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

Black Tiger King took the supplies and disappeared back into the mountains.

Outside the boundary marker, the Ninth Bureau's transport team did not linger.

Wang Jun led his men to retreat thirty miles away before turning back for a final look.

Under the cover of night, the direction of Duanyunling remained shrouded in darkness.

But the oppressive, chilling spiritual pressure that made it hard to breathe finally faded considerably.

……

Deep in the mountains and forests.

Black Tiger King placed boxes of spiritual materials on the flat ground.

The black panther with the severed tail was carried to the foot of a tree by several black wolves, the bony spear-like aura around its wound still lingering.

A black wolf looked at the potions and whispered, "Tiger King, are these things the humans sent us us usable?"

Black Tiger King remained silent for a moment.

It took out a Soul Cleansing Stone and pressed it onto the wound on the shoulder of the black panther with the broken tail.

Noisy!

The dark gray aura emerged from the wound, fell to the ground, and instantly corroded a shallow pit.

The black panther with the broken tail let out a muffled groan, but its breathing gradually calmed down.

The Black Tiger King retracted its claws.

"Anything that can save lives can be used, but you must remember the boundary markers. They won't cross the boundary, and neither will we."

The numerous Black Tiger Guards bowed low: "As the Tiger King commands."

Black Tiger King gazed deeper into Broken Cloud Ridge.

The Desolate Bone Shattered Realm was destroyed.

However, the remnant of the realm-suppressing intent it obtained from the Rift Mountain Black Bear still lingers deep within its consciousness.

It could sense that the mountains and rivers of Sichuan were not truly at peace.

Some things, however, have temporarily retreated into the darkness.

……

Three days later.

The outer perimeter of Heilong Lake.

Above the Soul-Suppressing Platform of Ten Thousand Beasts, the black and gold lotus pattern slowly rotated.

After operating continuously for several days, the light on the Soul Suppressing Platform had dimmed somewhat.

Strange rocks stand before the ancient city's stone steps, their patterns shimmering.

"The souls of 30,000 beasts from Sichuan have returned to the mountains, and the Soul-Suppressing Platform has consumed a great deal of spiritual energy. It can still suppress the souls of Abyss Seeds below the seventh rank, but if something like a Boundary Nail or a Priest's Stele appears, a single Soul-Suppressing Platform will not be able to protect the entire land."

Chu Zhou's roots landed on the array patterns at the bottom of the lake: "Then let the beast hordes that uphold the oath continue to stabilize the earth's veins."

The strange stone snorted coldly and said, "You seem to be in no hurry."

Chu Zhoulianye swayed gently: "What's the use of rushing? The fourth spiritual tide hasn't even truly arrived yet, but the enemy has already begun to make their move. The more critical the moment, the less we can afford to panic."

Outside Heilong Mountain.

A new black-gold boundary line emerged; this was not an expansion of the restricted area, but rather a buffer zone drawn by the Azure Lotus Restricted Area.

All herds of animals leaving the restricted area must be inspected.

All alien beasts attempting to approach Black Dragon Mountain must first stop outside the boundary.

Baishan Jun guards Beiling.

The Snowfield Wolf King led his pack on a patrol of the northern frontier.

Little Jinbao swept through the clouds, its golden feathers scattering across the mountains and forests.

The beasts of Black Dragon Lake began to understand.

From now on, the land will no longer be a place where whoever has the biggest fist can trespass at will.

If you want to stay, then follow the rules; if you want to cause trouble, then get out.

……

Linjiang City.

The Ninth Bureau: Awakened Academy

At six o'clock in the morning, a rapid bell rang over the college.

On the playground, thousands of students lined up in square formations.

Many people were unaware of what had happened, only noticing that more than a dozen Ninth Division officers had appeared in front of the podium.

The college dean, Han Lie, stood on the high platform, holding a new set of regulations in his hand.

"Effective today, the academy's practical training system is being changed; the course on hunting alien beasts is being cancelled."

The crowd immediately stirred.

A senior student frowned and said, "Dean, if we don't kill the beasts, are we just going to wait for them to kill us?"

Han Lie looked at the student: "The academy did not cancel combat courses, but rather practical training aimed at hunting."

"Starting today, five new courses will be added: restricted area defense, black tide identification, beast herd driving away, ley line rescue, and crack treatment."

"You will face more than just one or two strange beasts in the future."

Han Lie raised his hand.

The large screen behind me lit up.

In the image, a dark gray crack in Duanyun Ridge tears the earth apart.

Nine beast soul locks traverse the wasteland.

Thirty thousand beast souls struggled silently in the darkness.

The noise on the playground gradually faded away.

"If the Sichuan-Shu border nail is firmly planted, the first thing to be destroyed will not be the forbidden zone, but the human city."

"They are your parents, family members, and classmates, so you must learn to distinguish whether the person in front of you is an enemy or a being used by the enemy."

Han Lie's voice echoed across the playground: "This is not weakness, this is the ability to survive."

In the square formation.

Lin Qingxue stared quietly at the screen.

Beneath her bodice, the blue lotus mark felt slightly warm.

The warmth was very light, like some distant resonance.

Chen Xueli stood beside her and said in a low voice, "This time, the academy is really going to change."

Lin Qingxue nodded: "The outside world has changed too."

Chen Xueli remained silent. She had once thought that becoming a high-level Awakened meant slaying even stronger alien beasts.

But the Battle of Duanyunling taught her a lesson.

When a real crisis arrives, a seventh-tier beast king may not be the most terrifying thing.

The most terrifying things are those hidden behind the ley lines, ancient ruins, and black tides, which could drag a city into the abyss at any moment.

That afternoon.

The underground conference room of the Ninth Bureau branch.

