Su Fu pondered, “Looking at these role assignments, it seems to be based on the characteristics of their main gods. Yahweh, in the Divine Pantheon, is the lawgiver and creator of covenants like the Ten Commandments and the Old Testament, so Lin Xuanye becomes Canopus Star Lord, master of law and order.”
“And the Virgin Mary, with her maternal and compassionate traits, makes Lin Yaowei suitable to serve under Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva. As for the Moon Palace, Fire God, and Sun God, their assignments all align perfectly with their main god’s traits.”
Su Fu sighed quietly, ‘These aristocratic families really did enjoy every possible advantage.’
She was beginning to understand the Shen Yan AI’s role assignment rules: greater power meant greater responsibility.
The exam’s ultimate goal was to eliminate abnormalities.
These aristocrats, with their powerful main gods, outstanding abilities, and abundant resources, naturally were entrusted with important roles and given more advantageous characters.
Hence, their exam roles were all righteous gods, unlike ordinary examinees who usually only played maids or attendants.
But for Su Fu, that made them formidable opponents.
Especially the Lin siblings; coming from the Divine Pantheon gave them innate advantages.
The Divine Pantheon was renowned for its strict laws; its followers were taught from childhood to obey rules and discipline themselves.
This trait fit perfectly with the Heavenly Court’s mechanisms, where order and rules reigned supreme among the gods.
Thus, unlike the reckless Lou Gold Dog Star Lord who had to rely on privileges to break into Yaochi’s forbidden grounds, they lived safely by abiding by the rules.
Beyond that, she also obtained another important piece of information from them.
That Lou Gold Dog Star Lord had indeed been eliminated—and was eaten after being dragged into the Heavenly River.
‘Eaten…’ Su Fu repeated the word in her mind, a chill creeping down her spine.
So, just as she had suspected, Xiao Qi’s original plan was to let herself be devoured by that Heavenly River in the room?
What exactly were they feeding?
While she was deep in thought, the guiding attendant suddenly stopped ahead, respectfully stepping aside.
“Seven Fairies, we’ve arrived,” the attendant said softly.
Su Fu immediately refocused, lifting her eyes.
They were at the outskirts of the Peachtree Orchard, not far ahead was a thin golden mist acting as a barrier, separating the orchard from the outside world.
Two huge peach trees stood tall on either side of the entrance, lush and leafy, currently in full bloom, petals drifting gently in the breeze—an utterly refreshing sight.
Nearby stood a woman clad in a red fairy dress, graceful and upright.
Her figure was poised, her gown as bright as flames, with several golden hairpins in her coiffure, the gold and red complementing each other—stunning at a glance.
Su Fu’s heart tightened; this had to be the leader of the Seven Fairies, the Red-Clothed Fairy.
Legend said she was the Queen Mother of the West’s most favored fairy, the actual manager of the Peachtree Orchard, and also the strongest among the Seven Fairies.
At that moment, the Red-Clothed Fairy looked over, her gaze sharp as a blade.
“Xiao Qi,” she said in a cold, clear voice, “Is the fertilizer ready?”
‘Fertilizer?’
Su Fu controlled her expression and nodded lightly, “It’s all arranged.”
Just as she had suspected, the Red-Clothed Fairy was involved too—planning to use the original owner, Qionghua, as “fertilizer” to feed something.
Fertilizer… what could that mean?
Looking at the drifting peach blossoms and the fairy in charge of the Peachtree Orchard, a bold guess surfaced in her mind.
The Seven Fairies were responsible for managing the orchard, ensuring the Peaches of Immortality grew smoothly and matured.
Perhaps they were feeding these “fertilizers” to the peaches?
And the fertilizer could be abnormalities—or even examinees.
Meaning abnormalities might be killing each other, and examinees could be used as fertilizer… possibly because they could provide divine power.
Hearing Su Fu’s reply, the Red-Clothed Fairy’s gaze lingered on her face for a few seconds.
Su Fu remained expressionless as the fairy scrutinized her.
This Red-Clothed Fairy was truly powerful—or rather, completely at ease.
