Invincible Dad-Chapter 702 Snowflower Bears Fruit_1

"Xu Lai?"

This name left the two of them with blank expressions; they had never heard of such a Celestial Venerable within their Sect, nor of such a mighty figure in the Immortal Domain.

Xu Lai waved his hand, and the massive, hundred-zhang-tall, ferocious Thunder Beast promptly prostrated itself in the starry sky, as docile as a kitten, allowing Xu Lai to stroke its head.

This scene dealt a severe psychological shock to the two Venerables from the Thunder Sect.

The Thunder Beast... forged from lightning and a master’s own essence blood, supplemented by a vast amount of heavenly materials and earthly treasures. Once it gains spiritual awareness, it is known to be exceedingly brutal. While it wouldn’t kill its master, a Thunder Beast had never been heard of being so gentle by nature.

Only then did they realize something even more terrifying.

Both their master’s Thunder Beast and their Sect Master’s Thunder Beast were single-horned.

The one before them had three horns!

It radiated a dazzling, irresistible purple glow that inspired an involuntary urge to worship it, as if it were the emperor of the Path of Thunder. The aura faintly emanating from it was nearly enough to cause their divine sense to collapse—a fear that rose from the very depths of their souls.

This Thunder Beast before them seemed to be the very Immortal of the Path of Thunder.

The realization that they had no chance of resistance left them with only one thought: escape! The farther, the better.

But in front of a being who was likely in the Celestial Venerable Realm, or perhaps even stronger, two lowly Venerables like them had no hope of escape. In fact, this mighty figure might even have some connection to the Thunder Sect; otherwise, he would not possess the divine skill to refine Thunder Beasts.

"Senior, we are elders of the Thunder Sect and also servants of the Saint Heir, Lei Wanjun. Today’s events are a misunderstanding."

"Yes, Senior, this Human Race Nascent Soul has committed heinous crimes and offended our sect’s Crown Prince. We implore you to show mercy..."

The two Venerables, their faces pale, explained their origins, attempting to grasp at whatever sliver of kinship might exist.

"Hahaha."

Xu Yanyang threw his head back and laughed. "If you were at the Nascent Soul boundary, I could slaughter you as easily as chickens!"

Were these the Venerables who once stood so high and mighty, deciding his life and death with a single word? They were groveling without even a hint of resistance. Venerables... were nothing more than this.

"How dare you! This is not your place to speak!"

The two Venerables were furious. A mere Nascent Soul was speaking so insolently in their presence.

Just as they were about to address Xu Lai again, they saw the three-horned Thunder Beast spit.

The spittle was also made of lightning, and it directly knocked the two Venerables down three major boundaries, from the Venerable Realm to the Nascent Soul Realm.

"You!!!"

The two men raged. It had taken them over 10,000 years of arduous cultivation to advance from the Nascent Soul Realm to the Venerable Realm.

Falling was easy; advancing was hard.

They were already over 20,000 years old. They no longer had any chance of returning to their peak, nor could they even live out their remaining few thousand years of life in peace.

"I’ll wait for you back at the tavern. The wine and beef might not be great, but you have to finish them," Xu Lai said before turning to leave.

Taking off his black robe, Xu Yanyang stood revealed, clad in white robes purer than snow. In his hand, he held a saber whose blade shimmered with starlight. Expressionless, he slashed forward.

"Impudent whelp, you’re courting death!"

Even though their cultivation boundaries had fallen, they were not mere ants to be provoked.

The two Thunder Sect elders attacked simultaneously.

* * *

Back at the tavern, the Shop Assistant saw the customer return and finally felt the weight lift from his heart. He cleared his throat. "Fellow Daoist, where did you go just now? I thought you were going to dine and dash."

"If he’s alive, someone will pay my bill for me," Xu Lai said with a gentle smile. "If he’s dead, then your assumption is correct."

"Fellow Daoist, please don’t joke like that."

The Shop Assistant forced a laugh. His previous drowsiness was completely gone, and his eyes were glued to Xu Lai, terrified the man might suddenly disappear again. One mid-grade Spirit Stone was two months’ wages for him, and he was certainly not willing to use his own salary to cover the loss.

At that moment, a breathtakingly beautiful young woman in an emerald-green long skirt walked into the tavern. She was barefoot, her snow-white ankles on display as she approached with a smile. With her light steps, flowers bloomed upon the bluestone floor, and butterflies flitted among them as if spring itself had arrived.

