Chapter 125: The Catastrophe of the Flood

Chapter 125
The Disaster of the Flood

Only when they heard Li Hao’s shout did everyone wake from their daze, pulling themselves back from their emotions. One after another, they entered Li Hao’s law barrier.

After everyone had gathered inside, Li Hao said, “Sister Xue You, brothers, quickly restore your strength. Also, to be on the safe side, don’t let your guard down. I will hold off this storm for all of us for now.”

“Thank you!”

All the gratitude and all the words remained unspoken, silently etched in their hearts. In the end, they only said two words—thank you—and each began to recover their strength.

At that moment, Li Hao absorbed the power of the wind while continuously transferring it to his law barrier. Unbeknownst to them, after hours of torrential rain, the flood within this interdimensional realm had already submerged eighty percent of the space.

The young cultivators caught in the flood struggled with all their might to resist the storm and ascend to higher ground. Yet, the higher they flew, the stronger the storm’s force became.

Each person would fly about a hundred feet above the water’s surface, only to be swept back into the flood by the fierce wind. Then they would struggle again to ascend, only to be mercilessly thrown back into the water.

As this cycle repeated, someone suddenly shouted, “Don’t rise too high above the flood’s surface! The higher you go, the stronger the wind’s force!”

Upon hearing this, everyone followed the advice. Their trial proved it true: standing just three feet above the flood’s surface, they could barely feel the wind’s impact. As long as they withstood the pouring rain from above, they were relatively safe.

Whether they were truly safe, only time would tell.

Continuously maintaining their law barriers drained their strength excessively. Eventually, many withdrew their barriers and stood directly in the rain. Seeing this, others followed suit—one, two, three—until several young cultivators stood three feet above the flood, drenched by the rain, letting it beat down on them. The scene was bizarre indeed.

The overwhelming flood had already swollen into a disaster, water surging over peak after peak.

Li Hao and his group continued to resist the storm. After an hour of fierce struggle defending seven companions beside him, Li Hao suddenly sensed the wind’s strength waning. The change was abrupt. Before they could fully adjust, a rumbling sound echoed through the air.

Along with Xiao Jiu, who had transformed into human form, all nine were startled simultaneously.

“What is that sound?”

These words echoed in their minds together. They immediately extended their divine senses to investigate the source. When their awareness swept outside the cave, a shocking scene flooded their minds, alarming them anew.

Li Hao instantly shouted, “Quick! Everyone, unite to block the incoming flood!”

“Yes!”

With those words, Xiao Jiu charged to the front. His law light flickered, instantly converting into water attribute power. He swiftly unfolded a law barrier, placing it before everyone.

Xiao Jiu’s swift action bought precious moments for the others to open their own law barriers. While Xiao Jiu single-handedly held back the flood, the other eight quickly followed suit and erected their barriers.

At the same time, Li Hao conducted a bold experiment, rapidly activating the Yin-Yang Purification Array. He began evolving the flood’s power, and, as expected, succeeded once more.

Following his success, Li Hao quickly opened his law barrier, converting the water power onto it just as before. He called everyone into his barrier. Witnessing this strange scene, the others became even more amazed by Li Hao’s peculiar talents.

Among them, Ling Guanghan was the most shocked; his heart nearly stopped from fright. Though the others knew Li Hao to be unusual, these repeated strange feats stirred their emotions deeply. They were at a loss for words, simply staring blankly at this odd youth before them.

While Li Hao created a water-attribute law barrier to shield them from the flood, isolating them safely inside, Ling Guanghan glanced at Xiao Jiu, unsure how to speak.

Noticing Ling Guanghan’s gaze, Xiao Jiu returned a gentle smile and first spoke, “My name is Xiao Jiu.”

Hearing the legendary being speak to him, Ling Guanghan felt honored anew. After a brief moment of astonishment, he regained composure and said, “I am Ling Guanghan, pleased to meet you.”

Seeing Xiao Jiu was a young, handsome youth with no other name to call him, Ling Guanghan respectfully addressed him as “sir.”

Xiao Jiu accepted the politeness with his usual elegant smile and replied, “You are my master’s friend. Just call me Xiao Jiu from now on.”

