52. Sky's strength and immortal practise method

The group now stood on an elevated passage leading toward the final cave. The cave with the condensed dark iron essence pool had been the last chamber on the leftward path they had taken earlier, so they'd retraced their steps to the intersection to continue toward this passage. Along the way, Damian had cleared out the remaining caves. Sky had been right—the essence pool had indeed helped Damian, allowing him to reach the threshold needed to break through to the True Body Realm. Now, all he needed was to return home to complete the transformation with the necessary resources.

Fuelled by excitement and eager to test his new strength, Damian had cleared every cave they encountered, sparing only the last one, where a formidable C-rank dark iron zombie and four peak D-rank zombies awaited. He knew, however, that he was still no match for the C-rank.

Sky said, "Damian and I will go down to face them. You three stay up here."

Lily offered, "I can support Damian from here against the four peak D-rank zombies." Sky and Damian nodded, then leapt down to face the zombies—Sky toward the C-rank and Damian toward the four peak D-rank zombies.

Rain studied the C-rank zombie, noting it was a foot taller than the peak D-rank zombies, with black skin and spikes protruding around its body, though otherwise similar in appearance. Their arrival alerted the zombies, who turned their heads toward them, prepared to engage.

Sky charged directly at the C-rank zombie, wielding her unique ice swords in both hands. The four peak D-rank zombies attempted to intercept her, but a commanding growl from the C-rank zombie made them redirect their focus to Damian. Rain observed closely as Sky closed in on the C-rank zombie. Its hands bulged and morphed, shifting from wrists into blades from the wrists as the palms transformed into blade. The zombie stepped forward to meet Sky's attack, and as their blades clashed, sparks flew. Rain noted that the C-rank zombie was matching Sky's skill, speed, and strength move for move, keeping up with her attacks with impressive precision.

Damian faced the four zombies with ease, his newfound strength surpassing theirs, but their numbers made it difficult to take down one without interference from the others. Lily stood poised with her wind whip technique, her whip ready in hand, while Rain and Siobhan stayed behind to give her space. Yet Lily held back, unable to attack effectively with the peak D-rank zombies so close to Damian.

A sudden metallic crack echoed through the cave, and Rain watched as one of the C-rank zombie's sword-like arms shattered under the force of Sky's ice sword. Another sharp sound followed as Sky cleaved through the zombie's second blade. The zombie's weapons, formed from parts of its own body, were no match for Sky's meticulously crafted and genetically reinforced ice sword. 

With both of the zombie's sword-arms destroyed, its strength was visibly reduced. Sky seized this advantage, launching a relentless assault before the creature could regain its bearings. Her strikes left deep cuts across its body, and with each slice, a layer of frost spread from the wounds, further restricting the zombie's movements. Slowed by the frost, the zombie grew increasingly sluggish, unable to keep up with Sky's unyielding attacks.

The C-rank zombie suddenly let out a deafening roar, and a surge of energy pulsed from its body, forcing Sky to retreat. Rain watched in confusion as the four peak D-rank zombies halted mid-battle and emitted a collective growl. They didn't even react when Damian's full-strength punch snapped one of their necks. Instead, a dark light began to emanate from each of the four zombies, which slowly dissolved into the light itself. 

As the dark light faded, the C-rank zombie came into view, having absorbed the four peak D-rank zombies. Though its height remained the same, its body mass had doubled, each limb now appearing larger and denser. As it took a step toward Sky, the ground cracked under its weight.

Sky gave a quick command, "Damian, get back up to the platform." Damian complied, leaping up to join the others. "It's mutated now," he muttered, shaking his head.

Lily added, "It was once descended from an A-rank—now it's a full mutated monster."

Siobhan sighed, "This happened right before Rain and I joined, too."

Damian chuckled grimly. "Sometimes the domain pulls surprises, but two times in a row?"

"Guess Rain and I brought a little bad luck," Siobhan joked, and Rain smiled awkwardly, aware of the strange coincidence as they paused to assess the mutated C-rank zombie, which appeared ready to attack.

Then, the C-rank zombie halted, and multiple iron rods erupted from its body, thrusting forward with full force toward Sky. She quickly leaped out of the way, narrowly avoiding the deadly strike. The iron rods crashed into the rock wall of the platform, shattering the edge and forcing Damian and Lily to hastily step back as debris flew around them.

As the rods retracted back into its body, the zombie transformed its hands into whip-like appendages and began assaulting Sky. Each attack was executed with precision, but Sky deftly dodged them. Rain, however, could see the devastating power behind the strikes as the whips left deep gashes in the ground and tore into the rock wall. 

The zombie realized it was no match for Sky in close combat and kept its distance. Suddenly, a mist of cold air spread from Sky, enveloping the entire cavern and obscuring the zombie's vision. After twenty minutes, the mist was retracted, revealing a transformed environment. What had once been a rocky cavern now appeared as an ice cavern, shimmering with frost. 

Rain noticed patches of ice covering the C-rank zombie's body, a clear indication of Sky's influence. In a swift and decisive move, Sky drove her sword into the zombie's eye, piercing through to the back of its head and instantly killing it. As the defeated creature collapsed, Rain felt a sense of accomplishment. He thought about their mission and the journey ahead, eager to return home and begin his breakthrough to middle D-rank.

-----

In a cave illuminated by the blue light emanating from a nearby pond, a boy sat with a book in his hand. He was engrossed in the pages detailing the immortal practice, before at the inn after reading through the initial instructions on how to absorb the energy of the world to break through to the refining energy realm, he paused. Upon realizing he was not a spirit body, a basic requirement for practicing the immortal method.

Now, Rain shifted his focus to his true energy, which was on the verge of transformation. He understood that refining this energy was crucial for his progress, so he took a moment to calm himself and prepare for what lay ahead; the transformation could be perilous, even deadly. He believed that studying the book could benefit his main body in the future.

Rain reflected on the refining energy realm, where many mediocre practitioners with insufficient determination often faltered, taking years to reach its limits. While resources and talent could accelerate the process, most people lacked both, making determination the key to breaking through to the human base realm. He learned that to advance beyond this realm, one must comprehend human mysteries—only then could they break through.

The human mysteries included techniques like the claw technique, which he had become somewhat familiar with. Mastering it would allow him to harness the power of the claw, rendering him invisible to others in the same realm who lacked such power. With this newfound strength, he could establish a foundation for entering the white base realm.

After finishing the book, he transferred the knowledge to his main body and took a sip from a mug of energy water, preparing to refine his true energy. The process ahead was daunting, but he felt a surge of determination as he began.