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

Chu Zhou deliberately asked, "So, according to you, I'm already very strong?"

Guai Shi subconsciously replied, "A seventh-order life form is naturally different in this era."

Halfway through his sentence, the strange rock suddenly realized what he was doing, its crimson eyes widening instantly. It roared, "Lotus Demon, are you trying to trick me?"

Chu Zhou replied innocently, "I was just asking casually."

The strange rock trembled with rage: "Get out! Get out of here right now! Don't try to be so smug in front of me!"

Chu Zhou not only didn't leave, but instead slowly extended a root to the strange rock: "Since Little Stone thinks so highly of me, why not borrow a little more of my essence to celebrate my breakthrough to the seventh rank?"

The strange stone nearly exploded with anger, roaring, "You're dreaming, Lotus Demon! I misspoke earlier. You're not strong at all. You'd better let that human kill you with one punch!"

Chu Zhou chuckled and didn't provoke it any further. His consciousness returned to Black Dragon Lake. Although the strange rock was stubborn, what it said earlier wasn't wrong.

After reaching the seventh rank, Chu Zhou could clearly sense that he was completely different from when he was in the late sixth rank.

In the past, he influenced the surrounding world with his own power; now, Black Dragon Mountain itself is his power.

Here, a drop of water, a wisp of mist, or an underground river can all become his eyes or his arms.

Zhou Zhenshan had indeed chosen the wrong place to test him.

Chu Zhou scanned the area around Black Dragon Lake with his consciousness and quickly discovered that there seemed to be more spectators than he had imagined.

The moment Zhou Zhenshan proposed the duel, the news had already spread throughout Black Dragon Mountain.

The Black Tiger King lay on the cliff on the east side of the lake, its massive body almost blending into the black rocks, its scarlet tiger eyes calmly gazing at the lake surface.

Shan Kui, along with a group of ape demons, occupied another mountain peak.

It sat cross-legged on the boulder, its arms crossed over its chest, and behind it, dozens of ape demons followed suit, sitting neatly in several rows, as if they had come specifically to watch the spectacle.

Qingfeng wrapped the vines around several ancient trees by the lake.

Countless emerald green branches hang down from the tree crown, swaying in the wind.

A Tier 3 Cheetah King stood in the shadows of the forest, followed by several commanders of the patrol army.

They made no sound, but had already blocked all roads around Black Dragon Lake to prevent anyone from trespassing during the fight.

As for Xiao Jinbao, he had already led the Flying Feather Team to the tallest ancient tree by the lake.

A row of golden-feathered sparrows perched on a branch, craning their necks to gaze at the lake. To the uninitiated, it would seem as if some grand spectacle was about to unfold.

Little Jinbao stood at the very front of the treetop, its two wings folded at its waist, looking as if it were surveying the world.

"Watch carefully, the master doesn't get to do things personally very often. Pay close attention, it will help you break through in the future."

A golden-feathered spirit bird asked curiously, "Master Bird, how long do you think that human surnamed Zhou can last?"

Little Jinbao tilted his head and thought for a moment: "Three breaths."

Hearing this, the little wild boar beside him widened its eyes in surprise: "Three breaths? Master Bird, that Zhou Zhenshan is at least a sixth-level cultivator, how could he finish so quickly?"

Little Jinbao raised its wing and slapped the little wild boar on the forehead: "What do you know? Three breaths is just to save face for the master. If the master were even slightly serious, one breath would be too much."

The little wild boar covered its forehead and first glanced at Zhou Zhenshan with some fear.

Although it wasn't very strong, it could still sense the terrifying aura within Zhou Zhenshan's body, as powerful as the blazing sun.

Thinking of the battle video that circulated in Donghai Port three days ago, the little wild boar couldn't help but swallow hard.

These high-ranking members of the Black Dragon Mountain clan now all have communicators. It's not difficult to obtain communicators, and the Black Dragon Mountain clan also has no shortage of humans who want to trade with the forbidden zone.

Especially those families, basically everyone who reaches the second tier can have a communicator, which allows the Black Dragon Mountain family to better understand humans.

The little boar continued, "But I heard that this human blocked a sixth-tier demon king at East Sea Port and even killed many sea beasts with a single punch."

Little Jinbao rolled its eyes at it and said irritably, "Isn't the Black Tide King powerful?"

The little wild boar nodded quickly and said, "Awesome."

"Who was the one who killed him in the end?"

"Lord Demon Lord."

"That'll solve it, won't it?"

Little Jinbao flapped its wings and said matter-of-factly, "The Black Tide King was killed by the master, and this human just stepped into the sixth rank and ran to the master's house to challenge the master."

"Isn't this just asking for trouble?"

The little wild boar thought about it carefully and found it to be very reasonable.

The fear that had been on his face vanished instantly.

It puffed out its round belly, raised its pig head, and its voice grew louder: "Bird Lord is right! A mere sixth-tier being dares to challenge the Demon Lord? It's like a wild boar charging into a mountain, not knowing its own limitations!"

As soon as it finished speaking, several strange beasts nearby turned to look at it. The little wild boar's expression froze. It looked down at its round body and quickly changed its words.

"No, it was humans who crashed into the mountain. We wild boars are very smart; we would never do something so foolish."

Several ape demons couldn't help but grin.

The mountain beast glanced down at the little wild boar and hummed, "With just one root from its master, that human could be pulled to the bottom of the lake."

