Chapter 262 Moon Banquet

"Right, right, just like that. Twist your waist; a female demon needs to look like a female demon. The key is in the eyes—you need that marrow-sucking, soul-stealing gaze."

Chen Nuo clapped his hands, keeping time for the female demons.

He was indeed unable to pull himself away for a moment, though not in that sort of way.

As he spoke, he stepped in to provide guidance, his touch making the bones of the gathered demons melt.

The Zhu sisters were usually too possessive, never giving them a chance to even taste a bit of Nuo, leaving this group of female demons absolutely famished.

Just being hit by the yang energy radiating from Chen Nuo was enough to make a few of the demons lose control and reveal their true forms, creating a chaotic sight.

The one leading the dance in the courtyard was none other than Hong Yi.

The Old Mother of Lishan Mountain had sent her over to serve in the mountain.

This was both a repayment and a way to maintain contact.

The enemy of an enemy is a friend. Since Chen Nuo was at odds with Kunlun, there was naturally room for cooperation with Lishan Mountain.

Furthermore, Chen Nuo had not only ruined Kunlun's plans but also earned the gratitude of Bodhisattva Pilanpo.

Reason and sentiment both dictated that the two parties should grow closer.

What surprised Chen Nuo, however, was that the Old Mother of Lishan Mountain had chosen to send Hong Yi.

Since she was willing to send her, he would accept.

After all, as a snake demon, her waist was unique among the spirits, and having been trained by immortals, she carried a cool, detached air that created an alluring contrast.

Chen Nuo had appointed her as the lead dancer in his estate.

Coming from Lishan Mountain and being a powerful demon herself, managing a group of female demons was naturally no difficult task.

Even the Zhu sisters had to show her some courtesy when they saw her.

The reputation of Lishan Mountain was not much inferior to that of Kunlun.

"Uncle..."

Pingping, entering the estate, happened to catch this scene and felt her body flush instantly.

Fortunately, her appearance as a spirit fox hid any signs of this.

In truth, this was nothing strange.

It was merely keeping a dance troupe. Back when Princess Wansheng was still around, to keep the Bull Demon King by her side, she had raised countless female demons for him at home; those days were truly decadent.

Although Pingping hadn't seen it with her own eyes, she had heard rumors.

Moreover, most demon kings in the mortal realm were just as unrestrained; concepts like morals and ethics were things for humans to worry about.

Most demon kings only imitated the appearance of humans, barely possessing a hint of humanity.

Compared to them, Chen Nuo appeared all the more like an immortal.

"Ah, Pingping is here."

Chen Nuo moved his hand away from Hong Yi's waist, stepped forward to pick up the little fox, and stroked her silky, smooth fur.

When he was at the Flaming Mountains, Red Boy was still acting as the wealth-distributing boy in the South Sea. With no one else in the mountains to play with, Chen Nuo, as her uncle, had become her playmate.

Don't let Pingping's constant "Uncle" fool you; if one were to count the years of cultivation, the two were not that far apart.

It was only natural that they could play together.

It was just that Chen Nuo's mental state was more mature.

Appearance stems from the heart, which is why he looked somewhat older.

"This is a gift Pingping brought for Uncle."

As she spoke, Pingping took out two fire dates.

She hadn't been able to bring herself to eat them the entire journey, thinking only of gifting them to her uncle as a formal greeting.

Pingping was sensible; she knew she was here to ask for a favor, but apart from these fire dates, she had nothing else to offer.

"Please forgive your niece for visiting so abruptly."

"Why say such things? It has been a while, and you've become a bit distant with your uncle. Still, since it's Pingping's kind intention, your uncle will accept."

Looking at the red dates, which had been so carefully protected without a single bruise, Chen Nuo's heart softened a little.

These fire dates were considered spiritual materials, a specialty of the Flaming Mountains, and were quite prestigious to bring out.

Years ago, that old ox had sent some to the mountain as a gesture of goodwill.

After tasting the flavor of the fire dates, Chen Nuo continued.

"You must have encountered some trouble for your mother to let you come here alone. Look here, you're missing a patch of fur; you must have suffered quite a bit on the journey."

This gentle voice smoothed out the creases in Pingping's heart.

"Uncle, Pingping missed you."

Remembering the grievances of her journey, the little fox couldn't help but bury her head in Chen Nuo's chest, letting out soft whimpers.

Seeing this, Hong Yi led the others away.

After crying for a long while, Pingping finally managed to stop and began to recount the events in broken sentences.

To translate that into plain language:

The son wanted to rebel against his father.

"So that's it. Pingping, you don't need to be anxious. Your brother's temper is a bit fierce, but no matter what, he wouldn't kill the Bull Demon King. There must be other reasons behind this."

Chen Nuo naturally knew what was going on.

Red Boy was not the Bull Demon King's biological son. He was the disciple of Princess Iron Fan; Taishang Laojun had transformed the Yaksha Prince into a spirit essence, used the water from the Child-and-Mother River, and then birthed him through the womb of Princess Iron Fan.

As for why this was the case...

