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

"Bullying someone else's dog?"

Zhou Zhenshan was taken aback for a moment. Then he looked down at Xiao Jinbao, who was cursing and swearing in the woods.

The large golden bird was flapping its wings and calling out to the sky, "You scoundrel, Old Deng, how dare you hit your bird master! Master will beat him up!"

Zhou Zhenshan's lips twitched, while Lu Cang, Su Wan, and the rest of the Ninth Bureau members below him had strange expressions.

For the first time, they discovered that the strange beasts in the restricted area could actually speak like that. And this bird didn't look like some kind of ferocious bird at all.

Instead, he looked like a street thug. This can't be blamed on Xiao Jinbao. It's mainly because Xiao Jinbao has been following Chu Zhou for a long time and has naturally started to imitate Chu Zhou.

Zhou Zhenshan chuckled and shook his head: "Sorry, I was just testing you, I meant no harm."

The entire arena fell silent instantly, and countless people stared in disbelief. The dignified Director-General of the Ninth Bureau, the first fifth-tier powerhouse in the Great Xia Dynasty.

He actually apologized, but Chu Zhou did not withdraw his pressure; the huge green lotus phantom still enveloped the heavens and earth.

The bluish light illuminated the entire Black Dragon Mountain.

"A test. If I were weaker, these would be my subordinates kneeling on the ground right now. Do you think an apology would be enough?"

The air froze instantly, and the two sides' auras began to clash once again.

Crack! Fine cracks even appeared faintly in the sky.

Zhou Zhenshan remained silent for a moment, then suddenly raised his hand.

A golden streak of light flew out from his palm and landed straight on Black Dragon Lake, startling Little Golden Treasure.

"Watch out, a sneak attack!"

It was just about to run away when it discovered that the thing hadn't attacked. Instead, it had fallen right in front of it—a golden crystal core the size of a fist, its spiritual energy so dense it was almost liquefied.

Little Jinbao's eyes widened instantly.

"baby!"

It instinctively tried to pounce, but was whipped away by a vine with a snap, Qingfeng coldly transmitted his voice.

"The master hasn't spoken."

Little Jinbao lay on the ground looking aggrieved, but his eyes never left the crystal core.

Zhou Zhenshan said calmly, "This is my apology. I accidentally injured it just now."

Chu Zhou was also taken aback. He had thought the other party would be assertive to the end, but he didn't expect them to actually apologize, which made him think more highly of them.

At least this guy isn't like those arrogant, aristocratic families.

……

Above Heilong Lake, Zhou Zhenshan continued, "I'm here today not to start a war, but to confirm one thing."

Chu Zhou asked calmly, "What is it?"

Zhou Zhenshan's gaze was sharp as he stared directly at the Chu boat in the center of the lake.

"Are you a beast, or a new intelligent race?"

Upon hearing this, everyone held their breath.

Because this question is too important. If Qinglian is just a strange beast with intelligence, then it will ultimately be an enemy in the future.

But if it were intelligent life, the nature of the problem would be completely different, and Heilonghu fell into a brief silence.

for a long time.

Chu Zhou spoke, and his voice carried for miles across the mountains and forests.

"I am who I am, my name is Qinglian, and I am not a strange beast."

Zhou Zhenshan's pupils contracted sharply, and Lu Cang, Su Wan, and the others felt their scalps tingle.

Unexpectedly, this demonic lotus actually has a name and has developed complete intelligence. It is no longer a simple intelligent beast, but a truly advanced life form.

Zhou Zhenshan gave Chu Zhou a deep look, then suddenly smiled.

"Great, at least we can communicate. Since we can communicate, there's room for discussion on many things."

Chu Zhou said coldly, "On the condition that you don't step into my territory."

Zhou Zhenshan nodded: "That makes sense. Human cities don't welcome rampant monsters. Your restricted area doesn't welcome humans trespassing either."

"In that case, the area within a hundred li of Black Dragon Mountain shall be designated as a restricted zone. The Ninth Bureau shall be responsible for sealing it off. Anyone who trespasses shall bear the consequences."

