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

On Chu Zhou's side, after he plundered half of the deep blue demon core, he did not hesitate and directly chose to devour it.

At that moment, the system notification sound in my mind also began to ring.

"Ding, devoured sixth-order water elemental essence."

"Evolution Point +5000000".

"Ding! Absorbed sixth-tier life essence, evolution points +1800000."

"bite..."

The Black Tide King's massive body shrank at a visible speed, and the blood-red vortex in its eyes quickly extinguished.

Finally, with a loud bang.

The more than 200-meter-long corpse crashed heavily into the sea.

It was completely devoid of life.

Seeing this scene.

Deep in the ocean, that forbidden will finally fell completely silent.

A few breaths later, an extremely cold voice resounded throughout the entire sea.

"Lotus Demon, very well, you have successfully angered me."

Chu Zhou's seven lotus leaves swayed as he calmly said, "So what if I anger you? If you were truly capable, why would you need to borrow a sixth-tier sea beast to fight me?"

"Since you're sealed away, then stay put and stop making a fool of yourself."

In the underground ancient city.

Upon hearing this, Guai Shi couldn't help but glance at Chu Zhou.

It had to admit it.

This lotus demon has a sharp tongue.

But when it comes to criticizing these taboos, they really don't hold back at all.

Silence fell over the seabed.

The next moment, an intensely suppressed killing intent spread out instantly, and it roared angrily, "The day the seal is broken, the first thing I will devour is you."

Chu Zhou laughed: "We'll talk about it when you come out, but you'd better hurry."

"I fear that by the time you emerge, you will no longer be able to defeat me."

After saying this, the forbidden being deep in the sea stopped responding, clearly provoked by Chu Zhou.

Silence fell all around them. Was that it? Zhou Zhenshan and the others had mixed expressions when they saw this. The Lord of the Azure Lotus was really arrogant. If they were in this situation, what would they think?

He probably can't be so nonchalant.

"Lord of the Azure Lotus, is the gap between us still too great?" Zhou Zhenshan's eyes flashed.

He clenched his fists, his heart filled with nothing but fighting spirit.

In any case, we must do everything we can to become stronger.

Viewers in the live stream room who were watching the official live stream of the Second Line of Defense were equally excited.

"Haha, you know what, I've found that the Lord of the Azure Lotus isn't so terrifying after all. From today onwards, I'm going to convert to the faith of the Lord of the Azure Lotus."

"The person upstairs is a traitor. Lord Qinglian is mine, and I will also worship Lord Qinglian."

More and more comments floated across the live stream screen.

"I used to think the Azure Lotus Forbidden Zone was a force of alien beasts, but now it seems more reliable than many others?"

"Director Zhou fought desperately to protect the port, and the Lord of the Azure Lotus killed the Black Tide King from hundreds of kilometers away. Both of them are worthy of respect."

"Does anyone know if the Azure Lotus Forbidden Zone accepts offerings from humans? I'd like to place an incense stick outside Black Dragon Mountain."

"Are you out of your mind? That's a restricted area!"

"What's wrong with the forbidden zone? The Lord of the Azure Lotus has never killed an ordinary person on purpose, and he even saved people in Linjiang City before."

"My grandma just saw the phantom of the blue lotus, and she immediately knelt down at home, saying it was a manifestation of the Bodhisattva."

The discussions in the live stream were getting increasingly outrageous.

It started as a joke.

However, as the footage of Chu Zhou remotely killing the Black Tide King was continuously shared, things changed.

The scene of the thousand-meter-tall blue lotus floating above the East China Sea, with its seven lotus leaves spread out to suppress the blood-red aura filling the sky, was particularly breathtaking.

To ordinary people, that wasn't a strange beast; it was a true miracle.

Within minutes, a large number of edited videos appeared online.

Some people have juxtaposed the footage of Chu Zhou's first appearance at Black Dragon Mountain with the footage of his suppression of the East China Sea.

Some people have added solemn music to the phantom image of the blue lotus.

Some people even created portraits of the Lord of the Azure Lotus.

on the screen.

A vibrant green lotus rooted in the heart of the lake, with a vast landscape behind it, seven lotus leaves supporting the sun and moon, and countless mythical beasts bowing their heads at its feet.

The title is even simpler and more direct.

【Qinglian guards the sea, protecting our mountains and rivers.】

This picture quickly went viral.

Many netizens saved and forwarded it.

Some people who had experienced the beast tide in Linjiang City and the spiritual disaster in Nanjiang City even took the initiative to tell stories about the past of the Qinglian Forbidden Zone.

Some say that during the first large-scale beast tide outbreak in Linjiang City, the Qinglian Forbidden Zone actively dispelled the blood-fiend mist.

Some people also brought out videos from the previous period when Heilongshan was blocked.

