Starting My Cultivation With Time Management

Chapter 947: Chapter 87: The Secret Passage of Fenbao Rock

In the ancient era, when the heavens were yet unrepaired, the earth remained unfilled, and demons roamed unchecked, the Thunder Method became a favorite skill among Human Race cultivators. Not only was its destructive power sufficiently strong, but its countering effects were remarkably potent.

Jade Pivot Thunder, Shenxiao Thunder, Great Hollow Thunder—each specifically countered Nether Ghosts, demonic creatures, and Heavenly Demons, respectively. This made them one of the most popular Daoist Magics of the time. Even hermits in remote regions would learn a move like Palm Thunder for self-defense, demonstrating their widespread appeal.

Qiu Changtian leveraged Bright Flame to mask his activation of Great Hollow Thunder. The first strike delivered significant results, killing at least five or six Heavenly Demons outright.

Those Heavenly Demons, initially frightened and scattering, soon gathered into a cluster in the distance, resembling thick black fog. They hovered cautiously around the two, as if contemplating whether to attack but wary of being harmed.

“Why are there Heavenly Demons here?” Qiu Changtian began to ponder.

“The Heavenly Dome is flawed, which naturally allows Heavenly Demons to descend to the Lower Realm,” Xu Yinglian replied faintly. “Kunlun Mountain Range towers high and is closer to the heavens. Is it strange for there to be Heavenly Demons here?”

“Something still doesn’t feel right,” Qiu Changtian said, shaking his head. “Earlier, when we penetrated the cloud layers, reaching close to the Heavenly Dome, wasn’t there a battlefield with numerous cultivators fighting one another?”

“Amidst the chaos of that battlefield, being closer to the Heavenly Dome should logically make it a place Heavenly Demons favor for appearances… but we didn’t encounter any Heavenly Demons there.”

“So, Senior Brother’s meaning is…” Xu Yinglian slowly spoke, “Is there something about Kunlun that’s attracting the Heavenly Demons to gather here?”

“I can’t say for sure.” Qiu Changtian said cautiously. “Let’s investigate first before drawing conclusions.”

In truth, reality may not require logic, but artistic creation is often bound by it.

Were this the real world, a gathering of Heavenly Demons could simply be a coincidence, a matter of them passing by.

But since this is a simulation within the Seven Treasures Mysterious Garden Secret Realm, if the intent was solely to add challenges using Heavenly Demons, there should be an overwhelming number of Demon Heads everywhere—not just concentrated around Kunlun.

Qiu Changtian still recalled the elder’s words about testing “fortune and fate.”

If it’s a test of luck, one must roam widely. After all, even if fortune smiles on you such that money can be found on the streets, staying indoors all day means you’ll find nothing.

The two circled around Kunlun Heavenly Pillar for half a day, finding nothing noteworthy.

Qiu Changtian then flew in the direction the Heavenly Demons had come from, quietly contemplating.

Toward Kunlun Heavenly Pillar in this direction, the nearby area should be Fenbao Rock.

I remember Fenbao Rock wasn’t built by Kunlun Taiqing Sect but is an older remnant, right?

Arriving at Fenbao Rock, Xu Yinglian raised an eyebrow and remarked:

“Fenbao Rock from the ancient era—there surely won’t be any treasures inside.”

“Just taking a look,” Qiu Changtian replied.

As the two approached the base of Fenbao Rock, Qiu Changtian formed a Daoist Formula in an attempt to open its entrance.

The rock wall ahead remained unresponsive.

This was no surprise to Xu Yinglian; after all, the opening Daoist Formula was likely created later by Kunlun Taiqing Sect, and naturally wouldn’t function within the Seven Treasures Mysterious Garden Secret Realm.

Qiu Changtian paused briefly in thought and said:

“Let’s break through the wall.”

Xu Yinglian immediately formed a Daoist Formula, unleashing Crimson Feather Nine Phoenix Fire. The flames struck the rock layer with precision, quickly burning through and revealing the entrance behind it.

If this were the real Fenbao Rock, forcibly breaching its barrier would certainly trigger defenses set by Kunlun.

But here, with no Kunlun Taiqing Sect present, there were naturally no defensive arrays to activate.

