Chapter 282: Thick Earth Summons, the Labyrinth of Earth's Heart

Wang Ping hovered at the edge of that dark red, barren region, feeling the abnormal agitation of his earth-aligned spiritual power within and a faint summons rising from deep within the earth.

The Myriad Laws Pool is indeed the ultimate goal, but the Five Elements Dao, with earth at its center bearing all things, is the very foundation of all dao foundations!

This sudden summons aligns perfectly with his insight into the true meaning of gravity; it is no coincidence.

"In pursuing the Great Dao, every step builds a camp. Only by solidifying the foundation can one bear a loftier future."

Wang Ping's resolve was firm: "This place's summons is both a trial and a gift. I had intended to go straight to the Myriad Laws Pool, but since an opportunity of the Earth Dao has arisen, it is perfect to refine my Earth Dao to the utmost of my current realm!"

He no longer resisted the heavy sense of restraint and the clear summons; instead, he actively retracted his racing escape light and slowly lowered his altitude. As soon as his feet touched that dark red, hard, icy land like iron, a stronger feeling of being grounded and heavy, mingled with the desolate summons, surged up from his soles like a tide through his whole body.

"Thud… thud…"

It was not his heartbeat, but rather as if the slumbering, ancient earth beneath his feet, with its deep pulse, produced a strange resonance with his steps and his earth-aligned spiritual power.

The thin spiritual qi permeating the air also carried a unique sluggish, heavy attribute, faintly resonating with the spiritual power within him.

Wang Ping gazed around. The world before him was desolate enough to make his heart race.

The land showed a dark red hue like congealed dried blood, cracked with countless fissures of varying width and depth that seemed bottomless, like ferocious scars on the earth's body. Some areas even underwent strange twisting and folding, with rock layers arching upward or sinking downward, forming terrain that defies reason; spatial light bends in these regions, making them appear blurred and distorted.

Pits of various sizes, large and small, were scattered everywhere, their edges steep and smooth, as if an invisible force had instantaneously devoured the interior matter, leaving only deep black holes that emitted an unsettling aura.

Most conspicuous of all was the omnipresent abnormal gravity field.

Not only were the gravity multiples far above those outside, initially estimated between five and ten times, but they also seemed unevenly distributed, with their direction occasionally undergoing subtle, hard-to-predict deflections.

This constantly required one to adjust their center of balance; a moment's carelessness could lose balance, or even be pulled by a suddenly shifting gravity into a nearby fissure or pit.

The air was filled with a dry, lifeless taste; even the wind sounded as if dragged by the heavy gravity to an extreme faintness. This is a forgotten, "sunken" land where ordinary Golden Core cultivators would find not only exploration but even normal walking extremely difficult, constantly needing to expend great spiritual power to resist gravity while keeping their minds highly focused to guard against sudden gravity traps.

Wang Ping's expression remained calm as he drew a deep breath, his internal spiritual power slowly circulating.

Within the vast spiritual power, a yellow earth-hued radiance suddenly flared, flowing through his limbs and especially his legs and torso. He did not try to completely cancel the abnormal gravity, but attempted to "adapt," "understand," and even "merge" with it.

He lifted his foot and took the first step forward.

"Boom…"

His footfall did not feel like stepping on ground, but rather like treading on some elastic yet immensely heavy drumhead, emitting a low, muffled sound that kicked up fine dust.

A clear recoil force traveled up his leg bones, bringing a slight numbness. The gravity around him seemed to shift with this step, producing an extremely faint, regular fluctuation that he keenly sensed.

"Interesting… this gravity isn't inert; it seems to follow some pattern, or rather, it is the 'breathing' rhythm of this land…" Wang Ping's heart stirred; he slowed his pace, no longer seeking speed but striving for "stability" and "insight."

He carefully extended his divine sense, not a broad scan (in this place's abnormal gravity field, wide-range divine sense consumes greatly and is easily distorted), but like tendrils clinging to the ground, finely sensing every thread of spiritual power flow and the faint precursors of gravity changes beneath his feet.

At the same time, he unleashed his Gravity Technique, having cultivated it to the peak of the third level, having touched a trace of the true meaning of gravity; now, like long drought meeting sweet rain, he madly absorbed and parsed the profound information contained in this external abnormal gravity field.

Initially, his walking was arduous and slow, as if carrying mountains; each step required mobilizing large amounts of spiritual power to maintain balance, opposing the chaotic gravity that could at any moment trip him. His mind was kept highly tense, guarding against possible gravity traps.

Those were the deadly zones where gravity could spike dozens of times or even reverse direction in an instant.

But as time passed, as his perception of the earth's pulse rhythm beneath his feet deepened, and as his Thick Earth Technique progressed in analyzing the external gravity field, he gradually found a peculiar "rhythm."

