Chapter 85 The Grand Peach Banquet (Part One)

“How is it? What does the divine clan’s invitation say?” Heavenly Steel Monkey Lord anxiously and curiously asked, eyeing the invitation in the hands of Heavenly Tyrant Shark Lord, who seemed lost in thought.

Monkeys are restless and quick to agitation, ever since ancient times—be it Heavenly Steel Monkey Lord or, in later eras, the Great Sage Equal to Heaven who stirred chaos in the Celestial Palace, it was always thus.

Awakened by the monkey lord’s call, Heavenly Tyrant Shark Lord smiled faintly, handed the divine invitation to the monkey, and said with a laugh, “The divine clan’s invitation is quite intriguing!”

“Oh?!” The monkey lord could not wait, snatching up the invitation with curiosity, eager to examine the divine clan’s first appearance in such form.

The divine clan, exalting itself as holy, favored the radiance of sacred gold; their style in all things centered upon this holy brilliance—majestic, noble, and awe-inspiring.

The invitation they sent was likewise dominated by sacred golden light. Upon it, a temple gleamed with divine radiance, surrounded by endless stars—mysterious and regal, sacred and mighty.

Heavenly Steel Monkey Lord cast a fleeting glance at the splendid invitation, impatiently trying to open it, when he suddenly realized that the image of the temple upon its cover was fading from his mind. He could no longer recall its appearance.

“Huh?” The monkey lord widened his golden fiery eyes, closed them, and was even more astonished to find that the temple’s image had vanished entirely, as if he had never seen it at all.

Such an inability to recall the form of a treasure was a first for him, and he could not help but marvel.

After all, not to mention a peerless deity like himself, even an ordinary true god would never forget a treasure once seen.

Yet this extraordinary event had undeniably occurred, and right before the very eyes of a peerless divine lord.

“I refuse to believe it!” The monkey lord opened his eyes, unleashing his innate ability—the Fiery Golden Eyes—a blaze of divine fire erupting within, and glared stubbornly at the temple on the cover, shouting in defiance.

The Fiery Golden Eyes were the innate divine power of Sun Tiangang, patriarch of the monkey tribe—capable of discerning yin and yang, perceiving the past and present, comprehending the shifts of heaven and earth, and grasping the essence of sun and moon. Truly, it was a supreme magical art.

It is worth mentioning that this divine gift, possessed by Sun Tiangang, was passed down in the bloodline of divine monkeys. As long as future generations honed their cultivation or chanced upon a fortunate encounter, they could master the Fiery Golden Eyes.

The monkey of later ages, his cultivation shallow, could not forge these eyes by his own strength, but with the aid of external forces, managed to achieve them after all.

Yet, his Fiery Golden Eyes could at best discern transformations; compared to those of Sun Tiangang, the difference was as vast as that between heaven and earth.

Such commotion on the part of the monkey lord did not escape the notice of the shark and bull lords nearby.

Especially when the monkey lord resorted to his innate divine power—it made both shark and bull lords all the more astonished.

Heavenly Tyrant Shark Lord, having expected as much, watched the monkey calmly; the bull lord, however, grew increasingly curious about the divine clan’s invitation.

First, the shark lord had sat for half an hour entranced by the invitation, before the monkey lord roused him.

Then, unexpectedly, the monkey lord’s reaction was even more extreme than the shark’s, even employing his innate divine power.

One must know: the innate abilities of every primeval god or demon lord were supreme arts, rarely used lightly.

Now, even usually composed and taciturn Heavenly Strength Bull Lord found his curiosity piqued by the antics of his companions, his gaze falling upon the golden invitation in the monkey’s hands.

An hour passed.

“Shark Lord!” Unable to restrain his curiosity, the bull lord quietly transmitted his voice to the shark: “What mystery lies in this invitation? Why have you and the monkey lord both stared at it so long?”

The shark lord, noting the time, did not explain the invitation’s secrets, but smiled and replied, “The monkey lord is about done! You’ll understand soon enough!”

Snap!

The monkey lord’s eyes shone with golden light as he forcefully closed the invitation, his face alight with excitement. “The divine clan’s invitation is truly fascinating!” he exclaimed.

“Oh? Really?” The bull lord took the invitation, casting a suspicious glance at the monkey’s excited face, thinking he looked for all the world like a monkey who’d just found a treasure.

The bull lord fixed his gaze on the invitation and, like the others, first noticed that marvelous temple—an image impossible to remember.

He enveloped the temple with his divine sense, carefully sensing the laws and rhythms within.

Half an hour passed.

The bull lord opened his deep black eyes, a smile upon his lips, and praised, “Innate treasures are indeed extraordinary, far surpassing even our finest innate spiritual artifacts.”

“This Pantheon Hall is truly profound—a fitting innate treasure!” His gaze lingered on the temple as he spoke in a low, awed voice.

“Indeed! Only an innate treasure like the Pantheon Hall could leave even us divine lords at a loss!” the shark lord concurred.

But the monkey lord, impatience evident, urged, “Bull lord, don’t linger on the Pantheon Hall—look to the main point of the invitation!”

“The main point?” The bull lord glanced skeptically at the smiling monkey lord, still half-suspecting him of mischief.

“Exactly!” said the shark lord, also smiling. “Go on, see for yourself!”

Prompted by his companions, the bull lord set aside his study of the temple’s mysteries and unfolded the divine invitation.

The divine clan’s invitation, like all of that era, bore no words—only a trace of unclaimed divine sense.

Most races of the primordial world had no written script.

Even those that did, used it only within their own kind; it was never widely adopted.

It was only later, when the divine clan unified the world, that a true written language—the Divine Script—was established.

So how did one communicate? The races of the world adopted divine sense: any being possessing divine sense could perceive the message.

The use of unclaimed divine sense ensured the message bore no hidden malice.

After all, the divine sense of a powerful being, if ill-intentioned, could easily shatter a weaker one’s soul entirely.

As ages passed, unclaimed divine sense would later evolve into ‘wordless heavenly books,’ repositories for secret arts and intelligence.

The bull lord sent forth his divine sense, making contact with the trace within the invitation, and instantly received its contents.

Heavenly Tyrant Shark Lord, please attend:
The divine clan will host the Grand Peach Banquet in three days’ time, inviting gods and great beings of all races. You are cordially requested to attend.

Divine Clan

The message was simple, but its implications, profound.

The bull lord raised his head, a half-smile playing on his lips as he looked at the monkey lord. “Now I understand your delight, Monkey Lord.”

“Heh, heh, heh…” The monkey lord grinned sheepishly under the bull’s knowing gaze.

“Peaches of Immortality? After the world’s creation, there were four great innate spiritual fruits: the Ginseng Fruit, the Bodhi Tree, the Peach of Immortality, and the Yellow Middle Plum. Looks like we are in for a rare treat!” The shark lord burst out laughing.

The bull and monkey lords, both hearty souls, also laughed with delight.

Especially the monkey lord, whose joy overflowed to the point that he nearly drooled!

For a monkey who adored peaches above all, to taste the supreme divine fruit—the Peach of Immortality—was a happiness beyond compare.

A monkey’s fondness for peaches, especially the immortal variety, ran deep in their blood, passing from generation to generation, so that in later ages, it would even produce a monkey who would one day steal those very peaches.