Chapter 85: The Matter of the Mysterious Serpent

After a crushing victory, Zhang Xiaohou sat on the high ground, feeling a bit tired. The data had been fully collected, and it was confirmed that there was indeed an earth-elemental spiritual seed located in the nearby valley.

Despite feeling weary, Zhang Xiaohou knew that his brother, Mo Fan, had come to help him gain something valuable, so he quickly composed himself. With the Flame Wolf clearing the path, they moved toward the location of the spiritual seed.

However, Mo Fan chose not to enter the valley directly, which was home to the Lizard Skull Demon. Instead, he led Xiaohou in search of a cave that connected to an underground river. The Armored Giant Lizard had been killed in the original world because it had been wounded, but now? With no such advantage, the Armored Giant Lizard was likely at its peak strength, and its corpse wouldn't be worth the risk.

It took them about ten days, but they finally found the Earth-type spiritual seed for Xiaohou. In the process, Mo Fan also killed quite a few lizards. Despite wiping out thousands of these creatures, the Lizard Skull Demon were still everywhere within the Dongting Lake region.

Upon returning to the city, Xiaohou went to report to the authorities, while Mo Fan headed to Hangzhou. Although his Lightning-element Star Constellation book wasn't put to use, there was a bigger issue at hand—Tang Yue and the mysterious serpent.

The mystical serpent, known as the Totem Xuan Serpent, had resurfaced. While this time it didn't appear in the center of Hangzhou, it showed up near the academy where Xin Xia was studying. This development caught Mo Fan by surprise. However, given the sensitive period, the serpent's reappearance wasn't entirely unexpected. Its emergence had naturally caused some trouble, with the Imperial Magic Association's Risk Prevention Councilor, Zhu Meng, now targeting it.

Zhu Meng had been after this serpent for a long time. As soon as Mo Fan arrived in Hangzhou, Tang Yue took him to the city's Magic Association headquarters. After taking the elevator to the top floor, they entered an elegant, panoramic conference room. Several uniformed men guarded the doors—most of them were high-level mages.

It wasn't long before Tang Yue and Mo Fan were led inside by one of her senior disciples. Around a large round table sat seven or eight well-dressed men and women, while about twenty others stood to the side, most of them being adjudicators.

Among them, Mo Fan noticed Leng Qing, the vice-leader of the Magic City's Adjudication Tribunal. Since the Magic City's tribunal was under the jurisdiction of the Lingyin Temple Tribunal, Leng Qing was part of Tang Yue's faction.

At that moment, a bearded middle-aged man at the table slammed his hand down in frustration, speaking with authority: "People have died, and yet you still protect that venomous snake! I didn't come here from the Imperial Magic Palace to negotiate; I came with orders to eliminate the hidden threat and restore peace to Hangzhou. You'd better hand over the Xuan Serpent for us to deal with immediately!"

Tang Yue, filled with anger, glared at the bearded man, quietly cursing him under her breath. To her, Zhu Meng was nothing but a villain for targeting the mystical serpent.

"Let's remain calm, Councilor Zhu." one of the senior judges said with a smile. "You know the Xuan Serpent's power. If you confront it head-on with such hostility, you'll only create more trouble. These things take time to resolve."

Zhu Meng, however, was unyielding: "Enough of the pleasantries! This time, you won't get away with protecting it."

"Protecting it? Why would we?" an elder who supported the Totem Serpent argued passionately. "The Totem Xuan Serpent has lived in this city for countless years—this is its home! Who are we to drive it away?"

"That's your totem, not ours. I care about whether this beast will go on a rampage!" Zhu Meng retorted, undeterred.

The elder grew more furious, shouting: "It's not the serpent you're afraid of; it's that its presence interferes with your plans for strategic control. You want to gain more followers and eventually become the Imperial Magic Palace's president!"

Zhu Meng simply smiled at the old man, his expression unreadable.

Mo Fan quietly observed, realizing that these politicians were all master manipulators. They were putting on quite the show of power and deception.

At that moment, Tang Yue could no longer contain herself and stood up, saying, "The Totem Xuan Serpent doesn't harm people. What proof do you have that the two bodies you found were killed by the serpent?"

"Where did this ill-mannered girl come from? This is no place for you to speak!" one of Zhu Meng's attendants scolded her loudly.

Zhu Meng, however, looked over at Tang Yue and seemed to recognize her. He waved his hand, signaling his attendant to ignore her.

Tang Yue wasn't backing down. "You can't just drag out two bodies and blame the Totem Serpent without evidence. It's absurd!"

"Quiet, Tang Yue." Tang Zhong, the chief adjudicator, spoke up, chastising her. He then turned to Zhu Meng and said, "My niece is right. We need evidence. If the Totem Serpent had really wanted to kill, there wouldn't even be bodies left to find. Pinning these decayed bodies that were discovered a week later on the Totem Serpent is an insult!"

Zhu Meng's expression remained firm. "It's not my job to investigate deaths. My duty is to eliminate threats. The serpent appeared in public; that alone makes it a top priority threat. You have two days—either hand over the Totem Xuan Serpent, or I'll take care of it myself!"

With that, Zhu Meng turned and left.

"Who would've thought, after all our efforts to protect the serpent, that it would still fall into someone's crosshairs," Tang Zhong said with a deep sigh.

"What do we do now?" another adjudicator, Hei Yu, asked. "Zhu Meng is determined to deal with the totem this time, and he has a strong case. Even if we appeal to the higher council, it might not change anything."

"Zhu Meng is all bluster. If he really had the strength to take down the Totem Serpent, he would've done it by now." Councilor Luo Mian scoffed, stroking his beard. He knew about the serpent's molting process and wanted to confirm it.

Tang Zhong reluctantly explained the Totem Serpent's ten-year molting cycle to the group. He then turned to Tang Yue and said, "You'll need to take the serpent somewhere safe so it can complete its molting in peace."

Tang Yue nodded, determined to protect the serpent, which she regarded as family.

"I'll help protect Tang Yue and the serpent." Hei Yu offered.

But Tang Zhong shook his head. "During the molting period, the serpent is highly sensitive. Any high-level mage or commander-level creature within a 20-kilometer radius will trigger its aggression. Tang Yue is the only one strong enough to be near it without being seen as a threat."

(End of Chapter)