Chapter 148: Chapter 142: Reason is the Master [Ask for Subscription and Monthly Tickets]_1
Wen Zhong arrived.
He carried a Heavenly Decree. Initially, there wasn’t one, but as he didn’t want to execute without teaching, he went to request it.
The Jade Emperor was also reluctant to grant it, not wanting to make a bad impression.
But Wen Zhong insisted, pestering him for forty-nine days, leaving the Jade Emperor no choice but to concede.
「Flowing Sand River.」
Sha Chen was refining his physique. His Mana had not increased during this period, as all resources were channeled to bolster his physical body.
The Tribulation Thunder from heaven struck down punctually every day, becoming one of the sources for his Mana cultivation.
Now, he was still cultivating on the lightning induction platform, intending another round of focused strengthening for his physique.
By activating the Power of Five Elements Transmutation, Sha Chen could transform the power of lightning into Divine Power. Absorbing this into his body increased his cultivation.
If he did not use the Power of Five Elements Transmutation and simply relied on his physique and will to endure the lightning, he could temper his physique.
At first, Sha Chen was cautious and used the Power of Five Elements Transmutation.
But he found that the Divine Power transformed into cultivation was less potent than the effects of the Thousand Swords Piercing The Heart, and this Thunder Punishment was not as harsh as a true Heavenly Punishment, so he simply used it directly to temper his physique.
Then, he discovered that while tempering his physique, the thunder hammering his body actually made it even stronger.
When he operated the True Dragon Body Forging Technique in conjunction with the power of the Thunder Punishment, his physique was indeed enhanced.
Sha Chen enjoyed this process immensely and began to accept the Thunder Punishment punctually every day.
His physique also saw enormous improvement within a mere forty-nine days.
He even temporarily stopped Alchemy and devoted all his efforts to cultivating his physique, channeling numerous resources into its development.
The strength of his body grew increasingly powerful, and he was just an opportunity away from breaking through his current limits to step into the realm of Da Luo Dharmakaya.
Should he step into the Da Luo Dharmakaya realm, Sha Chen’s physique would be comparable to that of a Great Witch from the primordial era.
It is said that the Great Witches of the primordial era walked with swagger, formidable beyond compare.
Sha Chen was originally a mere True Immortal who would have never dared to dream that one day his physical body could congeal a Legal Body, on par with a Great Witch.
But now, it was just that his physical body had taken a step ahead, congealing a Da Luo Dharmakaya.
His Mana cultivation, along with his Primordial Spirit, and other aspects would all eventually catch up; his achievements would certainly not be limited to merely matching a Great Witch.
Just when Sha Chen was looking forward to that day’s Thunder Punishment, a faint sound of thunder suddenly reached him, accompanied by a low rumble.
A Heavenly Decree!?
Sha Chen suddenly looked up and saw Wen Zhong riding an ink Qilin, parting the waters as he descended, landing before the Flowing Sand River Cave.
The ink Qilin effortlessly kept the waters of the Flowing Sand River at bay as it passed. Sha Chen’s cave Formation crackled with arcs of electricity, revealing its shape.
It resembled a huge salted eggshell.
One could see the shape of the Formation, but not the specific scene inside.
Next to Wen Zhong, immortal servants also descended, standing by his side on auspicious clouds, surveying the surroundings.
Their gazes were haughty and their eyes cold. Their faces were lean, their expressions dismissive of everything.
This place was for exile, and those here were exiles; naturally, they did not take them seriously.
Even though Sha Chen’s strength was formidable, already renowned in rumors, they still did not take him seriously.
Just like the early Sun Wukong, everyone knew he was strong, but even ordinary immortals did not take him seriously.
A mere monkey demon, not worth mentioning.
As for Sha Chen, perhaps his status was a bit better than Sun Wukong’s, having been the Great General for Folding the Curtain before.
But now, he was a demoted general, an exile.
And with several decrees having admonished him and increased his punishment, it seemed there was no chance of his rehabilitation in this lifetime.
They dismissed Sha Chen even more readily.
Wen Zhong did not even dismount the Qilin but sat erect upon it, holding the Heavenly Decree in his hands.
Seeing no response from the Formation, he called out again, "Great General for Folding the Curtain, Sha Chen, will you not come out to receive the decree?"
