Chapter 1048: The Jade Emperor and the Queen Mother

The mighty presence of Kunpeng made the originally noisy crowd fall silent for a moment. However, upon seeing him enter, they felt a mix of schadenfreude and anticipation. Kunpeng was one of the ancient gods; although he had not achieved sanctity, his strength was still only second to the other saints. Those who could match him were few—only Zhenyuanzi, the ancestor of the earthly immortals from Wuzhuang Temple, and Liao, the founder of the River of Darkness Sect. What would happen when the Yellow Dragon faced Kunpeng soon?!

When Tai Bai Jin Xing saw Kunpeng enter, he hurried forward to pay his respects, then led the leader of the Beiming Sect to sit in the first row to the north of the Jade Pool. But as soon as Kunpeng sat down, he sensed something strange in the atmosphere. Looking up, he saw the Yellow Dragon sitting in the seats to the south of the Jade Pool! The Yellow Dragon was sitting right across from him!

Kunpeng was stunned, then enraged. He grabbed Tai Bai Jin Xing by the chest as the latter tried to leave. “Tai Bai Jin Xing, what does this mean, Hao Tian?!” he demanded, pointing at the Yellow Dragon. “This little Yellow Dragon actually sits in the first row!” Having the Yellow Dragon sit in the same row as him made Kunpeng feel degraded. He was the leader of a sect, one of the three thousand innate demon gods, and an ancient god. Even before the Three Pure Ones achieved enlightenment, he had listened to Hongjun’s teachings in the Purple Cloud Palace. In terms of seniority, only Ran Deng Lao Zu, another innate demon god, could be considered his equal. People like Guang Cheng Zi from the Chan Sect were one thing, but now the Jade Emperor had also arranged for the Yellow Dragon to sit in the first row—how could he not be angry?! Kunpeng’s mood was similar to that of Chi Jing Zi when he saw the Yellow Dragon in the first row.

Tai Bai Jin Xing, grabbed by Kunpeng and unable to express his anger, could only force a smile and stammer, “Um, um, our Jade Emperor… the Jade Emperor…” He couldn’t say anything else. Seeing this, Kunpeng pushed Tai Bai Jin Xing away with a cold snort. “Get lost!” Terrified, Tai Bai Jin Xing scrambled away from this troublemaker.

“Brother Kunpeng, calm down!” At that moment, Ran Deng, sitting next to Kunpeng, said with a smile, “The Yellow Dragon has obtained the Chaos Bell, so his strength has greatly increased. Just now, even Chi Jing Zi wasn’t a match for him in one move!” Ran Deng Lao Zu’s words were double-meaning: on the surface, he was praising the Yellow Dragon’s strength, but he also exposed Chi Jing Zi’s weakness and revealed that the Yellow Dragon possessed the Chaos Bell, further provoking Kunpeng to attack him! His intentions were extremely sinister!

“What? The Chaos Bell! That young Yellow Dragon has obtained the Chaos Bell!” Indeed, after being shocked, Kunpeng’s eyes immediately burned with greed as he stared at the Yellow Dragon, his desire evident: “Young Yellow Dragon, I never expected you to get the Chaos Bell. Is this why you disappeared for a million years and your strength soared so much?”

At these words, Kunpeng’s aura surged, and waves of sickly green light radiated from him.

To the south of the Jade Pool, in the middle of the seats to the north, there was a clear separation from the Jade Pool itself. But when Kunpeng’s green light touched the Jade Pool, it instantly froze over, and even the jade railings along its edges began to crack. This was the icy aura from Kunpeng’s cultivation in the Northern Abyss.

Seeing this, everyone’s expressions changed. However, to their surprise, the icy aura seemed to encounter an invisible barrier and stopped right after crossing the Jade Pool. Kunpeng was also stunned.

“Imperial Emperor, the Queen Mother is here!” Suddenly, a loud chant echoed from afar, like thunder rolling endlessly, filled with divine authority. Immediately afterward, the heavens trembled, and waves of rosy light rose into the sky, illuminating the entire heavenly court. A group of fairies scattered flowers from their hands, while all the immortals chanted together, accompanied by melodious music.

