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

Gu Changfeng panicked completely.

He never imagined that this usually taciturn, even somewhat timid, middle-aged man from the Iron Mountain Gate would become so insane before his death.

"Let go, you bastard, let go of me!"

Gu Changfeng roared, his internal energy erupting wildly as he punched the middle-aged man again and again.

Bang bang bang!

The fists pounded on Gu Changfeng's shoulders and back, making his bones crack, but the middle-aged man was like a madman, his hands tightly gripping Gu Changfeng's waist, his fingers even digging into his clothes.

Blood kept flowing down the corner of his mouth, but his laughter grew more and more manic.

"Hahaha, scared now?"

"Gu Changfeng, didn't you say the weak deserve to die? Today I'll show you that even a small sect can drag you down with them."

Zhao Tiancheng's face was extremely ugly, and he glanced back.

The swarm of bees was approaching, the sky seemed to be pressed down by dark clouds, and the dense, venomous bees emitted a chilling buzzing sound.

Further away, a massive golden figure turned its head, and Little Golden Treasure's icy golden eyes locked onto this spot.

Even though they were hundreds of meters apart, the oppressive aura of that third-tier life form made Zhao Tiancheng's hair stand on end.

"No, we'll all die if we don't leave now!"

Zhao Tiancheng gritted his teeth and turned to run without hesitation.

"Zhao Tiancheng, save me!"

Gu Changfeng's face turned deathly pale, and he roared angrily, but Zhao Tiancheng didn't even turn his head: "Brother Gu, don't blame me, you hold them off for a while!"

Gu Changfeng was completely stunned. They had just joined forces to sell out the people of Tieshanmen, and now, it was his turn to be sold out.

"Grass!"

Gu Changfeng's eyes were bloodshot as he struggled frantically.

"Zhao Tiancheng, you bastard!"

Before he could finish speaking, a sharp bird's cry rang out from the sky, a sudden gust of wind arose, trees were violently bent, and broken leaves flew everywhere.

The middle-aged man looked up and suddenly smiled; he had seen it.

The giant golden bird with a wingspan of over ten meters was swooping down at a despairing speed.

Like a falling sun, carrying an irresistible pressure.

Gu Changfeng felt a chill run through his body.

"No...no!"

He frantically unleashed his inner energy, trying to break free, but the middle-aged man used his last bit of strength to hold him tightly.

"Haha, Gu Changfeng, let's hit the road together."

boom!

A fierce wind swept through, and Xiao Jinbao landed with a thud. The terrifying shockwave directly overturned a large area of ​​soil, and Gu Changfeng felt as if his breath had stopped.

Only when he got close did he truly feel the terror of the third-tier beast; the pressure from its life level almost made him unable to move.

Little Jinbao lowered his head, his golden pupils sweeping over the two with a hint of disdain, his mental fluctuations carrying a touch of arrogance: "Humans, how interesting, you started fighting yourselves first."

It tilted its head and looked at the middle-aged man covered in blood.

"You're not bad, at least you're more pleasing to the eye than that backstabber."

Gu Changfeng's face turned deathly pale.

"Senior, it's a misunderstanding, all a misunderstanding. I'm from the Qingcheng Sect. I can compensate you—crystal cores, resources, cultivation techniques..."

Before he could finish speaking, a dark shadow suddenly flashed past. Dozens of poisonous bees had already swarmed down. Gu Changfeng screamed and swung his sword, unleashing a burst of energy as he desperately tried to defend himself.

However, he was already exhausted and was held back. After a few breaths, his body began to sway. Little Jinbao attacked again, turning into a golden light that split Gu Changfeng in two.

The body lay in a pool of blood. Gu Changfeng would never have imagined that he would die such a pathetic death.

In the distance, in the center of the lake, Chu Zhou quietly watched this scene.

The lotus swayed gently, but his heart remained unmoved: "I went into the mountains for profit, and betrayed my comrades to save my own life."

"As expected, after the spiritual energy recovered, humans are more dangerous than the strange beasts."

at the same time.

System notifications kept ringing.

[Defeat a human Awakened One, Evolution Points +800]

[Defeat a Tier 2 early-stage Awakened being, Evolution Points +1500]

[Defeat a Tier 1 Peak Awakened Being, Evolution Points +600]

Chu Zhou's eyes flickered slightly as he watched the evolution points steadily increase.

"Soon."

"One step closer to the fifth rank."

In the center of Black Dragon Lake, blue lotuses swayed. Chu Zhou gazed at the figures scattering and fleeing through the mountains and forests, his mind cold and utterly devoid of emotion.

These people stormed into Black Dragon Mountain, slaughtering strange beasts, plundering crystal cores, and even fought their way to their own core area.

If we let them go today, what will come tomorrow will not be a hundred people, but a thousand, or even weapons, missiles, and more extraordinary forces.

After the spiritual energy is restored, mercy is never awe.

Only fear made them realize that Black Dragon Lake was off-limits.

In addition, by killing these humans, I should be able to quickly advance to the fifth rank. Once I reach the fifth rank, I will be stronger and able to face even greater threats.

With this in mind, Chu Zhou's gaze turned completely cold, and a massive mental fluctuation spread out from Black Dragon Lake.

