Chapter 133: Chapter 127 Immortal Ruyi【Subscribe】_1
Red Boy’s elders from home came knocking at the door.
Above the Flowing Sand River, they howled and shouted with might, their divine powers so immense they shook the earth and mountains.
The waters of the Flowing Sand River churned without end.
Nearby, the Earth Gods and Mountain Gods frantically fled, not daring to show themselves.
Sha Chen used his divine eyes to look out and saw that beyond the Flowing Sand River, there stood a staunch and unyielding Taoist with a bull nose, followed by hundreds of bizarre Taoists, who did not appear to be good people, but rather demonic cultivators.
The leading demonic cultivator exuded an aura full of force.
His head adorned with a starry crown bursting with color, his body draped in a red, gold-threaded robe. Beneath his feet, cloud-patterned shoes piled with brocade, his waist encircled by a precious ornate belt. A pair of brocade socks conquered the waves, with half-revealed, flash-embroidered fringes underneath his robe.
In his hand, he held a wish-fulfilling golden hook, sharp and long as a python dragon. With bright phoenix eyes and raised exploratory brows, his steel teeth sharply bared, his mouth flushed red. Below his forehead, his beard flowed like blazing fire, and fiery short hair bristled at his temples.
That was the Bull Demon King’s brother, Red Boy’s uncle, Immortal Ruyi.
Although he was known as Immortal Ruyi, his strength was not limited to that of a True Immortal; it was simply his way of declaring to the world that he was a genuine immortal.
Immortal Ruyi was one of the few in the Journey to the West who fought with Sun Wukong and managed to leave unscathed.
He was neither subdued nor killed but retreated with his whole body intact.
It was conceivable how tremendous his power really was.
If it were the original Sun Wukong, by the time he reached the Kingdom Ruled by Women, it would be the middle to late stages, with strength roughly at the level of a Daluo Golden Immortal.
At the very least, it was estimated to be at the peak of a Greater Primordial Golden Immortal.
Immortal Ruyi exchanged a hundred moves with him before being defeated, and yet he was able to retreat with his whole body intact, which demonstrates his strength.
In reality, he was the Bull Demon King’s brother. He dominated Jieyang Mountain’s Juxian Temple and occupied the Abortive Spring, forcing the entire Kingdom Ruled by Women to submit and offer tribute without protest. His great strength was therefore unquestionable.
Sha Chen also saw that Immortal Ruyi, standing on the shore, was showing off his might in an unbridled fashion; his strong cultivation level was entirely apparent to Sha Chen.
Indeed, his cultivation was at the peak of a Greater Primordial Golden Immortal, with demonic energy soaring to the heavens, arrogantly powerful.
Sha Chen’s face turned grave as he muttered, As expected, fearsome indeed, to possess the cultivation of a Greater Primordial Golden Immortal at its peak. In the original story, he fought with Sun Wukong and was able to retreat after being defeated, which was certainly no fluke.
Moreover, he used a substitution technique to avoid Sun Wukong’s Golden Cudgel and Fiery Golden Eyes, which shows his ability for transformation and divine power is quite remarkable.
Sha Chen stroked his chin, his expression serious as he spoke to himself, The original text says he ruled over Juxian Temple on Jieyang Mountain as king, with countless disciples. Now seeing this entourage, it’s indeed true.
He then furrowed his brows and said, But Immortal Ruyi is the brother of the Bull Demon King. In the original text, he bore a grudge because Red Boy was taken by Guanyin, prompting him to seek revenge on Sun Wukong and thus he blocked the way.
Now, since Red Boy has already joined him and will no longer turn to Guanyin, I assume he won’t appear on the journey West again, right?
Afterward, Sha Chen grew anxious again.
From the actions of Immortal Ruyi, it was clear that although inherently greedy, he was very protective of Red Boy.
He stood up for Red Boy on the journey West, blocking the path of Sun Wukong and his group.
Now, not knowing whether Red Boy was dead or alive, while the Bull Demon King and Iron Fan Princess hadn’t arrived yet, he was the one who led his men over instead.
Sha Chen didn’t dare to imagine the scene if the Bull Demon King and his wife came.
Immortal Ruyi continued to taunt boisterously on the shore, his rage and howls unabated.
