As the final trace of miasma was drawn away by an unseen force—
It dispersed completely.
Gone.
Leaving behind only the scorched earth—
And a suffocating stillness.
At the same moment—
The watches on Uchiha Mo and Uchiha Hideki's wrists vibrated faintly.
[Natural Energy Collected: 10 Units]
[Biological Energy Collected: 15 Units]
[World Exploration: 2%]
The two lifted their heads.
Their gazes met.
A flicker of surprise passed through both their eyes.
Biological energy—
Required a direct kill.
That much they had already inferred.
But this—
This was unexpected.
A single zombie—
Yielded two different types of energy.
And in different quantities.
"Looks like this kind of creature…"
Uchiha Mo's voice was calm.
"…is a hybrid energy source."
Hideki nodded slightly.
"If there are more…"
"…or stronger variants…"
He didn't finish.
He didn't need to.
The implication was obvious.
This—
Was efficient.
Very efficient.
The Main God distributed rewards based on accumulated energy—
But the thresholds?
Unknown.
Which meant—
The only correct choice—
Was to gather as much as possible.
Uchiha Mo fully agreed.
If this had been the original Main God Space—
Such "farming" would never be this easy.
But now—
Everything was broken.
He held the highest authority.
And the system itself—
Barely functioned.
It had no ability to increase difficulty.
No way to regulate balance.
Because—
All collected energy—
Was used to repair it.
"But before that…"
Uchiha Mo's gaze shifted.
"We'll need those two to explain what this thing is."
"And more importantly—"
"How to find more of them efficiently."
"..."
Hideki adjusted his glasses.
"To be honest… I'm curious too."
"I've never seen anything like this."
At the same time—
Both turned their gaze—
Toward a nearby patch of bushes.
Naturally.
As if it were obvious—
That someone was hiding there.
—
Uncle Jiu's last trace of luck—
Disappeared.
They had known.
From the very beginning.
Their strength—
Was beyond estimation.
He steadied himself.
Signaled Qiu Sheng.
And stepped out.
Qiu Sheng followed—
Eyes wide.
His gaze shifted rapidly—
Between the two young men—
And the lifeless corpse on the ground.
—
Uncle Jiu glanced at the remains.
His expression darkened further.
Then—
He cupped his hands.
"This humble one is Lin Jiu of the Maoshan Sect."
"Your skills are impressive."
"This creature is called a zombie."
"It is formed after death—either through lingering resentment…"
"…or by being buried in an environment rich in yin energy, absorbing miasma over time."
"It feeds on the blood essence of the living."
After explaining—
He shifted the topic.
"You both possess extraordinary ability—yet seem unfamiliar with such creatures."
"May I ask…"
"Where do you come from?"
"And why are you here?"
Uchiha Mo did not answer.
Instead—
He asked his own question.
"An environment rich in yin energy…"
"Places like that produce more of these things?"
"In theory… yes."
"..."
The conversation continued.
Uchiha Hideki stood silently to the side.
Observing.
Carefully.
The language Lin Jiu spoke—
Was completely foreign.
And yet—
He understood every word.
Perfectly.
This—
Had to be one of the Main God Space's functions.
Direct translation.
Embedded into consciousness.
But what intrigued him more—
Was Uchiha Mo.
Mo not only understood—
He responded fluently.
Naturally.
Without hesitation.
As if he belonged here.
Hideki's thoughts deepened.
"So… what he said earlier…"
"About entering other worlds…"
"Was true."
—
Meanwhile—
Uncle Jiu frowned slightly.
The other party avoided revealing their origin.
Yet showed strong interest in zombie formation.
Suspicious.
Very suspicious.
After a brief pause—
He chose to answer.
Partly—
Out of responsibility.
If they could eliminate evil—
That wasn't a bad thing.
"Places such as mass graves…"
"Yin pools…"
"Corpse-nurturing grounds…"
"Where miasma gathers and does not disperse…"
"Those are the most likely to produce zombies."
"And…"
"Those who die with strong resentment…"
"May also transform under certain conditions."
He pointed deeper into the mountain.
"To be honest…"
"This area has unusual terrain."
"Yin energy accumulates here."
"Recently—graves have been disturbed."
"Bodies have gone missing."
"I suspect…"
"This is no longer just a single zombie."
"It is likely…"
"A corpse-nurturing ground has formed."
"And there may be something far more dangerous hidden within."
—
This was not just information.
It was a test.
He was watching—
Their reaction.
Would they fear it?
Avoid it?
Or retreat?
Uchiha Mo and Hideki exchanged a brief glance.
Corpse-nurturing ground.
Something stronger.
To them—
That meant something else entirely.
A higher-level resource zone.
"Something more dangerous?"
Uchiha Mo repeated.
His tone—
Calm.
Curious.
Almost… eager.
Seeing this—
Qiu Sheng couldn't hold back.
"Master… why do they look… excited?"
"Silence!"
Uncle Jiu shot him a sharp look—
Then turned back.
"You intend to go deeper into the mountain?"
"Of course."
Uchiha Mo's expression changed instantly.
Serious.
Righteous.
"There are evil entities harming the people here."
"We cannot ignore it."
"It is our duty…"
"To eliminate evil and uphold justice."
These words—
Made Uncle Jiu pause.
If spoken by a fellow cultivator—
He would believe them without doubt.
But these two—
Were different.
Moments ago—
They had been analyzing the zombie like researchers.
And now—
Such righteous words?
Difficult to trust.
After a moment—
He made his decision.
He could not leave them unchecked.
If they entered alone—
And died—
That was one problem.
If they had ulterior motives—
That was worse.
"Since you intend to eliminate evil…"
"I will guide you."
"But understand this—"
"The corpse-nurturing ground is extremely dangerous."
"Proceed with caution."
"Much appreciated."
Uchiha Mo nodded.
Uncle Jiu said nothing further.
But discreetly—
He signaled Qiu Sheng.
Watch them.
Closely.
Qiu Sheng nodded.
Curiosity now mixed with vigilance.
"No time to waste."
"Let's move."
Uncle Jiu took out a compass.
Handed talismans to Qiu Sheng.
"Stay close. Stay alert."
Uchiha Mo gave a subtle signal to Hideki.
The two followed—
Maintaining distance.
Watching.
Waiting.
Because this cooperation—
Was never trust.
Only—
Temporary alignment.