PCJ – Chapter 566 Occupying the Xiyun Secret Realm

Beep!

A sharp whistle rang out—Fat Monkey was standing off to the side blowing a whistle with all his might. Of the three spirit pets, he was the only one who hadn’t joined the fight yet. But what was with the whistling? It wasn’t a sonic attack or a psychic one. The noise alone posed no real threat to cultivators like Hua Zhaoyang and his allies.

Still, Hua Zhaoyang jumped in fright, thinking Zhang Jiaohua’s spirit pet was about to unleash some terrifying move.

Even so, the whistle wasn’t entirely useless. As soon as the sound ended, Fat Monkey, Fat Cat, and the Leopard leapt at one of the cultivators at the same time.

“Ah!”

The targeted cultivator was caught completely off guard and quickly overwhelmed. These three didn’t follow any conventional tactics—just wild, chaotic blows. But that chaos worked. One of these spirit beasts alone would be difficult for someone just past the Body Refinement stage to handle. Facing all three at once? That was a death sentence.

After several screams of pain, the unfortunate cultivator went completely silent.

At first, these spirit pets had merely been causing trouble, disrupting formations and throwing the Xiyun Sect into disarray. But now, they’d learned to coordinate their attacks, picking off enemies one by one. This strategy threw the sect’s battle formation into chaos. The Xiyun Sect had already lost people earlier, and the secret technique they were using had been active for some time—its power was starting to fade. That gave Zhang’s spirit pets all the opportunities they needed.

With the deadlock broken, Zhang Jiaohua’s attacks started to show their true power. He could now go on the offensive without being constantly pressed.

Zhang pulled another handful of talismans from his pocket. Hua Zhaoyang’s face changed drastically.

“More?!”

He knew they couldn’t hold out any longer. They had already paid a heavy price using that secret technique. If they had succeeded in killing Zhang, it would’ve been worth it. But now that Zhang had endured, the tables had turned. Hua Zhaoyang’s cultivation had dropped from peak Body Refinement to mid-level, and his body was falling into a state of exhaustion.

Zhang continued launching talisman after talisman. Each one unleashed powerful attacks. Though they weren’t lethal on their own, they drained the enemy’s energy. Zhang realized that Hua Zhaoyang had initially tried to drag him into a war of attrition—but now the tactic had been reversed.

“Ah!”

Another scream. A Xiyun Sect elder collapsed in a pool of blood. Once again, Fat Monkey, Fat Cat, and the Leopard had claimed another victim. They’d grown smarter—waiting until Zhang’s talismans disrupted an enemy before striking for the kill.

“Master! Run! Avenge us!”
Several elders suddenly went berserk, launching desperate attacks at Zhang to buy time for Hua Zhaoyang to escape.

Hua Zhaoyang hesitated, then gritted his teeth and jumped out of the battle circle, trying to flee into the Xiyun Secret Realm. But would Zhang let him escape? Of course not. Without anyone noticing, Zhang pulled out a formation flag. As soon as he waved it, the surroundings instantly transformed.

“You’re not the only ones who know how to use formations,” Zhang said coldly.

He had long since set up a formation but hadn’t activated it until now. The moment Hua Zhaoyang tried to escape, Zhang triggered it.

The elders who charged at Zhang suddenly found him missing, while strange attacks began erupting around them.

Hua Zhaoyang lost all sense of direction. Thinking he was caught in an illusion, he shut his eyes and ran blindly forward.

BANG!
His head smashed into what felt like a wall. This wasn’t an illusionary array—it had a physical force. His head was left bloody and battered. Escape was impossible.

Zhang Jiaohua and his three spirit pets calmly watched as the Xiyun Sect members descended into chaos.

Even Hua Zhaoyang and the remaining disciples were completely disoriented. They couldn’t tell friend from foe, often attacking their own sect members in the confusion.

Zhang didn’t want to waste too much time. Controlling the formation, he had complete dominion over their lives. With a wave of his hand, the remaining enemies were reduced to mist—blood fog that quickly vanished. A blaze followed, erasing every trace of their existence.

Only then did Zhang dismantle the formation. The Xiyun Sect’s protective array was already unstable without cultivators to maintain it. Zhang threw his remaining talismans at it.

BOOM!
The ground trembled. The entrance to the Xiyun Secret Realm opened before Zhang. At last, it was fully in his grasp.

Inside the secret realm, the remaining Xiyun Sect members—young and old—stared in terror at Zhang Jiaohua.

“Waaah…”
A child burst into tears, unable to bear the heavy tension.

Some of the women wailed loudly.

“It’s over! The Xiyun Sect is finished! The Hua family is done for!”

The cries spread like a virus. Soon, everyone was sobbing.

“Grudges have culprits; debts have debtors! Hua Zhaoyang and Hua Shaobo brought this upon your sect. The chief offenders are dead, and their accomplices have also been dealt with. But to prevent future trouble, the Xiyun Sect must be erased.” Zhang announced loudly.

The crowd panicked, thinking he was about to slaughter them all.

“Why must we suffer for Hua Zhaoyang’s sins? We’ve long wanted to leave the sect. We don’t want to be frogs in a well!”