He began to try not to oppose gravity head-on, but to flow with its changes, like a sailor with waves or a dancer with melody. The rise and fall of his steps, the subtle adjustments of his body, the circulation of his spiritual power gradually produced a delicate synchrony with the undulating waves of the surrounding gravity field.

Thus, walking became far less taxing, his speed increased somewhat, and most importantly, his ability to anticipate external gravity changes greatly improved.

Often, in the instant before a gravity trap erupted, he could sense the faint spiritual disturbance or gravity ripple beforehand, allowing timely evasion or posture adjustment to pass through at minimal cost.

This was not only a tempering of the flesh, but also a deep forging of the soul, spiritual power control, and insight into the law of gravity. Wang Ping could feel that his understanding of the Thick Earth Technique, especially his grasp of the concept of gravity, was deepening and expanding at an unprecedented speed.

The bottleneck of the Point Spirit layer also seemed to loosen under this sustained, high-intensity insight and pressure.

He no longer rushed to travel, but immersed himself in this unique "walking" and "insight." Occasionally encountering local specialties—strange minerals or spiritual herbs that could tenaciously grow under the abnormal gravity—he would carefully gather them. These materials are rare outside; perhaps they could later be used for forging artifacts, setting up formations, or other purposes.

After walking for about three days, he had penetrated several hundred li into the sunken land. The surrounding environment grew ever more barren and lifeless, the abnormal gravity becoming more frequent and intense; sometimes even brief small-scale "weightless" or "overweight" zones appeared, testing the limits of intruders.

On the evening of the third day, Wang Ping followed the ever-clearer summons to the edge of a massive ring mountain, as if formed by a meteorite impact.

At the base of the ring mountain, instead of the expected deep pit, there appeared an enormous, downward-extending spiral chasm. The rock at the rim of the chasm showed a strange metallic luster, as if repeatedly forged under high temperature and pressure.

Even more vigorous and pure earth-aligned spiritual qi, together with chaotic yet powerful gravity fluctuations, continuously emanated from that chasm. The heavy summons reached its peak here, almost like a tangible pull, guiding him downward.

"Earth Heart Labyrinth… it seems the true trial and opportunity lie below." Wang Ping gazed into the bottomless chasm, his mind suddenly clear.

He adjusted his breath, brought his condition to peak, then without hesitation leapt into the deep spiral passage.

The interior of the passage was not a straight vertical drop but a steeply angled spiral. The walls were smooth, covered with naturally formed strange crystals containing earth-pattern inscriptions, emitting a faint light that provided limited illumination. Upon entering the passage, the abnormal gravity suddenly surged severalfold, and its direction became ever more fickle—sometimes pulling downward, sometimes sideways, and occasionally even producing an upward "buoyancy."

Wang Ping pushed his Gravity Technique to the extreme; his body clung to the passage wall like a leaf, yielding to each change in gravity—sometimes fast, sometimes slow, sometimes left, sometimes right—as he slid downward.

His divine sense acted like the most precise radar, scanning the passage's structure ahead and the distribution of the gravity field, while his mind rapidly calculated the optimal route.

This spiral passage seemed endless, and meanwhile side passages began to appear.

Each side passage led into unknown depths, with differing gravity field distributions. Wang Ping relied entirely on the strength of the summons for guidance, and on his own intuition about whether the gravity field felt "smooth," to judge his choice.

Thus, after traversing the spiderweb-like underground labyrinth for about half a day, the forward passage suddenly opened into a vast natural cavern roughly a hundred zhang across.

In the cavern's center stood three dark-gold stone pillars, each tens of zhang high and requiring several people to encircle; their surfaces naturally bore intricate, mysterious patterns, exuding an extremely rich earthen spiritual resonance and a stable gravity field, like the "Divine Needle that Stabilizes the Sea" amidst this chaotic labyrinth.

And at the center, surrounded by the three stone pillars, the ground held a narrow vertical opening just wide enough for one person, from which an even purer, weighty earth-origin qi and summons emanated.

Clearly, that was the gateway to the true core region.

However, Wang Ping's gaze did not linger on that opening but shot sharply toward the opposite side entrance of the cavern.

Almost as soon as he stepped into the cavern, a heavy, rhythmic "thud thud" footstep came from that entrance, like a great drum being beaten.

A tall, sturdy figure strode in, his steps seeming capable of shaking the ground.

The newcomer stood over one zhang tall, his skin a rock-like gray-brown, muscles knotted, brimming with explosive power; even his joints showed protrusions resembling rock ridges.

