Primordial Era: Taibai, the Poison Master of Yaochi, drives a Sage insane!

Upon hearing this, Yuanshi frowned and turned to Tongtian: "Third brother, what do you mean? Can't you see through this woman's hidden motives and schemes? Her every move seems open and aboveboard, but in reality, she harbors ambitions! Haotian is foolish, and Yaochi is deliberately using her!"

Before she finished speaking, Nuwa slowly rose, her expression fair, and spoke up to advise, her tone gentle: "Brother Yuanshi, you have indeed been too harsh and forceful in this matter. My junior sister is sincere and honest, and all her actions were in accordance with the situation, without any real selfish motives."

"Senior brother, as a Primordial Saint, you have publicly and forcefully pressured a Grand Celestial Venerable of the Heavenly Court, causing him to lose face. If this were to spread throughout the Three Realms, it would only lead to the contempt of all immortals and leave junior sister with no place to stand. This would be detrimental to the overall situation of the Primordial World and the order of the Immortal Path. I hope senior brother will calm down and not be so harsh on junior sister."

The two saints, Jieyin and Zhunti, nodded slightly, acknowledging what Nuwa and Tongtian had said, but they did not participate and were merely watching the show.

The two sages were also greatly shocked at this moment. This Peach Banquet was truly full of twists and turns.

In the blink of an eye!

No one expected it!

What was originally just a minor matter for Yaochi to resolve a crisis has directly led to a public confrontation and a complete rupture in the opinions of the primordial saints!

Throughout the entire Jade Pool Wonderland, countless immortals, gods, and powerful beings were completely stunned, staring dumbfounded at the saints facing each other on the high platform, not understanding what had happened.

Nuwa spoke up to dissuade them, and Tongtian stood up in court to defend Yaochi. Both Nuwa and Tongtian spoke on the left and right, their words aimed at protecting Yaochi.

Yuqing Yuanshi Tianzun's expression froze. He was first stunned, never expecting that his third brother Tongtian and senior sister Nuwa would stand together on the side of Yaochi and openly oppose him over such a seemingly trivial matter.

A moment of stunned silence quickly turned to rage. He immediately turned to Tongtian and shouted, "Third brother! Why are you defending her? Yaochi harbors ulterior motives, using the birthday celebration as a pretext to plot against the Dao Ancestor, attempting to exploit the Sage and leverage his power. Her very nature is disrespectful! How can you insist on standing up for Yaochi, such a treacherous person?"

At this moment, Yuanshi Tianzun directly questioned Tongtian, forcing Tongtian to retreat, while Yaochi was also extremely worried!

I never imagined that my desire to participate in the distribution of the primordial world's cake would directly cause such a huge upheaval.

Of course, a sage is a sage after all, and he can see that clearly.

Protecting Yaochi is protecting the Immortal Path, and protecting the Immortal Path is a glimmer of hope. If Yaochi is not protected and one retreats when questioned by Yuanshi, it is tantamount to saying that one's own Immortal Path is not in line with Yuanshi's destiny.

Tongtian remained calm and composed, showing no fear whatsoever of Yuanshi's oppressive aura.

"Second brother, why make such a fuss? It was just a thoughtless remark from my junior sister, a thought born of respect and filial piety. Why must you exaggerate it to the extreme, accuse her of numerous crimes, and criticize her relentlessly, determined to ruin her path and prestige? If this is truly the case, how will we explain ourselves to our teacher and the Dao Ancestor in the future?"

"When did I ever intend to destroy Yaochi?" Yuanshi asked angrily, his eyes wide open.

"Second Brother's ruthless approach, publicly pressuring and questioning her relentlessly, is intended to crush Yaochi's spirit. Haotian has already left in a huff, his narrow-mindedness making him incapable of shouldering great responsibilities; he is no longer fit to support the Heavenly Court. Now that the Heavenly Court is divided, only Yaochi's presence in the Immortal Path can maintain the balance of Heaven and Earth and stabilize the order of the Three Realms. If she is further suppressed, the Heavenly Court will be completely leaderless, the Immortal Path will collapse, and the Three Realms will be in turmoil. What good would such an outcome do?"

Nuwa chimed in softly, "Senior Brother Yuanshi, please calm down. Junior Sister's heart is pure, and she has no intention of using this power for personal gain. It is indeed you who have pushed her too far. Please do not press her any further."

