Invincible Dad-Chapter 748: The Closest Kin_1

Boo hoo hoo.

Ji Gui actually burst into tears. He couldn't believe it. At the very moment his father, mother, and all the Moon Clan had abandoned him, Ji Jie—the one who had once wanted to flay him alive—had not blocked his Sound Transmission Jade Slip.

"It looks like you've suffered quite a bit, little brother," Ji Jie said.

"No," Ji Gui choked out. He was like a stubborn little boy whose candy had been stolen, secretly wiping away his tears while refusing to confess to his parents.

"Really?" Ji Jie said lazily. "If that's the case, I suppose you don't need your big sister's help."

"Sister, don't!" Ji Gui cried out in a panic.

Sister. The address that Ji Gui had always despised slipped out under the circumstances.

Ji Jie, ever so meticulous, didn't dwell on such a minor detail, acting as if she hadn't heard it. She simply said, "Tell me, where are you?"

"In…" Ji Gui trailed off, then froze. He didn't actually know where he was, only that this Sea City wasn't far from East Sea City. "The Demon King of this Sea City is named Yuan Man."

"Her?" Ji Jie sounded surprised.

"You know her?" Ji Gui was overjoyed. As long as Ji Jie knew which Sea City Yuan Man was in, he had a hope of escaping this place.

"I do. She's ruthless and cold-blooded. None of the captives who fall into her hands survive, and even several Demon Kings have died by her hand. Yuan Man's true form is a moray eel, and she particularly enjoys torturing her enemies to death bit by bit. But she doesn't do it personally. Instead, she has her descendants burrow into her enemies' bodies..."

Ji Jie's calm words sent a cold shiver down Ji Gui's spine.

Burrow… into my body? Where would they burrow from?!

The Crown Prince couldn't help but clamp his legs together, crying out in despair, "Sister, save me!"

Ji Jie wasn't on the Moon. She was meditating on the Holy Island of the Moon Sect, and the corners of her lips curled into a slight smile. This good-for-nothing brother of mine really is a coward. A few baseless lies are enough to terrify him completely. But as for Yuan Man… I have heard of her.

After all, there were many sea demons in Sakura Country where she was based, including a considerable number of Demon Kings. Some of these sea demons, forced by various circumstances, had joined the Moon Sect. This was a force her maid, Ren Shi, had established for her after coming to Earth over a hundred years ago.

The Demon Kings of Sakura Country and those in the seas of Hua Country weren't exactly close, but they weren't strangers either. One of Ji Jie's subordinate Demon Kings had once been killed by Demon King Yuan Man while trying to expand his territory.

Therefore, Ji Jie had a rather strong impression of that moray eel.

"Oh, my dear brother," Ji Jie said softly, "Father and Mother have both abandoned you, so why should I save you?"

"Our blood is thicker than water! We're the closest of kin!"

"Pfft." Ji Jie laughed out loud.

Ji Gui's expression shifted rapidly. He knew that for the naturally aloof members of the Moon Clan, the concept of blood ties was laughable. He gritted his teeth and said, "My Golden Core is shattered. I have no value left. But if you're willing to save me, Sister, I'll trade a secret for my life."

"Let's hear it," she said.

"Our mother… she's actually…"

"Yes?"

"She isn't actually from the Moon Clan. Nor is she from some minor moon tribe like Father claimed. She comes from…"

"From where?" Ji Jie's voice grew serious.

Regarding their mother, she, Ji Gui, and their two younger siblings knew very little. Their mother never participated in any clan affairs. She lived a secluded life in the Royal City, like an unimportant, transparent person with very little presence.

Ji Gui hesitated for a long moment before finally clenching his teeth and speaking.

"The Sea of the Moon."

"..."

The Sea of the Moon. It was a thorn in the heart of every member of the Moon Clan. The place was incredibly dangerous and had claimed the lives of countless powerful clan members, who vanished there without a trace. In recent years, as long as one didn't actively approach it, the Sea of the Moon posed no threat, so the thorn wasn't quite so painful anymore.

But Ji Jie knew there were living beings in the Sea of the Moon. And they were certainly powerful enough to reign supreme over the Moon Clan.

Their mother, so inconspicuous yet mysterious within the Moon Clan, actually came from the Sea of the Moon, a place no member of the clan had ever entered and returned from alive?

"Father has been to the Sea of the Moon more than once..." Ji Gui dropped another bombshell.

"Enough," Ji Jie interrupted. "In three days, I'll come and get you."

Some things couldn't be said over a Sound Transmission Jade Slip; they had to be discussed face-to-face within a soundproof formation.

"In three days?" Ji Gui was moved, his voice choking up again. "Sister…"

For once, Ji Jie didn't play along with their usual drama of deep sibling affection. Her voice was uncharacteristically cold. "Ji Gui, I hope these secrets aren't just something you've fabricated."

The connection to the Sound Transmission Jade Slip cut off.

Ji Gui didn't feel the slightest bit of shame. Inside the pitch-black chamber, the Crown Prince of the Moon Clan suddenly began to laugh, his laughter growing louder and louder.

"Haha, hahaha, HAHAHAHA!"

A ray of sunlight seemed to pierce the oppressive darkness where he couldn't even see his own hand. It was the hope to live on.

...

RUMBLE…

For several days straight, East Sea City was battered by torrential downpours accompanied by thunder loud enough to make children cry. On one such Sunday night, inside Haitang Court, Ruan Lan's voice could be heard.

"You've really done it now, Xu Yiyi. You used to just guess on the multiple-choice questions, but now you're guessing on the major questions too?"

Seemingly oblivious to Ruan Lan scolding their daughter behind him, Xu Lai sat with Ruan Tang by the floor-to-ceiling window, watching the heavy rain lash the flowers and plants in their backyard. Ruan Tang's face was filled with concern.

Yiyi caught the change in her mommy's expression and put on an even more pitiful look, hoping her mommy would rescue her from this fiery ordeal.

But Ruan Tang's next words made Yiyi's little face fall instantly.

"Xu Lai, it's been raining so much lately. Will the flowers and plants in our backyard drown?"

"No, they won't," Xu Lai shook his head.

Not just East Sea City, but heavy rains had also been falling all across Hua Country recently. Even the deserts in the great northwest were seeing downpours unheard of in a hundred, or even several hundred, years. It wasn't a blessing from the heavens, but rather someone undergoing a tribulation.

Yes, a Heavenly Tribulation!

Some Heavenly Tribulations weren't particularly terrifying, but the ones faced by the rare chosen geniuses could be astounding. Fortunately, these cultivators were self-aware enough not to undergo their tribulations in densely populated areas. Instead, they chose desolate places like deserts, seas, or solitary mountains to face their life-or-death trial.

The weather in East Sea City, for instance, was because a cultivator from the Yunxiao Sect was undergoing their tribulation on an uninhabited island four hundred miles away. He was a talented young man, not even fifty yet. Judging by his talent, he had a chance of reaching the Venerable Realm.

As Earth's spiritual energy gradually recovered, the number of people undergoing tribulations grew. Most were facing the Golden Core Tribulation, with a rare few facing the Nascent Soul Tribulation. The success rate was about two or three out of ten.

A death rate of over seventy percent might seem high, but compared to the Immortal Domain, this success rate was actually terrifying. After all, back when spiritual energy was scarce, those who reached the Foundation Establishment and Golden Core Realms had built an incredibly solid foundation.

"Hmm?" Xu Lai suddenly raised an eyebrow.

That little fellow responsible for the revival of Earth's spiritual energy had arrived.