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

Chu Zhou's roots trembled: "System, deduce the structure of the sacrificial stele."

[Analyzing the Jiyuan Stele.]

[The main sacrificial stele was detected to be connected to eleven sacrificial caves.]

[The core of the memorial stele: sixteen animal cores.]

Destroying nine beast cores will stop the altar from rotating for three breaths.

[Warning: The main memorial tablet must not be forcibly destroyed.]

[Consequences of the forced destruction: The remaining eleven Sacrificial Abyss Caves resonated prematurely, causing a large-scale outbreak of latent abyssal species.]

The strange stone patterns flickered violently: "Lotus Demon, and the monster below the sacrificial stele is not an ordinary Black Tide Beast either."

"It is a sacrificial spirit pieced together by the Lord of the Abyss using the flesh, blood, spirit cores, and remnant souls of countless beast kings. The sixteen beast cores on its chest are the final essence of the sixteen beast kings."

Chu Zhou looked at the giant black bear in the image: "Ironback's younger brother, is his soul still intact?"

Strange Stone said, "Judging from the current situation, there is still one wisp left. That wisp of divine soul is locked by the sacrificial stele and can only break free briefly when the sacrificial spirit is activated. If Ironback dies in front of it, the bloodline of the same origin will allow the sacrificial stele to complete the first round of beast sacrifice."

"At that time, all the strange beasts in Sichuan will be drawn by the Abyss Seed and become sacrifices to the Black Tide."

Chu Zhou Lianye stretched out and said, "Then let's not let it finish."

His roots landed on the Zhenyuan Emperor's Seal: "Black Tiger King".

Inside Duanyun Ridge.

Black Tiger King crawled up from the shattered rocks.

Half of its body was stained with blood, and its black fur was covered in dust. Upon hearing Chu Zhou's voice, it immediately lowered its head.

"Your subordinate is here."

Chu Zhou's voice traversed mountains and rivers, entering the Black Tiger King's consciousness: "The Sacrificial Spirit has sixteen beast cores in its chest. Destroy nine of them, and the Sacrificial Stele will stop rotating for three breaths."

"I will hold it down for three breaths for you. Whether you can rescue the beast beneath the sacrificial stele depends on you and Ironback."

The Black Tiger King's pupils shrank slightly.

Three breaths.

For a late-stage seventh-tier sacrificial spirit, it was just a snap of the fingers, yet it didn't hesitate for a moment.

"Your subordinate obeys."

……

Broken Cloud Ridge.

The black giant bear gradually walked towards the Ironback Bear King.

With each step it takes, the scarlet patterns on the memorial stele light up a little more.

The Ironback Bear King was trapped in the crumbling rocks.

Large sections of the armor on his back were torn open, and blood flowed freely.

The black bear looked down at it.

The Ironback Bear King braced itself against the ground with its paws.

It looked at the already distorted bear face and said in a low voice, "Iron Mountain, do you still recognize the way to Bear Ridge?"

The black giant bear paused in its movements.

Of the sixteen beast cores on its chest, one brown beast core trembled slightly.

next moment.

A large black tide surged from the memorial stele.

The beast core dimmed once more.

The black giant bear roared in fury, "I am not called Iron Mountain, I am the Spirit Sacrifice of Ten Thousand Beasts!"

boom!

Its giant paw slammed down.

The Ironback Bear King crossed its arms and withstood the blow.

The valley exploded.

A huge crater hundreds of meters deep was created by the collapse of the ground.

The Ironback Bear King's knees sank into the mud, and blood gushed from its mouth.

"You are Tieshan, the second-in-command of Xiongling. When you were a child, you stole honey and were stung by a swarm of bees, running all over the mountain."

"You got lost while fleeing with the bear cubs of Xiongling, but you are still Tieshan."

The giant black bear struggled frantically.

The brown beast core on its chest gleamed with a dazzling light. From deep within the sacrificial stele, a chilling voice roared, "Shut up! Kill it for me!"

The black giant bear's eyes were crimson, and its massive paws rose again.

Just now.

