PCJ – Chapter 600 Fire Flood Dragon

Zhang Jiaohua stared fixedly at the center of the Boiling Water Lake. He sensed the spiritual energy fluctuations there.

This Boiling Water Lake was far from as simple as it seemed. No wonder Zhang Jiaohua had felt something was off here from the start. Actually, back then, Zhang Jiaohua was already in a very special state, but his cultivation was still insufficient. Now, his cultivation had improved considerably and was in a very stable condition, so naturally, he could sense the spiritual energy fluctuations at the lake’s center.

“Wait here for me. I’ll go take a look,” Zhang Jiaohua said.

“Where are you going?” Zhang Yuanbao hurriedly asked, about to say not to leave him behind, but then he saw Zhang Jiaohua pointing toward the center of the lake.

“I’m going to check out the center of the lake. There’s something going on there,” Zhang Jiaohua said.

“Where exactly?” Zhang Yuanbao’s eyes widened.

Ji Jiaxin quickly stopped him, “This isn’t a joke. The water temperature here is definitely over 100 degrees Celsius. The center of the lake doesn’t look like water at all. It looks like molten lava. The temperature probably far exceeds 100 degrees. Don’t take risks.”

Mute also said, “Yeah, why take such a risk? I don’t think there’s anything worth risking your life over there.”

“Don’t worry, I won’t take the risk without confidence,” Zhang Jiaohua smiled.

“But how will you get there?” Zhang Yuanbao was anxious.

Zhang Jiaohua leapt into the air and directly stepped on the boiling water, walking toward the lake’s center as if on flat ground.

“Ah! Is this a reed crossing the river?” Ji Jiaxin murmured.

Zhang Yuanbao’s eyes also widened. They had never seen Zhang Jiaohua perform such a Daoist technique.

Mute scratched his head: “Since when did Jiaohua get this powerful?”

While the others were stunned, Zhang Jiaohua was already nearly at the lake’s center.

“Woof woof!” Suddenly, Zuan Shanbao (a Mountain Leopard) barked urgently. It rushed to the lake’s edge, trying to catch up but without the ability to walk on the water’s surface. It could only bark anxiously toward the lake’s center. Clearly, it was warning Zhang Jiaohua.

“Meow!” Fat Cat was also anxiously pacing.

“Squeak squeak!” Chubby Monkey jumped nervously.

Seeing these reactions, Zhang Yuanbao and the others immediately realized Zhang Jiaohua was about to face danger.

“Jiaohua, be careful! Danger!” Zhang Yuanbao shouted.

“Be careful!” Ji Jiaxin shouted loudly.

Mute was also worried: “Not good!”

Zhang Jiaohua’s perception was a hundred times sharper than ordinary people’s. Naturally, he could not miss the threat emerging. The moment the threat appeared, Zhang Jiaohua’s heart tightened. A spiritual energy shield instantly formed around him.

“Roar!”

Suddenly, a huge figure burst from the lake’s center, causing the surface to explode outward like a bomb. Thick molten lava sprayed around like a fountain. The giant creature roared furiously the moment it surfaced, clearly enraged by the intruder Zhang Jiaohua.

Zhang Jiaohua hovered in the air. Facing the rushing molten lava, he didn’t dodge at all. The lava parted on either side of him before touching him, and not a single drop stuck to him.

“Quickly retreat! Go to the camp and wait for me!” Zhang Jiaohua shouted behind him.

Zhang Yuanbao immediately said, “Let’s go. We can’t help here and might just slow Jiaohua down!”

Without hesitation, Zhang Yuanbao and Mute escorted Ji Jiaxin away from the lake. Zuan Shanbao, Fat Cat, Chubby Monkey, and Xiao Jin covered their rear, slowly retreating.

“What about Jiaohua?” Ji Jiaxin worriedly asked.

“Jiaohua will be fine. Staying here would only cause trouble,” Zhang Yuanbao said firmly. He was decisive because he knew staying put was useless. If the monster attacked them, it would distract Zhang Jiaohua.

