F=GMm/R^2.

The original formula of Universal Gravitation, applicable to two particles or uniform spheres. Gravitation's magnitude is related to the mass of objects and the distance between them. The greater the mass of the objects, the stronger their Universal Gravitation; the further apart the objects, the weaker their Universal Gravitation.

This is absolutely not applicable on a conventional scale. When compared to the Electromagnetic Force, gravity's attractive force seems trivial. On the other hand, the gravity of planets renders any object's gravity within its gravity field indistinct. It's a force difficult even for instruments to detect. If two people each weighing sixty kilograms were half a meter apart, then the gravitational pull between them would be about one-thousandth of an ant's leg strength, and this one-thousandth of an ant's strength would be based on the people's centers of gravity, evenly distributed.

However, cultivators' microscopic perception and Ai Changyuan's own perception of gravity made this weak force incredibly conspicuous.

"Discounting the gravity field beneath our feet, the gravity of surrounding buildings... If we consider them as numerous mass clumps..."

Gravity was an extension of Ai Changyuan's spirit. By making use of this power constituting the curvature of space-time, Ai Changyuan was crafting a colorless mathematical model in his mind.

Upwards.

The rock layer is six meters... the position above...

Ai Changyuan knew, this was his last chance.

The Eternal True Color was not some safe plaything. Moreover, those Ancient Method Practitioners who had come to break the last seal would gradually lose their usefulness. So, this was indeed Ai Changyuan's last opportunity.

He had to seize it well.

After the Golden Core Stage, life ascends to a wholly different level. Whether it's Alchemy Shattering Infant Formation or Breaking the Heaven Barrier, it's about evolving from the mundane to the Immortal, from ordinary life to the Spiritual Energy Life System. Divine Separation Stage cultivators far surpassed Ai Changyuan's reaction speed limit, and in speed and strength as well.

As soon as the Divine Separation Stage cultivator sensed something amiss with Ai Changyuan, he would kill Ai Changyuan before he could react, leaving no chance to resist.

This was different from Wang Qi who faced Divine Separation Stage cultivators with the body of a Heart Demon Curse Spirit; it didn't matter how many times the spiritual body was shattered. Ai Changyuan only had one chance.

After descending to the eighth level, all cultivators searching for nodes had dispersed. The entrances to each layer were no longer linked in a straight line. Nie Tianren and Wang Tugen each held a simple map bestowed by the Dragon Clan, but the nodes still required their own searching. The new Secret Technique provided by Ai Changyuan was proving to be an incredibly useful tool at this time. Everyone tried to fire a stream of Gravity Magic Power from their hands to probe behind the walls.

However, the two Divine Separation Stage cultivators, all the Nascent Souls cursed with the Heart Demon Curse, and the Golden Core specifically in charge of guarding Ai Changyuan, all did not depart from the cave entrance leading from the seventh to the eighth level.

"This is bad... at this distance, those fellows could shatter me instantly in case of any trouble..." Wang Qi looked around. The distance between him and Wang Tianshi was about twenty zhang. To a Divine Separation Stage cultivator, this distance was virtually nonexistent. No, perhaps no need for that person to act. A gust of wind rustling through the grass or if he appeared to be concentrating on casting a spell, the Golden Core cultivator would deliver a kick his way...

It was one of the worst possible scenarios.

"The time it would take for a Divine Separation Stage cultivator to learn the truth and take my life... far exceeds the limit of my reaction speed. Might as well consider it instantaneous..."

"My mana is far from sufficient to protect two people and escape... No, not even for one. But no matter who I ambush, taking mana from him, I would be discovered instantly."

"The material of this relic can block Spiritual Sense, giving me a tiny bit of time to buffer... but not for long. If a cultivator were to fall, the cultivators beside him would surely check his internal condition. Then the problem with my cultivation would be exposed..."

"By shouting..."

"Before that, the spells that could be used..."

Ai Changyuan's eyes were half-open, giving no clue as to what he was thinking. The flow of Gravity Magic Power within him had reached its peak, ready for the final gambit. He also edged a little closer towards Wu Shiqin.

"With my speed, to the seventh level..."

"That position is a wall... from the vacant cave to that spot, a few turns are needed, making that place the safest... But, in consideration that the person will stop at nothing to destroy the relic..."

"It's not yet time to break the seal."

Time, time.

In this situation, time was life. A single miscalculation could lead to death. And for Ai Changyuan, strength could be exchanged for time. He had to gain more strength, to afford his plans the slightest bit of "margin" for insurance. But taking strength would squander time.

He needed to wait for the "optimal moment" to arise.

Ai Changyuan nudged closer to Wu Shiqin. Wu Shiqin let out a displeased grunt, which probably meant "I know you mean well, but another step is a step too far."

The searchers gradually spread out. Ai Changyuan kept a watch on each individual, monitoring the amount of Gravity Magic Power inside them, monitoring their positions.

