Journey to the West: Signing in for 500 Years-Chapter 536 - 530: Saint Zhunti [Seeking Subscriptions and Monthly Tickets]_1

Hmm? Someone is coming!

Hearing this voice, Siti’s body trembled, and she began to shake all over, her eyes filled with terror as she thought about fleeing.

Sha Chen hastily pressed down on her hand and shook his head slightly, signaling her not to act rashly.

Marshal Tianpeng, however, was alarmed. "Who could it be," he said, "to transmit their voice without us noticing? Where is this person?"

At this moment, a booming voice came from outside, "Amitabha. This old monk is Zhunti. Marshal Tianpeng jests. Surely, Master Sha Chen of the Flowing Sand River has long noticed my arrival."

Marshal Tianpeng and Siti both looked towards Sha Chen, whose expression was extremely solemn.

He had indeed noticed the disturbance outside earlier than Marshal Tianpeng and the others, but it was only a moment sooner, with no significant advantage. This was mainly because his spatial abilities had reached Great Accomplishment, nearing their peak, and his Primordial Spirit had also reached the Peak Quasi-Saint stage. Otherwise, he would not have detected anything earlier than Marshal Tianpeng and the others.

This was because the person outside was a Saint, whose arrival was like a flash, one ten-thousandth of a moment, their origin and approach unknowable. Mysterious and powerful.

Marshal Tianpeng’s expression was grave, a mixture of shock, horror, and trembling fear.

"Zhunti!?" He shivered and exclaimed, "Could it be Saint Zhunti, one of the two great Saints of Buddhism? HISS, why has he come here? He must be here on behalf of Buddhism."

Marshal Tianpeng was so frightened that he trembled with panic, looking around desperately for an escape route, only to realize that this was Sha Chen’s territory, and there was nowhere to flee.

The most terrified, however, was Siti. She was truly so frightened she quivered uncontrollably, hiding behind Sha Chen, her tall frame clinging tightly to his shoulders. Her head was hidden behind Sha Chen, not daring to look towards the door, her eyes filled with fear. Despite Siti’s earlier confident and haughty entrance, deep down, she was terrified of Saint Zhunti. Because she knew that if Zhunti wished to engage in Refining with her as the subject, her death was certain. And with Zhunti’s formidable strength, throughout countless years and the numerous deaths she had faced, ninety percent of them had stemmed from Zhunti. One could say that the psychological shadow Zhunti cast on her was immeasurable, even by the most top-tier mathematicians.

Sha Chen frowned, patted the back of Siti’s hand resting on his shoulder, then pulled out the Sky Covering Umbrella, enveloping her beneath it.

With the protection of the Sky Covering Umbrella, Siti felt the feeling of being watched and pried into diminish slightly, and the fear in her heart eased somewhat. But it was just a slight relief. She was still terrified, as this was a fear that had seeped into her very bones over a million years.

Sha Chen knew that even if Siti’s cultivation reached Quasi-Sage Peak, giving her some ability to face Saints, she would still be effortlessly obliterated by Zhunti. Because she was so terrified that she was completely defenseless. Here, she was somewhat contained; if they were outside, Siti would likely have already fled.

Siti was inwardly terrified, while Sha Chen said, "Don’t be afraid. He can’t enter. Although he’s powerful, I can assure you of this one thing: he can’t come in."

"Okay, I believe you." Siti trembled, but after hearing Sha Chen’s voice, she felt a bit more at ease.

Marshal Tianpeng was also scared stiff. "Old Sha," he said, "are you serious? He really can’t enter? But he’s a Saint! Can a Saint really be stopped in their tracks!?"

Sha Chen chuckled. "If he could have come in, he would have already done so. Why else would he still be outside?"

Though he said this, Sha Chen’s expression remained grave.