This time, even Chu Zhou was surprised. This guy was smarter than he had imagined and directly resolved the biggest conflict between the two sides.

Above Heilong Mountain, Zhou Zhenshan and Chu Zhou stared at each other for a few seconds.

Finally, Zhou Zhenshan nodded: "In that case, I hope you can keep your promise today."

Chu Zhou's voice was calm: "As long as no one sets foot in Black Dragon Mountain, I have no interest in you humans."

Zhou Zhenshan smiled and said, "That's good."

After saying that, he didn't linger and took a step forward.

The air vibrated, and he transformed into a black streak of light, soaring into the sky. Within a few breaths, he vanished into the horizon.

Until that oppressive aura belonging to a fifth-tier powerhouse completely disappeared.

The entire Black Dragon Mountain returned to calm, and Little Jinbao immediately pounced on the crystal core.

"We're rich! We're rich! Old Deng is quite sensible. Master, can I eat this?"

Chu Zhou looked at the little Jinbao drooling next to the crystal core and couldn't help but laugh and cry.

Just a moment ago, he was shouting that he should beat up Zhou Zhenshan. But then someone threw a crystal core at him, and his stance instantly began to waver.

"Little one, you're quite realistic."

Little Jinbao immediately raised his head.

"Master, this isn't reality, this is spoils of war!"

"Old Deng just bullied me, isn't it fair to pay him some compensation for emotional distress?"

Chu Zhou was immediately amused. Who did this guy learn all this nonsense from? But thinking about it, it seemed like he really did teach him.

Xiao Qing gently shook her leaves beside her, and a mental fluctuation came through.

"Jinbao, you shameless person."

Little Jinbao instantly bristled: "You grass spirit, what do you know? This is called wisdom! Master said, 'A fool wouldn't take advantage of a good deal!'"

Xiaoqing paused for a moment, then nodded seriously: "Master didn't say that."

"You're talking nonsense."

Chu Zhou almost burst out laughing. These two guys bickered every day, making the whole Black Dragon Lake quite lively.

Chu Zhou then scanned the golden crystal core with his consciousness and quickly sensed the rich energy fluctuations within it. It was at least a crystal core left behind by a fourth-tier alien beast.

It might even be from the fifth tier. If such a thing were in the human world, it would definitely cause countless forces to fight over it.

Zhou Zhenshan's apology was indeed substantial. Thinking of this, Chu Zhou said, "Here you go."

"real?"

Little Jinbao's eyes instantly lit up like light bulbs.

"Long live the master!"

The next second, it pounced on it, frantically rubbing against the crystal core, which was bigger than its own head.

He looked like a miser. When Shan Kui came from afar and saw this scene, he was immediately envious.

"roar!"

Why did the bird get a gift while I didn't? Xuanjia poked its head out of the lake, its lantern-sized eyes staring intently at the crystal core.

My mouth almost watered, and the whole Heilong Lake instantly became lively.

Chu Zhou shook his head helplessly; his subordinates were all more troublesome than the last.

But just then, his gaze turned to the distant night sky.

The area where Zhou Zhenshan had left had completely returned to calm. But Chu Zhou knew that from today onwards, he had truly entered the sights of the higher-ups of the Great Xia Dynasty.

After Zhou Zhenshan returns, the Ninth Bureau will likely raise his rating again, and he may even be placed in the highest rank.

However, Chu Zhou didn't care about this, because he knew that he and Zhou Zhenshan were actually the same kind of people, both guarding their own territories.

The only difference is that one protects humanity, while the other protects Black Dragon Lake.

Thinking of this, Chu Zhou withdrew his gaze, but at that moment, an unusual fluctuation suddenly came from the edge of his spiritual domain.

The feeling was extremely faint, as if something was spying on Black Dragon Mountain from afar. Chu Zhou's eyes suddenly turned cold.

"Um?"

Hundreds of meters away, in the shadow of an ancient tree, a pair of scarlet eyes opened. Their gaze was cold, filled with resentment and deep-seated bitterness.

