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

After Zhang Xuanling finished speaking, he turned around and went to the incense table, took out a wooden box from underneath, and then opened the box.

Inside were several talisman papers, a peach wood short sword, and a handwritten ancient scroll with badly worn edges.

The ancient scroll cover bears four characters: 【Refining the Spirit and Returning to One】

Zhang Xuanling picked up the ancient scroll, and the young Taoist priest said, "Master, are you going to take the Refining Spirit Scroll left by our patriarch with you as well?"

Zhang Xuanling nodded: "The Ninth Bureau invited me out of seclusion this time simply because of the great changes in the world, and they wanted to ask me some questions. This scroll is of use to me."

The young Taoist priest asked, "Master, do you think this trip will be effective?"

"Whether it works or not, we'll only know after we try. Before, when the spiritual energy hadn't recovered, those talismans we Taoists cultivated were just for show. But things are different now. Let's get the vehicles ready."

The young Taoist priest nodded: "Yes, Master."

Just then, a young Taoist priest staggered in, his face pale, and said, "The monkeys from the back mountain have come down. They've taken over the kitchen and injured two worshippers."

The young Taoist priest's expression changed: "Weren't those monkeys always in the back mountain? How dare they rush into the front hall?"

Zhang Xuanling frowned.

Due to the recent resurgence of spiritual energy, the monkeys in the back mountain have also been affected, frequently attacking people.

Zhang Xuanling said, "Let's go take a look."

The three of them arrived at the front courtyard of the Taoist temple, where things were already in complete chaos.

A dozen or so monkeys, each about 1.5 meters tall, were baring their teeth and holding spoons, confronting the worshippers.

A middle-aged pilgrim was clutching his arm, blood streaming down his sleeve. His wife, terrified, cried out, "Master, please save us!"

The young Taoist gritted his teeth and was about to rush forward when Zhang Xuanling raised his hand to stop him.

The young Taoist priest said urgently, "Master, these monkeys are hurting people."

Looking at the restless macaques, Zhang Xuanling said in a deep voice, "They didn't hurt people intentionally; they were disturbed by the moonlight and their minds were in turmoil."

The gray-haired monkey suddenly shrieked and pounced on a young Taoist priest from the roof.

The young Taoist priest turned pale with fright, and Zhang Xuanling raised his hand and waved it away.

A yellow talisman flew out, and the talisman spontaneously combusted in mid-air, turning into a faint golden light.

"Certainly."

The gray-haired monkey's body suddenly stiffened, and it fell directly from mid-air. It landed on the ground, squealing in pain, and couldn't get up no matter what it did.

Seeing this, the other macaques became even more agitated, screaming wildly as they charged towards Zhang Xuanling.

The young Taoist priest's face changed drastically: "Master, be careful!"

Zhang Xuanling remained expressionless as he took out three more talismans.

This time, the talisman didn't burn; instead, he held it between his fingers and gave it a gentle shake.

Three golden beams flew out and landed in three different locations in the courtyard.

The next moment, a gentle mental fluctuation spread out.

The previously frenzied macaques gradually slowed down, and their red eyes slowly regained their clarity.

Several little monkeys looked around blankly, seemingly not understanding why they had rushed here.

Zhang Xuanling said in a low voice, "When spiritual energy enters the body, the restless mind is hard to subdue. This is true for them, and it is also true for humans."

The young Taoist priest was startled by what he heard. After a moment, the group of macaques finally retreated back to the roof.

Zhang Xuanling didn't kill them, but looked towards the back mountain: "Take the wounded to get bandaged, and send some of the food from the kitchen to the edge of the back mountain."

The young Taoist priest was taken aback: "Master, do we still need to feed them?"

Zhang Xuanling shook his head: "They are affected not only because of the moonlight, but also because they are starving. Let's wait until the Ninth Bureau arrives and have them notify the local patrol team to seal off the back mountain."

Just then, the sound of a car screeching to a halt came from outside the mountain gate.

Several black SUVs were parked at the entrance of the Taoist temple, and a group of people in Ninth Bureau uniforms walked in quickly.

