Invincible Dad-Chapter 704 If I Can’t Return_1

After leaving the tavern, with no outsiders present, the Fourth Divine General, Yan Chunfeng, no longer addressed him as ’Young Master’. Instead, she spoke with reverence, "Supreme Emperor, I will follow you into the Forbidden Grounds."

"I’ll go alone."

Xu Lai stopped in his tracks. "If I don’t return, please deliver a message to Ruan Tang for me."

"Rest assured, Supreme Emperor. I will inform the Matriarch that a cenotaph will be erected in your honor." Yan Chunfeng’s voice remained gentle.

"...I want you to tell her that I’m definitely still alive. Tell her to wait for my return and not to do anything reckless."

"Understood."

Yan Chunfeng blushed. Perhaps I was overthinking things. With The Supreme Emperor’s power, how could he possibly fail to return?

"So, Divine General Yan can blush too," Xu Lai remarked in surprise. It was the first time he had ever seen her like this.

"I will be sure to relay that little jest to the Matriarch."

"..."

He had already taken his daughter to Qingfeng Camp. With Divine General Taotie on Earth, Xu Lai had no lingering worries. He teleported into the million-mile radius of the Snowflower Forbidden Grounds, and the world before him changed in an instant.

The towering, cloud-piercing cities were gone, replaced by a world forged from ice. It was as if he had stepped into an ice age.

The view was desolate, filled with nothing but snow and ice.

Xu Lai raised his eyebrows. Remarkably, beneath his feet lay an Ice Crystal Stone Vein, evident from the countless, seemingly bottomless pits scarring the landscape. These pits were dug by cultivators who risked their lives to mine the precious veins.

These stones were peculiar; even an expert at the Emperor Realm could not see what was inside, as the surface blocked all Divine Sense.

Stone gambling also existed on Earth. There, some experts in the jade trade could follow certain clues and make judgments based on experience. But that was impossible with Ice Crystal Stones.

Once, an Immortal Venerable declared that no one understood Ice Crystal Stones better than him. His lineage had studied them for dozens of eons, and he claimed to possess strange Divine Skills that allowed him to see through their surface. As a result, under the watchful eyes of many, he cut open nearly 10,000 worthless stones in a row. After that, there was never another word about that Immortal Venerable in the Immortal Domain.

It was as if he had vanished into thin air.

***

The frozen land was riddled with countless pits. These Ice Crystal Stone pits, mined dozens of eons ago and now long abandoned, were still frequented by low-level cultivators hoping to find something of value.

The earliest veins were all located at the very edge of the million-mile radius around Snowflower. As mining progressed, most veins had been excavated deeper, now extending to within 300,000 miles of Snowflower.

And there were veins even closer.

One vein had already extended out of the desolate outer reaches and into the true forbidden zone, a mere 80,000 miles from Snowflower.

The miners were all experts of the Immortal Venerable Realm. These old Immortal Venerables, with their lifespans dwindling, hoped to cut an Emperor’s Elixir or a Supreme Holy Medicine from the stones to prolong their lives. The odds of finding such treasures in ordinary Ice Crystal Stones were too low, and purchasing them outright required immense quantities of Spirit Stones. Thus, the various Immortal Venerables joined forces to excavate their own.

But disaster struck. On the very day the vein was opened, every single Immortal Venerable vanished. To this day, no one knows what happened.

Subsequently, the various Holy Lands sent wave after wave of explorers to their deaths, eventually discovering that the area around the 300,000-mile mark was relatively safe. Even in this "safer" zone, nearly a million cultivators still died to the ’Demonic Wind’ each year. The number of those who simply vanished was even greater, reaching several million.

That’s right. Miners constantly and mysteriously disappeared. The reason remains an unsolved mystery.

***

One million miles. Nine hundred thousand miles. Eight hundred thousand miles. Seventy hundred thousand. Sixty hundred thousand... With each step, Xu Lai crossed a hundred thousand miles.

The deeper he went, the thinner the Spiritual Energy became, until the air was almost completely devoid of it.

Unfortunately, Xu Lai still hadn’t encountered the woman named Shen Qing. He carried a cyan Jade Pendant that held her aura. Outside, he could have found her easily no matter the distance. Here in the Snowflower Forbidden Grounds, however, the spread of his Divine Sense was suppressed, limiting his perception to a radius of merely 10,000 miles.

Soon, Xu Lai reached a point 400,000 miles from Snowflower, where a temporary supply point had been established. Basic necessities like weapons and Elixirs could be purchased here, though at prices several times higher than the outside world. The outpost also bought and sold Ice Crystal Stones.

The supply point was immense, a small city built in a valley surrounded by four snow-capped mountains. The great stones of its walls were all inscribed with Formation runes. The formations weren’t to defend against living creatures, but to guard against the "Demonic Wind."

The wind here was bizarre; it could literally kill.

Normally, there wasn’t a breath of wind. But once it began to blow, any cultivator exposed to the wind and snow would have their Spiritual Energy and life essence rapidly drained away. For instance, in the vicinity of the supply point, a Venerable would die to the Demonic Wind in thirty breaths at most. They would be frozen into an ice statue, left standing on the vast ice field.

Moreover, the closer one got to Snowflower, the frequency and power of the mysterious Demonic Wind increased exponentially.

Having encountered no Demonic Wind along the way, Xu Lai safely entered the small city, which had been built by the Thunder Sect at great expense. Though small, the city had everything one could need.

The city also had taverns and teahouses, but most patrons were there to trade information or discuss recent events. Topics ranged from where the Demonic Wind appeared most often, to where new veins were discovered, or who had cut open a peerless treasure.

Xu Lai sat in a tavern and listened for a while. This information was of no use to him. Just as he was about to get up, he heard a man’s despairing voice from a corner:

"We’re all going to die here! All of us! The Demonic Wind is coming..."

Compared to the other sober patrons, this burly, bearded man of the Human Race was exceptionally conspicuous, and exceptionally drunk.

"It’s that madman again."

"Are you tired of living? He’s a Venerable from the Thunder Sect!"

"That was three days ago. His squad was hit by the Demonic Wind, and he was the only survivor. He lived, but his cultivation realm fell to the Golden Core stage."

"A mere Golden Core? How laughable."

Whispers of mockery spread through the tavern. Xu Lai glanced around, noting cultivators from all corners of the world. The Demon Race was well-represented; most had taken human form, but a few remained in their true, ferocious forms, radiating a savage aura.

"Another mighty Immortal Venerable has died in the forbidden zone! The Demonic Wind will come soon! We’re all going to die here! The city can’t save us..."

"The forbidden zone starts at 100,000 miles? The entire million miles is a death trap! Anyone who enters will die! No one escapes!"

The bearded man continued to drink and mutter incoherently, but the surrounding cultivators ignored him.

Xu Lai sat opposite the bearded man. He didn’t buy the local alcohol but instead took out a jug of wine from his Storage Space.

SNAP!

He slapped open the seal. The rich aroma of wine instantly filled the tavern, silencing the entire room. The patrons could only swallow hard, their eyes wide.

All eyes immediately focused on Xu Lai, including the tipsy, bearded man.

"You..." the bearded man slurred, his eyes bleary.

Before he could ask the young man opposite him what he intended, he heard the other say, "Please, have a drink."

Though the bearded man was now a mere Golden Core, he had once cultivated for ten thousand years to reach the Venerable Realm. He had survived countless life-or-death crises and knew all too well that every gift from fate comes with a hidden price.

This jug of wine was not being offered for free.