Free Web NovelChapter 459: Chapter 85: Plotting to Suppress a Daluo, Heading to the Celestial Court
"Brother!!"
In Fengdu Prefecture, the Little Peach Spirit transformed into a streak of bright light and, with a happy cry, slammed into Lu Xuan’s arms.
Caught off guard, Lu Xuan was knocked back three steps. The impact made the entire Fengdu City rumble.
He was a little stunned, but he gently stroked the Little Peach Spirit in his arms and said in surprise,
"You little rascal..."
"She’s become an Immortal." Emperor Fengdu approached with a smile. "All three hundred and sixty-five of her Acupoints have been transformed into Grotto Heaven Blessed Lands. She stands at the very peak of the Immortal realm."
After a pause, he added with a chuckle,
"All she needs to do now is consolidate her other selves across the Celestial Myriad Realms and reflect them back onto her true form, and she can step into the Celestial Realms... This little girl’s talent is truly extraordinary." fгeewёbnoѵel.cσm
The Little Peach Spirit had her arms wrapped around Lu Xuan’s neck, hanging off him as she pouted.
"Brother! You disappeared for nine thousand years... Nine thousand years!"
Lu Xuan chuckled and pulled the Little Peach Spirit off him, admonishing her,
"You can’t just go tackling people like that. It’s a good thing my Physique is strong. If any ordinary Immortal took a hit like that from you, their Immortal Body would probably disintegrate!"
"Brother!!" the Little Peach Spirit huffed. "I only hug you!"
Then, she glanced at the stone-faced Emperor Fengdu and added,
"Oh, and Grandpa Fengdu... Um, and Uncle Sakyamuni, and Brother Kun!"
"What kind of nonsense is this?" Lu Xuan didn’t know whether to laugh or cry as he ruffled the Little Peach Spirit’s hair.
"You’ve completely messed up all the seniority!"
"It’s all the same, all the same!" the Little Peach Spirit chirped happily.
After teasing the girl for a moment, Lu Xuan accepted Emperor Fengdu’s invitation and took a seat inside the inner residence.
The Little Peach Spirit was no longer a miniature Yan Jiangxue. She had blossomed into a beautiful young woman, now physically identical to Xiaoyan.
But perhaps because of her Peach Spirit Race heritage, she was still considered a child by their standards. Her temperament hadn’t changed much either, and she clamored to sit on Lu Xuan’s lap.
This, however, gave him quite a headache.
Even now, Lu Xuan wasn’t quite sure how to treat the Little Peach Spirit. ’I could treat her as a younger sister... but I’m already married to Xiaoyan, and we’re even expecting a child. Yet if I treated her the same way I treat Xiaoyan, it just feels... wrong.’
Just then, Emperor Fengdu also slowly took his seat. Lu Xuan patted the Little Peach Spirit on his lap, and with a wave of his hand, said,
"Senior, try this tea. It’s good stuff."
A small tael of Earth Tea appeared. Lu Xuan activated his Mediation of Creation, conjuring some Innate Spring Water out of thin air to brew three cups of steaming tea.
The fragrance of the tea wafted up, weaving together to form a magnificent vision of all the world’s living beings!
"This is..."
Emperor Fengdu’s expression tightened. He quickly picked up the teacup and took a sip, his face changing instantly.
"Mother Earth Tea! You—you met that personage??"
His expression was one of awe. In a sense, that personage was the master of Reincarnation, and the entire Underworld existed only through their power...
Lu Xuan nodded crisply. He took a sip of the hot tea, feeling the surging aura of the earth’s veins and the new, profound strength in his body, and sighed.
"This has to be the best tea I’ve ever had in my life..."
"Of course it is!"
Emperor Fengdu’s expression was incredibly solemn.
"This tea ranks among the top three of all time. Back when that personage was active on the earth, it took mobilizing all the Earth Deities in the world one hundred thousand years just to gather a single tael! I remember the Four Emperors personally begged for this tea, but in the end, they didn’t even get to smell its aroma!"
After a moment, he said grimly,
"Profound Yellow, what on earth happened? Why would that personage be so generous as to give this tea to you?"
As he spoke, Emperor Fengdu downed the entire cup of tea in one gulp. Visions of mountains and rivers appeared on his body, and a layer of profound weight was added to his imposing aura.
He let out a long, turbid breath, his eyes flashing with a brilliant light, accompanied by the deep resonance of the Yellow Springs roaring and the Earth rumbling!
"It truly is worthy of being called Earth Tea!!"
Lu Xuan, holding the curious Little Peach Spirit, smiled.
"Senior Fengdu, this matter is rather serendipitous. My divine duty in the Celestial Court is Sea Control in the Divine Department, and I nominally command all the Earth Deities in the world. This created a connection with that personage."
