The Immortal Court and the Holy Court were of completely different statuses. In the past, great beings who could never be invited might now truly come. For example, Saints—before, if Great Yi had extended invitations, a Saint might not have attended. But now, even a Saint had to carefully consider it. None would dare to treat lightly an Immortal Court that had already proven it could slaughter Heaven itself. That signified equal strength and equal status. Naturally, for such a fortune dynasty, even if Saints attended its banquet, it would not be lowering themselves.
Status, strength, and foundation had all reached the proper level.
There was no reason for Saints not to attend.
Besides, at Great Yi's banquet, there truly would be treasures worth coming for. The wine was Du Kang Immortal Brew, created by the ancestor of wine himself and aged for tens of thousands of years within the Hongmeng Heavenly Emperor Pagoda through the Time Hourglass. There were also countless varieties of Immortal Peaches. This was to be the grand Immortal Peach Banquet. This time, Great Yi had brought out many Immortal Peach strains that had been cultivated for years.
The Heavenly Fortune Peach of Longevity needed no explanation—it was one of Great Yi's greatest trump cards and symbols.
Beyond that, there were the Wedding Dress Immortal Peach, the Dao Rhythm Spirit Peach, the Heavenly Origin Spirit Peach, the Icefire Peach, the Golden-Brow Peach, the Sea-Blue Peach, the Five-Element Peach, and the Rebirth Peach. Each one was of extremely high grade. Although they could not compare with the Heavenly Fortune Peach, the difference was still not insurmountable.
The Wedding Dress Immortal Peach was famous for instantly elevating one's cultivation—even though it came with flaws, for many ordinary cultivators it was still a once-in-a-lifetime chance to change their destiny. In recent years, Great Yi had fought countless great wars, suppressed demonic abysses, and battled the Nine Heavens. Many corpses of fallen powerhouses had been buried beneath the Wedding Dress Peach trees. From them, batch after batch of new peaches had grown.
These peaches were stored away and never released lightly, only occasionally exchanged within the Ten Thousand Treasures Hall.
For those with strong cultivation potential, Great Yi rarely used the Wedding Dress Peach. But for those whose aptitude was lacking, it was an undeniable shortcut to ascend in one step. With Great Yi's reserves, if they wished, they could easily create a massive number of top-tier powerhouses. Though such people might be slightly weaker than true peers of the same realm, their realms themselves were real, and so were the lifespans they gained.
The Dao Rhythm Spirit Peach could help cultivators comprehend laws and Dao-rhymes more easily. The Heavenly Origin Spirit Peach could strengthen and refine one's mana. The Icefire Peach tempered the fleshly body. The Golden-Brow Peach could grant Vajra-like indestructible flesh—an enormous temptation for qi refiners, greatly boosting their defense and safety. The Sea-Blue Peach was equally wondrous.
Once eaten, it allowed one to freely breathe underwater, swim like a fish, and in the ocean draw upon its power endlessly to rapidly restore mana. In the Eternal World, seas were boundless—every realm contained vast oceans. To recover mana rapidly within them was akin to having a perpetual-motion machine, turning oneself into a living artillery platform. Of course, that depended on whether one's mana was already vast enough—otherwise the effect would be minimal.
The Five-Element Peach was divided into Gold, Wood, Water, Fire, Earth, and the complete Five-Element version. These could be called the Gold Spirit Peach, Wood Spirit Peach, Water Spirit Peach, Fire Spirit Peach, and Earth Spirit Peach. Eating one carried a chance to form a Five-Element spiritual body or even an immortal body, depending heavily on one's cultivation methods.
Finally, the Rebirth Peach could transform one's aptitude, remaking the body—directly elevating an ordinary mortal to a genius, even to the level of a heaven's chosen. This too was a chance to rewrite destiny.
In total, there were nine supreme Immortal Peaches.
All of them had come from years of Great Yi's painstaking accumulation, collection, and cultivation through countless means.
Without relying on the foundation of a fortune dynasty, how could such treasures be so easily gathered, much less cultivated?
This time, at the Immortal Peach Banquet, Great Yi intended to reveal its true heritage to the entire Eternal World—to show all races and powerhouses that it was not some nouveau riche without roots, but a genuine titan with profound accumulation.
This banquet was an opportunity to showcase Great Yi to the whole Eternal World.
If held successfully, its influence would skyrocket.
It had to be known that within the Zixiao Palace, Yi Tianxing had already extended invitations to the three thousand great beings present there.
Not all needed to come—even a portion would be enough to magnify Great Yi's influence greatly.
At this moment, when Great Yi was preparing intensely for the Immortal Peach Banquet, suddenly a message spread across the Eternal World.
"The Lingxiao Immortal Court will hold a Flat Peach Banquet on the third day of the third month, sincerely inviting all powerhouses of every realm to attend."
This news came directly from the Lingxiao Immortal Court.
The moment it spread, it caused a great uproar.
"What's going on?"
"Lingxiao Immortal Court is holding a Flat Peach Banquet, and the date is the third day of the third month! That's barely over ten days before Great Yi Immortal Court's Immortal Peach Banquet on the fifteenth. What are they trying to do holding it at this time?"
