Lao Tzu is Ji Gong

"Although the seal I set up with my Chaos Divine Eye is powerful, if the Primordial Celestial Venerable were to make a move, my seal would certainly not be a problem for him. I just wonder if Jade Cauldron Immortal will come looking for trouble with Sun Wukong again after his seal is broken?" Li Xiuyuan thought to himself, looking in the direction where the Antarctic Immortal and Jade Cauldron Immortal had left.

"Forget it. By the time he comes looking for trouble again, Sun Wukong will probably already be suppressed under the Five Elements Mountain." With a thought, all the scenes of Flower Fruit Mountain appeared in his mind.

Inside the Water Curtain Cave, Sun Wukong, drunk, lay sprawled on a stone table, snoring loudly. Beside him, the Bull Demon King and the Flood Dragon Demon King were also fast asleep on the same stone table.

Sun Wukong was completely unaware of what had just happened on Flower Fruit Mountain.

The strength of Yu Ding Zhenren, Li Xiuyuan, and Antarctic Immortal was all much higher than that of Sun Wukong. With the three of them deliberately hiding their strength, it was extremely difficult for Sun Wukong to discover them.

"Oh right, I remember that just now, Master Yuding's Immortal-Slaying Sword was cleaved away by my Divine Demon Sword and it seems to have landed on this Flower Fruit Mountain."

The Immortal-Slaying Sword is one of the Four Swords of Immortal Slaughter, the treasure of the Golden Cloud Cave on Jade Spring Mountain, and also a primordial spiritual treasure. Although, with the Divine Demon Sword already in his possession, the Immortal-Slaying Sword has become somewhat of a burden to him.

However, since he couldn't use them himself, giving them to others, or waiting for the day when he could gather all four swords of the Immortal Execution and set up the Immortal Execution Sword Formation, would greatly help his strength.

With a probe of divine sense, the Absolute Immortal Sword was found lying on Flower Fruit Mountain. The sword lay there quietly, its blade emitting a gray light, and its sharp sword energy rippled out in layers, piercing through the surrounding wood and stone.

However, several cracks appeared on the sword, which were caused by his Divine Demon Sword.

After putting away the Immortal-Slaying Sword, Li Xiuyuan didn't linger. He turned around, passed through layers of space, and returned to the Daoist temple to continue his cultivation.

"The next time I come out, it will probably be when Sun Wukong wreaks havoc in the Heavenly Palace, right?"

Meanwhile, in the Heavenly Court, the Jade Emperor looked at Li Jing and Nezha with a somewhat embarrassed expression.

After his defeat, Li Jing returned to the Heavenly Palace and reported the situation to the Jade Emperor.

With a gloomy expression, the Jade Emperor looked at Li Jing and asked, "My beloved ministers, that monkey demon wants me to bestow upon him the title of Great Sage Equal to Heaven. What do you all think we should do?"

A figure dressed in fiery red robes, surrounded by raging flames, appeared and said, "Your Majesty, in my opinion, Your Majesty should send someone to subdue that demon monkey again. Otherwise, wouldn't our mighty Heavenly Court be looked down upon?"

Venus, holding a whisk and exuding an air of otherworldly elegance, retorted, "Your Excellency is mistaken. In my humble opinion, we should grant that monkey's wish and bestow upon him the title of Great Sage Equal to Heaven, though he will have the official rank but no real power."

The Fire God sneered, "But if we do that, where will the face of my Heavenly Court be? Won't any demons and monsters be able to act arrogantly and recklessly in front of my Heavenly Court?"

Taibai Jinxing ignored him and said, "Your Majesty, that demon monkey is so powerful that even Nezha, the Third Prince, is no match for him. With such strength, bestowing upon him the title of Great Sage Equaling Heaven wouldn't be a problem. Moreover, it's just an official title without any real power or salary. It can both subdue the demon monkey and quell the conflict, so why not do it?"

The Jade Emperor nodded and said, "What Venus says is very true. In that case, please continue to descend to the mortal realm to summon that demon monkey."

