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

As the words fell, at the bottom of Black Dragon Lake, in the underground ancient city, the stone patterns on the strange rocks shimmered.

He spoke, saying, "Sacrifice to the Abyss Cave."

Chu Zhou's lotus leaves stirred slightly: "You recognize him?"

The strange stone said, "In the old days, the Abyss Erosion lineage was not only good at polluting the earth's veins, but they would also choose places where strange beasts gathered, bury Abyss Seeds, and erect sacrificial monuments."

"When a strange beast swallows an Abyss Seed, it will become stronger in the early stages, and may even be able to break through its realm with the help of the Black Tide."

"But when the spiritual tide is at its peak, the Abyss Seed will drain their flesh, blood, spiritual core, and soul."

"Lotus Demon, when the fourth spiritual tide arrives, the spiritual energy of heaven and earth will experience a surge."

"At that time, all the Abyss Seeds hidden within the bodies of the strange beasts will awaken simultaneously. The Lord of Abyss Eclipse wants to use the essence of all beasts to break through the seal."

Chu Zhou looked at the Iron-Backed Bear King: "How many strange beasts are there in the ancient caves of Sichuan?"

The Iron-Backed Bear King said, "There are at least several thousand of them, and many of them are descendants of beast kings who have gone missing from various parts of Sichuan."

In the ancient underground city, the strange stone sneered: "In the eyes of the Lord of the Abyss, all living beings are food for the flesh. Whether they are humans or strange beasts, as long as they cannot submit, they are all sacrifices."

Chu Zhou directly said to the system, "System, deduce the ancient caves of Sichuan for me."

[Deductions are being made based on the remaining aura of the Ironback Bear King.]

hum!

A landscape projection appeared on the virtual screen that only Chu Zhou could see.

Deep in the mountains of Sichuan.

A black valley shrouded in poisonous fog year-round comes into view.

Below the valley, the earth's veins appeared to have been pierced by something, splitting open dozens of dark fissures.

One of the gaps is the deepest.

A huge black stone tablet can be vaguely seen.

Countless strange beast skeletons coiled around the stone tablet.

[The Abyss Altar has been detected.]

[Target Level: Tier 8 (Maximum)]

[Warning: The altar is secretly connected to several habitats of strange beasts.]

Preliminary estimates suggest the existence of twelve sacrificial caves within the Dragon Kingdom.

Heilong Lake was deathly silent.

Twelve locations—this means that the Lord of the Abyss is not targeting a single place or mountain, but rather all the alien beasts with the potential to grow in the entire landscape.

Chu Zhou's voice was calm: "Black Tiger King."

"Your subordinate is here."

"Take the Black Tiger Guards and accompany the Iron-Backed Bear King to Sichuan. First, investigate the ancient cave. If you find a sacrificial stele, destroy it without waiting for my order."

Black Tiger King bowed his head: "Your subordinate obeys."

Chu Zhou then said, "Golden Bud Queen Bee."

The beehives far away in Changbai Mountain vibrated.

Golden pollen, projected through the earth's veins, condensed into the phantom image of the queen bee.

"Owner."

"Send swarms of bees to follow and search for the remaining Sacrifice Caves. If any Abyss Seeds, Black Stones, or Sacrifice Steles are found, immediately send a message."

"Your subordinate obeys."

Finally, Chu Zhou looked at Bai Shan Jun, the Green-backed Ape King, and the Snowfield Wolf King.

"Lord Baishan, continue to guard Black Dragon Mountain."

"Qingbei, return to the Qinling Mountains and continue to guard the Qinling ley lines."

"Snowfield Wolf King, the northern front is yours. Any remnants of the Spirit Hunter Society or the remaining members of the Spirit Devourers who dare to approach Black Dragon Mountain will be dealt with severely."

Lord Baishan roared, "White Tiger Ridge obeys its master's command!"

The Blue-backed Ape King clasped his fists together and respectfully said, "I will obey my master's orders."

Chu Zhoulianye swayed gently: "Go."

Black Tiger King turned and walked down the platform, with Iron-Backed Bear King following closely behind.

The two beast kings, one black and one brown, led the Black Tiger Guards and hundreds of bear beasts towards Sichuan.

Little did they know that this journey would lead them to witness the most brutal animal sacrifice of the old era.

Meanwhile, in the Hexi Corridor.

Black Sand Ancient City, inside the white sanctuary.

The Covenant Code hangs in mid-air, its pages moving without wind.

Page after page of platinum text crumbled.

Instead, a black and gold lotus pattern appeared, pressing down on the mountains.

Beneath the lotus pattern, all beasts prostrate themselves, with the white tiger and the black tiger standing side by side.

The Green-backed Ape King, the Snowfield Wolf King, and the Iron-backed Bear King all made agreements with Black Dragon Lake.

The twelve white-robed holy guards stood in the hall, their expressions all becoming solemn.

A holy guard spoke up: "Holy Son, the Lord of the Azure Lotus is using the forbidden zone as a boundary and the mountains and rivers as a pact, and is currently gathering exotic beasts."

