Invincible Dad-Chapter 651 He’s Afraid_1

"Just in time!" Ruan Lan continued. "I found that the core of the Formation Chessboard actually has dozens of seals, and the first seal is the ’Yuanshen Formation’..."

At this, she scratched her head. "I didn’t mean to use this against you, brother-in-law. I just wanted to understand it."

"Let me see." Xu Lai held out his hand, and Ruan Lan hurriedly passed the Formation Chessboard to him.

After a brief inspection, Xu Lai’s brows furrowed deeply.

"Brother-in-law, what is it?" Ruan Lan leaned her head closer, her voice tight with tension. She had no desire to die an unwitting death.

"Heh." Xu Lai glanced at her. "So *now* you remember to call me brother-in-law?"

Ruan Lan pouted, her beautiful eyes glaring. "What nonsense are you talking about, brother-in-law? In my heart, you’ve always been my dearest, dearest brother-in-law. Even if you divorce my sister in the future, you’ll still be my brother-in-law!"

"Sisters are temporary, but a brother-in-law is forever. The two of us will always be family."

Ruan Lan mercilessly sold her sister out. The implication in her words made Ruan Tang feel uneasy no matter how she looked at it.

When it came to telling people what they wanted to hear, her younger sister’s talent was remarkably high.

Xu Lai didn’t keep her in suspense. "There are seventy-two seals in the Formation Chessboard. You were lucky you only triggered the first one."

"The Primordial Spirit sealed inside is so weak that it’s only hanging on by a thread. Otherwise, your body would have been possessed long ago," Xu Lai said nonchalantly.

The color drained from Ruan Lan’s face. "I knew it! It wasn’t just you, brother-in-law, who had designs on my body!"

Xu Lai: ???

Ruan Tang: ???

Ruan Lan coughed. "Sister, don’t get me wrong. I’d never give in."

Her eyes, however, were full of mischief, as she clearly hadn’t forgotten the grudge from being locked out of their room that morning.

But Ruan Tang knew her sister’s personality well. She just rolled her eyes and said, "Xu Lai, keep going."

Xu Lai’s expression darkened. What was there for him to covet about her flat-as-a-board chest?

But since his wife had spoken, Xu Lai continued, "The seventy-two seals are seventy-two trials. Only when you’ve undone them all will the Formation Chessboard truly acknowledge you as its master. Otherwise, you can’t use its full power."

"Huh? But I can clearly control it..." Ruan Lan said, stunned.

"Is a long-term, improper relationship between a man and a woman the same as a legal marriage?" Xu Lai retorted with a sideways glance.

"..."

The explanation, though crude, was easy enough to understand.

Ruan Lan fumed, "That nasty old man from the Star Origin Sect is the worst! Why create all this mess? I almost died!"

Xu Lai pursed his lips. There was something else he hadn’t mentioned: this Formation Chessboard was a genuine Emperor Artifact embryo. If Ruan Lan could reach the Immortal Venerable realm, it would become a supreme Immortal Artifact. If she reached the Quasi-Emperor realm, it would be a perfect Quasi-Emperor Artifact. And if she entered the Emperor Realm... the Formation Chessboard would become an undisputed Emperor Artifact!

In truth, the Star Origin Sect’s Sect Hierarch had already shown considerable restraint. For a treasure of this caliber, wouldn’t it normally have a thousand restrictions to live up to its status as an Emperor Artifact embryo?

But credit where credit was due, Ruan Lan’s luck was truly incredible to have him as her brother-in-law.

Xu Lai asked, "There are seventy-one seals left. I can undo them all for you. The chessboard will then grow stronger as your Boundary improves."

"No need!" Ruan Lan snatched the chessboard back.

She, Fairy Ruan, had her pride to consider.

First, she’d been mocked by Xu Lai for not being able to inscribe formations on a Jade Slip. After finally overcoming that technical hurdle and preparing to show off, she’d been ignored and had the door shut in her face. Then, to make matters worse, she’d tried to learn a new formation to put her smug brother-in-law in his place, only to nearly lose her life...

Her skin might be thick, but even she couldn’t withstand this series of blows. Ruan Lan desperately wanted to raise a middle finger to the heavens and ask why life insisted on crushing a beautiful young woman like her.