Venus received the decree and went down to the mortal realm to deliver the summons.

The Fire Star Lord snorted coldly and flashed back into the classroom, his face showing some displeasure. However, Venus was the Jade Emperor's favorite minister, so even if he was dissatisfied, there was nothing he could do.

In the time it takes to drink four or five cups of tea, Venus had already led Sun Wukong to the Lingxiao Palace.

Taibai Jinxing stood before the steps, bowed, and reported, "Your Majesty, this old minister has brought Sun Wukong here."

The Jade Emperor said, "Venus, you've worked hard." He then turned to Sun Wukong and said, "Since you think the position of Bi Ma Wen is too low and want to be the Great Sage Equal to Heaven, then I will bestow upon you the title of Great Sage Equal to Heaven. This position is already the highest rank. From now on, you are not allowed to act recklessly again."

Sun Wukong bowed and said, "I thank Your Majesty."

"Where are Zhang Ban and Lu Ban?" the Jade Emperor asked again.

Two figures stepped forward from the back of the procession and said, "Your Majesty, we are here."

The Jade Emperor slightly raised his head and said, "I hereby order you two to establish the residence of the Great Sage Equaling Heaven at the right-hand side of the Peach Garden, effective immediately. Do you two understand?"

“Your Majesty, we understand,” Zhang Ban and Lu Ban replied.

Zhang Ban was a bricklayer, and Lu Ban was a carpenter. Originally mortal craftsmen, their exceptional skills led to their ascension to the heavens after death, where they were granted divine positions and put in charge of constructing the residences of various deities. They were arguably the lowest-ranking and most arduous among the immortals.

The Jade Emperor issued a decree, and the two immediately began working day and night to build the residence of the Great Sage Equaling Heaven.

Before long, the mansion was completed. The entire mansion of the Great Sage Equaling Heaven covered an area of ​​seven or eight acres, with glazed tiles and white marble-like stones paving the ground. The mansion had everything from a jade pond to artificial mountains, and various exotic flowers and plants emitted a fragrant aroma.

The palace also had two departments: the Department of Tranquility and the Department of Calming the Mind. Each department had celestial officials to assist them.

Chapter 475 Managing the Peaches

On the day the mansion was completed, the Jade Emperor bestowed two bottles of imperial wine and ten golden flowers as a congratulatory gift.

In the blink of an eye, more than half a month has passed.

In half a month, Sun Wukong traveled east and west in the Heavenly Court, from the Thirty-Sixth Heaven to the Penglai, Fangzhang and Yingzhou overseas fairy mountains.

Upon meeting the Three Pure Ones, he addresses them as "Old One"; upon encountering the Four Emperors, he calls them "Your Majesty." He treats the Nine Luminaries, the Five Generals, the Twenty-Eight Mansions, the Twelve Earthly Branches, the Five Elders of the Five Directions, all the celestial beings, and the gods of the Milky Way as brothers, addressing each other accordingly. Today he wanders east, tomorrow he roams west, coming and going like clouds, his whereabouts unpredictable. He is truly free and unrestrained, carefree and unconventional.

On this day, during the court assembly, the Jade Emperor sat in the Lingxiao Palace. Xu Jingyang, one of the Four Celestial Masters, stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, there is currently the Great Sage Equaling Heaven, Sun Wukong, who spends his days idly wandering around. If this continues, I fear it will inevitably cause trouble. I hope Your Majesty will allow him to manage a matter to prevent disaster."

The Jade Emperor said, "What the Celestial Master says is very true." After saying that, he added, "Guards, summon the Great Sage Equaling Heaven, Sun Wukong, to the palace."

The Jade Emperor issued a decree, and a celestial official hurriedly went to the residence of the Great Sage Equaling Heaven to announce the decree to Sun Wukong.

When Sun Wukong was summoned into the hall, he bowed and said, "Jade Emperor, what are your orders for summoning me, Old Sun?"

The Jade Emperor said, "I see that you spend your days idly wandering around, doing nothing, so I'm going to arrange a job for you. The Queen Mother's Peach Garden is currently short of a celestial official to guard it, so I'll send you there."