The Earth Gods and Mountain Gods dared not approach.
Roaming Gods and flying immortals all fled far away.
Seeing this from inside the cave manor, Red Boy was overjoyed and then said, "Foster father, that Taoist is my uncle; don’t be fooled by his ferocious appearance, in reality, he is very good to me."
Sha Chen replied, "Well then, it’s time to send you out, lest your uncle misunderstands."
Red Boy repeatedly nodded in thanks and said, "Foster father, why don’t you come out with me? I will introduce my uncle to you."
Sha Chen promptly refused.
Going out was out of the question. It was so comfortable here, and so dangerous outside; why would he ever go out?
He said, "It’s enough that you go out. Moreover, you have to tell your uncle to lead his men back a hundred li. I will only let you go after I confirm there are no issues in the surroundings."
Red Boy was taken aback and asked, "Foster father, why such caution?"
Sha Chen responded, "Safety first."
Red Boy couldn’t help but laugh and cry, saying, "Foster father, there’s really no need; if my uncle knows you have been kind to me, he will surely be grateful to tears."
"Besides, if I personally mediate, foster father and my uncle will surely become good friends, perhaps even as close as brothers."
Sha Chen smiled and shook his head once more, declining again.
He didn’t need it.
Clearly, Red Boy was a child who valued his family circle greatly and was eager for Sha Chen to get to know Immortal Ruyi.
Even to the point of wanting him to become sworn brothers with him.
Going so far as to want to hand over his father’s concubine to Sha Chen again.
But Sha Chen refused again.
This rebellious child.
Was he trying to harm him!?
Red Boy, however, sighed in his heart, I’ve been so good to my foster father, fearful that he might lack a woman’s care, I tried to introduce him to my father’s concubine, and yet he refuses. Where else could he find a filial child like me?
Nevertheless, Red Boy didn’t force Sha Chen but waited with him for Immortal Ruyi to lead his men backwards.
But as they remained silent, Immortal Ruyi became even more enraged.
He was about to act, to stir up a storm that reversed the river’s flow.
Many people noticed this and watched the situation unfold.
Red Boy then said, "Foster father, let me shout to my uncle to leave."
But Sha Chen stopped him, his expression grave, "No, let him leave on his own. You cannot reveal that you are here with me."
Red Boy was confused, "But I’ve been here all this time; there’s no need for that."
Sha Chen insisted, "It’s necessary. I don’t want outsiders to know that you and I have reconciled, and moreover that we are now father and son."
Red Boy was utterly baffled.
He truly did not understand the meaning behind Sha Chen’s words.
However, Sha Chen said no more but concentrated on looking around and utilizing his Downwind Ear to listen to the surroundings.
Immortal Ruyi’s visit this time was not as simple as it appeared on the surface.
He personally brought hundreds of disciples with him, but he also ambushed many formidable figures in secret, some distantly placed, others deeply hidden.
However, Sha Chen, with his Heavenly Eye and Downwind Ear, had already known in advance.
This is why he didn’t want Red Boy to easily go out and acknowledge each other, and after deep consideration, he planned to have Red Boy refrain from hastily making an appearance.
He didn’t want to expose his relationship with Red Boy to avoid being exploited by others.
After all, this was tantamount to undermining Guanyin’s authority, and on a larger scale, undermining the authority of Buddhism.
On a smaller scale, Buddhism could accuse him of colluding with demons. The Heavenly Court could then immediately impose harsher punishment or change the method of punishment, which would mean suffering a loss for no gain.
After all, he was still a criminal in penance; although no longer a god of the Heavenly Court, he was in the midst of serving his sentence, consorting with demons.
No matter how you put it, it would give the Heavenly Court an excuse.
Next was Red Boy’s mission to trade Elixirs in exchange for equal cultivation resources for him, which was a secret.
If outsiders were aware of his relationship with Red Boy, then in the future when Red Boy traded Elixirs, people would know they came from him, and troubles would be incessant.
He preferred to keep a low profile, not fond of everyone being aware.
So, if it could be avoided, it was best avoided.
Red Boy didn’t understand the severity of the situation, and Sha Chen couldn’t explain everything completely.
He simply told Red Boy not to reveal their relationship, not even to his parents unless absolutely necessary.