The Black Tiger King merged into the shadows.

All the shadows cast by the rocks, trees, and poisonous mist of Broken Cloud Ridge converged at the feet of the sacrificial spirit.

"Shadow Patrol".

hum!

A massive, dark array pattern emerged from beneath the black giant bear's feet.

Countless shadowy chains bound its limbs.

Black Tiger King said in a deep voice, "Black Tiger Guards, make your move."

"yes!"

Dozens of Black Tiger Guards burst out of the shadows.

They stopped attacking the sacrificial spirits and headed straight for the area beneath the sacrificial stele.

There, thousands of strange beasts were pinned to stone pillars by black bone spikes.

There were wolf cubs, mountain apes, spirit deer, giant bears, and many small beasts that had not yet transformed into human form.

On the chest of each of the strange beasts, a creature from the Abyss wriggled.

A black wolf bit into a bone spur and desperately tried to drag it away.

The moment the bone spur detaches from the body.

The young beast let out a mournful scream.

The abyss seed emerged from the wound, transforming into a black tentacle that coiled around the black wolf's neck.

puff!

The black panther pounced out of the shadows, smashing the tentacles with a single claw.

"Don't stop! The Tiger King said we must save them!"

……

The black bear was bound by shadow chains.

The sixteen beast cores on its chest lit up simultaneously.

Boom boom boom!

The lock connection broke.

The Black Tiger King stood at the edge of the shadows, his body crouched low.

It knew that its master's three breaths of suppression was its only chance.

next moment.

The sky suddenly darkened.

The projection of the black and gold imperial seal fell from above the clouds.

"town."

boom!

The black giant bear's massive body suddenly sank.

The crimson patterns flowing on the memorial stele also came to a standstill.

The Black Tiger King transformed into a streak of pitch-black light.

It didn't lunge at the sacrificial spirit's throat, but instead crashed directly into the sacrificial spirit's chest.

Black Tiger King's fur stood on end, and countless black claw marks appeared on his chest.

"Shadows patrol the realm, suppress the soul!"

hum!

The Black Tiger King's body transformed into countless shadows.

The shadows pierced through the flesh and blood of the sacrificial spirits and penetrated the sixteen beast cores.

The sacrificial spirit roared, "Get out!"

Blood trickled from the corner of the Black Tiger King's mouth.

Its soul was subjected to the onslaught of the remnants of the sixteen beast kings, and its consciousness was almost shattered.

Deep within the Kuroshio Current.

It heard that tempting voice again.

"Black Tiger, you belong to the shadows. Your master made you kill enemies for him and patrol the mountains and rivers for him."

"Do you really think it trusts you?"

The Black Tiger King raised his head in the darkness and said in a deep voice, "My master has never put chains on me."

"He only said that the south side of Black Dragon Mountain is entrusted to me. What I guard is not slave contract, but my own choice."

boom!

The Shadow Patrol Totem on the Black Tiger King's forehead erupted with a dark light.

The beast core on the black giant bear's chest exploded, creating a series of bloody holes. It frantically swung its giant paws, trying to kill the Black Tiger King.

With the Zhenyuan Emperor Seal pressing down on its head, it was extremely difficult for it to even raise its hand.

In no time at all, the Black Tiger King's fur was stained with blood.

Suddenly, Tieshan's remnant soul opened its eyes: "Big Brother!"

Its voice pierced through the black tide, and the Ironback Bear King's body trembled.

"Iron Mountain!"

The remnant soul of Tieshan looked at it and said, "Brother, don't save me anymore. Take the cubs of Xiongling home."

The sacrificial spirit roared, "No!"

The black tide within its chest surged wildly, attempting to suppress the remnant soul of Iron Mountain once more.

The Ironback Bear King rose from the ground, its back drenched in blood. For the first time, there was no hesitation in its bear eyes.

"Tieshan, brother will take you home."

boom!

The Ironback Bear King burned its bloodline, its feet crushing the valley, and it picked up huge rocks, turning them into a sky full of shooting stars.

"Bear Ridge, move the mountain!"

