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

Soon, the blue light within the symbiotic species completely subsided.

Chu Nian fell into a deep sleep. In the center of Black Dragon Lake, only Chu Zhou's eight blue-silver lotus leaves swayed, protecting the small companion seed deep within the lotus heart.

The water flowed gently all around, not even a single ripple daring to approach.

Inside the underground ancient city, the strange rock's pair of crimson giant eyes remained fixed on the direction of Black Dragon Lake.

After a long while, He finally let out a cold snort.

"Lotus Demon".

Chu Zhou didn't turn around: "Speak your mind."

The strange stone spoke with a hint of sarcasm. "I thought that you, a lotus demon that only knows how to devour resources, wouldn't care about any new life."

"I never imagined that I would have to personally guard even a single lotus seed. In a true sense, this little guy is not a life form conceived by your own essence."

Chu Zhou was somewhat puzzled. "What do you mean?"

He had previously thought that Chu Nian was born from his own essence, a feeling that was quite strange.

How could a lotus flower give birth to a child?

The strange stone said disdainfully, "This involves the power of rules. Even if I told you now, you wouldn't understand. To be precise, this life is a bit special. It was influenced by your aura and nurtured by the energy of the Changbai Mountain's veins."

"This little guy is no ordinary person."

Chu Zhou smiled and said, "For my beloved wife to value this so much, it shows that you, Ai Shi, cherish our child very much. Little Shi Shi, you are so good."

The giant, scarlet stone glared with its enormous eyes and roared, "Lotus Demon, what's wrong with you now? When did I ever have a child?"

He, a dignified ancient forbidden being, was actually teased by Chu Zhou like this. If word got out, wouldn't other forbidden beings laugh their heads off?

Chu Zhou gently shook the lotus leaf: "Little Shishi, what you said hurt me so much. I'm still waiting for you to give me a little Shi."

The strange rock was stunned for a moment, and then the whole rock trembled slightly: "Lotus Demon, get out of here. I'm too lazy to talk to you, you shameless lotus demon."

That being said, strangely enough, the crimson aura emanating from the underground ancient city has now quietly subsided.

The chilling aura that used to occasionally seep into the depths of Black Dragon Lake has also disappeared completely without anyone noticing.

Chu Zhou naturally noticed, but he didn't point it out. He just chuckled to himself, thinking that this rock was as stubborn as ever.

……

That evening.

News came from the headquarters of the Ninth Bureau.

After an emergency meeting, the Dragon Kingdom officially agreed to designate a 500-kilometer area surrounding Changbai Mountain as the northern restricted zone of Qinglian.

Human troops maintain an outer defensive line.

The core forests of Changbai Mountain, the underground seals, and the strange beasts in the mountains are jointly managed by the Qinglian Forbidden Zone and the Lord of Changbai Mountain.

In exchange, the Ninth Bureau delivered three Tier 5 demon cores, along with all recent observational data from the East China Sea.

The outskirts of Heilong Mountain.

Qin Zhenyuan personally placed the resources at the border, where three fifth-tier demon cores emitted a rich spiritual energy.

Beside it, there was also a thick document on the East China Sea.

Chu Zhou did not appear, but instead extended a root, drawing resources into the center of the Changbai Mountain restricted area.

Then, a jade bottle flew out of the lake and landed in front of Qin Zhenyuan. Inside the jade bottle were thirty-five drops of green lotus and hundred flower honey.

One drop for each person.

Chu Zhou's voice came from Black Dragon Lake: "I can only purify the pollution; how the injuries heal is none of my concern."

Qin Zhenyuan put away the jade bottle and cupped his hands in a gesture of respect towards Black Dragon Lake: "Transaction complete."

After saying that, he didn't linger and turned to leave with the Ninth Infantry.

Chu Zhou watched their departing figures with a calm expression.

Wildflower honey is easy to make; it can be completed by a first-stage bee colony, and even some bee colonies that have not yet reached the first stage can make it.

Its true value is not even as straightforward as the evolution points of a second-tier crystal core, but it is extremely precious to the Ninth Bureau.

After all, it can purify pollution.

Chu Zhou made a killing this time. As for whether the other side thought Chu Zhou went too far, he didn't care. This time the restricted area was 500 kilometers, and next time he would probably expand it again.

……

three days later.

The bloodstains on the snowfields of Changbai Mountain have been covered by fresh snow.

As Changbai Mountain Lord gradually recovered from its injuries, it led the remaining beasts to redivide the once chaotic Changbai Mountain region.

The snow wolf pack was responsible for patrolling the perimeter, the ice-armored giant bears were responsible for guarding the valley, and some unpolluted birds circled over the snow-capped peaks, monitoring the human defenses and any unusual activity in the mountains.

There remains a deep sense of vigilance between the human garrison and the alien beasts.

But at least, no new beast tides have appeared.

Lei Zhenyue stood on the high ground of the defensive line, looking at the lotus branch rooted in the snowfield in the distance, his heart filled with complex emotions.

He knew that the true master of Changbai Mountain was no longer human, but it was also the Lord of the Azure Lotus who had preserved this defensive line.

Near the Lingnan coast, the Zhenhai Army of Xuanjia is also quietly growing stronger, and more and more aquatic creatures that escaped from the East China Sea are entering the waters of Lingnan.

Some of them were driven away by deep-sea monsters, while others had their clans destroyed and had nowhere to go.

Xuanjia did not accept all of them; those who were willing to accept the Azure Lotus Mark and abide by the Zhenhai Army's regulations were kept.

Those who attempt to take advantage of the chaos to devour their own kind, invade rivers, or attack human ports shall be expelled.

After a few days.

The Zhenhai Army already has over a thousand aquatic creatures. Although most of them are not very strong, under the control of the Xuanjia Armor, they are at least no longer a group of scattered soldiers who only know how to run away.

