Invincible Dad-Chapter 605: Is Qian Xiao Dead?_1

And so, Qian Xiao was beaten up, brutally. If he hadn’t been clever enough to yell, "Fairy, I was wrong," he might have been beaten to death by Ruan Lan. Even so, he still ended up with two large bumps on his head.

The trio flew for nearly half an hour. Had they not used the short-distance Teleportation Array left behind by three peak Divine Gate experts who had died a century ago, the flight might have taken several times longer. After all, their destination was a thousand miles from Chang’an City.

There was no sunlight, leaving them in near-total darkness. Fortunately, all three were cultivators and could just barely make things out, so they weren’t completely blind.

"Auntie," Qian Xiao said nervously, the two big bumps on his head throbbing, "are we there yet?"

"It’s nearby," Ruan Lan replied, her expression serious.

She had gotten a map from Xu Wandao that showed a formidable Moon Clan tribe in the vicinity. Three miles beyond that was the Sea of the Moon, an area the Moon Clan regarded as forbidden. The Primordial Grass they were looking for was located somewhere between the two.

"Be careful," Ruan Lan cautioned. "There might be Moon Clan powerhouses lurking near the Primordial Grass."

"Mm-hmm."

Xu Yiyi and Qian Xiao both nodded. Although their strengths were similar, they still regarded Ruan Lan as their ’boss.’

"Follow my commands," Ruan Lan instructed again, feeling uneasy. "I’ll give each of you a speed array. If there’s danger, run immediately!"

Obsessed with studying formations, Ruan Lan had made significant progress recently. She could now manage ordinary small formations with ease, and even slightly more complex ones could be set up within three to five minutes. The only things that still gave her trouble were the two Starlight Arrays and the Zhoutian Star Fighting Formation. These three formations were terrifyingly complex, and many might spend a lifetime trying to understand them. If not for the help of the Formation Chessboard, Ruan Lan couldn’t have activated even the simplest version of the Starlight Array.

After speaking sternly for a while longer, Ruan Lan led Yiyi and Qian Xiao, stealthily approaching the area where the Primordial Grass grew.

It was a depression. Unlike the other desolate areas on the Moon’s surface, this basin, about the size of two or three soccer fields, had a stalk of grass growing every few meters. This was the Primordial Grass, the spirit plant Zhang Suzi had said could save lives by stabilizing injuries and prolonging life for a few hours.

"Sister Yiyi, it seems like there’s no one around," Qian Xiao whispered, cautiously observing their surroundings.

Yiyi blinked her big eyes. Indeed, there was no one nearby.

Ruan Lan was stunned. Primordial Grass was a spirit plant. Although it couldn’t heal injuries instantly, it could buy someone a few more hours of life. Why hadn’t the Moon Clan stationed guards here? Weren’t they afraid of it being stolen?

"You two stay here. I’ll go ahead and check out the situation," Ruan Lan said gravely. "This might be a plot by the Moon Clan. We can’t be careless..."

She crouched down, reinforcing her body with the defensive Starlight Array, and crept toward the Primordial Grass.

Five hundred meters.

Four hundred meters.

Three hundred meters.

Suddenly, Ruan Lan retreated. Spiritual Energy instantly surged through Xu Yiyi’s and Qian Xiao’s bodies, ready to support her at a moment’s notice.

But the Moon Clan members they expected did not appear.

Ruan Lan scratched her head. "Could there really be no one from the Moon Clan here?"

"Auntie, why did you come back just now?" Yiyi asked, bewildered.

"I had a feeling someone was watching us."

Yiyi looked at Ruan Lan, her expression full of awe. As expected of Auntie. Her Divine Sense is so keen, yet I didn’t sense a thing at all. Xu Yiyi, you still have a long way to go, she thought to herself.

Ruan Lan continued to probe forward, cautiously and tensely. This time, she got within two hundred meters of the Primordial Grass.

Then, with a WHOOSH, she retreated again.

Thinking she had discovered something, Yiyi and Qian Xiao tensed up once more.

After waiting for three minutes, Ruan Lan said earnestly, "Why isn’t anyone attacking me? I clearly felt a gaze on me. There must be a trap here."

"As expected of Auntie, to have even noticed that," Qian Xiao exclaimed.

"You must always be cautious when you’re out and about. I’ll test it one more time."

After speaking, Ruan Lan moved forward again. This time, she reached a spot about one hundred meters from the Primordial Grass. Just as Yiyi and Qian Xiao thought she would finally push forward and pick the herbs, Ruan Lan withdrew again...

She pressed down on the two youngsters’ heads, warning, "Something’s not right. It’s too quiet. There’s definitely something strange going on."

"...Auntie, I think you’re overreacting," Qian Xiao muttered.

"You’re still young. You don’t know how treacherous the world is, let alone the hearts of others," Ruan Lan said gravely. "Perhaps the Moon Clan is hiding in the shadows, waiting to ambush us the moment we pick the Primordial Grass."

"Really? I can’t sense anyone nearby though..." Qian Xiao sounded skeptical. "Auntie, are you scared?"

"Me, scared?" Ruan Lan’s eyes widened. "Little Qian, you’re hilarious. I am the revered Sect Hierarch of the Star Origin Sect, the number one beauty of the Four Immortal Domains, and a prodigy Array Master. You think I would be scared?"

"Yes," Yiyi nodded firmly. "You do seem a little..."

"Yiyi, you don’t understand," Ruan Lan began to lecture earnestly. "When you’re out and about..."

She rambled on and on, the gist of it being that caution was paramount.

Qian Xiao, his head aching from her lecture, finally braced himself and stepped out of their hiding spot, walking quickly forward. Soon, he was approaching the Primordial Grass—one hundred meters, fifty meters...

Ruan Lan was shocked and sent a Divine Sense message, "Come back, it’s dangerous!"

Qian Xiao ignored her and kept advancing.

Forty meters.

Thirty meters.

Twenty meters.

As he drew closer to the Primordial Grass, Qian Xiao’s heart began to pound, but he was confident in his strength. After all, he cultivated his physique. He was peerless in raw strength and could take far more punishment than other cultivators of his level. Non-fatal injuries were nothing to him.

For the last twenty meters, Qian Xiao proceeded with extreme caution. Ruan Lan was so nervous she hardly dared to breathe and quickly covered her eyes.

An unknown amount of time passed.

Yiyi touched her forehead. "Auntie, you can open your eyes now."

"Did Qian Xiao die?"

"..."

Qian Xiao stood before Ruan Lan, holding over a hundred stalks of Primordial Grass taller than himself. His expression was incredibly complex. I thought Auntie was a master, but it turns out she’s even more timid than I am...

Ruan Lan opened her eyes. Seeing Qian Xiao safe and sound, she was just about to offer some praise when her pupils constricted. She quickly pulled Qian Xiao behind her, her expression turning ugly.

"What’s wrong?" Qian Xiao couldn’t see anything, his vision blocked by the massive bundle of Primordial Grass.

Xu Yiyi’s face turned pale. More than a dozen Moon Clan members had emerged from the darkness and were now staring at the three of them with icy expressions.

"Audacious humans, stealing the Primordial Grass! This is a tribute for the Moon King!" The Moon Clan member in the lead was a young man dressed in fine brocade, his face a mask of extreme cold.