"Fellow Daoist, what can I get for you?" the Shop Assistant’s eyes lit up, and he hurried over with great enthusiasm.

"I’m looking for someone."

The woman smiled, standing before Xu Lai. She said respectfully, "Young Master."

"So, you’re here." Xu Lai wasn’t surprised. "Have a seat." 𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞

The Heavenly Court’s Fourth Divine General, Yan Chunfeng, was stationed nearby; she must have sensed the spiritual energy he had just used.

"I saw Yun Jin and... Her Highness, the Princess, in the city, so I surmised you might be here," Yan Chunfeng said. Her voice was gentle, like a soft rain that breathes life back into the earth, making one feel inexplicably at ease. The Shop Assistant, with his low cultivation boundary, couldn’t even muster jealousy at seeing such a stunning woman sit beside the male cultivator; instead, he just felt a profound sense of well-being.

"I see." Xu Lai suddenly thought of something. "By the way, send those three to Qingfeng Camp for training. Have them take the lead on any dangerous missions."

"Young Master, the Princess is so precious. If she gets hurt..."

"I can’t protect her forever. She must walk her own path," Xu Lai stated calmly. "Keep her identity a secret for me, and give her no special treatment. She is not Xu Yiyi, just an ordinary Golden Core."

"Yes, Young Master."

A small white flower bloomed at Yan Chunfeng’s fingertips. The flower floated up without a breeze and flew towards a certain part of the city where her Personal Soldiers were stationed. Her soldiers would take the three youngsters to Qingfeng Camp.

"I’m looking for a gate. Among the three Snowflower Forbidden Grounds, where do you think it’s most likely to be?" Xu Lai asked.

"This Chunfeng does not know," she replied.

Yan Chunfeng extended her fair arm to pour wine for Xu Lai, filling the cup just to the brim without spilling a single drop.

"You..." Xu Lai shook his head helplessly.

"However, half a month ago, the Thunder Sect’s Sect Master, Lei Fengyun, and the other Holy Masters from the Third Domain entered the hundred-thousand-mile forbidden ground," Yan Chunfeng said, her smile fading. "Ten Immortal Venerables went in, and there has been no word from any of them since."

Xu Lai frowned. This was the first he was hearing of this.

The hundred-thousand-mile area around Snowflower is forbidden ground, an instant death sentence for anyone below the Immortal Venerable boundary. The region extending from one hundred thousand to one million miles beyond that is known as the Absolute Ground.

Compared to the more dangerous forbidden ground, the death toll in the Absolute Ground was actually higher. This was because a very peculiar type of Ice Crystal Vein lay beneath the surface, attracting a large number of cultivators to mine and excavate it.

Originally, these ice crystal stones were of no interest to anyone. But at some point, a cultivator cut a million-year-old Spirit Plant from an ice crystal, and another found half of a Quasi-Emperor’s weapon. The most shocking discovery was made by a mortal who extracted a Nine Revolutions Immortal Pill from an ice crystal passed down by his ancestors.

This was an Emperor’s Elixir. One would be hard-pressed to find more than a handful in the entire Immortal Domain. After consuming it, the mortal instantly became an Immortal Venerable, and his story became a legend.

As time passed, more and more cultivators flocked here to mine for treasure, but most stayed within the Absolute Ground, 700,000 to 800,000 miles from Snowflower, not daring to venture deeper. Thus, sensing both business opportunities and fortuitous encounters, the various Dao Orthodox Holy Lands arrived one after another.

Although the veins closer to Snowflower were purer and yielded more precious treasures, few dared to set foot in the hundred-thousand-mile forbidden ground. Not even a Quasi-Emperor would risk their life so recklessly.

But Lei Fengyun and those ten Holy Masters actually entered the forbidden ground. Were they courting death?

"I heard that Snowflower bloomed and produced nine fruits," Yan Chunfeng mentioned. "They went to seize this fortuitous opportunity."

"Snowflower bore fruit?"

Even with his composure, Xu Lai couldn’t help but hold his breath.

A Spirit Plant that had survived for a hundred epochs had borne fruit. This was enough to drive any cultivator in the Immortal Domain to madness, especially those dying Immortal Venerables and Quasi-Emperors.

Even he was deeply tempted.

"Young Master, there’s something else..."