As they spoke, Li Hao interrupted, “Brother Xiao Jiu, go out and investigate the situation outside.”

“Yes, sir!”

Xiao Jiu responded and immediately dashed out of the cave. Seeing this, the others were unphased, fully aware of Xiao Jiu’s true nature. Even Ling Guanghan, who was unaware, felt no shock; after all, Xiao Jiu was the spirit of a divine-grade weapon.

Suddenly, nine massive dragon heads emerged from the flood near Li Hao’s group, startling the young cultivators nearby. When they saw Xiao Jiu’s nine dragon bodies surfacing repeatedly, stretching thousands of feet long, everyone assumed this monstrous flood was caused by this wicked dragon.

Seeing such an enormous beast, everyone understood their own insignificance. They dared not speak their anger aloud but silently cursed Xiao Jiu’s ancestors for countless generations.

Xiao Jiu’s nine gigantic dragon bodies made a full circle amidst thunder, rain, and lightning, then plunged swiftly back into the flood, vanishing from sight. The sight left everyone with lingering fear.

As Xiao Jiu submerged, his body instantly transformed into human form again. He raised a water-attribute law barrier and returned to the cave, arriving before Li Hao.

Li Hao looked at Xiao Jiu and asked, “Brother Xiao Jiu, how is the situation outside?”

Xiao Jiu respectfully replied, “Master, the situation outside is grim. The higher from the flood’s surface, the stronger the storm. The rain shows no sign of easing. Some young cultivators have been caught in the flood, others in the storm. However, they are quite wise; all stand just three feet above the water level, letting the torrential rain pour over them.”

Hearing this, everyone was taken aback. Their current relative safety was entirely thanks to Li Hao. Without him, they too would have suffered undeserved disaster like the others.

Li Hao detected a deeper meaning in Xiao Jiu’s words and asked with curiosity, “Brother Xiao Jiu, why do they stand three feet above the flood?”

“Master, standing three feet above the flood means one is almost unaffected by the storm’s gusts.”

“I see!”

Li Hao, understanding the reason, considered for a moment and then said, “Brother Xiao Jiu, besides the limitations when assisting me, are you restricted when you fully help others?”

Xiao Jiu, feeling evasive, answered, “Helping others? I don’t think so!”

What nonsense was that? Only others would believe his lie about not being limited when aiding others.

Hearing this, Li Hao said, “Good. Now, I have a task for you. Go out and help as many of the young cultivators outside as you can. They are all comrades from the Lu Jiashan Star Domain, after all.”

With some worry, Xiao Jiu asked, “What about you, master?”

Li Hao replied, “Don’t worry about me, Brother Xiao Jiu. I can draw power from the water to replenish my law power. I will keep converting continuously. The water entering this cave doesn’t affect me.”

“Yes, master!”

Xiao Jiu answered and immediately left the cave.

Li Hao never expected that this simple, spontaneous decision would win everyone’s hearts.

Ling Guanghan, hearing Li Hao’s selfless resolve, silently thought, “This young master’s heart is broad and selfless, full of great kindness and righteousness. His future is limitless. He is someone truly worthy of dedicated loyalty.”

Ling Guanghan kept his thoughts to himself; no one else knew what he pondered.

Li Hao’s decision surprised not only Ling Guanghan but also those closest to him—Lin Xue You, Zhen Ba, Kui Hu, Li Zhan, Qin Zhen—all felt it was beyond their expectations. They thought Li Hao would care only for his immediate friends and not for the well-being of others. Yet, Li Hao showed a profound compassion for all innocent lives.

Only Lu Yao, who knew Li Hao best, was not surprised. She understood Li Hao’s softer side. Even in everyday life, if Li Hao saw an ant on his path, he would never purposely step on it but would go around. Seeing injured small animals, he would tend to them before setting them free.

That was Li Hao’s tender heart. So when Lu Yao witnessed Li Hao’s ruthless side against enemies, she was truly shocked. She felt Li Hao had changed.

In truth, Li Hao had never changed. Whatever he did was always from his true heart, acting according to his nature.

Li Hao’s decision now amazed others because they had only known him a short time and did not fully understand his character. They only knew what he had done during their time together, which made his actions seem so unexpected.