Upon hearing this news, the leading fairy maiden's eyes went black—she had already eaten it—and to make matters worse, the one who ate the fairy peach was the little god who was most favored by the God Emperor. There was no way to appeal, and they could hardly avoid the responsibility of dereliction of duty.
"Well... why don't you take this?"
Lingyan scratched her head, frowned and pondered for a moment, then conjured a fairy peach from her palm. It looked exactly the same as the peaches hanging on the peach tree.
"This fake peach has no spiritual power—just put it on my seat, no one will be able to tell the difference!"
She blinked, her tone slightly unsteady.
"this--"
The fairies looked at each other, hesitant, seemingly not daring to do something so deceptive and blatantly protective of the heavens.
But now that the peaches are lost, there is no other way to make up for it.
"Thank you, God."
Gritting her teeth, the leading fairy took the peach from Lingyan's hand.
The dragon and phoenix sang in harmony, and celestial music drifted from the horizon, a sign that the divine banquet was about to begin.
The fairy maidens who were picking peaches hurriedly bid farewell to Lingyan and left. If they lingered any longer, they would probably be punished by the gods.
Lingyan looked at the magnificent temple that stood high in the heavens, at the highest point of the Heavenly Palace, and was now in full bloom, but she felt only a sense of dejection. She slowly walked out of the Peach Garden.
Unbeknownst to her, she found herself in a winding corridor, a white bridge spanning a pristine lotus pond, both shrouded in misty clouds.
The lotus flowers in the divine realm bloom eternally, while clear celestial springs flow gently, creating a beautiful and serene scene.
A person dressed in black stood beside the lotus pond, quietly watching the lotus flowers blooming all over the pond.
Lingyan walked forward curiously, wanting to see who was it that, like her, disdained the Nine Heavens Palace Banquet.
Those standing beneath the pavilion turned around upon hearing the commotion behind them.
The face before her was both familiar and unfamiliar; it was Gu Zhong, who had broken his promise to host her birthday banquet a hundred years ago.
"The High Goddess Lingyan".
Upon seeing Ling Yan, Gu Zhong's eyes lit up slightly, but then he hesitated and respectfully greeted her with a hint of guilt and shame.
"I thought that, given Lord Gu Zhong's temperament, he wouldn't enjoy attending such a boring banquet."
Unpleasant memories suddenly surfaced, and Lingyan felt a surge of resentment, prompting her to speak sarcastically.
"I am truly sorry that I was unable to attend the God's thousandth birthday celebration."
His face was full of sincere apology.
"The deity is busy with many matters, so it is only natural that he has forgotten."
Ling Yan pursed her lips and replied indifferently.
"I didn't mean to—"
Just as Gu Zhong was about to explain, a group of heavenly soldiers came toward them, seemingly searching for something.
Ling Yan's expression changed, and she grabbed Gu Zhong and turned to run.
They also used many spatial teleportation techniques along the way, leaving the celestial soldiers far behind.
What are you doing following me?
After running quite a distance, Lingyan suddenly realized that she had been holding onto Gu Zhong the whole time. She quickly let go of his sleeve, glanced at the person beside her, and pretended to be the one to complain.
"Isn't this because the god is pulling too hard?"
Amused, Gu Zhong looked at his clothes, which had been pulled into wrinkles, and asked mischievously.
"Can't you just break free on your own?"
Ling Yan turned her embarrassment into anger and hurled it all at Gu Zhong, refusing to believe that the mighty God of War couldn't break free from the control of this weak little god.
Why did the Supreme God run away?
Knowing it wasn't appropriate to dwell on the matter any longer, Gu Zhong smiled and changed the subject, his eyes filled with curiosity as he looked at the person.
"I'll run if I want to, it's none of your business!"
Lingyan's puffed-up fur resembled a cat showing its claws, which not only didn't make people feel any threat, but only a cuteness that made them itch.
"Then let me make a bold guess: is it that the High God is unwilling to attend the banquet in the Nine Heavens Palace?"
Gu Zhong abandoned his usual aloof and unapproachable demeanor, becoming casual and unaware of when to advance or retreat, seemingly deliberately provoking the cat with its fur standing on end in front of him.
"What's the point of attending such a boring banquet?"
Ling Yan rolled her eyes at her and continued walking forward aggressively, ignoring her. Gu Zhong followed closely behind her.
Unbeknownst to them, they arrived at a spacious hall.
This great hall is unlike any other temple in the divine realm.
