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

Chu Zhou's eight lotus leaves swayed simultaneously: "Bring it back, and remember, it must be alive."

Xuanjia was taken aback. The Black Tide Sea Beast was contaminated, and the safest approach would have been to kill it directly.

However, since it was its master's order, it naturally didn't ask any questions: "Your subordinate obeys."

The mouth of the Nanjiang River.

Here, where the river meets the sea, the spiritual energy has been restored, and the river has expanded several times over, resembling a vast inland sea when viewed from afar.

Nowadays, a large number of aquatic creatures have gathered outside the water gate, including water turtles with thick shells, giant catfish that are several meters long, and many sea beasts that have just joined the Zhenhai Army.

They are distributed throughout the river.

Although they are not yet truly elite, under the constraints of the Xuanjia armor, they have already begun to resemble a military formation.

At the very front, the Sea-Splitter Crocodile King had half its body floating on the surface of the water, its black scales covered in wounds.

Its enormous crocodile jaws were tightly gripping a strange fish covered in black fleshy buds.

The strange fish was over ten meters long, with fins like knives, and its body was torn in half, yet it still did not die.

Its black flesh and blood kept writhing inside, trying to regrow.

Mid-stage Tier 4, Black Tide Knife-fin Fish.

"roar!"

The Sea-Splitter Crocodile King let out a low growl and violently shook its head.

boom!

The black tide knife-finned fish was slammed hard onto the water's surface, creating waves tens of meters high.

The next moment, the fleshy buds on its body suddenly burst open, and dozens of pitch-black bone spikes shot out toward the eyes, throat and other parts of the Sea-Splitting Crocodile King.

The Sea-Splitter Crocodile King quickly turned its head, most of its bone spikes were blocked by its scales, but two bone spikes still pierced the gaps in its neck scales.

Zizi!

Black contamination spread rapidly along the wound, and the eyes of the Sea-Splitting Crocodile King instantly turned scarlet.

It opened its blood-red maw, ready to bite the black tide knife-fin fish to pieces in one gulp.

Just then, Xuanjia's voice rang out: "Step back."

Immediately afterwards, the waters of the Nanjiang River began to surge violently.

The massive body of the Xuanjia emerged from the deep water, its deep blue patterns on its back armor lighting up.

An extremely heavy pressure enveloped the entire body of water.

The black tide knife-finned fish suddenly sank.

It frantically thrashed its tail, trying to dive to the bottom of the river and escape.

Xuanjia's four limbs tread on the water's surface.

"town!"

Dozens of deep blue streams rushed out from the riverbed, turning into thick water chains that instantly entangled the black tide knife-finned fish.

Not far away, hundreds of aquatic creatures from the Zhenhai Navy swam simultaneously, and streams of spiritual energy merged into the water chain.

The black shad struggled incessantly, its black fleshy buds frantically tearing at the water chain. With each tear, a new water chain would re-enter and wrap around it.

The Sea Crocodile King retreated to the side, its black stripes on its neck not yet fully spread, its eyes filled with resentment.

"General, this beast has injured my subordinate."

Xuanjia looked at it: "Master wants it alive."

The Sea-Splitting Crocodile King shuddered and immediately lowered his head: "Understood, subordinate."

"Go to the area behind the water gate first and clean up the pollution."

"Yes."

The King of the Rending Sea Crocodiles dared not delay and quickly retreated to the rear with several wounded sea crocodiles.

Xuanjia raised its forepaws, and above the river, a deep blue cage formed from the condensation of water flow appeared.

The black tide knife-finned fish was trapped inside, emitting sharp hissing sounds. It rammed into the cage dozens of times, and finally, its strength was exhausted, and it was completely suppressed.

"Bring it back to Heilong Lake."

Xuanjia gave the order in a deep voice.

"Yes, sir!"

Half a day later, deep in Heilong Lake, the Black Tide Knife-finned Fish was entangled by dozens of water chains and suspended in the lake water.

It was on its last legs, but even so, the black buds on its body were still wriggling.

Chu Zhou channeled a wisp of his spiritual energy into the Black Tide Bladefish's body, and soon he discovered a black crystal core the size of a thumb in the heart of the Black Tide Bladefish.

The surface of the crystal nucleus was covered with fine, damp lines.

It lacked the pure spiritual power of ordinary demon cores, instead exuding a cold and chaotic aura.

"I see."

The roots of the Chu boat protruded.

puff!

The Black Tide Bladefin Fish shuddered violently, and the black crystal core was directly extracted from its body by the Azure Silver Roots.

After losing the crystal nucleus, the constantly wriggling fleshy buds on the surface of the black tide knife-fin fish gradually stopped.

A sliver of clarity briefly returned to its originally dark eyes.

It looked at the blue lotus in the center of Black Dragon Lake, its eyes filled with only instinctive fear.

"Nest...don't come near..."

The black tide knife-finned fish opened and closed its mouth, making intermittent sounds. The next moment, its body completely lost its life and sank to the bottom of the lake.

[Ding! Special pollutant detected.]

