Chapter 285

Inside the cavern, silence returned; only the clump of heavy earth-yellow light of the earth vein essence slowly rotated on its own, emitting a steady and vast gravitational wave.

The echo of Yan Gang's angry roar when he retreated had long since dissipated in the depths of the labyrinth; Wang Ping stood alone in this subterranean wonderland, feeling the faint resonance between the nascent earth-origin seed in his dantian and the surrounding environment.

The spirit awakening succeeded, and his gravitational technique was reborn, but the opportunity here was clearly not limited to this.

That heavy summoning feeling that initially drew him here seemed to have an even more hidden and condensed source beneath the earth vein essence light sphere.

Wang Ping stepped forward and came to directly beneath the sphere. The ground here was not ordinary rock but a near‑jade dark‑gold substance, warm to the touch yet extremely hard.

On the dark‑gold surface, natural lines traced out complex patterns; these patterns were not static but flowed and changed extremely slowly, like the meridians of the earth's blood.

At the center where all the lines converged was a fist‑sized, bottomless hole; its edges emitted a Wu earth aura even purer and more restrained than that of the earth vein essence.

"Wu earth essence…" Wang Ping murmured, a flash of realization crossing his eyes.

The earth vein essence is the manifestation of the vast earth and gravitational source at the planet's core—vast and mighty, yet too grandiose to be directly harvested; it is better suited as a source for comprehension and guidance.

What condensed in this hole, however, was the true earth‑system treasure that had undergone tens of millions of years of precipitation, shedding the dross and retaining the essence—Wu earth essence, which cultivators can truly refine and absorb.

Such a thing cannot be obtained without great fortune, great perseverance, and an extremely profound understanding of the Way of Earth.

Even an ordinary cultivator who found it would struggle to safely harvest it from the terrifying gravitational field of the earth vein essence, let alone guide the extremely pure and immensely heavy Wu earth source.

But for Wang Ping at this moment, it became the perfect test of his newly awakened gravitational technique and his earth cultivation.

He did not rush to act. First he sat cross‑legged beside the hole and regulated his breathing for the length of an incense stick.

He completely calmed the exhaustion and turbulent mind from his fierce battle with Yan Gang and his spirit awakening breakthrough, adjusting his state to an unprecedented peak of harmony.

Within his dantian, the five‑colored spiritual power slowly circulated; the earth‑yellow glow was the warmest and brightest, the newborn essence seed like the earth's core, pulsing steadily. A faint golden thunder‑dragon phantom coiled to one side, faintly resonating with the earth seed, the five phases engendering and vanishing in endless cycle.

"Huu—"

Wang Ping let out a long breath of foul air, his eyes becoming intensely focused and calm. He extended his right hand, fingers slightly spread, hovering three cun above the dark‑gold hole.

As his thought moved, the gravitational technique awakened after his spirit awakening silently activated.

This time, unlike before when he would manipulate the environment in battle to create chaos or pressure, he combined his divine sense with gravitational perception, like the most agile invisible tendril, gently and slowly probing into the bottomless hole.

No sooner had he entered than Wang Ping's mind and spirit were jolted.

The hole's interior was not void but filled with a thick, almost solidified earth‑yellow mist. Each waft was immensely heavy, containing the most primal Wu earth essence, yet it possessed an odd "inertia," as if it had slept for countless ages and was extremely hard to move.

Wang Ping was neither hasty nor impatient. His gravitational tendril did not forcibly grab or pull; instead, like the most patient musician, he used an extremely subtle frequency to lightly "tap" and "pluck" the seemingly still mist.

The rhythm of his tapping subtly matched the "Great Earth Pulse" cadence he had just grasped.

Thud… thud… thud…

Each gentle tap was like a pebble dropped into a tranquil deep pool, sending out a barely perceptible ripple in the heavy Wu earth mist; the ripple spread and produced a faint resonance with the far greater Wu earth source at the hole's depths.

This resonance was exceedingly faint, yet it truly existed.

Wang Ping focused completely, his keen divine sense catching each resonance feedback wave and constantly adjusting the frequency and angle of his gravitational tendril; it was an exquisitely delicate, spirit‑draining process that allowed no margin for error.

If the force were slightly too strong, it could startle the entire Wu earth source within the hole, provoking a backlash or even collapse.

If the force were too light or the frequency off, no resonance could be elicited at all.