Her attitude toward the Seven Fairies was not that of a sister, but more like a superior.
Then, as if chatting casually, the fairy said with a light tone, “This batch of peaches is especially ripe this year, their fragrance carries far, attracting quite a few guests.”
Su Fu’s heart skipped a beat; a cold wave immediately spread through her entire body.
What did the fairy mean by that?
Had her disguise been exposed?
Su Fu tensed every nerve.
But in the next moment, the fairy’s tone shifted: “However, the fertilizer supply has become quite ample.”
Suddenly, Su Fu understood—the fairy was hinting she needed to capture more examinees to feed whatever dwelled in the Heavenly River.
It wasn’t suspicion of her identity but an assignment.
Su Fu bowed her head slightly and nodded in agreement, “Indeed.”
Upon hearing this, the fairy nodded faintly, satisfaction showing on her face, “But be careful from now on; don’t act alone anymore.”
She squinted her eyes, “What if those others operate as a group…”
Her words trailed off, but the warning was clear.
Su Fu immediately nodded, acknowledging the message.
She thought to herself: No wonder the fairy dispatched so many to ‘assist’ the Seven Fairies—not just to urge her on, but to ensure success without mishaps.
This fairy was truly vigilant.
She mustn’t let her discover her identity.
Su Fu warned herself silently.
This fairy was not only powerful but also meticulous and cautious, with defenses everywhere.
If she slipped up even slightly, she would probably be the next to be sent into the Heavenly River.
At that moment, the fairy suddenly turned around, her tone changing: “Let’s go. You’re the last. Today you must pick at least ten Peaches of Immortality that have matured for three thousand years, preparing for the upcoming Peach Banquet.”
Su Fu suppressed her joy but couldn’t hide it entirely.
As one of the Seven Fairies, she should have felt excited about picking peaches.
Finally, the main event: the Peachtree Orchard!
The Red-Clothed Fairy glanced at her sideways and finally smiled faintly, “What’s the rush?”
Hearing this, Su Fu immediately obediently masked her expression, secretly cursing in her heart—sure enough, a schemer who was still spying on her.
A wave of lingering fear welled up inside her.
Luckily, she knew what peaches were and naturally showed some delight.
If it were any other examinee unaware of the significance, they’d have long been found out by this schemer.
Previously, when the real Seven Fairies mentioned the peaches, their expressions were excited too; if she acted too indifferent, it would definitely arouse suspicion.
Su Fu followed the Red-Clothed Fairy forward, but noticed the attendants behind did not follow—they stood still, faces full of envy.
Su Fu understood then—only the Seven Fairies could enter the Peachtree Orchard.
Passing through the golden mist barrier, the scene suddenly opened up.
The Peachtree Orchard was truly a mythical paradise, vast and boundless, like another world.
Countless peach trees densely stood, endless in number.
Every day, the dazzling peach blossoms looked like clouds or seas, scattered among the lush green leaves—some in bud, some in full bloom.
Pink peach blossoms and golden Peaches of Immortality bloomed together on the branches, eternal spring, never fading.
The peach flowers were as large as bowls, crimson as rouge, petals thick like jade, with abundant fruit emitting a fragrant aroma.
Beneath the trees were various strange flowers, colorful and diverse—some flickered like flames, others seemed like frozen crystals.
The orchard also contained exquisite pavilions and halls, with carved beams and painted rafters, golden and resplendent, suspended in midair, shrouded in mist, appearing and disappearing.
Truly a fairyland beyond compare.
But what enchanted her most was the strong peach fragrance, delightfully soothing—no wonder the Seven Fairies had been so joyous before.
It was hard not to feel happy visiting such a place.
The fairy walked and explained: “Be sure to select only fully matured Peaches of Immortality.”
She scanned the orchard, finally settling on a peach tree.
With a light leap, she flew to the treetop and gently picked a large peach, which fell into her palm.
She floated down gracefully and showed the peach to Su Fu.
“See? This is a Peach of Immortality matured for three thousand years.”
