Chapter 145: The Ultimate Winner

While the celestial court above was filled with song and dance, the mortal realm below presented a completely different scene.

High above the clouds of the Xiqi battlefield, Haotian and Yaochi had been lingering, observing the progress of the war down below.

"I heard the Heavenly Court is holding a Peach Banquet. Why weren't we invited? I want to eat a flat peach so badly..."

Yaochi sat upon a soft, pristine white cloud, resting her chin in her hands and muttering in utter dejection.

"We still have to oversee the Conferment of Gods," Haotian said, standing nearby and glancing at Yaochi with a helpless sigh.

For the longest time, it was he who had been chronicling the events of the mortal realm... Only when something extraordinary happened would Yaochi occasionally wander over to take a look...

"How is the situation down there right now? When is it going to end?"

Hearing this, Yaochi threw herself backward onto the white cloud and asked with a face full of exasperation.

She truly could not understand why Teacher had ordered her to preside over the Conferment of Gods.

"I have no idea. The situation below seems to be growing more complicated by the day."

Haotian looked down and slowly shook his head.

Not long ago, Shen Gongbao had sought out the Three Xiao Sisters, embellishing the story of Zhao Gongming's tragic demise.

The outcome was entirely predictable, as Zhao Gongming was, after all, their older brother.

However, Xiqi was now home to many formidable individuals. Following a fierce clash, not only did the Three Xiao Sisters fail to gain the upper hand, but they were also injured by the enemy's forces. Enraged, they drew upon the great river to set up the Yellow River Formation, blocking the path of the Zhou army.

This Yellow River Formation was anchored in the Three Powers and contained the profound mysteries of heaven and earth—a closely guarded secret of the Jie Teaching.

Once deployed along the rushing waters, it could use giant waves as a catalyst to blot out the sun and swallow the sky. Below the level of a Sage, none could ever escape it!

In an instant, numerous third-generation disciples of the Chan Teaching, along with Nezha, Yang Jian, and the True Person Huanglong, were all trapped within the formation.

Having no other choice, Jiang Ziya could only appeal to the Chan Teaching for help. Ultimately, through the collective brainstorming of several second-generation Chan disciples, a strategy was devised to break the formation and force the Three Xiao Sisters to retreat in defeat.

Yet, the matter was far from over.

Upon returning to the Jie Teaching, the Three Xiao Sisters were naturally unwilling to let the matter rest. Their tearful complaints back on Penglai Island instantly ignited a righteous fury among a large faction of the sect.

The other three direct disciples of Tongtian—Our Lady of the Golden Spirit, Our Lady of the Wudang, and Our Lady of the Turtle Spirit—could not stand idly by either. They immediately led a multitude of immortals from the Jie Teaching, marching aggressively toward Xiqi.

Seeing that nearly the entire roster of the Jie Teaching was mobilizing, the Chan Teaching could not afford to remain idle. They immediately summoned numerous powerful figures of their own to the front lines.

Aside from Guangchengzi, who had accompanied Yuanshi to the Peach Banquet, virtually all the Twelve Golden Immortals of the Chan Teaching—including Chi Jingzi, Yuding, Taiyi, Wenshu, Cihang, and Julsun—had turned out in full force.

The two opposing factions stood locked in a tense standoff.

The Jie Teaching demanded justice for Zhao Gongming, while the Chan Teaching argued that blades had no eyes on the battlefield; since Zhao Gongming had chosen to participate, he should have been mentally prepared for his own downfall.

After a protracted and bitter argument, Bi Xiao of the Three Xiao Sisters struck the first blow, and the two sides instantly plunged into a chaotic melee of staggering scale.

After all, the vast majority of disciples from both sects now possessed the cultivation of Quasi-Sages.

A chaotic war involving so many Quasi-Sages was something that seemingly had not occurred since the opening of heaven and earth!

At first, both sides maintained a measure of restraint. However, with the fall of Our Lady of the Golden Spirit, the members of the Jie Teaching lost their minds with grief and fury, abandoning all caution and restraint in their attacks.

