Chapter 136 Not a Flood Dragon

Walking and chatting along the way, they soon arrived in front of a grotto mansion.

This grotto mansion was located at the base of a towering peak hundreds of thousands of zhang high, surrounded by countless ancient trees that reached into the clouds. There were also numerous exotic flowers and rare herbs, emitting an exceptionally pure force of laws.

The laws of heaven and earth here were dozens of times stronger than anywhere else.

Looking at the two grand doors of the grotto mansion, they exuded an ancient and sacred aura. The stone gates, hundreds of zhang high, weighed no less than a million catties, and inscribed on the left and right sides were two rows of exquisitely carved ancient characters.

On the left: The ten directions of the primal chaos and heaven and earth converge here!
On the right: My ambition aspires to surpass all ages through time!

The two rows of bold, flying calligraphy emanated a magnificent and majestic pressure. Merely fourteen simple characters contained an aura of looking down upon the entire world, making it difficult for anyone to dare look at them directly.

Upon seeing these characters, Li Hao, Zhen Ba, Kui Hu, Li Zhan, Qin Zhen, and Ling Guanghan felt their hearts surge with fighting spirit and passion, their hot blood boiling throughout their bodies.

Lin Xueyou looked at them and said, "What lofty ambitions! I wonder what kind of remarkable figure the senior who left these was."

Hearing Lin Xueyou's words, the others nodded in complete agreement.

The flood dragon spat a breath of energy directly onto the center of the stone gates, and a miracle immediately occurred. A massive whirlpool appeared precisely where the flood dragon's force of laws made contact.

After the giant whirlpool appeared, the flood dragon opened its massive mouth and spewed out a mighty torrent of power directly into the whirlpool formation.

Once the whirlpool formation was fully energized, the gigantic stone gates finally emitted a deep, rumbling sound. Following a series of thunderous reverberations, the doors began to open.

Witnessing this scene, everyone was filled with awe and wonder. Someone let out an exclamation of amazement:

"How magnificent!"

"Indeed! Truly magnificent!..."

Following that, everyone chimed in with agreement.

After the muffled echoes subsided, the gates opened successfully. The scene that met their eyes was quite bizarre: there were no brilliantly glittering and intricately painted beams, nor was there any boundless space. Behind the doors lay only a single, massive whirlpool formation.

Upon closer observation, one would realize that this giant whirlpool formation was identical in every way to the smaller one into which the flood dragon had previously channeled its power. Everyone who saw this found it utterly incredible.

Li Hao watched for a moment before speaking up:

"I understand now!"

Hearing Li Hao's words, everyone was completely baffled, unable to figure out what he had realized.

Lu Yao took the lead and asked, "What is it that Brother Li Hao has understood?"

Hearing Lu Yao's question, everyone eagerly awaited Li Hao's explanation.

Not keeping them in suspense, Li Hao explained to the puzzled group:

"The power the flood dragon infused just now wasn't meant for opening the gates."

Hearing this, everyone became even more perplexed. If it wasn't to open the gates, then what was it for? They could only continue listening as Li Hao went on.

Li Hao continued:

"The energy it input was primarily meant to activate this whirlpool formation. Only by successfully activating this formation would the stone gates open on their own. Otherwise, even if the gates were forced open, there would be nothing inside, or one would simply be teleported to some other unknown space."

They were not foolish; upon hearing Li Hao's explanation, everything suddenly became crystal clear.

Within the time it took to exchange a few casual remarks, the whirlpool formation before them gradually slowed down. Just as the whirlpool was about to come to a complete halt, the flood dragon lifted them up and plunged straight into the vortex.

***

"Wow! How beautiful!"

"Mmm! So comfortable!"

"Ah, what a wonderful place!"

The crowd stood atop the flood dragon's head, gazing around. Sunlight shimmered across the lake's surface in sparkling ripples, scattering ten thousand golden rays. Various birds occasionally skimmed across the blue sky and white clouds or lightly brushed the water's surface, creating a picturesque landscape.

The air was fresh, the temperature was just right, and everywhere green mountains met clear waters in an enchanting, breathtaking scenery. The varieties of flora and fauna were countless. Wildflowers bloomed all over the hillsides in colorful splendors, looking like vibrant carpets spread across the wilderness. This was no mere cave; it was a miniature earthly paradise.

Looking into the distance from the lakeside, the azure lake water connected with the pale blue sky, where wisps of white clouds shifted into changing patterns. Lush grasses seemed to lay a thick green velvet carpet along the shore, dotted with colorful wildflowers that formed a natural bath of beauty.

Seeing this small lake, everyone involuntarily felt the urge to cast off their garments and leap in to enjoy a refreshing swim.

Looking around further, there were no luxurious buildings here—only a canvas of natural, picturesque beauty. Upon second thought, everyone understood that for a young flood dragon, such artificial structures were entirely unnecessary.

At this thought, Qin Zhen instinctively looked up at the flood dragon's head. With this glance, he discovered a bizarre anomaly: the flood dragon, which had possessed a bare head outside, now actually grew a pair of antlers. No, these were not antlers; they were far more massive than any deer antlers—this was a pair of true dragon horns.

Now adorned with this pair of dragon horns, the original small flood dragon looked far more majestic and imposing than before.

Qin Zhen could not help but blurt out:

"Eh? Isn't it a flood dragon? Why does it have dragon horns on its head?"