Hundreds of bear-like beasts charged in from the outer perimeter of Duanyun Ridge.

They lifted the boulder, smashed through the poisonous fog, and followed the Ironback Bear King towards the sacrificial spirit.

The ninth core on the black giant bear's chest shattered with a deafening roar.

Three breaths have passed.

The projection of the Zhenyuan Emperor's Seal began to fade.

The sacrificial spirit resumed its actions, and the Ironback Bear King had already rushed in front of it.

It opened its arms and hugged the black giant bear tightly.

The giant black bear struggled frantically.

More than ten bone spurs pierced the chest of the Ironback Bear King.

Blood gushed from the Ironback Bear King's mouth, yet it still dragged the sacrificial spirit toward the black sacrificial stele.

"My brother is not your sacrifice!"

Boom!

The sacrificial spirit and the sacrificial stele collided head-on.

The entire Broken Cloud Ridge trembled violently.

A huge crack appeared in the black memorial tablet.

The crimson bloodline went berserk instantly.

The black tide surged into the sky.

Bottom of Heilong Lake.

The strange stone said with a grim expression, "Lotus Demon, the sacrificial stele is about to explode!"

Nine lotus leaves of Chuzhou bloomed simultaneously.

"Since it wishes to sacrifice itself to all the beasts, then I will show it the will of all the beasts!"

hum!

Above Heilong Lake.

The enormous black and gold lotus pattern lit up once more.

Zhenhai Relic Island, Nanjiang Three Passes, and the outer sea of ​​Tokyo Bay.

Each mark of the Azure Lotus Pact responds simultaneously.

Chu Zhou's voice echoed throughout the mountains and rivers: "Those who are willing to keep the covenant with the Azure Lotus may borrow a wisp of my spiritual energy; those who are unwilling may refuse."

In the Black Dragon Mountain, all the beasts were the first to respond.

Little Golden Sparrow spread its wings: "Master, I'll lend you this sparrow!"

Lord Baishan stomped on the rocks, shouting, "White Tiger Ridge, I borrow your master!"

The Snowfield Wolf King howled to the sky: "The Northern Wolf Pack, borrow the Lord of the Azure Lotus!"

The Green-Backed Ape King clasped his fists together: "The Mountain Moving lineage borrows the power of mountains and rivers!"

Countless rays of light rose from all parts of the mountains and rivers.

They converged into a black-gold torrent spanning thousands of miles, rushing into the Duanyun Ridge in Sichuan.

"The Pact of the Azure Lotus, the Unity of All Beasts."

boom!

The black and gold lotus pattern fell.

The rampant crimson lines of blood on the memorial tablet were gradually suppressed.

The black tide tentacles tried to burrow into the bodies of the alien beasts, and a faint black-gold light appeared on each of the rescued beasts.

That was the response to the Green Lotus Pact.

They were not the kin of the Lord of the Azure Lotus, yet at this moment, they were willing to believe in the Azure Lotus that stood up for them.

boom!

The black altar collapsed completely.

The remnant soul of Tieshan emerged from the body of the sacrificial spirit.

It looked at the Ironback Bear King and let out a low growl.

It then transformed into a ball of brown spiritual light and landed in the palm of the Ironback Bear King.

The black giant bear lost the support of the sacrificial stele.

Its massive body crumbled inch by inch.

The remaining beast core within its body transformed into countless pure spiritual energies, which were then reintegrated into the Duanyunling ley lines.

[Ding! Successfully destroyed the outer node of the main sacrificial stele in the Sacrifice Cave.]

[Rescued 2376 alien beasts.]

[Gained 3200 million Beast Power.]

[Special Relic Obtained: King Beast Soul-Suppressing Bone.]

[The Black Tiger King, a member of the retinue, guarded his true nature within the Sacrifice Abyss Cave.]

[The Black Tiger King has broken through to the early stage of the seventh rank.]

[Awakened Ability: Shadow Suppression.]

The Ironback Bear King fulfilled its bloodline destiny.

[The Ironback Bear King has broken through to the mid-stage of the seventh rank.]

