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

Chen Xueli looked at the giant python lying on the ground, a rare smile appearing on her usually cold face. She raised her hand and waved it, causing the chill in the air to slowly dissipate.

The ice covering the giant python shattered. A crystal core, gleaming with a ghostly green light, shimmered faintly within the snake's body.

That's a beast core, the most precious thing of a third-tier beast. It contains a large amount of pure spiritual energy, and it's currently the fastest cultivation resource for extraordinary individuals.

"Grandpa, now that we've found a third-tier beast, let's continue deeper into the mountains."

A hint of anticipation flashed in Chen Xueli's light blue eyes.

"Hunt down a few more demonic beasts. If you absorb their cores, you might be able to break through to the late stage of the third tier soon."

Chen Ziyang chimed in, "That's right, Grandpa. We've only just entered the outer edge of the Lingnan Mountains and we've already encountered a third-tier demonic serpent. There must be even more treasures deeper inside."

With the resurgence of spiritual energy, danger and opportunity coexist. Many ancient families have discovered that whoever seizes resources first will gain a competitive edge in the new era.

Especially the deep mountains, with their exotic beasts, spiritual plants, and beast cores—they are practically a natural treasure trove. This is why the Chen family now firmly holds a leading position in the Lingnan martial arts world.

They relied on being ruthless and willing to risk their lives for resources. However, Chen Wuji was not as optimistic as the other two. The old man looked at the giant python's corpse on the ground, squatted down, and gently pressed his palm on the shattered snake scales.

A few seconds later, he suddenly frowned: "Something's not right."

Chen Xueli was taken aback: "What's wrong, Grandpa?"

Chen Wuji's face darkened: "This beast was seriously injured before."

He parted the scales on the snake's side. Beneath them lay a massive, deep laceration, as if pierced by something extremely sharp.

Moreover, there were signs of burning and corrosion, and even a faint bluish spiritual aura. It didn't seem to be caused by human weapons. It looked more like it had been severely injured by some higher-level life form.

Chen Ziyang's expression changed slightly: "Has it fought with other demonic beasts before?"

Chen Wuji stood up, his expression becoming much more serious: "No, to injure a peak third-tier giant python like this, the opponent must be at least a late-stage third-tier monster. Or even stronger."

As he spoke, he looked up into the depths of the mountains, where the Lingnan Mountains stretched endlessly, like a giant dragon lying across the heavens and earth. The depths were shrouded in mist, quiet and somewhat oppressively so.

Chen Wuji's voice was low and deep: "The main reason we were able to kill this giant python was because it was already severely injured. Otherwise, it's really uncertain who would have died in today's battle."

Chen Xueli and Chen Ziyang's expressions instantly turned serious. Just as the three were speaking, an extremely dense surge of spiritual energy erupted without warning from the depths of the mountains, as if the air itself had been stirred up. The trees shook violently, and the spiritual energy above the mountains and forests formed vortices.

At the same time, a faint, peculiar aura drifted in on the mountain breeze. The aura was unique, carrying a delicate lotus fragrance.

It is serene and mysterious, like a spirit that has lived for thousands of years in the depths of an ancient pool.

In the distance, a rainbow of colors appeared on the horizon, its light piercing through the mist. It flickered and faded, as if some peerless wonder was awakening.

The concentration of spiritual energy in the mountains and forests began to rise dramatically, and even the nearby plants seemed to grow wildly. The originally withered and yellow weeds visibly turned lush and green. Even some ancient trees began to condense a faint spiritual mist.

Seeing this, Chen Wuji's breathing became rapid: "Is this a celestial phenomenon recorded in ancient books? This is the birth of a high-level spiritual creature."

Since the resurgence of spiritual energy, there has been a consensus within the martial arts community that anything capable of triggering extraordinary phenomena in nature is undoubtedly a high-grade rare and precious material.

Second-tier spiritual fruits are considered a stroke of luck, while third-tier spiritual herbs can already change one's destiny. As for fourth-tier and above, that is a stroke of good fortune enough to make a family rise to prominence.

Chen Xueli was also extremely excited and looked at Chen Wuji: "Grandpa, judging from this situation, there must be a great treasure in the mountains. If we can get it, you might be able to directly break through to the fourth level."

Chen Wuji was also excited. The fourth level was a legendary realm in the martial arts world. There wasn't a single one in the entire Lingnan region.

Once the breakthrough is achieved, the Chen family will stand firmly at the pinnacle of the extraordinary era. The old man gazed intently towards the direction of the seven-colored spiritual light.

"Don't worry, it's impossible that we're the only ones discovering this kind of phenomenon. The nearby beasts and extraordinary individuals will probably all rush over there."

At this point, Chen Wuji's eyes sharpened, like an old sword drawn from its sheath: "However, opportunities are something that one has to fight for with one's life."

He shattered the snake's head with a single palm strike, then extracted the beast core and put it away.

The next second, the ground shook. He was already rushing into the depths of the mountains.

"Let's go see what has been born."

Chen Xueli and Chen Ziyang exchanged a glance, their eyes filled with excitement. A high-grade rare and precious material—if they could obtain this, the Chen family would truly take off.

On the other side, the temporary blockade line at Heilongshan.

Dozens of military vehicles were parked, and heavily armed special forces had already assembled.

Tactical helmets, bulletproof gear, heavy machine guns, rocket launchers, and small grenade launchers are all in place.

The Ninth Bureau conducted joint operations with the military.

At this moment, a tall man wearing a black trench coat was standing in front of the command vehicle.

The man was about forty years old, with a square face and sharp eyes. Even just standing there, he exuded a sense of oppression.

His name is Lu Cang, the director of the Ninth Bureau of Linjiang City, and also a superhuman directly dispatched by the state. He is a peak third-tier superhuman.

