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

Chu Zhou's true form, the Lotus Realm, hovered above the remnant star, its ten lotus leaves collecting the materials left behind by the three exploration ships: "When it's time to block, we must still block. My branch is expensive, but your one hundred and eight remnant souls are even more expensive."

Ning Yue paused slightly in his grip on the broken flag.

Within the Ninth Guardian Army formation, a remnant soul couldn't help but chuckle softly. Immediately afterward, the pale soul flames on the bodies of several others also flickered slightly, and the long-standing tense formation finally relaxed a bit.

Gu Tianheng did not participate in their conversation. He connected the spatial coordinate map left by Hero to the Crimson Gold Main Ship, and then ordered the First Guardian Army to re-examine the ancient roads surrounding the seven star cities.

Although Hero has perished, the dozens of coordinates it had erased were not immediately restored. The paths severed by the laws of spatial severance are scattered across the starry sky like wounds, and must be repaired piece by piece.

Chu Zhou left behind three Boundary Lotus imprints, which fell into Chi Ming, Tian Shu, and the Guardian Remnant Star respectively. As long as the Fifth Hunting Court launches another eleventh-tier attack, the true form of the Boundary Lotus can descend through any of these mature nodes.

After doing all this, the enormous azure lotus dharma image gradually faded away. Countless azure and silver light spots fell into the remnant star's ley lines, repairing the spatial traces that had just been torn open by the Rift Cannon.

Ning Yue gazed at the now-calm starry sky and murmured, "If the border guards had possessed such a node 100,000 years ago, many ancient roads might not have fallen."

Gu Tianheng was silent for a moment: "Ten thousand years ago, the human race only knew to place all their hopes on the strongest and the first army. Once the commander was defeated, no one would take over."

He looked at the Jianmu root patterns that lit up the seven star cities: "Things are different now. Chu Zhou is not standing alone in front of the Ancestral Realm, and the Ancestral Realm has not left everything to him."

Ning Yue did not respond, but simply planted the broken flag back on the wall of the Broken Star City. The Ninth Guardian Army's insignia on the flag slowly lit up in the light of the azure-silver nodes.

At the same time, the complete battle report of Hero's death was transmitted back to the ancestral realm.

No cheers erupted at the Ninth Bureau of the Dragon Kingdom. After the events of the Underworld of Linjiang, the Seven Cities' Return Journey, and the Holy City of Daylight, the fall of an eleventh-tier enemy was no longer just a result to celebrate.

Every loophole exposed in the aftermath of a battle needs to be patched up overnight.

Standing in the center of the command hall, Zhou Zhenshan reviewed all the data after the appearance of the Jie Lian true form. His first words were: "Readjust the emergency response levels of all mature nodes. The fact that Chu Zhou was able to arrive intact does not mean that the garrison forces in various regions can be reduced."

A young staff member asked, somewhat puzzled, "The true form of the Boundary Lotus possesses eleventh-tier power. If the node is attacked, the Lord of the Azure Lotus should be able to arrive immediately."

Zhou Zhenshan looked at him: "Only one True Body of the Boundary Lotus can be maintained at a time. If all ten nodes malfunction simultaneously, which one should he save first?"

The young staff member opened his mouth but did not answer immediately.

"This is a question that Chu Zhou shouldn't have to choose from." Zhou Zhenshan zoomed in on the projection of the ten nodes. "Each region must have the ability to independently withstand the first round of attacks. The Realm Lotus is reinforcements, not a reason to take on the risks for everyone."

The original node system was adjusted on the same day as the ninth game.

Each world node must establish an independent command group, a backup energy depot, and a spatial isolation array. The stationed personnel are no longer only responsible for reporting anomalies to Qinglian, but must also maintain contact independently for thirty minutes even if the Jianmu Root Network is lost.

The Extraterrestrial Affairs Department was officially dismantled.

One group is responsible for the seven star cities and the remnant star guarding the boundary, another group studies the Hunting Court route, and there is also a special team responsible for managing the 108 Soul-Guiding Motherships and the ever-returning ancient remnant souls.

The size of the ancient forces liaison group has also increased several times.