The powerful beings and celestial beings below were stunned and deeply shocked.

No one expected that a grand peach banquet would first lead to two celestial beings severing ties, and now lead to six great sages disagreeing and arguing in court.

Everyone held their breath and kept quiet, not daring to interrupt, only daring to watch from afar, their expressions horrified.

Yuanshi, consumed by rage, instinctively glanced at Taiqing Laozi, who sat silently to one side.

Laozi frowned slightly, his gaze was calm and unbiased, and he did not utter a word, clearly indicating that he had no intention of intervening in the dispute between his two junior brothers.

Jieyin and Zhunti sat side by side, their expressions indifferent, as if it were none of their business and they were watching coldly from the sidelines. However, there was a hint of schadenfreude hidden in their eyes, as if they were secretly adding fuel to the fire and were happy to see the Three Pure Ones in conflict.

In an instant, Yuanshi suddenly realized his predicament.

He stared intently at Yaochi, convinced that the woman harbored ulterior motives, yet he had no concrete evidence to substantiate her guilt.

Forcing a confrontation and pressing forward relentlessly only makes one appear harsh, narrow-minded, and inhumane, leaving one disliked by both sides.

The third brother joined forces with Nuwa to resist, Laozi remained silent, and the two Western Saints watched coldly from the sidelines.

On the vast, sacred platform, not a single person stood on his side.

Indeed, Yaochi did an impeccable job, leaving no room for criticism. Even if someone had ulterior motives, they would have used blasphemous and manipulative words.

However, Yaochi's words were completely unfounded; what could possibly refute Yaochi?

Yuanshi's face turned ashen. He finally let out a cold snort, flicked his wide sleeves, and his holy aura surged in all directions.

"Very well! Very well! It is all my fault. I have unjustly forced Yaochi. Fine, I will not linger at this grand gathering at Yaochi!"

Having said that, he didn't look at the crowd again, nor did he pay any more attention to Yaochi. He turned around, flicked his sleeves, and led the twelve Golden Immortals of the Chan Sect and their disciples, riding on a cloud of auspicious energy, and left in a huff, disappearing into the sky above Yaochi in an instant.

The sage stormed off in anger, and the atmosphere at the banquet became increasingly tense.

Upon seeing this, Yaochi immediately bowed deeply and sincerely apologized in the direction where Yuanshi had left. Her tone was earnest and fearful: "It was all Yaochi's careless words that caused trouble and angered Senior Brother Yuanshi. I hope Senior Brother will forgive me. In the future, I will not force any of the saints to accompany me in the worship of the Dao Ancestor. I will bear all the responsibility myself and will never cause any more trouble."

After apologizing, Yaochi turned around and bowed deeply to the five saints, Laozi, Tongtian, Nuwa, Jieyin, and Zhunti, filled with remorse: "Today, I have inadvertently caused a dispute among the saints and stirred up a great uproar. I deserve to die for this crime. I hope my fellow disciples will forgive me."

Taiqing Laozi waved his hand dismissively, his expression calm and unwavering: "Enough. The words have been spoken, the matter is settled. Yaochi, since you have the intention to honor your ancestors, then follow your heart and do whatever you wish."

What Yaochi did touched upon the Dao of several sages, and the sages would not all approve of it, each weighing their own advantages and disadvantages.

This is completely different from Haotian's behavior; Haotian's actions were a generalization!

You want to sit at the table and eat, and you also want everyone's approval? That's impossible. Li Bai already told Yaochi this a long time ago.

They also guessed who didn't want Yaochi to eat at the table, so they naturally formed an alliance early on!

Yaochi stabilizes the immortal path, unites all immortals, protects the order of all living beings, and undertakes the operation of the Great Dao of Creation. Nuwa directly benefits from this, so of course she has to acknowledge it, which naturally comes after weighing her own interests.

The Jie Sect valued the prosperity of the immortal path and the arrival of countless immortals. Yaochi established the immortal path independently, was not suppressed by the Heavenly Court, and treated all immortals kindly, which perfectly aligned with the Tongtian Dao, and they naturally stood on the same side.

The pursuit of non-action and tranquility aims only to maintain the order of the universe and ensure that someone can uphold the celestial order. Yaochi's ability to stabilize the situation, avoid reckless actions, and adhere to the rules aligns with Lao Tzu's philosophy of following the natural order.