Ji Jiaxin was worried about Zhang Jiaohua but knew this truth as well.

Meanwhile, the monster from the lake had fully emerged. In front of Zhang Jiaohua, it revealed its true form.

“Jiaolong?” Zhang Jiaohua recognized the creature immediately. It was the legendary Jiaolong (Flood Dragon).

The Jiaolong roared angrily, then lunged at Zhang Jiaohua, intending to swallow him whole.

Zhang Jiaohua would not let that happen. Instead of confronting the Jiaolong head-on, he flashed his body and nimbly avoided the attack, then quickly released a Xuan Thunder talisman. A bolt of mysterious thunder struck the Jiaolong.

But this thunderbolt had little effect on the Jiaolong, like pricking it with a sewing needle—only causing it mild pain.

“Roar!”

Having suffered this early setback, the Jiaolong’s anger only intensified.

It suddenly opened its mouth, unleashing a burst of white flames toward Zhang Jiaohua.

Zhang Jiaohua didn’t know the fire’s power but wisely avoided testing it. He flashed again, nimbly evading. His body was much more agile than the Jiaolong’s. No matter how strong the Jiaolong was, Zhang Jiaohua wouldn’t attempt to fight it head-on.

The flames blasted into the boiling lake like a huge firebomb.

Boom!

A massive explosion shook the lake, sending a water column dozens of meters high.

Zhang Jiaohua was shocked by the monster’s power.

Although knowing the thunder talisman didn’t seriously threaten the Jiaolong, Zhang Jiaohua kept throwing them repeatedly. The talismans didn’t cost him much effort. When used up, he could make more.

While one talisman didn’t affect the Jiaolong much, the continuous bombardment caused the creature pain.

The Jiaolong raged furiously but had few skills—mostly physical attacks or spraying fierce flames.

Zhang Jiaohua didn’t dare expend too much spiritual energy using big moves. His talismans alone couldn’t really threaten the Jiaolong. The Jiaolong’s attacks were fierce but couldn’t hit Zhang Jiaohua.

Zhang Jiaohua kept harassing it, making the Jiaolong angrier and wilder. The Jiaolong attacked tirelessly, while Zhang Jiaohua relied on agility to hold it off.

The tremendous sounds from the valley worried the three waiting outside.

“Will Jiaohua be okay?” Ji Jiaxin asked worriedly.

“Don’t worry, he’ll be fine. Listen carefully: that monster is furious, yelling nonstop. It must have no way to deal with Jiaohua and is being led around like a fool. We just wait here patiently. When it’s exhausted, Jiaohua will surely subdue it—just like with Xiao Jin,” Zhang Yuanbao said. Actually, he was worried since Jiaohua hadn’t come out for so long and the monster kept roaring. The situation inside was definitely dangerous.

Xiao Jin didn’t like Zhang Yuanbao’s comparison. After spending days with Zhang Jiaohua and the others, it understood simple words and reacted whenever its own name was mentioned.

“Why don’t you guys wait here while I go check?” Mute asked.

“No, don’t go. If Jiaohua can’t win, maybe he can still escape, but if you rush in and cause trouble, it’ll only make things worse. Since Jiaohua told us to retreat here, there must be a reason,” Zhang Yuanbao said firmly.

Mute stopped immediately, frowned, glanced at the valley, and stayed put.

Zhang Jiaohua felt the Jiaolong’s attacks weakening. The monster’s stamina and flame reserves weren’t endless. It had used up all its energy venting just now. Still, Zhang Jiaohua remained cautious, throwing talismans continuously. The Jiaolong was uncomfortable but helpless.

Now the Jiaolong knew these attacks weren’t serious threats and stopped trying to dodge. Maybe it had adapted to the assault intensity.

