Lao Tzu is Ji Gong

"The Great Sage Equal to Heaven, what a prestigious title! I wonder what he looks like, elder sister?" the girl in purple asked curiously.

The fairy in red said, "He is the Daoist of a demon monkey from the mortal realm. What do you think he looks like? Seventh Sister, are you perhaps in love?"

"Oh, big sister, how dare you say that to me? I'll beat you up!" The girl in purple pushed the girl in red, and the two immediately started arguing.

The remaining five fairies also joined in the fun, and the seven of them, bickering and joking, arrived at the gate of the Peach Garden.

Just as the seven were about to enter, the earth god emerged and blocked their way, asking, "Where do you come from, fairy?"

The girl in red said, "It's that time of year again for the Five Hundred Years Peach Banquet. We, the seven sisters, are here by imperial decree to pick peaches. Please make way and let us in."

As they were talking, the girl in purple interrupted, "You landowners are so unreasonable! You didn't stop us from coming to harvest the produce five hundred years ago, but you're stopping us this time?"

The Earth God's face fell, looking like a bitter gourd. He said, "My fairies, this year is different from previous years. The Jade Emperor has appointed the Great Sage Equaling Heaven to guard this place. Without his orders, how could I dare to let you in?"

The fairy in red asked, "Where is the Great Sage Equaling Heaven?"

The local deity said, "The Great Sage was sleeping in the garden just now, and he probably hasn't woken up yet."

The fairy in red said, "In that case, let's go in together to find him."

The seven fairies were all daughters of the Jade Emperor, of great importance and noble status, and were far beyond his ability to offend. Left with no other choice, the local deity had to go with the seven fairies into the Peach Garden to search for Sun Wukong.

Upon reaching the pavilion in the garden, they found only his clothes and hat lying there; Sun Wukong was nowhere to be seen. The girl in purple frowned and said, "Where is the Great Sage Equaling Heaven? The Peach Banquet is about to begin. We were ordered to pick peaches; if we're delayed, Father will probably scold us again. What should we do?"

The fairy in red said, "Forget it, let's ignore him. Let's pick the peaches first. When the Great Sage Equaling Heaven returns, we can just have the local earth god inform him. Anyway, these peaches belong to the Queen Mother, so they were originally ours."

“Sister is right.” The fairy in purple nodded.

The seven fairies, each carrying a bamboo basket, picked two baskets from the first 1,200 peach trees and three more baskets from the middle 1,200 peach trees, for a total of five baskets.

When they arrived at the 1,200 peach trees behind, the seven fairies saw that the peach trees had sparse flowers and fruits, with only a few fuzzy, green-skinned ones, and not a single peach that had been lost.

"What's going on? Where are the peaches on the peach tree?" The girl in red frowned slightly.

"I remember when I looked at them last year, there were still a few ripe peaches on the 1,200 peach trees behind them. How come after 500 years, not only are there no ripe peaches, but there aren't even any ripe ones left?" the girl in purple asked in confusion.

Chapter 477 Seven Fairies

"Did these peaches grow legs and run away on their own?" The girl in red raised her eyebrows and her face was as cold as ice.

“This…this…” Tu Di stammered, unsure how to answer.

Just then, a fairy in purple suddenly exclaimed, "Sisters, come and see! There's a huge peach here!"

Near the purple-clad fairy, there was a tree as thick as a person could hug, its brown trunk covered with moss, its branches and leaves flourishing, and a peach hidden inside a verdant peach leaf.

The peach was the size of a washbasin, a truly rare find. Its color was white with a hint of red, like a child's rosy cheeks, making it incredibly endearing. The entire peach was hidden among the branches and leaves, making it very difficult to find; one could easily miss it if not careful.

"Such a big peach! We've been picking peaches for so many years, but we've never seen one like this before. It's really rare."

The seven fairies exclaimed in praise.

"Sisters, these peaches are so big, can I pick them?" the girl in purple blinked her eyes and asked.

That peach was so big that picking it would easily bring a sense of satisfaction.

"You greedy Seventh Sister! We always give you all the good things, and now that we've finally found such a big peach, you still want to take it all! You're so greedy! You don't even know to share it with us older sisters!" said a fairy dressed in yellow.

Although the fairy in yellow said this, she still stood there without moving.

"Second sister, you're making fun of me again! I'm never talking to you again!" The purple-clad fairy showed a hint of resentment on her face, looking unhappy. But the next moment, the purple-clad girl burst out laughing, her smile as beautiful as a flower, her eyes bright and clear, exceptionally charming.

As she spoke, the fairy in purple stepped forward and picked that peach.

"What kind of monster is this, daring to trespass into the Peach Garden and steal the immortal peaches?"

