Reborn as a lotus, she initially refuses to hand it over to the state.

As night deepened, the area around Heilong Lake gradually quieted down.

Lin Qingxue ultimately stayed. She dared not approach the center of the lake, but only huddled beside the huge lotus leaf on the shore. Amidst the swirling spiritual mist, the air was exceptionally warm, even more comfortable than a tent.

The initial shock gradually subsided, and Xiao Jinbao, like a little security guard patrolling his territory, would occasionally land on the treetops, tilting his head and staring at Lin Qingxue.

Humans are weak and cowardly.

Lin Qingxue felt uncomfortable being stared at, and the little bird that could talk seemed to be taking it all very seriously.

In the latter half of the night, she could no longer stay awake and leaned against the rock, drifting off to sleep. But she would wake up from time to time in her sleep, murmuring, "Professor, no..."

In the middle of the lake, Chu Zhou watched quietly.

In the following days, the Lingnan Mountains underwent a complete transformation. The spiritual energy continued to recover, and the entire mountain range was experiencing crazy changes.

Trees grew wildly, ancient vines spread, and many wild beasts evolved one after another. The most terrifying of all were the white tiger and the escaped giant python. The two third-tier beasts went mad, hunting wildly in the deep mountains.

The mountains and forests had become a bloody battlefield, with a large number of first-tier and second-tier beasts dying tragically. The white tiger, in particular, had been devouring everything in a frenzy ever since it suffered a loss at Black Dragon Lake, as if it had been stimulated.

It hunts almost every day; deer herds are torn apart, wolf packs are scattered, and even a second-tier wild boar king is bitten to death.

It has only one thought: to become stronger and then return for revenge.

As for the giant python, it was even more insidious. It lurked in the shadows, ambushing its prey, devouring flesh and blood, and growing quietly.

They even occasionally compete with the white tiger for prey. Although the two overlords no longer fight each other, they still form a kind of competition.

The area surrounding Heilonghu was practically in a killing frenzy.

And because of this, more and more small animals are starting to flee their territory.

They discovered a place in the mountains where no powerful beast dared to approach—Black Dragon Lake—and then a strange scene unfolded.

At first, there were just a few gray rabbits hiding in the grass by the lake. Later, there were injured fawns, and then...

Even monkeys, squirrels, foxes, and lynxes began to sneak closer.

They seemed to instinctively sense that the giant demonic lotus in the center of the lake was both dangerous and safe, because there was no hunting here.

More importantly, the terrifying white tiger and the giant python didn't dare to come, and Chu Zhou was initially reluctant to come.

I thought to myself, this guy is a demon lotus, not an animal shelter, but later I found out that these little things are quite sensible, the squirrels will bring spirit fruits.

Monkeys pick fruit, flocks of birds keep watch, and even some bold deer have started drinking water and nesting by the lake.

The entire Heilong Lake gradually developed a unique ecosystem.

It even had the air of a forbidden area, which made Little Jinbao very happy. Every day, he would raise his head and patrol like a mountain king.

"This is the owner's house, it's safe, pay protection money!"

Chu Zhou's lips twitched as he listened. "You little brat, are you a gangster?"

However, the presence of these animals made it much easier for him to obtain information from the outside world; at least he could know the movements of the white tiger and the giant python.

At the same time, Chu Zhou also discovered that he was getting closer and closer to the fourth rank, and the spiritual energy in his body had begun to stir faintly.

The spiritual pressure in the lake kept increasing, and even at night, the moonlight would actively converge towards the center of the lake.

A silver spiritual tide was formed, and his physical body was also quietly changing. The lotus leaves shimmered with a faint jade-like luster, the roots looked more like metal casting, and his spiritual domain expanded to nearly a thousand meters.

Most importantly, he vaguely sensed that the breakthrough to the fourth tier would probably not be quiet.

In the previous life, when high-level exotic beasts broke through, it often caused strange phenomena in the heavens and earth, such as thunder, spiritual tides, beast roars, and even attracted countless exotic beasts to riot.

When I break through, Heilong Lake will inevitably become the eye of the storm.

At that time, this place will definitely not be safe. Thinking of this, Chu Zhou's gaze fell on Lin Qingxue.

These days, she has recovered quite a bit and even helps treat the wounds of small animals by the lake.

She would occasionally speak to the center of the lake, and although Chu Zhou mostly didn't respond, she had clearly come to regard this place as a safe haven.

"You should go now."

At night, the mist in the center of the lake churned slightly, and a silvery-blue lotus petal flew out from the lotus. Unlike ordinary petals, this petal had faint golden-red patterns flowing inside.

Like fresh blood congealing, radiating an astonishing life force, this petal contained the essence of Chu Zhou.

The next second, the petals gently floated down in front of Lin Qingxue.

Lin Qingxue was taken aback: "Mountain God, what is this?"

A mental fluctuation rang out: "Take it and go down the mountain."

"It will protect you."

"Something unusual will happen in the mountains."

Lin Qingxue's face turned deathly pale instantly, and she repeatedly kowtowed to Chu Zhou, pleading, "Are you trying to send me away?"

"Leave, or die!"

Chu Zhou's voice was icy cold, like thunder.

Lin Qingxue was enveloped by a terrifying energy and immediately knelt on the ground, her face turning deathly pale.

Reaching out to take the petal, a warm current flowed into my palm, making me feel much more comfortable, and all my fatigue seemed to vanish.

