Invincible Dad-Chapter 653_1

As for what felt wrong, Xu Lai had a nagging feeling that there was something beneath the artificial lake.

He glanced over.

The lake, the size of a soccer field, evaporated in an instant. Within the roughly ten-meter-deep pit, there wasn’t a single life form.

That’s right—not one living thing!

The entire artificial lake was a dead lake, utterly devoid of life. Forget fish, shrimp, or shellfish; there wasn’t even any aquatic vegetation or plankton. The place was like a forbidden zone for life, and its silence was so profound it was terrifying to contemplate.

"Heh."

A smile touched the corner of Xu Lai’s lips. No wonder he had felt something was off earlier.

He stomped his foot fiercely. The bottom of the artificial lake cracked, and a yellow river suddenly surged forth, its bed flowing with eerie blue sand.

This was the Netherworld!

Aboard a small boat on the river was an old man wearing a conical hat. He looked at Xu Lai with immense emotion.

"As expected of the Supreme Emperor. You discovered me even with your Divine Sense and five senses shut off. I’m impressed."

"You’re truly incorrigible."

Xu Lai’s face was expressionless. "I let you escape last time. Now you dare appear before me again? Do you really think you can flee a second time?"

With that, Xu Lai’s hand shot out to grab him.

There was no surge of Spiritual Energy, just an ordinary grab, yet it caused heaven and earth to change color and the void to shatter.

"Hahaha."

Elder Huang Quan laughed heartily. The Netherworld beneath his boat surged forward, only to be split in two by Xu Lai’s grasp. The old man didn’t seem to care, as the two severed halves of the river merged back into one.

He spoke in a slow, leisurely manner, "Emperor Qingfeng, I’ve come today to make a deal with you."

"You’ve met Great Emperor Yin Yang, so you must know about the Fallen Emperor Epoch. The Netherworld only appears during the Fallen Emperor Epoch."

Elder Huang Quan’s words made Xu Lai’s eyes flash. "Continue."

"I’m not afraid to tell you the truth."

Elder Huang Quan took a blood-red gourd from his robe, leisurely uncorked it, and took a sip of wine. He grinned, revealing a mouthful of startlingly yellow teeth.

"Aside from the son of Great Emperor Yin Yang, whose fate was completely obscured by the Tree of Eternal Life, most children of the Emperor Realm have either died young or gone missing."

"You did this," Xu Lai stated, neither pleased nor angry.

"Of course not. How could I commit such a base act?"

Elder Huang Quan looked up at the scorching sun, not finding it harsh at all. Instead, he seemed to be savoring its long-lost warmth. He spoke with a hint of disdain, "Besides, I’m just a ferryman. I’m nothing like those old dogs from the Nine Kings’ Palace who have forsaken everything and committed all sorts of shameless deeds in their quest for eternal life."

"The Nine Kings’ Palace is comprised of nine Emperors who have lived for a very long time. They’ve made deals with certain beings to stay alive."

Xu Lai asked, word by word, "That includes plundering the children of other Emperors and even... hunting Emperors themselves."

"Mhm."

Elder Huang Quan nodded as if what he was saying wasn’t some great secret but merely an insignificant trifle.

Xu Lai’s expression remained calm.

However, a storm of shock rose in his heart. Although he had suspected it before, he was still incredibly shaken now.

"One cycle is a hundred epochs. The Ferryman only appears in the final one, the Fallen Emperor Epoch."

"They’re lucky. Death is an end for them. But your daughter... her luck isn’t so good."

For the first time, a look of pity crossed Elder Huang Quan’s face. "Her fate is truly unfortunate, as is yours."

"I’ve never believed in fate," Xu Lai said lightly.

"I know you don’t, but sometimes you have no choice but to believe," Elder Huang Quan said earnestly. "Many, many people are going to die in the Fallen Emperor Epoch. I can take nine people away, and I can help you by taking one."

"Leave where?"

"Leave this universe. Set foot upon the true Immortal Path, a path that was severed countless cycles ago."

"..."

Xu Lai suddenly looked up. "Earth still has Sikong Jiu. What does it have to do with the Immortal Path? The stars in the Immortal Domain are countless, yet one of the nine keys lies here."

Elder Huang Quan laughed silently.

He tilted his head back and drank his liquor in large gulps, the alcohol spilling down his chin and onto his collar.

"Sikong Jiu is no good, and Jing Ke is a traitor. But to do it for love... that’s understandable."

"The Immortal Path on Earth is broken."

"In this sea of stars, the Emperor Realm is the end of the line for cultivation. Those Ancient Great Emperors always naively believed the forbidden lands were the way forward."

"They wanted to break through, searching for eternal life, seeking their immortal destiny."

"And in the end?"

"Not one of them met a good end."

"They always think they are unique. Indeed, in their respective epochs, they were. But one cycle isn’t that long."

"What about ten, a hundred, a thousand, or even ten thousand cycles?"

"In the great river of time, even an Emperor is but a speck of dust. Why bother thinking oneself so extraordinary, so desperate to be different?"

"What’s so bad about just blending in with the crowd?"

As if drunk, Elder Huang Quan muttered to himself, but many of his words left Xu Lai silent.

After a long sigh, Elder Huang Quan stood up and said meaningfully, "A tree that stands taller than the forest will be felled by the wind."

Xu Lai had no idea from what corner this expert, a Ninth Heaven Quasi-Emperor, had emerged. But at least today, the man seemed to bear no ill will. On the contrary, he had proactively shared information with Xu Lai.

"I know you have the key," Elder Huang Quan said seriously. "Give me the No Righteous Sword, and I’ll take your daughter away."

I have a key?

This time, it was Xu Lai’s turn to be stunned.

Then Elder Huang Quan was also stunned. "You don’t know?"

"..."

Their eyes met, and both fell silent.

After a long pause, Elder Huang Quan spoke. "If I offered to trade that information for the No Righteous Sword, would you agree?"

Xu Lai nodded. "I would."

"The sword," Elder Huang Quan said, holding out his hand directly.

"No," Xu Lai replied, shaking his head.

Elder Huang Quan stomped his foot in anger. "You are an Emperor of this age! How can you go back on your word?"

"I always do what I promise. Why should I do something I never agreed to?" Xu Lai said calmly.

Elder Huang Quan stared fiercely at Xu Lai.

After a long moment, he let out a turbid breath. "Fine. Give me the key, and I’ll help your daughter escape the impending Fallen Emperor Epoch."

"That won’t be necessary."

Xu Lai’s expression was icy. "My daughter is my own to protect."

"Fine then," Elder Huang Quan sighed. "In that case, I’ll be going."

Xu Lai stood his ground, neither stopping nor detaining him. Regardless of the old man’s true purpose today, much of what he said had been of great help to Xu Lai.

Elder Huang Quan gave Xu Lai one last, deep look. On his face, a face etched with the passage of time, an expression of profound pity suddenly appeared.

"How wonderful it would be if we could meet on The Other Shore."

"Where is The Other Shore?"

It was a question Elder Huang Quan was fated not to answer. He lightly tapped his foot on the bamboo boat. The Netherworld surged and vanished from Earth in the blink of an eye, and the dry artificial lake returned to its former state. As leaves fell, ripples spread across the water’s surface.

However, having been corroded by the Netherworld, this lake could never again sustain life.