Chapter 1043: The Peach Festival

The snow and ice atop the mountains in Beiming were shaken by this sound and all collapsed from the peaks. Countless pieces of ice tumbled downward, with ice shards flying thousands of feet in the air. Above the gates of this massive palace, four characters were inscribed in ancient demon script: “Kunpeng Divine Palace”!

The demon master Kunpeng was infamous even in the ancient times of Pangu. He was one of the great deities of that era, renowned alongside the progenitor of the dragon race, Zhu Long Zhulong, the demon emperor Di Jun, and Donghuang Taiyi. Later, he became the demon master of the ancient demon celestial court, ranking above the Ten Great Demon Gods. Though he was subordinate to Di Jun and Donghuang Taiyi, his strength was no less than theirs.

During the great war between the witches and demons, seeing the situation turn unfavorable, he fled early and has since been cultivating in the northern regions of Beiming, subduing many powerful ancient demons. Among them, Ji Meng, the leader of the Ten Great Demon Gods, submitted to his teachings and became Kunpeng’s trusted assistant. Now, with the Yellow Dragon killing Ji Meng, it was undoubtedly a slap in Kunpeng’s face. His anger could be imagined.

Inside the main hall of the Kunpeng Divine Palace, the demon master Kunpeng—with a sharp face, thin frame, and dressed in green robes—stood with a furious expression, emitting a chilling aura that made all the demons below tremble.

“Master, please calm down. This Yellow Dragon disrespects our Beiming Sect so greatly. Why not send our strongest troops to attack him now, capture him, and let you decide what to do with him?” A young man in gray robes stepped forward from below.

This young man was one of Kunpeng’s disciples, ranked second, named Jiang Bing. He was a transformed ancient deep-sea ice snake.

“Disciple, I think that’s not a good idea,” said Ren Guiyi, Kunpeng’s eldest disciple dressed in white. His true form was an ice dragon, also transformed in ancient times.

“Speak,” Kunpeng said, his anger gradually subsiding.

“This Yellow Dragon is a disciple of the Chan School. If we send our strongest troops to attack him, it might attract reinforcements from other Chan School disciples, angering them. Moreover, since his subordinates could kill Ji Meng, I doubt anyone besides the master can subdue him!” Ren Guiyi explained.

“Hmph. Does such a trivial matter require the master to go in person?” Jiang Bing interjected. “Just because his subordinates killed Ji Meng, so what? If we deploy the 99 Ice Abyss Formation, even if he has godlike powers, we can still capture him!”

The 99 Ice Abyss Formation was a formation created by Kunpeng by combining various ancient formations, and it was the foremost combat formation of the Beiming Sect. Kunpeng’s eyes sparkled.

