The Great Sage Equal to Heaven

Zhuang Yan chuckled and said, "Enough, enough. They're just a few peaches, why fuss over them?"

He turned to the purple-robed fairy and teased, "I assume no one dares to steal the Peaches of Immortality from the Jade Pond, right?"

The purple-robed fairy was taken aback, then replied, "Prefect, you jest. The Queen Mother's Peach Garden is guarded by the Earth God, and recently the Great Sage Equal to Heaven himself is stationed there. Who would dare cause trouble?"

"Great Sage Equal to Heaven?" the Fire Spirit True Immortal asked in surprise. "Who is that? I've never heard of him."

The purple-robed fairy then recounted the story of Sun Wukong's enfeoffment.

"That monkey actually became the Great Sage Equal to Heaven?" The Fire Spirit True Immortal and his two companions exchanged glances.

The purple-robed fairy noticed their reaction. "Could it be that you gentlemen know this Great Sage?"

Just as the Fire Spirit True Immortal was about to answer, Zhuang Yan stopped him with a look.

Zhuang Yan mused, "So, this Great Sage Equal to Heaven is a monkey immortal with immense divine powers?"

"Precisely," the purple-robed fairy nodded. "Earlier, he wreaked havoc in the Heavenly Court, and even the Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King and his son couldn't subdue him. The Jade Emperor had no choice but to grant him a title as a form of appeasement."

Zhuang Yan smiled meaningfully, "So he's an arrogant and untamed monkey spirit, yet he's assigned to guard the Peach Garden? Is this arrangement truly appropriate?"

The purple-robed fairy's expression shifted slightly, and she forced a smile. "Prefect, you worry too much."

After the fairy left, Zhuang Yan watched her return to the Heavenly Court.

Upon reporting to Minister Yao Hua of the Jade Palace, the purple-robed fairy received a new order: "In five days, lead the others to pick the Peaches of Immortality and prepare for the grand banquet at the Jade Pond. Do not delay."

"I respectfully obey the edict," the purple-robed fairy replied respectfully.

Five days later, Zhuang Yan received an invitation from the True Palace of Great Mystery. Emperor Shaoyang of the Purple Mansion invited him to the Peach Banquet.

Zhuang Yan rushed to the First Heaven and saw that the Eight Immortals had already taken their places. The assembled immortals gathered in the Hall of Grotto-Heavens. He saw Emperor Shaoyang of the Purple Mansion, True Lord Xuandu, and other high-ranking deities all dressed in their finest attire.

True Person Xuji Chongying, who had been previously punished, was exceptionally respectful this time, his demeanor calm and steady.

"Since everyone is here, let us depart," Emperor Shaoyang of the Purple Mansion announced loudly.

Zhuang Yan bowed with the other immortals, "We respectfully obey the Emperor's edict."

Led by three venerable deities, the immortals ascended on clouds straight to the Great Luo Heaven, and in a blink of an eye, they arrived outside the South Heavenly Gate.

Outside the South Heavenly Gate, King Growth led the Heavenly Soldiers on guard. Upon seeing Emperor Shaoyang of the Purple Mansion arrive, he quickly stepped forward to greet him.

"Greetings, Emperor Shaoyang of the Purple Mansion," King Growth said, cupping his fist in salute.

Emperor Shaoyang of the Purple Mansion returned the salute with a smile. "You are too kind, King."

He gestured to the immortals behind him, "These are the Immortal Officials from my Department of the Mortal Realm, sent by the Queen Mother's decree to attend the grand Peach Banquet."

Upon hearing this, King Growth immediately ordered the Heavenly Soldiers to clear a path and said respectfully, "Your Excellency, please."

Emperor Shaoyang of the Purple Mansion nodded slightly and led the immortals through the South Heavenly Gate.

Upon entering the Heavenly Gate, Zhuang Yan looked around and saw:

Ten thousand rays of golden light reflected the red clouds, and a thousand streams of auspicious energy wound around the purple mist. Bright mists illuminated the firmament, and azure fog enveloped the stars. Thirty-three heavenly palaces stood majestically, with Jinshou guarding the ridges of the palaces of Qianyun, Pi Sha, and Wuming.

Seventy-two treasure halls were arranged solemnly, with jade qilin circling the pillars of the halls of Chaohui, Lingxu, and Baoguang.

The corridors and walkways were exquisitely crafted, with soaring eaves and overlapping greenery, depicting dragons and phoenixes bringing auspiciousness. Heavenly consorts held fans, and jade maidens offered towels. Golden palaces and silver towers shone in the Purple Mansion, while qionglin and yaocao adorned the imperial gardens. Jade rabbits passed through the altars, and golden crows flew around the halls. The Heavenly River resembled white silk draped in a crimson veil, and the stars sparkled brilliantly across the nine heavens.

Zhuang Yan was dazzled and filled with admiration. Lü Dongbin asked with a smile, "Prefect, what do you think of these celestial sights?"

Zhuang Yan withdrew his gaze and smiled, "Today, I finally understand what a true immortal realm is."