[Kuroshio Core: A low-level contaminated core that differentiated from the mother nest of a marine mammal.]

[Can be devoured and purified to gain evolution points.]

[Warning: The Black Tide Spin's core contains residual Mother Nest will. Directly consuming it may trigger the Mother Nest's awareness.]

A system notification appears.

In the underground ancient city.

The giant, scarlet eye of the strange rock stared at the Black Tide Core and sneered, "Lotus Demon, you'd better not swallow this thing carelessly."

Chu Zhou said calmly, "I'm not stupid."

The strange stone looked at him suspiciously. This lotus demon usually couldn't wait to gnaw on even the stones when it saw resources.

How can you actually hold back now?

Chu Zhou continued, "A mere fourth-order contaminated core is not worth me revealing the location of Black Dragon Lake."

Upon hearing this, Guai Shi's expression softened slightly: "At least you have some brains."

Chu Zhou looked at the Black Tide Core, his gaze shifting slightly. Just because it couldn't be directly devoured didn't mean it was worthless.

The fact that the black tide nucleus can pollute aquariums also means that it contains special tidal forces.

What the Zhenhai Army lacks most right now is not the number of aquatic creatures, but the means to deal with the Kuroshio Current.

With a thought, Chu Zhou sent out one of the three fifth-tier demon cores sent by the Ninth Bureau, a blue demon core radiating rich water elemental power.

"Since it can't be swallowed, then it will be refined."

boom!

Azure-silver flames ignited from the heart of the lotus, simultaneously enveloping the fifth-tier demon core and the Black Tide Core.

Wisps of black mist were continuously drawn from the nucleus, twisting in mid-air and vaguely condensing into a dark eye.

Those eyes were fixed intently on Chu Zhou.

"Waterways...returning to their nests..."

The cold voice had just rang out when Chu Zhou gently pressed down with a lotus leaf.

Snapped!

The black mist instantly dissipated: "Since when did it become your place to rule my domain?"

Within Black Dragon Lake, the waters flowed gently, and the will of the mother nest within the Black Tide Core was completely obliterated.

Subsequently, the Black Tide Core and the Fifth-Order Water-type Demon Core continuously fused together in the Azure Silver Flame.

Several hours later, three deep blue water ripple marks flew out from the heart of the lotus.

Each mark has a faint blue lotus pattern on its surface.

[Ding! Successfully refined.]

【Suppressing Water Veins: Can suppress water veins, provide early warning of Kuroshio Current pollution, and weaken the regeneration ability of polluted aquatic organisms.】

[Current Status: Beginner.]

Chu Zhou nodded in satisfaction: "Xuanjia."

"Your subordinate is here. Place these three Zhenhai Sea Seals in the coastal waters of Lingnan, at the mouth of the Nanjiang River, and in the waters near the river, respectively."

"From this day forward, no Kuroshio aquatic creature is permitted to set foot within the Zhenhai Naval Water Gate."

A hint of excitement appeared in Xuanjia's eyes: "Thank you, Master!"

Chu Zhou said calmly, "Don't rush to thank me. I gave you the water gate, not so you could hide in the waters of Lingnan and eke out a living."

"Now that the Zhenhai Army has been established, it should act like a Zhenhai Army, gathering aquatic creatures, selecting the strongest, and training military formations."

"In the future, I will have you lead the Zhenhai Navy into the East China Sea."

The massive Xuanjia body trembled, it lowered its head, and its voice was deep and firm.

"Your subordinate will certainly not disappoint your master's expectations!"

Three days later.

The first Zhenhai seal, located near the sea in Lingnan, fell into the seabed.

A deep blue light spread along the seabed, and a faint blue lotus phantom appeared in the seawater within a radius of dozens of miles.

The unusual phenomenon of watermarks also appeared one after another at the mouth of the Nanjiang River and in the waters near the river, with the three water gates echoing each other.

The previously chaotic aquatic creatures instantly quieted down upon sensing the aura of the Zhenhai Sea Seal.

The faint black tide aura hidden within the aquatic creatures was also revealed under the illumination of the watermark.

Many sea creatures that had just escaped into the waters of Lingnan had black stripes appearing on their bodies.

Zhenhai immediately took action: those with mild contamination were isolated and purified, while those with severe contamination who had lost their minds were killed on the spot.

Without showing any mercy, Xuanjia stood above the Nanjiang Water Gate, looking down at the aquatic creatures below, his voice echoing across the river.

"From this day forward, all those who join the Zhenhai Navy will receive the Blue Lotus Mark and abide by the Zhenhai Navy's regulations."

"Anyone who dares to cause trouble in the waters of Lingnan, anyone who dares to storm the water gates, anyone who dares to collude with the Kuroshio, shall be killed without mercy."

A large number of aquatic creatures lowered their heads: "As you command the naval commander!"

The first line of order in the Zhenhai Navy was thus truly established.

at the same time.

Lingnan, Hailing City.

Not far from Nanjiang, this place is one of the most prosperous gathering places for awakened beings in Lingnan after the spiritual energy was restored.

