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

"Anyone who disobeys will be killed!"

As soon as Lu Cang finished speaking, everyone in the conference room fell silent. They were all very clear that the situation had become so serious that it was beyond the control of Linjiang City.

Just as everyone fell silent.

Suddenly, the entire Ninth Bureau building shook violently, water glasses on the conference table overturned, and lights flickered.

"What happened?"

Everyone's expression changed drastically. The technician stared at the monitoring screen, almost speechless.

"Director, the spiritual energy index has risen again, breaking through the fifth-order threshold."

"Fifth tier?"

"Are you kidding me!"

"How could a fifth-order life form possibly be born in Linjiang City?"

Inside the meeting room, all the Awakened members of the Ninth Bureau branch couldn't sit still and exclaimed in surprise.

Keep in mind, how long has it been since the spiritual energy has recovered? The strongest combat force in the entire Lingnan region is only at the third rank.

As a result, a suspected fifth-order being has appeared in Black Dragon Mountain?

Su Wan's face paled; she knew better than anyone that fourth-tier and fifth-tier were completely different concepts. While fourth-tier forces could be deterred by military might, missiles, and overwhelming firepower, the difference was stark.

Those fifth-tier weapons have already begun to break free from the suppression range of conventional weapons.

Just then, the screen lit up in the direction of Heilong Mountain.

To be precise, a beam of azure light suddenly rose straight into the sky from the center of the entire Azure Lotus Forbidden Zone.

The clouds were torn apart, and the spiritual energy of heaven and earth within a radius of a hundred miles rushed in frantically. The night sky was tinged with blue.

Even more terrifying, all the monitoring instruments began to malfunction erratically.

The screen went completely black the next second, and the technician's face turned ashen: "Chief, we've lost all the surveillance footage from Heilongshan."

Dead silence.

The entire conference room fell silent. Lu Cang clenched his fists; he knew the worst had happened.

That demonic lotus has successfully broken through.

Meanwhile, on the outskirts of Heilong Mountain, the thousands of soldiers stationed along the blockade line all fell silent.

They discovered that the surrounding air had changed, and the concentration of spiritual energy was rising rapidly.

Even ordinary people felt lighter.

Some people were shocked to discover that their stagnant blood and qi, which had been flowing for a long time, were starting to loosen up.

"Is this a spiritual energy tide?"

Everyone was incredibly excited to feel the changes in their bodies.

Just as they were overjoyed, at the same moment, a powerful fluctuation suddenly came from the sky. Everyone was horrified and looked up to see a blue beam of light piercing through the heavens and earth.

The entire Black Dragon Mountain, like a giant beast that has been sleeping for countless years, has finally opened its eyes.

boom!

The heavens and earth trembled. The swirling mist was forcefully pushed aside by an indescribable force. In the center of Black Dragon Lake, the water surged back hundreds of meters, forming a massive water curtain.

In the center of that water curtain, a colossal, breathtakingly large blue lotus slowly rose into the air. Five lotus leaves unfolded, each one as if cast from jade, its surface naturally covered with ancient patterns, like flowing runes of the Great Dao.

Even more terrifying, the space around it began to subtly distort. The air vibrated, and the spiritual energy became so dense it was almost liquefied.

Above the entire Black Dragon Mountain, dark clouds churned into a giant vortex, intertwined with lightning, yet dared not descend, as if even heaven and earth were wary of that blue lotus.

Chu Zhou regained consciousness. At this moment, he felt completely different. If he was the overlord rooted in the lake before, he was different now.

Now, he is more like the master of the entire mountain range.

Consciousness spread.

Ten kilometers, thirty kilometers, fifty kilometers—the life fluctuations of all the strange beasts in the entire Black Dragon Mountain were clearly imprinted in my mind.

He could even sense the flow of the underground spiritual veins.

Most importantly, he finally saw it.

Deep within the cave, there lies the thing suppressed by the Bixie. A colossal, indescribably dark shadow, tightly bound by hundreds of crimson-gold chains, its scales decayed, its flesh withered, yet even so...

The aura he exuded was still terrifying.

At his peak, this old man was definitely far beyond the fifth rank.

Meanwhile, the strange phenomenon had completely alarmed the entire city of Linjiang.

In the city center of Linjiang, countless people who had just finished get off work suddenly stopped in their tracks because the entire sky had changed.

