Invincible Dad-Chapter 574 But I Want to Investigate_1

Gu Yan. He was the male giant in the Mass Burial Mound’s Barrier, and he was accompanied by a female giant. It was also at the Mass Burial Mound that Xu Lai had obtained the heart of the Great Emperor Youming, which still lay in his storage space.

The two giant corpses had been taken back to the Heavenly Court, where the second Divine General, Baize, was investigating their origins.

This black and red sword felt very unfamiliar to Xu Lai, yet there was also a hint of familiarity. The unfamiliarity was understandable, as he had never seen it before. That trace of familiarity, however, came from his experience entering the male giant’s realm of obsession, where he had briefly become the giant himself.

"This is Gu Yan’s sword."

Xu Lai carefully caressed the sword hilt. It was covered with fine cracks and an extremely primitive symbol, but unfortunately, the long passage of time had corroded it, making it difficult to discern.

"The most important part, the blade, is missing."

Xu Lai felt a tinge of regret. If this sword were whole, what kind of might would it possess? He would also be able to study it more closely.

BUZZ. BUZZ. BUZZ.

The Demon Sword, Mojian Wuzheng, suddenly rose into the air. The remnant wisp of the Artifact Spirit inside released a terrifying aura, as if it wanted to slay Xu Lai.

"There’s still an Artifact Spirit remaining."

Xu Lai was slightly surprised. If he wasn’t mistaken, the male giant Gu Yan and the female giant had been imprisoned in the Mass Burial Mound around a hundred epochs ago. Only during that time period could multiple Emperor Realm beings coexist under the same starry sky. For this sword’s spirit to have survived for a hundred epochs was truly astonishing.

Xu Lai considered searching its soul but quickly abandoned the idea. He feared his Divine Sense was so strong that the fragile spirit would collapse before he could even enter its memories.

"To get more useful information, this sword must be restored."

Xu Lai closed his eyes and performed a divination for a moment, learning that the sword had been unearthed from an island. He then shouted toward the tent behind him, "Honey, I have something to do. I’ll be back in a bit."

"Go ahead."

Ruan Tang, inside the tent, did not seem too surprised. From the moment Xu Lai saw that sword, his heart was no longer with her.

「Penglai Island.」

The island was shrouded in mist.

Inside the Sword Star Tower, dozens of Elders from the Penglai Sword Pavilion had gathered. They looked at their Pavilion Master, who stood with his hands clasped behind his back, gazing into the distant sky, their expressions a mixture of joy and sorrow.

"Pavilion Master, once the Mountain Protection Array is activated, not even a joint effort from the other Holy Lands could breach it. You are forcing Penglai into isolation." An Elder questioned, "Do you realize the chain reaction this action will trigger?"

For a whole day, Pavilion Master Xu Chen hadn’t said a word. But now, he turned around and said indifferently, "If Xiaoyao can kill Xu Lai, he can use the Demon Sword to shatter the Great Array."

"And what if Deng Xiaoyao dies?" another Elder asked.

"Impossible," the Pavilion Master spoke calmly. "Junior Brother Xiaoyao’s talent surpasses my own. He has returned after traveling the starry sky for seventy years; his Boundary is far beyond what it once was. Wielding the Demon Sword, he is more than capable of slaying any foe."

"Report!"

A male disciple ran in, flustered and out of breath. He stammered, "Reporting to the Elders and the Pavilion Master! A mysterious man has appeared outside the Sword Tomb."

"Is it Deng Xiaoyao?"

"That traitor has finally returned! Let’s go!"

The Elders were incensed. With the exception of Pavilion Master Xu Chen, every one of them was deeply dissatisfied with Deng Xiaoyao for leaving with the Demon Sword. With the Demon Sword unleashed, millions could die or be injured at every turn. The karmic weight was too heavy for them to bear.

"It doesn’t seem to be Senior Deng Xiaoyao..." the reporting disciple bit his lip, his face deathly pale. "It’s a strange man we’ve never seen before. He’s standing outside the Sword Tomb."

