Invincible Dad-Chapter 683 Boundless Sea_1

Above the White Clouds.

The female employees were dressed in light, eye-catching outfits and kept giggling when they saw Xu Lai.

"The boss’s wife is here!"

"Ma’am, would you like a peach? I grew them in my own garden. They’re super fresh."

"Are those peaches? Those are clearly cherries."

"...Why are you being such a perv!"

Hearing her colleagues’ risqué jokes, Liu Wan grinned to herself from within the crowd. The sight of her smile made Xu Lai pause, his heart filled with a quiet satisfaction. Liu Wan’s emotions are usually so muted. It seems Taotie’s appearance has really changed her.

After greeting the female employees, Xu Lai entered the office.

The secretary gave him a strange look before walking out and thoughtfully closing the door behind her. The air in the room inexplicably grew heavy.

"Honey," Xu Lai said, looking at the woman in the chair.

Ruan Tang had her beautiful legs crossed, nestled comfortably in the large black chair. Beneath her black shirt, two majestic peaks seemed to be hidden, and Xu Lai couldn’t help but steal several extra glances.

"So, are mine peaches or cherries?" Ruan Tang asked, seemingly out of the blue.

"Jealous?" Xu Lai chuckled. He scooped Ruan Tang out of the chair, sat down himself, and settled her onto his lap.

"Xiao Su has never once offered me a peach," Ruan Tang said with a half-smile.

Xu Lai remained silent.

Ruan Tang didn’t know it yet, but because of this one remark, the fruit bowl at home would from then on always be filled with peaches—so many that she would eventually feel sick at the very sight of them.

Ruan Tang shifted her body like a lazy cat, finding the most comfortable position to lie in Xu Lai’s arms.

"The item is on the desk."

"Mhm."

Xu Lai picked up a piece of paper. On it was an imprint of the third of the thirty-six Cloud Water Rust Characters. Below the character were dozens of messy lines Ruan Tang had drawn.

Xu Lai couldn’t make any sense of it. "Honey, can you explain this to me?"

Ruan Tang’s pretty face turned red.

Everyone analyzes and records things differently. Some use words, some use pictures, and others link together imagined events. Ruan Tang, however, used lines. In her view, everything in the world could be broken down into lines—language, food, even the Cloud Water Rust itself. By finding a line’s starting point, she believed she could trace it back to its origin through reverse-thinking.

Ruan Tang pointed to the messiest jumble of lines. "The Boundless Sea."

The Boundless Sea! Xu Lai frowned deeply. The Immortal Domain is vast, truly boundless. Even with my speed as an Emperor Realm expert, I haven’t managed to visit every corner in a hundred thousand years. It’s like how an ordinary person on Earth could never cross every stream, climb every mountain, or visit every village in their lifetime. But I have been to the Boundless Sea before. The entire Southern Immortal Domain is built upon it, with its stars and Star Systems standing like islands in a vast ocean. The scenery is unique and breathtakingly beautiful. Of the Four Immortal Domains, the Seventh Divine General loves the Southern Immortal Domain the most because of its abundance of food. The Starfish there are exceptionally delicious; they practically became a signature dish. But what is the meaning of this coordinate from the third Cloud Water Rust Character?

He looked at Ruan Tang, who seemed to understand his unspoken question and shook her head.

"That’s all it says. Beyond that... well, I’m not sure if it’s just my imagination, but judging from the lines, the Boundless Sea looks like a door."

A door! Xu Lai’s pupils contracted. He suddenly recalled what Elder Huang Quan had said about The Other Shore. Could this be the door that leads there? A desperate curiosity arose in his heart. He was itching to investigate and uncover its secrets. After all, the Cloud Water Rust had existed since before the last cycle; the information it held couldn’t be underestimated.

"Xu Lai, don’t go," Ruan Tang said softly.

"Hmm?"

"I feel that place is very dangerous..."

Ruan Tang clutched Xu Lai’s sleeve tightly, but knowing his personality, she slowly loosened her grip again. There’s no stopping him. I definitely can’t stop him. I can only hope that his Boundary is high enough for him to get through all the dangers safely.

"Here, here, and here."

Relying on her intuition, Ruan Tang pointed to three spots on the lines.

After a quick mental calculation of their specific locations, Xu Lai gave his wife a deep look. Those three places were indeed dangerous. To be precise, they were considered three forbidden realms.

"In the Boundless Sea, there is a flower called Bai Xue," Xu Lai began to explain. "It’s as crystal clear as a snowflake. For a hundred thousand miles around it, everything is frozen solid, with no living creatures in sight."

"That’s because it drains the life essence from all surrounding beings. Anyone below the Immortal Venerable Boundary who touches it dies instantly. Even some Quasi-Emperors have perished because of it, which is why it’s a forbidden realm."

"But it’s very beautiful," Xu Lai said earnestly. "How about I go pick some for you?"

"Picking flowers for me is just an excuse." Ruan Tang stared directly at him.

Xu Lai coughed. "That *is* the main purpose. The investigation is just something I’ll do on the side."

But Xu Lai didn’t plan on going right away. The Southern Immortal Domain was a long way from Earth, and the three Snowflowers were even farther from each other. A round trip would take at least three to five days.

After thinking it over, Xu Lai notified the Heavenly Court’s Fourth Divine General, Yan Chunfeng. This was the woman who had once rendered half of the Western Immortal Domain barren, and she was the one currently guarding the Southern Immortal Domain.

Of course, the main reason was that the Southern Immortal Domain was simply too vast. It was better to let Yan Chunfeng do some preliminary scouting and, while she was at it, pay a visit to the various major Tao Lineages and Holy Lands.

The Starfish of the Southern Immortal Domain were truly delicious. Those old geezers should get my meaning, right?

* * *

In the Eastern Immortal Domain, a streak of light shot silently through the void.

All Cultivators along its path, regardless of their Boundary, had no reaction whatsoever. This included the members of the Green Sect, the top sect in the Eastern Immortal Domain. Not a single Elder within the Sect Gate sensed a thing.

Only at the exact moment the streak of light vanished did Fairy Qing Yuan, who was meditating, frown. She gazed into the void and stretched out her full Divine Sense, as if trying to capture something.

Hmm? she thought, her brow deeply furrowed.

The little maid sitting behind Fairy Qing Yuan, who had been dozing off, suddenly woke with a start.

"Domain Master, what’s wrong?"

"Perhaps I’m overthinking it," Qing Yuan murmured, retracting her gaze. "If you’re tired," she said indifferently, "go back to your cave and rest."

"But how could I do that?" the little maid exclaimed, looking anxious. "I am your maid, Domain Master! Your right-hand woman! I can’t just abandon my post."

As soon as the words left her mouth, she scratched her head in embarrassment. After all, I spend most of my time here daydreaming and dozing off...

"Go back."

"Oh."

This time, the little maid didn’t talk back.

If Fairy Qing Yuan’s Divine Sense had extended just a little further, she would have witnessed a truly shocking scene.

Ninety-nine Divine Dragon carcasses lay strewn across the void. Their dragon bones, each one a hundred thousand zhang long, were a dazzling gold and emitted a sacred aura. Only those who had reached the Quasi-Emperor Realm would possess bones that shone with such a brilliant golden light. These were the remains of ninety-nine Divine Dragons of the Quasi-Emperor Realm!

The Golden Dragon Bones were shackled with chains, and they were dragging an enormous Bronze Coffin behind them. The macabre procession moved slowly forward, silently gliding through the starry sky, its destination the farthest eastern reaches of the Eastern Immortal Domain.

In that remote corner of the cosmos was a star called Earth.