Invincible Dad-Chapter 705

Even so, the bearded man lifted the jar of strong liquor and took a swig. He had already hit rock bottom.

He had nothing left to lose, and there was nothing he couldn’t speak of.

GULP. GULP.

As the liquor slid down his throat, the bearded man felt a warmth coursing through his body, so comfortable that he wanted to let out a long howl.

Good liquor. This jar is worth at least one high-grade Spirit Stone, perhaps even more!

After his first sip, though the man was greedy for more, he did not take a second drink. Instead, he looked at Xu Lai, waiting for his request.

"Tell me about the Immortal Venerable who died," Xu Lai said.

The burly man was a smart one, and Xu Lai liked dealing with smart people. With just a gesture or a glance, they understood your objective, which saved a lot of trouble.

"..."

The bearded man instantly sobered up and instinctively pushed the jar away.

But after a moment’s hesitation, he secretly gritted his teeth and pulled the jar back into his arms. He hadn’t wanted to talk, but the liquor was just too fragrant—so fragrant he couldn’t bear to part with it.

"It doesn’t matter. The liquor is yours to keep, whether you speak or not," Xu Lai said, unconcerned.

When he had stepped past the Venerable Realm and ignited the great candle of destiny for the Human Race, he had broken the shackles—or rather, the curse—that heaven and earth had placed on the Human Race’s talent for Cultivation.

From that moment on, the geniuses of the Human Race, who had lain dormant in the Dao Endowment during past eras, began to awaken one after another in this age.

The Human Race’s candles of destiny grew more numerous, eventually reaching heights of ten thousand zhang, then a hundred thousand zhang, and then a million...

The major Immortal Domains, Tao Lineages, and Holy Lands all began to recruit human Cultivators. In the Qingfeng Era, the talent of this race was frighteningly strong.

And they were not afraid of death.

They rushed into all kinds of forbidden and desolate grounds, willing to brave mountains of blades and seas of fire without batting an eye, so long as it could advance their Boundary.

In just a few tens of thousands of years, the Human Race had carved out a place for themselves in the Immortal Domain. This was not only because the Human Race had produced a Great Emperor, but also because the race itself had enough powerhouses.

Not to mention the monstrously talented humans who reached the Immortal Venerable and Quasi-Emperor Realms in a few tens of thousands of years, the Cultivators who quickly reached the Divine Bridge, Venerable, and Celestial Venerable Realms were the future of the Human Race and its very foundation.

After a million years, once Great Emperor Qingfeng passed on, to what heights would these geniuses grow?

Thus, seeing a fellow clansman from a later generation, Xu Lai was willing to lend a hand. This jar of liquor could help the bearded man restore his Boundary and rebuild his foundation. After all, the tragic fall of a promising Immortal Venerable was truly a pity.

***

The bearded man did not fully accept Xu Lai’s good intentions.

He understood that in this world, no one is kind to a stranger for no reason. They were always after something—be it wealth, power, or affection.

So he spoke up, "Fellow Daoist, could we speak in private?"

"Mm," Xu Lai nodded.

The bearded man paid the bill, and the two left the tavern. Following him through a series of left and right turns, they unexpectedly exited the city through a secret passage.

Xu Lai didn’t ask why and simply followed calmly.

They walked for about ten miles out of the city.

Only when he was certain they weren’t being followed or watched did the bearded man begin to speak.

"I was once a Venerable Elder of the Thunder Sect Gate. I was following a Celestial Venerable from our Sect Gate into a forbidden ground..."

"The Hundred-Thousand-Mile Forbidden Ground?" Xu Lai raised an eyebrow.

The Snowflower Forbidden Grounds span a radius of one hundred thousand miles. Anyone below the Immortal Venerable Realm who enters is certain to die. And they actually went in?

"We were planning to," the bearded man coughed. "While still some distance away, we encountered the Demonic Wind. Over a dozen Venerables..."

As he continued, his face turned pale with fear.

He clutched the wine jar and took a large gulp, as if trying to drown the fear in his heart.

