Mortals, even if their everyday lives are dismal, still put in the effort to present a better image of themselves when they return home for the New Year—for dignity's sake. This holds even more true for these face-loving immortals.

So, at least for now, the immortals of the Heavenly Court, despite no longer receiving salaries, having cultivation levels that are appallingly low, and homes that are on the brink of ruin, nevertheless exude celestial grace and radiate bright smiles, as though their lives are somehow filled with new hope.

The Star Gods of the starry skies are a different story. Their positions in the heavens allowed them to avoid the calamity of the Sky-Crushing Catastrophe completely. Moreover, as Star Gods, they each have their own planets to use as resources. Although their salaries have also dried up, they can bring their planets' specialties to the Heavenly Market to sell, providing a stable and significant income.

Some star lords with planets that produce rare resources are even living quite comfortably.

With the ability to generate materials and circulate goods through the Heavenly Market across the Three Realms, the Star Gods could never truly become impoverished.

Amid this lively atmosphere in the Heaven Palace, this year's Peach Banquet finally commenced. To boost heavenly morale, the Jade Emperor and Queen Mother made this year's celebration even more grand and magnificent than before.

The Turquoise Pool was not only completely adorned, but five additional subsidiary halls were opened to ensure all the Heavenly Court's immortals could partake in peaches. They had to provide food—without it, these starving immortals might literally die of old age. Who would work for the Heavenly Court then?

As a result, the Peach Banquet's purpose has fundamentally changed. Originally, it was a means for Hao Tian to win over immortals and demonstrate the Heavenly Court's prestige. Now, it's just a lifeline to extend the immortals' longevity. In the future, such feasts might even be held regularly, as the Heavenly Court cannot afford salaries for the foreseeable future!

This is but one of the side effects of the Heavenly Court delaying payments to its immortals.

The supposed foreman to blame, Nezha, felt absolutely no guilt over the matter—after all, he had not caused the sky to fall. His construction work earned him merit, and even if this were brought before the Daoist Ancestor himself, Nezha had confidence in his reasoning. Why should he fear?

The Heavenly Court's depleted treasury wasn't his doing either.

As the de facto second-in-command of the Heavenly Court, Nezha couldn't afford to arrive too early, as doing so might inconvenience his subordinates. Timing it just right, he donned a full ceremonial crown with tasseled headgear, a grand celestial robe, and led the Star Gods—with a road paved with starlight—into the Turquoise Pool.

The fairy Xu Feiqiong, managing the greetings at the entrance, curtsied and called out loudly, "The Central Ziwei Emperor arrives, accompanied by Bixia Yuanjun, Zixiao Primordial Lord, the Beiji Four Saints General… as well as the congregation of Star Gods!"

As a trusted subordinate of the Queen Mother, Xu Feiqiong carried out her duties with professionalism. Her voice was not only resounding and pleasant but also comprehensively introduced Nezha's party from the highest-ranking to the humblest members.

Nezha led his group into the Turquoise Pool. The 'other Star Gods' naturally dispersed and entered the side halls to attend their banquets. Only those with connections or significant status could sit in the Turquoise Pool itself; the rest of these gods could only dine in side halls.

While the peaches in the side halls were slightly lower-grade and less fresh, the absence of higher-ranking immortals spared them the stress of making a poor impression, which made the gathering far more relaxed. After all, immortals didn't particularly enjoy dining alongside their bosses either.

When Nezha entered, many had already taken their seats in the Turquoise Pool—senior members of the Ten Departments of the Heavenly Court, some of the central figures from the former Heavenly Court, certain representatives of the Independent Immortals, and, lastly, envoys from the Three Saints Sects.

The Human Sect this time sent a robust Qingyi Daoist named Li Yue, presumably to fill the vacancy left by Bian Zhuang, who would likely be replaced as the Human Sect representative of the Heavenly Court.

Nezha glanced briefly at him. Li Yue was only at the True Immortal level, though his mystic abilities as part of the Human Sect were relatively pure. His admission to the Turquoise Pool was likely due to Lord Laozi's favor.

Li Yue's seat was positioned in the middle of the Turquoise Pool—a prestigious placement considering his cultivation. Looking around, unless someone was specifically here as a servant or brought as a disciple to "observe and learn," even the weakest among the attendees was at least at the Golden Immortal level.

When Li Yue saw Nezha with Jin Jiao and Yin Jiao behind him, he stood up from afar and greeted, "Disciple Li Yue pays respects to Emperor Ziwei, Marshal Tianpeng, and the two junior brothers."

Nezha gave a slight nod in acknowledgment and responded, "We are both direct disciples of the Mystic Sect. You can address me as senior brother; there's no need to be so formal."