Time trickled by; fine beads of sweat appeared on Wang Ping's forehead, only to be silently evaporated by the warm earth‑attribute spiritual light surrounding him.

His complexion turned slightly pale, his divine sense consumption immense, yet his eyes remained clear and resolute, his five fingers hovering steady in the air without a hint of tremor.

He did not know how long had passed—perhaps a quarter hour, perhaps an entire shichen.

Deep in the hole, within the heavy, condensed Wu earth mist, there finally emerged a thread of the purest essence, dark‑gold in hue and as fine as a hair, guided by Wang Ping's unceasing, exquisitely subtle "pulse tapping"; like a spirit gently roused from slumber, it drifted upward along the invisible gravitational conduit, soft and obedient.

This thread of "airflow" was the core essence of Wu earth essence!

Its ascent was agonizingly slow, as if each inch of movement had to overcome infinite resistance.

Wang Ping held his breath, his mind and spirit fully connected with it, the gravity tentacle turned into the gentlest pull and support, carefully guiding it, avoiding the other relatively agitated Fifth Stem Earth energy inside the cavity, along the most stable and safest path, it slowly rose.

Finally, this strand of dark-gold Fifth Stem Earth essence, like a traveler who has crossed endless ages, quietly probed out of the cavity mouth.

At the moment it broke free of the cavity, an indescribable, weighty as a star core, warm and moist like a womb, pure Fifth Stem Earth aura spread out, instantly filling the entire cavern!

Even the floating earth vein essence marrow light sphere seemed to pause slightly, its light softening a bit.

Wang Ping dared not delay; a specially crafted jade box, palm-sized, made entirely of primordial-absorbing warm jade and engraved with the Ninefold Seal Spirit Array, appeared just in time below his left hand, which had been ready.

The moment the jade box opened, the array inside naturally produced a gentle suction.

Wang Ping guided the gravity tentacle with his right hand, gently and completely sending this hard-won strand of Fifth Stem Earth essence into the jade box.

"Click."

The lid of the jade box closed gently, the Ninefold Seal Spirit Array instantly activated, completely sealing the vast, pure Fifth Stem Earth aura inside, not letting a trace escape.

The box body warmed slightly, its surface flowing with a warm, dark-gold radiance, clearly indicating that the treasure inside was no trivial matter.

Only after the jade box was properly stored deep within his storage ring did Wang Ping finally let out a long breath, his tense mind and spirit suddenly relaxing, a strong wave of fatigue washing over him, his consciousness almost completely depleted. Yet the corner of his mouth couldn't help but curl up in an arc of relief.

Success! The value of this strand of Fifth Stem Earth essence is immeasurable. It not only greatly enhances the power and defense of his earth-element techniques, but more importantly, it consolidates his five-phase foundation from the ground up, making the earth phase, this 'central bearing' position, as solid as gold and bronze, laying an unshakable foundation for his future breakthrough to higher realms.

After adjusting his breath for a moment and recovering some spirit, Wang Ping's gaze once again fell upon the dark-gold cavity.

After collecting the Fifth Stem Earth essence, the misty qi inside the cavity seemed to thin slightly, but its source remained rich. Moreover, at the bottom of the cavity, where the Fifth Stem Earth essence had originally been coiled, there seemed to be something else that had faintly revealed itself during the just-completed collection process.

Wang Ping's heart stirred slightly; he once again used his slightly recovered consciousness together with the gravity tentacle to carefully probe into the bottom of the cavity.

This time, he encountered few obstacles. Soon, his 'tentacle' touched a hard object.

That object was not large, only half a palm in size, irregularly plate-shaped, neither metal nor jade, yet unusually hard and heavy, its surface covered with extremely ancient, even somewhat blurred natural patterns.

Wang Ping slowly guided it upward.

It felt heavy and cold to the touch, rough in texture. This was a bone fragment, but certainly not ordinary beast bone; its bone quality showed a dark, golden hue that had endured countless ages without decay, heavy as iron.

On the front of the bone fragment, those natural patterns, upon close inspection, faintly formed a series of blurred dynamic images—cracks in the earth, rising and falling mountain ranges, surging earth veins… as if recording some ancient secret related to the movement of the land.

And on the back of the bone fragment, several extremely ancient runes, not belonging to any known script of the present peoples, were etched, their strokes abstruse, exuding a desolate, barbaric aura.

Wang Ping stared at those runes, his brow slightly furrowed. He did not recognize this script, but when he infused a strand of earth-phase spiritual power into the bone fragment and tried to perceive it with the gravity will he had just awakened, a sudden change occurred!

