After seeing Mo Fan off, Fang Yu and Tang Yue also left the villa.
Not long after.
Fang Yu followed Tang Yue all the way to West Lake. Upon reaching the lakeside, they boarded a small boat that slowly drifted across the calm waters.
The lake water was clear and tranquil, reflecting the white clouds above. The soft clouds drifted gently around the boat, sometimes overlapping with its shadow.
A moment later.
The small boat arrived at the island in the middle of the lake.
The island itself resembled a prohibition symbol, a circle with a cross inside it surrounded entirely by water.
After the two stepped onto the deserted island, Tang Yue clasped her hands behind her back and strolled through the familiar place like a lively young girl.
Her steps were slow yet light, carrying a gentle and approachable charm, lacking the initial stunning allure and faint arrogance of a mentor from when Fang Yu first met her.
Fang Yu followed Tang Yue through the pool at the center of the lake until they reached a pavilion situated at the intersection in the middle of the pool. Green tiles and red pillars gave it the classic Jiangnan aesthetic.
Inside the pavilion were various ancient artifacts. As Fang Yu followed Tang Yue inside, he noticed that not only were there antiques on the tables, but the walls were also engraved with murals depicting ancient legends passed down through generations.
The murals showed people, along with demon-like figures that were difficult to identify clearly.
There were villages, water, and strange-looking creatures surrounding them, all appearing to be fleeing in panic.
At the very top.
Fang Yu discovered an especially interesting mural.
The entire ancient illustration was drawn in simple lines.
It depicted an enormous serpent, its body faintly visible among the clouds in the sketch.
Beneath the gigantic serpent was a much smaller creature on the ground. Compared to the massive snake, it looked no different from a worm beside a true serpent, their size difference unbelievably vast.
Staring at the mural, Fang Yu recalled the description from the original story.
The small creature recorded in the mural was precisely the Totem Black Snake.
The Totem Black Snake was already the largest creature Fang Yu had ever seen in his life. On cloudy days, its lower body could remain on the ground while its head reached into the clouds.
Yet in this mural, there was actually a heavenly serpent dozens of times larger than it.
Although the original story never mentioned it, it was likely another unrecorded Totem Sacred Beast.
According to ancient records, the Sacred Totems of ancient times were the Azure Dragon, Vermilion Bird, White Tiger, and Black Tortoise.
They were the chosen Four Spirits of the Huaxia Totem Era.
However, there had originally been sixty-four candidate Totem Beasts competing for the positions of the Four Spirits. They were once kings among kings, but in the end, they lost to the Four Spirits.
Even so, although these sixty-four Totems were the losers, they had only been one step away from attaining the positions of the Four Spirits. Some among them may very well have possessed battle power no weaker than the Four Spirits themselves. Yet due to fate, fortune, the state of the era, temperament, virtue, or the support of the people at the time, they ultimately failed and lost their chance.
The heavenly serpent in the mural was likely one of them.
"SSSSSSSS~~~~~~~"
Suddenly, a low hiss capable of penetrating deep into one's soul echoed out from near the island in the middle of the lake!
The next moment, the water surface began to churn violently. From the intensity of the disturbance alone, it was obvious that whatever was emerging was unimaginably massive.
Sure enough, beneath the silver lake illuminated by moonlight, an enormous black shadow slowly rose upward.
The shadow became increasingly clear as it broke through the surface.
A gigantic serpent head finally emerged, its smooth body shimmering faintly beneath the moonlight.
It was the Totem Black Snake, emerging from its hidden sealed space.
Seeing the Totem Black Snake appear, Tang Yue's face filled with joy. There was not the slightest trace of fear in her expression. She even reached out to gently stroke the Totem Black Snake's head.
The Totem Black Snake's head alone was as large as a hundred-square-meter room. Its flat nostrils looked like small caves to humans, not to mention its enormous mouth. The moment its long scarlet tongue flicked out, it was enough to scare ordinary people senseless!
To be honest, even though Fang Yu knew the Totem Black Snake held no malice toward humans, the moment he saw this colossal creature, he still felt a trace of fear deep inside!
However, Tang Yue was truly bold beyond belief. She even jumped onto the smooth forehead of the Totem Black Snake and happily started talking to it.
At this moment, the Tang Yue who had always seemed mature and alluring in Fang Yu's eyes looked just like a lively young girl in front of the Totem Black Snake. Her entire being radiated youthful vitality, cheerful innocence, and pure joy.
"This is my student. I brought him here to help this time," Tang Yue said while standing atop the Totem Black Snake's head, which was still less than halfway above the water's surface. She pointed toward Fang Yu on the lake island.
The Totem Black Snake slowly turned its head. Its lantern-like eyes stared at Fang Yu as its serpent tongue suddenly shot toward him, the length absurdly exaggerated.
"Big guy is thanking you," Tang Yue translated with a grin.
"Hurry up and get to the important part. If we delay any longer, we'll be discovered, and the plan will fail," Fang Yu urged anxiously.
Being stared at by the Totem Black Snake was simply too terrifying. He was panicking internally and hurriedly urged Tang Yue to finish quickly.
"Don't rush me. I have to talk to it slowly. It's especially sensitive during this period. Even I need to communicate with it first," Tang Yue said.
"Fine, fine. You two go ahead and communicate then," Fang Yu replied.
The moonlight remained as bright and pure as ever. The radiance pouring down from the dark heavens carried a bluish-silver hue, intertwining with the sacred serenity of the lake waters to create the most beautiful moonlit nightscape of West Lake.
Under that luminous moonlight, a charming and enchanting woman knelt atop a smooth black serpent head. Her wavy hair flowed like the lake itself, and her delicate, graceful figure appeared even more holy and captivating beneath the moon's glow.
She spoke softly, completely like a younger generation chatting endlessly with an elder about the trivial happenings of daily life, while the honest and taciturn elder simply listened quietly.
Completely different from the fearsome Totem Black Snake that inspired terror in others, the Totem Black Snake before Tang Yue only revealed half of its simple and honest-looking giant head the entire time. Whenever Tang Yue paused speaking, its lantern-like eyes would occasionally glance upward, as though waiting for her to continue.
Watching this scene, Fang Yu felt deeply shaken. It was as if he could see the image of Tang Yue as a child and as a young girl, talking with the Totem Black Snake just like this.
Growing up with such a special elder by her side must have dispelled so much loneliness and fear for a girl who had grown up without a father.
"Alright, it agreed!" Tang Yue suddenly shouted toward Fang Yu while making a "V" gesture with her hand.
"Then hurry and store it away," Fang Yu said.
"Okay!"
Tang Yue finally began handling the real task. She took out a black pearl.
This was the Totem Pearl, a special vessel capable of containing the Totem Black Snake within it.
In truth, the Totem Pearl was simply a type of spatial vessel.
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