Invincible Dad-Chapter 762: A Section of Karma_1

An old man stood there, a wide grin splitting his face. "You’re back."

"Elder, you are..."

Yu Guiwan still hadn’t realized the seriousness of the situation. She had just begun to speak when she found her little junior brother stepping in front of her.

"Qingfeng?" Yu Guiwan tilted her head.

"He is a Quasi-Emperor at the Ninth Heaven, and he comes from The Other Shore," Xu Lai said. "He isn’t a cultivator from our starry sky."

A Quasi-Emperor... at the Ninth Heaven!?

Yu Guiwan’s heart skipped a beat.

Although she was only in the early stage of the Immortal Venerable Realm, she knew how incredibly difficult it was to become a Quasi-Emperor. That was to say nothing of a Quasi-Emperor at the Ninth Heaven, just a step below the Emperor Realm itself. In ages past, such figures were supreme masters who could contend for the Emperor Realm Dao Fruit.

And he came from The Other Shore.

Where is The Other Shore?

Yu Guiwan’s brows furrowed slightly. She suppressed the questions in her heart and said in a low voice, "You two talk. I’ll head back to the mountain first."

"Little girl, what’s the rush?" Elder Huang Quan surveyed Yu Guiwan from head to toe. His gaze wasn’t the least bit offensive; instead, it was filled with admiration. "The resemblance is uncanny. Truly, uncanny."

"..."

Yu Guiwan was somewhat puzzled and looked toward her junior brother.

Xu Lai said calmly, "Old man, I don’t have time for your riddles. If you have something to say, say it plainly."

"Young people are so impatient." Elder Huang Quan shook his head, showing none of the reservations of an outsider as he walked right through the Sect Gate. "The last time I came here was two hundred thousand years ago. The place was desolate then. Now, this mountain full of plum trees is a truly pleasant sight."

He turned to Xu Lai. "Is there any wine left on the back mountain? Those few jars your master brewed... surely you haven’t finished them all?"

"..."

Xu Lai instinctively glanced at his senior sister, who gave an imperceptible shake of her head. Both the senior sister and junior brother frowned.

"That old fellow, Yu Shouzong, was the one who told me," Elder Huang Quan said casually.

This single, casual sentence, however, sent Yu Guiwan’s mind reeling.

"Impossible!" Yu Guiwan’s beautiful eyes stared daggers at him. "My father died long ago!"

"He told me while he was still alive," Elder Huang Quan said with a gentle smile. "Surely you don’t think you all could have survived deep within the Mass Burial Mound, given your cultivation realms at the time?"

Yu Guiwan’s chest heaved as she struggled to find a retort, but then a hand gently clasped her own.

It was Xu Lai.

The chaos in Yu Guiwan’s mind instantly calmed. She bit her lower lip and fell silent.

The Mass Burial Mound was teeming with opportunities, but it was also an abyss where a single wrong step could spell eternal damnation. In past eons, at least eighty Immortal Venerables and Quasi-Emperors had perished there; it was truly a place that devoured people whole. While inside the legacy barrier of a fallen Quasi-Emperor, Yu Guiwan had wondered more than once just how incredibly lucky the four of them must have been to have made it safely into the barrier to recuperate.

So that was it. Someone had been secretly protecting them.

With an expressionless face, Xu Lai asked, "Was it you who protected my master, my senior sister, and my two senior brothers?"

"Yes." Elder Huang Quan still wore that same genial smile. "It was me. You don’t need to thank me. In truth, all of this..."

Before he could finish, a terrifying aura surged around Xu Lai. His two fingers formed a sword, and he slashed straight out.

"You’re mad!" Elder Huang Quan’s expression changed drastically.

He never imagined Xu Lai would attack so suddenly, and the power emanating from that sword made his scalp tingle.

RUSH!

A yellow river materialized before him, its bed churning with dream-like blue sand.

CRASH!

The Netherworld river was severed in two. From the break in the current, the old man’s furious cursing could be heard. "Xu Qingfeng, you’re a madman! I secretly protected them, and you want to kill me for it?"