The rise of Yaochi and its independent control over the immortal path will take away the discourse power and control of the Heavenly Dao from the Chan Sect, which will naturally lead to its exclusion and dissatisfaction.

The West seeks salvation, destiny, and profit from the chaos of the primordial order. While the Jade Pool maintains stability and the sages experience disagreements, they are merely spectators, reaping opportunities and remaining indifferent, secretly reaping the benefits.

This is the fundamental stance of several sages. Li Bai never sought to gain everyone's approval, but rather to delve into the pros and cons of each sage's own assessment, muddying the waters and securing his own position.

Now that things have come to this, the storm has gradually subsided, and the banquet is no longer as harmonious and elegant as before, but rather carries a hint of awkwardness and stagnation.

The powerful beings and celestial deities each composed themselves, and after a brief feast, they rose to take their leave and departed one after another.

The Peach Banquet ended somewhat unhappily, with all the sages departing.

When all the immortals had dispersed and the sages had returned to their respective abodes, the vast Jade Pool Wonderland returned to tranquility once more.

Yaochi also completed the sacrificial ceremony to the Dao Ancestor without any mistakes, thus directly fulfilling her position as the Grand Sacrificer of the Dao Ancestor.

The next moment, boundless and pure heaven and earth energy surged forth from the void of the nine heavens, like a tide, heavily enveloping the entire Yaochi Immortal Mountain.

A myriad of rays of light shone forth, Dao patterns flowed, and immortal mist rose. Between heaven and earth, the thoughts of all spirits, the approval of all heavens, and the awe of all immortals all transformed into a vast, intangible fortune, which surged wildly into the land of Yaochi and into the body of the Golden Mother of Yaochi.

Even though this grand gathering has caused some disagreement among the sages, only Yuanshi is displeased. Yet Yaochi's vision, methods, wisdom, forbearance, and counterattack have all been laid bare before the Three Realms.

He skillfully defused a deadly situation by subtly altering the course of events, publicly establishing his own power, severing ties with others, upholding the Tao and virtue, and demonstrating tact and restraint, thus subduing all the immense power of the primordial world.

From this moment on, everyone held Yaochi in higher regard, fully acknowledging Yaochi's legitimate status as the Great Celestial Venerable who ruled over all immortals, and no one regarded Yaochi as an appendage or mere accessory to Haotian anymore.

The protection of the sages directly gave Yaochi the ability to truly eat at the table in the primordial world.

You must understand that Yaochi herself has the qualifications and status to sit at the table, but what she lacks is prestige, cultivation, and courage!

The Lord of All Immortals is similar to the combined authority of the Queen Mother of the West and the King Father of the East. As the Great Celestial Venerable who rules over all immortals, his very identity is sufficient!

At this moment, one's reputation and fortune naturally soar, one's foundation in the Dao becomes solid, and one's path to immortality becomes smooth.

Yaochi stood quietly in the Yaochi Grand Hall, feeling the vast fortune flowing into her body and experiencing an unprecedented sense of security and confidence.

The initial caution has completely vanished today.

This was a huge leap forward for someone who had just arrived in the Heavenly Court, faced several saints, had nothing in the Jade Pool Immortal Realm, had no way to start, was plotted against by Haotian, and almost suffered eternal damnation. Then came the gathering of fortune and the recognition of the Three Realms!

For a moment, even in the Jade Pool, her nose tingled, her eyes reddened, and countless emotions welled up in her heart, bringing tears to her eyes.

My heart was filled with a mix of emotions: relief, joy, bittersweetness, and exhilaration. A thousand words were stuck in my throat, yet I didn't know how to express them.

After all the palace attendants and fairy maidens had left, and there was no one else around, only Li Bai remained.

Yaochi could no longer suppress the surging emotions in her heart. She quickly walked to Li Taibai, who was standing to the side, and reached out her trembling hand to tightly grasp his hands.

"Taibai... thank you... just as you planned, with its layers of ups and downs, its meticulous calculations, and its constant turmoil, it allowed me to completely break free from the shackles of the Heavenly Court and establish my own Yaochi foundation in the Three Realms of the Primordial World..."

