Everyone was somewhat envious of Yang Jian's good fortune; he had actually managed to gain the favor of the Tongtian Hierarch, allowing his Brow's Celestial Eye to be strengthened once again. Sha Chen watched with a smile, as he too had helped Yang Jian refine his eyes recently. He had previously acquired an Elixir, using it to refine his own eyes to their peak, and had given the remainder to Yang Jian to refine his Brow's Celestial Eye. It could be said that in all the lands, no one possessed ocular Divine Power more formidable than Yang Jian's, aside from Sha Chen himself. Now, Yang Jian's ocular Divine Power had grown even more potent, probably not much inferior to Sha Chen's. Furthermore, Yang Jian could even use that trace of Qingping Sword intent to explore higher realms. Even if he couldn't become a Saint, he could still be invincible below the Saint realm. Of course, this was assuming Sha Chen was not part of the comparison.
The Tongtian Hierarch glanced again at the Six-Eared Macaque and said, "I didn't expect you to emerge from The Stone of Three Lives so soon. Do you know who sealed your predecessor inside it?"
The Six-Eared Macaque replied, "Rumor has it that it was Empress Nuwa."
The Tongtian Hierarch nodded, then shook his head. "It was her, but not entirely her. In fact, your predecessor was the Six-Eared Celestial Monkey, who once became my Disciple. So, in a sense, you are my disciple as well."
Everyone present was shocked by these words; it was unbelievable. Even Sha Chen was stunned, then quickly urged, "Six-Eared Macaque, what are you hesitating for? Hurry and pay respects to your Master!"
The Six-Eared Macaque stammered to his feet, unsure whether to kneel or not. Finally, he merely clasped his fists and bowed deeply to the Tongtian Hierarch. Seeing that he didn't perform the full kowtow, Sha Chen was almost furious enough to slap him, feeling the urge to teach this rude and clueless fellow a lesson.
However, the Tongtian Hierarch stopped Sha Chen and then turned to the Six-Eared Macaque with a smile. "Do you think I am deceiving you?"
The Six-Eared Macaque replied, "A Saint handles countless matters daily and naturally wouldn't deign to jest with a junior like me, much less deceive me."
The Tongtian Hierarch said, "If you know I'm not deceiving you, why did you refuse to kowtow and acknowledge your lineage when that boy Sha Chen told you to?"
The Six-Eared Macaque answered, "I have forgotten the matters of my previous life. In this life, Sha Chen is my Master."
"I only recognize him as my Master. As for the Saint, I can only apologize; perhaps in my next life, I can become your Disciple." Then he turned to Sha Chen and performed a full kowtow, saying, "Master, I acknowledge only you. Please do not send me away to another."
Sha Chen was taken aback but then nodded slightly and had him rise. He actually had no intention of letting the Six-Eared Macaque go. However, if the Six-Eared Macaque could establish a connection with the Tongtian Hierarch, it would place Sha Chen himself on an equal footing with the Hierarch. Coupled with his own formidable strength, being on par with a Saint and sharing a Disciple with one would be enough to make the world wary of him. Moreover, if the Six-Eared Macaque could once again become a Disciple of the Tongtian Hierarch, he would gain access to a wealth of knowledge, greatly benefiting his future prospects.
Sha Chen wasn't one to fuss over formalities or care about so-called reputation or status; he only required the Six-Eared Macaque to remain loyal and obedient. However, the Six-Eared Macaque's reaction did somewhat gratify Sha Chen. Although he hadn't spent a long time teaching the Six-Eared Macaque, his assistance had been significant, and the macaque had shown himself to be sensible. Despite feeling gratified, Sha Chen still hoped the Six-Eared Macaque would receive guidance from the Tongtian Hierarch. After all, the Tongtian Hierarch was a Saint with heaven-defying methods and extraordinary abilities, undoubtedly capable of offering the Six-Eared Macaque tremendous help.
Therefore, feigning anger, Sha Chen said, "I ask you to acknowledge your lineage, and you refuse. Regardless of your past life, you were a Saint's Disciple. Even if you are my Disciple now, how can you forget your connection to the Saint?"
The Six-Eared Macaque hung his head in silence. He thought Sha Chen might send him away just to solidify his relationship with the Tongtian Hierarch.
The Tongtian Hierarch intervened, "Enough, say no more. You little rascal, you wouldn't waste your breath if there wasn't something in it for you.
"Don't you just hope he'll receive my guidance? Why bother with all this useless talk?"
The Tongtian Hierarch's teasing rebuke made Sha Chen chuckle sheepishly.
The Six-Eared Macaque now understood Sha Chen's good intentions. He was touched, yet he resolutely decided he would not return to the Tongtian Hierarch's tutelage.
The Tongtian Hierarch stated, "A gentleman does not take what others cherish. Besides, the grievances and affections of past and present lives have long been settled. In his past life, he went mad, his Cultivation deviated into demonic qi, and I asked Nuwa to seal him in The Stone of Three Lives, thus severing our fated Master-Disciple bond.
"Now that he has been reborn and become your Disciple, he belongs to you. It's just that last time, I failed in my duty as a Master to teach him properly. This time, I shall give him something as compensation."
With a point of his finger, he infused his comprehension of the Qingping Scripture into the Six-Eared Macaque's mind. This meant that from then on, it was as if the Six-Eared Macaque had a Saint personally expounding the Dao to him at all times.
The Tongtian Hierarch said, "I will leave a Saint's mark within you, containing boundless great truths of the Dao. Once you fully comprehend them, your Cultivation realm will not be inferior to that of your former Eldest Senior Brother."
The Six-Eared Macaque's former Eldest Senior Brother was, naturally, Taoist Duo Bao, who was now the Tathagata Buddha. When the Tongtian Hierarch said "not inferior to your former Eldest Senior Brother," he was referring to the Taoist Duo Bao of the past, not the current Tathagata Buddha. Even so, the Six-Eared Macaque was overwhelmed with excitement and immense gratitude.
At Sha Chen's signal, the macaque finally knelt and performed the grand ritual of three kneelings and nine kowtows to the Tongtian Hierarch.
Seeing this, the Tongtian Hierarch felt deeply gratified. He even produced a gleaming golden iron staff and tossed it over. "The Nanhai Mixed Iron Staff you wield is merely a Post-Heaven Supreme Spirit Treasure; it's hardly presentable. This staff I'm giving you, the Pillar of Heaven, was forged from Divine Meteoric Iron from Buzhou Mountain. It weighs as much as eighty-one Mount Tais combined. Wherever this staff passes, everything turns to dust and ashes!
"Now, I gift this Pillar of Heaven to you, consider it a formal conclusion to our fated Master-Disciple relationship."
The Six-Eared Macaque glanced at Sha Chen and, upon seeing him nod, respectfully took it with both hands. The moment the staff was in his grasp, his hands sank under its weight, and he could barely hold it steady.
Sha Chen, observing from the side, laughed and said, "I always tell you to temper your physical body more, but you refuse to listen. Now you can't even hold a staff steady. Don't blame me if I publicly reprimand you for embarrassing yourself later."
The Six-Eared Macaque quickly put it away and stepped aside.
Sha Chen reached out, grabbed the Pillar of Heaven, and immediately wielded it with such power that it whistled through the air; the immeasurably heavy staff seemed as light as a feather in his hands. Witnessing this, the Six-Eared Macaque was dumbfounded, and even Yang Jian's eyes showed his shock.