After a pause, he added with another smile,
"Furthermore, my Shangqing Lineage has always been at odds with the Yuqing Lineage, and Senior Emperor Earth Deity also bears a grudge against the Jade Void..."
This was the Netherworld, and the Netherworld was in the Nine Nether. Lu Xuan was certain that even if he used the Gloomy Lamp to conceal himself, he couldn’t block Lady Houtu’s prying eyes, so he chose his words with extreme care.
His visit to Fengdu City, aside from seeing the Little Peach Spirit, was also an opportunity to further deceive Lady Houtu.
Emperor Fengdu, unaware of the full details, looked thoughtful.
"I see... This is indeed a fortunate encounter for you. By the way, was it Lady Houtu or the Emperor Earth Deity who met you?"
"The Emperor Earth Deity... Is there a difference?"
"Of course there is." Emperor Fengdu exhaled. "Ever since that personage took control of Reincarnation, she severed the ’Emperor Earth Deity’ to create an incarnation. In other words, the one who met you was not her true body."
He paused, then smiled.
"To put it more directly, the one who met you was an Ancient One, not an Enlightened One."
"I understand."
Lu Xuan chuckled, but his heart sank slightly. The game for the Dao Fruit had already begun.
’According to my Second Master and the Lady, if we want to knock Houtu down from the level of an Enlightened One, we have to sever her from Reincarnation and usurp the Six Paths of Reincarnation...’
But if Houtu’s true body never appeared, this would be utterly impossible.
As his thoughts raced, an incredibly audacious idea came to Lu Xuan, and his eyes lit up.
’It might... be worth a try!’
’But that will have to wait until after I’ve sheared enough wool, advanced to Upper Grade Immortal, and officially begun the campaign against the heavens...’
As his thoughts turned, Lu Xuan took another sip of hot tea.
"Senior Fengdu, there is actually one more thing I came for."
"Oh?" Emperor Fengdu asked, curious. "Feel free to speak."
"I wish to achieve the rank of Upper Grade Immortal."
As his words fell, the Little Peach Spirit was blissfully sipping her tea with a dazed look on her face, while Emperor Fengdu’s expression changed.
"Upper Grade Immortal?"
A divine light swirled in his eyes.
"What does the Emperor intend to do in the Nine Nether? I will naturally provide my full support!"
"There will be a play."
Lu Xuan was certain that Houtu was trying to win him over, so he spoke bluntly without holding anything back.
"In the Human World, I already have sufficient influence. I’m still lacking some in the Nine Nether, and in the Celestial Court, I’m missing the Eastern, Northern, and Central Celestial Courts."
After a pause, he continued,
"In a while, I will find an opportunity to stage a ’fight’ with you, Senior Fengdu, to draw the Eastern Celestial Court into the fray. With any luck, we can kill three birds with one stone."
"Three birds?"
The previously dazed Little Peach Spirit perked up and swallowed hard.
"One roasted, one steamed, and one stir-fried..."
"You little rascal!"
Lu Xuan flicked her on the forehead in exasperation, then turned to Emperor Fengdu with a smile.
"I can gain influence in the Nine Nether and also in the Eastern Celestial Court, and I can weaken the Eastern Celestial Court in the process. When the great curtain is finally raised, you will also have a smoother time ’taking its place’."
Emperor Fengdu pondered for a moment, then nodded heavily.
"I will cooperate with all my strength."
"Good."
After a bit more pleasantries, Lu Xuan placed the Little Peach Spirit on a chair and instructed her,
"Continue to cultivate well with your Grandpa Fengdu. I’ll be back to get you in a while, understand?"
The Little Peach Spirit pouted.
"Where are you going?"
"Hmm, I’m going to the Celestial Court." Lu Xuan chuckled. "To visit an old friend, and to check on my Emperor’s Palace there. I was granted that Great Palace over nine thousand years ago, but I’ve never even been to see it."
.........
「Spirit Mountain.」
Only Duobao and Shakyamuni were present.
"World Honored One," Tathagata Duobao said with a formal bow. "The message I was to deliver has arrived."
Sakyamuni Buddha, seated on a lotus platform, waved his hand.
After Tathagata Duobao had left, a thoughtful look appeared on his face, and he murmured to himself,
"’Slay a suppressive Daluo in exchange for your ascension to the Celestial Realms, then travel west from Hangu Pass and Transform the Barbarians into Buddha...’"
Sakyamuni Buddha fell into deep thought.
After a long while, a smile appeared on his face.
"’Today, I will help you reach Upper Grade Immortal; in the future, you will help me secure my Dao Fruit.’ This deal... is acceptable."