In addition to historians and experts in ancient scripts, the Ninth Bureau has also included medical professionals, lawyers, geomancers, and ordinary community workers. The events in the Holy City of Daylight have proven that contact with ancient forces cannot be resolved simply by a battle between powerful individuals.

The other party may bring a legacy, or they may bring systems, debts, and hatred from 100,000 years ago. If no one clarifies each contract, even the strongest power will only allow conflict to accumulate.

Lu Cang submitted a new action proposal.

In the future, when faced with the erosion of laws involving ordinary people, on-site commanders must prioritize confirming three things: whether the attack will transfer harm, whether the target still retains self-awareness, and whether the so-called rescue has been agreed upon by the person involved.

At the end of the report, he added a line: "Judgment of realm can only determine how to fight, not who has the right to choose for others."

After Su Wan finished checking his report, she casually corrected two typos: "After a month in the hospital, you haven't improved in anything else, but your writing style is becoming more and more like someone from the General Administration."

Lu Cang closed the document: "When I was writing down the names of 430,000 people, I never imagined that when I woke up, the first thing I would face was a 43-page approval process."

"Be content." Su Wan pushed the next stack of documents in front of him. "There were originally sixty-seven pages, but I returned the rest for you."

Looking at the thick stack of papers on the table, Lu Cang suddenly felt that the injuries to the soul left by the Zen Master Wusheng were showing signs of recurrence.

The General Administration's training system has also changed accordingly.

In the past, the most valued capabilities were offensive, defensive, and containment. Now, mental awakening, non-lethal restraint, soul transfer, and multi-system military formation coordination have also been included as compulsory courses for all action teams.

The method of using a student roster provided by the primary school in Linjiang City to "awaken" students was compiled into the first public manual on how ordinary people can cope with the laws of forgetting.

The female teacher in charge of broadcasting did not receive a combat medal, but she left a clear record on the Wanling War Memorial.

[Achievements in Guarding Hearts and Minds: Awakening 372 Corrupted Students.]

[Guarding Mindset and Achievements: Preserving Complete Campus Identity Files.]

[Comment: A book of flower names is worth more than a mountain gate.]

After this record was published, more and more ordinary people began to understand that the so-called boundary guarding does not only occur in the starry sky and the mysterious realm.

Some people were responsible for carrying the knife, some for remembering names, and others simply kept watch over a lamp, so that people far away would know the way back.

The Ninth Bureau operated continuously for seventeen hours.

It wasn't until midnight, when the final round of interstellar deployment meetings concluded, that Zhou Zhenshan turned off the screen in front of him. He reached for his teacup, but only a mouthful of cold, bitter, strong tea remained.

The conference room door opened at that moment.

Old Ye walked in carrying an old thermos and two lunchboxes in his other hand. He wasn't wearing formal meeting attire, just a dark gray coat, making him look more like an ordinary old man visiting someone's neighborhood at night.

"Stop drinking."

Old Ye took the cold tea from Zhou Zhenshan's hand: "You've been brewing it since this morning. Even the best tea has turned into medicine by now."

Zhou Zhenshan glanced at the time on the wall: "Didn't you just come back from the Joint Parliament? You still have the mind to criticize me."

"I've at least had dinner." Old Ye pushed the lunchbox over. "Your wife couldn't reach you by phone, so the food was delivered to the duty room. The people on duty didn't dare come in, so they had me bring it over on my way."

Zhou Zhenshan opened his lunchbox.

Inside were a few dumplings that had cooled down a bit, and next to them was a small dish of vinegar. On top of them was a note with messy handwriting.

"Heat it up for two minutes before eating. Don't choke while reading the battle report."

Old Ye glanced at the note and couldn't help but chuckle: "Sister-in-law, what you said is exactly the same as it was forty years ago. Back then you looked at border maps, now you look at star charts, but your eating habits haven't changed at all."

Zhou Zhenshan did not refute.

He put the lunchbox into the heating device and then took out two clean teacups from the cabinet. The tea that Old Master Ye brought was not an expensive spirit tea, but just a common jasmine tea that they often drank when they were young.

As hot water is poured in, the tiny tea leaves unfurl in the cup.

Two elderly people sat in the conference room, where most of the screens were turned off, neither of them immediately discussing the Fifth Hunting Court. Outside the window, staff members came and went, but the room was unusually quiet.