He possesses the ability to control metals. In the early stages of the spiritual energy revival, he single-handedly suppressed a second-tier beast tide.

Within the Ninth Inning, he was a man who had truly seen bloodshed.

Su Wan stood to the side, her expression noticeably more serious.

Because she knew very well that the man before her was a true figure of authority.

Lu Cang looked toward Black Dragon Mountain, his trench coat swaying in the wind.

"Report, there's a situation to report."

Gu Yan immediately stepped forward, adjusted his glasses, and said, "Director, the abnormal spiritual energy is continuing to surge, and there is a high-level spiritual source suspected to have appeared inside the mountain."

"In addition, we detected a sudden enhancement of a large number of biological responses, suggesting the possibility of population evolution."

Lu Cang's expression was very serious: "It seems that this trouble is not small."

He knew better than anyone that a single beast wasn't the real threat. What was truly terrifying was the mutation of a group. Once a beast tide formed, the entire Linjiang would fall.

Lu Cang raised his hand, his voice cold and stern: "Action! Extraordinary Squad, advance! Special Operations Team, clear the way with firepower! Reconnoiter the outskirts of Black Dragon Mountain. Report immediately upon encountering Tier 3 targets. No one is allowed to engage them alone."

"yes!"

The crowd murmured.

Soon, hundreds of special forces personnel advanced rapidly.

Within the mountains and forests, the group had only traveled less than three kilometers.

Suddenly, something strange happened in the bushes ahead: a black bear that was at least two meters tall suddenly charged out.

But it was no longer like a normal brown bear; its muscles were exaggeratedly bulging, its shoulder spurs protruded, and its fangs gleamed coldly. Its eyes were blood red, clearly indicating that it had mutated.

"Enemy attack!"

The special forces captain roared, "Fire!"

In an instant, dozens of automatic rifles spat fire simultaneously. A dense barrage of bullets covered the area, and the bullets struck the black bear, exploding into large sprays of blood.

What's truly chilling is that it didn't die; instead, it became even more frenzied.

It crashed into a tree, toppling it over, and charged into the ranks like a tank. A special forces soldier didn't even have time to retreat. He was slapped away, his sternum caved in, and he struck the tree, dying instantly.

The other man had just raised his gun when the black bear bit off his shoulder. Blood gushed out, and a scream instantly echoed through the forest.

"Rocket launcher!" A rocket exploded, finally knocking the black bear down. But before everyone could breathe a sigh of relief, a pack of wolves arrived from the forest. A dense swarm, at least a hundred of them. Many of them were already nearly the size of calves.

There was even a silver wolf, nearly four meters long, a second-tier beast. Gu Yan's face turned pale: "How is this possible? How could a second-tier beast appear on the outer perimeter?"

The beast tide has truly begun. This anomaly is more terrifying and more serious than any before.

"Maintain formation and suppress fire!"

Machine guns fired wildly, sparks flying, bullets raining down like a storm. Wolves were riddled with bullets, their bodies mangled, but there were just too many of them. For every wolf that pounced on a soldier, three more charged from behind. Screams echoed, and blood stained the ground crimson.

These evolved beasts are so fast that ordinary people can't even see them.

When the special forces entered, the soldiers were simply being sent to their deaths. In the blink of an eye, the casualties were heavy, with more than twenty soldiers dying on the spot.

Faced with this situation, Su Wan's face darkened. She acted swiftly, her body instantly bursting forth. Her second-tier power erupted completely, and silver patterns appeared on her right arm.

With a single punch, the wolf's claws collided with his fist. The terrifying impact shattered the ground. Su Wan staggered back seven or eight steps.

Her hand split open, blood dripping from between her fingers. Her face instantly paled: "Peak Second Tier?"

This beast is actually stronger than her, the silver wolf bared its fangs.

Crouching low, he transformed into a blur and pounced, just as Su Wan was about to fight to the death.

A cold voice rang out.

"Step back."

Lu Cang made his move. He raised his hand, and the scattered bullet casings, military knives, and shattered steel fragments on the ground all floated up.

A piercing buzzing sound filled the air as hundreds of metal fragments floated in mid-air.

Like a storm of death, the special forces soldiers were all dumbfounded.

"This is what a superhuman is? The director is too strong."

Some people even forgot to fire their guns, their eyes filled with shock and awe.

The next second, Lu Cang slightly clenched his fingers and said calmly, "Kneel down."

Hundreds of metal fragments exploded outwards in an instant, breaking the sound barrier. The wolves' bodies were pierced through, their flesh and blood exploding.

A mass of creatures fell, just as the second-tier silver wolf leaped into the air. A military knife pierced its skull in an instant. The corpse slammed heavily to the ground, deadly in a single blow, and the entire arena fell silent.

Everyone's gaze towards Lu Cang changed; it was now one of awe and even worship.

This is a third-tier powerhouse.

They were on completely different levels. Su Wan wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth and couldn't help but sigh softly, "The captain is still so strong."

Lu Cang, however, showed no sign of relaxation. He gazed into the depths of the mountains and forests with a serious expression.

Because of the increasingly powerful fluctuations in spiritual energy, the trees were growing wildly. The spiritual energy was so dense that it was almost impenetrable; this was unlike the birth of an ordinary spiritual being.

It's more like some kind of higher life form completing a metamorphosis.

Just then, Gu Yan's face turned deathly pale, and the detector in his hand started alarming frantically.

The red light flashed wildly, the screen readings went off the charts, and Gu Yan's voice changed: "Captain, a burst of psionic energy has occurred. A high-level being has appeared in the mountains."

The readings on the detector jumped rapidly, eventually reaching an unbelievable value, revealing the psionic energy readings.

Lu Cang's expression also changed, and he was no longer relaxed as before.