Starting to Gain Experience from Push-Ups Chapter 1278 - 620:

Fang Cheng’s neck cracked, a series of sounds like popping beans emanating from his spine.

The doubled gravity remained, pressing down on his body like a relentless shadow.

However, he had grown accustomed to it; the surging vitality within him was potent enough to counteract the adverse effects.

In the very next instant.

His thigh muscles contracted, solid as steel cables, and his combat boots slammed down, pulverizing the parched earth below.

Bang!

A concussive burst of air propelled his entire form upward instantly, clearing a height of over ten meters.

The jagged rocks of the cliff face hurtled towards him.

Fang Cheng extended his right hand, fingers like hardened iron, gripping the tough, weathered stone with immense pressure.

Loose scree cascaded down.

His arm muscles bulged, and with a powerful surge, he propelled himself further upward.

Slap, slap, slap.

His feet made repeated impacts, each leaving a deep indentation in the cliff face.

Clutching a package in his left hand, Fang Cheng used his right hand for leverage, ascending the near-vertical precipice as if traversing level ground, moving directly skyward.

Viewed from a distance, he resembled a bird of prey clinging to the cliff, battling against a sandstorm.

Should observers have been present, this display of superhuman mountaineering, defying gravity with sheer physical might, would undoubtedly have been awe-inspiring.

After merely a dozen or so powerful leaps, the summit of the cliff loomed clearly within sight.

Supporting himself with one hand on an jutting rock, Fang Cheng contracted his core, using the generated momentum to launch himself upward once more.

Mid-air, he executed a fluid twist, much like a sparrowhawk, then planted his feet, landing with perfect stability on the cliff's edge.

Fang Cheng assessed the weight of the beast meat in his hand, his gaze fixed on the darkly shadowed fissure in the mountain ahead, and proceeded forward.

As he crossed the threshold into the cave, the harsh wind and abrasive sand were completely excluded.

Navigating the dark, narrow natural crevice, the ambient light steadily diminished.

The air gradually became heavy with the scent of dampness and decay, an ancient, fetid aroma.

Upon the formerly dry rock faces, fine droplets of moisture had formed, silently tracing paths down the dark green mineral veins.

His combat boots produced a rhythmic “da-da” sound on the unyielding ground, echoing softly within the confined passage.

After advancing approximately two hundred meters, his field of vision suddenly expanded.

Fang Cheng found himself back within the expansive subterranean chamber.

His attention was drawn to the center of the space, where a fragmented circular altar stood.

Directly above, a crimson vortex pulsed, emitting a low-frequency vibration akin to the hum of a disturbed swarm of insects.

The vortex’s edges flickered erratically, with currents of air escaping, stirring up miniature whirlwinds.

The interdimensional portal was exhibiting clear signs of instability.

Fang Cheng halted at the periphery of the altar.

He cast his eyes downward upon the indistinct array markings, smoothed by the passage of ages.

Then, his gaze shifted to the forbidding, demonic Buddhist imagery adorning the surrounding rock walls.

In his mind, he replayed the events from several hours prior, when Grey Eagle had attempted to inscribe a summoning array using the blood of the test candidates.

To breach this gateway between realms, was a gruesome sacrificial ritual truly the only method?

If that were indeed the case...

Was the Special Search Team’s decision to hold the physical test specifically within the West Mountain Military Restricted Area motivated by some hidden agenda?

Furthermore, why did the military maintain strict control over the entrance to the old ruins while simultaneously engaging in covert collaboration with the Noah Organization on initiatives targeting the Otherworld?

Beyond blood sacrifice, they must surely possess an alternative, secure, and stable method for its activation?

Fang Cheng possessed no understanding of array formations, nor did he have a living being available for sacrifice.

It was certainly out of the question to simply toss this sack of freshly slain crawling beast meat onto it as an offering, wasn't it?

As these thoughts occupied him, a peculiar tugging sensation originating from deep within his consciousness suddenly intensified.

It felt as though a tautly stretched string within his mind had been abruptly plucked.

Fang Cheng’s head snapped up.

The perimeter of the crimson vortex overhead began to rapidly retract inward.

The energy conduit, formerly several meters in width, visibly contracted substantially.

The power sustaining the trans-world channel was evidently waning.

Fang Cheng refocused his intent, no longer harboring any hesitation.