At the same time, Ai Changyuan occasionally glanced at the Divine Separation Stage cultivators. While waiting, Heavenly Master Wang occasionally examined the Nascent Soul Cultivators affected by the Heart Demon Curse, seemingly trying to understand the composition of the Curse. As a Divine Tao Witch, he inherently bore a Heart Demon Curse and had a certain resistance to it. And because the will and mana of high-order cultivators were tightly bound, the Heart Demon Curse could not easily infect them. Nie Tianren, meanwhile, was meditating cross-legged, his facial expression warped and ferocious, as if on aphrodisiacs, undergoing the most intense struggle of conscience internally—regrettably, there wasn't a trace of romance in his torment.

"Looking at something?" Wang Qi's glance was taken as a "furtive motion" by a Golden Core Cultivator. He was rewarded with two slaps to the face by Ai Changyuan. At the edge of his vision, which was now bursting with stars, Ai saw that the Heavenly Master Wang showed no sign of looking over.

The crowd continued to disperse. The gravity they used to probe their way gradually faded. This indicated they had split up to move in different directions.

Ai cast another glance at the two Divine Separation Stage cultivators.

In this environment where gravity magic power surged wildly, it seemed unlikely that the Divine Separation Stage Cultivator would be aware of his own actions, right?

The crowd kept dispersing.

Then, Ai felt the opportunity had arrived.

A Nascent Soul Stage Cultivator walked alone around a bend. He had now left everyone else's line of sight. The nearest companions were several yards away from him.

Ai took a light, deep breath.

The countdown to death officially began.

Nascent Soul Cultivator Huang Liyu felt no unease before his death. A Divine Separation Stage Cultivator was right beside him, less than thirty yards away. Although there were several walls between them, a single cry for help, and the Divine Separation Stage Cultivator could rush over in an extremely short amount of time.

He just reached out his hand, intending to cast a spell with his newly learned mana to make sense of his surroundings. But suddenly, he realized he could not muster anything. In that instant, he lost control of his newfound power. Then, he felt an inexplicable pain. This peculiar pain did not originate from any part of his body, yet it was intense. As if it was pain on a spiritual level.

The vanishing mana plunged into his Nascent Soul, directly assaulting his True Spirit. This was an attack from within his body, as if he was attacking himself. In nature, it was more akin to "suicide."

In the moment before his death, the Nascent Soul Cultivator thought of something, but he had already lost control over his body, only letting out half a "oh..." before his lungs and throat muscles relaxed, rendering him unable to scream.

It was like the gasping sound before death.

Huang Liyu collapsed on the ground but did not die. Following Ai Changyuan's command, a finely wrought Divine Power Talisman began to plunder the mana of this Nascent Soul Stage Cultivator and transferred it to Ai as a gravity wave.

This kind of power was unfamiliar to Ancient Method Practitioners; they would not guard against it. And now, as most had mastered the spell Ai Changyuan had given, the surrounding gravity had become chaotic, preventing the Ancient Method Practitioners from detecting anything for the moment.

When they found their companion had fallen, the Cultivators with him did not immediately rush over to investigate. Their first reaction was still "There is danger inside the relic," focusing their attention elsewhere. This gave Ai another sliver of time.

Power within Ai's body accumulated slowly. He did not attempt to use this power to break the seal within him; doing so would immediately alert the one who sealed him. He directed all his power towards a predetermined path and wove it into a spell within his body.

Without being able to rely on Wanxiang Heavenly Attraction, gravity was very weak. Currently, this power could only be exchanged for 0.1 second… 0.3 seconds… 0.5 seconds… one second!

Heavenly Master Wang stood up, frowning, "What happened?"

Nie Tianren also leaped up, "Has the boy's curse spread?"

The urging of the two Divine Separation Stage Cultivators forced the companions behind Huang to step forward to investigate. But aware of the mysterious nature of the Heart Demon Curse, how could they dare to probe with their mana directly?

Ai's power continued to accumulate.

Two seconds… two and a half seconds…

Was it time to kill them a few, or to escape directly?

A Nascent Soul Cultivator shakily placed a hand on Huang Liyu's Dantian, ready to withdraw at any moment.

Then, his pupils contracted, shouting, "There's a problem with the Ai Family's Law Gate!"

But by the time he shouted those words, everything had already happened.

As the word "Ai" was uttered, Ai Changyuan had already activated the previously prepared "Cave Heaven Comparison Ruler." The unfamiliar Nascent Soul Stage Cultivator's voice stretched infinitely and rapidly deepened as if Ai was rapidly moving away from him, causing the Doppler effect.

He now did not belong to the same reference system as any Ancient Method Practitioner. Their actions were meaningless to him. In this personal space-time, he was absolutely safe.

And the duration of this "absolute" time was...

"Three seconds, the mana plundered was only enough to maintain for that long."

Ai watched coldly as a mass of darkness slowly flew towards him. That was an attack Heavenly Master Wang had launched at him. The attack was incredibly slow, moving at a thousandth of the speed to Ai's perception. Such a thing could take the lives of ordinary Golden Core Cultivators before they could even react.

At this moment, the distance between it and Ai was only two yards. (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to vote for recommendation tickets and monthly tickets at Qidian (qidian.com). Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users please read at m.qidian.com.)