When Zhou Zhenshan ate his third dumpling, his communicator suddenly lit up.

A little girl with short braids appeared on the screen. She was holding a drawing, and behind her, Zhou Zhenshan's wife could be heard reminding her to go to bed early.

"Grandpa, haven't you come home yet?"

Zhou Zhenshan's originally serious expression softened: "I have something else to take care of. I'll go back tomorrow."

The little girl held the drawing up to the camera. On the paper was a large blue lotus flower, with many crooked little figures standing under the lotus leaves, and a white figure with six wings, pressed down by a mountain in the sky.

"Our teacher asked us to draw something we saw recently," the little girl explained earnestly. "Everyone else drew angels, but I drew a blue lotus. My mom said that person wasn't a bad angel, just that they did something wrong."

Zhou Zhenshan glanced at Old Ye: "Do you think she's right?"

"You have to bear the consequences of your mistakes, and you should also remember the consequences of your good deeds." Old Ye leaned closer to the screen. "Your mother is right. But Qinglian isn't this round, although Xiao Jinbao is drawn quite well."

The little girl immediately pointed to a golden mass next to the lotus platform: "This is Little Golden Treasure. It's holding something it found."

After examining it carefully for two seconds, Elder Ye discovered that there was indeed an even smaller black dot inside the golden mass.

Zhou Zhenshan finally laughed out loud: "It's very well drawn. Next time Grandpa goes to Black Dragon Lake, I'll bring it to Chu Zhou for you to see."

The little girl did not immediately put down the drawing.

"Grandpa, does Qinglian feel pain when she fights those powerful things?"

There was a moment of silence in the conference room.

Zhou Zhenshan looked at the blue lotus on the screen, which had no wounds depicted, and slowly said, "Yes. So we can't wait for it to do everything. Grandpa and many uncles and aunts are trying to find a way to make it suffer less damage in the future."

After the communication ended, Old Ye picked up his teacup and gently blew away the tea leaves on the surface of the water: "The child's questions are clearer than those asked by many people in the Joint Parliament."

"Some people's first reaction when they saw the Lord of the Azure Lotus advance to the eleventh rank was that the Ancestral Realm finally had a stronger weapon." Zhou Zhenshan picked up the last dumpling. "But it is not a weapon, nor can it keep watch for everyone forever."

Elder Ye nodded: "The most important thing in the ninth round is not to calculate how many eleventh-level beings the Azure Lotus Lord can kill at once, but to ensure that every city and every legion has the ability to hold out for the first moment."

The two did not speak again.

The star map on the conference table was still enormous, connecting the Ancestral Realm, the Moon, the remnant star of the Guardian Realm, and the seven star cities. But beside the two steaming teacups, those distant coordinates no longer seemed as cold as before.

When they were young, all they thought about was protecting the city they lived in.

Humanity's path has now extended to the stars, and the map has grown countless times larger, but the so-called homeland is still where someone is waiting for you to eat, and someone remembers to leave a light on for you.

The following afternoon, Mr. Ye and Zhou Zhenshan did not hold a meeting.

The two arrived at Heilong Lake with only a few entourage members. Zhou Zhenshan held the blue lotus drawn by the little girl in his hand, while Old Ye carried the jasmine tea that he hadn't finished drinking the night before.

The newly built wooden platform by the lake has been put into use.

The Xuanjia armored vehicle slowly passed through the shallow bay carrying a group of recovering wounded soldiers. On the grassy slope inside the Armored Cave, several young beasts were chasing a rolling medicine bottle.

The Black Tiger King lay prostrate at the dock entrance. After confirming the identity of the visitor, it raised its paw and removed a layer of array patterns. It was now able to mobilize the outer patrol system, and its movements were much more composed than before.

There are no documents today.

Zhou Zhenshan sat down by the lake and placed the painting in front of the lotus platform: "Someone asked me to give this to you."

A silvery root stretched out and rolled up the drawing paper.

Chu Zhou's divine sense swept over the six-winged angel above, then paused for a moment on the black dot in Xiao Jinbao's arms: "It's drawn very accurately."