"Over a dozen Venerables died. I was the only survivor."

"It wasn’t because I was stronger, nor because I ran faster. It was because I was in charge of the supplies at the very back, bringing up the rear."

"Once you’re caught in that Demonic Wind, no one can survive..."

"The Celestial Venerable leading our team was left with only half his body. To survive, he burned his Primordial Spirit and his lifespan, fleeing for hundreds of thousands of miles, yet he still perished from exhaustion."

"Have you ever witnessed such a scene of despair?" the bearded man asked with a bitter smile. "That was a Celestial Venerable!"

"I haven’t." Xu Lai shook his head. 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

The Celestial Venerables and Immortal Venerables he’d killed could never flee that far. At most, they would make it twenty or thirty thousand miles before their souls returned to the Samsara Sea, dead through and through.

"At the place where the Celestial Venerable died, I found a Jade Slip. It recorded that our Sect Master Lei Fengyun and Holy Masters from other Holy Lands had entered the Forbidden Grounds. One of them... is already dead."

"Our group was sent to investigate the edge of the Forbidden Grounds. It seemed something had happened inside."

The bearded man slumped onto the icy plains. He took several more large gulps of liquor and said in despair, "The Jade Slip also contains the predictions from the higher-ups in our Sect Gate. It says the Demonic Wind will sweep across a million miles of the absolute territory, and everyone here will die."

An Immortal Venerable has already died. That means the one from Qingqiu...

Xu Lai’s gaze lowered. "Everyone must die someday. It’s the same for all life."

"But Snowflower hasn’t died, has it? It’s lived for a hundred eras! Damn it all to hell!" the man cursed colorfully.

WHOOSH—

A soughing wind suddenly swept across the silent plain.

The wind was not strong, very gentle, but it made the bearded man’s pupils shrink. "The wind is rising... The Demonic Wind is coming! It’s really coming!"

He instinctively shot to his feet and sprinted back toward the Supply City.

But when he reached the safe zone and gasped for breath, he realized something was wrong and couldn’t help but look back.

He saw that the young man who had given him the liquor wasn’t running. Instead, he was walking slowly toward the Demonic Wind.

"Are you crazy? Come back!" the man screamed hysterically, only to watch as the young man was swallowed by the Demonic Wind.

Then, his vision turned completely white. He couldn’t see a thing, because the Demonic Wind was now blowing toward him!

The four snow-capped mountains blocked most of the Demonic Wind, while the smaller portion that squeezed through the mountain crevices was blocked by the city’s Formation.

The Formation flashed with golden light, like an upside-down bowl.

"Hah..."

The bearded man’s breath hitched, and sweat poured down his forehead.

He saw cracks appear on the golden Formation, and many of the city wall bricks inscribed with the runes of the Formation began to crumble.

Although the Formation was damaged, it barely managed to hold. This, however, only made the bearded man’s mood turn bitter.

It’s over. The prediction from the Thunder Sect Gate’s higher-ups in the Jade Slip was true. The Demonic Wind will kill everyone who enters the Snowflower Forbidden Grounds.

In the past, he had never heard of the Demonic Wind reaching as far as the Supply City.

***

Viewed from above the Snowflower Forbidden Grounds, the Demonic Wind was not localized. Instead, it spread out in waves from the center in all directions.

This meant that with Snowflower at its core, an area with a radius of a million miles was enveloped by the wind.

The entire world was a vast expanse of white. Visibility was less than two feet, and even Divine Sense could not probe too far.

Xu Lai strolled leisurely with his hands behind his back.

This Demonic Wind, which struck terror into the hearts of cultivators, did not harm him in the slightest. Any gust that came within a hundred feet of his body simply dissipated.

This wind... it’s a bit strange.

Xu Lai frowned. There were no creatures or terrifying auras within the Demonic Wind. How did it drain a Cultivator’s life essence and Spiritual Energy?

He reached out and grabbed.

A wisp of wind was caught in his hand.

In that instant, the faint scent of flowers drifted past his nose.