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Biodata
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Name | Earth Cave (地窟) |
| Alias(es) | Abyss; “otherworld” in public-facing media 43 462 |
| Type | Otherworldly realm connected to Earth through energy passages |
| Occupation/Role | Primary frontline theater of humanity’s war; source of cultivation resources and hostile forces 43 88 |
| Status | Active; connected to Earth through 108 known passages 302 |
| First Appearance | Mentioned in Chapter 34 34 |
Background / History
The first clearly recorded Earth Cave entrance was discovered in the year 1303. A second entrance appeared in Xiwei roughly 450 years before the present era, while a third opened in 1920 and caused hundreds of thousands of casualties. In 1921, the Capital Martial Arts Club was established after it became clear that only martial artists’ vitality could function within the Earth Cave; conventional energy sources were ineffective there. Hua Nation has opened 22 entrances. 43
Knowledge of the Earth Cave was initially withheld from the general public, who viewed martial artists chiefly as privileged citizens rather than defenders carrying the burden of an existential war. 34 This secrecy gradually changed as the government prepared the public through the game Otherworld Invasion and a film depicting major Earth Cave battles. 462
Newly opened passages are strategically urgent. The Earth Cave-side entrance appears randomly, but both sides can detect it; if humans do not enter after stabilization, Earth Cave forces can emerge onto the surface. Human strategy therefore prioritizes securing the passage and keeping the battlefield underground. 262
Environment
The Earth Cave is distinguished by exceptionally dense energy, an overhead artificial-looking “sun” known as the Immortal Source, and absolute darkness after nightfall. 63 65
- Its dense energy gradually strengthens a martial artist’s body even without deliberate cultivation and substantially improves vitality-and-blood recovery. 81 110
- At night, low-rank martial artists may be unable to see at all; energy stones can serve as a light source. 65
- Digging deep underground is a standard survival practice. At roughly 200 meters below ground, martial artists can conceal their vitality and blood even from a Grandmaster unless they are closely inspected. 65
- The Earth Caves are interconnected. Traveling through one region can potentially lead to a different Earth-side passage, though this information is not widely known among lower-rank martial artists. 351
- King Battle Land is a scorched zone of chaotic energy currents where Martial Paths may collapse. 333
Passages and Entrances
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Earth-side entrance | A suspended vortex accessed through heavily guarded alloy structures, such as Hope City’s gate complex. 63 |
| Energy passage | A roughly thousand-meter tunnel whose walls, floor, and ceiling consist of energy particles rather than earth or alloy. 63 |
| Stabilization | A final energy surge solidifies a newly opened passage and signals that entry or hostile emergence is imminent. 264 |
| Passage warfare | High-rank martial artists may fight to expel enemies from a passage before mid-rank forces clear the remaining defenders or disrupt the route. 133 |
| Surface defense | Human Grandmasters are prepared to force any emerging Rank Nine back into a passage rather than permit the battle to spread onto Earth. 283 |
Inhabitants and Society
The Earth Cave contains martial artists, demonic beasts, demon plants, villages, cities, royal cities, and powerful factions such as the Forbidden Zone. 65 275 549
- Dense ambient energy allows even ordinary inhabitants to eventually reach Rank One, creating a large population of low-rank martial artists. 65
- Most low- and mid-rank martial artists do not possess refined vitality-and-blood control or powerful trump cards, despite the abundance of energy. 65 149
- Earth Cave martial arts are primarily passed down through families rather than a unified educational system; mastering an ultimate move before Rank Six is considered the mark of a genius. 124
- Before Rank Six, many Earth Cave martial artists prioritize rapid advancement over control. They generally begin refining their vitality-and-blood control while sealing their gates at Rank Six. 149
- Earth Cave cities maintain strict hierarchies. True Kings and their descendants hold major influence, while royal cities exploit surrounding mineral veins to sustain cultivation. 276 333
Resources
The Earth Cave’s resource density makes it both a battlefield and a major cultivation frontier.
- Energy Stones — Found in mineral veins and used for cultivation, illumination, trade, and strengthening Bridges of Heaven and Earth. 69 153
- Mineral veins — Earth Cave cities place low-purity Energy Stones into veins, where ambient energy gradually raises their purity; high-purity stones in royal cities are mined for cultivation. 276
- Life Essence — A valuable healing and recovery resource associated with demon plants; its abundance gives Earth Cave forces a major advantage in prolonged attritional battles. 381
- Demonic-beast materials — Hearts, hides, and other remains are recovered as valuable war spoils and exchanged for cultivation resources. 72 153
- Natural treasures — Newly opened Earth Caves are sought after as undeveloped treasure lands, though their opportunities are accompanied by extreme danger. 260 262
Notable Locations
| Location | Description |
|---|---|
| Hope City | Human military outpost and operational hub beside an Earth Cave entrance; martial artists pass through it before entering the frontline. 63 |
| Meat Grinder | A dangerous combat zone outside Hope City where human and Earth Cave martial artists frequently clash. 63 81 |
| Heavenly Gate City | An Earth Cave city engaged in repeated conflict with Hope City; its forces once attacked Hope City alongside a Rank Seven demonic beast. 81 |
| Giant Pine City | The first major Earth Cave city approached by Lu Hao; it possesses a structured hierarchy and nearby mine veins. 275 276 |
| King Battle Land | Chaotic forbidden territory containing unstable domains and remnants of high-level conflict. 333 |
| Nanjiang Earth Cave | A newly opened Earth Cave whose stabilization prompted a large-scale human expedition to seize and secure its passage. 260 264 |
| Purple Forbidden Earth Cave | Site of a major human victory that secured twelve giant mines at substantial cost. 503 |
Major Events
| Event | Chapter | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| Lu Hao’s first entry through Hope City | 63–72 | Lu Hao, Qin Fengqing, and Wang Jinyang enter the Earth Cave, raid a village, exploit a demonic-beast attack, and return with significant resources. 63 69 72 |
| Passage-clearing expedition | 132–137 | Martial artists from multiple nations assault an energy passage, expel Earth Cave high-ranks, and secure a battlefield for mid-rank forces. 132 133 137 |
| Nanjiang Earth Cave opening | 260–292 | Grandmasters and mid-rank reinforcements enter a newly stabilized passage, fight to establish a stronghold, and eventually report victory. 260 262 264 292 |
| Exploration of King Battle Land | 332–351 | Lu Hao crosses into the Forbidden Zone, enters King Battle Land, infiltrates an Earth Cave city, and confirms routes between separate Earth Cave regions. 332 333 351 |
| Purple Forbidden victory | 503 | Humanity kills five abyss True Kings, captures twelve giant mines, and gains resources sufficient for rapid future growth. 503 |
| Convergence of outside factions | 549–557 | The Forbidden Zone, Outer Heavens, Overseas Immortal Islands, Realm Domain Lands, and Forbidden Sea demon races gather around Earth Cave passages and the Emperor’s Tomb conflict. 549 556 557 |
Strategic Significance
The Earth Cave’s numerical and territorial advantage is severe. One Earth Cave may contain more than ten cities, with each city possessing multiple Rank Nine martial artists, while humanity faces a worldwide network of 108 passages. 307 302
Despite this imbalance, humanity’s martial artists repeatedly enter the Earth Cave to fight, gather intelligence, seize resources, and prevent invasions from reaching the surface. Grandmasters are particularly defined by this commitment: no known Hua Nation martial artist of Rank Six or above has died of old age, as all have ultimately fallen fighting in the Earth Cave. 88