Under the cover of night, the lights were dim in an abandoned warehouse.

A dozen or so Awakened Ones were gathered around a wooden table, on which lay dozens of packets of black powder.

The powder has a faint, watery smell.

A middle-aged man with a scar on his face spoke in a low voice: "Gentlemen, this stuff is called Tide Bone Powder. It is taken from the bones of a mythical beast from the East Sea. After consuming it, it can enhance water-based spiritual energy and is most suitable for water-based awakened cultivators."

"The price is not expensive; each pack contains only one second-order crystal core."

A young Awakened One frowned and said, "The East Sea is in such chaos, won't this thing be problematic?"

The scarred middle-aged man grinned: "What's there to be afraid of when spiritual energy revives? If you want to become stronger, why be afraid of risks? Besides, this stuff has already been tested by others, and after taking it, their strength increased by at least 30%."

Upon hearing this, many people's eyes lit up with interest.

Just then, the warehouse door was suddenly pushed open.

A young man wearing a black trench coat walked in.

His face was expressionless, but the moment they saw him, many of the awakened individuals in the warehouse changed their expressions slightly.

"Chen Mo?"

The middle-aged man with the scar's eyes darkened.

Chen Mo glanced at the bone powder on the table and said calmly, "When did it become your place to sell such filthy stuff on Qinglian Society's territory?"

The scarred middle-aged man sneered: "Chairman Chen, the black market isn't something your Qinglian Society can control alone."

Chen Mo didn't waste any words.

He reached out and picked up a packet of bone powder, scanning it with his mental energy.

The next moment, his eyes suddenly turned cold. This was hardly a resource to enhance psionic energy.

It is clearly a polluted residue peeled from the body of the Black Tide Sea Beast. Once ingested, it may enhance water-based power in a short time, but it will not last long before the Black Tide erodes one's mind and spirit.

No one can say for sure what these users will become.

"Who delivered the goods to you?"

Chen Mo looked up, and the middle-aged man with the scar had a grim expression.

"What's it to you?"

Chen Mo raised his hand, and several green vines sprouted from the ground inside the warehouse, instantly wrapping around the limbs of the scarred middle-aged man.

"I'll ask you one more time, who gave you the goods?"

The middle-aged man with the scar struggled desperately, but as a third-level awakened being, he was unable to break free of the vines.

His face quickly turned deathly pale.

"It's the Hailing Group. Someone from them smuggled a batch of Kuroshio beast bones back from the East China Sea and promised to give us a share of the profits, asking us to help distribute the goods."

Chen Mo's gaze narrowed slightly. Hailing Group was one of the largest Awakened Merchant Guilds in Lingnan.

The other party was clearly aware that the Tide Bone Powder was problematic; they simply wanted to use ordinary Awakened as test subjects.

"Take all of these people away."

Chen Mo looked towards the door, where several members of the Qinglian Society quickly entered the warehouse. The scarred middle-aged man hurriedly shouted, "Chairman Chen, we're just selling goods; we didn't know this stuff would harm people!"

Chen Mo paused in his steps: "You don't know? Then go to the Pure Lotus Courtyard and see for yourself what kind of people your products will turn into."

……

Jinglian Temple.

The dim light of the Buddhist lamps flickered as Xuanku sat cross-legged in the center of the Buddhist hall, facing a young awakened individual who had consumed the Tide Bone Powder.

The other person was trembling all over, and fine black lines had appeared on his arms. His eyes were red and he kept muttering to himself.

"Water...I want to go into the water."

Xuan Ku raised his head: "Benefactor Chen."

Chen Mo placed the bone powder on the table: "The source has been found; Hailing Group is distributing the goods."

Xuan Ku looked at the bag of black powder, a cold glint in his eyes: "Amitabha, using living people to test medicine is a grave sin."

Chen Mo asked, "Is there any hope for this person?"

Xuan Ku did not answer immediately. He raised his hand, and a golden Buddhist seal landed on the young awakened one's brow.

The black tide pattern suddenly began to twist violently, and the young awakened one let out a shrill scream.

After a moment, Xuan Ku stopped and said, "The Tide Seed has just formed and can be saved, but purifying the pollution will require the spiritual materials of the Pure Lotus Academy."

"Tell his family that if they want to save people, they should exchange resources for it."

Chen Mo nodded.

Xuan Ku then asked, "What if we can't come up with the resources?"

Chen Mo said directly, "Sign a contract, let him accept the Azure Lotus Mark, the Pure Lotus Academy saved his life, and he will work for the Pure Lotus Academy afterwards."

Xuanku clasped his hands together and said, "Good."

He also had a plan in mind. This time, he and Chen Mo came to Hailing City, near Linjiang City, to set up a gang.

On the surface, they are an awakened force, but their real purpose is to infiltrate humanity and obtain information as soon as possible.

After all, in some respects, the Azure Lotus Forbidden Zone is inferior to humans, just in terms of technology and the like.

Some of these things are still quite useful.