I built a safe house in the eerie night.

Jiang Ning then forged four more machetes, as well as two logging axes and two quarry picks.

As a result, the "black stone" that Xiong Meng and his group brought back from outside yesterday was completely used up, and the gray Tai Sui they had accumulated before was also gone.

However, the pile of strange corpses left behind last night can still yield a considerable number of new Grey Tai Sui.

He then selected two nimble young men and gave them instructions:

"Their mining team hasn't gone far yet. Take these new tools and catch up. Use the knives to cut down the black abalone, and the axes and pickaxes to chop down trees and dig rocks. Prioritize harvesting the abalone; you can put the wood and rocks aside for a while."

The two nodded emphatically, then accepted the order, shouldered the newly crafted tools, and hurried off towards the edge of the village.

Jiang Ning turned his gaze back to the strange pile of wreckage that resembled a small mountain.

The feeling of killing monsters and reaping rewards is exhilarating and more satisfying than simply mining.

But he also realized that as the architecture develops, the number of monsters killed in the future will only increase.

These corpses can't just pile up in and around the village forever; not only would it cause an overabundance of corpses, but it could also potentially lead to other unpredictable problems.

He couldn't help but think that it would be great if he could find a "furnace"-like treasure that could transform and recycle discarded corpses, which could not only clean up the site but also perhaps extract additional resources.

Of course, this has to be done step by step.

Jiangning also joined the cleanup efforts.

With many people working together, the remains were quickly cleared away. Then came the sorting and collection of usable bone skeletons and the gray leeches peeled off the remains.

After taking stock, of the more than one hundred strange creatures killed that night, apart from the first material lucky bag and the rare treasure that came out, no second rare treasure bead dropped. The only exception was a second low-level material lucky bag.

More than a hundred, and I received one rare pearl and two lucky bags.

Jiang Ning wasn't disappointed; on the contrary, he felt it was quite reasonable.

Obviously, there's no "one-hit kill" benefit; gains require accumulation, and development can't be achieved overnight.

Afterwards, the remaining useless corpses that could not be processed for the time being and had nowhere to be stored were moved to an open space not far from the village and piled up in a concentrated manner, so as to be far away from the residential area. The sorted bones and ashes were then put into storage.

Jiang Ning then gathered Yu Niu and a group of young people whom he had deliberately left in the village.

"Today, our goal is to continue exploring this dead forest outside the village, going even deeper than the previous two days."

Jiang Ning looked around at the group of young people whose eyes were shining with a strong desire to get things done, and said, "There may be a lot of overlooked resources hidden here. We need to collect them as much as possible. Every little bit of gain is crucial."

The team quickly assembled, carrying a small amount of dried food from the Black Tai Sui for emergency use at noon.

Nearby, the village's teenagers watched longingly, their little faces filled with the desire to help.

Seeing this, Jiang Ning's expression also seemed to become serious, and he called Xiong Qiuqiu, who had pigtails, to his side:

"Qiuqiu, I'm giving you an important task. From now on, you will be the team leader for the children in the village."

The little girl immediately straightened her back, her face full of seriousness.

"Your task is to clean up the village, removing all the black bloodstains left from last night. These things will stink if left unattended, and it's considered unlucky. Also, you need to keep an eye on the village and be careful. Can you do that?"

Jiang Ning asked solemnly.

"Yes!" Xiong Qiuqiu's voice was clear and crisp, and the other children nodded vigorously, their faces showing excitement at being given an important task.

Jiang Ning rubbed Xiong Qiuqiu's head and smiled.

He then turned around, facing the assembled group of youths, raised the chipped old axe in his hand, and said loudly:

"Our goal is to clear this wasteland. Deep in the withered forest, for the village, for resources, let's set off!"

"Let's go!" A group of young people were inspired by these simple words and raised their crude tools and shouted.

Amidst the children's adoring gazes, the procession marched in a grand procession toward the withered woods outside the village.

Stepping into the forest, a cold and damp atmosphere immediately enveloped you.

The team continued to advance cautiously along the route that Jiangning had explored the day before.

Dead branches and fallen leaves covered the ground, and vines were tangled together.

Along the way, you can occasionally see one or two strange corpses lying dead, most of them having died from the power of the arrow towers last night and stumbling and running around.

Some of them appear to have been dead for a long time, with unknown causes of death, such as accidents, exhaustion of life force, or even cannibalism.

These corpses added an even more eerie atmosphere to the already desolate forest.

In the vast forest, apart from the sound of their group breaking dry branches as they moved forward, there was no other sound from living creatures.

Since the Tai Sui catastrophe and the arrival of strange occurrences, the wild ecosystem of this land has completely collapsed.

Apart from the few livestock kept in human cities, the wild is almost entirely inhabited only by humans and the uncanny.