"Pass on my order: anyone who sets foot in the Black Dragon Lake restricted area shall be killed."

hum!

The sound wasn't loud, but it resounded like a divine decree in the minds of all the strange beasts.

The next moment, the entire forest erupted in chaos. The strange beasts, which had been fleeing in disarray, suddenly stopped in their tracks.

The deer with the broken antlers suddenly turned its head, and a boundless hatred appeared in its scarlet beast eyes.

"roar!"

With a roar, it turned around and charged forward with its head down.

Rumble!

The ground trembled, and the several Awakened Ones who were fleeing beside Gu Changfeng didn't even have time to react.

With a sickening thud, one man was instantly pierced through the chest by a deer antler and sent flying high into the air. Another man was smashed into a bloody mist, and trees snapped with a deafening roar. The giant wolf king, whose ear had been broken off, let out a furious howl.

The wolves pounced out of the mist, their fangs tearing flesh apart, their screams echoing through the forest.

"Ah, help me, don't come any closer..."

On the other side, the queen bee entered full hunting mode. Her black-gold wings trembled. Thousands of mutated poisonous bees dispersed into dozens of swarms, like a death storm reaping lives.

A second-tier awakened individual had just rushed up the tree trunk.

The next second, his entire face was covered by poisonous bees.

"Get out of here!"

He swung the knife wildly, but within seconds, his skin rotted and his eyes melted. He fell from the tree, his body turning black and convulsing.

In the distance, Little Jinbao was overjoyed: "Master has given the order, none of them are allowed to run away today!"

The golden giant bird soared into the sky, then swooped down like a golden meteor.

As the claws landed, several Awakened Ones were instantly crushed, their flesh and blood splattering everywhere. A Bajiquan disciple roared and swung his fist, the force of which exploded and the air roared, but Xiao Jinbao didn't even look at it.

With a flap of his wings, the man flew dozens of meters like a kite with a broken string, crashing into a tree trunk and shattering his ribs.

The sky and the ground simultaneously transformed into a slaughterhouse, but what drove everyone to despair the most was that the forests surrounding Black Dragon Lake seemed to come alive. Countless thick vines burst from the ground, blocking the mountain roads and forming a natural prison.

A disciple from Longhu Mountain turned pale.

"Damn it, this isn't a resource point at all, it's a restricted area!"

"A true no-go zone!"

He tried to run away, but a vine suddenly pierced his chest, his eyes widened, and he was dead beyond any doubt.

In the blink of an eye, the entire area surrounding Black Dragon Lake was completely turned into a dead end.

The fog rolled and the mountains and forests trembled. All the human powerhouses who had entered the Black Dragon Mountain forbidden zone were in a panic. This was the forbidden zone! They had really been tricked this time.

"Charge out!"

A second-tier peak awakened being roared, his blood and qi erupted, and his longsword unleashed a blade of light several meters long, frantically slashing at the vines blocking his way.

boom!

Several vines were severed, but the next second, a rumbling sound suddenly came from underground. More black and gold vines burst forth from the ground, like countless living giant pythons.

Suddenly, a vine pierced through his shoulder.

"what!"

The man had barely let out a scream when a second and third vine wrapped around his legs, dragging him forcefully into the ground.

Blood instantly stained the soil red. Not far away, Zhao Tiancheng ran desperately, completely broken down.

What opportunity, what crystal core, what family rise? Now, all he has left in his mind is the thought of surviving!

"As soon as I get out, I will definitely tell the family that Black Dragon Mountain is off-limits. There are third-tier beasts here, and even more terrifying things."

Before he could finish speaking, the sky suddenly darkened, and Zhao Tiancheng froze. He looked up and saw that Little Jinbao had stopped in the air at some point.

Golden wings blocked out the sunlight, and those cold, peacock-like eyes looked down at him as if he were an insect.

"run?"

Little Jinbao's expression shifted with a hint of mockery: "Master said, none of them are allowed to live."

Zhao Tiancheng's face turned ashen, and he knelt down with a thud.

"Senior, I was wrong. I can submit. I'm willing to be a dog for the forbidden zone. I know a lot of outside information. I have value."

A sharp chirp rang out, and Little Jinbao, without even bothering to obey, brought its claws down with a thud. The ground exploded. Zhao Tiancheng didn't even have time to scream before his entire body instantly turned into a cloud of blood mist.

[Defeat a mid-stage Tier 2 Awakened Being, Evolution Points +2100]

In the center of the lake, Chu Zhou remained calm, while the numbers continued to rise rapidly.

[Evolution Point +700]

[Evolution Point +1200]

……

In no time, the area around Black Dragon Lake fell silent again. The wind blew through the trees, and thick fog billowed. Broken weapons and wrecked swords littered the ground, but corpses were almost nowhere to be seen.

It was as if the massacre had never happened; only the thick, lingering smell of blood in the air proved that hundreds of Awakened Ones had just died here.

In the center of the lake, a blue lotus swayed gently. Chu Zhou's heart stirred, and at that moment, system notifications flooded the screen.

[A large amount of life energy absorption was detected]

[Current evolution points have surged]

[Distance to Tier 5: 72%...81%...89%...]

"Just a little bit more. It seems I'll be able to advance to the fifth rank soon."