Top-Tier Perception Starts From Basic Fist Techniques

Chapter 186.3: Gu Nian Falls; Lu Changsheng Ventures Out in the Third Layer of the Ancient Region! (III)

After traveling for five days, Lu Changsheng felt that the air around him had grown increasingly hot. A wave of heat swept across Lu Changsheng's face, telling him that he had reached his destination—Flame Mountain.

He looked up and saw a mountain rising in the distance. It seemed to be wrapped in raging flames, but of course, they were not real flames. It was simply a unique phenomenon caused by the environment here. For thousands of li around Flame Mountain, the air shimmered and burned like this. There was an intense, unrelenting heat baked into the environment itself.

Under ordinary circumstances, plants couldn't take root here, let alone ordinary living creatures. Yet, certain demons thrived in exactly these conditions, especially those with fire attributes. Fire-attribute demons favored environments like this, which was why so many of them had gathered around Flame Mountain.

From time to time, Dao Foundation and Foundation Establishment[1] cultivators would also come here to hunt these demons. Lu Changsheng, however, was not here for ordinary demons.

Hunting ordinary demons is pointless. My targets are heavenly demons. I should avoid unnecessary battles.

With a will on his end, the Sense Domain enveloped him, concealing his aura and even shielding him from being sensed by nearby demons. Unless a demon had exceptionally sharp senses or was deliberately searching the area, he could move through their territory without being detected.

He had tested this before, and some demons showed no reaction to him whatsoever. With the Sense Domain covering him, Lu Changsheng moved silently around Flame Mountain and began his hunt.

Soon, he spotted a herd of Barbaric Bull Demons. Barbaric Bull Demons were enormous creatures, and they radiated a fearsome aura. They were known for their strength and ferocious combat ability, making them extremely tough opponents. Most Dao Foundation martial artists would not provoke them unless necessary, but Lu Changsheng was intrigued by them.

There might be a Barbaric Bull Heavenly Demon within this herd! But if I get surrounded...

For a moment, he weighed the idea of charging in, then abandoned it entirely. Barbaric Bull Demons were too strong in head-on combat. If he were to get surrounded by several of them, he would find himself in extremely dire straits. As much as he wanted to find a heavenly demon, he had no interest in being encircled by a dozen massive, brawling Barbaric Bull Demons.

Lu Changsheng skirted around the herd of Barbaric Bull Demons. Every demon herd kept to a defined range, and as long as he navigated carefully, he would not be discovered.

***

Lu Changsheng wandered around Flame Mountain for three days. He encountered many demons along the way, but he still had not found a single Heavenly Demon.

Then, on this day, he spotted a group of Fire Crow Demons.

His eyes brightened with excitement. Fire Crow Demons can produce heavenly demons, too! And they're nowhere as dangerous as Barbaric Bull Demons in head-on combat. If there's a Fire Crow Heavenly Demon in that group, I might actually be able to kill it and take its essence blood!

Fire Crow Demons were fearsome in their own way—they excelled at swarming, overwhelming any martial artists through sheer numbers and coordinated assault. Against most people, that alone made them extremely difficult to handle.

However, that was not a problem for Lu Changsheng. He had the Sense Domain, so if he was careful, he could slip through the crows undetected. It did not matter how many Fire Crow Demons there were if none of them could find him.

His plan was to locate the heavenly demon among them, strike fast, and flee before they could react. They would not be able to do anything if they could not detect him in time.

With that thought in mind, Lu Changsheng silently followed the group of Fire Crow Demons back to their lair.

The lair was a stone forest[2] filled with caves, and at a glance, those caves were packed with fire crows at every stage of life. There were newborns, fully grown Fire Crow Demons, and even ancient ones nearing the end of their lives, looking frail and decrepit as they waited out their final days in the dark.

The sheer number of Fire Crow Demons was staggering. If Lu Changsheng were discovered and surrounded here, he would be in extreme danger. Fortunately, none of them had sensed him so far.

Lu Changsheng looked around. Where is the Fire Crow Heavenly Demon?

With so many caves, he was not sure where he should start his search. With so many caves branching in every direction, searching them one by one would dramatically increase the risk of detection.

After thinking it over, he decided to just wait inside the lair. He was sure the Fire Crow Heavenly Demon would eventually show itself. And when it did, he would strike.

Lu Changsheng settled into position right there in the lair and did not move for three days.

Finally, after three days of waiting, a demon far larger than any ordinary fire crow burst out from one of the caves. Flames seemed to be coiling around it, as the air around it appeared to be being scorched.