Lu Shengbai sat at the end of the sanctuary.

He stared at the three ironclad laws that appeared on the legal code and remained silent for a long time.

"The Lord of the Azure Lotus is not gathering the strange beasts, but setting rules for them."

One of the guards frowned and said, "Isn't this a good thing?"

Lu Shengbai raised his hand, and platinum flames burned in his palm.

"It's a good thing that the alien beasts are willing to abide by the rules, but their rules only belong to the Azure Lotus Forbidden Zone. It acknowledges that the alien beasts have territory, that they can kill intruders, and that they are not bound by the constraints of humans and the Holy Covenant Sect."

"Today it is the forbidden zone of Qinglian, tomorrow it may be the Qinling Mountains, Sichuan, or Changbai Mountain."

The church fell silent.

Lu Shengbai looked at the black and gold lotus pattern, and the white and gold vertical lines in his eyes slowly lit up.

"Order cannot be determined by the will of a single powerful being, whether it is human or beast. If a beast only abides by the covenant of the Lord of the Azure Lotus and not the covenant of the world, it will eventually turn into another disaster."

A Holy Guard whispered, "But the Lord of the Azure Lotus suppressed and killed the Overturning Sea Dragon King, severely injured the Spirit Devourer, and also killed the Spirit Hunter Society at Black Dragon Lake."

"It does not condone the rampage of strange beasts."

Lu Shengbai said calmly, "I know that, which is why I must personally go to Lingnan."

He stood up, his platinum robes fluttering even without wind.

"He tore up the Holy Covenant of the Son, and now, with a grand assembly of beasts, He is proving His rules to the world."

"Then this holy son will go and see whether His way can bear the weight of all souls."

The twelve Holy Guards bowed in unison: "We are willing to follow the Holy Son."

……

Two days later.

Outside Heilong Mountain.

A white holy light stretched across the sky from the northwest.

The clouds were sliced ​​open by platinum light.

Lu Shengbai arrived, stepping through the air.

Twelve Holy Guards stood in rows behind him, each carrying a platinum longsword.

They didn't cross the boundary marker of the restricted area, but they also didn't conceal their presence.

The oppressive aura of the peak early stage of the eighth rank, like a bright sun, enveloped the outer perimeter of Black Dragon Mountain.

Many low-level beasts involuntarily lowered their bodies.

Even fifth-tier beasts felt their spiritual energy circulation sluggish.

Little Golden Treasure swooped down from the clouds, its golden feathers spreading out to block the Holy Guard's path.

"Black Dragon Mountain Restricted Area, those approaching, state your identities!"

Lu Shengbai looked at Xiao Jinbao and said, "Lu Shengbai of the Holy Covenant Sect, come to see the Lord of the Azure Lotus."

Before he finished speaking, Bai Shanjun leaped down from the northern mountain ridge.

boom!

The enormous white tiger's body landed beside the boundary marker.

Although the Black Tiger King has left, dozens of shadow leopards and black wolves still lurk in the forest of Black Tiger Ridge.

The Green-Backed Ape King stood on a distant stone peak, his fists clenched to the ground, and the mountain-bearing patterns on his back slowly lit up.

The Snowfield Wolf King led his pack, standing quietly on the other side of the mountain path.

In a short time.

Outside Black Dragon Mountain, the Beast Kings gathered.

All the strange beasts could sense it.

The power emanating from this white-haired human lacked the malevolent nature of the Black Tide, yet it instinctively made them uncomfortable.

It was as if the other party didn't want to talk to them, but rather to make them obey.

From the center of the lake.

The projection of the nine-petaled blue lotus rises.

Chu Zhou's voice echoed through the mountains: "Lu Shengbai, you come to my mountain gate with the aura of a holy covenant that suppresses strange beasts. What exactly do you want?"

Lu Shengbai raised his head and said, "Lord of the Azure Lotus, this Holy Son has no intention of being an enemy of Black Dragon Lake."

"I, the Holy Son, have come today to discuss the Dao with you."

Chu Zhou said calmly, "There's nothing to discuss between us."

Lu Shengbai said, "You give the beasts freedom, but you don't let them accept the complete Holy Covenant. You make them guard the mountains and rivers, but you don't let them be truly bound."

"Today, all the beasts of Black Dragon Lake uphold your promise because you are strong."

"But if one day you leave Lingnan, who can guarantee they won't turn against humanity and devour each other?"

Chu Zhou sneered inwardly and said indifferently, "So you want them to sign your holy covenant?"

Lu Shengbai nodded and smiled, making no attempt to hide his inner hypocrisy: "The Holy Covenant does not distinguish between humans and beasts. Those who accept the Holy Covenant are both protected by the rules and bound by them."

Chu Zhou laughed: "That sounds nice, but your so-called holy covenant requires first inscribing a platinum mark on their souls?"

Lu Shengbai did not deny it, but admitted, "Without a mark, how can there be any restraint?"