Sha Chen furrowed his brows. Inside the cave, his face was cold, and he was extremely vigilant.
He didn’t want to go out, but it was a Heavenly Decree. If he didn’t, it was very likely that heavenly soldiers and generals would descend at any moment.
By then, he would have no choice but to rebel.
Hesitating for a moment, Sha Chen manifested an image of himself. His form was towering, appearing outside the Formation like the Mighty Miracle God.
The immortals delivering the decree all had to look up to see his face clearly.
Wen Zhong’s brows creased slightly. Is Sha Chen doing this to show his dissatisfaction?
But it was also normal. Previously, he was punished without teaching, struck by lightning for forty-nine days—anyone in his place would be angry.
Wen Zhong did not take it to heart, instead murmuring, "I’m not afraid of his anger; I’m afraid of him *not* being angry. Great anger harms the body; his anger proves the Thunder Punishment is effective."
Then he scolded, "How audacious, General for Folding the Curtain! Why do you not face this official in your true form? By showing such disrespect to a Higher-up, are you not afraid of being struck by lightning?"
Sha Chen looked down and said, "May I ask Master Wen, wasn’t I already struck by lightning before?"
Although he was cautious, he was no utter pushover. The notion that anyone who came along could bully him? Impossible.
Until Wen Zhong read out the Heavenly Decree, Sha Chen, having been struck by lightning for forty-nine days without prior teaching, held the absolute moral high ground.
The Thunder Department was the one lacking morals.
Even if the Jade Emperor had ordered it, since the Heavenly Decree had not yet arrived, Sha Chen could consider it all the doing of the Thunder Department.
Therefore, his rebuttal was aimed at the Thunder Department.
He didn’t want to fall out with the Jade Emperor yet, but he didn’t care about the Thunder Department; after all, they couldn’t break into the Flowing Sand River anyway.
If it weren’t for his willingness to endure the Thunder Punishment to temper his physique, the Thunder Punishment from the eight deities of the Thunder Department truly could not have breached his Formation.
Wen Zhong, also aware he was in the wrong, said, "Previously, it was not that our Thunder Department punished without teaching. It was that your crimes were truly heinous, so we administered the Thunder Punishment first. Now that the Heavenly Decree has arrived, you should receive it in your true form."
Sha Chen snorted coldly. "So, in other words, the previous Thunder Punishment was without a Heavenly Decree? You acted first and reported afterward?"
He shouted, "Audacious Wen Zhong! Although your position is higher than mine, you cannot do such things as punishing without teaching, or acting first and reporting later!"
"You are the one truly defying heavenly law, your crimes heinous! The one who should be struck by heavenly lightning is you, Wen Zhong!"
Wen Zhong’s expression changed slightly, and the other immortals frowned deeply.
They wanted to retort but found themselves in the wrong, unable to refute his claims.
The eight deities of the Thunder Department, still in the air, witnessed this scene and exchanged dismayed glances. None of them had expected a mere Great General for Folding the Curtain to dare confront Wen Zhong.
Yet, his confrontation left them speechless.
Sha Chen intended precisely this: to leave them unable to argue, for he now stood on the moral high ground.
Wen Zhong had come to announce the Heavenly Decree, acting so high and mighty.
If he didn’t deflate the arrogance of Wen Zhong and the others now, he feared he would be led by the nose later.
Wen Zhong said, "Such a sharp tongue. This old man did not act first and report later; rather, time was short, and I couldn’t manage to announce the Heavenly Decree sooner."
Sha Chen retorted, "You didn’t announce it, but your subordinates carried it out. *They* punished without teaching, acting first and reporting later."
"If you don’t give me an explanation today, then I, Sha Chen, even as a disgraced general, will risk death to report this to the Jade Emperor and demand he give me justice!"
He bellowed, his voice shaking the heavens for miles around, "Does being a Higher-up, the chief god of the Thunder Department, grant you the right to act first and report later, to scorn heavenly law?"
Wen Zhong’s face turned ashen. The eight deities of the Thunder Department were so frightened they nearly dropped their Magical Tools.
The immortal servants trembled uncontrollably.
A devastating psychological blow. That was exactly it. Sha Chen’s words were truly aimed at crushing their spirits.