Hum!

The bone fragment gave a slight tremor, and those ancient runes suddenly flared with a faint yellowish-brown light!

Immediately after, a fragmentary yet directly pointing to the Dao's source stream of conscious information, like breaking through a spacetime torrent, forcibly surged into Wang Ping's sea of consciousness!

Earth……shock……wave……

The information came in fragments, vague and unclear, mixed with a large amount of incomprehensible broken images and ancient syllables. Yet the core part clearly expounded the remnant cultivation method of an ancient earth-system Dao art named 'Shocking Earth Wave'.

This method is not simple earth-rock manipulation or gravity usage; instead, it directly draws the power of the earth veins, using oneself as a guide to condense the vast, heavy earth pulse into an intangible, substanceless 'wave' possessing terrifying penetrating and shaking might, which silently moves mountains, ruptures earth veins, and harms the enemy unseen!

When cultivated to the utmost depth, it can even trigger local crustal movements, its power worthy of being called 'moving mountains and filling seas'!

However, the bone fragment Wang Ping obtained clearly contains only the introductory remnant of the 'Shocking Earth Wave' divine ability, lacking the most crucial core energy method and many details, more like an outline and concept guide.

To truly master it, one needs not only extremely high earth-affinity talent and comprehension, but also to later seek more inheritance fragments or deduce and complete it oneself.

Even so, the value of this 'Shocking Earth Wave' remnant far exceeds that of ordinary technique manuals!

It opened for Wang Ping a door to higher application of earth-system power, pointing to a direction of limitless potential.

'Shocking Earth Wave...' Wang Ping whispered the name, eyes blazing. If this divine ability could be completed and mastered, it would surely become another powerful trump card in his hand.

He likewise carefully stored that precious bone fragment. This trip to the sunken realm yielded a harvest far beyond expectations.

Not only did the gravity technique successfully gain sentience, his cultivation advanced greatly, and he also obtained top-tier resources like Wu Earth Essence that solidify the Dao foundation, plus the clue to the immense-potential ancient divine ability 'Shocking Earth Wave'.

It's time to leave.

Wang Ping finally glanced at the still slowly rotating, aura-emitting earth vein essence light sphere, and the dark-gold hole below.

This place is good, but not for lingering. The Myriad Laws Pool is his ultimate goal for this trip.

He turned and headed back along the passage he came from. His steps remained steady, but this time each step he took caused the rock beneath to resonate, and the gravity field on the surrounding passage walls naturally flowed, lifting his body, making his walk far easier than before—by more than tenfold.

The gravity technique after gaining sentience already showed its initial convenience in travel, exploration, and even fine environmental control.

Along the ascent of the intricate underground labyrinth, Wang Ping no longer needed to be as cautious and fearful as on the way in.

His ability to anticipate and adapt to gravity changes is now incomparable to before; many hazardous zones that previously required great effort to avoid can now be sped through using its power.

In less than half an hour, he easily traversed the upper labyrinth and returned to the cave with three dark-gold stone pillars.

The cave interior was empty, save for the pits and rubble left by the earlier Yungang impact, and the still-present violent earth qi in the air, testifying to the recent, though brief, fierce clash.

Wang Ping lingered not, continued upward, and soon burst out of the spiral passage, once again standing on the desolate dark-red surface of the Sunken Realm.

Above his head remained the secret realm's eternal leaden-gray sky, but in Wang Ping's eyes it now seemed a bit heavier and more substantial.

He drew a deep breath, feeling the surging power within and the newfound sense of gravity control, ascertained his direction, and was about to unleash evasion light, speeding toward the Myriad Laws Pool direction indicated by the Great Ability Qingyu.

However, at the very moment he prepared to move, two items in his storage ring almost simultaneously produced a faint anomaly.

One was the strange token, bestowed by Great Ability Qingyu before departure, recording the realm's key information and made of neither metal nor jade.

At this moment, the token's surface, originally dormant silver lines like stellar tracks, faintly glowed, slowly wandering and combining, pointing to a specific direction while transmitting a fragment of vague but crucial information: '……Five Elements Unite……Pool activation needs key……Gold, Water, Fire……Three keys converge……Summit of the Heavenly Pillar……'

The other item producing a response was the 'Void Rune' from Great Ability Qingyu, which had briefly appeared on his brow near the Shattered Star Lake and then faded, containing a trace of spatial and deductive power.