The leader was a man in his thirties with a calm expression and a faint aura of spiritual energy emanating from him.

He walked up to Zhang Xuanling, saluted, and said, "Master Zhang, I am Xu Qingfeng, the captain of the Ninth Bureau's Special Operations Team."

"By order of headquarters, we are escorting you to the capital."

Zhang Xuanling nodded: "Captain Xu, thank you for your hard work."

Xu Qingfeng glanced at the gray-furred monkey lying on the ground in the courtyard, then at the still-shaken worshippers, his expression changing slightly: "Has a strange beast attacked here?"

The young Taoist priest said, "The monkeys in the back mountain have mutated; they almost injured more people just now."

Xu Qingfeng's expression was grave. He immediately said to the team members behind him, "Notify the local patrol team to temporarily close off the back of Longhu Mountain."

"Arrange another group to escort the pilgrims down the mountain."

"yes!"

The team members immediately took action.

Watching the young team members busy at work, Zhang Xuanling said softly, "It seems that things down the mountain are more chaotic than I imagined."

Xu Qingfeng was silent for a moment, then finally said, "Master, many places are in chaos."

"After the spiritual energy tide, the mutation rate of ordinary animals has accelerated, and the number of awakening out of control incidents in the city has surged, with hospitals already overflowing."

"Headquarters invited you to the capital to ask for your help in exploring methods for human advancement."

Zhang Xuanling didn't ask too many questions and nodded, saying, "Then let's go."

The young Taoist priest couldn't help but say, "Master, I'll go with you."

Zhang Xuanling looked at him: "The Taoist temple also needs someone to guard it."

The young Taoist priest said anxiously, "But..."

Zhang Xuanling said gently, "Mingxin, you stay. Remember, if the animals in the mountains become agitated again, do not kill them easily."

"Drive them away if you can, keep them safe if you can, but if they really hurt someone, then we'll ask the Ninth Inspector to handle it."

Mingxin bowed his head: "Disciple understands."

.......

At the same time.

Linjiang City.

The changes brought about by the second spiritual tide have truly affected the lives of ordinary people.

Long queues formed outside the supermarket.

The shelves were almost completely emptied of rice, flour, oil, bottled water, medicine, flashlights, and batteries.

A middle-aged woman was carrying two bags of rice, sweating profusely with anxiety.

"Boss, do you have any salt left?"

The supermarket owner said with a long face, "Ma'am, we're really out."

"They were all sold out this afternoon."

"Why don't you come back tomorrow?"

The middle-aged woman asked anxiously, "Tomorrow? What if the monsters enter the city tomorrow?"

A young man nearby couldn't help but say, "Auntie, the authorities have said not to panic, there are patrol teams in the city."

The middle-aged woman glared at him: "You're young and don't care, but I have elderly people and children at home. How could I not care?"

The young man was speechless.

Patrol cars constantly passed by on the street.

The broadcast played a loop of a joint notice issued by the Ninth Bureau and the municipal government: "Please remain calm and do not go to mountainous areas, river channels, abandoned factory areas, or other areas with unusual spiritual energy."

"If you discover any unusual or aggressive behavior from animals, please contact the patrol team immediately."

"Awakened individuals must go to the registration point as soon as possible to complete the registration. Those who conceal their awakened abilities and cause injury or death to others will be held accountable according to law."

In an old residential community, the property manager used a loudspeaker to announce downstairs: "Starting tonight, the community gates will be closed after 10 p.m.

"A notice has already been sent in the residents' group chat, telling people not to feed stray cats and dogs."

"That dog outside Building 3 is almost the size of a calf, and you're still feeding it?"

An older woman leaned out from upstairs and said, "That dog used to be very well-behaved and didn't bite."

The property manager stomped his foot in anger: "The past is the past, and the present is the present! Yesterday it even stole Old Li's chickens. Is this a matter of being well-behaved or not?"

Several nearby residents felt uneasy listening to this.

