Starting My Cultivation With Time Management-Chapter 946 - 86: The Heavenly Demon Descends

"Why not stay above the clouds?"

Xu Yinglian transmitted her voice through secret communication, asking curiously.

"A tall tree attracts the wind." Qiu Changtian answered concisely, "We’re surrounded and at risk of being besieged."

"So what?" Xu Yinglian asked in confusion, "I can fight ten cultivators of the same rank with ease."

The implication being, even if hundreds or thousands of cultivators gather, would they really be your match, Senior Brother?

Qiu Changtian shook his head without speaking.

Indeed, with his current cultivation realm far surpassing that of his peers, no matter how many came, he could defeat them all.

But what if An Zhisu came?

Above the clouds, on the sea, or under the sea—of these three places, given An Zhisu’s disposition, she would undoubtedly choose above the clouds for a chaotic slaughter.

And if he were to encounter Senior Sister An then, should he strike her down with one sword, or what?

That current Ling Yunpo, who is also his future self, would most likely be inseparable from Senior Sister An by then.

If he dealt with Senior Sister An and turned around to see Junior Sister Xu and Ling Yunpo fighting, whom should he help?

Not help Junior Sister? Impossible. Help Junior Sister kill Ling Yunpo? Then he’d essentially be eliminating himself!

Qiu Changtian had already made up his mind: Ling Yunpo would stay above the clouds with Senior Sister An, while Qiu Changtian would explore the sea with Junior Sister Xu. Luo Yan and Liuli Lady would wander under the sea.

As for Wei Dongliu and Jiang the Witch… well, wherever he chose to go, the lady might not be willing to follow. He would just have to adapt to the situation when the time came.

Lowering again beneath the cloud layer and returning to the harsh stormy conditions, Xu Yinglian frowned slightly in discomfort, only to find that the small island where they had initially stopped had completely disappeared.

Even the small boat magical treasure docked near the island had vanished without a trace.

That magical treasure was of low rank to begin with. Coupled with the relentless seawater and such harsh conditions, its destruction was not surprising.

This left the two with no choice but to travel by sword control.

Compared to the perilous currents below the sea, the air was relatively safer. However, the pouring rain and raging winds made it extremely difficult to maintain their balance mid-flight.

Despite their cultivation realm being far superior to their peers, the hurricane-level winds of this calamity forced them to wobble as they flew forward.

"If these islands were originally mountain ranges," Xu Yinglian suddenly said, "we should aim for the higher peaks. That way, we could last longer as the sea levels rise."

"Speaking of mountain ranges, the higher ranges are likely to be in the northwest or southwest." Qiu Changtian pondered aloud, "But the world simulated within this secret realm may not be identical to our actual world."

"And even if it were identical," Xu Yinglian sighed, "in this environment, we can’t discern the directions of north, south, east, and west."

"I can determine the direction," the Kunlun Mirror interjected abruptly, "Do you intend to head westward?"

"Let’s head westward for now," Qiu Changtian agreed.

Following the Kunlun Mirror’s guidance, the two turned toward the west.

As they had guessed, the closer they moved toward the west, the more densely packed the islands became.

"This should be the Sichuan Shu region," Qiu Changtian speculated, "which means if we head northwest from here, we might reach the Kunlun Mountain Range?"

"There’s nowhere else to go anyway," Xu Yinglian replied.

The two adjusted their direction to the northwest again and spent several hours flying through the storm on their swords, eventually catching a faint glimpse of a landmass.

What was referred to as a "landmass" was, in fact, the original Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. Due to its average altitude of thousands of feet above sea level, it had temporarily escaped submersion during this crisis of rising waters.

However, as they continued their sword flight forward, they saw below a network of surging rivers cascading down the ridges of the plateau, carving deep valleys and rushing eastward.

Between the banks of these rivers, fires burned endlessly, and the ground had turned pitch black.

Qiu Changtian paused for a moment, then understood the reason.

This place lay west of the Divine Land. Although it had avoided flooding due to its elevated terrain, the Heavenly Dome above still leaked water and falling stars, leaving it no better off.

If stars fell into the ocean, their heat would at least be contained by the surrounding vast waters. But here on the high plateau, untouched by water, the explosions of light and heat from meteorites had turned the entire plateau into a landscape of "volcanic valleys" far more hostile than before.

The two had no choice but to ascend to higher altitudes, steering clear of the rising hot vapor, and continuing their flight along the remembered route of the Kunlun Mountain Range.

Soon, the massive, collapsed Kunlun Heavenly Pillar gradually appeared within their sight.

The Heavenly Pillar had broken at approximately one-third of its original height. The cause of its collapse was embedded deep in the mountain—though smaller in size, it was still a scorching, radiant star.

The heat of the star had melted the surrounding snow, leaving the neighboring mountain ranges barren and rocky, as unsightly as could be.

Moreover, near the Kunlun Heavenly Pillar, the water cascading from the star-leaked Heavenly River had formed a massive dammed lake in the mountains, its water levels continuing to rise.

"No Jade Void Palace," Xu Yinglian commented as she landed at the broken summit of the Heavenly Pillar and surveyed the area. "It looks like this secret realm only simulated the topography of the continent."

"The Kunlun Taiqing Sect probably didn’t exist yet when this secret realm was created," Qiu Changtian said with a faint smile.

Suddenly, he looked up and saw something dark and massive swarming toward them from the direction of the heavenly leak. ƒreewebɳovel.com

Those are... Heavenly Demons?

A massive horde of Heavenly Demons, like a swarm of flies drawn to carrion, descended upon them in a frenzied rush.

Even before they reached the area, the formless sonic waves of the Heavenly Demons’ Sound emanated from their throats, enveloping the spot where Qiu Changtian and Xu Yinglian stood.

Xu Yinglian’s mind buzzed with a shock, followed by an intense droning sound that filled her entire consciousness.

Heavenly Demons were known for their mastery of illusion techniques, and the collective resonance of their sound was powerful enough to cause immediate fainting.

Even with her innate Seven Orifices Exquisite Heart ability, she was momentarily overwhelmed, her head spinning. Hastily circulating her mental method and Daoist formula, she instinctively spat an attack forward without aiming.

Qiu Changtian, on the other hand, remained composed, immune to illusions due to his Daoist Heart Clarity. To him, the demons were simply noisy.

As Xu Yinglian unleashed the Great Bright Fire to obscure the Heavenly Demons’ vision, Qiu Changtian played the Tide-Pushing Horizontal Wave Flute, countering their illusory sound waves with powerful sonic waves of his own.

Faced with the obstruction of the Great Bright Fire, the Heavenly Demons split into two groups: the weaker ones attempted to circle around the firestorm to attack, while the stronger ones, relying on their resilient bodies, charged through the blazing flames with ferocity.

Another deafening explosion of thunder sent flames scattering in all directions.

Those Heavenly Demons braving the blaze fell in droves at once.

It was Qiu Changtian who had seized the fire’s cover to discreetly launch a Great Hollow Thunder strike, a technique specifically designed to subdue Heavenly Demons.