The originally black night sky was somehow dyed with a bluish light.

Someone subconsciously looked up.

The next second, his pupils contracted sharply.

"Holy crap, what's that?"

In the distance, a beam of azure light, hundreds of meters in diameter, shot straight into the sky. The clouds seemed to be torn apart like ocean waves.

Even more outrageous, a giant blue lotus phantom faintly appeared in the sky.

Sacred, ancient, majestic.

Like a god looking down upon the human world, a group of young people at the entrance of the shopping mall were completely dumbfounded.

"Special effects?"

"Your special effects cover half the sky?"

"Quick, take a picture!"

People frantically pulled out their phones, and within minutes, WeChat Moments exploded, Douyin, Weibo, forums—everyone went crazy.

The video went viral.

A miraculous phenomenon has appeared in the sky over Linjiang City!

A mysterious blue lotus has appeared in the direction of Black Dragon Mountain, suspected to be a new phenomenon indicating a resurgence of spiritual energy!

"Someone said they saw gods?"

In a secretly filmed video, the camera shakes violently, and the person filming speaks in a trembling voice: "Brothers, I'm not kidding, look over there at Black Dragon Mountain, holy crap, the clouds have split open!"

In the scene, a gigantic phantom of a blue lotus floats in the night sky. Countless blue specks of light fall like shooting stars.

The comment section exploded instantly.

"It's photoshopped, right?"

"I'm from Linjiang, and I just took this picture. It really exists!"

"Is the resurgence of spiritual energy confirmed?"

"Won't some deity be born?"

"Hurry to Black Dragon Mountain and seize this opportunity!"

"Does the person upstairs want to die? Wasn't that place closed off?"

Within just ten minutes, the topic exploded on trending searches, even drawing attention from surrounding cities. Meanwhile, the truly awakened factions remained completely silent.

Because they knew that this was not a matter of chance or opportunity.

Instead, a truly terrifying life form broke through.

Meanwhile, at the Ninth Bureau branch, everyone in the conference room was glued to the video being uploaded to their phones.

Even through the screen, they could still feel a strange pressure. Su Wan remained silent for a long time, her voice slightly hoarse: "Director, this isn't just at the fourth level anymore, is it?"

Lu Cang's face was frighteningly ugly. After a long while, he finally uttered a sentence: "Fifth rank, and it may not be an ordinary fifth rank."

He gazed at the illusory blue lotus that obscured the night sky.

Their hearts sank little by little. At the fourth level, they could still think about blockade, missiles, and military deterrence.

Fifth rank? What can stop them? Just then, those awakened individuals who were near Black Dragon Mountain, searching for opportunities, were all shocked.

A vast and indescribable spiritual wave suddenly swept around Black Dragon Mountain. It was not malicious, but it was high above, like a god sweeping over his territory.

Ordinary people felt a strange palpitation, but the awakened ones almost simultaneously changed their expressions because of that aura.

It conveys a sense of coldness, domineering, and unquestionable authority.

Heilong Mountain covers an area of ​​about 100 li (approximately 50 kilometers).

Unauthorized trespassers will be executed.

boom!

At this moment, countless awakened beings felt their scalps tingle; the Azure Lotus Forbidden Zone had truly given birth to a Lord of the Forbidden Zone.

Black Dragon Mountain, shrouded in swirling mist.

As that domineering will swept across a hundred miles, almost all the awakened beings near Black Dragon Mountain froze in place at the same time.

Some people turned pale and fled without hesitation, while others had glints in their eyes and were still unwilling to leave.

In this era of spiritual revival, opportunity means rise.

There will always be someone who thinks they will be the exception.

At the same time, in the center of Black Dragon Lake, a green lotus floated in mid-air, its divine light flowing. Chu Zhou's consciousness spread to an unprecedented range, and the entire Black Dragon Mountain, every blade of grass, every tree, every bird and beast, was like a three-dimensional map reflected in his mind.

After breaking through to the fifth rank, he truly felt for the first time what it meant to be the master of the forbidden zone.

Suddenly, Chu Zhou's gaze paused slightly.

"Um?"

To the southwest, more than 20 miles from Heilong Lake, a familiar life force was rapidly weakening.

It was a giant tiger covered in wounds.

It was the same white tiger that had tried to attack Chu Zhou but was scared away by him. Over the past few days, its strength had dropped from the third tier to the late second tier.