Kui Hu asked, "Huh? What has dragon horns?"

Qin Zhen said, "Take a look at its head yourselves!"

Hearing their exchange, the others snapped out of their mesmerized state within this fairyland-like scenery. Focusing their attention on the flood dragon's head, they were all struck with utter incomprehension.

Xiao Jiu was the first to ask, "Hey! Are you not a flood dragon?"

The flood dragon replied, "I have no idea what's going on either. When I came back, I found myself growing much stronger. But whenever I leave this place, my strength is cut in half. As for my own changes, I don't really understand them myself. Anyway, since I can only stay in this place anyway, I don't really care about the changes anymore."

"..."

Hearing this simple-minded fellow's response, everyone could only be rendered speechless.

Hearing the little flood dragon's words, Li Hao remarked:

"There must be a hidden reason behind all this. Perhaps this is also a major reason why you were sealed inside and unable to leave!"

Hearing Li Hao's words, Lin Xueyou agreed, adding:

"Little Brother Li Hao makes sense. Perhaps once you manage to leave this place, you won't be bound by other restrictions anymore, and you will become a true divine dragon."

Upon hearing Lin Xueyou's words, the massive creature responded, its voice echoing in everyone's ears:

"I haven't thought about it that much. Since I can't get out anyway, I just consider myself a flood dragon."

Remembering that he was still standing atop the dragon's head, Li Hao asked the little giant dragon:

"Do you live right here?"

The giant dragon replied, "Replying to the Young Master, yes. I live right here."

"Then let's all head down."

***

"Alright!"

At Li Hao's words, everyone answered in unison. They leapt down from the giant dragon's head and landed firmly on the ground below.

As soon as everyone descended, a flash of the laws' light emanated from the giant dragon, and it instantly transformed into a handsome youth standing among them.

Lin Xueyou praised, "This truly is a wonderful place. The laws here are pure, and their density is many times higher than that of the inner world within a world. It is an exceptional place for cultivation."

"Indeed, it's a great place!"

"Three elder sisters, I usually sleep in this lake. From now on, I'll cede this place to you. I'll just find some random spot to study the things that the Boss taught me."

"Wonderful! Wonderful! Then many thanks to you."

Hearing the words of the humanoid giant dragon before them, the three young maidens were thrilled and excited.

Everyone felt an eager impatience, and the most obvious among them was Lu Yao.

"Very well, I shall set up a barrier for the three elder sisters."

As the humanoid little giant dragon finished speaking, he waved his hand, and a massive barrier instantly enveloped the entire lake and the surrounding area of several thousand zhang. Having completed all this, the little giant dragon turned to Li Hao and the others and said:

"Young Master, I'm going to cultivate now. You all can wander around this place as you please. Without my power, no one can leave, and even if they somehow got out, they couldn't get back in. Outside, you might encounter unknown dangers, but here it is completely safe."

Hearing the little giant dragon's words, Li Hao told him:

"Very well, go ahead."

The little giant dragon replied, "Alright!"

With that, he vanished instantly. Aside from Xiao Jiu, no one knew where he had gone.

After the little giant dragon left, Li Hao said to the companions around him:

"Brothers, the scenery here is quite nice. If you wish to cultivate, go ahead and cultivate; if you don't wish to cultivate, feel free to wander around and sightsee. I'll find a place by myself to practice for a bit, taking advantage of the safety during this period, not to mention the exceptionally rich laws of heaven and earth here."

"Alright! Then let's split up."

Exchanging greetings, the group dispersed in all directions as their voices faded.

Over the past few days, they had been constantly fighting battles by day, enduring howling winds and torrential rains by night, keeping them on edge without a single day of peace. Arriving in such a comfortable and tranquil sanctuary, everyone naturally wanted to relax and unwind.

In this comfortable and serene environment, they strolled east and west, peering around to see if there were any hidden treasures or rare items to be found.

Upon arriving here, Xiao Jiu had also wandered off to god knows where. Only Kui Hu, Li Zhan, and Qin Zhen were left roaming about aimlessly.

After wandering for a while, Ling Guanghan said to the three of them:

"Three brothers, you go ahead and enjoy yourselves. I'm going to cultivate as well."

With that, Ling Guanghan found a quiet spot and began his cultivation. Sometimes he sat cross-legged to elevate his cultivation realm; other times he practiced spear techniques, saber techniques, or the combat methods of the triangular darts.

As for Xiao Jiu, he had found a comfortable spot and lay down there, resting his head on his hands, living a leisurely life. It was impossible to tell whether he was cultivating there or simply being lazy and sleeping.

That bizarre giant dragon had gone to the peak of a taller mountain to sit cross-legged, continuously comprehending and cultivating. The white jade long flute that Lu Xuemei had given to Li Hao was made of extremely precious materials. Refining it would not be something the little giant dragon could accomplish overnight, so he raced against time, refining it while continuously studying. Among all of them, he was undoubtedly the one working the hardest.

Oddly enough, this small giant dragon considered himself merely a flood dragon when outside, yet upon entering this realm, he transformed into a true divine dragon. Yet he still did not view himself as a divine dragon, choosing instead to regard himself as a flood dragon—this was the aspect of his mindset that differed from others. Perhaps this mentality reflected an indifferent attitude toward his own identity, or perhaps it was a way of raising his own standards in order to break free from the shackles of this place.