Someone whispered, "I just saw the trees behind the neighborhood; they seem to have grown several meters taller overnight."

"Really?"

"Why would I lie to you? The tree roots have cracked the concrete floor."

"Are they even letting people live like this?"

......

Linjiang City Third People's Hospital.

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

The corridor was filled with cries, shouts, and the urging of doctors and nurses.

A teenage boy was burning up, and faint red lines appeared on his arms.

His mother gripped the doctor's sleeve tightly, crying, "Doctor, is my son going to turn into a monster?"

The doctor looked exhausted, but still patiently said, "It's not a monster."

"It seems to be a precursor to fire-type awakening."

"But his body temperature is too high, so it needs to be brought down first."

"Family members, please go to the side to register first."

Not far away, an old man lay on a hospital bed, repeatedly muttering, "There are people on the moon, there are people on the moon."

The nurse felt a chill run down her spine.

She suppressed her fear and replaced the old man's sedative patch.

The young nurse beside her asked in a trembling voice, "Sister, is this an illness, or an awakening?"

The older nurse paused for a moment, then smiled wryly, "Who can tell the difference now?"

After the spiritual energy was restored, this world was no longer the same as before. Faced with this change, everyone lived in great tension every day.

......

On the other side, in the forbidden area of ​​Black Dragon Mountain, under the influence of the spiritual energy tide, the outside world was in chaos, and the interior of Black Dragon Mountain was equally unsettled.

After the second spiritual energy tide, a large number of low-level beasts were attracted by the spiritual energy and actively entered the outer perimeter of Black Dragon Mountain.

Some chose to submit, some were strangled by the Azure Vine, and others took advantage of the chaos to fight for spiritual herbs and territory.

Even in the restricted area, not all the beasts are obedient. Even though Chu Zhou has reached the sixth rank, there are still strong and weak, fighting and oppression within Black Dragon Mountain.

Chu Zhou used to ignore these trivial matters, but now Black Dragon Mountain has become a mid-level restricted area.

If the internal infighting continues unchecked, it will inevitably affect the order of the entire restricted area sooner or later.

On the shore of Heilong Lake, a tiny squirrel, no bigger than a palm, stumbled out of the forest, clutching a purple pine cone.

Its fur was disheveled, and its tail was stained with blood.

As he ran, he looked back in terror; behind him, three gray wolves, each nearly the size of a calf, were chasing him.

These three gray wolves are all second-tier exotic beasts.

They were agile and had a playful look in their eyes; they were clearly not hunting, but toying with the small, weak squirrel.

One of the gray wolves sneered, emitting a low mental fluctuation: "Little thing, the pine nuts from that Moonflower Pine are not for you to possess. Hand them over now."

The little squirrel was trembling with fear, clutching the purple pine cone in its arms and refusing to let go of its paws.

Those were the spirit pine nuts that it had finally found. It originally intended to hide them and save them for future breakthroughs, but as soon as it returned to its den, these gray wolves discovered them.

Its nest was overturned, and the pine nuts it had hidden for several days were all stolen.

Finally, only the one in its arms remained, and the little squirrel desperately tried to escape.

Unbeknownst to them, they had escaped to the shores of Black Dragon Lake.

Just as it was about to be caught up, a golden figure suddenly descended from the sky.

Little Jinbao landed on a boulder by the lake, tilted his head to look at the little squirrel, and asked with interest, "Little thing, this is our master's resting place. Who allowed you to trespass?"

The little squirrel shuddered in fright.

Upon seeing Little Jinbao's golden feathers and the aura of a fourth-tier demon king, it almost fainted on the spot.

It quickly raised the purple pine nuts in its arms, as if paying protection money, and made squeaking noises.

Little Jinbao was stunned. Looking at the pine nut, which was smaller than its claw, it immediately said irritably, "What do you mean? What kind of bird do you take me for? Do you think I'm the kind of bird that would steal a worthless pine nut from you?"

"Good heavens, this bird has ideals and aspirations too, you know?" Little Jinbao looked down on it completely, feeling greatly insulted, and shouted angrily.