In the environment of the Dead Zone, where time had eroded away the walls and nature had claimed its territory, Meng Lin and Liang Chen were seated.

The air was heavy with the scent of damp earth and decaying vegetation, adding to the aura of mystery that surrounded them.

Finding solace within the scraps of wood from the monster, they sat down, a few meters away from each other.

On Meng Lin’s side was a small white fog that covered where she sat, obscuring the view from outside while on the other side Liang Chen sat with a small fire crackling beside him, the warm glow casting shadows around over his face.

In the midst of this quietude, Meng Lin reached into her robe and retrieved three Celestial Spirit Fruits.

‘System’

[Meng Lin]

[special physique: Brute Qi physique]

[Foundation Establishment Stage(Late)]

[Experience points: 89%]

System coin: 570

Taoist Gacha wheel: unavailable

Spiritual Roots: [Water>Fire>Gold>Wood>Earth]

Variant Elemental Qi : [Mud] [ Erosion]

Main Cultivation Method: [Black Tortoise Essence Art, 2nd Layer]

Techniques: [Celestial Moonlit Sword Art] [Focused Qi control] [Waterfall slash] [Refine Yin Qi] [Surge] [Thunderbolt Flash]

Side Cultivation Methods: : [Basic Qi Gathering] [Formless Cultivation method]

[Market] [Blacksmith] [Alchemy]

She took a moment to assess her current status, glancing at the information displayed by the system before her.

The last time she had checked her progress of experience points was before learning the Celestial Moonlit Sword Art and at that time it was at 76%.

After Meng Lin spent two days training with the new Sword Art she was able to raise it to at 86% and it was this battle that increased it by a whole 3 percent.

‘Now, there’s only 11% left’ Meng Lin thought as she brought the first fruit towards her lips.

The sweet taste of the Celestial Spirit Fruit filled her mouth, and a refreshingly cool sensation of the liquid caused Meng Lin to relax her body.

Within the fruit a burst of qi erupted into her spiritual vains, replenishing her energy and strengthening her cultivation.

As she chewed and swallowed the fruit, Meng Lin could feel the qi of the fruit and she began to circulate the Black Tortoise Essence Art, quickly turning the qi into her cultivation.

With renewed vigor, Meng Lin picked up the second fruit and took a bite, the same delightful sensation occurring again as she didn’t stop there and went for the final fruit.

As she bit into it, a wave of energy surged through her body, causing Meng Lin to stiffen. The power of the two Celestial Spirit Fruit was immense, and she could feel it circulate within her spiritual vains at an incredible pace.

Closing her eyes, Meng Lin focused her mind and began to channel the energy from the fruits into her cultivation method. The Black Tortoise Essence Art absorbed the energy, allowing her to suddenly release a surge of qi, evidence of her breakthrough.

Her cultivation soared, reaching the peak of the Foundation Establishment Stage. The power within her surged, and Meng Lin could feel the Brute Qi also increasing with her cultivation.

Opening her eyes, Meng Lin took a look at herself and wondered if she should practice the third cycle of the Black Tortoise Essence Art to increase her strength and durability.

However after thinking for a few seconds Meng Lin decided to not practice, her goal now was to leave the dead zone as soon as possible.

She knew that practicing the third cycle would take time and energy, and she didn't want to delay her departure any further.

Meng Lin believed that her current cultivation level was already sufficient to handle any challenges she might face in the Nether Cloud Domain.

She stood up stored the soul confusing array, walking towards Liang Chen, Meng Lin spoke up "Let's go, I have consumed all three fruits and have brokenthrough”

Liang Chen looked up from the fire, his eyes not the least surprise. "Alright let’s go”

As they began to set off once again, every now and then they would come across remnants of battles that had taken place in the Dead Zone.

Broken weapons lay scattered on the ground, their once mighty owners reduced to nothing but dust.

The air was heavy with the lingering energy of past conflicts, a constant reminder of the dangers that lay ahead.

As they moved through the ruins, hours passed as the landscape seemed to stretch endlessly before them, with no signs of life or hope.

Finally, they reached the outskirts of the Dead Zone, where the barrier loomed before them like an insurmountable wall. It crackled with energy, pulsating with a power that seemed almost tangible.

Meng Lin's heart raced as she looked at the barrier. Was it really possible they could pass through?, she began to think as she felt a threatening aura from the barrier.

“Follow my instructions” Liang Chen said, his voice steady as he motioned for Meng Lin to do the same.

“Restrict your aura as much as possible and grab a hold of me”

Meng Lin nodded, remembering what he said about only a single person can use it.

She took a deep breath, focusing her qi into the energy suppressing talisman in her robes, she suppressed her aura to that of the first layer of the qi gathering realm as she couldn’t go any lower.

She then reached out and tightly grasped Liang Chen's arm, grounding herself in his presence.

Liang Chen stepped forward and took out the Shadowbreaker Pendant, activating its power. The pendant emitted a faint, ethereal glow, and Liang Chen pressed it against the barrier.

As soon as the pendant made contact with the barrier, a surge of energy rippled through the air, causing Meng Lin to flinch. But to her surprise, the barrier began to crack and warp under the pressure.

With a final burst of power, a small part of the barrier shattered into countless fragments, dissipating into thin air.

“Let’s hurry” Liang Chen urged, his voice filled with urgency.

Meng Lin nodded, keeping up with him as they hurried through the shattered barrier.

Boom!

As they moved through Meng Lin and Liang Chen felt an enormous pressure weighing down on them, the remnants of the shattered barrier still lingering in the air.

Right as they arrived underneath the barrier at the shattered hole, a huge sense of danger washed over Meng Lin as the barrier suddenly began to glow.

The remaining fragments converged and started to reformed, with the heavy oppressive feeling weighting upon them even more.

Meng Lin and Liang Chen exchanged a quick glance, their expressions familiar. They knew that their time was limited, and they had to act quickly to escape the reformed barrier.

Without wasting another moment, Meng Lin unleashed her Brute Qi, channeling it into her limbs. She propelled herself forward with incredible speed, pushing her body to its limits. Liang Chen followed suit, His body turning into Pure Energy as his figure disappearing.

With a burst of speed, Meng Lin had managed to reach the other side of the reformed barrier just as it completed its transformation.

She looked around to see the same environment, however the desolate feeling of the dead zone was gone and she realized that they were in a clearing with mountains in the distance.

Suddenly she felt a presence near her as bursts of pure energy gathered to form the figure of Liang Chen.

Liang Chen appeared beside Meng Lin, his expression grim. "Hurry, grab a hold of me”

Yet as soon as the words left him mouth the barrier before them glowed as a large section turned into a grotesque gate.