that I am dead. Let dust return to dust, and earth return to earth. Don’t come looking for me."
Tianpeng was rather speechless and a little reproachful. "Old Sha, there’s no need for that, really. Just let us in first. We can have some good food and drinks, catch up, and then talk about other things."
Sha Chen glanced at the woman in white and said, "Tianpeng can come in. You can’t."
Tianpeng grew anxious. "Old Sha, you can’t do this! She’s my savior, and she wants to meet you. I already promised her. Give me some face!"
Sha Chen replied, "Something’s off about you."