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

On the global psionic channel, the live broadcast showed Mount Etna still shaking.

The rubble from the collapse of the Ash Sanctuary continued to roll down the crater.

Above the Hundred Mile Ash Forbidden Zone, the layer of gray-white clouds that had covered the area for many years and which even satellites could not completely penetrate was gradually dissipating.

The sun shone on the earth again, but everyone watching the live broadcast felt as if a mountain was pressing down on their hearts.

They saw it with their own eyes.

An eighth-tier Soul Devourer, possessing the Ash Holy Court and controlling the Hundred-Mile Forbidden Zone, is on his home turf.

As a result, the Azure Lotus of Black Dragon Lake, separated by thousands of miles of mountains and seas, shattered the Spirit Devouring Ring with a single blow, severely injuring the victim and forcing him to flee.

This is no longer a matter of strength or weakness.

From this day forward, all forces that oppose the Azure Lotus Forbidden Zone must consider one thing.

Is my rear safe or not?

……

America.

In the Pentagon's underground conference room, a huge projection screen is playing footage of Mount Etna on a loop.

The Nine-Leaf Green Lotus arrived from nowhere, while the Black Gold Imperial Seal suppressed the volcano.

Cassian's chest exploded, and he fled into the stone gate in a sorry state.

A dozen high-ranking U.S. officials, the head of the Psionics Agency, military generals, and several representatives from top financial groups sat at the conference table.

Everyone's expression was extremely grim. A silver-haired general said in a deep voice, "Is it confirmed? The Lord of the Azure Lotus has remained in Lingnan of the Dragon Kingdom and has not moved?"

The head of the Psionic Bureau nodded: "Confirmed. Based on satellite psionic trajectory calculations, the Lord of Sunshine's cross-domain projection this time spans at least tens of thousands of miles."

"His attack was not a simple long-range psionic projection, but rather it directly targeted the leyline nodes of Mount Etna by following the array patterns and contamination traces left by Cassian."

Silence fell over the meeting room. Someone couldn't help but speak up: "So, in other words, as long as we leave traces of psionic energy within the Dragon Kingdom's territory, or participate in polluting the ley lines, he might be able to find us by following those traces?"

"Theoretically, that's correct."

The head of the Psionics Bureau pulled up another set of data: "In addition, the Devouring Ring itself has the characteristic of devouring eighth-order psionic energy, which Cassian used to suppress several high-level European Awakeners."

"But the power of the Zhenyuan Emperor Seal does not belong to pure spiritual energy."

"It's more like a rule: the more spirit-devouring rings it absorbs, the faster it cracks."

A representative from the conglomerate frowned and asked, "Where are our space-based psionic cannons?"

The head of the Psionics Agency said, "Whether a direct attack on the Azure Lotus Forbidden Zone can hit the Azure Lotus Lord is uncertain for the time being. However, what is certain is that as long as it is not killed in one blow, all bases, ruins, and cities within the United States that control high-level psionic nodes may be subject to its cross-domain counterattack."

"And we don't have a second Cassian."

The moment those words were spoken, the conference room fell completely silent. The old man sitting at the top of the table stared at the slowly fading blue-silver lotus shadow on the screen.

After a long pause, he asked, "If the Lord of the Azure Lotus wants to descend upon the United States, how long will it take?"

The head of the Psionic Bureau's Adam's apple bobbed: "If we have the coordinates, it will take a few minutes. If we don't have the coordinates, but we take the initiative to attack the Dragon Kingdom and leave a trace of psionic energy, it might be even faster."

The old man closed his eyes. His original plan to restrict the rise of the Dragon Kingdom's spiritual energy through the South China Sea, island nations, and European powers was immediately scrapped.

Because the Lord of the Azure Lotus is not a beast that can be kept in captivity, negotiated with, or intimidated.

He is a true guardian within the Dragon Kingdom, capable of conducting cross-continental reckoning.

A moment later, the old man opened his eyes: "Immediately issue a statement condemning the Ash Temple for using the Abyssal Nails to pollute the global ley lines. Acknowledge the Nine-Leaf Azure Lotus's contribution to suppressing the Overturning Sea Dragon King and severely injuring Cassian."

"besides."