"It's said the Lingxiao Immortal Court controls the Southern Heavenly Gate, which can directly reach into every realm and draw cultivators into Lingxiao. That ability is incredibly powerful—not inferior to Great Yi's Rainbow Bridge, perhaps even stronger. The Southern Heavenly Gate covers the entire Eternal World."
"It's said that as long as one's cultivation is high enough, when the banquet begins, they need only summon the projection of the Southern Heavenly Gate to enter Lingxiao Immortal Court. But why would they hold a Flat Peach Banquet at this exact time? Doesn't this feel like a deliberate challenge to Great Yi?"
"How are we supposed to choose? If the Immortal Peach Banquet can't compare with the Flat Peach Banquet, won't Great Yi's glory of ascending to Immortal Court status be suppressed, turning lackluster? The Flat Peach Banquet—wasn't that a legendary feast celebrated across the heavens since the last era?"
Countless cultivators, races, and factions voiced endless discussions. Especially with the Star Net now open, the chatter online was explosive.
Everyone could see clearly: Lingxiao Immortal Court was preparing to clash with Great Yi directly, perhaps even suppress it.
Compared with Lingxiao's Flat Peach Banquet, Great Yi's Immortal Peach Banquet did seem smaller in reputation. The name of the Flat Peach ranked among the highest of heavenly spiritual roots.
Flat Peaches ripened once every three thousand years; eating one could allow a mortal to become an immortal and attain the Dao.
Those ripening once every six thousand years could grant ascension by soaring through the clouds, achieving longevity and immortality. In truth, this meant reaching the True Spirit realm, consolidating one's true spirit and greatly extending lifespan. Not absolute immortality, but lifespans stretched to astonishing lengths.
Those ripening once every nine thousand years—the Purple-Veined Flat Peaches—could let one's lifespan equal heaven and earth, living alongside the sun and moon. They could even make an ordinary mortal's cultivation soar instantly to the Dao Platform Realm.
Such a supreme spiritual root was unimaginably rare in heaven and earth. Even the Heavenly Fortune Peach of Longevity was faintly inferior.
For many ancient powerhouses nearing the end of their lifespan who had chosen not to reincarnate, the temptation of the Flat Peach was overwhelming.
Most importantly, the Flat Peach Banquet of Lingxiao Immortal Court had fame stretching back countless years.
If this caused too few to attend Great Yi's Immortal Peach Banquet, the situation would be extremely awkward.
And if Great Yi's banquet failed to match the Flat Peach Banquet, the comparison would highlight Lingxiao's deeper foundation.
It would leave an impression across the Eternal World that Lingxiao Immortal Court stood above Great Yi Immortal Court.
As this news spread—
Within the Immortal Palace, inside the Emperor's Heart Hall, Cai Yan and Queen Mother of the West came together to find Yi Tianxing. Both wore expressions of anger.
"This is intolerable! That Haotian is bold indeed—knowing full well we were about to hold the Immortal Peach Banquet, yet he rushed to hold the Flat Peach Banquet first. What is he trying to do? Clearly, he just wants to trouble us. Does he really think Lingxiao Immortal Court is still the Heavenly Court of old? Even then, that was only because of Dao Ancestor Hongjun that he sat in that seat. Lingxiao's affairs aren't even settled, and yet he dares provoke Great Yi? Utter fool!"
Queen Mother of the West's face blazed with anger.
Who didn't know Haotian's origins? And many were well aware of the matters within Lingxiao Immortal Court.
"Heh… Haotian is no fool," Yi Tianxing shook his head slowly. "On the contrary, he is a supremely clever man. Otherwise, how could he have survived from the last era until now?"
He continued calmly:"The greatest flaw of Lingxiao Immortal Court is that its internal factions are many, with power divided. Haotian can only control about one-third of its true strength. What he holds is the name of legitimacy. Lingxiao is saturated with the imprints of Saints. In the face of Saints, Haotian has no means to act against them.
This time, after returning from Zixiao Palace, I understood—Haotian surely knew the secret of fate long ago, but lacked the chance to speak of it. He was waiting for Dao Ancestor Hongjun to spread the truth himself. Fate is the root of a fortune dynasty. Even in a court with factions, fate can only be wielded by the lord of fortune. Haotian wants to use fate to forge the Dan Scroll Iron Edict, to prove his irreplaceable and unique position within Lingxiao Immortal Court."
Yi Tianxing had never underestimated Haotian—he was a great predator lying in wait.
The Flat Peach Banquet was not only a challenge to Great Yi. Its deeper purpose was aimed inward, toward Lingxiao itself. Haotian was sending a signal outward, but the real targets were the hidden giants within.
Of course, it also conveniently allowed him to throw a stumbling block in Great Yi's path.
"Husband, then what shall we do? Should we take action?" Cai Yan frowned slightly.
"There's no need for concern. Simply observe quietly. We will meet all changes with stability," Yi Tianxing said with a calm smile.