“Please, cultivator sir, spare us! Without spiritual resources, we’re no longer cultivators—just ordinary people. We couldn’t seek revenge even if we wanted to.”

“Those are Hua Zhaoyang’s direct relatives. Go after them! Why involve the rest of us?”

At that, many people shoved around a dozen individuals out of the crowd. They were crying but didn’t beg Zhang for mercy.

“Listen well. Hua Zhaoyang and his son attacked me and even targeted my family. That’s why I eliminated them and their allies. But in the world of cultivation, we don’t punish innocents or involve families. I’m not here to be a butcher. As long as you leave and never trouble me again, I’ll consider this matter closed,” Zhang declared.

The secret realm fell silent. No one had expected this outcome.

After a pause, someone suddenly jumped up and ran home.

“Hurry, pack your things! We’re getting out of here and never coming back!”

“There’s nothing left for us here!”

“Don’t touch what isn’t yours!” Zhang shouted sternly.

Before long, the former members of the Xiyun Sect began filing out with their belongings. Many of them had never wanted to stay here anyway. Lacking talent, they preferred life in the outside world. To them, this realm felt more like a prison. The outside world had grown far more exciting, while they remained stuck in a tiny bubble.

Zhang had just taken over the entire sect and had no way to manage it. The Xiyun Secret Realm wasn’t large, but it was comparable to Meizi’ao. The spirit springs had already dried up, and the spiritual energy would soon be depleted. Without intervention, it would become little more than an empty shell.

“Could be a good place to grow tea,” Zhang muttered.
The secret realm didn’t mean much to him—it was more of a burden than a treasure. His own cultivation diagram offered far better space and utility. This hidden paradise was of little practical use.

After placing a restriction at the entrance, Zhang left the secret realm for now, unsure how or if he’d use it in the future.

Back in the capital, he called home.

“The trouble’s been dealt with. Starting tomorrow, everything returns to normal,” Zhang said over the phone.

Upon hearing the result, Chen Dianzai sighed. “Do what you want. Leaving those Xiyun folks alive may be a risk, but they’re powerless now. With your Guard Dog, the Black Cats, and the Chubby Monkey troop watching Meizi’ao, I’m not too worried. Still, be cautious of any remaining enemies. You might be able to handle them, but your parents can’t.”

“No worries. They’re just normal people now, and I’ll be keeping an eye on them. My parents will have protection, too,” Zhang assured him.

“You coming back?” Chen chuckled.

Zhang paused, then said quietly, “Not yet. Now that this is resolved, I’ll stay here a while longer.”

Zhang’s decision to remain in the capital made Wu Yuan visibly happy.

“That’s great. Honestly, I may run this big restaurant, but I’ve never had much confidence. If you left, I’d feel like I lost my backbone. Now that you’re staying, I can finally relax.” Wu Yuan had unknowingly lost quite a bit of weight.

“I know your abilities. You’ll run the Koufu Restaurant just fine without me,” Zhang replied with a smile.

“If you’re not ready for school, I can request some time off for you,” Wu Yuan offered.

Zhang shook his head. “No need. I’ll be back at school tomorrow.”

The next day, Zhang returned to class.

“Zhang Jiaohua, skipping class again?” Wei Yunlong said, clearly displeased.

“There was something at home,” Zhang replied.

“Well, if you ever need help, just let me know,” Wei said kindly.

The whole class had expected a scolding—but Wei’s words surprised them.

Zheng Wendong was also back in class, but he wasn’t the same cheerful boy from before. He seemed like a different person altogether. Every time he looked at Zhang, there was resentment in his eyes.

Zhang ignored him. He could tell Zheng had been practicing some dark cultivation method, which would only harm him in the long run. But everyone walks their own path.

What Zhang didn’t know was that trouble would still find him—Zheng Wendong’s grudge wasn’t going away.

After school, Xu Chuan’an, who normally didn’t take the same route, made a detour to walk with Zhang.

“Zheng Wendong is planning something against you. Be careful.”

This caught Zhang off guard. He hadn’t expected Zheng to escalate things to that level.

After school, Zheng Wendong didn’t go home. Instead, he went to a remote spot near the school.

“You said you’d help me deal with him. But so far, you’ve done nothing,” he said to a figure cloaked in black.

“You shouldn’t always be asking the cult leader for help. Ask yourself—what have you done for him? You’ve got talent, so the leader values you. But you’ve given nothing back. He taught you all this, and you still can’t get revenge on a classmate?” the cloaked figure said in a neutral voice.

“He’s not an ordinary person. It’s not as easy as you said.”

“Who is he?”

“I don’t know exactly… but it looks like he practices Daoist arts.”

“A cultivator?” The cloaked figure suddenly grew interested.

Zheng nodded.

“This is serious. I must report it to the leader immediately,” the figure said.

Elsewhere, Liang Mingjie—the envoy from the Kunlun Sect—hadn’t even returned yet when he received the news: The Xiyun Sect had been annihilated.

He was stunned.

“Who did this?!” Liang was furious. He’d gone out on a mission and now had nothing to show for it.