Zhou Zhenshan sat at the end of the long table.

On the table is Lin Qingxue's special file.

The first page of the file contains only one line of text.

[Holder of the Azure Lotus Mark, subject of observation for the Mountain and River Resonance.]

One of the researchers spoke up: "Director Zhou, when the Sichuan-Shu border nails erupted, the mark inside Lin Qingxue's body showed two abnormal reactions. Should we arrange for more in-depth testing?"

Zhou Zhenshan raised his hand: "You can test her, but you are not allowed to extract the source of the mark, conduct soul experiments, or use her as a tool to communicate with the Azure Lotus Forbidden Zone."

The researcher hesitated, then said, "But her mark might help us discover unusual ley lines in advance."

Zhou Zhenshan said in a calm voice, "That depends on her own willingness. The Ninth Inning is about protecting people, not turning them into tools."

The meeting room fell silent.

A moment later, Lin Qingxue and Chen Xueli walked into the conference room together.

Zhou Zhenshan looked at Lin Qingxue and said, "Qingxue, the mark in your body is related to Black Dragon Lake. The Ninth Bureau has always known this. In the future, it may bring danger or serve as a warning. You can refuse to participate."

Lin Qingxue was silent for a moment: "Director Zhou, I am willing to cooperate with the observation, but I don't want to use it to gain any special status."

"I don't want to make decisions for either party because of it."

Zhou Zhenshan nodded: "Okay."

Chen Xueli stood beside her and said, "She's in charge of sensing, and I'm in charge of protecting her."

Zhou Zhenshan looked at Chen Xueli and asked, "You want to join the Earth Vein Practical Training Class?"

Chen Xueli nodded: "Before, I wanted to be the sharpest knife in the Ninth Bureau. Now, I want to be the one who can bring people back."

Zhou Zhenshan paused for a moment, then said, "Approved."

……

Two days later.

Northern suburbs of Linjiang City.

Abandoned bluestone mine.

The first batch of students from the academy's geomantic training team arrived at the outskirts of the mining area.

This used to be the largest spirit stone mine in Linjiang City.

After the third spiritual tide, the spiritual energy of the mineral veins was depleted, and the mines were sealed off. Now, low-level alien beasts have been rioting one after another on the outskirts of the mining area.

Han Lie, accompanied by several instructors, stood on a high place: "This training mission involves identifying the remnants of the Black Tide, sealing off the mine tunnels, and rescuing the two trapped patrol teams."

"No attacking the beasts is permitted without orders."

A senior student named Du Feng scoffed, "You can't kill a monster even if it charges right at your face?"

Chen Xueli glanced at him: "If you can't tell the difference between a beast charging at your face and a beast running away, you should quit the training program as soon as possible."

Du Feng's face darkened, but before he could retort...

From deep within the mining area, a mournful roar suddenly echoed.

boom!

The abandoned mine tunnel was blasted open.

A fourth-order red-horned deer burst out from the rubble.

Its horns were stained with blood, and its body was shrouded in a faint black mist. It smashed through several warning posts along the way.

Many students' expressions changed drastically.

"Black Tide Beast, activate the formation!"

Du Feng was the first to raise his psionic gun: "Keeping this thing around is just asking for trouble!"

"stop!"

Lin Qingxue suddenly felt a burning pain in her chest.

The blue lotus mark shone faintly through the hem of the garment.

After the red-horned deer rushed out of the mine tunnel, it did not attack the students.

It paced restlessly in place, its front hooves pawing the ground, as if something deep in the mine was chasing it.

Lin Qingxue clutched her chest: "It's not trying to attack, it's trying to escape."

Du Feng gritted his teeth and said, "It's covered in black tide; who knows if it will go out of control at any moment?"

Chen Xueli stepped in front of Lin Qingxue and said, "Form a formation to seal off the left and right sides. Don't let it push towards the city."

The dozen or so trainees were stunned for a moment.

Chen Xueli shouted sternly, "Don't you understand? Form the formation!"

The psionic banner was planted in the ground.

The red-horned deer was trapped in the center but did not attack the front line.

It suddenly lowered its head and crashed heavily to the ground.

boom!

The rubble exploded.

A wisp of black mist emerged from its abdomen, transforming into tiny tentacles that crawled out of the mine tunnel.

The lotus pattern on Lin Qingxue's chest lit up.

She finally saw it clearly.

The black tide inside that red-horned deer hadn't just appeared.

Rather, it was forced out by something deep within the mine.

"Chen Xueli, don't let it get into the mine tunnel!"

Chen Xueli raised her hand and waved it down: "Soul Cleansing Lamp, activate!"

Several silver lamps lit up at the same time.

A gentle light enveloped the red-horned deer.

The black tentacles thrashed wildly, trying to burrow back into its body.

The red-horned deer let out a painful cry, its hooves went weak, and it knelt down among the rubble.

Du Feng gripped the gun, his face grim.

He looked at the trembling beast but ultimately did not pull the trigger.

hum!

The Azure Lotus Mark trembled once more.

A brief image flashed through Lin Qingxue's mind.

Deep within the dark mine tunnels.

A dried-up riverbed runs through the city from beneath.

At the end of the riverbed, half of an ancient stone tablet lies buried in the silt.

On the stone tablet, four blurry ancient characters are faintly visible.

Linjiang Ancient Ferry.

The image disappeared.

Lin Qingxue's face paled slightly, and Chen Xueli supported her.

"What did you see?"

Lin Qingxue looked towards the abandoned mine.

"It seems like something down there is about to wake up."

At the same time.

Linjiang City.

Dozens of psionic watchtowers flashed simultaneously.

The next second, all the lights in the city suddenly went out.