Emergency Reinforcements
Mo Fan stood frozen, unable to look away.
He had heard Tang Yue speak of the Totem Xuan Serpent many times — just as she had described, it treated her like a beloved elder would, sheltering and watching over her at every turn.
But nothing had prepared him for this. The Totem Xuan Serpent's body was torn and bleeding, still enduring the ceaseless thunder strikes — most Demon-Beasts would have lost all reason under such torment, gone feral and wild with bloodlust.
Not the Totem Xuan Serpent. When it saw Tang Yue crying harder, it looked almost helpless.
It was the first time Mo Fan had ever seen a creature that radiated such primal dread show something like tenderness. It watched over Tang Yue the way a parent watches over a child, unable to bear even a moment of her suffering, terrified of her tears — and all of this while its own body was being torn apart by a Transcendent Tier magical formation.
"Do you believe it?" Mo Fan said, visibly moved, turning to his Senior Sister Leng Qing beside him. "Can you really believe that a Totem like this brings plague and disaster?"
"Does it matter what I believe?" Leng Qing's voice carried a quiet reluctance.
In truth, she sided with the Totem Guardian faction — but the scene before her made the reality plain. The frightened citizens wanted the Totem Xuan Serpent dead. The Su Causeway was thick with High-Level Mages, all waiting for the moment it weakened enough to strike. Then they would converge on West Lake as one and slaughter this Sovereign-class creature.
On the Su Causeway, Councillor Zhu Meng and Councillor Luo Mian paid the Totem Xuan Serpent's gentleness no heed. They waited in silence, watching for the creature's life force to begin its slow decline.
"Shall we move now?" Councillor Zhu Meng said, impatience creeping into his voice.
The White Demon Eagles at the Western Fortress were still bearing down on the city, and Zhu Meng had no time to spare. He needed to finish off the Totem Xuan Serpent, end the plague, and then deal with the White Demon Eagle legion.
"Don't you dare," Councillor Luo Mian said. "Don't underestimate this Totem Xuan Serpent. Dissolve the Lightning Ring Punishment Formation now, and you could lose half your forces without even killing it. Even in Molting Season, its strength is terrifying."
Councillor Zhu Meng hesitated, glancing toward Guard Captain Wu Pinjing at his side.
Wu Pinjing gave a slow nod. "Councillor, there is no need to rush. Let the Lightning Ring Punishment wear it down a little longer. There is still time to act."
Councillor Zhu Meng lowered his hand and chose to wait.
It wasn't long before Palace Guard Ah Li Jin came rushing toward him — so urgent he forgot to bow. "Councillor! The Western Fortress is requesting reinforcements!"
Councillor Zhu Meng frowned. He cast a glance at the Totem Xuan Serpent, pinned between the nine crackling lightning pillars of the formation, and said, "Wait a little longer. We finish the serpent first."
"This is an emergency request, sir. A Sovereign-class creature has appeared within the White Demon Eagle legion. Our Celestial Eagle network has been destroyed — our entire aerial combat capability is gone. Only High-Level Mages can stop the White Demon Eagle legion from above. The Western Fortress has already mobilized every High-Level Mage in the vicinity, and still they cannot fully hold the invasion back. If no reinforcements arrive, the White Demon Eagle legion may appear over the city itself, and then..." Ah Li Jin said.
"It's truly that serious?" The color drained from Councillor Zhu Meng's face.
"Without the Celestial Eagles, it doesn't matter how many fortress defenders we have — they're useless!" Ah Li Jin said.
Chief Adjudicator Ah Li Tian was standing nearby. After hearing the emergency report, he looked at the still-wavering Councillor Zhu Meng and said, "There is no time to lose. Both Councillors should lead the Tribunal Agents and Palace Guards to the Western Fortress front line at once."
"No." Councillor Luo Mian's voice rang out sharply. "We kill it first."
Zhu Meng found himself caught between two impossible choices.
"The Totem Xuan Serpent's endurance is extraordinary — its strength won't be fully spent until the late hours of the night. That is when a strike can be made safely. Move now in haste, provoke it into a desperate counterattack, and the casualties could be catastrophic. Weaken yourselves here, leave the front line without support, and Hangzhou faces a true disaster. The Lightning Ring Punishment has it completely contained — there is no chance it breaks free from the most powerful seal this Transcendent Tier formation can produce, not within a day or two. Go to the front line first. Hold the situation steady. Push the White Demon Eagle legion back beyond the Safe Zone — then come back and finish the job. It will not be too late." Chief Adjudicator Ah Li Tian said.
Councillor Luo Mian's expression shifted. He studied the Totem Xuan Serpent, already grievously wounded, then turned his gaze to Councillor Zhu Meng.
Zhu Meng was the one who commanded real Mage power — his Palace Guards were formidable fighters. All Luo Mian could do was wait for Zhu Meng to decide.
"Given the urgency, I suppose we have no choice but to take a small risk and finish it now. With Councillor Zhu Meng's Palace Guards here, I doubt the creature can cause much trouble," Councillor Luo Mian said.
"Wait." Councillor Zhu Meng raised his hand.
"Zhu Meng, kill it now. The longer we delay, the more can go wrong," Luo Mian said.
"We go to the front line first." Zhu Meng's face was iron.
"But..." A strange look crossed Luo Mian's face.
"Guard Captain Wu Pinjing, hear my order — take the Palace Guards to the Western Fortress front line immediately. If a single White Demon Eagle breaches the Safe Zone, you will answer for it!" Councillor Zhu Meng's voice rang out like hammered steel.
"Yes, sir!"
Wu Pinjing launched himself into the air, clearing the Su Causeway in a single bound. A pair of six-winged wind wings materialized at his back — each feather long and full, spread in perfect staggered rows. Every powerful beat sent a surge of smooth, steady airflow rising beneath him, lifting his body higher and higher.
"Six wings..." Mo Fan craned his neck, watching Wu Pinjing climb into the sky. "That Guard Captain is something else entirely."
At Wu Pinjing's command, every Palace Guard on the causeway launched into the air as one.
The Su Causeway had been alive with powerful fighters. Some channeled advanced Wind Element magic, conjuring wings of wind to carry them aloft. Others rode Wing Enchanted Gear, slicing through the clouds with practiced ease. Still others had mounts of their own, spreading great wings to soar on the currents.
Within moments, every Palace Guard who had been standing by on the Su Causeway was airborne. Led by Wu Pinjing at the vanguard, the formation streamed westward at breathtaking speed — a magnificent, awe-inspiring sight that left the Mages who had yet to master flight burning with envy.
Still, one had to wonder — just how powerful was the Totem Xuan Serpent, even now, trapped inside the Lightning Ring Punishment?
The Su Causeway had been packed with elite fighters. The Totem Xuan Serpent's strength was already severely diminished by the Molting Season, and the Lightning Ring Punishment had ground it down further still — yet even so, two Councillors had not dared to simply dissolve the formation and strike?
Whatever the case, the Totem Xuan Serpent had, for now, been granted a brief reprieve.
Mo Fan made to go to Tang Yue's side, then stopped. His Senior Sister Leng Qing's sharp, dark eyes were fixed unblinking on Councillor Luo Mian — as though she were trying to see straight through that cunning old man.
"Senior Sister, what is it?" Mo Fan asked.
"This situation," Leng Qing said, turning suddenly serious, "may not be as straightforward as it appears."