Upon hearing this, the Great Sage turned his anger into joy and said, "Please rise, fairy. Whom has the Queen Mother invited to this banquet?"
The fairy said, “The Peach Banquet has its own established rules. Those invited are the Buddha, Bodhisattvas, Holy Monks, and Arhats of the Western Paradise; Guanyin of the Southern Pole; the Holy Emperor of the Eastern Chongen; the Immortals of the Ten Continents and Three Islands; the Mysterious Spirit of the Northern Pole; and the Great Immortal of the Central Yellow Pole—these are the Five Elders of the Five Directions. Also invited are the Five Dipper Star Lords; the Three Pure Ones and Four Emperors of the Upper Eight Caves; the Taiyi Heavenly Immortals; the Jade Emperor and Nine Layers of the Middle Eight Caves; the Sea and Mountain Immortals; and the Lord of the Underworld and the Earthly Immortals of the Lower Eight Caves. All the great and small deities of each palace and hall will attend the Peach Banquet.” The Great Sage laughed, “Can I be invited?” The fairy said, “I haven’t heard of it.” The Great Sage said, “I am the Great Sage Equal to Heaven. Why not invite me, Old Sun, to be a seat of honor?” The fairy said, “This is the established rule of the Peach Banquet. I don’t know how it will be this year.” The Great Sage said, “That makes sense. No wonder you all are like this. You stand still, and I will go and inquire about it first, to see if I should be invited.”
The Great Sage, making hand gestures and chanting an incantation, said to the fairies, "Stop, stop, stop!" This was a spell to freeze them in place, leaving the seven fairies staring wide-eyed, their eyes rolling back, all standing beneath the peach tree. The Great Sage leaped out of the garden on a cloud of auspicious light and headed straight for the Jade Pool. As he traveled, he saw—a sky filled with shimmering auspicious light, five-colored clouds flying endlessly. The cries of white cranes echoed through the nine marshes, and the purple fungus blossomed with a thousand leaves.
In the center appeared a celestial being, with a majestic and distinguished appearance. His divine dance, like rainbows shimmering in the heavens, was accompanied by a jeweled staff, symbolizing immortality.
His name is Barefoot Immortal, who has come to the Peach Banquet to celebrate his longevity.
The barefoot immortal bumped into the Great Sage, who lowered his head and devised a plan. He tricked the immortal into going to the banquet in secret, but the immortal asked, "Where are you going, old Taoist?" The immortal replied, "I have been invited by the Queen Mother to attend the Peach Banquet." The Great Sage said, "This old Taoist does not know. The Jade Emperor, because of my somersault cloud speed, has ordered me to invite you all from five directions. First, go to the Hall of Universal Brightness to perform the ceremony, and then go to the banquet." The immortal, being an upright man, took his lie as truth, saying, "I always perform the ceremony of gratitude at the Jade Pool. How can I go to the Hall of Universal Brightness to perform the ceremony before going to the Jade Pool to attend the banquet?" Helpless, the immortal had no choice but to turn his auspicious cloud and head straight for the Hall of Universal Brightness.
The Great Sage, riding a cloud, chanted an incantation and transformed into the Barefoot Immortal, rushing towards the Jade Pool. Before long, he arrived at the Treasure Pavilion, pressed down on the cloud, and gently stepped inside. There he saw—fragrant incense swirling, auspicious clouds swirling. The Jade Terrace was adorned with colorful ribbons, the Treasure Pavilion exuded a misty haze. Phoenixes and luan birds soared, their forms ethereal, golden flowers and jade calyxes floating and sinking. Above were arranged nine phoenixes amidst crimson clouds, and eight treasures amidst purple rainbows. A five-colored, gilded table, a thousand-flowered jade basin. On the table were dragon liver and phoenix marrow, bear paws and gorilla lips. A hundred delicacies, each more exquisite than the last, exotic fruits and fine dishes, each new and fresh.