The little wild boar became even more excited upon hearing this. It squeezed forward a few steps, as if it wanted to stand in the most conspicuous spot by the lake.

"I don't think roots are necessary. When the Demon Lord broke through just now, the entire Lingnan water system was paying homage."

"This guy surnamed Zhou dares to make a move. If I were him, I would kneel down and admit defeat right now, so as not to lose face in front of so many people when I fall from the sky later."

The wild boar's voice is naturally sharp.

As he spoke with great enthusiasm, he made no attempt to conceal his true feelings.

These words were clearly heard by everyone in the Ninth Inning.

Lu Cang's face immediately darkened.

He was already seething with anger after being casually knocked away by Chu Zhou, and now even a wild boar with an aura of only late-stage second rank dared to mock Zhou Zhenshan right in front of him.

Lu Cang could no longer hold back.

He turned his head sharply and said coldly, "A pig demon that can't even transform dares to speak ill of Director Zhou here?"

The aura of the late fourth stage then spread.

The little wild boar's fat jiggled, and its four short legs instinctively took two steps back.

However, it quickly realized that this was Black Dragon Mountain, and the Demon Lord was in the lake.

With Shan Kui, Black Tiger King, and Little Golden Treasure all around, what is it afraid of?

Thinking of this, the little wild boar's courage instantly grew again.

It hid behind the mountain monster's thick calves, only peeking out half its head, and shouted at Lu Cang, "So what if I haven't transformed?"

"I may be weak, but I'm not blind. A sixth-tier fighter challenging a seventh-tier fighter—what is that if not overestimating myself?"

Lu Cang's expression grew even uglier: "Three days ago, Director Zhou single-handedly fought the Black Tide King at Donghai Port, protecting hundreds of thousands of civilians."

"He was able to break through to the sixth rank on the brink of death; how could you, a pig demon who only knows how to cower behind others, possibly judge him?"

The little wild boar opened its mouth.

It truly doesn't understand anything about human righteousness.

They also didn't understand why Zhou Zhenshan insisted on taking action when he knew there was a gap in their cultivation levels.

However, it quickly came up with a rebuttal: "I don't understand. All I know is who killed the Black Tide King in the end."

Lu Cang's expression froze. He couldn't refute the fact that the Black Tide King had indeed died at Chu Zhou's hands.

Seeing that Lu Cang remained silent, the little wild boar immediately felt that it had the upper hand, and its tail was practically sticking up to the sky.

"What, are you not saying anything now? Or did I hit the nail on the head? If your Director Zhou were fighting the Demon Lord outside, he might be able to hold out a little longer."

"Why did you have to come to the Demon Lord's territory to make a move? What's the difference between that and jumping into a pot yourself?"

Little Jinbao stood on its head and nodded in satisfaction: "What the little pig said is quite right. It climbed into the pot itself and then asked if the fire was big enough. It's not very smart."

Just as the little wild boar was about to agree, it suddenly felt that the words sounded ominous no matter how you looked at them.

It looked down at its round belly and quickly spat a few times: "Hey bird, don't mention pot, it makes me shudder."

Several ape demons nearby immediately burst into laughter.

Even the vines hanging down from Qingfeng trembled a few times, but Lu Cang was so angry at their back-and-forth that his face turned ashen.

"Arrogant! Even if Director Zhou has only just broken through to the sixth rank, he is not someone you low-level demon beasts can humiliate at will."

"The outcome is still undecided; who dares to say he will definitely lose?"

The little wild boar was preparing to continue its rebuttal.

At this moment, the Black Tiger King stood up, its massive tiger claws landing on the edge of the cliff, its scarlet tiger eyes looking at Zhou Zhenshan.

"This person is no match for the master, but knowing there is a gap in their cultivation levels, he still dares to come to Black Dragon Mountain to throw a punch."

"They're not bad at all."

Shan Kui nodded and said in a deep voice, "If you dare to fight, you're a real man."

Lu Cang's expression softened slightly.

At least not all the strange beasts in the Azure Lotus Forbidden Zone are like this little wild boar, which only knows how to bark and rave when it has a powerful backer.

The little wild boar looked at the Black Tiger King, then at the Mountain Demon, and muttered to itself, "What's the use of being brave? You'll still get beaten up later."

Little Jinbao stomped on its head twice: "Courage is courage, and getting beaten is getting beaten. These two things are not contradictory."

The little wild boar's eyes lit up: "Grandpa Bird is right!"

Lu Cang's forehead veins throbbed again.

Fakong watched for a long time before finally putting his hands together in prayer: "Amitabha, Director Zhou and the Lord of the Azure Lotus haven't even started fighting yet, and you're already arguing."

The little wild boar looked over at the sound, its gaze landing on Fakong's bald head, and a hint of curiosity immediately appeared in its eyes.

"Bald guy, who do you think will win?"

Mingjue couldn't help but burst out laughing, and Fakong's face instantly darkened: "Little wild boar, who are you calling bald?"

The little wild boar was so frightened that it quickly pulled its head back behind the mountain goat's legs. After a few seconds, it cautiously poked its head out again: "You don't have any hair on your head to begin with, I didn't say anything wrong."

Fakong took a deep breath. If this weren't the forbidden area of ​​the Azure Lotus, he would have shown this little wild boar what a wrathful Buddhist Vajra was like.