In the video, the Lord of the Azure Lotus did not slaughter the humans who approached the forbidden zone. Instead, he repeatedly warned ordinary people to stay away from the dangerous area. Survivors from Nanjiang City also appeared to give their accounts.

"I was on the Nanjiang defense line at the time. The corrupted beasts rushed into the city. It was the avian team of the Qinglian Forbidden Zone that discovered the beast tide in advance."

"If it weren't for their warning, at least several thousand more people would have died in our area."

Similar content is becoming increasingly common.

Those who were initially wary of the Azure Lotus Forbidden Zone gradually fell silent.

They had to admit it.

Although the Azure Lotus Forbidden Zone is a demonic territory, it has not launched any attacks on ordinary cities since the revival of spiritual energy.

He even intervened on several occasions, indirectly saving many people.

Especially this time.

Chu Zhou could completely ignore what was happening in the East China Sea.

Yet he still managed to project a phantom image of a blue lotus from hundreds of kilometers away, suppressing the blood demon and killing the Black Tide King.

In the eyes of many ordinary people.

Whatever Chu Zhou's true purpose was.

In the end, it was he who saved the East China Sea port.

They saved hundreds of thousands of people who had not yet evacuated from the rear.

As a result, a very peculiar emotion began to spread rapidly among the people.

Gratitude, awe, and an instinctive dependence on powerful beings as apocalyptic crises continue to loom.

Behind the Donghai Port Area.

Inside a temporary resettlement site.

An elderly woman with gray hair sat on the edge of a folding bed, holding a cell phone with a cracked screen in her hands.

In the live stream footage.

The thousand-meter-long illusory lotus is gradually dissipating.

The old lady stared at the blue light for a long time.

Then, she shakily took out a string of Buddhist prayer beads from her cloth bag.

You can hesitate for a moment.

She then placed the prayer beads aside.

He then took out a piece of scrap paper.

I drew a lotus flower crookedly with a pencil.

Seeing this, her daughter-in-law couldn't help but ask, "Mom, what are you doing?"

The old woman said earnestly, "Please bow, it saved us."

The daughter-in-law was both amused and exasperated: "That's a demon from a forbidden zone."

The old lady raised her head.

"What's wrong with demons? Some people don't save people, but some demons do. Those who save lives are our benefactors."

After saying that, she pasted the crooked picture of the blue lotus on the headboard, put her hands together, and whispered, "May the Blue Lotus protect my little grandson and keep him safe and sound."

Several elderly people who had just been evacuated from the port area heard this and gathered around.

Someone brought some paper.

Some people took out their phones and began to imitate the lotus by referring to pictures of it online.

Within half a day, similar scenes began to appear in various places.

at the same time.

The headquarters of the Ninth Bureau in Beijing.

The staff member in charge of monitoring online public opinion suddenly strode into the conference room.

"Mr. Ye, online public opinion is changing rapidly."

Wang Jun frowned: "What's going on?"

The staff immediately projected a set of data onto the large screen.

"Just half an hour after the East China Sea battle ended, the topic of the Azure Lotus Forbidden Zone had already garnered over one billion views."

"Currently the most popular topic online."

"in addition…"

The staff member paused for a moment: "According to statistics, there are already more than 30,000 discussion groups related to Qinglian (a type of lotus) across the country."

"Many people even spontaneously put up Qinglian's portrait in their homes to pray for peace."

The meeting room fell silent for a moment. Old Ye stared at the screen, not speaking immediately.

Because he knew very well that this was not a deliberate propaganda effort.

Rather, it was a choice made from the bottom of ordinary people's hearts after the Battle of the East China Sea, a choice made by people who had experienced despair.

Those who stand up when disaster strikes will be remembered.

The white-haired researcher pushed up his glasses and said, "Since the spiritual energy has been restored, ordinary people have been living in fear."

"They need someone to place their hopes on; before, it was the Ninth Inning."

"Now…"

He looked at the illusory image of the blue lotus on the screen: "Another Lord of the Blue Lotus has been added."

Wang Jun paused for a moment: "But it is not human after all."

Old Master Ye waved his hand and said, "There's no need for deliberate guidance, and certainly no need to suppress it."

"The Lord of the Azure Lotus did indeed save the East Sea today, that's a fact. As long as no one breaks the law in its name, let nature take its course."

On the other side, in Nanjiang City.

A taxi driver who had experienced a beast tide had just returned home from get off work.

He opened his phone, and the first video he saw was still the East China Sea battle.

In the video, a gigantic phantom of a blue lotus suppresses the sea, while the Black Tide King struggles beneath the lotus's roots.

The man stared blankly for a long time before walking onto the balcony.

I carefully moved my ordinary lotus flower, which I had raised for many years, to the most conspicuous spot in the living room.