But just then, a disciple of the North Sea Sect entered and said respectfully, “Reporting to the sect leader, the messenger from the Heavenly Court, Tai Bai Jin Xing, has come to pay his respects!”
“Oh, a messenger from the Heavenly Court?” Kun Peng was taken aback before saying, “Invite him in!”
The disciple replied respectfully and soon brought in Tai Bai Jin Xing, the messenger from the Heavenly Court.
In the main hall, the disciples of the North Sea Sect also exchanged glances, unsure of why Tai Bai Jin Xing had come.
“Speak up. What does the Heavenly Court send you to do at my North Sea Divine Palace?” Kun Peng, without getting up to greet him, asked coldly from his throne.
Due to the ancient relationship between the demon race and the Heavenly Court, Kun Peng, who was once a demon sorcerer, did not get along well with the current Heavenly Court.
“Hehe, Sect Leader of the North Sea, please don’t misunderstand,” Tai Bai Jin Xing said with a forced smile. “I’m here for something good—something truly wonderful!”
“Oh, something good, truly wonderful?” Kun Peng’s expression softened slightly. “Then tell me what it is.”
“In a few days, the Queen Mother of the Heavenly Court will hold a Peach Festival, so she sent me to invite Sect Leader Kun Peng to attend!” Tai Bai Jin Xing said with a smile.
“A Peach Festival, inviting me?” Kun Peng was surprised.
In the main hall, the disciples of the North Sea Sect also looked surprised.
Normally, for such festivals, the Jade Emperor and the Queen Mother would invite figures from Buddhism, Taoism, and other religions—like Buddha, Bodhisattvas, holy monks, arhats, the Five Elders of the Five Directions, the Three Pure Ones, and the Four Emperors. It was impossible for them to invite a powerful demon like Kun Peng.
But this time, they wanted to invite him?
“Yes, Sect Leader of the North Sea is a great deity with immense powers. It would be an honor if you could grace us with your presence!” Tai Bai Jin Xing waved his fan lightly.
“Oh, by the way, this time, the Jade Emperor and the Queen Mother have also invited Huang Long Zhen Ren!” Before Kun Peng could speak, Tai Bai Jin Xing casually brought up this matter.
His tone grew heavier as he mentioned Huang Long Zhen Ren, though his smile remained.
“Is that little Huang Long going too?” Kun Peng’s eyes flashed green, and his voice turned cold.
“Yes,” Tai Bai Jin Xing nodded.
“Very well. Go back and tell that woman, the Jade Emperor and the Queen Mother, that I, Kun Peng, will definitely attend this Peach Festival,” Kun Peng said.
That woman, the Queen Mother?
Tai Bai Jin Xing’s smile twitched unnaturally as he bowed and said, “Very well. I’ll be waiting for your arrival, Sect Leader of the North Sea!” With that, he handed the invitation to a disciple of the North Sea Sect and bowed to Kun Peng before leaving.
“Sect leader, the Jade Emperor and the Queen Mother’s invitation to this Peach Festival surely hides ulterior motives!” Ren Gui Yi, Kun Peng’s eldest disciple, stepped forward and said.

“I know,” Kunpeng said nonchalantly.
“Then what about you, the sect leader?” Ren Guiyi tried to persuade him.
Kunpeng raised a hand to interrupt, “They’re hosting a feast for that Yellow Dragon brat, obviously hoping to provoke a conflict between me and him. But so what? That way, I can take the chance to cripple that brat during the Peach Festival, serving as a warning to all in the Primordial World that I, Kunpeng, am not to be trifled with!”
“Even if he’s a disciple of the Chan Sect, I’ll still cripple him!”
Kunpeng’s cold voice echoed through the hall.
“That’s right. The sect leader should showcase the might of our Beiming Sect. Otherwise, others will think we’re afraid of that Yellow Dragon,” Jiang Bing said.
In fact, Kunpeng dared to consider crippling the Yellow Dragon precisely because he knew the latter’s low status in the Chan Sect. Even if he crippled the Yellow Dragon, Yuan Shi wouldn’t care. As long as Yuan Shi didn’t intervene, he had nothing to worry about.
Would he dare do the same to Guangchengzi or Chisengzi?
Kunpeng snapped the letter shut, scanned its contents with his divine consciousness, then closed it and sneered, “Very well, Yellow Dragon brat. I’ll let you bask in your triumph for another two months! After that, I’ll make you kneel before all the immortals, Buddhas, and bodhisattvas, licking my feet and scratching my head!”
Kunpeng laughed heartily, his laughter echoing across Beiming.
After leaving Beiming, Tai Bai Jin Xing didn’t return to the Heavenly Court but headed toward Erxian Mountain in Dongsheng Divine Continent.
He came to Erxian Mountain following the orders of the Jade Emperor and the Queen Mother, to invite the Yellow Dragon to the Peach Festival.
Riding on a celestial cloud and stroking his long silver beard, Tai Bai Jin Xing leisurely arrived at Erxian Mountain. Standing atop the cloud, he was astonished by the intense spiritual energy emanating from the mountain below.
“The spiritual energy here has become so abundant—it’s probably on par with that of the various halls in the Heavenly Court. It seems that Yellow Dragon really does have some skills,” Tai Bai Jin Xing thought to himself. Then he descended from the cloud toward Erxian Mountain.