Red Boy was very obedient, sensing Sha Chen’s grave demeanor and thus nodding in agreement repeatedly.
Afterward, the two of them waited inside the cave manor.
But despite waiting for a long time, Immortal Ruyi still refused to retreat and became even more enraged.
He ordered his disciples, saying, "My nephew might have fallen victim to that hairy god’s malicious hands. Although I don’t believe that hairy god could kill the Boy Sage, if he resorts to trickery, I fear the Boy Sage might not escape unharmed."
"Today we shall flatten Flowing Sand River and drag that hairy god out of the river. We’ll dig thousands of feet into the ground—I refuse to believe he could keep the Boy Sage hidden."
The daoists shouted in unison, expressing their support.
The assembly of immortals all took notice of this situation, utterly shocked.
At this moment, some individuals shifted their gaze here.
Among them were Li Jing of the Li Family and the Mighty Miracle God from the Heavenly Court, all of whom had had past encounters with Sha Chen.
Li Jing had not had direct contact, but he too was troubled by Sha Chen’s matters.
Furthermore, there were Great White Plane Li Changgeng and the Jade Emperor, though they did not pay too much attention.
Although Immortal Ruyi’s forces were formidable, as long as Sha Chen remained hidden within the Formation, there was nothing he could do.
Li Changgeng himself had witnessed the impregnable defenses of Sha Chen Cave Manor, which even he couldn’t break through.
Immortal Ruyi, after all, what capability did he have?
At most, they would keep an eye out to avoid any accidents.
After all, the family of the Bull Demon King was no simple matter, and if any magical tool capable of breaking the Formation were to be used, it was not impossible.
Next was Jinzha.
The eldest son of Li Jing, now a named disciple of Buddha.
He had taken full responsibility for converting Sha Chen to Buddhism, taking over from his younger brother Muzha.
However, he had previously been pursuing Sha Chen’s clone, Hanshan. But in recent years, the clone had become elusive, making it difficult for Jinzha and the celestial and Buddhist forces to catch up.
Moreover, Hanshan seemed to have mingled with demons like the White Bone Demon, making the pursuit even more challenging.
But when Guanyin learned that the White Bone Demon was still alive, she also assigned more people to Jinzha to ensure the demon’s destruction.
For years, Jinzha had been diligently working on eradicating Hanshan and the White Bone Demon.
But Jin Chanzi’s reincarnation, Chen Liu’er, was filled with despair. As he gradually came of age, the monks helped him complete his understanding of the Buddhist Law that he had missed in his youth.
After repeated persuasions, Chen Liu’er, the reincarnation of Jin Chanzi, agreed to undertake the Journey to the West, having set off several years ago.
The journey was fraught with hardships, and Jinzha temporarily abandoned his mission to eliminate Hanshan and the White Bone Demon, personally escorting Jin Chanzi’s reincarnation on the Journey to the West.
Now, he had arrived at Five Finger Mountain.
And the situation at Flowing Sand River had also reached Jinzha’s ears.
He chuckled secretly, unconcerned.
Immortal Ruyi is nothing but an insignificant demon, merely a bull demon at that, not worth mentioning.
If he could make Sha Chen leave Flowing Sand River, I, as a monk, would have to thank him. But I’m not underestimating him—he’s just not capable of it.
Jinzha dismissed the reporting Monk and shook his head lightly.
He took on the role of an eminent monk to accompany Jin Chanzi’s reincarnation on the Journey to the West.
Because Jin Chanzi’s reincarnation into this life had faced upheavals and lacked resolute will.
His personal involvement was to strengthen the resolve of Jin Chanzi’s reincarnation, to prevent him from going astray midway.
There were indeed many people paying attention to the situation with Immortal Ruyi and Flowing Sand River.
Therefore, Sha Chen had even more reason to stay put.
He let Immortal Ruyi rant and rage outside, assailing the Formation, yet remained unshakeable.
He even continued his closed-door cultivation.
Red Boy attempted several times to go out and acknowledge him but was stopped by Sha Chen every time.
Sha Chen merely uttered one phrase, and that subdued him,
"If you go out, you’ll be harming me; do you have the heart to do that?"
Being a filial son, Red Boy naturally couldn’t bear to do so.