His wife asked, somewhat puzzled, "Why are we moving this?"

The man smiled and said, "Just for good luck, I'll water it every day from now on, as a way of thanking the Lord of the Green Lotus."

The wife did not refute, but silently placed the fruit on the table next to the lotus flower.

The same scene.

Images of the blue lotus are appearing all over the country, with some people worshipping them.

Some people have started growing lotus flowers, and some have even changed their children's nicknames to "Little Green Lotus".

For them, this is gratitude, and also a hope.

Meanwhile, news naturally also reached Heilong Mountain.

The patrol team had just finished their patrol, and Black Tiger King stood on the cliff.

After hearing the report from its wolf demon subordinates, it suddenly raised its head and let out a deafening tiger roar: "Master, you are mighty!"

Countless demonic beasts across Black Dragon Mountain raised their heads simultaneously.

"The Demon Lord's Divine Might!"

"The Demon Lord's Divine Might!"

Roars echoed through the mountains and forests.

Even some of the newly awakened demons were jumping around excitedly as the spiritual energy revived.

Currently, Heilongshan is not experiencing a information blackout.

After obtaining the communicator from the humans and learning how to use it, Black Tiger King and Little Golden Treasure were able to know immediately what was happening in the human world.

At the Young Demon Academy, the old tortoise didn't teach literacy today, but instead called all the little demons to the lakeside.

After watching the live stream, it said, "Children, today, I'm going to teach you something."

The group of young demons immediately sat up in neat rows.

"What is it?"

The old tortoise stretched out its claws and pointed to the center of Black Dragon Lake: "Wherever you go in the future, remember this."

"You are able to cultivate in peace and grow up safely, not because this world is kind."

"It's because the Demon Lord shielded you from the dangers outside."

After saying this, the old tortoise slowly lowered its head and bowed respectfully towards Black Dragon Lake.

The group of young demons were stunned for a moment.

Then others followed suit and lay down on the ground.

"Thank you, Demon Lord!"

Beside it, the little wild boar was about to kneel as well, but halfway down, its eyes suddenly lit up: "Sir!"

The old tortoise glanced at it: "What is it?"

The little wild boar said in a very serious tone, "Isn't Master very happy now?"

The old tortoise nodded: "Probably."

The little wild boar immediately rubbed its hooves together: "Since Master is in such a good mood, will he reward us with spirit fruit?"

The entire classroom fell silent instantly. The little fox covered its face. That stinky wild boar really never forgets to eat!

The little rabbit demon looked helpless. After a moment, the old tortoise slowly said, "Besides spirit fruits, is there anything else on your mind?"

The little wild boar thought for a moment and said, "There's also spirit rice."

The old tortoise fell silent, and a group of young demons nearby burst into laughter.

The little wild boar said seriously, "Sir, this isn't greed. I'm working hard to cultivate myself. Only when I'm full can I work for my master."

The old tortoise shook his head helplessly: "You're making it sound more and more reasonable that you're being lazy."

Just as the demons were laughing and joking.

In the center of Heilong Lake.

Chu Zhou took in all of this through his divine sense.

Seven lotus leaves sway gently.

A slight smile involuntarily appeared on his lips.

In the underground ancient city.

The strange stone glanced at him and asked, "Lotus Demon, what are you laughing at?"

Chu Zhou said leisurely, "It's nothing, I just suddenly felt that raising a group of guys like this seems quite interesting."

The strange rock snorted coldly: "I hope they don't eat you out of house and home."

Chu Zhou glanced down at the little wild boar that was fantasizing about the spiritual fruit reward and agreed, "I do agree with what you said."

The strange stone said, "Lotus Demon, don't be happy. Although you killed the Black Tide King, it doesn't mean that the forbidden being was at a disadvantage. Just wait and see, this beast tide is far from over."

Hearing the strange stone's words, Chu Zhou didn't refute them. He said, "And then?"

The strange stone said, "When the beast tide breaks out, those human cities and the remaining humans will face despair."

Chu Zhou: "And then?"

Seeing Chu Zhou's nonchalant attitude, the strange stone became enraged and angrily shouted, "Lotus Demon, are you even listening to me?"

Chu Zhou said, "I'm listening, and then what?"

Guai Shi was instantly filled with a thousand "Fuck you!" thoughts. This shameless lotus demon was really going to make him furious. Chu Zhou saw Guai Shi trembling with anger.

He stopped teasing the guy and said leisurely, "Little Stone, you're still a bit naive. You think I killed the Black Tide King to save those humans?"

Strange Stone immediately replied, "You're not the kind of person who would suffer a loss."

Chu Zhou laughed heartily: "You really understand me best, Xiao Shishi."

Upon hearing this, the strange stone immediately became anxious again: "Lotus Demon, don't disgust me, I'm going to get angry."