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

The valley fell silent again, the air thick with the stench of blood.

Corpses lay scattered along the lakeshore, their blood staining the ground red.

High in the sky, Little Jinbao landed on the shore. A few drops of blood were still on its feathers, and its eyes were full of excitement.

"Master...bad guy...kill him!" It raised its little head, looking like it wanted praise.

Chu Zhou looked at the little guy and couldn't help but laugh. If Little Jinbao hadn't been the first to spot the danger, he might have actually been disgusted.

Although these people posed no threat to him, he was, after all, a plant, and if his true form were touched, he would feel uncomfortable.

"Good job, little guy."

A mental wave emanated from it. Little Jinbao immediately flapped its wings with joy, its tail feathers almost standing on end.

"Praise... I'm happy."

Chu Zhou's gaze fell on the corpses on the shore: "These corpses cannot be wasted."

In the previous life, during the early stages of spiritual energy revival, the corpses of mutated creatures and awakened humans all contained spiritual energy. The flesh and blood of the strong were resources in themselves, not to mention that the system had previously warned about this.

Knowing that his roots possessed the ability to absorb the essence of life, Chu Zhou's spirit stirred, and the next moment the lake water churned, and dozens of thick roots broke through the water.

Resembling a giant python, even Little Jinbao was stunned for a moment: "Master...eat?"

Chu Zhou smiled and said, "I guess so."

He manipulated his roots to pierce the corpses, causing blood to splatter everywhere. The corpses of Brother Dao and the others suddenly trembled, releasing a pale red life energy.

It was forcibly extracted. Following the roots, it surged wildly into Chu Zhou's main body. At the same time, a system notification sounded.

[Spiritual flesh and blood detected]

[Begins to devour]

[Evolution Point +12]

[Evolution Point +9]

[Obtained low-level psionic essence]

[Evolution Point +21]

……

Especially the corpse of Brother Dao, whose flesh and blood energy was significantly stronger after awakening. A wisp of pale red light was forcibly extracted by Chu Zhou.

[Detection of Special Individuals]

[Discovering a faint spiritual force]

[Refine or not?]

Chu Zhou's eyes lit up, and he immediately chose to refine it.

boom!

A strange warm current surged into the body, causing the lotus leaves to tremble. The originally bluish-silver roots now showed faint golden lines, becoming thicker and more resilient than before.

The system prompted again.

[Refining complete]

[Gained special ability: Mighty Roots]

[Effect: Increases root strength, allowing for a brief burst of several times the strangulation power]

[Note: Originating from the bloodline remnants of those who have awakened their power]

"Holy crap? Devouring corpses can unlock skills?"

Chu Zhou was genuinely pleasantly surprised; he had always lacked close-combat burst damage. Now, with his root power surging, he could entangle enemies in the future.

Direct strangulation, it's so crude! Thinking of this, he felt instantly relieved.

Before he died, Brother Dao never imagined that not only would he fail to obtain the elixir, but he would also be refined into an experience pack, disappearing with the devouring process.

The corpses on the shore quickly shriveled up, as if their life had been drained away.

In the end, only a stark white skeleton remained. A gust of wind blew it away, turning it to ashes, and the system beeped again.

[Current evolution points: 143/500]

Chu Zhou was immediately in a great mood; he had made a killing from this.

As long as I continue to evolve, I will soon be able to reach the fourth tier. I am already so powerful at the third tier, I am really looking forward to the fourth tier.

Thinking of this, Chu Zhou looked at Xiao Jinbao, who was still staring at him expectantly.

He looked like he thought he was really amazing.

Chu Zhou smiled: "You did a good job today, protecting the director. You deserve a reward."

The next second, a wisp of rich life essence was actively condensed by Chu Zhou. It transformed into a pale blue light and was presented to Little Golden Treasure: "This is a reward for you."

Little Jinbao's eyes lit up instantly.

"Chirp!" It swallowed it whole.

The pale golden feathers instantly glowed, the spiritual energy within its body surged, and even its size seemed to have increased slightly. The little guy was very happy and circled around Chu Zhou frantically.

"My master is the best; I will protect him."

Chu Zhou was also happy, experiencing the joy of raising a child.

However, at that moment, he suddenly sensed something was wrong. At the edge of his spiritual realm, three extremely powerful life fluctuations appeared simultaneously.

Approaching rapidly, and with obvious greed, Chu Zhou's consciousness suddenly sank: "Something's coming."

Deep in the woods, it sounded like some enormous thing was crashing into the trees, causing them to shake violently.

Crack! A small tree was snapped in two by the impact.

Immediately afterwards, a black bear that was over three meters tall slowly emerged from the woods.

When it stands upright, it resembles a small mountain, its black fur thick and bristling like steel needles. Its pair of beastly eyes gleam with a dark red, ferocious light. Its claws are as long as daggers. Even the corners of its mouth are still stained with undried blood.

[Target: Mutant Black Bear]

[Level: Tier 3]

Status: Hungry

Chu Zhou's pupils contracted slightly. "Bear, it's already at the third rank?"

However, this was not the end. On the other side of the lake, large swathes of vegetation suddenly collapsed.

A rustling sound arose, and a gigantic snake head slowly rose. Its pupils were cold and vertical. Its scarlet forked tongue flickered, and its body was as thick as a water vat.