He wore only a loincloth of unknown animal hide, bald, his visage rugged, eyes like copper bells, nose bridge wide, lips thick, his brows bearing an innate barbarity and arrogance. His body radiated strong earth-aligned spiritual power fluctuations, and he seemed to possess extraordinary adaptability to the cavern's chaotic gravity field, walking as if on level ground, even faintly feeling like a fish in water.

"Stone Demon Clan!" Wang Ping instantly recognized the opponent's race. The Stone Demon Clan possess unmatched physical prowess, are innately attuned to earth and stone strength, have extreme resistance and adaptability to gravity changes, are natural adepts for exploring such regions, and their temperament tends to be barbaric and domineering.

The Stone Demon youth also saw Wang Ping; a flicker of surprise crossed his copper-bell eyes, quickly replaced by thick disdain and hostility. He glanced up and down at Wang Ping, lingering a moment on his relatively "slender" build and unremarkable physical aura, then spoke in a gruff voice, like two stones grinding together:

"Human? Hmph, puny worm, you dare come to the depths of the sunken land to covet the Earth Vein Essence? Know your place—get out at once! This is no place for you!"

The "Earth Vein Essence" he mentioned obviously refers to a possible earth-system treasure beneath that central chasm, and is also one of the sources of the summons.

Wang Ping's face remained calm; he did not grow angry at the provocation, merely saying lightly:

"Heavenly opportunities belong to those with fate. This land is not your Stone Demon Clan's private property; having come, I will not return empty-handed."

"A fated one? Just you?" the Stone Demon Tribe youth sneered, then stepped forward violently, as if the whole cavern trembled with him.

"I am Yan Gang, one of the inheritors of this generation's Earth War Body of the Stone Demon Tribe! This earth vein essence, I have sensed for days; it's already as good as mine! You, a mere human, dare to contend with me?"

"I'll give you one last chance—get lost! Otherwise, I don't mind crushing you into pulp and burying you underground as fertilizer!"

As he spoke, a gray-brown light flashed around him, his already burly frame seemed to swell another notch, exuding a heavier pressure that faintly stirred the cavern's gravity field, sending an invisible pressure pressing toward Wang Ping.

Wang Ping's eyes narrowed slightly. Yan Gang's strength is not to be underestimated—peak late Golden Core cultivation, plus the Stone Demon Tribe's formidable physique and adaptation to gravity environments; fighting here, he holds a clear terrain advantage. A direct clash is hardly advisable.

But retreating now is also impossible. It's not just about opportunity; it's about one's heart of the Dao.

"Looks like we'll have to see the truth with our hands." Wang Ping said calmly, his inner five-element spiritual power quietly accelerating, especially the earth-element, faintly resonating with the surroundings. He did not release a strong aura; instead, he drew his breath inward, becoming as deep and unchanging as an ancient rock.

"Courting death!" Yan Gang's eyes flashed with killing intent; without another word, he shot forward like a runaway war chariot, crashing toward Wang Ping! Though he seemed bulky, in this abnormal gravity setting his speed was astonishing, his footsteps thudding heavily, each step seemingly borrowing the earth's power, his aura raging.

He didn't use flashy techniques, simply raising his stone fist—larger than Wang Ping's head—wrapped in violent earth-element spiritual power and the disturbed gravity he'd summoned, and threw a punch at Wang Ping's face; the wind of the fist made the air groan under the strain.

Wang Ping chose not to meet it head-on. At the moment Yan Gang launched his attack, Wang Ping's body drifted backward as if weightless, while his hands traced in front of him, five-element spiritual power flowing, especially water- and wood-element intertwining, laying down layers of supple deflecting barriers before him.

"Bang! Crack!"

Yan Gang's massive fist slammed into the barrier, which violently shuddered and then shattered, but Wang Ping had already used the recoil to retreat several zhang, unharmed.

"Slippery worm!" Yan Gang roared, stepped forward again, and unleashed a barrage of punches, each heavy and powerful, drawing on ambient gravity for reinforcement, forming a dense storm of fist images that sealed off Wang Ping's dodging space.

Wang Ping's form was like a ghost, flitting and weaving within the narrow cavern.

He pushed his five-element escape technique to the limit, especially the earth-escape art; though in this place, with its dense earth-element qi, he could not fully sink underground (the rock strata are special and the gravity field interferes), he could still make his trajectory elusive, often dodging heavy blows by a hair's breadth.

At the same time, he continually turned his fingers into swords, shooting out condensed Yin Wood sword qi or pale-gold lightning arcs to harass Yan Gang. But these strikes landing on Yan Gang's stone-like skin mostly left only faint white marks, hardly inflicting real damage. His defense and resistance to five-element arts were indeed formidable.