At the same time, a very faint spiritual imprint quietly entered her mind.

Chu Zhou remained calm. He wasn't worried about his secret being exposed. The essence blood petals were not only a protective charm but also a spiritual medium.

Once Lin Qingxue has completely left Black Dragon Mountain, everything about this place will be...

Regarding the demonic lotus, lakes, and spiritual mist.

Everything will gradually fade, until only a vague impression remains.

She was once saved by something deep in the mountains.

As for who it was, I can no longer remember. Mental ability is sometimes far more useful than physical strength.

Of course, this mark also has a hidden function: if Lin Qingxue ever truly becomes a powerful human, then she will become his servant.

At that time, it would be as if I had an undercover agent in the human world.

Under the cover of night, Black Dragon Lake is shrouded in mist.

Lin Qingxue held the blue-silver petal tightly, her palm slightly warm. Faint golden-red patterns flowed inside the petal, moving as if it were alive.

She felt inexplicably sad. She had only been here for a month, but it already felt like another home.

Especially that quiet and mysterious figure in the middle of the lake—although the other party never admits it, she has long regarded Chu Zhou as a mountain god in her heart.

"Can't we really stay?"

She lowered her head and spoke softly; in the center of the lake, the spiritual mist gently churned.

Chu Zhou did not answer, but the lake surface rippled slightly. The next second, a small golden figure fluttered down from the treetop.

"Chirp!"

Little Jinbao landed on the rock with its head held high, its feathers gleaming gold, looking incredibly proud, and a childish voice rang out.

"The master said, 'Human, it's time to go!'"

"Danger is coming!"

As it spoke, it flapped its wings: "I, the king of birds, will take care of delivering you."

Lin Qingxue's lips twitched. Bird King, does this little thing have some misunderstanding about me? But thinking that she was about to leave, she still respectfully knelt down towards the center of the lake.

"Thank you, Mountain God. If I can come back in the future, I will definitely repay you."

The center of the lake remained quiet, with only a faint spiritual mist swirling around it. Chu Zhou silently complained to himself, "Don't come back. I'm about to advance to the fourth rank and level up. This place will be more dangerous than a battlefield then."

A moment later, Little Jinbao was already flapping its wings and flying forward.

"Let's go, let's go, stupid human, keep up!"

Lin Qingxue slung her backpack over her shoulder, glanced at Black Dragon Lake, and finally turned to leave. But after taking a few steps, she couldn't help but look back.

In the center of the lake, the giant demonic lotus still blooms quietly.

Bathed in moonlight, she seemed to step out of mythology. She waved and said, "Goodbye, Mountain God."

As we descended the mountain, Little Jinbao flew ahead like a dutiful little guide, occasionally stopping on a branch to urge us on.

"Hurry up, you're so slow! No wonder you're being chased by that bad cat!"

Lin Qingxue was annoyed; that bird's beak was really annoying. But she had to admit that with Xiao Jinbao around, the journey was indeed much safer.

Some mutated animals in the vicinity will actively avoid the area upon smelling the scent from afar.

There was even a mutated wolf that was close to level one. As soon as it showed its head and saw Little Jinbao, it immediately tucked its tail between its legs and disappeared into the woods.

As if encountering a natural enemy, Lin Qingxue was secretly shocked. Just what level was this seemingly small bird?

As she was thinking, she suddenly heard a rustling sound coming from the woods ahead. Lin Qingxue stopped in her tracks, her heart leaping into her throat.

The next second, a huge snake head emerged from behind the bushes.

hiss!

The scarlet snake flickered its tongue, its jet-black scales gleamed with a cold light, and its body was as thick as a bucket, at least twenty meters long.

There was also a huge wound on its abdomen, which belonged to the third-tier giant python that had escaped from Black Dragon Lake.

Lin Qingxue's face turned pale instantly, her breath almost stopped, and her legs went weak.

"Giant snake..."

Her mind went blank for a moment. Oh no, she'd encountered another monster, and this one was even scarier than the white tiger from before.

The giant python was also stunned for a moment, its beastly eyes locking onto Lin Qingxue, a hint of greed instinctively welling up within it.

Flesh and blood, energy, though weak, can still replenish. The snake's body tensed, ready to pounce, but the next second, it suddenly smelled something and its movements abruptly froze.

Those cold, snake-like eyes suddenly shrank to pinpoints.

Because Lin Qingxue exuded an aura that it was extremely familiar with.

The lake, the lotus, that terrifying demonic lotus, especially the petal in his palm, the faint primal fluctuations emanating from it made its serpentine body instinctively shiver.

It was a fear deeper than death; the image of the black bear being beheaded flashed through the python's mind in an instant.

And the excruciating pain of almost being cut open.

"hiss!"

It let out a slightly frightened screech, and its body recoiled abruptly, as if it had seen a ghost. The trees were knocked askew.

In the blink of an eye, the enormous body disappeared into the depths of the mountains and forests.

He ran faster than anyone else, leaving Lin Qingxue completely dumbfounded.

"It ran away?"

She was already prepared to die, but then that terrifying giant python turned around and ran away?

She subconsciously looked down at the blue-silver petal in her palm. The petal was emitting a faint warmth, as if it were protecting her.

Lin Qingxue clutched the flower petal tightly and murmured softly, "Mountain God, it's you protecting me, isn't it?"