Rebirth in Journey to the West: Sun Wukong

Chapter 287: Chapter 287 Peach of Immortality Banquet (Second Update)

Six months had swiftly passed, and finally, the day of the once-in-three-thousand-years Immortal Peach Banquet had arrived.

The Immortal Peach Banquet was the grandest gathering in the Three Realms. Immortals who lived in seclusion within the mountains and rivers all attended, and it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call it a gathering of ten thousand immortals. In his previous life, Sun Wukong was merely an onlooker who sneakily infiltrated the Immortal Peach Banquet. Moreover, he did so before the banquet had even begun. This life, however, was different. He was the main Event Organizer of the Immortal Peach Banquet. Every detail, including the arrangements, decorations, and welcoming and seeing off guests, was decided through consultations with Nezha the Third Prince.

Because he knew that the Jade Emperor planned to make a move against him at the Immortal Peach Banquet, Sun Wukong was not bothered by the trouble but instead prepared meticulously in all aspects, grasping every minor and major detail, ensuring that every conceivable aspect was accounted for. He did his utmost not to leave any opportunity for the Jade Emperor to exploit. Even if the Jade Emperor really did make trouble at the time, the idea that he could stand on the grounds of righteousness and call upon the immortals to gang up on him was pure fantasy!

“Great Saint!”

“Hello, Great Saint!”

“Great Saint, your renowned name precedes you. Seeing you today fulfills a lifelong anticipation!”

One after another, the Immortals and Gods bowed and paid their respects to Sun Wukong. Now, Sun Wukong wasn’t just an empty title holder of “Great Sage Equalling Heaven” as in his past life. He was the Immortal Peach Banquet Event Organizer officially appointed by the Queen Mother, holding the same status as Nezha the Third Prince, and his cultivation had even reached the threshold of the Quasi-Saint Realm, far surpassing ordinary deities.

Besides, there is no such thing as a wall without cracks in this world. The fall of Real Man of Jade Cauldron—one of the original Kunlun Twelve Golden Immortals—under Sun Wukong’s hand during the great contest of the Heavenly Court had spread throughout the Three Realms. Even immortals who stayed out of worldly affairs had heard of it.

The strong will always be respected, especially when facing someone much stronger than oneself. Sun Wukong’s current situation was entirely different from his past life. Naturally, these deities showed him great respect. However, Sun Wukong was well aware that their politeness was due to his current cultivation strength and powerful position. Should the Jade Emperor make a move, it was likely that they would instantly turn against him and join the attack.

Therefore, faced with these respectful words from the deities, Sun Wukong merely smiled politely in response, and later simply delegated the task of welcoming guests to Marshal Tianpeng Zhu Tianpeng. When it came to social niceties, this fat pig was much more gifted than him!

After a series of events, especially following the great contest in the Heavenly Court, Marshal Tianpeng Zhu Tianpeng’s attitude toward Sun Wukong had become extraordinarily respectful. He was afraid that Sun Wukong would cause him trouble, so he worked diligently on tasks assigned by Sun Wukong. Moreover, Zhu Tianpeng considered receiving various immortals a coveted responsibility. He was too happy to refuse it. Why would he shirk it?

“Nezha, what do you think the old Jade Emperor will do to make trouble at the Immortal Peach Banquet?”

In a pavilion within the Jade Pond Water Pavilion where the Immortal Peach Banquet was held, Sun Wukong and Nezha reclined on loungers to the left and right. Sun Wukong had a bamboo skewer in his mouth, his legs casually crossed, swinging them back and forth, when he suddenly turned to Nezha and asked.

“Well, I can’t think of anything.”

Nezha shook his head, sat up, and said, “We have arranged everything properly, and I can’t see any loopholes. Even if the Jade Emperor wanted to find fault, he couldn’t just conjure it out of nothing, could he? The Queen Mother has said that the Jade Emperor wants to provoke you into rebelling, then under the pretense of capturing a traitor, he could justifiably call upon the immortals to besiege you. Wouldn’t we be fine as long as we don’t give him that opportunity?”

“Nezha, you’re thinking too simply!”

Sun Wukong shook his head and scoffed, “If the old Jade Emperor really wants to deal with me, finding an excuse would be easy, wouldn’t it? There is no excuse we can’t think of that the old Jade Emperor wouldn’t dare to fabricate! If he has already made up his mind to conspire with those baldy monks of the Buddhist Sect against me, he would surely have a reason ready that would force me to resist. All our preparations could at best lessen the intensity of the celestial deities’ siege, but they wouldn’t play a significant role.”

“So why aren’t you the slightest bit flustered?”

Nezha looked surprised, his eyes widening. If what they were doing was hardly useful, then why bother?

“What’s there to panic about? If soldiers come, we’ll block them; if water comes, we’ll dam it. If the sky falls, my staff will hold it up!”

Sun Wukong leapt to his feet, “The old Jade Emperor wants to deal with me? Good, I’ve long found him displeasing to the eye. I’ll take this opportunity to stir up a good fuss!”

A glint of sharpness flashed in the eyes of Sun Wukong, his expression eager. Although he had caused havoc in the Heavenly Palace in his past life, turning it upside down, reflecting on it now, perhaps his every move was within the calculations of Tathagata Buddha, and The Grand Supreme Elderly Lord might have been involved too. Hence, none of the powerful immortals in the Heavenly Court made a move against him. The most formidable opponent he faced then was Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King Li Jing. Even Erlang God Yang Jian only battled him briefly to capture him and then never lifted a finger again.