Just as the fairy in purple picked the peach, a wisp of smoke suddenly appeared, and the peach in her hand transformed into a monkey with a hairy face and a thunder god's mouth, over four feet tall, wearing an ochre-yellow robe.

Having stayed in the Peach Garden for a long time, Sun Wukong felt a little sleepy, so he transformed into a peach and hid on a peach tree to rest. Who would have thought that the fairy in purple would discover him and pick him.

As soon as he regained his monkey form, Sun Wukong roared and pulled out his golden cudgel from his ear, bringing with it a golden glow, ready to attack.

"what!"

The peach in her hand suddenly turned into a monkey. The fairy in purple was so frightened that she screamed and kept backing away.

The remaining fairies were also terrified, their faces filled with fear, and they were in complete disarray.

Just as Sun Wukong swung his Ruyi Jingu Bang at the fairy, the local earth god shouted, "Great Sage, stop! These are the Seven Fairy Maidens, who have come to pick the peaches of immortality on the orders of the Queen Mother of the West."

Sun Wukong was taken aback, and the golden cudgel in his hand involuntarily stopped. At this moment, the local earth god pointed at Sun Wukong and said to the seven fairies, "Seven fairies, this is the Great Sage Equal to Heaven who guards the Peach Garden."

"We sisters have met the Great Sage."

The seven fairies, still bearing a trace of fear on their faces, bowed to Sun Wukong.

Sun Wukong said, "So you are the Seven Fairy Maidens. I wonder why the Queen Mother of the West sent you to pick the fairy peaches?"

The fairy in red said, "Great Sage, it's because the Heavenly Peach Banquet has arrived again, so my sisters and I have come to pick peaches. Please don't stop us, Great Sage, so that we sisters can return home with a full load."

Sun Wukong nodded and asked curiously, "I wonder what kind of event this Peach Banquet is, and what kind of guests are invited?"

The fairy in red said, “This Peach Banquet is held once every five hundred years, and all beings with names and surnames in the Three Realms will attend. As for the guests, there are established rules for the banquet. The guests invited are the Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, holy monks, and Arhats of the Western Paradise; Guanyin of the Southern Pole; Chongen Holy Emperor of the East; the immortals of the Ten Continents and Three Islands; Xuanling of the Northern Pole; and Huangjiao Great Immortal of the Central Pole. These are the Five Elders of the Five Directions. There are also the Five Dipper Star Lords, the Three Pure Ones, Four Emperors, and Taiyi Heavenly Immortals of the Upper Eight Caves, the Jade Emperor, Jiulei, and Sea and Mountain Immortals of the Middle Eight Caves; and the Lord of the Underworld and the Earth Immortals of the Lower Eight Caves. All the great and small deities of the various palaces and halls will attend the Peach Banquet.”

Sun Wukong laughed and said, "I wonder if you'll invite me this year?"

The fairy in red hesitated for a moment, then said, "I have never heard of that."

Sun Wukong said unhappily, "I am the Great Sage Equal to Heaven, famous throughout the Three Realms. Why not invite me, Old Sun, to be the seat of honor?"

The fairy in red didn't know how to answer, so she just gave a couple of casual replies to brush it off.

Suddenly, the fairy in purple whispered to the fairy in green beside her, "Sister, I thought the Monkey King was some kind of great person, but he's just a monkey less than four feet tall. He looks so ugly. To be honest, I've never seen anyone uglier than him."

The fairy in green said, "Seventh Sister, I heard that he once served as the Keeper of the Heavenly Horses."

Although the purple-clad fairy and the green-clad fairy spoke very softly, Sun Wukong heard every single word they said.

Sun Wukong immediately bared his teeth, his face filled with rage. Normally, Sun Wukong was most averse to anyone mentioning his role as the Keeper of the Heavenly Horses.

"This is infuriating!" Sun Wukong couldn't help but shout, jumping up and down in anger, scratching his monkey fur with both hands.

Enraged, Sun Wukong chanted incantations and formed hand seals, casting a spell on the seven fairies and the local earth god, freezing them all in place.

Once frozen in place by the spell, the seven fairies, along with the local earth spirit, stood there like wooden stakes, completely still, maintaining their previous physical condition.

Some had just taken a step when they were frozen in place by a spell, their legs sticking out and unable to be pulled back. Others were speaking with a pursed mouth when the spell took effect, freezing them in place with their mouths pursed. Although they still retained their sanity and had thoughts, they were simply unable to speak or move, which looked quite amusing.

Speaking of which, although the seven fairies were not weak, they were still slightly inferior to Sun Wukong's cultivation as a Great Luo Golden Immortal.

Chapter 478 Attending the Feast at Yaochi

Moreover, the seven fairies had always lived a life of luxury in the Heavenly Court and had never fought with anyone. Compared to a demon king like Sun Wukong, they were completely different.

Sun Wukong suddenly attacked again, and the seven fairies were caught off guard and frozen in place.