Punishing without teaching was one thing; at worst, it would merely give others grounds for criticism.
But now Sha Chen was pinning the label on them of acting first and reporting later—a matter whose severity could be interpreted either way.
If Sha Chen were an ordinary person, it might not matter.
But Sha Chen was, crucially, one of His Majesty’s personal guards. Most people didn’t know if there was any chance of his reinstatement.
They also didn’t know if Sha Chen could still get a word in with the Jade Emperor.
If he could, and if word of today’s "acting first, reporting later" reached the Jade Emperor’s ears, everyone involved would face dire consequences.
Wen Zhong knew Sha Chen would almost certainly not be returning to the Jade Emperor’s side.
However, he also knew that Sha Chen was the Jade Emperor’s personally chosen candidate for the Journey to the West, and might, in the future, become the Jade Emperor’s covert agent within Buddhism.
In other words, Sha Chen’s future status would be within Buddhism, but his influence with the Jade Emperor would be even greater.
If Sha Chen truly managed to get word of what happened here to the Jade Emperor, Wen Zhong feared he would be in serious trouble.
He had no desire to take the blame for Li Changgeng.
So he said, "Great General for Folding the Curtain, this old man was indeed in the wrong regarding this matter. I offer you my apologies here."
He apologized. There was no other choice. Sha Chen held the moral high ground. Furthermore, Wen Zhong had been imagining the significant position Sha Chen might hold in the future. Having only recently achieved Divine Enthronement and entered the Heavenly Court, and not yet being heavily relied upon by the Jade Emperor, how could he afford to make such a misstep?
Seeing this, the immortals of the Thunder Department also hurriedly apologized.
Sha Chen, naturally, wouldn’t act too arrogantly. In fact, if Wen Zhong and the others hadn’t arrived so presumptuously to announce the decree, he wouldn’t have pressed the issue.
After all, he was someone who disliked making enemies and prided himself on getting along well with others.
This time, it was primarily to put Wen Zhong and the Thunder Department in their place from the outset, allowing him to gain as much initiative as possible when the decree was announced.
At the same time, it was also a test.
Sha Chen was testing whether this Heavenly Decree would be extremely unfavorable to him.
Specifically, whether the Jade Emperor had given up on sending him on the Journey to the West and now intended to eliminate him completely.
If it were extremely unfavorable, Wen Zhong would surely not have apologized, as he would have had no fear of Sha Chen’s words reaching the Jade Emperor.
And even if they did, whether the Jade Emperor would care was another matter entirely.
Now, it seemed Wen Zhong had sincerely apologized. This indicated that while the Heavenly Decree might be unfavorable to him, it wasn’t fatal.
Sha Chen secretly breathed a sigh of relief but still had no intention of appearing in his true form to receive the decree.
Instead, he tilted his chin slightly and said, "Read it."
Wen Zhong frowned. "General for Folding the Curtain, couldn’t you at least show your true form to receive the decree!?"
Sha Chen replied, "I am cultivating within my cave. You all felt you could punish without teaching. If I come out, and you seize the opportunity to ambush and kill me, what then?"
The eight deities of the Thunder Department exchanged furious, incredulous glances.
Such words! A devastating psychological blow, and utterly outrageous!
Wen Zhong also frowned. "We would certainly not do such a thing now."
Sha Chen chuckled. "Not necessarily. If it happened once, it can happen again. I must consider my own safety, and also to prevent all of you from having the opportunity to make such a mistake again."
Wen Zhong felt a headache coming on. He, a venerable Heavenly Master, couldn’t even outmaneuver a mere demoted general.
Truly detestable.
He had to settle for the next best option. "At the very least, retract your projected form. It is truly unseemly for me to have to look up at you to announce this Heavenly Decree."
Sha Chen said, "Master Wen can ascend into the sky to read it. Then wouldn’t I be the one looking up?"
Wen Zhong frowned. It seemed to make sense, yet something felt off.
But he patted the ink Qilin, which carried him into the air. Finally, they were looking down upon Sha Chen.
Once they had ascended, the waters of the Flowing Sand River below them returned to their normal state. Sha Chen then revealed himself from his cave entrance, showing only the upper half of his body.
He clasped his fists. "Immortal citizen Sha Chen, present."