Based on the earthquake catalog data from 1970 to 2025 for the Wuhan-Ezhou-Huanggang-Huangshi metropolitan area and its adjacent regions, the b-value was calculated using the maximum likelihood method. Leveraging the negative correlation between the b-value and differential stress, the stress state and seismic hazard of fault zones were analyzed in the context of the tectonic setting. The results indicate that: 1) The temporal evolution of b-values in the study area reveals a seismogenic process of "balanced accumulation-localized concentration-energy release-re-accumulation". Specifically, the overall low b-values from 1996 to 2010 corresponded to a strong stress-locking state prior to the Jiujiang earthquake. Since 2011, although b-values have rebounded, persistently low b-value anomalies on the northern side of the Xiangfan-Guangji fault suggest that this region is currently under a state of high-stress accumulation, posing a heightened risk of strong earthquakes. 2) Analysis of the Jiujiang earthquake comfirms that the b-value is sensitive to changes in tectonic stress. The low b-value anomaly in the source area before the earthquake reflected a high-stress locking state in the crust. The significant increase in b-values after the earthquake indicates stress release and crustal fragmentation caused by the mainshock rupture. Notably, analysis of b-value differences (Δb) reveals post-seismic stress migration and reloading toward the northwest of the epicenter, uncovering a complex process of post-seismic stress adjustment. This study enhances the understanding of the seismogenic dynamics of the Wuhan-Ezhou-Huanggang-Huangshi metropolitan area from the perspective of b-value spatiotemporal evolution and can provide a key basis for regional seismic hazard assessment and disaster prevention and mitigation.