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

Chu Zhou felt no guilt whatsoever. The incident at Changbai Mountain had just happened, and he had managed to harvest a bunch of strange rocks. It was truly a good deal.

Although the giant crimson eye on the surface of the strange rock was closed, its internal consciousness was so angry that it was almost distorted.

It suddenly realized that the loosening of the seal might not be entirely a good thing, because every time another seal loosened, the lotus demon would become more vigilant.

Then, Chu Zhou took advantage of it and plundered it, which made it very upset. Chu Zhou did not continue to provoke the strange rock.

This old man may have a sharp tongue, but he's not really stupid. If we keep harassing him, he'll definitely pretend to be dead.

The most important thing now is the changes happening in Changbai Mountain.

With this thought in mind, Chu Zhou's consciousness returned to Black Dragon Lake.

Above the lake, blue lotuses swayed, and strands of moonlight fell, being absorbed and refined by the lotus leaves.

Chu Zhou looked towards the northeast.

Although he was thousands of kilometers away and couldn't actually see what was happening in Changbai Mountain, he had already learned about it from the strange rock.

There must still be some strange seal there, which means that the danger level of the Tiger King of Changbai Mountain far exceeds that of ordinary forbidden zone lords.

"It seems we can no longer treat the Changbai Mountain Tiger King as an ordinary mythical beast."

Chu Zhou murmured to himself, "Ordinary beasts may be powerful, but..."

At least they still have reason, but the Beast King, corrupted by the eerie aura, is different.

Once completely dominated by pollution, all that remains is killing, devouring, and spreading. Such an existence will not only threaten humanity.

It will also threaten other restricted areas.

Especially since her own lotus, capable of purifying pollution, would likely naturally become the biggest enemy in the eyes of the other party.

Chu Zhou remained silent for a moment, then sent a thought to the sky: "Little Jinbao."

Little Jinbao, who was patrolling above Black Dragon Mountain, suddenly shuddered and quickly replied, "Master, your subordinate is here."

Chu Zhou said, "Starting today, expand the patrol area."

"Pay close attention to changes in the atmosphere in the north."

Little Jinbao's eyes lit up; it loved this kind of task the most.

After all, patrolling is much more interesting than standing by the lake listening to the mountain monster snore.

However, it soon hesitated: "Master, the north is very far. I'm not afraid to fly there, but what if I encounter another bird king?"

Chu Zhou said, "I'm not asking you to fly to Changbai Mountain right now. You just need to patrol along the northern part of Lingnan."

"If you detect any polluting odors, do not approach and return immediately to report."

Little Jinbao immediately breathed a sigh of relief: "Understood, Master. Don't worry, this bird is the best at reconnaissance in the world."

After saying that, it transformed into a golden light and soared into the sky. Chu Zhou ignored its boasting.

Then, their consciousnesses fell on several strongholds, including Blackwood Serpent Valley.

The Black Tiger King is patrolling the entrance to the valley; the snake horde has been completely subdued.

The broken stele was sealed by the Azure Lotus Mark and surrounded by strange beasts personally selected by the Black Tiger King.

Abandoned wells in Linjiang City.

Bai Shan Jun lay prone beside the abandoned well, his eyes slightly closed. As long as there was the slightest movement below the crack, the blue lotus mark within his body would light up.

Underground river.

The Xuanjia armor sank to the bottom of the water, its water-suppressing domain covering the entrance to the underground river, while the network of green vines gradually converged around the Black Dragon Mountain.

The entire Black Dragon Mountain is no longer an ordinary restricted area, but has become a preliminary stronghold with multiple outposts.

Chu Zhou felt a little more at ease.

Just then, a system notification sounded.

"Ding, periodic tidal fluctuations in the spiritual energy of heaven and earth have been detected."

"An abnormal increase in lunar energy was detected."

"Signs of the second spiritual tide have appeared."

Chu Zhou's eyes narrowed instantly as the second spiritual energy tide surged.

As expected, it arrived at the Changbai Mountain battlefield.

The blood-red snowstorm still hadn't subsided.

The helicopter struggled through the storm to transport the seriously injured Lei Zhenyue and others away from the snowy mountains.

The cabin reeked of blood.

Han Lie lay on the stretcher, his left arm completely twisted and deformed.

Shen Qinghe's eyes were wrapped in bandages, and the mental backlash made her tremble uncontrollably.

Lei Zhenyue's chest armor was shattered, and three deep claw marks that revealed bone almost tore open half of his chest.

But he still didn't faint. He stared at Changbai Mountain outside the window, his eyes filled with resentment.

