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The Weird Tree swallowed the two useful seeds. Gu Su didn't delay any longer. He turned and carried the various nourishing materials he'd brought over to the tree, stacking them neatly in an orderly fashion.
The melted corpse oil sat in an iron box, giving off a faintly rancid, fishy odor.
The sludge transported from the freezer was thick and sticky, wrapped in lingering corruption energy.
There were also the scraps of flesh and blood he'd collected after killing the long-haired rats. They were tiny, but contained a pure, bloody stench.
Gu Su piled every material he could think of that might nourish the Weird Tree at its roots.
The moment he finished stacking the materials, the Weird Tree's withered black branches began to sway gently. Countless tiny root tendrils quietly pushed through the soil, like greedy tentacles, slowly wrapping around the iron box of corpse oil, the sludge, and the flesh and blood, drawing out their energy bit by bit.
As the energy was absorbed, the Weird Tree's repair rate panel slowly ticked upward, finally settling at 34%. Its previously somewhat shriveled branches had also become firmer and glossier.
At the same time, the ground beneath Gu Su's feet trembled faintly.
Gu Su bent down and touched the ground with his fingertips. He could clearly feel that the soil in the graveyard had become much firmer, no longer as soft and prone to giving way as before.
Clearly, after absorbing the corruption energy in the sludge, the Weird Tree had turned the excess impurities into material for filling the soil.
It had repaired itself while also improving the graveyard's terrain—a win-win.
Sensing the change, Gu Su realized that the Weird Tree's functions had been partially restored once again.
With the task of nourishing the Weird Tree done, all that remained was to deal with several monster corpses.
Gu Su didn't hesitate over the two harpy corpses. He gestured for two skeletons to come forward and drag them beside the No. 2 Empty Grave, then tossed them straight in.
Though harpies were strange creatures, their corpses were fresh and contained only ordinary amounts of energy, making them just right for the conversion requirements of a level 1 Empty Grave.
As soon as the corpses fell into the Empty Grave, a stream of pale gray necromantic energy rose from the mound, enveloped them, and quickly dissolved them before drawing them into the grave.
[The Empty Grave automatically used your Raise Skeleton (Level 1), obtaining Skeleton (Level 0) * 2. Raise Skeleton proficiency +2 points.]
As the system notification sounded, two brand-new skeletons slowly crawled out of the Empty Grave. Though they looked somewhat frail, they already had basic combat capability.
Counting the six skeletons previously summoned with Raise Skeleton after killing the long-haired rats, along with the two skeletons that had already been in the No. 2 Empty Grave,
the level 1 Empty Grave had now reached full capacity. All ten skeletons stood in neat formation beside the mound, awaiting Gu Su's orders.
Looking at the situation before him, Gu Su didn't hesitate at all. He immediately chose to upgrade the No. 2 Empty Grave toward a Grave Mound.
This was the optimal upgrade path for a level 1 Empty Grave, and it was also a step he'd planned in advance.
[Grave Mound (Level 1): The type and number of resident undead remain unchanged. Resident undead are upgraded from ordinary to elite (Skeleton attack +1, defense +1, health +3).]
As the system notification faded, pale gray necromantic energy surged into the No. 2 Empty Grave like a tide.
Then it flowed onward, transferring to the ten skeletons outside the grave.
Their bodies began to change noticeably. They grew a little taller, and their originally slender bones became thick and sturdy, gleaming with a faint grayish-white sheen.
More astonishingly, old but durable bandages automatically wound around their limbs and torso joints, firmly holding their bones in place.
Clearly, this was meant to further improve their defenses and keep them from being easily shattered in battle.
After the upgrade, the auras surrounding the ten elite skeletons were completely different.
Compared with the ordinary, slender skeletons by the grave mound, who were responsible for labor, these skeletons had a much more imposing presence. They stood straight and in neat formation, and anyone could tell at a glance that the two groups had different roles.
The skeletons by the mound focused on numbers and labor efficiency, while these elite skeletons were meant to serve as a combat force.
But Gu Su didn't stop upgrading them there.
His gaze swept over the supplies stacked nearby, settling on the materials he'd set aside for separate processing.
Rusty iron shelf brackets, sharp ceiling fan blades, and iron parts stripped from cars—all of them were excellent materials for making basic weapons.
Besides their own levels and attributes, weapons were also crucial to undead creatures' combat strength. Gu Su planned to equip these skeletons with all-metal weapons.
"Come over here. Take these and figure out what kind of weapons would be easiest to use."
Gu Su gave the ten elite skeletons an order, letting them choose their own weapons.
Then he turned to the other four sturdy skeletons. "You four, carry this Lion King corpse to the level 2 Empty Grave over there."
That level 2 Empty Grave was completely different from a level 1 Empty Grave. It wasn't an empty pit, but a broken coffin with its lid thrown off.
Blurry necromantic markings were carved into the coffin's surface, and it emanated dense yin energy. It was specifically meant for converting undead creatures such as zombies and ghouls.
The four sturdy skeletons immediately bowed in acknowledgment. They joined forces to grip the massive body of the Corrupted Jungle Lion King, lifted it steadily, and carried it step by step toward the coffin of the level 2 Empty Grave.
Just as they were about to place the Lion King's corpse in the coffin, a crisp ding suddenly sounded in Gu Su's mind.
[Core creature corpse (Level 2) detected. This item is required to upgrade the Graveyard Demon. Would you like to place it in an Empty Grave for conversion?]
"Core creature corpse?" Gu Su was clearly taken aback, his eyes full of confusion.
Though he was only a Necromancer with basic abilities and had learned only introductory necromancy, he still knew how corpses were classified and used.
The corpses required for the main combat undead forces became more demanding as the Empty Graves' levels increased. Every Necromancer knew that.
A level 1 Empty Grave could convert a fresh corpse into a skeleton, while a level 2 Empty Grave required a strong corpse to convert into a zombie or ghoul.
A level 3 Empty Grave required a corpse with spiritual potential to convert into a ghost.
A level 4 Empty Grave required a corpse with high physical attributes, along with blood, to convert into a vampire.
A level 5 Empty Grave required a corpse with magical talent, as well as materials such as a magic staff or spellbook, to convert into a death mage or lich.
Besides a corpse, a level 6 Empty Grave also required a longsword, a full suit of armor, and a mount's corpse to convert into a Death Knight.
A level 7 Empty Grave was simply called a Dragon Tomb. The creature buried inside had to be a dragon—even a velociraptor would do.
But this was the first time Gu Su had heard of a core creature corpse.
How could this thing be related to upgrading the Graveyard Demon?
Gu Su was completely perplexed. After thinking it over, he still had the skeletons set down the Corrupted Jungle Lion King's corpse.
He returned to the tent and checked the relevant information.
Since he'd already obtained the core creature's corpse, the requirements for upgrading the Graveyard Demon were now visible.
When he saw the standards and requirements for upgrading the Graveyard Demon, Gu Su couldn't help frowning.
Before you continue