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

Su Wan looked at Lu Cang, who said, "Send the interrogation records and related videos to headquarters."

"Yes."

Without wasting any words, Su Wan sent the interrogation records directly to headquarters.

Soon, the headquarters of the Ninth Bureau in Beijing also received this intelligence.

After reading it, Zhou Zhenshan remained silent for a long time.

Wang Jun said with a grim expression, "Director Zhou, Black Dragon Mountain has begun to expand."

Elder Ye frowned as well: "It seems that the expansion of Black Dragon Mountain this time is purposeful. They have chosen places that are spiritual energy nodes. Blackwood Snake Valley itself is a small spiritual land, and it also has Black Soul Fruit Trees."

"The Lord of the Azure Lotus clearly understands the importance of resource points."

The atmosphere in the office was somewhat oppressive.

Wang Jun couldn't help but ask, "Should we intervene?"

Zhou Zhenshan didn't answer immediately. He walked to the window, looked at the lights of Beijing late at night, and after a long while said, "Blackwood Snake Valley is far from the city."

"That place was already occupied by strange beasts. Before the Azure Lotus Forbidden Zone made its move, awakened individuals from the common people had already entered without authorization."

"According to the rules, Heilongshan did not cross the city's safety line."

Wang Jun frowned: "But they are expanding after all, which is a blatant provocation against us."

Zhou Zhenshan nodded: "I understand all of that, but from what I've seen so far, the Qinglian Forbidden Zone has neither attacked cities nor actively massacred ordinary people."

"Compared to the Tiger King of Changbai Mountain, the Lord of Qinglian is already quite restrained."

Old Master Ye said in a deep voice, "Then we're just going to do nothing?"

Zhou Zhenshan turned around: "We definitely have to do it. Send the order to the Lingnan Branch Bureau to include Blackwood Snake Valley on the outskirts of a high-risk restricted area."

"Awakened civilians are prohibited from approaching. At the same time, the observation range of the Qinglian Forbidden Zone is expanded, and no one is allowed to provoke Black Dragon Mountain."

Wang Jun nodded: "Understood."

At the same time, in Linjiang City.

Despite the news being blocked by the Ninth Bureau, the video of Blackwood Snake Valley inevitably circulated within small circles.

Although it was quickly deleted, those who needed to know already knew.

The entire underground community of awakened individuals in Linjiang City fell completely silent.

Many people were originally planning to go to the outskirts of Heilong Mountain to look for bargains.

Now they've all given up on the idea.

"Are you crazy? The Demon King of Black Dragon Mountain has come out of the mountains, who would dare to go?"

"Can that golden bird really talk?"

"I've seen the video, it's definitely real."

"I used to think that as long as you didn't go into the Qinglian Forbidden Zone, everything would be fine. But now it seems that they're not just not moving, they don't need to move."

"If Blackwood Serpent Valley, which is so far away, can be conquered, who will dare to plunder those spiritual lands in Lingnan in the future?"

The awakened ones fell silent. Yes, although they were awakened ones, most of them were only at the first or second tier.

If you actually encounter a fourth-tier opponent and go to Blackwood Serpent Valley, you're just courting death.

In Linjiang City, with the revival of spiritual energy, the lives of ordinary people have also undergone more significant changes due to this revival.

Linjiang City Third People's Hospital.

The entrance to the Reiki Adaptation Department was still packed with people.

In the hospital lobby, anxious family members filled the corridor.

The latest announcement is playing on the television screen.

[All citizens are urged not to travel to Black Dragon Mountain, Blackwood Snake Valley, or other areas with unusual spiritual energy.]

[Awakened individuals must complete their registration within seven days.]

If you spot any unusual animals, please contact the Ninth Division or your local patrol team immediately.

Harvesting spiritual fruits, hunting exotic beasts, and entering the outer perimeter of restricted areas without permission are all illegal activities.

A middle-aged man looked at the notice and couldn't help but mutter under his breath, "The world has really changed. Before, no one cared if I went into the mountains to pick mushrooms, but now I can't even go into the mountains."

An old man nearby sighed, "There are no mushrooms left in the mountains now, they're all monsters."

"I heard that the birds over at Black Dragon Mountain can talk now."

"Really?"

"How could it be fake? My nephew works on the outskirts of the Ninth Inspectorate and said he heard it with his own ears."

The people around immediately stirred.

Some were afraid, while others' eyes flashed with envy.

While the resurgence of spiritual energy has made the world more dangerous, it has also given ordinary people the opportunity to change their fate.

Linjiang No.1 Middle School.

On the playground, students are having a Reiki safety class.

A teacher stood on the stage and said earnestly, "Remember, if you experience a high fever, auditory hallucinations, loss of control of your strength, or changes in eye color, do not be afraid, and do not hide it."