A brief silence fell over the Sword Star Tower as the expressions of all the Elders and the Pavilion Master changed drastically.

The Sword Tomb was the very foundation upon which the Penglai Sword Pavilion was established. Though the Demon Sword had been taken, a million other swords remained within, forged over a thousand years by countless Sword Pavilion predecessors or brought back from the outside world. Among them were famed treasures known throughout the ages, as well as obscure divine swords whose power was even greater.

SWOOSH! SWOOSH! SWOOSH!

Streaks of light like rainbows tore across the sky.

A few minutes later, all of the Penglai Sword Pavilion’s Elders—save for the few Supreme Elders immersed in meditating on the Dao Endowment—had gathered outside the Sword Tomb. They saw a young man in a white robe standing with his back to them. He was silent and still, without the slightest movement or word.

Pavilion Master Xu Chen raised an eyebrow. He said indifferently, "I am Xu Chen, the Pavilion Master of the Penglai Sword Pavilion. May I ask why you are hiding on our Penglai Island?"

All the Elders understood the implication of his words. He’s suggesting the man was already hiding on the island, not that he broke in. In this world, apart from Deng Xiaoyao who wielded the Demon Sword, there was likely no one else capable of breaking into the current Penglai Island. The Mountain Protection Array blocked any possibility of entry. So, Pavilion Master Xu Chen believed this man must have been hiding on the island for some time.

"I’ve come to ask a few questions," Xu Lai said, turning around with a smile. "Once I’m done, I’ll leave."

"You... you’re Xu Lai!" an Elder in the crowd suddenly exclaimed.

Xu Lai!

The name seemed to carry a magic of its own, causing the expressions of the other twenty-seven Elders to change once more. Only Pavilion Master Xu Chen remained composed. "So you are Xu Lai? My junior brother took the Demon Sword to kill you, but to think you—"

Before he could finish, Xu Lai thrust a sword into the ground.

In an instant, the entire Sword Tomb stirred restlessly, as a million swords trembled, releasing a terrifying Sword Intent that threatened to suppress it once more. 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

That sword.

It was the Mojian Wuzheng!

Pavilion Master Xu Chen was stunned. His voice trembled slightly. "My junior brother... is dead?"

"Yes."

"What Boundary are you at? My junior brother traveled the starry sky for seventy years! His Boundary was the mid-stage Golden Core, having long ago shattered Earth’s cultivation restrictions!" Xu Chen’s face twisted as he demanded, "Are you at the late-stage Golden Core? Or the peak?"

"I didn’t kill him," Xu Lai shook his head.

"Besides you, who else in Hua Country possesses such means?" Xu Chen questioned.

"My daughter, her preschool classmate, my wife’s sister, a storyteller, and a cashier girl with freckles," Xu Lai replied.

Xu Chen’s face turned ashen. "Xu Lai! Are you mocking my junior brother and our Penglai Sword Pavilion?!"

"I’ve answered three of your questions; now you must answer three of mine," Xu Lai said, ignoring Xu Chen’s outburst. "First, where did this sword come from? Second, where is the missing blade? And third..."

"Formation, rise!"

Xu Chen had no intention of answering. Clenching a Silver Fine Sword, he bellowed, and the Penglai Sword Pavilion’s Mountain Protection Array radiated a brilliant golden light.

Under the golden glow, one hundred thousand of the million swords within the Sword Tomb flew out, hovering a kilometer above Xu Lai’s head. With a single command from Xu Chen’s Divine Sense, the target would be pierced by ten thousand blades.

"Why make this so difficult?" Xu Lai sighed softly. "Just answer my questions, and I’ll leave. I won’t pursue the matter of your junior brother..."

"But I will pursue it!" Xu Chen’s face became ferocious. "My junior brother was a heaven-sent genius, destined to lead our Penglai Sword Pavilion away from this forsaken star called Earth! But you? You killed him! I would have no way to touch you in the outside world, but you never should have entered Penglai Island. With the Mountain Protection Array, I can command the million swords of the Sword Tomb. Killing you... will be as easy as flipping my hand!"