The place was laid out neatly, but no immortals had yet arrived. The Great Sage, unable to take it all in, suddenly smelled a fragrant aroma of wine. He quickly turned his head and saw several celestial officials brewing wine, strongmen tending the lees, several Taoist priests carrying water, and boys tending the fire, washing vats and jars, having already created fine wine and fragrant liquor. The Great Sage couldn't stop his mouth from watering and wanted to eat, but everyone was there. So he used his supernatural power, plucked a few hairs from his body, chewed them, spat them out, and chanted a spell, "Transform!" Instantly, they transformed into several sleepy bugs, which scurried across the faces of the crowd.
Look at that group of people, their hands trembling, heads bowed, eyes closed, having abandoned their duties, they've all gone to nap. The Great Sage, however, took some delicacies and rare foods, went into the long corridor, and, sitting by the vats and jars, drank to his heart's content. After eating and drinking for a long time, he became drunk and muttered to himself, "This is bad, this is bad! If the guests I invited come later, won't they blame me? What if they catch me? I'd better go back to my mansion and sleep."
The Great Sage, swaying and staggering, relying on the wine, wandered aimlessly, losing his way and ending up not at the Qitian Palace, but at the Tushita Heaven Palace. Upon seeing it, he suddenly realized, "The Tushita Palace is above the Thirty-Three Heavens, the abode of the Supreme Lord Laozi of the Lihen Heaven. How could I have mistaken this place? Oh well! I've always wanted to visit this old man, but I haven't had the chance. Now, with these remaining steps, I might as well take a look at him."
He straightened his clothes and rushed inside. There was no sign of Laozi, and no one else was there. It turned out that Laozi and the Ancient Buddha Dipankara were lecturing on the Dao at the Zhuling Dantai, a three-story pavilion, with celestial boys, generals, officials, and clerks standing by listening. The Great Sage went straight into the elixir room, searching but finding nothing. He only saw a fire in a furnace beside the elixir stove. On either side of the furnace were five gourds, each filled with refined golden pills. The Great Sage exclaimed joyfully, "This is a supreme treasure of the immortals! Since attaining enlightenment, I have understood the principle of inner and outer unity, and I also wanted to refine some golden pills to help people, but I have never had the time. Today, by chance, I have stumbled upon this treasure. While Laozi is away, let me eat a few to try it out!" He then emptied the gourds and ate them all, as if eating roasted beans.
At that very moment, on the Zhuling Dantai, the Supreme Lord Laozi, an avatar of the Sage Taiqing, was preaching with the Ancient Buddha Dipankara. Looking down, the celestial children, celestial generals, and celestial officials were all listening with rapt attention. The Taoist Taiqing was originally an avatar of Laozi. When the sages discussed the establishment of the Heavenly Court, Laozi used it to demonstrate the majesty of the Heavenly Court. Later, it was destroyed by the Xuantian Daojun. Laozi spent several years repairing it.
Today, Randeng was invited by the Queen Mother of the Jade Pool in the Heavenly Court to attend the Peach Banquet. Unexpectedly, he encountered the Golden Horned Boy from the Tushita Heavenly Palace on the way. The boy said that the Taoist Taiqing wanted to invite him to give a sermon. Randeng knew the origin of the Taoist Taiqing and dared not be negligent. Although he was puzzled, he went with the boy.
When the two met, Randeng and the Taoist Taiqing bowed to each other. After the bowing, they began to preach.
Taiqing Daoren was originally an incarnation of the Supreme Sage of the Human Sect, and was in perfect harmony with Laozi. His cultivation was undeniably high. Although the Daoist teachings expounded by Taiqing Daoren were not as profound as those personally delivered by the Supreme Sage, they contained the essence of the Supreme Sage's teachings, making them extraordinary. As for Randeng, he was originally one of those who listened to the Dao Ancestor's teachings in Zixiao Palace. Although his seat was at the back, unlike the great deities at the front, he was still extraordinary. He was originally a rare master of great supernatural powers in the world. Later, stimulated by the ascension of others to sainthood, and due to his own insufficient cultivation, he joined the Chan Sect.
This chapter is not finished yet. Please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