Li Taibai nodded slightly: "Your Majesty, there's no need for such formality. This is not solely due to my efforts, but rather the result of our concerted efforts—our joint planning, our shared forbearance, and our collaborative breakthrough—that we have achieved this fruitful outcome. I too had many worries today, but we have ultimately overcome them successfully!"

Yaochi slowly shook her head, gazing deeply at Taibai: "Only you, my dear minister, are so thorough, seeing through the thoughts of all the sages so early and paving the way for me in advance. Back then, you advised me to befriend the sages and bring them in as external allies. If it weren't for your meticulous planning, I would never be so at ease today. I never imagined that Haotian would harbor such wolfish ambitions and ultimately couldn't resist framing me in public."

If you hadn't instructed me beforehand, teaching me how to break the deadlock, how to fight back, and how to establish my principles and character, given my past soft-heartedness and tendency to yield, I would surely have swallowed my anger, accepted the charges, and become a vassal of Haotian, doomed to eternal damnation…”

At this moment, the grievances that Yaochi had accumulated for millions of years, the exhilaration of finally being able to hold his head high, and the sudden sense of security of taking root and establishing himself were all intertwined in his heart.

Overwhelmed with emotion, I felt an overwhelming sense of gratitude and trust that I could not express. All my words were transformed into a silent reliance.

Looking at Taibai, who had always been planning for her and never abandoned her, Yaochi could no longer restrain herself.

She gently embraced Li Taibai.

It wasn't that I was emotional, but rather that I was overjoyed at suddenly surviving such a great calamity and had nowhere to release it!

............

Filled with resentment and frustration, Haotian traversed the chaos, breaking through the endless turbid air, speeding along until he finally stood alone outside the nine-layered cloud palace of Zixiao Palace.

The chaotic wind howled, cold and desolate. The entire Zixiao Palace was tightly closed, ancient and solemn, without a sound, isolating itself from all worldly disturbances.

Haotian knelt down in front of the palace gate: "Master...disciple Haotian pays respects to the Dao Ancestor."

"Today at the Peach Banquet in Yaochi, I merely spoke carelessly and inappropriately. Yet, my junior sister from Yaochi publicly challenged me, disregarding the eons of brotherhood and sisterhood with Zixiao, severing ties in court and undermining the foundation of the Heavenly Court. This has drawn the attention of all the immortals in the Three Realms, who have criticized me. Now, even the Sage says that I am narrow-minded, reckless, intolerant, and lack the magnanimity to rule the heavens. As a result of this chaos, the Heavenly Court has lost face and its order has been shaken."

As the Great Heavenly Venerable Haotian, I nominally rule over all the gods, but now the people's hearts are scattered, and the upper and lower ranks are not on the same page. Within the Heavenly Court, there is not a single person who truly supports me, and I have lost all my prestige in the Three Realms.

This disciple is incompetent, mishandled affairs, shallow-minded, and lacks capable subordinates, making it difficult to uphold the moral order of heaven and earth. Even fellow disciples cannot live in harmony; how then can I speak of governing the four seas, stabilizing the primordial world, and assisting the Great Dao?

I, your disciple, am aware that my virtue is unworthy of my position and my talent is inadequate. I am truly unqualified to continue sitting in this position of the Great Heavenly Venerable of the Heavenly Court.

I have come here today only to ask the Dao Ancestor for mercy, to rescind the imperial decree of the past, and to remove me from my position as Great Heavenly Venerable.

"This disciple willingly relinquishes the title of Emperor, retreats to a secluded corner, and dedicates himself to quiet cultivation and reflection, never again inquiring about the power of the Heavenly Court, lest he continue to hinder the overall situation of the Three Realms and disrupt the celestial order established by Your Excellency."

After a period of time, a vast, indifferent, and timeless voice of the Great Dao, spanning countless ages, slowly emanated from the depths of Zixiao Palace.

Without anger or joy, without warmth or severity, yet carrying the supreme pressure of the Heavenly Dao, his words clearly reached Haotian's ears: "Haotian, there's no need for further words. I already know the whole story—the Peach Banquet incident, your conflict with Yaochi, the rights and wrongs, the cause and effect. You should quickly return to the Heavenly Court, behave yourself, and reflect on your actions. As for governing the gods, I will naturally discuss that with the Sage!"

"This disciple bows in gratitude to the Dao Ancestor and takes his leave!"