Zhang Jiaohua quietly began chanting a spell: “Heavenly Thunder Order, Earth Thunder Order, the Five Thunders originally assist the stars. Left Guanyin, Right Guanyin, Guanyin Bodhisattva guards me. Five Thunders, step by step follow, my body wears golden armor, my head wears purple-golden helmet, one path of Five Thunders, Five Thunders threaten, when heaven opens and earth cracks, those who obey survive, those who resist perish. Southern Dipper six stars, Northern Dipper seven stars, I obey the Supreme Lord, swift as law!”

As Zhang Jiaohua chanted, the mist above the valley gathered, slowly forming a dark cloud. One after another, the Xuan Thunder talisman and Water Ball talismans were thrown at the Jiaolong. Each time the Jiaolong tried to retreat underwater, Zhang Jiaohua quickly approached, suddenly releasing a dazzling spiritual light—a spiritual sword formed in his hand, stabbing hard into the Jiaolong’s body.

“Roar!” The Jiaolong howled in pain. Its fading anger instantly condensed and it launched relentless attacks. Its magic was spent, but its physical strength remained formidable.

But Zhang Jiaohua’s agility was too slippery for it to catch, fueling its fury.

“Roar!”

Unnoticed by the Jiaolong, the huge dark cloud above the valley had formed completely. It was no ordinary cloud—thunder rumbled within, thick bolts of lightning danced, ready to strike at any moment. Under Zhang Jiaohua’s guidance, the cloud sank slowly into the valley, growing closer. The five Xuan Thunders inside absorbed energy from heaven and earth continuously.

The Jiaolong suddenly felt an intense threat—the same danger it had encountered when it first transformed into a Jiaolong.

Ignoring Zhang Jiaohua’s provocations, it looked up at the sky.

“Wail!”

The Jiaolong let out a mournful cry and desperately tried to flee.

Its previous experience haunted it—no way was it willing to go through that again!

The Jiaolong ignored the hateful human provocateur and just wanted to escape.

Unfortunately, it missed the best chance and, in panic, missed the opportunity to drag Zhang Jiaohua down with it.

Lightning was much faster than the Jiaolong’s escape. A blazing white light shot from the cloud, striking the Jiaolong’s massive body just as it turned around.

“Wail!”

The Jiaolong cried in pain. This wasn’t just a random thunder talisman thrown by Zhang Jiaohua—it was a demon thunder!

The Five Thunder Art includes demon thunder, water thunder, cloud thunder, earth thunder, and heaven thunder. Demon thunder is the weakest but still not something the Jiaolong could easily endure.

The demon thunder left a shocking wound on the Jiaolong, blood flowing continuously.

The Jiaolong rolled in the boiling lake in pain, then realized it had to escape. But before it could move far, a second thunder struck—twice as powerful water thunder slammed into the Jiaolong. This time it pierced its skin, striking its white bones. Crack! The bones on its back almost fractured!

Now seriously wounded and in unbearable pain, the Jiaolong knew it faced mortal danger. One more hit and it would be dead!

It immediately lunged toward the spiritual energy fluctuation at the lake’s center and vanished.

Zhang Jiaohua saw the Jiaolong flee, then ended the Five Thunder spell. Flashing his body, he rushed toward the energy fluctuation and entered a completely different space.

“Wail!”

Just as he entered the secret realm, he heard the Jiaolong’s mournful cry. This time the creature was seriously hurt. Zhang Jiaohua still didn’t dare relax, wondering if other Jiaolongs might be hiding inside.

Inside the secret realm, Zhang Jiaohua was hit by an incredibly dense spiritual energy. Its concentration was even stronger than the Kunlun secret realm.

Looking around, Zhang Jiaohua saw the realm was huge, definitely not smaller than the Kunlun secret realm. But he didn’t understand why such a massive realm had never been discovered. Could it be because the entrance was too complex? The Kunlun realm’s environment outside was also perilous. Since that realm was discovered by cultivators, why not this Meishan secret realm?

“Unless there are extremely powerful demonic beasts here!” Zhang Jiaohua thought.

“Roar…”

At that moment, a loud roar shook the entire secret realm.

“So there really are!” Zhang Jiaohua mentally slapped himself for being right.