Once the smoke and dust cleared, the two entered the revealed passage. Inside, the chamber setup of Fenbao Rock was almost identical to reality, except it lacked many of the stone tables and chairs that would have been artificially polished. Empty and desolate, it felt somewhat bleak.

“This place, like the prison of the Disciplinary Hall, is a remnant from the ancient era left behind by the Human Race,” Qiu Changtian noted as they walked. “Back then, there wasn’t even ancient Kunlun yet. I’d guess its builder was some ancient powerhouse residing here.”

“Hmm.” Xu Yinglian scanned the surroundings. “So people actually lived here in that era?”

“What do you think?”

“Doesn’t seem like it,” Xu Yinglian replied after considering. “Otherwise, why were there no tables or chairs left behind?”

“Perhaps the powerhouse lived simply, unconcerned with furniture-making?” Qiu Changtian speculated.

“Then why carve out so many chambers?” Xu Yinglian strode forward confidently.

The two passed from the outer chamber into the inner one. In reality, the Kunlun Elder who oversaw Fenbao Rock would wait here, receiving visitors or intercepting intruders.

But as this was not the real Fenbao Rock, the inner chamber was devoid of any elder, allowing the pair to pass brazenly into the treasure storage vault.

The vault was a massive chamber, originally containing numerous stone racks organized into sections, each holding assorted treasures. Around them were countless formation mechanisms, which would obliterate anyone who activated even a single one.

Now, however, the stone racks stood undisturbed, but held many jade slips instead.

Xu Yinglian took down one jade slip and immersed her Divine Sense into it, surprised to say:

“It’s blank; there’s nothing recorded inside.”

“It’s not that there’s nothing recorded—it’s that the Seven Treasures Mysterious Garden Secret Realm hasn’t added content to them,” Qiu Changtian explained, pausing in thought. “In the real world, the founders of ancient Kunlun surely took these jade slips away in their entirety.”

“Why place so many jade slips here?” Xu Yinglian mused aloud. “Who was the builder of this place in the ancient era?”

As she pondered this inevitably unanswerable question, Qiu Changtian suddenly remarked:

“Junior Sister.”

“What’s the matter?”

“I think there’s a hidden door in this wall ahead.”

Qiu Changtian stated this outright, his words not based on unreliable assumptions but on his actual scan detecting the concealed entrance.

Without hesitation, Xu Yinglian formed a Daoist Formula and unleashed Crimson Feather Nine Phoenix Fire, sending golden threads slicing through the wall ahead and revealing the dark, shadowed passage behind it.

“Another hidden door?” Xu Yinglian exclaimed in surprise. “A hidden entrance outside, and now another one here—how paranoid must the builder have been to set up so many layers of concealment?”

“Let’s explore it,” Qiu Changtian said, taking the lead into the passage.

The two traversed the lengthy corridor, eventually spotting faint glimmers of light ahead. They grew brighter and larger as they approached.

At the end of the passage, they stood atop a towering mountain peak.

Is this… the Heavenly Gate Hall Secret Realm?

Qiu Changtian turned back in astonishment, only to see that the original site of the Heavenly Gate Hall contained only a small, rudimentary Earth Shrine.

Inside the shrine was the ancient statue of Taiqing Heavenly Venerable—this was the same place Qiu Changtian, before reaching Core Formation stage, had once sought to Sense the Way, gaining seventy years’ worth of Refining Mansion-level cultivation.

“So the inner chambers of Fenbao Rock contain an entrance leading to the Heavenly Gate Hall Secret Realm.” Xu Yinglian marveled.

She had also sought to Sense the Way before the Taiqing Heavenly Venerable statue and naturally recognized the place. She flew toward the remembered location of the original Heavenly Gate Hall Secret Realm entrance, eager to explore further.

Qiu Changtian stood still, lost in thought:

Does the Kunlun Taiqing Sect know about the hidden door in Fenbao Rock leading to the Heavenly Gate Hall?

If not… does this mean I could potentially use Fenbao Rock to sneak into the Heavenly Gate Hall Secret Realm, take fragments of the Heaven-Mending Stone, and avoid activating the mechanisms at the entrance?

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