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The slowly moving vines did not seem very interested in the two of them; Uchiha Zhuang was quite close, yet the vines did not reach out. Abandoning the idea of touching them, Uchiha Zhuang continued forward with Persia. There were no terrifying monsters as imagined, nor were there any insects like those in novels. The two reached the end of the path quite smoothly, greeted by a truly spectacular sight.

A galaxy of stars was densely packed, shimmering with brilliant, flowing light. A vast, open scene unfolded before them. In the distance, stone houses and caves were scattered in an orderly fashion, while nearby, majestic arches and pillars stood tall. High above, fluorescent crystals emitted a soft glow, and below, winding streets meandered downward. There were benches and tables, pots and pans, street lamps and chairs, fountains and gardens, sculptures, green belts, stalls, and handcarts. The entire scene was like an exquisite painting, yet it remained deathly silent. The two did not speak for a long time, simply stunned by the sight before them. Uchiha Zhuang was the first to regain his composure, deciding to explore and clarify the situation before finally leaving to finish the job for the so-called "Creator."

"I don't think there will be clues about the disappearance of the Balaxia in ordinary places; we should go to their sacrificial grounds or the leader's residence to find the cause," Uchiha Zhuang said, to which Persia replied with a series of "mm-hmms." The two observed for a while before heading toward the winding streets below. Only when he was closer did Uchiha Zhuang notice that everything was covered in a thick layer of dust. A swipe of his finger left a layer of ash deeper than his fingertip; he rubbed it and sniffed it, finding it no different from ordinary dust. He then used his Sharingan to observe it, but found no anomalies in its microscopic composition. Thus, he could be certain that this dust was not the cause. They continued downward for about an hour, the only sound in the vast interior space being the "patter-patter" of their footsteps. Although Uchiha Zhuang tried his best to minimize the noise, in the infinitely silent space, even the slightest sound was amplified and echoed. Persia slowly hugged Uchiha Zhuang tighter. When he asked her what was wrong, Persia replied, "Danger, approaching." Uchiha Zhuang instantly expanded his natural energy to its maximum, scouting several hundred meters in every direction.

Uchiha Zhuang, while hidden, did not detect any energy fluctuations approaching, yet Persia was still trembling all over, huddled tightly in his arms. Uchiha Zhuang looked at the objects in the stone houses, which were covered in thick dust, and found their standard of living to be quite simple, even primitive: stone beds, stone tables and chairs, and cooking stoves. There were also some unknown wooden racks that fell apart at the slightest touch, their purpose unclear. There were various oxidized metal items as well: mottled bronze mirrors, heavily rusted iron frames, tools rotted down to nothing but hoe and pickaxe heads, and several iron rings and spheres that looked like alloys, showing little rust. Seeing this, Uchiha Zhuang marveled slightly at the metallurgical level of the Balaxia from a millennium ago. The items were arranged quite naturally, showing no signs of the occupants having left in a hurried or panicked state.

While deep in thought, Uchiha Zhuang felt a chilling sensation—the kind of feeling one gets when soaked to the bone in ice water at negative ten degrees while wearing a cotton-padded jacket. He couldn't help but shiver as his hair stood on end. This wasn't right; Uchiha Zhuang's natural perception hadn't detected any danger, yet his body's instincts were terrified. The chilling sensation drew closer and closer, yet there was no sound or energy fluctuation. It was close, even closer... right outside the wall! Hiding beneath the windowsill, the two held their breath, staring fixedly at the dust-covered ledge. For a moment, Uchiha Zhuang felt the stillness before death, but after a long wait, the expected monster did not appear, and the chill gradually faded. Uchiha Zhuang let out a sigh of relief, then looked at Persia in his arms. She had slowly closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep. Uchiha Zhuang tried to wake her, knowing this was no time to sleep, but she didn't react at all. No matter how he shook her, she wouldn't wake up. Uchiha Zhuang's heart instantly turned cold; they had been hit! The monster had already discovered them.

Uchiha Zhuang hoisted Persia onto his back and tied her securely to his body, then kicked the door open. The sight before him left him stunned: it was filled with dense, floating eyeballs, all connected by thin threads. The moment the door opened, thousands of eyeballs turned to look at him. Uchiha Zhuang's entire body stiffened, feeling a bone-chilling cold. So, the danger was these things. Uchiha Zhuang channeled his chakra and forcibly released the Fire Style: Great Fire Dragon Technique. The spiraling fire dragon roared past, burning every eyeball it encountered into ash. Suddenly, a wave of intense dizziness rushed to Uchiha Zhuang's head. Without his control, the fire dragon plunged straight off the cliff, crashing into the darkness before vanishing. He forced his chakra to stabilize his brain, then ran downward through the large gap left in the swarm of eyeballs.

The wind whistled past his ears, and the chilling sensation pursued him relentlessly from behind. Looking out, he saw only the bottomless, endless darkness below. Carrying Persia, Uchiha Zhuang was truly in a desperate situation. After running at high intensity for over an hour, Uchiha Zhuang began to pant heavily. There was still no end to the winding streets and paths, and the threat remained like a shadow behind him. Uchiha Zhuang knew he couldn't keep running, or he would be exhausted to death and left with no ability to fight back. Stopping in front of a temple-like structure, where a dilapidated fountain sculpture had long since dried up and piled with dust, Uchiha Zhuang unleashed Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique at the fountain! A massive amount of dust flew up, caught in the intense heat of the fireball, and surged forward. The area dozens of meters ahead was filled with high-temperature smoke, and the chilling sensation began to fade. No intelligence, doesn't avoid death, only knows how to chase prey—this is just some kind of puppet or controlled object. There is still a mastermind lurking and watching me. Uchiha Zhuang perceived this keenly.

Panting heavily, Uchiha Zhuang braced his hands on his thighs for a long while. No eyeballs darted out from the smoke-filled area, so Uchiha Zhuang stood up and slowly walked toward the temple building. The temple gates were wide open, and inside stood many human sculptures. Their faces and expressions were unclear, most in poses of dancing or movement, ranging from over ten meters tall to only a few meters. With giant sculptures towering on both sides, Uchiha Zhuang walked slowly down the middle path with Persia on his back. As he reached the center, he feared the statues behind him might move, but in the end, they remained still. After the false alarm, Uchiha Zhuang reached the end to find an altar, and upon it sat a rectangular... coffin!? Uchiha Zhuang scanned his surroundings; the pitch-black hall contained nothing else but this altar and coffin in the center. He climbed the three steps and looked at the coffin, which shimmered with a golden light even in the darkness, its surface carved with reliefs of abstract creatures and the sun. Unknown characters were inscribed on the lid. Hesitant, Uchiha Zhuang considered whether to open it; it likely held the secret to the fall of the Balaxia. However, opening it could also invite unknown threats—microbes, germs, insects, monsters, or mummies. After pondering for a moment, Uchiha Zhuang decided to open it. He immediately created shadow clones: two clones went to open the coffin, two stood in the middle to provide support, and two stayed at the very back to keep watch on the statues, while Uchiha Zhuang remained in the center to oversee the entire situation.