"Notify teachers and parents immediately."

"Awakening is not a game, nor is it something to brag about."

"An out-of-control awakened individual can also harm others."

The voice just fell.

On the other side of the playground, a boy wearing a black printed sweatshirt and cargo pants, with a black mask covering half of his face and exuding a sense of aloofness, suddenly exclaimed.

Suddenly, a wisp of flame appeared on his palm, and the surrounding classmates instantly went wild.

"Holy crap, Jiahao has awakened! He's awakened a fire-based ability!"

"Brother Hao, you've struck it rich!"

The boy named Jiahao was also stunned. He was shocked, then overjoyed.

But the next second, the flames suddenly flared up, almost burning the girl's hair next to her, and the teacher's expression changed drastically.

"Everyone back off!"

Soon, two campus safety officers rushed over and took the boy away from the playground.

The students watched this scene with mixed feelings of envy and fear.

Because they finally realized that awakening doesn't necessarily mean instant success; it could also mean losing control.

It means danger, it means being forced into this entirely new era.

Meanwhile, at the Lingnan Awakeners Academy.

Lin Qingxue had also heard about the Blackwood Snake Valley.

Inside the training room.

She was trying to cultivate a spiritual plant when a blue light suddenly flashed uncontrollably in her palm.

The spiritual plant, which was originally only half a foot tall, instantly grew to more than a meter tall.

The teacher who was taking notes was startled.

"Lin Qingxue, what's wrong?"

Lin Qingxue stared blankly at her hands.

I don't know why.

Black Dragon Mountain suddenly came to her mind.

A phantom image of a giant lotus inexplicably appeared in my mind, and a feeling of unease enveloped my heart.

It made her want to kneel down in worship.

At the same time, the wisp of blue lotus energy within her body also reacted.

Inside the observation room.

Su Wan's expression changed when she saw this scene.

She rushed up to check the situation and quickly became puzzled: "Strange, no unusual energy related to the Azure Lotus Forbidden Zone has been detected."

When Lin Qingxue came out of Black Dragon Mountain last time, there were still abnormal energy fluctuations on her body related to the Azure Lotus Forbidden Zone.

However, to Su Wan's surprise, after a thorough examination, she discovered that the abnormal fluctuations were simply caused by the increased energy within Lin Qingxue's body.

After thinking about it for a long time without finding a solution, Su Wan simply stopped thinking about it.

Meanwhile, in the center of Black Dragon Lake, Little Jinbao had already returned with the Snake King's Crystal Core and the remaining fruit.

As soon as it landed, it put the things down by the lake, its face beaming with pride, and said with a smile, "Master, I've brought the things back."

"That black snake was in a terrible state; the black tiger forcibly ripped out its crystal core."

"Tsk tsk tsk, this black guy usually seems quiet and reserved, but he's really ruthless when he strikes."

Chu Zhou ignored its chattering and several green roots emerged from the lake, swirling up the snake king's crystal core and the remaining fruit.

The system notification tone sounded soon after.

"Ding, a peak Tier 3 alien beast crystal core has been detected, with slight contamination detected."

"Should it be purified and absorbed?"

Chu Zhou said calmly, "Purify."

A surge of azure light erupted, and the wisp of black energy on the surface of the crystal core quickly dissipated, then transformed into pure energy that merged into Chu Zhou's body.

"Ding! Evolution Points +45000"

"Gain a slight increase in poison resistance."

Chu Zhou looked at the notification without much reaction; 45,000 evolution points weren't much for him at the moment.

But even a mosquito's leg is meat; what's truly important is the outer stronghold of Blackwood Snake Valley.

And then there was that broken stele, Chu Zhou thought to himself.

The system panel appears.

[Host: Chu Zhou]

[Race: Innate Azure Lotus (Growth Stage)]

[Realm Level: Mid-Fifth Tier]

[Restricted Area: Heilongshan Primary Restricted Area]

[Outer Outpost: Blackwood Serpent Valley, Star 1]

[Current evolution points: 3725000/5000000]

[Distance to Tier 6: 1275000 Evolution Points]

There are still 1,275,000 evolution points needed to reach the sixth rank, which is still a long way off.

Chu Zhou retracted the system panel and gazed intently westward.

Blackwood Snake Valley is just the first step.

Next, he must find more similar sealed nodes.

Only in this way could he prevent the second cataclysmic event from truly erupting.

This will enable Heilong Mountain to have sufficient strength to protect itself.

The lake rippled, and Chu Zhou's voice echoed from the depths of Black Dragon Mountain. He said, "Qingfeng."

Countless vines swayed gently as Qingfeng respectfully asked, "Master, what are your orders?"

Chu Zhou said, "Prepare to absorb the Black Soul Fruit; you should also break through to the fourth rank."