He rose gracefully.
.........
「The Celestial Court.」
Profound Yellow Palace.
Cui Yin had meticulously cleaned the entire Emperor’s Palace. Looking at the Profound Yellow Palace, which finally showed a glimmer of its former glory, a satisfied smile appeared on her face.
She had lived in the Profound Yellow Palace for even longer than she had in the Current World.
Although Cui Yin loved to show off her Divine Techniques in front of others, she was also a sentimental person and considered this place her home.
Of course, this was also because, as the Profound Yellow Palace Steward, she couldn’t leave the palace as freely as the other attendant Fairies...
"Tomorrow, I’ll go pick some Immortal Orchids and lotuses to decorate the place. Then I’ll find a few Celestial Human servants. That should bring back some of the old atmosphere."
Cui Yin murmured to herself, her smile growing wider. But just then, a commotion erupted outside.
Her expression changed. She instinctively glanced over as the main gate of the Profound Yellow Palace was pushed open. The Giant Spirit God strode in first, followed by several unfamiliar Immortal Gods, all of them at the Grand Grade Level!
"Gentlemen, you’ve just arrived at the Celestial Court and have been newly appointed to your Immortal Official posts. You don’t have a place to stay yet and will have to wait for three to five months, so you can make do here for a while."
The Giant Spirit God himself was only a Grand Grade, so his attitude toward the few new Grand Grade Immortals was quite cordial. He said with a smile,
"Although this place is dilapidated, its location is excellent. The Immortal Spiritual Qi is dense, and a full tenth of the world’s daily morning purple qi falls here."
He paused, then laughed heartily.
"Plus, there’s a True Immortal Steward you can order around for anything you need... See? That one over there, her name is Cui Yin. Don’t be fooled by the fact that she’s a True Immortal; her Cultivation was all built up with Immortal Elixirs. She has no foundation whatsoever!"
The three New Immortals cast curious glances, looking Cui Yin up and down. The red-haired Immortal in the lead had a look of stunned admiration on his face.
Cui Yin’s skin prickled under their brazen gazes. She gritted her teeth.
"Giant Spirit God! Aren’t you going too far?!"
But the Giant Spirit God completely ignored her, continuing his introduction for the three new Immortal Officials:
"You don’t have to worry about anything. This place originally belonged to a Celestial Court Emperor, but that Emperor fell many years ago. The higher-ups never reclaimed it, so it’s no problem to stay here for a while."
His attitude was enthusiastic; it was clear these three New Immortals held significant official posts.
The Red-haired Immortal’s eyes glinted, and he asked cheerfully,
"So, can this Female Immortal be ordered around like a servant?"
The Giant Spirit God laughed heartily.
"Treating her as a handmaiden would be going too far—she is a True Immortal, after all. But it’s close enough. This Female Immortal has no backing in the Celestial Court, so you can order her around as you please. Just don’t go overboard. It’d be a hassle if you cause a big scene."
Cui Yin trembled with rage, secretly preparing a Killing Skill as she spoke through clenched teeth,
"Giant Spirit God!!"
She attacked in a fury. A light flared from her fist as it silently pierced the void and slammed viciously into the Giant Spirit God’s head.
THUD!
The Giant Spirit God’s head tilted to the side before he straightened it again, grinning at the three New Immortals.
"This Female Immortal has quite a temper..."
As he spoke, he struck out with the back of his hand. His massive palm was larger than Cui Yin’s entire body.
Her vision went black. It felt as if she had been hit by a charging mountain. The sound of bones cracking and shattering echoed through her body as blood spilled from her mouth, and she was slammed heavily to the ground!
"She’s that weak?" one of the New Immortals asked in surprise.
"Indeed," the Giant Spirit God chuckled. "Well, I won’t disturb you any longer. If you need anything, just find me at the Celestial Army’s barracks. We should definitely keep in touch!"
With that, he waved his hand and strode out of the Profound Yellow Palace.
After the Giant Spirit God left, the Red-haired Immortal looked with great interest at the Female Immortal coughing up blood on the ground and smiled.
"That Giant Spirit God seems like someone worth getting to know better..."
Beside him, another New Immortal frowned.
"His Excellency, the Giant Spirit God, said not to go too far. We’ve just arrived; if we cause any trouble, it will be a huge hassle!"
"Fine." The Red-haired Immortal glanced at Cui Yin’s graceful figure, then looked away with some regret.
They exchanged a few more idle words when they suddenly saw the Emperor’s Palace gate being pushed open again.
A young man wearing a mask strode in, looking around curiously.
"And you are, sir?" the Red-haired Immortal asked, offering a respectful gesture.
