Fang Cheng twisted his neck, his spine emitting a series of crackling sounds like beans popping.

The double gravity continued to press against his body like a shadow.

But he was already used to it, the surging blood and energy in his body enough to counteract this negative effect.

The next second.

The muscles in his thighs tightened like steel cables, and his combat boots stomped down hard, shattering the scorched earth beneath.

Bang!

A burst of air, and his entire body shot up instantly, soaring over ten meters into the air.

The abrupt rocks of the cliff face rushed towards him.

Fang Cheng reached out with his right hand, his fingers like cast iron, forcefully gripping into the hard weathered rock.

Loose stones cascaded down.

The muscles in his arms bulged, and with a sudden exertion, his body soared upwards again.

Slap, slap, slap.

His feet kicked repeatedly, each step creating a deep pit in the cliff face.

Fang Cheng, with a package in his left hand, sought support with his right hand, ascending the nearly vertical precipice as if walking on flat ground, climbing straight upward.

From a distance, he looked like a raptor clinging to the cliff face, flying against a sandstorm.

If there were spectators, this inhuman method of mountain climbing, relying solely on raw physical strength to resist gravity, would certainly be astonishing. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

After just a dozen or so bounds, the top of the cliff came clearly into view.

Fang Cheng, supporting himself with one hand on a protruding rock, contracted his waist and abdomen, using the momentum to spring upwards.

In mid-air, he turned his body gracefully like a sparrowhawk, then sank his feet, standing firmly on the edge of the cliff.

Fang Cheng weighed the beast meat in his hand, gazing at the dark fissure in the mountain ahead, and strode forward.

As he stepped into the cave entrance, the fierce wind and flying sand seemed to be completely shut out.

Following the dark and narrow natural fissure, the surrounding light grew dimmer.

The air was gradually filled with the smell of dampness and decay, an ancient and rotten scent.

On the once dry rocks, fine beads of water condensed, silently sliding down the dark green veins.

His combat boots made a "da-da" sound on the hard ground, quietly echoing in the passage.

After walking about more than two hundred meters, his vision abruptly opened up.

Fang Cheng returned to the vast underground space.

He cast his gaze toward the center of the space, at the broken circular altar.

Above the dome, a red vortex emitted a low-frequency tremor like the buzzing of a swarm of bees.

The edges of the vortex flickered erratically, with airflow escaping and churning up whirlwinds.

The interdimensional space channel was clearly showing signs of instability.

Fang Cheng stopped at the edge of the altar.

He glanced down at the blurred array patterns worn smooth by time.

Then, he moved his sight to the grim and demonic Buddhist murals on the surrounding rock walls.

In his mind, he recalled several hours ago when Grey Eagle attempted to draw a summoning array with the blood of test candidates.

To open this gateway across realms, must it really rely on some kind of bloody sacrificial ceremony?

If that’s the case...

Did the Special Search Team have ulterior motives in specifically holding a physical test in the West Mountain Military Restricted Area?

Moreover, why does the military maintain their grip on the old ruin’s entrance yet choose to secretly collaborate with the Noah Organization on projects targeting the Otherworld?

Apart from blood sacrifice, they surely have another safe and stable way to activate it at their disposal?

Fang Cheng didn’t understand arrays, nor did he have a living person to offer as a sacrifice.

He certainly couldn’t throw this bag of freshly cut crawling beast meat on it as an offering, could he?

While contemplating, a strange tugging sensation deep in his consciousness suddenly intensified.

It felt like someone suddenly plucked a long-tightened string in his mind.

Fang Cheng quickly looked up.

The edges of the red vortex on the dome rapidly began to collapse inward.

The energy passage, once several meters wide, visibly shrank significantly.

The energy maintaining the two-world channel was evidently running low.

Fang Cheng refocused his thoughts, hesitating no longer.

He slightly bent his knees, and his thighs suddenly exerted force.

Crunch.

His combat boots cracked the steps of the altar beneath him into large fragments.