After freezing the seven fairies and the local earth god, Sun Wukong turned around and flew out of the Peach Garden like a shooting star.

"I, Old Sun, am the Great Sage Equal to Heaven. How could the Jade Emperor look down on me like that? He didn't even invite me to his grand Peach Banquet! Today, I, Old Sun, will make sure his Peach Banquet fails and show him what I'm capable of!"

Sun Wukong thought angrily to himself.

After Sun Wukong left the Peach Garden, a figure entered it. As soon as the figure entered, he casually waved his hand, and a faint mist of smoke spread out. Before the seven fairies and the local earth god could even see the newcomer's face, they were already knocked unconscious and collapsed to the ground.

The newcomer had a fair complexion, delicate features, and bright, intelligent eyes; it was none other than Li Xiuyuan.

With a wave of his hand, Li Xiuyuan knocked out the seven fairies and the local earth god. He let out a long breath and reached out to pick all the ripe peaches in the peach orchard. Li Xiuyuan even used his great magic to uproot several peach trees in the orchard.

Although rumors have circulated that the peach tree cannot survive outside the peach orchard, this is merely a rumor, and no one has ever actually obtained a peach tree to verify it. Besides, with his Holy Buddha System, making the peach tree grow would be no problem at all.

After picking all the ripe peaches in the peach orchard, Li Xiuyuan flashed and followed behind Sun Wukong.

The peaches in the Peach Garden no longer held much value for Li Xiuyuan. While they were useless to him, they were incredibly precious to others. Whether given as gifts or used to train his disciples, they were extremely useful.

Especially since these peaches are believed to grant immortality, many cultivators would probably be willing to pay any price to obtain one.

This time, however, he simply picked all the ripe peaches in the peach orchard, leaving not a single one behind.

These peaches bloom only once every few thousand years and ripen only once every few thousand years. Once they are harvested, it will probably be several thousand years before you can have them again.

I wonder where the Queen Mother of the West will get the peaches to serve at the next Peach Banquet five hundred years from now?

The reason Li Xiuyuan dared to plunder the peaches in the Peach Garden this time was because no matter what he did, Sun Wukong would always be there to take the blame. If the peaches in the garden were completely picked and looted, people would only suspect Sun Wukong, not anyone else.

"But I feel a little sorry for Wukong if I do this. Oh well, I'll make it up to him properly next time we reunite as master and disciple!"

Meanwhile, Sun Wukong, in a fit of anger, left the Peach Garden and headed towards the Jade Pool. He had only gone halfway when he suddenly saw the Barefoot Immortal walking ahead of him. An idea immediately struck him, and he darted to the Barefoot Immortal, calling out, "Immortal, wait! Immortal, wait!"

The Barefoot Immortal turned around and saw Sun Wukong. He laughed and said, "Great Sage, where have you come from? And why did you ask me to stop?"

Sun Wukong said, "Great Immortal, you don't know, but because my somersault cloud is so fast, the Jade Emperor sent me to inform all the gods that you should first go to the Tongming Hall to perform the ceremony, and then go to the Yaochi for the gathering."

Barefoot Immortal, without suspicion, said, "Thank you for informing us, Great Sage." After saying that, he rode on auspicious clouds and turned to fly towards the Tongming Hall. As he flew, he said, "It's really strange. In previous years, they always arrived at Yaochi first. Why are they going to the Tongming Hall to perform the ceremony first this year? It's really strange."

Listening to the Barefoot Immortal's mutterings, Sun Wukong was secretly delighted, suppressing a smile that made his cheeks turn red.

Only after the Barefoot Immortal had gone quite a distance did he burst into laughter, jumping up and down. After laughing for a while, he chanted an incantation, transformed himself into the Barefoot Immortal, and swaggered off towards the Jade Pool.

Before long, they arrived at the Jade Pool. Sun Wukong pressed down on the cloud and headed straight for the Jade Pool.

The Jade Pool was filled with fragrant incense and auspicious mists, the white vapors permeating the entire hall. A long row of dark black wooden tables, used for banquets, were set up inside, laden with dragon liver and phoenix marrow, bear paws and lips, and countless delicacies, including various exotic fruits and rare dishes.

Beside them, there were many fairies and palace maids dressed in plain clothes and light gauze, dragging silver trays back and forth, while various heavenly soldiers and strongmen carried objects.

Several heavenly soldiers were washing vats and jars, pouring in various fine wines and delicacies. The aroma of wine wafted through the air, making Sun Wukong's stomach ache with desire to eat. However, the heavenly soldiers, warriors, fairies, and palace maids were still there.

Just as he was pondering this, Sun Wukong had an idea. He plucked a few monkey hairs from his body, put them in his mouth, chewed them, and they instantly transformed into a pile of sleepy bugs.