He slightly flexed his knees, and his thighs suddenly exerted power.

Crunch.

His combat boots fractured the altar steps beneath him, sending large fragments flying.

His body launched skyward, diving headlong into that turbulent, blood-red expanse.

The familiar sensation of weightlessness enveloped him instantly as he traversed the vortex.

However, this time, it was accompanied by a terrifying outward pressure enveloping him from all sides, as if attempting to crush his very core.

The spatial conduit was teetering on the verge of disintegration due to depleted energy.

Scarlet walls, no longer smooth, writhed like shriveled intestines.

Within the chaotic flow, myriad blurry specters let out piercing shrieks, brushing past Fang Cheng's form.

Countless visages contorted with grimaces emerged from the folds of the flesh walls.

They fixed their gazes on Fang Cheng as he rapidly descended, mouths agape, seemingly yearning to rend his limbs and forcefully entomb this vibrant life within the doomed void.

Fang Cheng felt as if he were sealed inside a high-speed washing machine.

The furious air current stripped him of any command over his own body.

A slight frown creased Fang Cheng's brow, and he immediately channeled his True Qi.

Buzz—

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

The churning spatial turbulence assailed the golden shield like a barrage of sharp blades, igniting dazzling sparks.

Fang Cheng's expression remained unfettered; his back was straight as he propelled himself through the bizarre passage, enduring pressure that would obliterate an ordinary person.

The descent intensified, feeling utterly unending.

Bang!

Suddenly, darkness enveloped his vision, his body plunging like a helpless cannonball from the passage's terminus.

Shortly thereafter, his feet impacted the unyielding black stone ground with a heavy thud.

The immense force of the collision coursed up his leg bones into his waist.

Fang Cheng executed a forward roll to absorb the momentum, stabilizing himself with a hand planted firmly on the ground.

The oppressive repulsive force of that world vanished without warning.

It was replaced by a welcome sensation of ease, his very breathing becoming considerably smoother.

Fang Cheng straightened, surveying his surroundings.

Eerie green fluorescence faintly illuminated the jagged stone crevices.

A dilapidated Buddha tower stood silently ahead, while scattered dry bones near its remnants retained their original posture.

Gray-white mist swirled, imbued with the peculiar damp chill characteristic of deep mountain forests.

"Back again..."

Fang Cheng uttered softly, casting a glance behind him at the scene in mid-air.

The blood-red vortex was shrinking with alarming speed.

In less than thirty seconds, it condensed into a crimson speck no larger than a soybean.

Finally, with a soft 'pop', it dissipated entirely into nothingness.

Witnessing this, Fang Cheng dusted himself off and curved his lips:

"Fortunate that I returned promptly; otherwise, I would have been marooned in this desolate expanse, engaged in an apocalypse survival game..."

With that, he hoisted the bag of beast meat once more, turned, and proceeded along the darkened passage.

His military boots struck a steady, resonant rhythm upon the black stone floor.

The dark fog surged relentlessly around him, its thick exhalations resembling slowly advancing obsidian walls.

Driven by the air currents, they converged, engulfing the Buddha tower behind him in shadow.

Moments later, a ripple-like golden barrier materialized across the path forward, forming an impenetrable obstruction.

Fang Cheng halted, his demeanor growing notably more serious.

This seemingly divine yet terrifyingly potent Buddhist light had previously reduced two assassins to mere bloodstains mere hours prior.

He briefly adjusted his breathing, reigniting a dormant stillness within his being.

Buzz—

Blazing golden flames surged forth from him with tangible substance, the Mixed Element True Domain expanding once more.

The intense heat instantly seared the ground beneath, dissipating the thick surrounding miasma.

Fang Cheng advanced, shielded by the golden barrier, crashing into the golden radiance.

Hissing sounds of corrosion erupted, and white smoke billowed, yet it could not breach the impregnable defense of the True Sun Fire.

He leaned forward, channeling force from his waist and back, like a superheated furnace forcing its way through the barrier's resistance.

Just as he ruptured the outer membrane of the light film, his boots landed once again upon the cold, moist ground of the deep mountain forest.

From the heart of the dense fog ahead, the sharp, unmistakable sound of a gun's hammer being cocked suddenly echoed.

Immediately following was Donghe's urgent cry:

"Ah Cheng, be vigilant!"