In past lives, whenever Sun Wukong brought up the Havoc in Heaven, he was always smug. Now he realized what ‘ignorance is bliss’ truly meant. His ideas were simply too naive! The Havoc in Heaven that he took so much pride in was nothing more than a farce in the eyes of others, intended to humble him by pressing him under the Five Elements Mountain for five hundred years so that he would obediently follow that nagging monk Tang Seng to seek scriptures!

“Just wait and see, this life I, Old Sun, will definitely turn your Heavenly Court upside down, Jade Emperor!”

All the immortals from various mystical mountains and islands had already gathered; the deities with status and power in the Heavenly Court had also assembled inside the Jade Pond Water Pavilion. The Peach Banquet had officially begun.

One after another, the fairies and maids holding trays streamed in from the corridors outside the Jade Pond Water Pavilion into the grand hall of the banquet. Each held a tray with a large Peach of Immortality, alongside various other immortal fruits and fine wines. Sun Wukong immediately noticed the differences in the Peaches of Immortality that these immortals and gods received.

The immortals and gods with lower cultivation received the smallest peaches, the ones that ripen every three thousand years. These Peaches of Immortality were effectively only for those below the level of Taiyi Scattered Immortals when consumed directly. For those whose cultivation was between Taiyi Scattered Immortals and Taiyi Golden Immortals, the peaches they were allotted ripened every six thousand years. As for Daluo Golden Immortals and above, they were the peaches that matured every nine thousand years. However, no matter how many years the peaches had been growing for, each immortal and god could only obtain one, with no surplus to spare.@@novelbin@@

“To eat the Peaches of Immortality outright like this is simply an extravagant waste!”

Sun Wukong sneered disdainfully, yet he quickly devoured the nine-thousand-year Peach of Immortality delivered in front of him along with the other immortal fruits and fine wines. In his previous life, he had not been eligible to enter the Peach Banquet; this time, he could sit in the banquet without inhibition, indulging in the Peaches and all kinds of immortal fruits and wines—whether eating them was useful or not, he was determined to enjoy them!

As for the Peaches of Immortality used to brew the victorious fighting wine, it was impossible for one Peach Banquet to deplete all of them. If need be, he would simply go to the Peach Orchard and pick them later. After all, was there any place in the Heavenly Court that Sun Wukong couldn’t reach? No!

The Jade Emperor had been watching Sun Wukong with cold eyes, seeing him seemingly oblivious as he gorged himself. The Jade Emperor couldn’t help but sneer silently.

“Eat up, enjoy your last meal! After today, there will be no more Great Sage Equalling Heaven in this world, and in the future, there won’t be a Flower-Fruit Mountain either!”

The Jade Emperor had already made up his mind; as soon as he eradicated the Demon Monkey Sun Wukong today, the next step would be to uproot Flower-Fruit Mountain altogether and wipe out all the members of the Demon Clan that did not submit to the Heavenly Court’s authority. He wanted to see who would dare to oppose the Heavenly Court after that!

The Peach Banquet lasted for three days and three nights. Unlike Sun Wukong, who quickly finished all the Peaches and immortal fruits, the other immortals and gods savored their food slowly, while cultivating and refining the medicinal properties. At the same time, they exchanged insights on cultivation with each other. This was why the Peach Banquet was known as the foremost grand event in the Three Realms.

Two days had passed and Sun Wukong lay on his seat, slightly lethargic and leaning against a meditation cushion, half-heartedly interacting with the immortals and gods around him. However, he was somewhat puzzled. The three-day Peach Banquet was nearly over; why hadn’t the Jade Emperor made his move yet?

Could it be that the old Jade Emperor knew he was prepared and backed down?

It seemed unlikely. With the Jade Emperor’s arrogance, even if he explicitly knew Sun Wukong was ready, he would still make his move. Sun Wukong was one hundred percent certain of this. So, what exactly was he waiting for?

“From the Western Heaven’s Great Thunder Sound Temple, Ran Deng Buddha and Guanyin Bodhisattva have arrived!”

Suddenly, a resonant announcement came from outside the hall, causing Sun Wukong to suddenly perk up and sit straight, his eyes narrowing slightly as he looked toward the entrance. Ran Deng Buddha and Guanyin Bodhisattva? What were they doing here?

While the Heavenly Court and Buddhist Sect maintained a facade of harmony with joint claims of common purpose, in reality, they were constantly competing behind the scenes. At events like the Peach Banquet, the Queen Mother would invite immortals and gods from all the famous mountains and rivers in the Three Realms and those affiliated with the Heavenly Court. Of course, invitations were sent to the Western Heavenly Buddhist Sect as well, but aside from Guanyin Bodhisattva, it was rare for others to attend. The presence of Ran Deng Buddha was unprecedented.

Sun Wukong was sure that Ran Deng Buddha’s appearance was definitely targeting him!

Joy flickered in the Jade Emperor’s eyes. The reappearance of Ran Deng Buddha and Guanyin Bodhisattva meant that the agreement between him and the Buddhist Sect was officially in place. Ran Deng Buddha and Guanyin Bodhisattva would help the Heavenly Court capture Sun Wukong and hand him over for disposal. Even if anything unexpected occurred, Tathagata Buddha would also descend to lend a hand!

“Hahaha, such rare guests, rare guests indeed! Buddha Ran Deng, Bodhisattva Guanyin, please, take a seat!”

The Jade Emperor laughed heartily as he stood up, and after exchanging greetings with Ran Deng Buddha and Guanyin Bodhisattva, invited them to take a seat directly opposite Sun Wukong.

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