This involved the open warfare and secret struggles between the Eastern and Western Heavens.

Mount Ling had annihilated the Kingdom of Yakshas and seized their territory.

Regardless of the reasons, the destruction of a nation lacked moral justification, so they simply exterminated the entire race.

With no one to speak of it and no victims left, it was as if nothing had happened.

That Yaksha Kingdom had been Mount Ling's territory since ancient times.

Who approves? Who opposes!

The Eastern Heavens, unhappy that Mount Ling had gained such benefits, secretly intervened to preserve this last bloodline of the Yaksha royal family.

This was naturally not out of kindness, but merely to keep evidence of a crime and cause trouble for others.

However, whether it was the awakening of past-life memories or someone leaking information, Red Boy had come to know his true identity and origin.

Given the character of the Yaksha race, if they had been willing to bow and submit, they wouldn't have ended up being exterminated.

As the reincarnation of the Yaksha Prince, Red Boy was naturally unwilling to live in such a wretched manner.

However, knowing he lacked the power to oppose the Eastern and Western Heavens, he set his sights on the Great Sage's Root and demanded it from the Bull Demon King.

This Great Sage's Root sounded like a valuable item, but in reality, it was deadly. How could the Bull Demon King possibly give it to Red Boy?

Although he knew the boy was not his own, he still treated him as his own flesh and blood; how could he bear to watch him throw his life away?

One refused to give, the other insisted on having it.

And so, it escalated to this point.

Naturally, there was no need to tell Pingping these things; knowing too much had no benefits and would only bring unnecessary danger.

"But..."

Pingping still looked worried.

She wanted to speak but didn't know how to phrase it.

"Just stay in this mountain with peace of mind. When the time comes, I will ensure the safety of your family."

Chen Nuo comforted her.

Even if it weren't for the two fire dates, he would still offer his help; after all, he owed the old ox a favor, and this would be the perfect time to repay it.

Hearing this, Pingping felt relieved.

She had great faith in her uncle's abilities.

"You came at a good time. Calculating the time, it's about time for the banquet at the Moon Palace. How about I take you to the heavens to see the celestial maidens dance?"

Chen Nuo said with a smile.

"What's so interesting about celestial maidens?"

Pingping muttered softly.

"Naturally, they are not as beautiful as you, little fox spirit."

Chen Nuo's teasing made Pingping blush deeply.

"Uncle!"

The nine heavens could naturally not block Chen Nuo's supernatural ability to travel through the void. Even before attaining the Dao, he had tried entering and exiting this Universal Great Array, and it was as simple and comfortable as walking in and out of his own home.

But this time was different; Chen Nuo brought a formal invitation and entered directly through the Southern Heaven Gate.

He even changed his appearance, revealing the profound air of an Earth Immortal.

This transformation was different from the Great Sage Sun's; it was Chen Nuo using a cicada's slough as a fake body, so no one could spot any issues.

Because the cultivation base of this Earth Immortal was real.

What is an Earth Immortal? One who has obtained half of heaven and earth and possesses the talents of a god.

Occupying a blessed land and cultivating an Earth Immortal fake body was naturally not difficult.

At Chen Nuo's level, further improvement was extremely difficult. Unless he had a powerful figure to rely on, he could only seek alternative paths and observe the scenery of the Immortal Dao.

After all, it was a top-tier class; starting an alt to practice was perfectly normal.

Look at all these gods and immortals in the sky; which one didn't have a secret identity?

Immortals become Buddhas, Buddhas turn into demons; no one is confined to a single path.

Chen Nuo had also given himself a background linked to "Lishan Mountain," which would make some things more convenient in the future.

Who knows, he might even be conferred an immortal official position in the future.

And that's not just talk; if the Old Mother of Lishan Mountain were willing to exert some effort, obtaining the position of a Star Lord would not be impossible.

The Old Mother of Lishan Mountain was willing to lend her name because she had her own considerations; she wouldn't let Chen Nuo take advantage of her for nothing.

Upon entering the Upper Realm, one could see ten thousand rays of golden light rolling through red neon clouds and a thousand ribbons of auspicious energy spewing purple mist.

And the Southern Heaven Gate, deep green, was made of glazed glass.

Bright and dazzling, adorned with precious jade.

On both sides of the Heaven Gate stood dozens of Heaven-Guarding Marshals.

Each one stood tall against the pillars, holding halberds and banners.

Below, a dozen golden-armored divine beings stood in formation, each wielding halberds, whips, swords, or blades.

The exterior was impressive enough, but the interior was breathtaking.

Inside, there were several massive pillars wrapped with red-bearded dragons with golden scales shining like the sun, and several long bridges where red-crowned phoenixes with colorful feathers circled in the sky.

In the heavens, there were thirty-three celestial palaces and seventy-two precious halls.

On the ridges of every palace were golden mythical beasts, and on the pillars of every hall were jade qilin.

Pingping had never seen such majesty in the Heavenly Court. She shrank into Chen Nuo's collar, daring only to peek out with her dark, beady eyes.