Little Jinbao, hidden in the Xuanjia Back Armor Cave, immediately poked its head out: "I didn't carry this little bit; the materials I received were bigger than this."

The Black Tiger King glanced at it: "If she draws it exactly as it is, there won't be enough room for your storage bag on the paper."

Little Jinbao thought about it and felt that the words seemed to be praising him, so he happily shrunk back into his cave.

Old Master Ye placed the small stove by the lake: "We won't discuss battle reports today. You've just completed your evolution, so we came over to take a look and have some tea."

A root of Chu Zhou fell under the stove.

The lotus flame flickered gently throughout the day, and the water in the pot boiled instantly, leaving not a trace of smoke on the bottom of the pot.

The strange rock lay on the edge of the lotus platform, its dark red crystal patterns shimmering slightly: "Eleventh-order law, used to boil water for the two old men. Lotus demon, your evolution has been very useful."

Chu Zhou pushed the first cup of tea in front of the strange rock: "If my beloved concubine is thirsty, she may drink it."

The surface of the strange rock immediately lit up with a scarlet light.

But it glanced at the teacup that was only half an inch away from it, and in the end did not shatter the cup, but only moved the stone body to the side a little.

I don't drink ordinary water.

Little Jinbao had somehow escaped from the cave again. It lay down by the table, sniffed the tea, and, confirming there was no trace of spiritual metal, quickly lost interest, turning its attention to the snacks Zhou Zhenshan had brought.

Zhou Zhenshan broke off a small piece and handed it to it.

Little Jinbao didn't eat it immediately after taking it. Instead, he carefully looked at the remaining amount in the box: "Is this for me, or was it taken from everyone's share in advance?"

Old Ye was taken aback by the question: "There are no battle merits to be distributed today. Whoever wants to eat can take it themselves."

No sooner had the words left his mouth than Little Goldfish had already taken three pieces and turned to stuff them into the treasure cave on the back of the Black Armor. After thinking for a moment, it took out another piece and put it to the Black Armor's mouth as payment for continuing to safeguard the cave.

Xuanjia slowly ate its snacks, then lay down beside the wooden platform, carrying the entire Armored Cave Heaven on its back. The Black Tiger King, on the other hand, was given a large piece of spirit beast meat that Zhou Zhenshan had prepared in advance, and finally stopped staring at Little Jinbao's paws.

The lake breeze blows through the mountains and forests.

Chu Zhou neither retrieved the roots that had fallen under the tea stove nor checked the distant star map. The ten lotus leaves swayed gently in the wind, unusually unburdened by the weight of any city.

After finishing half a cup of tea, Zhou Zhenshan looked at the blue lotus in the center of the lake: "The headquarters is preparing to implement a mandatory rotation system for all personnel stationed at the nodes. This includes frontline commanders, branch directors, and node leaders."

Chu Zhoulian paused slightly: "Including myself?"

"You're not under the jurisdiction of the Ninth Bureau," Zhou Zhenshan said calmly, "but we can reduce the amount of trouble you would otherwise have to deal with yourself."

Elder Ye continued, "The Ancestral Realm cannot allow itself to become timid just because it has an eleventh-tier green lotus. If you can go further, we must also learn to keep up."

Chu Zhou remained silent for a moment, then pushed the second pot of warmed tea in front of the two of them: "Then let's repair the defenses before the Fifth Hunting Court arrives."

"We won't discuss battle reports today," Elder Ye reminded him.

"You brought it up first."

Old Ye held his teacup, unable to find a rebuttal for a long time.

The dark red crystal patterns on the surface of the strange rock pulsated slightly, as if they were laughing. Zhou Zhenshan lowered his head and drank his tea, pretending not to see Old Master Ye's face gradually darkening.

This peaceful period lasted for a full hour.

There were no alarms, no spatial rifts, and no ancient figures emerged from the secret realm to declare their territory. It wasn't until the sun gradually set behind the mountains that Zhou Zhenshan got up to put away the empty tea box.

Before leaving, he left the little girl's drawing next to the lotus platform.

Little Jinbao quickly found a transparent crystal and placed the drawing paper at the entrance of his treasure cave.

Everyone who enters the Back Armor Cave can see the exaggeratedly round blue lotus on the paper.