When the Jade Emperor first sat in the Lingxiao Palace, in order to demonstrate the majesty of the Heavenly Emperor, he immediately set up a Peach Banquet once the peaches in the Peach Garden ripened.
Invitations were widely sent out to invite all the immortals and gods in the world to a banquet.
As one of the leaders and saints of the religion, Hu Le was naturally among the invited distinguished guests.
After receiving the invitation, Hu Le thought to himself that he hadn't been down the mountain for many years and had been cultivating, so now was a good opportunity to take a break.
So he agreed.
On the day the Peach Banquet began, Hu Le rode on a white ox and soared straight to the Heavenly Court on auspicious clouds.
Soon, he arrived outside the South Heavenly Gate.
Many years have passed since I last visited this place, but the scenery of Nantianmen remains unchanged.
Thousands of auspicious wisps of energy descended from the sky, and a misty, colorful aura enveloped the void...
As soon as Hu Le arrived, he was led into the Jade Pool by the Heavenly Court's attendants.
Haotian and the Queen Mother came out to greet them.
"Greetings, Your Holiness, the Master!"
The couple quickly stepped forward to greet them.
Hu Le nodded to the two of them, got up and dismounted, handed the reins to the celestial attendant beside him, and then entered the Jade Pool Heavenly Palace under the guidance of Haotian and his wife.
At this time, many famous immortals and gods had gathered in the Jade Pool, most of them sitting comfortably at their respective desks.
They saw the Queen Mother of the Azure Heaven leading Hu Le into the palace.
They all stood up from their seats and bowed to Hu Le.
Amidst the greetings all the way, Hu Le sat down on a cloud-shaped platform in front of the throne.
He had just sat down when a celestial servant brought him dragon liver and phoenix brain, along with fine wine and celestial dew.
Hu Le glanced around the hall and realized that he was the first among the saints to arrive.
Before long, his eldest disciple, Guan Kong, led a group of fellow disciples into the hall. Seeing their master sitting peacefully on the cloud platform, they hurriedly stepped forward to pay their respects and then sat down behind him.
About the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, a long purple cloud suddenly rose from the eastern horizon, stretching for thousands of miles.
Hu Le looked up and, observing the wind and the atmosphere, knew that it was Laozi (the Supreme Lord Lao) who had arrived.
Clearly, the Haotian couple recognized him and quickly got up from their thrones to personally greet him.
A short while later, Laozi and his disciple Xuandu Daoist, led by Haotian and his wife, entered the hall.
The immortals and gods immediately ended their conversation and paid their respects to the Supreme Lord.
Laozi arrived at the cloud platform opposite Hu Le, stepped onto it in a pair of hemp shoes, and sat down behind the table with the help of Xuandu Daoist.
Hu Le nodded slightly to Laozi, as if to say hello.
Soon after, Yuanshi Tianzun and Tongtian Jiaozhu also arrived with their disciples.
The two Western religious leaders always seem to arrive last.
From then on, all the gods and immortals who received the invitation were seated inside the hall.
All six Heavenly Emperors, except for Houtu, were present and sat on their high thrones.
The six sage leaders sat alone on the cloud platform, looking down upon the immortals.
His disciples all sat behind them.
Once everyone had arrived, Haotian stood up from his throne, said some polite words, and then ordered platters of peaches to be served.
Although these peaches are all born from innate spiritual roots, there are still differences in quality.
The Peach Garden in Yaochi contains 3,600 peach trees, with 1,200 trees in front. The flowers are small and the fruits are small, ripening only once every three thousand years. People who eat them will become immortals and attain enlightenment, becoming healthy and light.
The middle 1,200 trees bear layered flowers and sweet fruit, ripening once every 6,000 years. Those who eat them will ascend to heaven and live forever.
The following 1,200 plants, with purple-veined yellow kernels, ripen once every 9,000 years. Those who eat them will live as long as heaven and earth, and be as old as the sun and moon.
As the leader and saint of the sect, Hu Le naturally ate the nine-thousand-year-old peaches.
But he is now a Primordial Saint, immortal and indestructible, possessing immeasurable magical power.
No matter how miraculous the nine-thousand-year-old peach was, it had no effect on him.
He is only eating this peach now to savor its flavor.
However, after Hu Le tasted one, he realized that the peach was indeed delicious. The flesh melted in his mouth and was incredibly sweet, even the finest wine could not compare.
In terms of taste, it was the best of all the spiritual fruits he had ever eaten.
Even the famous Herbal Elixir, its taste is still somewhat inferior to that of the Immortal Peach.
After tasting two, he felt satisfied and didn't eat any more...
After everyone finished eating the immortal peaches, they thanked Haotian and his wife for their hospitality.
Next, we should have invited the Moon Goddess Chang'e to perform a dance to entertain the gods and immortals at their banquet.
Suddenly, Duobao Daoist of the Jie Sect stepped forward and smiled at Guangchengzi and the others behind Yuanshi Tianzun, saying, "I have long heard that fellow Daoists Guangchengzi and others have received the true teachings of Master Yuanshi."
"Since fellow Daoists from the Primordial World are here today, let us demonstrate our Daoist magic and supernatural powers, so that all of you may witness the wondrous mysteries of our Xuanmen Dao."
Clearly, their Jie Sect's defeat to the Chan Sect in the last Battle of the Deer caused their Biyou Palace lineage to lose face considerably.
Today, Duobao wanted to take advantage of the gathering of immortals and gods to show off the supernatural powers of the Jie Sect and regain some face.
Upon hearing Duobao Daoren's provocation, Guangchengzi, being a fellow disciple of the sage, naturally would not back down for the sake of his teacher's reputation.
"Since Brother Duobao is so kind, we will not hesitate to help him."
The sages of both religions remained indifferent, clearly intending to let their disciples demonstrate their abilities on their own.
The disciples of the other major sects all cast expectant glances at this spectacle...
Daoist Duobao pushed up his hair bun, and a celebratory cloud rose above his head. Three flowers swirled on the cloud, and five waves of energy continuously washed around them.
The light of the clouds rippled outwards, pressing down on Guang Chengzi on the opposite side like a tidal wave.
Hu Le looked up and chuckled to himself. His former younger brother had indeed made great progress in his cultivation over the years.
Unfortunately, in terms of cultivation and spiritual practice, he was still surpassed by his own eldest disciple, Guan Kong'er...
Guang Chengzi saw the sky filled with clouds and light surging in like a giant wave, and a celebratory cloud rose above his head. He went to meet it as the clouds swirled around him.
Two massive clouds collided in the sky, creating a thunderous explosion that shook the entire Jade Pool.
Upon seeing this scene, Haotian and Yaochi, who were seated on their thrones, both showed a hint of displeasure.
Their purpose in holding the Peach Banquet was not for these two religions to use to showcase their own doctrines.
If it were anyone else, and they dared to do such a thing, they would probably have been driven out of the Heavenly Palace long ago.
But what can you do when both of their teachers are religious leaders and saints?
They are people that even the Heavenly Emperor and the Queen Mother cannot afford to offend!
Seeing this, Ziwei and Gouchen shook their heads helplessly.
Although the Peach Banquet was hosted by Haotian and Yaochi, as one of the Six Emperors of Heaven, they still felt quite embarrassed in this situation.
Like that couple, they were helpless in the face of the sage's disciples and could only pretend not to see them...
Two auspicious clouds hung in the void, their light surging and colliding, creating boundless wondrous phenomena...
After a brief stalemate, Guang Chengzi's expression turned serious.
Clearly, his cultivation was ultimately inferior to Duobao's, and the ever-swirling clouds above his head were gradually suppressed...
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