This peach was much larger than ordinary ones—about the size of a human head, its skin a rich camel red, glossy and enticing.
Most importantly, a strong fragrance emanated from the fruit, intoxicating anyone who smelled it.
Su Fu silently marveled; without mentioning its effects, the peach alone was a top-quality treasure.
“And those that are not yet ripe,” the fairy pointed to peaches on other trees, “are usually smaller and have greenish skin.”
Su Fu nodded; not only the color but also the shape was less full and plump.
Seeing that Su Fu understood, the Red-Clothed Fairy handed her a bamboo basket.
“Ten peaches. No more, no less. Make sure they’re fully matured. And they must be flawless. The Queen Mother of the West has very high standards for the Peach Banquet. Not a single mistake can be made.”
After the instructions, the fairy pointed toward the southeast of the orchard, “Go that way. It’s near your sixth sister’s area. The area is quite large; it might be a bit tough.”
Peach blossoms fell like rain throughout the orchard.
Su Fu smiled brightly, “It won’t be tough.”
What was there to be tough about?
She was too excited now—finally, she could pick Peaches of Immortality, and openly at that.
Taking the basket, Su Fu gave a slight bow to the Red-Clothed Fairy, then headed in the designated direction.
The Peachtree Orchard was immense.
Not long after she entered the southeastern area, the fairy’s figure had already disappeared into the thick peach groves.
She confirmed from the perspective of a bird flying in the sky—indeed, the fairy had left to pick her own peaches.
Only then did Su Fu relax slightly.
At that moment, Shen Yan AI’s voice suddenly sounded:
[“Divine Object Detected: Peachtree Orchard·Peach”]
[“Type: Three-Thousand-Year Peach (Mature)”]
[“Grade: A-level Divine Object”]
[“Effect: Contains abundant divine power, consumption extends and enhances longevity, boosts cultivation, grants immunity to all diseases, and rapid recovery…”]
Another alert sounded:
[“Divine Object Detected: Peachtree Orchard·Peach”]
[“Type: Three-Thousand-Year Peach (Unripe)”]
[“Grade: B-D level Divine Object”]
[“Effect: Contains divine power, consumption boosts cultivation…”]
Su Fu glanced around and saw that every peach in the orchard was clearly marked with Shen Yan AI’s prompts:
Mature peaches glowed with a red aura; unripe ones with a green aura.
This meant these peaches had Shen Yan certification.
They were genuine divine objects—not illusions or traps, but real Peaches of Immortality.
But Su Fu hesitated for a moment, ‘Wait… Something wasn’t right. Why hadn’t Shen Yan AI been so proactive in displaying information before?’
Now, not only was it actively reminding her, but it even thoughtfully differentiated the red and green halos for easy identification.
It was practically guiding her to pick the peaches.
Su Fu suddenly understood and suspiciously said, “Shen Yan, you’re not doing this on purpose, are you?”
It was known that only the Seven Fairies could enter the Peachtree Orchard.
The other five fairies had obviously entered their own designated areas, leaving only the Red-Clothed Fairy and the Seven Fairies.
But the Red-Clothed Fairy, as leader of the Seven Fairies and one of the highest-level abnormalities in this instance, was extremely difficult to bypass.
Sneaking past her was nearly impossible.
So the only breakthrough… was the Seven Fairies.
And the Seven Fairies’ weak point happened to be Qionghua the Fairy, who had a demon identity.
Therefore, Shen Yan must have been targeting the peaches in the Peachtree Orchard from the very beginning.
Though Qionghua was a demon with low status and high risk, if she survived and replaced a Seven Fairy, the rewards would be enormous.
“Tut tut,” Su Fu mused, “I didn’t expect you, Shen Yan, with your bold face, to do this kind of thing—trying to pluck the peaches of these demons.”
But she had to admit, the plan was clever.
Now that she had successfully entered the Peachtree Orchard, the treasure was right before her, within reach.
Su Fu sighed inwardly, ‘Since that was the case, I would accept it without hesitation. Peaches of Immortality, here I come!’