The immortals flew on clouds straight to the Jade Pond, meeting various deities along the way, and exchanging greetings. Lü Dongbin introduced them one by one to Zhuang Yan:

"These are the Three Stars of Fortune, Prosperity, and Longevity."

"Those are the Five Virtues Star Lords."

"Those three are True Lord Tianpeng, True Lord Tianyou, and True Lord Yisheng from the Thunder Department."

"Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King is ahead."

"The Four Great Marshals, Ma, Zhao, Wen, and Guan, march in formation."

"That group consists of immortals from the Daoist Sect, including True Person Taiyi, True Person Yuding, and True Person Yunzhong. The Three Ladies of Sanxiao and Yuanjun Bixia are among them. Many reside on the Ten Continents and Three Islands, and are rarely seen usually."

"Third Prince Nezha, I'm sure you recognize him."

Lü Dongbin suddenly paused and added.

Zhuang Yan nodded, "I had a brief encounter with the Third Prince when I subdued the Yaksha in the West Sea previously."

At that moment, Nezha seemed to sense something and looked up. Their eyes met, and Zhuang Yan quickly cupped his hands in greeting. Nezha's brows twitched slightly, and he turned into a stream of light, approaching them.

"He's coming for you," Lü Dongbin said, lightly patting Zhuang Yan's shoulder and smiling at Nezha, "Third Prince, I hope you are well."

Nezha returned the salute and asked directly, "I heard the Eight Immortals were caught up in a Buddha-Demon tribulation. Why are you all still in the mortal realm?"

Up ahead, Tieguai Li whispered to Zhongli Quan, "Earlier, I saw the Sky-Howling Hound spit out three ivory-white tusks. It was truly strange."

Zhongli Quan exclaimed, "How can this be? How can a dog's teeth grow tusks?"

Lü Dongbin looked at Nezha with a smile. Nezha also grinned and turned to Tieguai Li and Zhongli Quan, "Just say what you have to say. Do you really think I would take your lives?"

Lü Dongbin waved his hand, "Third Prince, you misunderstand. They were talking about the Sky-Howling Hound."

Nezha nodded in realization, his gaze shifting to Lü Dongbin. "So that's how it is. I recall True Person Lü was injured by the Sky-Howling Hound. Has your injury healed now?"

Lü Dongbin replied, "Thank you for your concern, Third Prince. I've long since recovered."

He Xiangu, standing nearby, chimed in, "While the injury is healed, it left a peculiar habit."

Nezha asked curiously, "What habit?"

Lü Dongbin looked at He Xiangu with confusion, "What habit? I'm not aware of any."

He Xiangu smiled, pursing her lips, "The habit is a fondness for eating dog meat."

Lü Dongbin coughed lightly and admitted frankly, "It's embarrassing to say, but ever since I was bitten by the Sky-Howling Hound, I've indeed developed a liking for it."

Everyone present chuckled at this. Nezha then turned to Zhuang Yan and asked, "How has Lord Lingtai been lately?"

Zhuang Yan responded with a smile, "Just the usual patrols and cultivation. Does the Third Prince have any important matters recently?"

Nezha withdrew his gaze. "Nothing particularly pressing."

"Perhaps not," True Lord Xuandu suddenly interjected from ahead. "I heard that a few days ago, the Third Prince and the Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King went down to the mortal realm to capture a demon monkey—the current Great Sage Equal to Heaven—but returned defeated?"

"Is that true?" everyone looked at Nezha in surprise.

Nezha's face flushed slightly, and he snorted, "That Great Sage Equal to Heaven does possess some skill. In my opinion, his divine abilities and martial prowess are not inferior to True Lord Erlang's."

The others, who had intended to tease him, were all taken aback by this statement. If even Nezha evaluated him so highly, it was clear the Great Sage Equal to Heaven was no ordinary being.

Lü Dongbin clapped his hands and laughed, "If that's the case, then our defeat at his hands back then wasn't entirely unjust."

As they chatted, they arrived at the Jade Palace. The immortal palaces stood majestically, celestial light and clouds intertwined, the jade halls shimmering with radiance, and purple qi swirling upwards. Incense smoke curled, auspicious clouds drifted, the jade terraces were adorned with brocade, and the treasure pavilions were shrouded in mist.

Led by a Yaochi Fairy, they proceeded towards the Jade Terrace. Before reaching the terrace, they heard sounds of commotion from within. The guiding fairy's delicate brows furrowed, and she looked at the purple mist-shrouded Jade Terrace with a hint of doubt.

"What has happened?" Emperor Shaoyang of the Purple Mansion inquired.

The guiding fairy quickly bowed, "Perhaps the immortal maids are tuning their instruments. Please, Your Excellency, step this way."

The Emperor nodded slightly and followed the fairy into the Jade Terrace garden.

As soon as they entered the garden, a strange fragrance wafted towards them. Zhuang Yan looked around, observing the scattered pavilions and towers, the carved railings and jade steps adorned with gilded colored tables and jade flower pots. On the tables lay delicacies like dragon liver and phoenix marrow, bear paws and ape lips, a dazzling array of exquisite dishes, and an abundance of immortal fruits and heavenly liquors.

