The Totem Black Serpent coiled atop Xiling, its serpent eyes coldly watching the distant Silver Skylord and the vast "cloud" of White Magic Eagles retreating with it.
It did not pursue for the kill. As the saying goes, one should not chase desperate enemies. The Silver Skylord, being a Great Monarch-level demon, had numerous life-preserving methods it was not so easy to slay.
Just like the naval battle in Xiamen in the original canon, where two Great Monarch-level sea monsters nearly brought the entire city to ruin, the power of this tier was self-evident.
One would likely need to fully master four elements at the Super Level, possess Transcendent Power, and integrate with Heaven-Seed-level magic to contend with such a foe solo standing among the apex of the world.
Moreover, the White Magic Eagles were not the only ruling demons around Hangzhou.
Below at the fortress, people cheered and looked up in awe at the colossal serpent, like a towering pillar of black and green. It felt like they had returned to ancient times, blessed under the protection of their guardian deity, and now offering a victory sacrifice in its honor.
Lu Jun had witnessed it all, emotions churning. He was still far from the Super Level stage. The Blood Abyss Curse Seal's enhancement allowed him to barely eliminate a single-element Super Mage with no defenses.
At the same time, he scanned the surroundings and saw how the other mages looked at the Black Serpent with reverence and awe his thoughts stirred.
Faith must go through tribulation, or it will be forgotten. This was a universal truth.
He finally breathed a sigh of relief. The Hangzhou Totem incident had concluded perfectly. The Black Serpent remained unharmed, the White Magic Eagles hadn't breached the city to slaughter innocents.
Some righteous individuals, who were originally destined to die, had unknowingly survived such as Wang Xiaojun, who exposed the plague's truth and was killed by Luo Mian while collecting Crimson Eagle Grass. If she grew stronger in the future, she would become even more significant.
As for Lu Jun himself, his gains were even greater. Fifty Servant-level Soul Essences, one Commander-level Remnant Soul, and the corpse of a Four-Clawed Commander Eagle. Once the military finished cleaning the battlefield, he could harvest more materials.
All that totaled roughly forty million, bringing him closer to acquiring another Star River Vein.
Most importantly, he had now formed an alliance with the Guardians of Hangzhou's Judgment Court. With Luo Mian dead and Zhu Meng stepping down, this connection practically gave him a foothold in a core city.
As for the Totem Black Serpent no need to even mention it. It was an ultimate backer, unlike Dean Xiao or Old Bao, who had to hide their identities and couldn't act freely. The serpent was a being that could be called upon to fight at any moment.
Globally speaking, a Supreme Monarch-level- creature could not be subdued unless a Forbidden Curse Mage acted. It could practically walk sideways across the world.
At that moment, atop the Black Serpent's head, Tang Yue urged, "Big guy, go pick up Lu Jun down there. He's the one who protected you. Let's go home."
Hissss~ The Totem Black Serpent withdrew its distant gaze, obediently lowering its body. Its cold serpent eyes softened, and it let out a low growl, gently approaching.
Beside it, Lu Mei and Leng Qing's flushed cheeks began to return to normal. Seeing the Black Serpent's behavior, Lu Mei gave a mischievous smile, imagining Lu Jun must be scared out of his wits.
Boom—!
The Black Serpent's grandeur was overwhelming. Just bowing its head made the entire fortress tremble. Everyone panicked and quickly stepped back. Only when they realized the Supreme Totem meant no harm did they breathe a sigh of relief.
A massive, angular serpent head stopped right in front of them, taking up nearly half of the fortress plaza.
Lu Jun was surprised, but not frightened as Lu Mei and Tang Yue had expected. Instead, he calmly reached out and gently stroked the cold, metallic, gleaming serpent scale, closing his eyes to feel the Totem's ancient and sacred power.
This was the first living totem he had encountered since obtaining the White Tiger Pendant.
Hiss~ The Black Serpent seemed to sense a kindred aura on Lu Jun. With curiosity and affection, it let out another soft hiss.
As a Psychic Element mage, Lu Jun easily understood the serpent's meaning. The corner of his mouth lifted in a smile. It was recognizing him as someone equally important as Tang Yue he could call on it for help anytime in the future.
"Big guy, thank you."
He sent the message through gentle psychic transmission.
Tang Yue blinked, then waved excitedly. "I was afraid you'd be scared, but since you're already this close, hop on. Let's go back to West Lake."