Surrounded by the immortals of the heavenly court, the Imperial Emperor, dressed in a dragon robe with a majestic appearance, and the graceful, noble Queen Mother walked toward the Jade Pool.

When the Imperial Emperor and the Queen Mother arrived, all the immortals, Buddhas, and bodhisattvas in the court stood up to pay their respects.

“Welcome, Imperial Emperor, Your Majesty the Queen Mother!” Their voices resounded through the sky.

However, there were exceptions. Kunpeng did not stand up, nor did the Yellow Dragon. Neither did Susan, Huang Yi, and the other three women, nor Pili Dragon! They stood out sharply among the immortals and Buddhas.

“Everyone may sit down!” The Imperial Emperor seemed unaware of the Yellow Dragon, Kunpeng, and the others not standing to greet them. Still smiling, he waved his hand to signal the immortals, Buddhas, and bodhisattvas to sit down.

The Imperial Emperor and the Queen Mother maintained their calm expressions as they walked toward the Nine-Dragon Throne to the east of the Jade Pool. But when the Imperial Emperor passed by Susan and the others, he was startled upon seeing Susan’s face. The Queen Mother also sensed something unusual; she glanced over and was equally surprised, her eyes shining with wonder.

Susan, Huang Yi, and the others were also shocked by the Queen Mother’s appearance. It was then that they guessed the hidden reason behind the Yellow Dragon’s words earlier.

After a while, the Imperial Emperor and the Queen Mother regained their usual expressions. The Imperial Emperor sat down on the Nine-Dragon Throne, with the Queen Mother sitting beside him.

“Thank you, all immortals, Buddhas, and bodhisattvas, for coming to this Peach Festival,” said the Imperial Emperor after sitting down. Shortly after, he ordered the heavenly court officials to present peaches and various precious fruits and delicacies.

Above the Jade Pool, Huang Long and the others each had a table set with a peony peach. These peony peaches ripened once every three thousand years—eating one could grant immortality; once every six thousand years, it allowed one to ascend to heaven and live forever; and once every nine thousand years, it enabled one to share the same lifespan as heaven and earth, enduring as long as the sun and moon. The peony peaches at this banquet were, of course, the finest of all—those that ripened every nine thousand years. As soon as the peony peaches were placed there, a strange, intoxicating fruit fragrance filled the air above the Jade Pool. Huang Long sat there, gazing at the peony peaches, filled with nostalgia. Back in his days in the Chan School, he had no status and could not attend such banquets. He would listen to the immortals and deities who did attend discuss the taste of these peony peaches, feeling envious. But now, looking at them, he found them unappealing. It was the same with meeting the Queen Mother again—there was no longer the same feeling as before. Originally, Huang Long’s main reason for coming to this banquet was to see the Queen Mother, but now he realized how tasteless this event was. No wonder the Three Pure Ones hadn’t come themselves and only sent their eldest disciple. However, what Huang Long didn’t expect was that the Jade Emperor Haotian’s strength was actually no weaker than that of the Kunpeng! The Queen Mother was slightly inferior, but not far behind the Kunpeng either. Soon, Huang Long understood—since the Jade Emperor Haotian and the Queen Mother were both disciples of the Patriarch Pangu, Hongjun, their strength surely couldn’t be as weak as the rumors suggested. “True Man Huang Long,” suddenly, the Jade Emperor turned to look at Huang Long and said, “I offer you a toast!” The other immortals and Buddhas were stunned. The Jade Emperor was actually offering a toast to Huang Long?! Ignoring their surprise, Huang Long raised his cup, nodded, and drank with the Jade Emperor. As the Jade Emperor of the Heavenly Court and a disciple of Hongjun, Huang Long naturally had to show respect. Yet, as the Jade Emperor looked at Huang Long’s calm expression, a flash of surprise appeared in his eyes. Normally, when he personally offered a toast, Huang Long should have appeared overjoyed and honored. The Queen Mother also looked at Huang Long with admiration in her eyes. “Is that True Man Huang Long’s consort?” The Jade Emperor changed his tone and smiled as he looked at Susan below the Jade Pool. “True Man Huang Long’s consort is incredibly beautiful! And I never expected her to resemble the Queen Mother so much!”