It had no magnificent decorations, nor were there any immortals or gods coming and going. The flowers and plants outside the hall looked like they hadn't been tended to for a long time, growing wildly, creating a scene of utter desolation and bleakness.
Only the plaque directly in front of the main hall gleams with three large golden characters, written in a flamboyant and elegant style: Chaos Palace.
Lingyan skillfully pushed open the seemingly closed palace door, a bright smile spreading across her face. Her steps became lighter, clearly showing that she was in a very pleasant mood.
"Sister Xuanhu!"
She shouted loudly into the hall.
Gu Zhong's steps stopped abruptly behind her.
No one responded from inside the hall, so Lingyan called out a few more times as she walked toward the inner hall.
As she called out the fourth time, a woman slowly walked out from the inner hall.
She was dressed in red, but looked as if she had just woken up from a nap; her clothes were not very neat, and one shoulder was exposed.
Her face was alluring and seductive, her waist slender and delicate, and her red lips added to her beautiful features. Her peach blossom eyes seemed to be smiling, and there was a beauty mark at the corner of her right eye, which naturally gave her a touch of melancholy.
Those eyes were bright black, and they looked at everyone with a smile, but if you looked closely, they actually had no emotion at all.
Seeing Lingyan running towards her with enthusiasm and joy, a genuine warmth instantly spread across Wuqing's heartless eyes.
"Xiao Yan, what brings you here today?"
She reached out to Lingyan, embraced the little goddess who ran towards her, and asked with a smile.
"If you are entrusted with a task, you should be loyal to it."
Lingyan responded with a smile, took out a huge peach from her sleeve, and presented it to Xuanhu.
The immortal peaches were brimming with spiritual energy, clearly the kind of treat reserved for the once-in-ten-thousand-years divine feast.
Not only can it prolong the lives of immortals and gods and postpone the arrival of the divine calamity, but it can also improve their realm and refine their power, which has aroused the envy of countless immortals and gods. This is also one of the reasons why all the heavens and myriad realms will definitely participate in this ten-thousand-year banquet.
"She asked you to give it to me?"
Xuanhu's eyes flickered, but he still smiled and accepted the immortal peach.
"Sister Shaojun is unavailable today, so I had to come instead."
Lingyan's answer was innocent and naive, as if it were truly so.
"Thank her for me."
After a long silence, Xuanhu spoke, though his words carried a subtle weight.
"This is?"
She then turned her gaze to the other person who had followed her in, scrutinizing him closely, her beautiful peach blossom eyes slightly narrowed.
At the same time, Gu Zhong's gaze was also fixed on Xuan Hu.
The memories of the past, deep within my mind, suddenly surfaced upon entering this palace, vivid and clear.
That was a decision she made many years ago, and she still can't let it go, nor does she know if it was right or wrong.
If her judgment is correct, then the woman before her is indeed the last Xuanhu (mysterious fox) in all these realms...
“Respectful Divine Lord.”
The smile on Ling Yan's lips vanished. She adopted an unfamiliar expression and introduced the person casually.
"So it's the God of War—I've truly heard so much about you."
Xuanhu stared intently at Gu Zhong, an unreadable emotion brewing within him. His tone carried a hint of anger, and the atmosphere in the hall unconsciously became heavy.
--------------------
Author's Note:
All of the past
Chapter 144 The Supreme God and the God of War (Part 4)
==========================
Gu Zhong's entire body was on edge. Her hand hovered over the scabbard at her waist for a few moments before finally falling down.
Forcibly suppressing his suddenly rising fighting spirit, Gu Zhong turned his head to avoid Xuan Hu's gaze.
"It's not appropriate for me to miss the palace banquet. Please continue your conversation, I'll take my leave now."
Gu Zhong bowed and turned to walk out of the hall, her steps very fast, as if something was chasing her from behind.
She understood that she could not and should not lay a hand on Xuanhu under any circumstances, whether it was because of Lingyan or the God Emperor.
"Hey!"
Lingyan hadn't expected Gu Zhong to act this way so suddenly. She took a few steps after him in surprise and called out.
This was met with a sarcastic remark from Xuanhu.
"It seems—you care about her quite a bit."
"She was the one who chased after me, but now she's the one running away first. This girl—she still owes me an explanation!"
Lingyan complained indignantly to Xuanhu, her tone somewhat spoiled. Only in front of someone very close to her would she let her true nature show, allowing her emotions and childishness to be exposed.
"Then why aren't you chasing after them?"