As for whether there are other unknown ethnic groups, Jiang Ning, who grew up inside the high city walls of Danhua City, had no way of knowing.

In the original owner's memories, the fear of the wild was deeply ingrained.

When he made a mistake and was exiled to Changyin Mountain, the original owner preferred to endure cruel family punishment rather than come here, because the city at least maintained a semblance of order and security.

The wilderness... is filled with unknowns that are more terrifying than death.

In the end, it was only when the family elders threatened to completely expel him and leave him to fend for himself that the original owner had no choice but to embark on this dead end.

Jiang Ning sighed inwardly.

Compared to the city, the wilderness is indeed terrifying and unpredictable.

If he hadn't awakened the [Celestial Craftsman], with the original owner's weak cultivation at the mere second level of Qi Refining, he probably wouldn't have lasted long.

Furthermore, in reality, no matter how high one's personal cultivation level is, one is often powerless in the face of bizarre and chaotic waves and finds it difficult to confront them head-on.

Human cultivators at the same cultivation level are inherently weaker than the supernatural beings in terms of physique and strength. In addition, the spiritual energy of heaven and earth is polluted, making cultivation difficult, and fighting against the supernatural beings is even more difficult.

This is why, in this apocalyptic world, people with special "talents" are often far more valuable than geniuses who simply cultivate quickly.

Alchemists, talisman masters, and array masters are all extremely valuable talents.

Furthermore, those with talents such as [Celestial Craftsmen], [Earthly Mystic Masters], and [Boundary Escape Masters], who can directly or indirectly influence the course of battle on a large scale and protect the collective, are strategic-level beings and the cornerstone for the survival of human cities.

"Young Master Jiang, we've arrived at the place you marked yesterday."

Yu Niu, who had volunteered to clear the way, stopped and turned back to shout, interrupting Jiang Ning's thoughts.

Jiang Ning stepped forward and saw the marks he had deliberately left on the tree trunk yesterday. Next to it was a strange corpse that had been dried for a long time, which was also the source of the "Pulse-Seeking Compass".

"Keep moving forward." Jiang Ning didn't hesitate. "Everyone, stay alert and pay attention to your surroundings."

The team set off again, slowly advancing deeper into the dead forest.

Everyone gripped their tools tightly, most of which were broken and old items brought from the village; the newly made ones were given priority to the out-of-town collection teams.

However, once they ventured deeper into the daytime, the strange creatures lay dormant, making the possibility of encountering danger relatively low, and this group of people did not need to engage in any real combat.

The further in you go, the denser the withered trees seem to become, and the more difficult the path becomes.

More uncleaned areas began to appear, and bizarre corpses became more common.

This depth is something that even the people who used to come to the city regularly to "scavenge" and recycle resources have never set foot in.

The atmosphere in the team was inevitably tense, but no one backed down.

Yu Niu was like a man possessed, wielding an axe in one hand and a knife in the other, vigorously hacking away at the withered vines and tangled branches blocking his path, carving out a way through them.

The others cleared the sides, trying to create a relatively safe and easy passage for Jiang Ning in the middle of the group.

These young men were all subconsciously protecting "Young Master Jiang," who still looked very thin and frail, seemingly unable to withstand the wind, knowing that Jiang Ningfang was the key figure.

After walking for a while, the view ahead suddenly opened up.

They arrived at a small, relatively open clearing in the woods, where the crisscrossing, withered branches overhead had thinned out considerably, casting large patches of brighter sunlight.

"Everyone, stop and rest for now."

Jiang Ning gave the order and stood still, but his gaze involuntarily drifted upwards, looking into the distance.

Through the sparse branches, he saw for the first time so clearly a great distance away, in the central area of ​​the Changyin Mountains, that enormous ancient tree that stood tall and imposing.

Inside the village, the view was largely obstructed, and only blurry outlines could be seen.

At this moment, the complete scene came into view without reservation.

With just one glance, an indescribable shock, mixed with a sense of horror that went straight to the depths of his soul, suddenly seized Jiang Ning's heart.

It seemed to be more than just a tree.

It was larger than anyone could imagine, its trunk like a pillar supporting the sky, piercing the clouds and disappearing into the low-hanging dark clouds.

It can be vaguely seen that the bark is not the texture of ordinary trees, but rather some kind of ancient, rough bark covered with strange grooves and knots. Under the light of the distant sky, it presents a dark, iron-like gray-black color.

The branches twist and extend, like countless twisted arms reaching for the sky, or like countless sleeping eyes coldly looking down at the entire mountain range below.

A vast, ancient, and indescribably terrifying aura, enough to make any living being instinctively tremble, still faintly emanated from the distance, shaking Jiang Ning's soul.

Jiang Ning felt a slight tightness in his chest and a fine layer of cold sweat seeped out from his back.

What exactly is this so-called "mountain god" of Changyin Mountain?

What is their status within the context of the bizarre race?