Because the system had stated it could block the footsteps of ordinary Saints. But who knew if it referred to ordinary Saints at the beginning stage of the Saint Realm, or those who had already been Saints for hundreds of thousands of years? Saint Zhunti had been a Saint for quite some time now, vastly different from before and much stronger than in the past. Who knew whether the Chaos Chicken Cover and other such things could stop him? The only thing that gave him a sliver of confidence was that when Tongtian Hierarch had arrived, he hadn’t come directly in but had been let in by Sha Chen. From that, one could infer that Tongtian Hierarch had indeed been blocked. Zhunti was certainly not as powerful as Tongtian Hierarch, so it was likely that he too would be blocked. However, back in the day, Tongtian Hierarch did not attack the Flowing Sand River Cave; it might have been because he estimated he couldn’t get in, not because he had actually tried. In other words, since the establishment of Sha Chen’s cave, while it had been attacked by powerful figures—cultivators at Quasi-Sage Peak like Zhenyuanzi and Tathagata, and Sub-Sages like Lord Lao Zi of the Great Monad—it had never faced an all-out siege. The only ones who had never launched such an attack were the Saints themselves. So Sha Chen was still somewhat worried. Just as he himself often said, a clenched fist is the most threatening. If a Saint had fully attacked this place and failed to break through, then he would have been reassured. But since no Saint had ever lifted a finger, it made him feel uneasy. If a Saint were to break through and he failed to respond in time, by the time a Saint actually fought their way in, he would undoubtedly be dead.

Zhunti’s voice came from outside. He said with a light smile, "Master Sha Chen is joking, of course. I have not attacked the Flowing Sand River; I intended to start with diplomacy before resorting to force. Moreover, since I am here as a guest, how could I punish without teaching first?"

Sha Chen waved his hand, and the cave entrance before him shimmered, appearing both real and illusory. This scared Tianpeng and Siti so much they turned to flee.

He assured them, "Don’t be afraid, the door is still there. This is a void projection that allows us to see outside, while those outside cannot see in."

Only then did Tianpeng and Siti calm down. But upon seeing the situation outside the Flowing Sand River, especially when they saw a middle-aged monk enveloped in a halo of Buddhist light, their legs went weak with fear. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

It was truly Saint Zhunti.

It was unclear if Saint Zhunti could see inside the Flowing Sand River Cave. However, sensing he was being watched, he looked towards Siti and Tianpeng, his gaze seeming to penetrate right to them. Even Sha Chen felt his scalp tingle. Because he didn’t know if Saint Zhunti could actually see inside his abode, but from the looks of it, he could definitely hear the sounds from within. He felt a heavy premonition, like a thorn in his back. A Saint truly is a Saint. Each and every one of them possesses heaven-reaching abilities and is recognized by the Heavenly Dao. This place has already blocked the Heavenly Dao and shielded against Saints, obstructing their footsteps, yet it’s still unable to prevent a Saint’s scrutiny.

In fact, Zhunti couldn’t see inside the cave either. However, he could perceive everything within a radius of about thirty feet of Siti, Tianpeng, and Sha Chen—the three who were staring at him. This was the power of profound spiritual perception, the ability to sense and pinpoint those who spied on or discussed them.

With a hint of a smile at the corner of his mouth, he said, "Is this how Master Sha Chen treats a guest who has come to his door? Not even an invitation inside for a drink?"

Siti clutched Sha Chen’s arm in terror, shaking her head fiercely. "Don’t! Please don’t let him in! I beg you!"

Sha Chen patted her arm. "Don’t worry," he said.

Then, he addressed the presence outside, "Saint, for what purpose have you come here? If your visit is uninvited, I dare not let a Saint in."

Zhunti answered with a smile, "How can you say uninvited? The heavens and earth are vast, but Saints are the greatest. This place is merely my back garden. Do I need anyone’s permission to be here?"

"However, since the River Master has occupied this place, I won’t insist. Open the gate. Let me in for a drink, and let’s discuss this matter clearly."

"Detection: Host is requested by the Grand Destiny Carrier Saint Zhunti to open the cave gate. You have the following choices."