If Little Jinbao saw it, he would recognize it immediately. Because it was the golden eagle that had been beaten half to death and escaped a while ago.

At this moment, it stood on the treetop, staring intently at Chu Zhou in the center of Black Dragon Lake, and the golden crystal core in Xiao Jinbao's arms.

The murderous intent in his eyes was almost tangible.

The golden crystal core in Little Jinbao's arms contained immense energy that it instinctively and frantically craved.

At the same time, it cannot forget the humiliation of the past few days.

As the overlord of the sky, he was dragged from the heavens into the lake and brutally beaten by a lotus flower.

This was the greatest humiliation it had suffered since it gained sentience, and at that moment, Little Jinbao, who was happily hugging the crystal core, suddenly bristled all its feathers.

Although it is usually unreliable, as a bird or beast, it is extremely sensitive to the scent of its own kind.

Little Jinbao suddenly looked up, his sharp gaze locking onto the ancient tree hundreds of meters away.

"Master, that hairy beast is here again!"

Boom! Jinbao spread its wings, and the bird instantly soared into the sky. The drooling expression from before vanished, replaced by a palpable killing intent, for it held a grudge. A very vengeful one; it had almost been tortured to death by this guy just a few days ago.

It held a grudge against this. High in the distance, the golden eagle, seeing that Little Golden Treasure had discovered it, no longer hid. It soared into the sky, its enormous wingspan of over three meters spreading out.

A fierce wind swept through the forest, and a pair of eagle eyes were filled with icy killing intent.

A sharp cry pierced the night sky as it swooped down, as fast as a golden lightning bolt, its target Little Golden Treasure.

"Be careful!"

The mountain demon roared, the black armored creature poked its head out, and even the green blade raised countless vines.

"Don't move."

The beasts were taken aback.

Chu Zhou said, "Let it resolve itself."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Jinbao immediately became excited.

"Hahaha, Master has finally let me fight you one-on-one, you feathered beast. If I don't fuck you to death today, I'm not Bird Master."

The two clashed instantly, the golden eagle's claws tearing through the air. Several wind blades shot out, but this time, Little Golden Treasure didn't dodge at all.

A burst of golden light erupted from his body, and he crashed directly into it.

Bang bang bang!

The wind blade struck the feather, leaving only a faint white mark.

The golden eagle's pupils shrank sharply. Impossible! How did this little sparrow become so much stronger?

Just as it was in shock, Little Jinbao had already rushed in front of it.

"I'll slap you across the face!"

Snapped!

A wing lashed out at the golden eagle's face, sending feathers flying everywhere. The eagle's head was knocked askew, and it crashed into the forest with a loud thud, snapping many trees in its tracks.

Shan Kui was stunned.

"roar?"

This was so sudden that even Little Jinbao was stunned for a moment, then he was overjoyed.

"Ha ha ha ha!"

"Awesome, I'm finally not the weakest anymore."

It immediately switched to taunt mode.

"Dead bird, stand up! Weren't you so arrogant just now?"

"Keep going!"

The golden eagle took off in a disheveled state, its head swollen high, its eyes filled with fury. As the overlord of the sky, it had actually been slapped in the face by a sparrow.

It went completely berserk, its golden demonic power boiling, and more than a dozen huge wind blades condensed at the same time, obscuring the night sky.

"Huh?"

With a roar, all the wind blades slashed down simultaneously. However, Little Golden Treasure remained completely unfazed; it was now at the peak of the late stage of the third tier.

The golden eagle was only at the early stage of the third rank, having just broken through to the third rank not long ago. How could it possibly defeat him? The two were simply not on the same level.

boom!

More than a dozen enormous wind blades tore through the void, the air crackling with ear-piercing explosions, and the entire forest was shredded to pieces.

However, the next second, a dazzling golden light suddenly burst forth from Little Golden Treasure's body. Instead of retreating, it charged forward into the face of the countless wind blades.

"Well done!"

