Journey to the West: Signing in for 500 Years-Chapter 585 - 579: Ending the Retreat [Seeking Subscriptions and Monthly Tickets]_1

The Ao siblings were truly having a hard time. It could even be said that their lives were rather uncomfortable. Whether they had any connection to Sha Chen was unknown to the outside world. However, their strength had improved with astonishing speed, and they had now become the most powerful brother-sister duo in the entire Dragon Clan. Both had reached Pinnacle Daluo. Within the increasingly weakened Dragon Clan, a third person capable of matching them could not be found. Ao Moang, once acclaimed as the Dragon Clan's foremost prodigy, could no longer compete with them; he was completely outmatched. As for their elders, the Dragon Kings of the Four Seas, they too were aging, their strengths ranging from the higher stages of Da Luo to merely ordinary Da Luo.

Besides their own formidable strength, the siblings had also rediscovered the Dragon Clan's cultivation methods. They silently contributed to the Dragon Clan, enabling Ao Moang's strength to advance by leaps and bounds. The Dragon Kings of the Four Seas also resumed practicing the True Dragon Body Forging Technique, their power ascending once more. As such heroes of the Dragon Clan, and its strongest members, they were also the Dragon Clan's hope, naturally becoming a cause for apprehension for both the Celestial and Buddhist factions. For this reason, the Celestial and Buddhist factions had intervened more than once, attempting to scheme against the siblings. However, the brother and sister took the young talents of the Dragon Clan and retreated into the Abyss to cultivate in seclusion. Not only that, but they also took many of the Dragon Clan's new blood with them, leaving mostly the old, weak, sick, and disabled in the various Dragon Palaces. Even if the Celestial and Buddhist factions were to annihilate all those left behind, it would not affect the Dragon Clan's overall development.

The hidden Dragon Clan naturally became a major headache for the Celestial and Buddhist factions, while the old and weak dragons left exposed suffered. The Jinghe Dragon King and his ilk became targets. Furthermore, due to the Dragon Clan's rapid development, the Jade Emperor grew even more wary of the Jinghe Dragon King's entire family. Initially, when the Jinghe Dragon King descended to the mortal realm, the Jade Emperor only intended to deal with him. Now, however, the Jade Emperor was also targeting his children. The death of the Jinghe Dragon King alone was hardly worth grieving, yet his children also suffered calamity, and he was powerless to avert it.

Under these circumstances, the Jade Emperor finally found a pretext to have the Jinghe Dragon King brought to the Heavenly Court for execution. He only had an avatar left to plead for mercy everywhere, but internally, he was in despair, not believing his pleas would succeed. Beneath the vast heavens, no one could save him.

And so, he was indeed executed. Afterward, his soul, laden with deep resentment, could not enter the Samsara Platform. The gates of the Nether World were closed, barring his entry and leaving him to become a wandering, desolate spirit. The Jinghe Dragon King, filled with immense fury, began to retaliate against those like Li Shimin, to whom he had pleaded but who had gone back on their word. However, he was blocked at the gates by the righteous divine generals Wei Chigong and Qin Shubao. Later, he encountered the enlightened monk Tang Sanzang and was so agitated by the Buddhist Law that he nearly went mad. Finally, in utter despair and a daze, he drifted in one direction, feeling it was his only remaining hope.

「The Flowing Sand River.」

Sha Chen concluded his three-year seclusion. During this period, his cultivation had progressed with incredible speed, and the Mana within his body had grown excessively fast. His cultivation was considered to have reached the third stage of the peak realm, elevating him yet another step. His physical body was also steadily improving, progressing rapidly, yet he remained unable to break through his current cultivation realm. His Path of Strength and Path of Space were also unable to fully reach their peak; they always fell slightly short.

Sha Chen sighed. "It seems breaking through the current realm is truly not that easy. But cultivation is like this: if one cannot break through a realm within three to five years, it might take thirty to fifty thousand years in the future, or one might never break through at all."

Sha Chen's eyes were sharp as he planned to continue his cultivation. His cultivation resources were running low, but he still had enough to continue cultivating for another year or two. However, now that his three years of arduous cultivation were over, continuing his practice wouldn't be so easy. This was because Three Holy Mother, Yang Jian, and the others had also finished their cultivation and were looking at him expectantly.

Chang E was the first to approach. She served Sha Chen fine wine and laid out a sumptuous feast, allowing him to enjoy a hearty meal. Three Holy Mother was not to be outdone. She massaged Sha Chen's shoulders and refilled his wine cup whenever it emptied. The two women attended to Sha Chen as if they were handmaidens, allowing him to experience the life of a pampered master for a change.

Yang Jian, standing to the side, wore an extremely complex expression. He truly hadn't expected Sha Chen to have captured his sister's heart to such an extent. He knew his sister well; she was simple at heart yet possessed a stubborn and proud streak. If she set her heart on a man, she would undoubtedly be single-minded and fiercely loyal. However, she would absolutely not tolerate that man being fickle or having mistresses. Yet, Sha Chen hadn't even properly won her over, and he was already surrounded by beauties, each as lovely as a celestial fairy. His sister held no advantage. Despite this, Three Holy Mother was still deeply infatuated with Sha Chen, willing to serve him faithfully, like a beast of burden. She was resolved to do so without regret, even if all her efforts might yield no reward. Now, she even seemed to have accepted the idea of sharing a man with others. This made Yang Jian's chest tighten, and he felt a wave of helplessness. He knew that someone as outstanding as Sha Chen would likely not be devoted exclusively to his sister. In fact, from the looks of it, Sha Chen didn't even seem interested in marriage or romantic relationships. It was highly probable that his sister's affection was unrequited, which frustrated Yang Jian even more.

Sha Chen was enjoying the banquet. Seeing everyone gathered together after so long made him happy as well, and he encouraged them all to eat and drink to their hearts' content. After several rounds of wine and courses of food, he said, "Tell me, what insights have you all gained during your years of seclusion?"

Three Holy Mother spoke first, "I'll go. After several years of seclusion, my cultivation has reached Pinnacle Daluo. I feel I'm on the verge of breaking through to the Quasi-Saint Realm, but I just can't seem to cross that threshold. It's so frustrating!"

When Three Holy Mother first met Sha Chen, she wasn't even at the Da Luo realm. After several advancements, she had now reached Pinnacle Daluo. Her talent was indeed extraordinary. However, talent has its limits. Stepping into the Quasi-Saint Realm requires fortuitous opportunities, even greater talent, and, crucially, resources. The significant resources within the cave dwelling were all controlled by Sha Chen. He barely had enough for his own needs, so how could there be any surplus for others to use for breaking through to the Quasi-Saint Realm? Therefore, if they wished to break through, they would likely need to leave the Flowing Sand River and venture out to gain experience and find more opportunities.

Chang E also spoke, "I've also reached Pinnacle Daluo, but I feel it's very difficult to step into the Quasi-Saint Realm. I don't know why, but there's a barrier obstructing my path."

Sha Chen fell silent for a moment. He knew Chang E had reached her ceiling; it would likely be exceedingly difficult for her to enter the Quasi-Saint Realm. Everyone has their own ceiling, after all. Without a heaven-defying opportunity, it's hard to change. He had already given her enough resources to potentially alter her destiny, but such things were highly dependent on the individual. If one's fundamental limit couldn't be raised, it was exceedingly difficult to achieve a breakthrough.