Zhao Han is dead.

The second hunt for the tiger king failed again; not only did they fail to kill the tiger king, they also helped it open the ice cave.

Qin Zhenyuan sat on the other side of the cabin, his face pale and blood still lingering at the corner of his mouth.

Forcibly maintaining the gravity barrier consumed a great deal of his energy.

Lei Zhenyue's voice was hoarse: "Elder Qin, we can fight one more time."

Qin Zhenyuan opened his eyes, glanced at him, and asked, "What are you going to use to fight?"

Lei Zhenyue gritted his teeth: "I can mobilize a larger-scale firepower."

Qin Zhenyuan said calmly, "And then what? Continue to blast open more things for it?"

Lei Zhenyue froze. Qin Zhenyuan said, "Haven't you figured it out yet?"

"That tiger king never simply wanted to kill people from the beginning."

"It's using us. In its first operation, it used your missiles to attack the convoy."

"In the second operation, it used our firepower and territory to open up the ice cave. If you launch a third attack, who knows if it will use you as a tool to blow up the entire underground of Changbai Mountain?"

Lei Zhenyue clenched his fists, feeling humiliated, more humiliated than ever before. He was a proponent of war and had always believed that as long as the firepower was sufficient, there was no monster that could not be dealt with.

But now, the tiger king of Changbai Mountain has given him a hard slap in the face.

Qin Zhenyuan looked out the window. In the depths of the snowstorm, Changbai Mountain resembled a sleeping giant beast, and the tiger king was no longer an ordinary prey.

"From now on, the issue in Changbai Mountain is not about clearing out criminals, but about the loss of control over a restricted area. You must accept this fact."

Lei Zhenyue remained silent for a long time before finally saying in a hoarse voice, "I will kill it with my own hands."

Qin Zhenyuan did not refute, but simply said, "Then survive first, until you are qualified to kill it."

The helicopter flew far away, deep in the Changbai Mountains.

Above the blood-red snow-capped ridge, the Tiger King stood there, not giving chase, because its condition was equally unstable at that moment.

After the blood-red crystal entered the body, the source of pollution was frantically transforming its body.

Blood-red patterns writhed beneath its fur, and the phantom of a third blood-red eye on its forehead flickered incessantly. Its reason fluctuated between clarity and confusion.

One moment it wants to rush out of Changbai Mountain and devour all humans, and the next it wants to tear apart all the strange beasts around it.

But in the end, it forcefully suppressed that madness.

It is a king, not just a beast that knows only how to kill. The Tiger King lowered its head and looked into the depths of the ice cave.

There was even more crimson light surging there; clearly, that blood crystal was just the beginning.

The real thing was buried even deeper, and the tiger king's greed grew stronger as it devoured all the power here.

It can then become the true king of the entire Northeast.

Just then, a scene suddenly appeared deep in its mind: a dark lake with moonlight like a waterfall.

In the center of the lake, a giant blue lotus sways.

That aura was pure and indifferent, which its inherent source of pollution instinctively abhorred.

The Tiger King roared, "Lord of the Azure Lotus."

It didn't know where it was, but the remaining consciousness within the crimson crystal told it that the blue lotus was an enemy.

It was also the best nourishment. The Tiger King closed his eyes and forcibly suppressed the madness within him.

"Once I have complete control of Changbai Mountain, I will tear you to pieces."

Above the snow-capped mountains, the crimson snowstorm intensified.

Deep in the Changbai Mountains, countless strange beasts knelt in the snow.

They trembled and bowed their heads toward the snow-capped mountains.

From that night onward, the Changbai Mountain Tiger King officially became the most dangerous polluting beast king in Northeast China.

Meanwhile, far away in Beijing, at the headquarters of the Ninth Bureau.

A battle report was delivered to Zhou Zhenshan, who remained silent for a long time after reading it.

Inside the office, Wang Jun and Old Ye both looked grim.

After a long silence, Zhou Zhenshan spoke: "The danger level of Changbai Mountain has been raised to red. The relocation plan for the three base cities in the Northeast has been activated."

Wang Jun's heart skipped a beat, and he asked, "Director Zhou, are we really going to relocate?"

Zhou Zhenshan said solemnly, "It's not about moving now, it's about being prepared to move at any time."

"The Changbai Mountain Tiger King is no longer an ordinary beast. It can scheme, wait, utilize our firepower, and even devour sources of pollution to evolve."

"If we don't prepare now, next time it won't be a small squad that dies, but an entire city."

Elder Ye asked in a deep voice, "What about the Azure Lotus Forbidden Zone?"