It is over twenty meters long, and its scales gleam with a cold, bluish light.

As Chu Zhou's consciousness focused on the giant python, information about it instantly surfaced:

[Target: Mutant Python]

[Level: Tier 3]

At the same time, on the hillside, a nearly four-meter-tall white tiger with piercing eyes strode out. Its muscles bulged, and the royal markings on its forehead seemed to burn.

Every step he took carried the oppressive aura of a apex predator.

[Target: Mutant Tiger]

[Level: Tier 3]

A three-headed, third-tier alien beast.

Appearing simultaneously, they didn't immediately engage in combat, but instead all looked towards the center of the lake. It was the azure-silver demonic lotus, or more precisely, the spiritual fragrance emanating from Chu Zhou, that life force—so intense it almost drove them mad.

Especially the Moonlit Demon Lotus itself. In the morning light, it radiates divine light, like a true rare and precious treasure.

The three strange beasts began to breathe heavily, and their eyes simultaneously revealed a burning greed.

They had only one thought in their minds: eating it would make them stronger.

Chu Zhou's mood instantly darkened: "Damn, today is such a fucking unlucky day."

I had just finished killing the poachers and hadn't even had time to celebrate when three big guys showed up.

Moreover, they were all Tier 3, each more ruthless than the last, Chu Zhou knew this very well. Although he was also Tier 3 now, his advantage lay in home-field advantage, control, and recovery.

In a head-on clash, I might be able to fight one-on-one, but one-on-three? That's just feeding the enemy. Especially since I'm a plant, and my true form is in the middle of the lake, I can't escape at all.

If someone gets close, they could really be eaten alive.

"Stay calm, don't panic."

Chu Zhou forcibly suppressed his emotions, his mind racing. His countless life-or-death experiences from his previous life told him...

The more dangerous the situation, the calmer you must remain. Those who panic will die first. Little Jinbao is already in a frenzy. All its pale golden feathers stand on end, circling above Chu Zhou and emitting angry cries.

"Chirp!"

"You bad thing, attack!" It stared intently at the three-headed beast, ready to fight to the death if anyone dared to touch its master.

Unfortunately, the three-headed, third-tier beast didn't take it seriously at all.

"Little Jinbao, calm down."

Chu Zhou's mental fluctuations immediately emanated.

"Don't move yet."

Little Jinbao panicked: "Master, it's dangerous! I'll fight them!"

Chu Zhou was speechless. "You're a second-tier guy trying to become a third-tier three-headed monster? Are you protecting me or just feeding me kills?"

"Listen to me, don't be impulsive. Fly a little higher and wait for my orders."

Although Little Jinbao was anxious, it was still obedient, flapping its wings and flying high into the sky. Its eyes were alertly watching below.

Ready to fight to the death at any moment, Chu Zhou quickly analyzed the situation.

We can't fight, and we can't run away.

The only way is to let them fight it themselves.

Chu Zhou's consciousness stirred slightly, and he suddenly looked at the three-headed beast.

The next second, within the Moonflower Demon Lotus, a spiritual fragrance slowly spread, and wisps of pale blue-silver mist drifted out.

This is no ordinary fragrance, but the very essence of the Moonlit Lotus. It possesses an almost fatal allure to life.

The stronger the beast, the more irresistible it is. Chu Zhou consciously began to control the spiritual fragrance to spread towards the three-headed beast.

At the same time, they utilize mental fluctuations to subtly amplify their inner irritability, possessiveness, and hostility.

He discovered this ability shortly after breaking through to the third tier. Although it cannot directly control the mind, it can slightly influence emotions.

Wild animals, in particular, are most easily swayed by their instincts.

Sure enough, things changed, and the black bear was the first to lose control.

Its nose twitched wildly, its eyes grew increasingly red, and drool even dripped from the corner of its mouth.

Only one thought remained in his mind: eat it, eat that lotus flower, and he would definitely become stronger.

It even dominated this mountain forest, but there were two other competitors nearby.

The black bear let out a low growl, its eyes fierce.

The white tiger also became agitated.

The white snake's eyes were fixed on the other two strange beasts.

The atmosphere between the three parties suddenly changed, and the air was filled with the smell of gunpowder.

Chu Zhou was immediately overjoyed.

There was hope. So he continued to add fuel to the fire. Lingxiang deliberately veered towards the white tiger, misleading the black bear into thinking...

The White Tiger is seizing the opportunity, and at the same time, a spiritual fluctuation occurs.

Subtly provoke the python, amplifying its hostility towards tigers, its natural predators.

The black bear suddenly became enraged and abruptly stood on its hind legs.

The bear slammed its paw into the ground, causing the soil to crack. The white tiger, already irritable, was further provoked by this.

Its body was slightly arched, its muscles tense, and it pounced. The tiger's paw slammed down on the black bear's head.

The black bear flew into a rage and swung its paw at the attack head-on. The air exploded as the two giant beasts collided. Mud flew everywhere, and several trees along the lake were snapped in two.

At the same time, the lurking giant python moved. A fierce glint flashed in its eyes. Its body suddenly sprang forward, opening its blood-red maw to bite at the white tiger's hind leg.

Blood spurted out instantly, and the white tiger roared in pain. It whirled around, its claws striking the snake's body, and the three strange beasts clashed together in a fierce battle.