"Why didn’t you save my two senior brothers? Why didn’t you save my master? My senior sister was trapped for a hundred thousand years—why didn’t you save her?"

"Destiny is fixed by unseen forces! How could I forcibly intervene and stain myself with karma? The Mass Burial Mound... that’s no place for a person to be!"

WHOOSH—

A silent breeze swept past. Xu Lai attacked with the Qingfeng Sword Intent from the Emperor Qingfeng Scripture, holding nothing back. In that instant, the surrounding void collapsed.

"You’re mad! Completely mad!" Elder Huang Quan said in a panic. "I shielded them from the miasma and saved them from being devoured by Corpse Vultures. I even guided them into the legacy barrier! How is it my fault if they died along the way? Xu Qingfeng, have you lost all reason?!"

"Qingfeng, he... he has a point," Yu Guiwan whispered, gently tugging at Xu Lai’s sleeve.

Elder Huang Quan secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

Thank goodness. There are still reasonable people in the Heavenly Court, unlike Xu Qingfeng, who attacks at the slightest provocation. Does he really think I don’t have a temper?!

"I only want to know one thing: do my two senior brothers’ and my master’s deaths have anything to do with you?" Xu Lai asked softly.

Elder Huang Quan knew his next words would determine his fate. Would he spend the rest of his days being hunted by Xu Qingfeng from the highest heavens to the deepest Netherworld? Or would he be able to enter the Sect Gate in peace, enjoy a cup of that world-renowned Plum Wine Yu Shouzong had mentioned, and finally state the purpose of his visit?

"It has absolutely nothing to do with me," Elder Huang Quan said, enunciating every word. "I am willing to swear an oath on the Great Dao."

"..."

Xu Lai lowered his gaze.

Elder Huang Quan’s unease intensified, and he muttered hastily, "Back then, I just happened to be passing by the Mass Burial Mound. I saw your master and the others and decided to lend a hand. It was a simple act of compassion for the suffering of living beings, without the slightest ulterior motive! I only found out a few days ago that I shared this karmic link with your Heavenly Court."

"If I am not welcome, I’ll turn and leave right now," Elder Huang Quan spoke with great righteousness, his voice tinged with the bitterness of being misunderstood.

"A deal’s a deal. Please see yourself out," Xu Lai said, suddenly looking up. "Senior Sister, let’s head back to the mountain."

"?"

Elder Huang Quan was completely stunned. He stared blankly at Xu Lai’s retreating back, unable to process what had just happened for a long moment. What was going on? Was he really being sent away just like that?

Long years of life meant a quick mind.

Elder Huang Quan suddenly slapped his thigh as he realized he’d been tricked. Xu Lai had likely provoked him into saying all that on purpose.

He wanted him to leave of his own volition! As for the truth about the Mass Burial Mound, Xu Lai had probably believed him from the start.

How treacherous!

Elder Huang Quan fumed internally but shouted, "Xu Qingfeng, I have important matters to discuss today!"

"Liars have to swallow ten thousand swords," Xu Lai’s voice drifted back from a distance.

"..."

This Great Emperor of the Human Race was threatening him!

Elder Huang Quan was so angry he could have spat fire, but he was weaker than his opponent and stood no chance of subduing him by force to make him listen. His eyes darted around for a moment before he snorted coldly. "Fine! I’ll leave today and be back tomorrow!"

With that, Elder Huang Quan dissolved into a wisp of green smoke and vanished.

After the elder departed, Xu Lai and Yu Guiwan arrived at the back mountain. He spoke softly, "Senior Sister, he wasn’t lying. There is indeed a karmic bond between him and your group."

"Then why did you drive him away?" Yu Guiwan asked, confused.

"He came bearing the weight of karma, which means he had something important to discuss—something most likely detrimental to you or me. I drove him off for now so we can deal with it tomorrow."

"So how will we handle it tomorrow?"

"Senior Sister, how about I take you for a tour of the Heavenly Court tomorrow?"

"...Is that... a good idea?"

"Why not?"

"..."