Journey to the West: Treasure Vase of the Great Dao

Tianpeng bowed his head and plunged into the water, stirring up the Celestial River, and a colossal wave surged towards Lu Yu.

Lu Yu was not the slightest bit perturbed. He conjured the Treasure Vase, and an immense suction emerged from it, drawing in the oncoming waters of the Celestial River. Tianpeng, caught in the tumult, was similarly sucked into the vase.

Tianpeng, priding himself on his excellent water skills, had not worried about the water battle. Little did he expect that upon entering the vast ocean within the Treasure Vase, he would realize something was amiss with the water.

The seawater, possessing the properties of weak water, incessantly dragged Tianpeng downward, while the surrounding heavy water, like a massive mountain, pressed down upon him, rendering him immobile. It was then he realized the troubling nature of the situation.

However, before he could recover his senses, the scenery before his eyes shifted. What appeared was the roaring Celestial River, and the Scholar in the green robe had already vanished.

"Where did those two stowaways go?" Tianpeng asked the surrounding Heavenly Soldiers.

The Heavenly Soldiers shook their heads and said, "We only saw the Celestial River rise with huge waves. Once the wind and waves calmed, we saw only Marshal Tianpeng and didn't catch sight of the two stowaways."

Tianpeng's heart secretly relaxed upon hearing this, for the situation had clearly been against him. He wondered why the stowaway had suddenly given up. It was better this way; otherwise, where would he put his face? He might have become the laughingstock of the Heavenly Court.

"They must've run fast; otherwise, this Marshal would have captured them and thrown them into the Heavenly Prison," Tianpeng said pompously. He then glanced around to make sure that the Scholar had not stayed nearby. It would have been quite embarrassing if he had appeared out of nowhere to contradict him.

However, his worries did not materialize. By then, Lu Yu had already taken Liu Qingyun far away, not hiding anywhere nearby.

"Sir, you seem very happy," Liu Qingyun asked, puzzled.

Lu Yu only smiled and said, "It's nothing, just thinking about something amusing." Naturally, Lu Yu would not tell his Disciple that he was laughing at the deeds of his second senior brother.

Liu Qingyun scratched his head, accustomed by now to his Master's penchant for making bizarre comments.

"Qingyun, don't waste this great opportunity. The water of the Celestial River has the power to refine Magical Treasures, and it will help advance your Magical Treasure further," Lu Yu reminded him.

Upon hearing this, Liu Qingyun's eyes lit up. With his increasing mana, he had felt his Silver Spear lagging behind his cultivation level. He was sentimental about the spear he had used for many years and was reluctant to replace it. Washing it with the water of the Celestial River would undoubtedly enhance the spear and make it more suitable for his use.

While Master and Disciple continued refining their Magical Treasures in the Celestial River, Tianpeng was quite sullen, sitting alone in a cabin sipping his wine in frustration.

"What's with the Marshal lately? He's been distracted and irritable," said one heavenly soldier. Read the latest on empire

"Didn't you know? The Marshal's attempt to court a Fairy from Guanghan Palace was rejected!" a Heavenly Soldier whispered.

"Hmph! Acts like he's some great person. The true Chang'e is the Lunar Deity; these are just dancers. They dare to call themselves Chang'e, and it's only because the Star Lord doesn't mind," another Heavenly Soldier scoffed.

"Hush, you know as well as I that the name Chang'e now represents beauty itself—they naturally want to add luster to their own names. Besides, if the Star Lord doesn't mind, why should you?"

"It's such a pity about that Star Lord, though. Since Hou Yi passed away, she has lived a life of seclusion. She is known as the foremost beauty across the Three Realms, yet no one knows what she actually looks like," lamented a Heavenly Soldier.

"Such beings are beyond our reach; it's better we just do our duties honestly."

While they were chatting, suddenly, an Angel came to visit. It turned out that the time for the Peach Banquet had arrived, and he was here to deliver an invitation to Tianpeng.

Tianpeng took the invitation to the Peach Banquet without any hint of joy on his face, treating it as just another mundane event and made some polite remarks before sending the Angel away. What he didn't notice was the strange expression on the Angel's face as he turned to leave—an enigmatic smile, with a gleam of peculiar expectation in his eyes.

As the Heavenly Soldiers watched the Angel leave, one of them couldn't help asking, "This is the Peach Banquet, the supreme honor of the Heavenly Court, why does the Marshal seem so disinterested?"

"You might not know this, but the Great Saint ate all the nine-thousand-year peaches in the Peach Orchard of Immortality—all that's left are the peaches that ripen every three thousand years, which the Immortal Gods are quite tired of already."

"Good heavens, what an appetite it must take to have consumed all the nine-thousand-year and six-thousand-year Peaches of Immortality," exclaimed another Heavenly Soldier in disbelief. After all, these were not ordinary Spirit Fruits; it took a long time to digest and assimilate the Mana contained in just one of them, and the Great Saint hadn't been serving long before he ate them all.

"Shush, be careful of what you say," a neighboring Heavenly Soldier quickly cautioned. It was better to keep such matters to themselves; speaking aloud would only invite disaster.

"What's all this noise?" Tianpeng emerged from his room, still showing a trace of green bruising—a mark from when Lu Yu had hit him with a Fire Brick, although he had tried hard to heal it, the shadow of it was still faintly visible.

The Heavenly Soldiers immediately fell silent, not daring to speak another word, as they all could tell their Marshal was in a bad mood.

"It seems I've been too lenient with you lately. It's time to toughen you up a bit," said Tianpeng expressionlessly. Hearing this, the faces of the Heavenly Soldiers fell immediately, realizing their good days were over.

In the following days, the Celestial River Naval Forces went into a frenzied sweep, much to the distress of those who were smuggling treasures across the Celestial River to refine them. They were chased by the Naval Forces like dogs who had lost their homes, fleeing in panic.

But all this stopped abruptly with the commencement of the Peach Banquet, much to the relief of both the Naval Forces and the smugglers who were exhausted by the recent ordeals.

That day, Tianpeng donned his official attire, holding the invitation to the Peach Banquet, and sauntered towards the Jade Pool. Along the way, he saw numerous immortals riding their clouds and mists,

These immortals gave Tianpeng plenty of respect, stopping their clouds and greeting the Marshal—one must respect the representative of Emperor Ziwei, if not for the monk, then for the Buddha.

As the Immortal Gods took their places, a clear bell rang and the Jade Emperor and the Queen Mother of the West slowly walked onto the high platform, softly announcing the start of the Peach Banquet.

Instantly, the atmosphere electrified. As beings of immortality, they seldom gathered like this except for seclusion or executing heavenly duties. They naturally seized the occasion to exchange pleasantries, especially now, when the Three Realms seemed calm but undercurrents thrived.

The plotting of Great Powers for transcendence had introduced many changes, leaving the future filled with uncertainties for them.