[Awakened Ability: Iron Mountain Moving.]

【warn! 】

[The remaining eleven sacrificial caves have entered an active state ahead of schedule due to the influence of the main sacrificial stele.]

[Fourth Spiritual Tide Countdown: 27 days.]

……

Inside Duanyun Ridge.

The black tide receded.

Thousands of strange beasts lay across the valley.

Some were severely injured, and some still had fragments of the Abyss Seed remaining in their bodies.

The Black Tiger Guards dragged their wounded bodies back and forth in the valley.

They did not devour the beast cores, nor did they compete for the spiritual materials.

Instead, they dragged the injured beasts out of the collapsed ground one by one.

The Ironback Bear King sat before the shattered sacrificial stele.

It held that ball of brown light in its palm.

In the luminous light, the faint silhouette of a young bear could be seen.

The remnant soul of Tieshan did not completely dissipate, but it was also unable to return to its physical body.

"Brother," Tieshan's voice was extremely soft, "How are the cubs from Xiongling?"

The Ironback Bear King lowered his head: "Very well, I will take them home."

A brown aura flickered and then merged into the chest of the Ironback Bear King.

On the iron armor pattern on the back of the Ironback Bear King, a new mountain pattern emerges, which is the last trace of its younger brother's will to guard the mountain.

Black Tiger King walked up to it: "Ironback."

The Ironback Bear King raised its head: "What should we do with these strange beasts?"

The Black Tiger King looked at the strange beasts that had just escaped from their traps in the valley.

They come from different mountains and different ethnic groups.

Some were wary, some were fearful, and some still had the shadow of the Black Tide lingering in their eyes.

Black Tiger King remained silent for a moment.

Then, it lowered its head towards Heilong Lake.

"Master, please grant my request."

Chu Zhou's voice echoed throughout the entire Broken Cloud Ridge.

"Those who wish to return to their original mountain forests may leave on their own; those who have nowhere to go may enter Xiongling to recuperate."

"Those who wish to keep the promise of Qinglian, may remain."

"Those who are unwilling will not be forced to stay."

The valley was quiet.

A moment later, a wolf that had lost half an ear struggled to its feet and lay down in the direction of Black Dragon Lake.

"The wolf pack has nowhere to go, but they are willing to keep their promise to Qinglian."

Immediately afterwards, one after another, the strange beasts lowered their heads.

They do not submit to power.

Instead, in dire straits, they saw for the first time a path that required neither slavery nor sacrifice.

Bottom of Heilong Lake.

Chu Zhou's roots stirred.

A black-gold battle token traveled across mountains and rivers and landed between the eyebrows of the Black Tiger King.

[Ding! Black Tiger King, a subordinate, has obtained the Abyss Patrol Battle Order.]

[Promotion: Azure Lotus Patrol Envoy]

[Responsibilities: Patrol the Black Tide, the Sacrifice Abyss Cave, and anomalous ley lines.]

The Black Tiger King sensed the battle order between his eyebrows.

It knelt on one knee: "Black Tiger, thank you for your command, Master."

Chu Zhou said, "I'll temporarily entrust Sichuan and Shu to you and Tiebei to rescue the beast, suppress the abyss, and kill the Black Tide."

"Anyone who dares to cause trouble in the Sacrifice Cave, whether human or beast, shall be killed."

"Yes, sir!"

……

Bottom of Heilong Lake.

The strange stone trembled as it looked at the King Beast Soul-Suppressing Bone that emerged from the Zhenyuan Emperor Seal.

"The bones of the Rift-Mountain Black Bear."

Chu Zhou asked, "The Mountain-Splitting Black Bear?"

The strange stone said in a deep voice, "In the old days, it was the king beast of the southwestern mountains, and at its peak, it stepped into the realm of kings."

"It once ruled over all the beasts of Sichuan and fought against the Lord of Abyss for hundreds of years."

"Later, the King's Seal was destroyed by the Lord of the Abyss, and he was nailed to the Sacrifice Abyss Cave, where he was forged into the first Beast Sacrifice Node."