In the past few days, Xuanjia also subdued a mutated crocodile with the strength of the early stage of the fifth rank. This crocodile is called the Rift Sea Crocodile King.

After being subdued by Xuanjia, the Sea-Splitting Crocodile King has been leading a group of sea crocodiles to patrol the area near the estuary day and night for the past few days.

……

In just a few days, news of the island nation's fall has spread around the world, and many countries have begun to blockade their ports.

Coastal cities in various countries have entered a state of highest alert.

The once bustling international air routes are now deserted.

The ocean is once again becoming a forbidden zone for all humankind.

Inside Heilong Lake, Chu Zhou was reviewing the East China Sea data sent by the Ninth Bureau, including satellite images.

The seawater near Tokyo Bay has turned a deep, dark black.

According to satellite images.

That black sea area, like an ever-expanding blob of ink, covered the outer perimeter of Tokyo Bay.

The strangest thing is that the Kuroshio Current does not spread naturally with the ocean currents.

It seemed to possess a life of its own, constantly devouring the surrounding seawater, shipwrecks, and the corpses of sea monsters. Even sunlight falling into it would be swallowed up by that darkness.

Chu Zhou looked at the data. The Ninth Bureau had noted in the data that within three days of the fall of Tokyo Bay, the Kuroshio Current's area had expanded tenfold.

Many unmanned surface vessels and drones that attempted to approach and observe the Kuroshio Current lost contact after entering its area.

The only image transmitted back was of countless dense black fleshy buds emerging from a pitch-black sea.

The buds kept wriggling, as if they were nurturing something.

"Kuroshio..."

The eight lotus leaves of Chu Zhou swayed gently, and the remnants of the blood sacrifice map appeared at this moment.

In the eastern part of the fragmented map, crimson marks flickered continuously, but they were different from the power of the blood sacrifice at Changbai Mountain.

The Kuroshio Current near Tokyo Bay exudes a colder, more primal aura.

It lacked the ravenous greed of the Blood Sacrifice Lord, which devoured flesh and blood; instead, it resembled a nest incubating countless lives.

In the underground ancient city.

The giant, scarlet eye of the strange rock opened, and as it looked at the satellite image, its tone became somewhat solemn for the first time: "Lotus Demon, this is not a tide caused by an ordinary sea beast."

Chu Zhou replied, "I understand."

The strange stone said coldly, "This is the Black Tide. In the last era, a mother nest of a sea monster appeared in the East China Sea."

"That thing won't directly devour the world. It will first pollute the seawater and aquatic creatures with the Black Tide, and then make countless strange beasts find food and territory for it."

"The mother nest will only truly awaken once the Kuroshio Current covers a sufficiently large area of ​​the sea."

Chu Zhou's eyes flickered slightly: "Where is the Deep Sea Black Whale King?"

Strange Stone sneered: "Just a puppet, it makes no difference to you."

Chu Zhou did not refute it. The East Sea now is indeed no longer as simple as a sixth-order Xuan Whale King.

With a thought, he channeled his spiritual energy along the waterways of Lingnan, rapidly reaching the near sea.

"Black Armor".

A moment later, Xuanjia's voice came from the water vein, respectfully saying, "Master."

Chu Zhou asked, "Have you noticed the Kuroshio Current in Tokyo Bay?"

Xuanjia was silent for a moment: "I was just about to report to my master that aquatic creatures polluted by the Kuroshio have been discovered near the sea in Lingnan."

"They have black stripes on their bodies, are mentally confused, extremely aggressive, and..."

Xuanjia paused for a moment: "Of the three tide patrol teams dispatched by the Zhenhai Army, one has lost contact."

Chu Zhou's eyes turned slightly cold: "How far is it from Lingnan?"

"Four hundred li to go."

Four hundred li might seem like a long distance to ordinary people, but for a legion of sea monsters that can move along waterways, that distance is nothing.

"By order of the Commander, the Zhenhai Navy shall temporarily cease its expansion into the depths of the East China Sea, and all patrol teams shall regroup and establish three water gates along the Lingnan coastal waters, the mouth of the Nanjiang River, and the Linjiang waters."

"Any aquatic creatures carrying the scent of the Kuroshio Current are prohibited from entering inland waterways."

Xuanjia said in a deep voice, "Your subordinate obeys."

Chu Zhou then asked, "Where is the Sea-Splitting Crocodile King?"

"It just returned with its team, saying that it saw a group of sea creatures migrating southwest on the outskirts of the East China Sea."

"The number exceeds 100,000."

Chu Zhou was not surprised at all by the sight of 100,000 sea beasts. After Tokyo Bay was covered by the Kuroshio Current, the first to flee were naturally the aquatic creatures from the outer reaches of the East China Sea.

Not all of these marine mammals are necessarily contaminated.

However, if they were allowed to flood into the waters of Lingnan, the newly established order of the Zhenhai Army would immediately collapse.

"Tell the Sea-Splitting Crocodile King to gather all aquatic creatures willing to abide by the rules. Anyone who dares to attack the Lingnan Water Gate, no matter where they come from, shall be killed."

"Yes."

Communication is interrupted.

Black Dragon Lake returned to calm, and Chu Zhou did not put away the remnants of the Blood Sacrifice Map.

On the fragmented map, the blood-red mark in the east is extending southwestward.

at the same time.

The center of the Kuroshio Current in Tokyo Bay.

The Deep Sea Whale King opened its eyes, its massive body hovering above the dark seawater.

Before anyone knew it, streaks of black tide had already climbed up its scales.

It looked down at the black tide below, a hint of fear appearing in its huge pupils.

"The Mother Nest..."

Deep within the Kuroshio Current.

A black, fleshy egg, hundreds of meters in size, slowly opened one eye.