Sun Wukong was overjoyed and quickly said, "Thank you, Your Majesty." His Great Sage Equaling Heaven residence was built next to the Peach Garden, and he could see the inside of the Peach Garden from the rooftop.

The peaches in that peach orchard were enormous, far superior to those in his Flower and Fruit Mountain, making his mouth water. However, because the orchard was always guarded, he never had the chance to sneak in and steal a single one.

Now that the Jade Emperor has appointed him to guard the Peach Garden, he can go in and take a good look at the situation inside.

Having received the imperial decree, Sun Wukong was eager and, without returning to his residence, went straight to the Peach Garden.

Just as he arrived at the entrance of the garden and was about to enter, a short, small earth god dressed in brown clothes blocked his way and said, "Great Sage, this Peach Garden cannot be entered or left without imperial decree. Great Sage, please turn back."

"It's you again, you local deity, blocking my way!" Sun Wukong said. "You brat, look at what I have in my hand!"

Sun Wukong handed over the imperial edict.

"What is that in the Great Sage's hand?" The local deity took the imperial edict from Sun Wukong with a puzzled look. He unfolded it and his expression immediately changed. He fawned, "Great Sage, so you are the celestial official recently appointed by the Jade Emperor to guard the Peach Garden! This humble god is truly deserving of death for daring to obstruct the Great Sage! You deserve to die! You deserve to die!"

As he spoke, the local deity slapped himself in the face as an apology to Sun Wukong. Inwardly, however, the deity was deeply troubled. He had repeatedly obstructed Sun Wukong before, and now that Sun Wukong had become the celestial official guarding the Peach Orchard, he wondered if Sun Wukong would deliberately cause him trouble.

Sun Wukong laughed and said, "Little local deity, ignorance is no excuse, so you don't need to punish yourself. Quickly take me into the Peach Garden to have a look!"

He was already impatient.

The local deity quickly accepted the order and led Sun Wukong into the Peach Garden.

All the way, Sun Wukong followed the local earth god with great joy, feeling extremely happy.

Previously, every time he tried to enter the Peach Garden, he was stopped by the local earth deity. This time, however, with the Jade Emperor's decree, the earth deity was terrified. If he hadn't called for a stop earlier, the earth deity would probably have continued slapping him, swelling his entire cheek.

Upon entering the Peach Garden, Sun Wukong saw that it was filled with lush, vibrant peach trees, their branches and leaves incredibly abundant and lush green, each one almost as thick as a person could hug, its branches and leaves spreading out like a giant umbrella.

The peach trees are laden with peaches, each one about the size of two or three palms, white with a hint of red, tempting and delicious. A sweet aroma permeates the entire orchard, making one's mouth water.

Sun Wukong swallowed hard and asked, "Deity, how many immortal peaches are there in this Peach Garden?"

The Earth God replied, “Great Sage, this Peach Garden has 3,600 peach trees. The first 1,200 trees have small flowers and small fruits, ripening once every 3,000 years. Those who eat them will become immortals, gaining health and lightness. The middle 1,200 trees have layered flowers and sweet fruits, ripening once every 6,000 years. Those who eat them will ascend to heaven and live forever. The last 1,200 trees have purple veins and yellow kernels, ripening once every 9,000 years. Those who eat them will live as long as heaven and earth, and be the same age as the sun and moon.”

"Wonderful! Wonderful!" Sun Wukong exclaimed.

Looking at the bright red and tempting peaches on the branch, Sun Wukong couldn't resist wanting to taste one, but the local earth god was always by his side, preventing him from taking the plunge.

Suddenly, an idea struck him, and he said, "Old Earth God, I, Old Sun, am quite familiar with the situation of this Peach Garden. After wandering around in this garden for so long, I, Old Sun, am a little sleepy and would like to rest in the pavilion in this garden for a while. You may leave now. Do not disturb me without my permission."

Having said that, Sun Wukong had already taken off his clothes and lay down in the pavilion. The local earth god didn't suspect anything, said "Great Sage, rest well," and then withdrew.