After speaking, he cast a glance at Marshal Tianpeng—Bian Zhuang—standing behind him. The man remained entirely unaware of his surroundings. Apparently, his registered disciple had just addressed him out of courtesy, but he failed to react. Why? Word had it that today, Chang'e of the Moon Palace would be performing, leaving him utterly absent-minded.

Nezha's words were sincere—a sort of casual friendliness one might display upon running into a junior from the same sect. However, Li Yue didn't dare assume too much.

"Thank you for your kindness, Emperor Ziwei," Li Yue replied humbly.

Although Jin Jiao and Yin Jiao were mere attendants, their status as Lord Laozi's favorites bred an arrogance far beyond their actual rank. Laughing, they teased, "Little Li, make sure you eat plenty later—these peaches are the real deal. If you run out, we'll grab a few extras for you."

"My elder brother speaks the truth," Yin Jiao chimed in.

It was no wonder Li Yue treated them with such deference. When it came to good things, these two truly delivered.

Exchanging a few pleasantries, Nezha moved on with his retinue. Although this Li Yue lacked a certain carefree demeanor, he at least had propriety and self-awareness, which made him minimally tolerable.

Nezha eventually reached his own seat and settled in. Behind him, the likes of Daji and Deng Chanyu joined the Queen Mother, while Yang Jian and others went to their own places to await the feast's commencement.

Scanning the gathering briefly, Nezha noted that none of the four direct disciples of the Jie Sect had arrived. The recent failure of Duobao's sermon had significantly undermined their reputation. Instead, third-generation disciples led by the Fire Spirit Saint Mother were in attendance. Yu Yuan, recognizing that this wasn't the right occasion, simply toasted Nezha from afar; the two shared a distant drink, after which Yu Yuan went off to drink with Yang Jian nearby.

As for the Chan Sect, Nezha had expected no show either, but to his surprise, Nanji Immortal had come. Nezha glanced his way, noting he was still at the Golden Immortal level. Nanji's situation was dire—not only had his Great Dao been severed, but his origin energy was severely depleted.

The position of Longevity Star that once belonged to Nanji Immortal was now held by his Good Corpse. With his cultivation falling and his origin shared between his two corpses, it seemed he would never progress beyond the Golden Immortal level. In his current state, even these peaches could be of some use to him—they could replenish what little they could, after all.

Above the Jade Emperor and Queen Mother, six seats remained conspicuously vacant. Though the Saints hadn't come, their spaces had to be reserved. The representation from Doushuai Temple was Li Yue, meaning Lord Laozi wouldn't require a separate seat.

Buddhism, on the other hand, was personally led by Old Li, who was seated directly across from Nezha. He was accompanied by two Great Bodhisattvas—Manjusri, Puxian—and disciples such as Jin Can Zi.

Guanyin, as her Spirit Stone was on the verge of hatching, had not attended due to the imminent emergence of an extraordinary being within it.

The Independent Immortals' representative was Nezha's close elder brother, Zhen Yuanzi. Known for his kind disposition and excellent character, Zhen Yuanzi was someone even Yuanshi Tianzun occasionally met up with during the Primordial times—a testament to his good nature.

With all the necessary immortals present, the Jade Emperor declared the banquet open.

Compared to the Peach Banquets of Hao Tian's era, this one was clearly much more laid-back. Hao Tian had been focused on probing, recruiting, and consolidating power. The Jade Emperor, on the other hand, had no such ambitions. It was all about the festivities now—there would be more music, more dancing. Why shouldn't he enjoy himself after working so hard all the time?

It was astounding how the difference in leadership could change everything.

With the Jade Emperor setting the tone, the atmosphere became increasingly lively. The immortals' natural pursuit of freedom and romanticism began to shine through. "Come on, drink!"

"Let's savor the wine while we have it today—if we're out of money tomorrow, we'll worry about it then!"

As for the Queen Mother, her physical body had been in seclusion, leaving her Good Corpse—manifested as a dignified yet kind elderly lady—to attend. Surrounded by a radiant group of fairies, her mood was visibly uplifted.

Nezha, meanwhile, had struck up a conversation with Zhen Yuanzi about fishing for Kunpeng. With Zhen Yuanzi pledging his full support, the group preparing to encircle Kunpeng gained yet another bold member.

Following one mesmerizing musical performance, the Moon Palace maids delivered their breathtaking dance performance. Their grace immediately captivated the attention of the assembled immortals.

Big. Smooth. White.

The immortals watched in utter fascination, particularly a certain Marshal Tianpeng. However, the younger ones didn't share the same appreciation. This included Jin Jiao and Yin Jiao beside Nezha, as well as Jin Can Zi who stood with Old Li.

After quickly notifying Nezha and Old Li, the youngsters slipped away to play. The adults paid no mind—under the watchful eyes of so many immortals, the idea of something going wrong was simply unthinkable.

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