She had originally thought her uncle was just joking with her; she never expected him to actually bring her to the Heavenly Gate.

And after the heavenly soldiers and generals saw the invitation, they had truly led them in respectfully.

Her uncle's methods really did reach all the way to the heavens.

"Uncle, whose invitation did you just hand over?"

Pingping asked in a low voice. She had faintly seen the character "Li" written on the invitation, but she couldn't make it out clearly.

"I handed over the invitation from Lishan Mountain."

Chen Nuo said casually, looking up.

The one on duty at the gate today was the Heavenly King of Growth.

"It was actually the invitation of the Holy Ancestor of Cloud Clarity, Lady Ziyuan!"

Pingping covered her mouth to keep from crying out.

"Not bad. It seems you've been diligent with your studies."

Chen Nuo praised her.

It made sense; Princess Iron Fan was also a practitioner of the Dao, part of the Taishang lineage, so her family education was naturally deep-rooted.

"Uncle, when did you start having dealings with Lishan Mountain?"

Pingping asked in a hushed tone.

"That's a long story. I'll tell you when I have time later."

As Chen Nuo spoke, a crane flew over to guide him to the Moon Palace, where he took his seat.

The immortals seated around him noticed his unfamiliar face but felt nothing strange; after all, the Lishan immortal invitation could not be fake, and his immortal aura was clear and pure.

They were just curious about when Lishan Mountain had produced such a male immortal.

Seeing that Chen Nuo held no official rank or position, the immortals assumed he was a junior sent by the Old Mother to see the world, which was quite common.

Thus, no one came over to converse with him.

This allowed Chen Nuo to enjoy some peace and quiet.

This Moon Banquet was naturally not comparable to the Flat Peach Banquet, but there was no shortage of exotic fruits like green lotus roots, red lotus, yellow hollyhocks, and purple lotus, and there was plenty of jade nectar to drink.

The key was the celestial maidens dancing to accompany the feast.

The celestial maidens took their seats, some playing instruments, others singing.

Pingping took only one sip of the jade nectar and felt intoxicated, so she hurriedly ate some exotic fruits to counteract it.

These heavenly offerings were far more precious than fire dates, filled with spiritual energy; eating just a few made Pingping feel light and floaty.

"Uncle, can I pack some to take away?"

Pingping asked softly, thinking of her mother and brother.

"Naturally. I'll keep them for you."

Chen Nuo revealed his sleeve, and Pingping understood immediately, sneaking the exotic fruits from the table into it like a thief.

At this moment, a white-haired celestial maiden stepped onto the stage to lead the dance.

Her immortal grace was ethereal, her figure slender and graceful, mesmerizing the gathered immortals.

However, no one lost their composure. The heavenly laws were strict; even when drinking and making merry, one had to remain vigilant.

In a trance, the white-haired celestial maiden drifted off the stage, evoking a feeling of having lived a lifetime in an instant.

With that, the Moon Banquet came to an end.

The immortals dispersed.

Chen Nuo also left the table with Pingping and rode the crane back the way they came, but as soon as they left the Heaven Gate, he turned around, traveled through the void, and brought Pingping back to the Moon Palace, just in time to catch some excitement.

The white-haired celestial maiden who had led the dance was secretly meeting with a male immortal.

Pingping hurriedly covered her eyes, daring only to peek at the scene through her fingers.

The moon hides the Jade Rabbit; the sun hides the Crow.

One was the rabbit, so the other was naturally the crow.

As for the true identity of that "crow"?

It certainly wouldn't be the Lord of the Heavenly Court. If he were to have an affair, he would at least steal the Lord of Taiyin; he certainly wouldn't steal a celestial maiden—how degrading would that be?

But the two must have had a close relationship.

Otherwise, Marshal Tianpeng wouldn't have been reported by Wang Lingguan for stumbling upon their illicit affair.

Everyone in the heavens knew that Wang Lingguan was the Jade Emperor's mouthpiece.

In the end, it was a lack of ability. Look at Chen Nuo—he was watching the two of them, and they were completely unaware that there was an audience watching.

However, Chen Nuo was just acting on a whim and had happened to stumble upon it; he had no intention of doing anything. After recording the scene with his divine sense, he took Pingping and left the Heavenly Court.

As for why he recorded it...

Ahem, don't ask about that in detail. Celestial maiden, you wouldn't want...

This experience had certainly broadened the little fox spirit's horizons.

It took her a while to recover from the scene she had just witnessed, and she sighed softly to Chen Nuo.

"They say the Heavenly Court is strict and cannot tolerate any illicit affairs, but now it seems it's just as full of filth and corruption."

"Broadened your horizons, haven't you?"

"Mm."

"That Jade Rabbit is a rabbit, with deep desires. I see that bird has insufficient yang energy and a deficient kidney; I fear he can't satisfy the rabbit in daily life. If this continues, he's likely to end up wearing a green hat."

"Hm?"

Is this the kind of "broadening of horizons" Uncle wanted for me?

Pingping was momentarily speechless, silently spitting in her heart.

Uncle is so bad.