He glanced at a deep-sea project leader who had remained silent in the corner: "Project Deep Blue, start ahead of schedule."

The man lowered his head and said, "Is the target still the ruined Moon Palace Island in the Pacific Ocean?"

"right."

The old man's voice was deep: "The Lord of the Azure Lotus is growing too fast. The Moon Palace Imperial Gold must not fall into his hands."

"We don't need to go to war with Him immediately, but we must find something that can check and balance Him."

……

European countries reacted faster than the United States.

After Cassian was seriously injured and fled.

The Soul-Devouring Knights, Grey-Robed Priests, and heretical sects, who were originally subservient to the Ash Temple, are now in complete chaos.

They once believed that Cassian was the strongest being in Europe, the master who could devour all spirits and establish the Ash Kingdom.

However, their master is now being suppressed remotely by the Lord of the Azure Lotus, and even half of the Ash Holy Court has been destroyed.

In an instant, countless Ash Believers scattered and fled.

Italy has imposed a lockdown on Mount Etna, while Nordic countries have begun a large-scale crackdown on forces within their borders associated with the Soul Ring.

Even some financial groups that had secretly funded the Ash Temple cut off all contact immediately.

They dared not gamble, in case the Lord of the Azure Lotus followed the trail of the Ash Holy Court and traced it back to them.

No one could bear the weight of that black gold imperial seal, and the countries surrounding the South China Sea were also completely shocked by the death of the Sea-Overturning Dragon King.

That old dragon had been entrenched in the South China Sea for many years, swallowing fishing boats, destroying islands, and ruining psionic bases. Countless countries had sent fleets and high-level awakened individuals to besiege it, but they had never been able to do anything about it.

Now, the corpse of the Overturning Sea Dragon King is nailed to the deepest part of the trench by nine lotus blades.

Tens of thousands of aquatic beasts under its command scattered and fled, and the South China Sea shipping lanes that were once shrouded by the Kuroshio Current returned to calm.

That night.

The Dragon Kingdom's General Bureau of Psionic Energy received seventeen cross-border communication requests, all with almost identical content.

Willing to share information about the Moon Palace ruins, willing to assist in eradicating the remnants of the Soul Devourers, and willing to acknowledge the Dragon Kingdom's leading role in the South China Sea purification operation.

Faced with these applications, Zhou Zhenshan did not make a decision for the Lord of the Azure Lotus; he simply issued a brief statement through the global psionic channel.

"The Dragon Kingdom does not interfere in the internal affairs of other countries, but who dares to use pollution, ley lines, and relics as weapons to endanger the Dragon Kingdom's territory and the land where humans live?"

"You'll see it in the Azure Lotus Forbidden Zone."

……

Four Nine Cities.

The highest conference room of the Psionic Authority.

Two battle scenes were playing on the huge screen.

One section describes how the Overturning Sea Dragon King was bound by four black and gold chains, forcibly stripping away the power of the South China Sea's earth veins.

The other part is about Cassian being smashed into the depths of Mount Etna by the Zhenyuan Emperor Seal.

Inside the conference room sat representatives from the Chinese military, the Psionic Bureau, the Institute of Relics, and several high-ranking Awakened.

Old Ye sat at the very front, looking at the screen, and said:

"Starting today, the role of the Lord of the Azure Lotus will continue to change."

An elderly military officer nodded: "Indeed, He is no longer just the master of the Black Dragon Lake forbidden zone."

"It is not simply a high-level alien beast that cooperates with the Dragon Kingdom. The power it wields can suppress the earth's veins, project across domains, and purify the Abyss Erosion."

"For the Dragon Kingdom, it is a force that safeguards the nation's destiny."

"For the whole world, He is the most uncontrollable and the most unprovoked being at this stage."

Someone whispered, "The Moon Palace Emperor Gold is about to be born. The United States, Europe, the alien sea creatures, and the remnants of the Ash Holy Court will all be eyeing it."

"If the Lord of the Azure Lotus obtains the Moon Palace Imperial Gold, his strength will likely continue to increase."

The atmosphere in the conference room was heavy. The strengthening of the Azure Lotus Lord was a good thing for the Dragon Kingdom, but his power also meant that the entire planet would enter a new order.

The core of this order is not necessarily a particular country, but rather the Qinglian Forbidden Zone.