However—the immortal officials and heavenly soldiers rushing about, the Yaochi Fairies serving wine and peaches, were all lying sprawled on the ground, snoring thunderously. The banquet dishes were overturned, wine flowed freely, and golden goblets and jade cups lay scattered everywhere. Even the immortals who had arrived earlier were now slumped over, fast asleep.

"Oh dear!" the guiding Yaochi Fairy cried out in alarm, rushing forward to check. "What's happened?"

"Hahaha, refreshing, truly refreshing! What excellent wine!" A hearty laugh echoed from the corridor on the left.

Following the sound, they saw a drunken figure staggering out of the corridor, a wine pot in his right hand and a bunch of grapes in his left, eating with great relish.

Zhuang Yan and the others looked closely. They saw the figure wearing a Phoenix-Winged Purple-Gold Crown, clad in Chain Mail Golden Armor, and stepping on Lotus-Root Silk Cloud-Treading Boots. He was full of vigor—it was none other than the Great Sage Equal to Heaven, Sun Wukong.

"Great Sage?!" the Yaochi Fairy exclaimed. "Wasn't he on duty in the Peach Garden? How did he get here?"

Sun Wukong turned his head at the sound, grinned, plucked a handful of his hairs, and transformed them into sleeping insects that flew towards everyone. The immortals with weaker cultivation, upon being pounced upon by the sleeping insects, immediately fell unconscious. However, the gods with profound Dao Cultivation had their immortal light flash, dispelling the sleeping insects.

Sun Wukong was startled by this, realizing something was amiss. He turned and ascended into the air, flying unsteadily out of the Jade Terrace.

True Lord Tianpeng immediately shouted, "Not good! This monkey has disrupted the Peach Banquet!"

True Lord Tianyou and True Lord Yisheng said in unison, "We'll go capture him." With that, they gave chase.

Zhuang Yan stepped forward and requested of Emperor Shaoyang of the Purple Mansion, "Your Excellency, please grant me permission to assist."

Emperor Shaoyang of the Purple Mansion nodded. "Go, but be careful."

"As you command." Zhuang Yan bowed and then rode a cloud away.

Nezha's eyes darted, and he shouted, "Demon monkey, stop running!" He stepped on his Wind Fire Wheels and pursued.

Lü Dongbin was about to suggest they go along, but Emperor Shaoyang of the Purple Mansion stopped him, "The few of them are sufficient."

Zhongli Quan looked at the table full of delicacies and smiled, "It's a good opportunity to enjoy these delicious foods."

Taiyi True Person looked at the sleeping immortal officials and maids on the ground and said to everyone, "Let's wake them up first."

Yuding True Person and the others agreed.

Star of Fortune sighed, "This monkey has caused trouble again."

Star of Prosperity counted on his fingers, "Caused chaos in the Dragon Palace, chaos in the Underworld, rebelled against Heaven—this is the fourth time."

Star of Longevity shook his head, "This time he's disrupted the Queen Mother's Peach Banquet. I fear he won't escape punishment."

The assembled immortals nodded. The peaches had not yet been served, and while the banquet was in disarray, it was not a major issue.

It was easy for the Heavenly Court to prepare exquisite delicacies and fine wines. The crux of this disturbance was the disruption of the Queen Mother's Peach Banquet, not the consumption of the dragon liver and phoenix marrow.

Meanwhile, as Sun Wukong, still drunk, flew out of the Jade Terrace and stumbled around, True Lords Tianyou and Yisheng pursued him closely. In his desperation, he randomly chose a path to flee, but unexpectedly, Nezha and Zhuang Yan also caught up. In an instant, he was intercepted by the two True Lords.

"Impudent monkey, don't run!" True Lord Yisheng roared. "Quickly come with us to confess to the Queen Mother!"

Sun Wukong turned back and laughed heartily, "The Peach Banquet prepared immortal brews and spirit fruits, wasn't it for everyone to enjoy? What crime is it for this old Sun to taste some? Would the Queen Mother be so stingy?"

True Lord Tianyou said no more and attacked with True Lord Yisheng. Sun Wukong had no choice but to turn and fight. The three fought bare-handed for over a hundred rounds. The two True Lords gradually showed signs of fatigue and were eventually struck flying by a palm and a kick from him. Sun Wukong seized the opportunity to continue his escape.

Zhuang Yan and Nezha respectively caught the falling True Lords Tianyou and Yisheng. Seeing the two True Lords with ashen faces and gasping for breath, Zhuang Yan cupped his fists and said, "Please, True Lords, tend to your wounds. Allow this humble immortal to pursue the demon monkey." With that, he transformed into a streak of light and chased after.

True Lord Tianyou looked at the escaping light and asked, "Who is that?"

"Lord Lingtai Dongming, Zhuang Yan," Nezha replied. True Lord Yisheng anxiously urged, "Third Prince, hurry and assist him! That demon monkey has immense divine abilities!"