# 1032
# Chapter 1033: Peach Banquet
On the magnificent white jade hall, lifelike carved stone tables were arranged in an orderly fashion, and on them sat exquisite immortal fruits and fine wines,鲜美诱人.
At this moment, most of the guests had taken their seats, exchanging toasts and chatting cheerfully. At the highest point of the grand ceremony, a beautiful woman dressed in a gilded purple-patterned divine robe and a phoenix-wing golden crown sat gracefully on the main seat, gazing down at the assembly with a gentle smile.
In front of Lin Qiye and his companions, at the entrance to the banquet hall, several elegantly dressed maidens stood at the checkpoint, cataloging each guest's birthday tribute.
A man carrying a pagoda on his palm, dressed in a red robe, approached with a boy clutching a Heaven-Clasping Silk Ribbon beside him.
"Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King Li Jing has arrived~" The maid curtsied to the man, her crisp voice echoing through the grand hall. Smiling, she accepted an ornately wrapped box from him and opened it to take a look before curtsying again and passing it to another maiden behind her.
"Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King Li Jing presents to the Queen Mother of the West: a ten-thousand-year-old ginseng root."
"Nezha, Third Prince of Chentangguan, has arrived~"
"Nezha presents to the Queen Mother of the West: a Crimson Fire Pill."
Nezha tossed the fire pill casually into the maiden's hands, yawning lazily as he followed Li Jing into the hall.
Upon seeing this scene, Lin Qiye's mouth twitched slightly.
"Master, do we need to present birthday gifts to enter the Peach Banquet?" He looked at Jade Tripod True Man with a bewildered expression.
Jade Tripod True Man glanced at him, surprise flickering in his eyes. "Of course, for the Queen Mother of the West's birthday banquet... Before coming, didn't your master prepare something for you?"
"You should know that monkey's temperament by now," Purple Imperial Star Lord was not surprised at all, speaking unhurriedly. "He'd be lucky not to turn this place upside down. How could he possibly prepare a gift?"
Jade Tripod True Man furrowed his brow, pondering.
"This is a bit problematic... I only brought a Warm Yang Jade Ornament as my tribute. I have nothing else to give you."
With that, he turned to look at Purple Imperial Star Lord beside him.
"Don't look at me. I only brought my own as well." Purple Imperial Star Lord shrugged.
Just as they were conversing, two more figures approached the maidens.
"The Supreme Eldest Jiang Ziya has arrived~ Jiang Ziya presents to the Queen Mother of the West: an Eternal Youth Divine Pill."
"The Northern Yama Fengdu Emperor has arrived~ The Fengdu Emperor presents to the Queen Mother of the West: a stalk of Extreme Yin Huangquan Grass."
Hearing the latter's name, Lin Qiye instinctively turned his head, gazing at the familiar figure draped in a black imperial robe. The Fengdu Emperor seemed to sense Lin Qiye's gaze and glanced back at him coolly.
From his appearance, the Fengdu Emperor was nearly identical to Li Deyang. It seemed that after falling into the cycle of reincarnation, the faces of Great Xia's gods had not changed along with it.
Seeing that Lin Qiye was a stranger, the Fengdu Emperor withdrew his gaze and walked calmly toward the hall.
As he departed, no one stood between Lin Qiye and the entrance. The maidens noticed Lin Qiye and, after a slight pause,礼貌地开口问道:
"May I ask who you are..."
"He is a disciple that Sun Wukong took in the mortal realm, Lin Qiye, attending this banquet on his master's behalf." Jade Tripod True Man stepped forward to introduce him.
"So it is the disciple of the Fighting Victory Buddha! What an honor, what an honor." A flicker of astonishment crossed the maiden's eyes, but she cleared her throat and announced loudly: "Lin Qiye, disciple of the Fighting Victory Buddha of the Western Paradise, has arrived~"
The moment these words echoed through the banquet hall, the boisterous chatter of the Gods of Great Xia fell silent. They all turned their heads, staring at Lin Qiye with peculiar expressions.
The assembled deities whispered among themselves.
Even the Queen Mother of the West seated on the main throne raised an eyebrow in surprise, her gaze fixing on Lin Qiye at the entrance. Her eyes narrowed slightly, as if deep in thought.
Under the watchful eyes of everyone, the maiden blinked, and seeing that Lin Qiye made no move, she extended her hand and asked:
"May I inquire, what is your tribute..."
Lin Qiye's mind raced.
He first touched the Ame-no-Murakumo on his back... No, absolutely not. This was one of his trump cards, his reliance for fighting above his level. Giving it away as a gift would be too great a loss!
Then, he looked at the White Slash at his waist.
Impossible. This blade had accompanied him through so much. He would rather die than part with it.
He searched his body with both hands and finally felt something hard against his chest. Like a sudden revelation, his expression turned peculiar...
After hesitation, he gritted his teeth and pulled out a black smartphone from his embrace.
He thrust the phone into the maiden's hands.
"What... what is this..." The maiden stared at the device in her palm, frozen in place.
"This thing is called a phone." Lin Qiye said with a straight face. "It is a treasure I specially sought from the mortal realm, to be gifted to the Queen Mother of the West."
"Ah... very well." The maiden passed the phone behind her and announced loudly:
"Lin Qiye, disciple of the Fighting Victory Buddha, presents to the Queen Mother of the West: a phone!"
Under the astonished and puzzled gazes of the Gods of Great Xia, Lin Qiye walked into the hall with an impassive face, a sigh of relief escaping him internally.
Shortly after, Jade Tripod True Man and Purple Imperial Star Lord also presented their tributes and entered.
"Little friend, what exactly is that phone?" Purple Imperial Star Lord walked up to Lin Qiye, unable to contain his curiosity. "I have walked among mortals before, yet I have never heard of such a thing..."
"Since it is a treasure of the mortal realm, it must be rare and mysterious. It is normal that you haven't heard of it." Jade Tripod True Man patted his shoulder.
"Come, we should take our seats. The peaches will be served soon..."
Upon hearing the latter half of that sentence, a helpless glint flashed in Lin Qiye's eyes.
Peaches... He wouldn't be able to eat any.
Since everything here was a temporal silhouette with no substance, even if a peach were placed before him, it would only be a虚无的光影罢了，根本无福享...
Wait!
Lin Qiye's footsteps suddenly froze in place.
As if struck by a sudden realization, he猛地回过头 and looked at those smiling maidens accepting tributes at the entrance. An incredulous expression appeared on his face.
Just now... they accepted his phone?
They had substance?
How could that be?
Previously, the stone he kicked had existed within Kunlun Ruins to begin with—this could be understood... but these maidens, how did they possess physical form? Weren't they also mere illusions within the temporal silhouette?
Or...
They themselves existed within the real Kunlun Ruins?
They were real?
Staring at those elegantly dressed maidens, an inexplicable chill crept down Lin Qiye's spine, a sensation of hair-raising dread.
He slowly turned his head, gazing at this bustling, flourishing Peach Banquet hall before him.
If those maidens weren't entirely false... then among the temporal silhouettes of the Gods of Great Xia seated around him, could there also be genuine Great Xia deities mixed in?