"In the end, I was the one who shouldered it all!" Ruan Lan declared, her face a mask of worldly detachment.

After returning to her room to change, she left without even eating breakfast. She headed straight for the Martial Dao Association, clearly eager to get away from Haitang Court.

Did something I say upset her? Xu Lai wondered, but he couldn’t think of anything he’d said that was out of line.

To be fair, though, the seventy-two trials left by the Star Origin Sect’s ancestor were already quite lenient; someone at the peak of the Immortal Venerable realm could probably solve them all. It was good that Ruan Lan had the desire to be self-reliant. If she ran into any real danger, he, as her brother-in-law, could always lend a hand.

"Honey," Ruan Tang suddenly hugged Xu Lai, her voice so sweet it seemed to melt right into his bones. "Come home early from work today. I have a surprise for you."

"What surprise?" Xu Lai’s eyes brimmed with anticipation.

"Guess."

"Could it be that your company has a new clothing line?" Xu Lai’s eyes burned with eagerness.

Ruan Tang fell silent.

"No? Then did you prepare some kind of gift for me?" he mused, stroking his chin.

Ruan Tang still said nothing.

Just as he was about to ask again, she placed a finger on his lips, stopping him. "You’ll find out tonight."

Ruan Tang gave Xu Lai a quick peck, light as a dragonfly skimming the water’s surface, then headed upstairs with a waft of perfume to wake their daughter.

It was only morning, but Xu Lai found himself looking forward to the evening even more. What could the surprise be?

* * *

The deaths of the eleven old sect masters sent shockwaves through the Hua Country’s Martial Dao community. The three sects, eight pavilions, and the Martial Dao Association could hardly hide their sorrow and anger.

Those were eleven Peak of Golden Core experts, the pinnacle of Hua Country’s Martial Dao prowess! Yet, they had died so silently, without a trace...

It was no exaggeration to say this dealt another heavy blow to Hua Country’s Martial Dao, which was already reeling from the battle in Chang’an City.

Fortunately, the younger generation of Hua Country was stepping up to take the lead. For example, there was Ruan Lan, the master of enigmatic formations; Qian Xiao, whose physique was unmatched; and Xu Die, the fearsome swordswoman. And, of course, Xu Yiyi!

The sudden emergence of these few had injected fresh blood into Hua Country’s Martial Dao. In both talent and strength, they far outstripped the famous older generation, creating a clear trend of the new wave overtaking the old.

Of course, all of this was inextricably linked to Xu Lai. Although he had promised the Heavenly Dao he would try not to interfere, the saying ’when one person attains the Dao, even their chickens and dogs ascend with them’ held true.

Even without Xu Lai’s deliberate help, Earth’s cultivation environment had improved dramatically. Putting aside the Sword Ranking—which was formed from a wisp of Qingfeng Sword Intent and whose power was unmatched in the entire Immortal Domain’s swordsmanship—the two Dragon Veins of Mount Fu and Mount Haitang alone were enough to bless Hua Country for ten thousand years!

The Moon Clan knew this as well. Especially the Moon King; it could be said that no one in the Moon Clan understood Xu Lai better than he did.

His avatar had been lurking in the Yunxiao Sect for nearly three hundred years, diligently managing the sect as part of a flawless disguise. Since the Yunxiao Sect controlled a network in Hua Country consisting of three major sects, nine pavilions, and twelve sub-sects, his avatar used this power to ruthlessly exploit them, gaining vast amounts of intelligence and cultivation resources.

After a century of searching for clues, the Moon King’s avatar finally discovered that Mojian Wuzheng, the sword sealed in the Penglai Sword Tomb, was part of the key.

Overjoyed, he was just about to issue a sect-wide order when he discovered that not only was the sword missing, but the entire Sword Pavilion had been annihilated.

And the perpetrator was none other than the very man that the entity from the forbidden Sea of the Moon—after three hundred years of silence—had just contacted him for the first time to order killed: Xu Lai!

Thus, the Moon King went from being nonchalant at first, to serious, and now to feeling as if he were facing a formidable enemy. 𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞

He was afraid.