Lu Changsheng's eyes locked onto it. That's the flame ability! Finally, a Fire Crow Heavenly Demon!

Having waited so long for the Fire Crow Heavenly Demon, Lu Changsheng was not about to let it slip away. However, he had to be careful, as he probably had only one chance to strike. Regardless of whether he succeeded or failed, he would have to leave immediately.

Otherwise, the Fire Crow Demons would swarm him, and he would be in grave danger. At that point, even a Teleportation Talisman would not save him. Crushing the talisman took time, and the brief delay would be enough for a swarm of Fire Crow Demons to incinerate him on the spot.

Step by step, Lu Changsheng moved closer.

The Fire Crow Heavenly Demon stretched and let out a sharp caw, then settled onto a rock, spread its wings, and basked in the scorching sunlight.

One hundred zhang, fifty zhang, thirty zhang, ten zhang... When Lu Changsheng reached within ten zhang of the Fire Crow Heavenly Demon, he unleashed his Mind Space.

Boom!

In his Mind Space, eighteen fused domains materialized, and together, they pressed down on the area with terrifying power. Among Dao Foundation experts who had yet to comprehend a Principle, few possessed a Mind Space as powerful as Lu Changsheng's.

At the same time, Lu Changsheng's Golden Heart Sword trembled violently. In an instant, it appeared as a towering sword several zhang in length as it slashed fiercely toward the Fire Crow Heavenly Demon.

The combined attack of the Mind Space and Heart Sword was Lu Changsheng's strongest attack to date.

Boom!

The Fire Crow Heavenly Demon reacted fast. Scorching flames erupted from it and rolled outward in a wave, turning the surrounding area into a blazing inferno.

The Fire Crow Heavenly Demon had awakened its flame ability, so no ordinary Mind Space could fully restrain these flames. Only a Dao Foundation expert who had mastered a Principle could force them down.

For a moment, even Lu Changsheng's Mind Space seemed to catch fire, straining to hold the demon down. But he did not back down; he knew he could still count on his mental secret technique—the Golden Heart Sword.

The Golden Heart Sword drove into the Fire Crow Heavenly Demon, and the latter let out a shrill, mournful cry. It trembled violently, and the flames around it rapidly faded. At the same time, the fire burning inside Lu Changsheng's Mind Space was quickly extinguished as well.

"Suppress!"

Lu Changsheng mobilized his Mind Space, instantly restraining the Fire Crow Heavenly Demon and confining it in place.

Retrieve!

He immediately stored the heavenly demon in his spatial ring.

From the moment Lu Changsheng struck to the moment he suppressed the Fire Crow Heavenly Demon, only a few seconds had passed, but the Fire Crow Demons had already discovered him. A massive swarm of Fire Crow Demons rose into the air, blotting out the sky as they rushed toward him.

I must teleport. There's no outrunning these Fire Crow Demons, Lu Changsheng decided. He took out the Teleportation Talisman and crushed it without hesitation. When the talisman shattered, a strange force enveloped him.

Whoosh!

The next moment, Lu Changsheng vanished. Behind him, the swarm roared its fury at an empty sky, shaking the entire lair.

Just like that, Lu Changsheng escaped the Fire Crow Demons, but unfortunately, he could not relax just yet.

The Teleportation Talisman was incredible, but it had one flaw—it teleported its user randomly. So, even though it took Lu Changhsheng away from the Fire Crow Demons, it could also drop him right in front of another group of demons.

That was why Lu Changsheng only used the Teleportation Talisman when he had no choice. And he truly had no choice earlier. If he had not teleported away, the Fire Crow Demons would have torn him apart.

Whoosh!

Lu Changsheng staggered as his figure reappeared in an unfamiliar place. His Mind Space spread outward instinctively as he steadied himself and opened his eyes. A foul odor struck him, then he saw eyes around him. Each of them was as large as a copper bell, and they were all staring at him in surprise.

Barbaric Bull Demons... I've been teleported straight inside a lair of Barbaric Bull Demons! Lu Changsheng's heart sank. It seemed luck was not on his side today.

1. Foundation Establishment cultivators are Dao Lords. In a previous chapter, the author mentioned, Dao Lord is their title and Foundation Establishment is the level they are at. ☜

2. A "stone forest" is a spectacular, maze-like geological formation of towering limestone and dolomite pillars that resemble a petrified forest. These landscapes—most famously found in China—are carved by hundreds of millions of years of tectonic shifts and water erosion. See what it looks like here. ☜