For the sake of self-preservation, the Chan Teaching could no longer hold anything back. In a flash, both sides were consumed by bloodlust, unleashing every magical treasure and lethal technique at their disposal, every single blow meant to kill!

...

"The battle... seems to have reached an absurd level..."

Haotian stood upon the clouds, watching countless powerful Quasi-Sages perish one after another like fragile mortals. A trace of shock flickered in his eyes.

Could so many powerful Quasi-Sages really have fallen just like that?

Yaochi, too, stared fixedly at the mortal realm below.

For so many Quasi-Sages to perish in a single day—surely nothing like this had ever happened since the creation of the world?

After all, these were Quasi-Sages! Even back when the Wu Clan attacked the Heavenly Court, aside from the Ancestral Witches who detonated themselves, very few Quasi-Sage-level powerhouses had actually died!

"Should we go to the Heavenly Court and inform the Sages?" Haotian hesitated for a moment before making the suggestion to Yaochi beside him.

"Who should go?" Yaochi looked somewhat absent-minded.

Haotian thought for a moment and said, "You go."

Leaving Yaochi here all by herself made him rather uneasy. After all, down below was a massive swarm of blood-laced, maddened Quasi-Sages; who knew what might happen next?

"Alright."

Yaochi thought it over and nodded.

...

Meanwhile, the Heavenly Court above was a scene of peace, prosperity, song, and dance.

Tongtian, Yuanshi, and the other Sages were seated alongside Li Tian and Nuwa, occasionally discussing their insights into cultivation, though they spent much more time commenting on the various entertainment programs arranged by the Heavenly Court.

The Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors had also gathered around. Though they were also considered Sages, their slightly lower seniority made them appear a notch beneath the others.

By this point, the Peach Banquet had been underway for nearly a year. Through the deliberate arrangements of Li Tian and Nuwa, the Sages were thoroughly satisfied with the gathering, to the extent that they had long since cast the mortal Conferment of Gods to the back of their minds.

Li Tian and Nuwa had taken a brief moment to glance down at the mortal realm, but seeing that everything was unfolding precisely as they had anticipated, they naturally saw no reason to intervene.

After all, virtually all of this had been orchestrated by the two of them.

"Heavenly Emperor, an uninvited visitor by the name of Yaochi is requesting an audience."

At that moment, a heavenly general hurried over, cupped his fists toward Li Tian, and spoke.

"Yaochi?"

Li Tian was slightly startled, utterly failing to figure out why this former Heavenly Queen would have any business coming to the Heavenly Court.

Yet, upon second thought, the situation was rather amusing.

In later mythologies, the Peach Banquet seemed to be hosted by the Queen Mother... yet here she was, being locked out of her own event due to a lack of an invitation?

"Let her in."

With a silent chuckle in his heart, Li Tian waved his hand, signaling the general to withdraw.

"Yaochi? Wasn't she in the mortal realm helping Haotian oversee the Conferment of Gods? Why would she come to the Heavenly Court?" Nuwa asked with a hint of curiosity.

"I have no idea."

Li Tian shook his head. Then, realizing that since Haotian and Yaochi were in charge of the Conferment of Gods, they should have been keeping a close eye on the mortal realm all along. Could Yaochi's arrival now mean... she had witnessed the horrific slaughter below and rushed up to the Heavenly Court to alert the Sages?

Thinking of this, Li Tian cast a glance down at the mortal realm. Seeing that the Jie and Chan Teachings were now inextricably locked in a mutually destructive bloodbath, he finally set his mind at ease.

"Let them know if they must. Those who are meant to die are already mostly dead anyway..."

This campaign would undoubtedly make the Heavenly Court the ultimate winner. Not only would they secure the allegiance of numerous disciples from various sects listed on the Conferment Roll, but they would also deal a crippling blow to the combined power of both the Jie and Chan Teachings in a single stroke...

The only slight regret was that the Western Teaching had inexplicably refrained from heavily intervening...

Otherwise, they could have been weakened right along with the others.