Sensing that the Earth God had left, Sun Wukong could no longer restrain himself. He leaped up, his heart filled with both anxiety and excitement, and climbed a peach tree.

At the very top of that peach tree grew a ripe peach the size of a basketball. Its sweet aroma made Sun Wukong impatient, so he quickly picked it, wiped it on his clothes without washing it, and started eating it.

The moment he took a bite, a sweet flavor filled his mouth, and thick peach juice flowed down the opening, staining Sun Wukong's hand. Moreover, at the same time, Sun Wukong felt that the magical power within his body had suddenly increased significantly.

Sun Wukong was taken aback, and in his heart he sighed, "What a wonderful thing! What a wonderful thing! Compared with the peaches in this Peach Garden, the peaches in my Flower Fruit Mountain are not even one-tenth or one-hundredth as good."

Chapter 476 The Peach Banquet

After all, no matter how delicious the peaches in his Flower Fruit Mountain were, they did not help him increase his cultivation level.

Eating this one peach would be enough to sustain him for one or two years of arduous cultivation.

Originally, when he was at the Lingtai Fangcun Mountain, in the Xieyue Sanxing Cave, Li Xiuyuan had given him a Nine-Turn Golden Pill to help him break through to the Great Luo Golden Immortal realm.

After his breakthrough, his cultivation level remained stagnant, stuck at the early stage of the Great Luo Golden Immortal realm for a long time. This was the first time he had felt his internal magical power growing so rapidly.

In the Peach Garden, after eating eight or nine peaches in a row, Sun Wukong finally let out a burp.

After eating so many, his stomach was completely bulging from the peaches. If it were ordinary food, he could easily eliminate the feeling of fullness by circulating his magic power, but these peaches were rare treasures of heaven and earth, full of spiritual energy. Unless he refined them all, the feeling of fullness would not disappear no matter what.

After eating his fill, Sun Wukong let out a burp, lay down on the peach tree, and dozed off.

From then on, Sun Wukong ate the peaches from the Peach Garden when he was hungry and slept when he was full. Before long, his strength improved dramatically. However, he still needed some time before breaking through to the next level.

"Have you heard? It's said that in seven days, it will be the Queen Mother of the West's Peach Banquet. At that time, the Seven Fairy Maidens will probably come to the Peach Garden to pick peaches."

“That’s right, it’s like this every year. When do you think we can attend the Queen Mother of the West’s Peach Banquet? It’s a symbol of status. At that time, all beings with names and surnames in the Three Realms will be invited to attend.”

"You should just give up. You? A weeding soldier like you wants to participate in the Peach Banquet? That's just wishful thinking, a pipe dream."

"........."

In the peach orchard, two celestial servants weeding were whispering amongst themselves.

"The Peach Banquet? All beings with names and surnames in the Three Realms will be invited. It's a symbol of strength and status?" Sun Wukong thought, "With my reputation as the Great Sage Equaling Heaven, I'm sure someone will come to invite me."

As he pondered this, drowsiness crept in, and Sun Wukong lay down on a branch of the peach tree and fell asleep again.

In the blink of an eye, seven days had passed, and the Peach Banquet, which only happens once every five hundred years, was upon us once again.

In the sky, seven fairies dressed in different colors flew towards the Peach Garden. Each of the seven fairies had skin as smooth as jade, red lips and white teeth, willow-leaf eyebrows and phoenix eyes, wore gauze dresses and jade rings at their waists, and each one was more beautiful and more enchanting than the last.

"Sister, when did a new mansion build next to the Peach Garden? We didn't see it when we came last time," a fairy dressed in purple asked.

"Seventh Sister, this is the residence of the Great Sage Equaling Heaven. He was only recently appointed as the Great Sage Equaling Heaven, and the residence is newly built, so we haven't seen it before. It is said that the Great Sage Equaling Heaven has been appointed by Father Emperor as the new manager of the Peach Garden. The Great Sage Equaling Heaven has a very bad temper. If you anger him when you get there, he might give you a hard time," the fairy in red warned.