"All you do is dodge? Coward!" Yan Gang, unable to land a hit, grew ever more furious, his attacks becoming wilder; he even began deliberately driving Wang Ping toward the cavern's edge or near the three stone pillars, hoping to use the complex terrain and gravity field to restrict his movement.

Wang Ping, meanwhile, remained calm. While dodging and harassing, he ran his gravity technique at full capacity, carefully sensing the gravity fluctuations Yan Gang's attacks provoked and the subtle differences in the cavern's gravity field.

Gradually, he discerned a pattern. Yan Gang's attacks, though fierce and able to summon gravity reinforcement, were not finely controlled in their gravity manipulation; they relied mostly on the tribe's brute innate talent, and each time he unleashed a powerful strike, his own adaptation to gravity shifts showed a brief, extremely subtle disturbance. Moreover, while the gravity field around the three dark-gold stone pillars was stable, the points where the pillars met the surrounding rock walls seemed to harbor several fragile gravity anomaly nodes.

A daring plan took shape in Wang Ping's mind.

He once again narrowly avoided Yan Gang's heavy punch, his stance appearing to stagger as he retreated toward one of the dark-gold stone pillars.

"Hahaha! You're finished!" Yan Gang exclaimed, thinking Wang Ping had finally been cornered; he bellowed, his gray-brown light flaring wildly, clearly preparing his strongest strike. He clasped his fists together like a giant hammer, drawing the cavern's wide-ranging gravity to converge on his fist's tip, aiming to smash both Wang Ping and the stone pillar to pieces.

Now!

Wang Ping's eyes flashed with brilliance. At the instant Yan Gang's move was about to be released—old force spent, new force not yet born, and while he was fully channeling gravity, causing a tiny disturbance in his own gravity control—he pointed his finger like a sword, condensing all his focus and his gravity insight into a "Thick Earth Finger Sword," not aimed at Yan Gang but precisely striking an extremely concealed gravity‑weak node where the dark‑gold stone pillar joined the rock wall.

This finger strike carried little force, yet it contained Wang Ping's unique understanding and disturbance of the true meaning of gravity.

Hum—!

The struck node trembled slightly, and the previously stable gravity field surrounding the entire dark‑gold stone pillar instantly underwent a violent, brief imbalance and deviation!

And this deviating gravity field happened to envelop Yan Gang, who was about to unleash his thunder‑like strike!

"What?!" Yan Gang felt his whole body sink, then suddenly lighten; the gravity that had been gathering toward his fist tip abruptly lost control, became chaotic, and pulled in the opposite direction! His fully unleashed technique was instantly interrupted; his massive body, thrown off balance by this sudden, misdirected gravity shift, staggered forward like a drunkard, his readied giant fist veering off to slam into the nearby rock wall, blasting a large crater and sending shards flying.

In a clash of masters, the margin is a hair's breadth!

How could Wang Ping let such a once‑in‑a‑lifetime chance slip by? In the instant Yan Gang lost balance and his move fell short, Wang Ping pushed his speed to the limit, combining his five‑element escape technique with the newly grasped gravity‑following way; his form became like an arrow released from a bow, tracing a strange arc, instantly slipping past the temporarily uncontrollable Yan Gang and lunging straight for the cavern's central vertical narrow opening.

"Damn it! Stay here!" Yan Gang roared angrily, barely stabilizing his stance, then backhanded a violent torrent of earth and stone hurtling toward Wang Ping's back.

But Wang Ping had already anticipated this move; without looking back, he swung his hand backward, and a solid, five‑colored gleaming "Five‑Element Spiritual Shield" instantly formed, blocking him from behind.

"Boom!"

The earth‑stone torrent slammed into the shield, which shuddered violently and dimmed, yet it held against the furious blow. Wang Ping, however, rode the recoil, increasing his speed a notch like a fish darting into the vertical slit that allowed only one person through, his silhouette vanishing into the depths.

"Ah——!! Human ant! I, Yan Gang, swear to kill you!" The cavern held only Yan Gang's furious roar, echoing between the layers of rock.

In the vertical shaft, gravity pointed clearly downward and kept growing stronger. Wang Ping had no time to recover his breath; he pushed his remaining spiritual power to the limit, countering the ever‑stronger downward pull and gravity pressure, while carefully avoiding the occasional, more concealed gravity turbulence within the passage.

He knew Yan Gang would not let this go; he would surely pursue relentlessly. The road ahead would undoubtedly be more perilous, but opportunity lay just within reach.

The core region of the Earthcore Labyrinth lay below. And though his gravity contest with the Stone Demon Tribe's genius had not defeated him outright, it had elevated his understanding and use of gravity to a new level; the veil of the "Point Spirit" layer was now as thin as a cicada's wing.