Hearing that, Lu Jun gladly complied. He reached up and climbed atop the serpent's brow. Tang Yue and Lu Mei shifted to either side, flanking him left and right.
Seeing her younger brother looking as though he was already familiar with this, Lu Mei raised an eyebrow and said, "So your rush to Hangzhou wasn't just for Sister Tang Yue, huh? You had this Supreme Totem in mind too?"
"Yes." Lu Jun felt the time was right. Both siblings were Advanced-level mages, so it was time they got involved with the Totem matter. He took out the White Tiger pendant from his chest to show Lu Mei.
He told a small lie against his conscience, saying, "This is a Totem vessel I found at home. Don't I already have a Nebula Magic Tool and an Undead Vessel? It's this one."
Sister Lu Mei suddenly understood, realizing her younger brother's past secrecy, but she was still a bit puzzled and murmured, "Totem?"
"Didn't expect you two to be part of the Totem Guardians as well." Tang Yue on the side was pleasantly surprised and explained, "According to legend, in ancient times, there was a group of great creatures who protected all living things."
"Humans were just one among them, but because of our immense spiritual nature, we received special favor. Totems once ruled the lands of the world and became Monarch."
"Unfortunately, with the erosion of time, the Totem era faded away. Humanity became the mainstream. The Black Totem Snake is now the only known Totem left in the country."
She paused and smiled, "Back when I went to Bo City, I was also searching for clues to another Totem. I suspected the Black Vatican was after them too. Who would've thought that after all the twists and turns, it was you two siblings? What a coincidence and thank goodness the Black Vatican didn't succeed."
Lu Jun knew that the clue she referred to was the Earth Sacred Spring, pointing to the Azure Dragon's power. His encounter with the White Tiger was purely accidental.
However, as he stared at the White Tiger pendant in his hand, he discovered something unexpected it emitted a gentler radiance, as if it had grown stronger, reaching half a step toward the level of a Galaxy Magic Tool.
He immediately looked inward into the internal space of the White Tiger pendant. The blood lake had expanded, noticeably broader than before.
"Slaughter, war, conflict, huh?"
Lu Jun pondered deeply, then shook his head with a wry smile. It had taken a battle involving more than a hundred thousand demons and even Great Monarch-level monsters just to produce a noticeable effect. Where on earth was he supposed to find that many high-tier battles?
Wait a minute he recalled the original story. Okay, there were plenty. The closest one was the Ancient Capital War.
Lu Mei pursed her lips and glanced at her brother, complaining with grievance, "Ugh, it's all his business I had no idea."
Hearing this, Lu Jun gave an awkward smile and stayed quiet. He knew his sister was blaming him for hiding the truth. Tang Yue, on the other hand, covered her mouth and chuckled as she watched.
Behind them, Leng Qing also knew about the Totem matter but didn't intend to chime in. She wasn't interested in the White Tiger pendant.
In the original, Mo Fan's Azure Dragon pendant was something that even Lingling, Mu Ningxue, Zhao Manting, and other companions in the Totem-seeking group knew about.
What made someone strong wasn't just a single artifact it was oneself.
But seeing the three of them teasing and flirting, Leng Qing felt uncomfortable all over. She just didn't fit in. Suddenly remembering something, she couldn't help but ask, "Oh right, Lu Jun, how did you know the source of the plague was blood serum, and that it came from the Claw-Pox Plague Rats?"
Lu Jun had already prepared for this. With a straight face, he used the original excuse from Wang Xiaojun and replied, "My sister and I are Master Hunters, after all. We've spent years in the wild, so we're very familiar with the disease patterns of Claw-Pox Plague Rats."
"I saw the images of the infected on the news, and they looked very similar. So I took a bold guess. As for the blood serum well, it's common. The diseased blood of Claw-Pox Plague Rats is something hunters sometimes use to replace blood serum in emergencies."
"And the earliest infected people reported in the news were hunters."
Leng Qing understood, the logic added up, and she nodded.
Lu Jun let out a sigh of relief finally fooled her. Their Master Hunter certification was legitimate, having slain several Commander-level beasts together. Of course, it wasn't a stretch.
Only his Sister Lu Mei had a strange look in her eyes but didn't say anything more. Tang Yue seemed to recall the scene of Lu Jun standing firm against the enemy and her gaze softened.