Time passed, and after two days, Yun Ting and his group stood atop a mountain. Below them lay the Inner Region—a barren desert where no signs of life could be seen, and the continuous fall of dead rain threatened all living beings. Before their transformation, the rain would have been lethal to them, obliterating anything with life upon contact.
However, after their bones had fully transformed into jade, their strength and resilience had greatly increased. Along with this transformation, they had gained an additional ability known as the Jade Barrier, which protected them from the dead rain. Yet, they could not maintain it indefinitely, as it consumed energy with prolonged use.
As Yun Ting pondered when they would finally reach the Palace of Inheritance, he spotted a faint outline in the far distance—either a mountain or a structure standing at the center of the desert. Even with their enhanced vision, they could not discern its exact nature.
His thoughts were interrupted by a sharp cry from Wu Meili, one of the female team members, who pointed toward a distant mountain peak. Following her gaze, Yun Ting saw a group standing there—their enemies within the secret realm, the disciples of the Earth Devil Palace.
Among them were their corpse monsters, but what caught Yun Ting's attention the most was one particular creature.
From its eyes, he saw human emotions—a sneering expression directed toward them. Observing the posture of the Earth Devil Palace disciples, it was evident that this monster was in charge of their group. Judging by its aura, Yun Ting estimated it to be a peak 2nd-rank monster. Normally, such a creature wouldn't pose a significant threat, but something about it felt different.
If it were just an average peak 2nd-rank monster, there would be little concern. However, the intelligence behind its gaze unsettled Yun Ting. Only 3rd-rank monsters were known to awaken emotions, making this creature anything but ordinary.
Shi Tian spoke with anger, "Earth Devil Palace is declining as time passes. They even let a monster lead their team."
A nearby team member added, "Master Shi Tian, look—it's sneering at us."
Shi Tian also noticed this and scoffed. "Let's go teach them a lesson. They think that just because they have greater numbers, they're stronger than us."
Liang Ji intervened, trying to dissuade him. "Wait. Let's first reach the Inheritance Place, then we can deal with them. We don't know how it works yet."
Shi Tian muttered something under his breath before turning to Yun Ting and Lu Yan. "What about you two? Are you just going to let a monster's behavior slide?"
Hearing his name, Yun Ting simply shrugged. "I don't care about him. The inheritance matters to me."
Lu Yan, full of arrogance, said, "It's a waste of time standing around." Without hesitation, he jumped from the mountain, landing in the grey dead rain.
A jade barrier immediately emerged above him, shielding him from the rain as he strode toward the center of the desert. Seeing this, many teammates followed suit, including Shi Tian. Meanwhile, the Earth Devil Palace disciples also descended and started making their way toward the center.
Yu Lie then spoke. "There's a record in our sect's library that the Dead River Sect possessed a secret inheritance. To prolong their lives, their elders transformed their bodies into corpse monsters."
A commotion erupted among the group upon hearing this. Many turned to Yu Lie, asking if he was certain, while others, still standing on the mountain peak, involuntarily glanced toward the corpse monster leading the Earth Devil Palace team.
Liang Ji remained firm. "It doesn't matter whether he's a member of the Dead River Sect or not. He's with the Earth Devil Palace, which makes him our enemy—and an obstacle to us obtaining the inheritance."
Yun Ting nodded. "Let's go. If he is from the Dead River Sect, we can't let him reach the center before us."
With that, he leaped into the desert. Before he landed, a jade shield materialized above him, shielding him from the grey dead rain.
Yun Ting began making his way toward the center, his eyes fixed on the dead rain falling around him. A reckless thought took root in his mind—he wanted to test something.
For five seconds, he deactivated his Jade Shield, allowing the rain to touch his body. A sharp sizzling sound filled the air as the rain corroded his flesh, eating through to the bone in some places. He only protected his head, letting the rest of his body bear the brunt of the deadly downpour.
When the Jade Shield re-emerged, sealing him off from the rain once more, he closed his eyes and focused on his body. Channeling his true energy, he directed it toward the injured areas, beginning the process of regeneration.
As he opened his eyes, he noticed Liang Ji walking beside him, her multicolored pupils studying him with curiosity.
Yun Ting frowned. "What?"
Liang Ji simply shrugged. "Nothing." Then, without another word, she quickened her pace and moved ahead.
A minute later, Yu Lie ran up to him, concern etched on his face. "Brother Yun, is something wrong?"
Yun Ting looked at him, puzzled. "Nothing's wrong. Why do you ask?"
Yu Lie hesitated before replying, "Then why did you let the dead rain fall on you?"
Yun Ting gave a small smile. "I wanted to test something. It's useful for my practice."
Yu Lie fell silent, nodding slightly. The two of them continued walking in silence, their focus returning to the journey ahead.
Once Yun Ting confirmed that his injuries had completely healed, with his flesh fully regenerated, he took out a demon pill and swallowed it.
He didn't hide this from Yu Lie—there was no need. Yu Lie already knew about his methods, as they had exchanged resources before. Yun Ting had traded a portion of his Earth Spirit Soil for a strain of Vitality Flame that Yu Lie possessed.
To refine the five organs, five spiritual objects were needed—Heart-Fire, Stomach-Earth, Lung-Metal, Kidney-Water, and Liver-Wood. While he had the Vitality Flame for his heart, he lacked suitable objects for the other four organs.
To remedy this, he divided his Vitality Flame into four parts and traded them with his teammates, acquiring the necessary spiritual objects: Earth Spirit Soil for his stomach, Bronze Essence for his lungs, Illusion Tears for his kidneys, and a Thousand-Year Ancient Tree Seed for his liver.
If he were an immortal cultivator, refining these objects within his body would be a simple task. But as a warrior, he had to comprehend the rules governing each spiritual object before he could integrate them into his body.
His stomach refinement had already reached 99%, but further progress was impossible without comprehending the rule of Earth Spirit Soil. Which can only be done outside the secret realm.
Now, as he continued his journey, he shifted his focus to refining his other organs. Yet he knew—true mastery could only come once he left the secret realm and had the time to fully comprehend the natural laws behind each element.
Yun Ting decided to experiment once more, but this time with a different approach. He enveloped his body in true energy, prioritizing the protection of his head and face while allowing the rest of his body only minimal shielding. Instead of fully blocking the dead rain, his true energy merely slowed its descent, giving him time to observe how it inflicted damage.
As the jade shield dissipated, the dead rain fell upon him. He closed his eyes, continuing forward without pause, focusing entirely on the sensation of his skin and muscles being corroded. This time, the process was noticeably slower. He could feel the rain boring into his flesh, dissolving layer by layer, but at a much-reduced speed.
After ten minutes, he reactivated the jade shield, halting further damage. The insights he had gathered were immediately transmitted to his soul chip, which he commanded to analyze the effects of the dead rain—how it dissolved his body—and to find a potential countermeasure at full processing speed.
As the soul chip worked, Yun Ting opened his eyes and spotted Lu Yan standing motionless in the distance. The rest of the team, upon reaching Lu Yan, also came to a halt. Even the Earth Devil Palace disciples had stopped moving.
Exchanging a glance with Yu Lie, Yun Ting quickened his pace until he reached the group. The reason for the sudden stop became apparent—an intricate formation was blocking their path.
Although only a half-trained 1st-rank formation master, Yun Ting saw this as an opportunity. He didn't expect to break the formation—he knew it was beyond his current skill—but he could study it.
Sitting down on the desert sands, he focused his mind, committing the structure of the formation to memory, hoping to deepen his comprehension of formations through observation.