His figure soared into the sky, diving headfirst into that swirling mass of blood red.

The familiar sense of weightlessness came instantaneously as he passed through the vortex.

But this time, accompanied by a terrifying repulsive force pressing from all directions, as if trying to crush his innards.

The spatial passage was teetering on the brink of collapse due to energy exhaustion.

The scarlet walls were no longer smooth, twisted like shriveled intestines.

Within the chaotic flow, countless blurry shadows emitted ear-piercing wails, brushing past Fang Cheng’s body.

Many faces with distorted features squeezed out from the creases of the flesh walls.

They stared fixedly at the rapidly descending Fang Cheng, mouths agape, seemingly wanting to bite his limbs and forcefully keep this vibrant life buried within the soon-to-be-destroyed void.

Fang Cheng felt as if he were stuffed into a high-speed spinning washing machine.

The raging air current was depriving him of control over his own body.

Fang Cheng frowned slightly and immediately mobilized True Qi.

Buzz—

Dazzling golden light surged from beneath his skin, instantly expanding the Mixed Element True Domain by several meters.

The twisting spatial turbulence sliced at the golden shield like countless sharp blades, creating dazzling sparks.

Fang Cheng’s expression remained calm, his back straight, speeding through the bizarre passage amidst pressure enough to tear a normal person’s body.

The descent grew ever faster, as if endless.

Bang!

Suddenly, his vision went dark, his body plummeting like a powerless cannonball from the end of the passage.

Soon after, his feet landed heavily on the hard black stone ground.

The immense impact traveled up his leg bones to his waist.

Fang Cheng rolled forward to dissipate the force, stabilizing himself with one hand on the ground.

The oppressive world repulsive force vanished abruptly.

Replaced by a long-missed sense of ease, even his breathing became much smoother.

Fang Cheng stood upright, looking around.

Ghostly green fluorescence shimmered in the dim stone crevices.

A broken Buddha tower stood silently ahead, scattered dry bones near the remnants maintained their original form.

Gray-white fog rolled around, mingled with the unique damp chill of deep mountain forests.

"Back again..."

Fang Cheng murmured softly, glancing back at the scene behind him in mid-air.

The blood-red vortex was rapidly shrinking.

In less than half a minute, it collapsed into a red dot the size of a soybean.

Finally, with a ’pop’, it vanished completely into oblivion.

Seeing this, Fang Cheng shook off the dust clinging to him and curled his lips:

"Good thing I came back in time, otherwise I’d be stuck in this wasteland playing the apocalypse survival game..."

With that, he picked up the bag of beast meat again, turned around, and strode along the dark passage.

His military boots thudded steadily and rhythmically against the black stone ground.

Around him, the black fog surged without respite, the thick mist like slowly moving dark walls.

They, pushed by the air currents, closed in and converged, engulfing the Buddha tower behind him in darkness.

Moments later, a ripple-like golden barrier stretched across the path ahead, blocking the way completely.

Fang Cheng stopped, his expression becoming more serious.

This seemingly sacred yet terrifyingly powerful Buddhist light had melted two assassins into blood hours ago.

He adjusted his breathing briefly, causing the stillness in his body to stir once more.

Buzz—

Blazing golden flames surged out from within him like substance, the Mixed Element True Domain expanded once more.

The extreme heat instantly scorched the ground beneath, dispersing the dense surrounding mist.

Fang Cheng strode forward against the golden shield, crashing into that golden light.

Hissing corrosion sounds erupted, white smoke rose, but it couldn’t penetrate the defense of True Sun Fire.

He leaned forward, waist and back exerting force, like a red-hot furnace squeezing through the barrier’s resistance.

Just as he pierced through the outer layer of the light film, his boots landing again in the cold, damp deep mountain forest.

From within the depths of the thick fog ahead, suddenly came the crisp sound of a gun being cocked.

Next was Donghe’s warning shout:

"Ah Cheng, watch out!"