At this moment, it was in a terrible state. Its left eye was blinded, half of its body was covered with charred marks, and one of its hind legs was even cut open with a deep wound that exposed the bone.

Blood splattered all the way as it was attacked.

They were three late-stage Tier 2 human Awakeners: a burly man wielding a knife, a woman skilled in fire abilities, and a young man carrying a bow and arrows with a sinister expression.

The three of them were clearly well-coordinated.

Looking at the injured white tiger, the woman sneered, "You beast, trying to run away?"

Flames swept across the area, the white tiger roared in agony, large patches of its fur were charred, and the burly man wielding the knife charged forward. His longsword erupted with the power of blood and qi.

puff!

A blade slashed fiercely across the tiger's back, blood gushing out. The little mountain tiger roared and swung its claws out, but the tiger used the force of the blow to dodge.

Behind them, arrows pierced the air.

A poisoned black arrow pierced its abdomen.

"Hahaha!"

The young man with the bow and arrow was so excited that his eyes turned red.

"Quick, it can't hold on much longer! This beast is at least at the peak of the second tier; its crystal core is absolutely valuable!"

The woman also revealed a greedy look.

"We're really lucky; we just happened to run into a heavily injured monster."

The burly man licked his lips.

"Kill it, and each of us can get at least several dozen spirit crystals."

The white tiger staggered backward. Its crimson eyes were filled with rage and resentment, but it was already nearing its limit.

He was caught in the crossfire of Han Jianguo and his group's battle, and was also hunted down by other awakened individuals.

Now even resistance has become difficult. It roared and subconsciously glanced in the direction of Black Dragon Lake.

That was the territory of the Lord of the Forbidden Zone. It was also the only place it dared not approach, yet felt safe in.

However, just as the burly man with the knife grinned maliciously, preparing to deliver the final blow...

Suddenly, the world fell silent; the wind stopped, and the flames went out.

The air seemed to freeze, and all three felt a chill run down their spines. An indescribable, terrifying pressure suddenly descended.

As if being targeted by some ancient being, the young archer felt his scalp tingle.

"Who?"

The next second, a calm yet chilling mental fluctuation suddenly exploded in their minds.

"When did it become your human rights to run wild on my territory?"

boom!

The three people's pupils shrank sharply. Before they could react, the ground suddenly cracked open, and countless black and gold vines, as if they were alive, burst out with a roar!

"Damn it!"

The burly man roared and slashed down with his sword. The sword energy exploded, severing several vines.

But the next second, even more vines spread out, covering the sky and obscuring the heavens.

"Oh no, run!"

The woman's face turned deathly pale, and flames erupted wildly, but it was all in vain. In front of the fifth-tier Chu Zhou, the second-tier was as fragile as an insect.

A vine pierced the woman's chest instantly, her eyes widening in shock. Before she could even scream, a second vine pierced her head, blood spurting out.

The young man with the bow and arrow turned and ran, but he had only leaped a dozen meters.

A phantom image of a lotus leaf fell from the sky. The ground collapsed, and the young man was crushed into a bloody pulp before he could even scream.

Finally, the burly man completely broke down and knelt down with a thud.

"Senior! It's a misunderstanding, I didn't know this was your territory!"

"Spare me..."

Before he could finish speaking, the vine pierced his throat and dragged his body into the ground.

Everything happened in just a few breaths.

A system notification sounded.

[Defeat a mid-stage Tier 2 Awakened Being, Evolution Points +1800]

[Defeat a Tier 2 early-stage Awakened being, Evolution Points +1200]

[Defeat a mid-stage Tier 2 Awakened Being, Evolution Points +1900]

Chu Zhou remained calm; at this level, awakened beings were nothing to him anymore.

He cares more about order.

Within Black Dragon Mountain, he would not allow anyone to recklessly hunt down his resources.

Meanwhile, the heavily injured white tiger stared blankly at this scene.

The massive tiger's body froze; the three humans who had just cornered it were now dead.

And they died without any power to resist.

The next second, that lofty spiritual fluctuation resounded once more.

"If you're still alive, come back and recover."

"From now on, you're under my jurisdiction."

The white tiger's body trembled violently, and for the first time, a sense of awe appeared in its scarlet beast eyes.

Then it lowered its head and let out a low roar towards Black Dragon Lake.

This is surrender.