Now this long-dormant rune again warmed slightly, not as a warning but resonating faintly with the token's transmitted information, and additionally pointing to another direction where……it seemed a strong, metal-related law aura was gathering and stirring!

At the same time, in Wang Ping's mind, the scattered information he had heard in the Hundred Races Tower, the ancient desolate conscious vibe he had just sensed from the 'Shocking Earth Wave' bone fragment, and his own sensitivity to the flow of five-element qi, suddenly like scattered puzzle pieces, were linked and assembled by these two sudden sensations!

'Myriad Laws Pool……Is it not simply a matter of finding it to enter? Need……keys? And three of them, each corresponding to the Metal, Water, and Fire elements? After gathering, must one still be at the specific 'Summit of the Heavenly Pillar' to open it?'

Wang Ping's pupils contracted slightly, instantly grasping the key.

Qingyu Great Ability's initial hint indeed pointed toward the Myriad Laws Pool direction, but perhaps due to some restriction, he did not state the entry conditions. This token and Void Rune, however, evidently activate deeper information only under specific circumstances or conditions within the secret realm!

'Three law-keys……Metal, Water, Fire……' Wang Ping murmured, his eyes sharpening: 'The first, the Metal-key……the place where it will soon manifest is……'

He closed his eyes, focused, raising to the extreme the sensations from the Void Rune, the token's direction, and his own vague perception of five-element qi (especially Metal). After a moment, he suddenly opened his eyes and gazed toward the distant horizon in the secret realm's northeast.

There, in the dim distance, a soaring, unmatchedly sharp metal-law aura rose, seeming able to cleave all bonds and rules, growing ever clearer and more restless! Its directional features vaguely matched the description he had heard in the Hundred Races Tower about the 'Ancient Sword Tomb' area.

Ancient Sword Tomb! Legend says it is the burial ground of swords from the ancient sword cultivators' great battle, burying countless divine weapons' remnants and sword intent; metal spiritual qi and lethal sharpness surge heavenward, making it a land of opportunity and peril coexisting. There, the Metal-key is most likely to manifest!

'Now I understand……The struggle for the Myriad Laws Pool is no longer mere arrival and entry, but has evolved into a contest for the three 'law-keys'!' Wang Ping's mind cleared, yet he felt a tremendous pressure. The manifestation of a single key will surely draw the secret realm's top elites to contend!

He could almost foresee that, at this moment in the secret realm, any figure with deep background, well-informed, or absolutely confident in their own strength would likely have already set out or be about to, converging toward the Ancient Sword Tomb!

The Heavenly Azure Clan's Cangxuan, that aloof, solitary silver figure, will surely not miss it.

The Yin-Nether Clan's Mingxian, cold and deathly silent, likely also covets such a law-infused key.

The Saintess of the Fallen Immortal Clan, the Holy Son of the Five Elements Clan, the powerhouses of the Giant Spirit Clan, the Witch Clan, and the Crystal Clan……

Plus the demon clan's fierce-blooded true dragon descendants, phoenix bloodline, and primordial feral beast remnants……

And within humanity, Li Dao Yi of the First Dao Institute, Zhan Wuji of the Second Dao Institute, Xuan Xuan of the Third Dao Institute……these peerless elites on the Hidden Dragon Rankings surely have also heard the wind and moved.

This is no longer merely a personal opportunity contest; it is the first large-scale clash and confrontation among the future era's top figures of the spiritual realm! Its intensity and cruelty likely surpass any previous localized skirmish in any secret realm.

Wang Ping stood still for a long while, gazing toward the northeast horizon, as if he could feel the invisible gathering of an oppressive, mighty momentum and a killing aura.

His fingers unconsciously rubbed the storage ring, inside which lay quietly the Wu Earth Essence and the Shocking Earth Wave bone fragment; within his dantian, the post-sentience gravity seed and the faint-gold thunder dragon phantom slowly coiled.

His strength has grown enormously since entering the secret realm. Yet facing the imminent gathering of the entire secret realm's top Golden Core elites at the Ancient Sword Tomb, he still lacks absolute confidence of victory.

But……

Retreat? Absolutely impossible.

The Myriad Laws Pool is the necessary path for him to complete the five elements and establish an unsurpassed Dao foundation. The law-keys are the sole keys to open that door. This step he must cross.

Not only for opportunity, but for the Dao in his heart, and for the qualification to truly contend with those hegemonic elites standing above the clouds!

