PCJ – Chapter 490 Giving Up

Before Zhang Jiaohua finished speaking, the surroundings seemed to shake like a transparent wall. Suddenly, a large group of black, slender Soul-Devouring Snakes immediately rushed toward the four of them.

Meng Guoshen, being careless, was bitten by several Soul-Devouring Snakes, immediately crying out in pain. The sensation of having one’s soul eaten was a terrifying pain. Zhang Jiaohua had already released his protective Qi, but to be cautious, he invoked a divine spirit to assist him, unleashing his divine martial arts. The Soul-Devouring Snakes were weak in attack, unable to break through the protective Qi, let alone the divine martial defense.

Zhang Yichen, with his profound Taoist methods, continuously broke Taoist talismans, releasing a series of attacks. The Soul-Devouring Snakes that attacked him were immediately sent flying and fell to the ground, motionless. These snakes were different from the corpses that had been controlled. They were low-level evil creatures bred by some special means.

Zhang Jing, holding a wooden sword, waved it to constantly sweep away the Soul-Devouring Snakes that approached him. However, he couldn’t hold on for long, and the overwhelming swarm of snakes became too much for him to handle. Several of them launched a surprise attack.

“Ah!” Zhang Jing panicked, his movements slowed. A large swarm of Soul-Devouring Snakes took the opportunity to attack him. His face changed, and he began retreating rapidly, causing the defense line formed by the group to collapse.

Zhang Jiaohua quickly chanted an incantation: “Five Thunders, Three Thousand Generals, Eighty Thousand Soldiers of Thunder, Fire to Burn the World, Evil Ghosts Turn to Dust… I summon the Taishang Laojun, by my command, urgent as the law commands.”

A ghost-clearing spell was cast, and all Soul-Devouring Snakes within a radius of about ten feet were instantly cleared. Those affected by the spell were thrown far away, and when they hit the ground, they were barely alive.

“Thank you,” Zhang Jing immediately thanked Zhang Jiaohua.

“You’re welcome,” Zhang Jiaohua replied.

Zhang Yichen quickly reminded, “Don’t always think about conserving your spiritual power. If we can’t pass this test, we won’t even get a chance to face that thing. Although I don’t like that by the time we meet the final ghost, most of our energy will be spent, I’d rather avoid unnecessary casualties.”

The group used all their strength without holding back. The Soul-Devouring Snakes were no match for them and were quickly cleared away by Zhang Jiaohua.

Only then did Zhang Jiaohua truly realize the strength of Meng Guoshen and Zhang Jing. His previous underestimation of them disappeared entirely. None of them were simple.

Similarly, Meng Guoshen and the others also recognized Zhang Jiaohua’s strength and no longer regarded him as just a child. They finally understood why Zhang Yichen treated Zhang Jiaohua as a peer—it was because of his strength.

“Let’s take a break and recover a bit before continuing to explore,” Zhang Yichen said.

“Yichen, how about we go up and rest for a while, and also report the situation to the authorities, so they can clean up the corpses? It’ll give them an explanation,” Zhang Jing suggested, thinking it would be safer. Although they hadn’t encountered the ghostly creature in the cave yet, they had already expended quite a bit of energy. It would be risky to face that creature in their current state.

Zhang Yichen looked at Zhang Jiaohua and Meng Guoshen, asking, “What do you two think?”

Zhang Yichen himself had thoughts of retreating. The original intention of coming here wasn’t to risk their lives but to complete a hidden mission with the authorities and possibly obtain resources for cultivation. However, the risks were growing, and it was impossible to guarantee any rewards. Naturally, he wasn’t eager to continue.

Zhang Jiaohua also felt somewhat fatigued. When he came here, he hadn’t prepared to descend into the cave. He had relied solely on his own strength to face the threats.

Meng Guoshen had suffered greatly, his physical condition was poor, and like Zhang Jing, he was spiritually depleted. He had been bitten by many Soul-Devouring Snakes, and his condition was not good. Thus, he did not oppose leaving.

“Since no one objects, let’s head out and rest for a while. Once we’ve recovered, we’ll contact the authorities and continue our exploration,” Zhang Yichen said, though he wasn’t particularly eager.

The four of them left the cave together. Zeng Lei had been anxiously waiting outside. As soon as he saw them come out, he hurried over, but his attention was only on Zhang Jiaohua. “Jiaohua! You’re out! I’ve been worried sick! If you didn’t come out, I’d have had to come find you.”

Zhang Jiaohua smiled, “It’s a good thing you didn’t go down. If you had, who knows if you’d be able to come back.”

“Did you run into danger today?” Zeng Lei asked, concerned.

“Not exactly danger, but it wasn’t easy to deal with. The missing people should all be found, and they’re inside. You should call people to handle it quickly,” Zhang Jiaohua replied.

Zhang Yichen still had to brief the authorities on the situation inside, and Zhang Jiaohua waved goodbye to him as he left.

Zhang Yichen valued Zhang Jiaohua highly. He specifically set aside the officials and walked over to speak with him.

“Where can I find you in the future?” Zhang Yichen asked.

“I probably won’t come back here. There’s no point,” Zhang Jiaohua said.

“We might not come back either; the risk is too high, and the reward is uncertain. But we can keep in touch and exchange ideas. There aren’t many fellow cultivators in the world these days. If we get the chance, we can talk more,” Zhang Yichen said with a smile.

Zhang Yichen wanted to establish a good relationship with Zhang Jiaohua. Although he was young, Zhang Jiaohua had immense potential.

“I live in Guli Ba Hutong. You can find me at Fatty’s place,” Zhang Jiaohua replied.

This address was vague, but it was enough for Zhang Yichen.

Wu Yuan had been extremely busy these past few days, running around making connections to start his business. He was in a much more energetic state than before.

“Jiaohua, you don’t have anything to do every day, so why don’t you help me figure out the restaurant situation? I’ve been so busy these past two days, and you seem like you have all the free time in the world. We’re partners, so why does it feel like everything’s on me?” Wu Yuan complained as soon as he saw Zhang Jiaohua.

“This is your responsibility. If you hadn’t volunteered, I wouldn’t care,” Zhang Jiaohua responded, uninterested in Wu Yuan’s complaints.

The next day, Zhang Jiaohua learned from the news that the authorities had concluded the missing people in the haunted house died from oxygen deprivation in the cave. They warned citizens to stay safe and avoid exploring unknown areas.

The lockdown around the haunted house was finally lifted, and Zeng Lei had time to visit the courtyard that Wu Yuan had rented.