Wind blades relentlessly slashed at its body. Golden feathers scattered and danced in all directions. Yet, they couldn't break through its defenses at all. After being nourished by Chu Zhou's moonlight for a long time, along with being fed various spiritual fruits and resources, it remained unharmed.

The little golden sparrow of today is no longer the weak little sparrow it once was; it is now a true third-tier demon bird.

Golden Feathered Spirit Bird!

"You dead bird, are you trying to tickle me?"

boom!

Little Golden Treasure flapped its wings suddenly, instantly increasing its speed several times over. Only a golden afterimage remained in the night sky. The golden eagle's expression changed drastically; it was too fast.

It was impossible to see clearly. The next second, Little Golden Treasure appeared above its head, and its sharp claws suddenly fell down. With a "plop," a large ball of blood exploded.

Several deep, bone-revealing wounds were instantly torn open on the golden eagle's back, and large amounts of feathers fell off.

"Hey!"

The golden eagle let out a mournful cry and its entire body plummeted out of control. Before it could regain its footing, Little Golden Treasure attacked again.

boom!

A wing lashed out at its face, and the golden eagle's head crashed into the mountainside, causing the entire mountain to tremble violently and boulders to tumble down.

"Keep yelling! Weren't you pretty arrogant just now? Weren't you so impressive when you were chasing after Bird Master?"

Little Jinbao went completely berserk, venting all the resentment he had accumulated in the past few days. Every blow was powerful and heavy, leaving the golden eagle with no chance to fight back.

In the distance, the mountain beast gaped wide. The black-armored creature craned its neck, and countless vines of the green-armored beast hovered in mid-air. All the strange beasts were dumbfounded.

Is this still the same Jinbao who only knows how to eat and brag?

It was as if a completely different bird had appeared; the golden eagle in the sky was now utterly hopeless.

It finally understood just how vast the gap in strength between the two sides truly was.

Escape! We must escape! If we don't escape now, we'll really die!

boom!

With a burst of demonic power, the golden eagle burned its very essence, its speed suddenly increasing. It transformed into a streak of light and fled madly into the distance.

"Hey!"

The voice even carried a hint of fear, yet Little Jinbao grinned with its beak open.

"Trying to run? Too late!"

boom!

A burst of golden light erupted, and the bird seemed to transform into a golden lightning bolt. In an instant, it covered hundreds of meters and caught up with the golden eagle. The next second, its sharp talons suddenly gripped the golden eagle's back.

"Get down here, Birdie!"

With a spurt of blood, Little Jinbao suddenly exerted force with its claws.

A terrifying force erupted, and the golden eagle let out a heart-wrenching scream. Its two wings were ripped off, blood splattering everywhere, and its massive body plummeted from the sky.

Boom!

The ground was smashed into a huge crater, and the golden eagle struggled frantically. But it could no longer fly, and fear finally appeared in its eyes; it even began to beg for mercy.

"Hey! Hey!"

However, Little Jinbao didn't give it a chance at all; it held a grudge very long. The other day, when this guy had played tricks on it, it hadn't intended to let it go.

"Now you're scared? Too late!"

boom!

Little Jinbao descended from the sky, its sharp claws piercing the golden eagle's chest before suddenly yanking it away.

puff!

Large chunks of flesh exploded open, and a cyan-gold crystal core was forcibly pulled out. The golden eagle's body convulsed violently, and the light in its eyes quickly dimmed. Finally, it completely lost its life, and the entire Black Dragon Mountain fell silent.

Tier 3 Golden Eagle.

Fallen!

Little Jinbao stood on the corpse, one claw stepping on the golden eagle's head, the other holding up the demon core, looking incredibly smug.

"Hahahaha, did you see that? Bird Lord is invincible! From today onwards, I am the boss of the birds of Black Dragon Mountain."

Chu Zhou watched this scene with a hint of satisfaction in his eyes.

This battle not only eliminated a hidden danger, but more importantly, it showed that Little Jinbao had finally truly grown up.

In the future, it may indeed become the first flying demon king under its command.