'Ancient Sword Tomb……Metal-key……' Wang Ping murmured low, the dormant battle intent in his eyes like a lit spark, gradually spreading. He no longer hesitated; his form flickered, turning into a swift yet unobtrusive pale-yellow evasion light (mainly earth, mixed with gold-cyan lightning), no longer flying straight toward the Myriad Laws Pool direction he had sensed, but veering northeast toward the Ancient Sword Tomb area where the metal aura soared and killing intent covertly gathered, tearing through space.

At the very moment Wang Ping set out, undercurrents throughout the secret realm were already surging.

In a valley shrouded in five-colored auspicious clouds, the Fallen Immortal Clan's Saintess Yuliuli stood on immortal clouds, gazing at the crystal-clear jade pendant in her hand that continually pointed northeast and hummed without cease; her flawless visage showed neither sorrow nor joy, only a trace of transcendent serenity. 'The Metal-key shall emerge; the Great Dao contest begins.' She whispered softly, immortal spirit aura swirling around her, her form gradually fading into the clouds and vanishing.

On a mountain peak burning with an unextinguished crimson flame, the Heaven-Punishing Clan's Leizhen just crushed the core of a flame-essence beast, feeling the scorching heat and information transmitted from another token in his storage bag, similar to Wang Ping's but with slightly different patterns; he grinned, showing his white teeth: 'A key? Interesting! Perfect to test whether my 'Breaking Tribulation Thunder Spear' is harder, or that damned metal key!' He let out a long cry, transforming into blazing white thunderlight, brutally smashing through layers of fire clouds and shooting straight northeast.

In the gloomy, deathly silent depths of the dark marsh, the Yin-Nether Clan's Mingxian rose from beside a beast carcass just drained of vitality, his pallid fingers beneath the black robe stroking the bone fragment in his bosom that continually emitted a chilling pulse; his scarlet tongue licked his lips: 'Law-key……the vitality and law it contains must be utterly delicious……Humanity, and those hated light races, your souls and keys, I want them all……' His form melted like a phantom into the shadows, the marsh returned to deathly silence, only lingering deathly aura persisting.

In the lush primeval forest, a Giant Spirit Clan youth over ten feet tall, muscles like granite, smashed the head of a giant python attempting a sneak attack with one punch; he rubbed his bald head and, in a deep, resonant voice, said to the figure cloaked in a wide black robe beside him: 'Witch priest, the token points northeast, a 'great treasure' is about to appear—will we go?'

From within the black robe came a dry, hoarse, sandpaper-like sound: 'Go……key……concerns inheritance……cannot be lost……' The two said no more, strode forward with large steps, like two moving hills, rumbling northeastward.

Further away, in the region where demonic qi soared to the heavens, dragon roars and phoenix cries rose and fell, faintly heard were wild laughter and low, murderous growls; countless powerful demonic silhouettes shot into the sky, demon clouds roiled, likewise flowing northeast.

And on a serene high platform seemingly constructed from starlight, Li Dao Yi of the First Dao Institute played chess alone; starlight dotted the board, evolving myriad forms. His slender fingers picked up a white chess piece and placed it at the northeast corner of the board, instantly the starlight in that region became sharp and bright. "The aura of golden halberds has stirred; the game……has begun." He smiled faintly, his eyes deep as the starry sky.

In the region of the Second Dao Institute, battle intent soared to the heavens; a disheveled, bare-chested figure covered in scars was pulling a blood-red giant axe the size of a door slab from the corpse of an unknown strong-clan genius, he licked the blood on the blade, gazed northeast, his eyes filled with endless fervor and fighting spirit: "Key? Hah! Whatever the key, as long as I can fight! Ancient Sword Tomb? Great place! Hope it's fierce enough!" He hoisted the axe, like a mad, ferocious beast, shattered the mountain rocks, and sprinted away madly.

At the core of the secret realm, dark currents surged, clouds and winds gathered. All contradictions, grudges, ambitions, and Dao conflicts were drawn, inflamed, and pushed toward an unprecedented climax by the forthcoming Metal-element Key.

Wang Ping's escape light tore through the desolate sky of the Sinking Lands, racing toward that unknown and fierce battlefield. He knew that what awaited him ahead would be the most severe and also most brilliant battle of his cultivation so far.

The struggle for the Law Key, the prelude battle of the Myriad Laws Pool, has already begun.