The heavy silence inside that followed felt like it was pressing down on the floorboards.

Lin Wan sat on the edge of the bed, her breath coming a bit shallow as she looked at the two powerful males before her. She had just laid her soul bare to them, but not all though,. She had told them everything she could bring herself to say.

Qin Mo stayed very still beside her, his long, elegant fingers resting on the bed, though his mind was racing. Long Zhan stood by the window, his large shoulders tense under his dark mantle, his violet eyes reflecting the dimming light of the afternoon sky.

Long Zhan was the first to break the quiet. He let out a long, slow breath that sounded like a growl, though his face remained controlled. "So, that is the truth. The being that gave you those strange thing that appears out of nowhere, the strange foods,it belongs to a higher entity. And now it has abandoned this realm."

"She didn’t abandon me willingly, Long Zhan," Lin Wan said softly, her hand rubbing her large, heavy stomach where the triplets rested. "The power that Elder Shen brought down when he tore through the sky broke something in the air. Her higher system sensed it and forced her to go back. If she didn’t, she would have been wiped out completely."

Qin Mo turned his head to look at her, his silver eyes wide and incredibly serious. The shock of the news had finally settled, but instead of panic, a cold, sharp understanding took over his features. "It does not matter why she left, Lin Wan. What matters is that she is gone. And we grew lax. We thought the gods were guiding your steps, so we focused only on the dangers we could see with our own eyes."

"He is right," Long Zhan said, turning around fully to face them. His violet eyes caught the firelight from the hearth, making him look truly imposing. "We became soft. A Dragon Sovereign should never rely on an invisible spirit to tell him when an enemy is crawling through his territory. Today, Elder Shen showed us that we are small. And now, the heavens have taken away your shield. This is a message and a warning to us."

Lin Wan looked at both of them, her heart aching slightly but feeling a strange sense of relief. For months, keeping Weiwei a secret had felt like carrying a boulder on her back.

Now that they knew, she wasn’t alone anymore. "I don’t know when she will come back, or if she will even return at all. I am just a regular female now. I can’t scan the forest for danger. I can’t see what level an enemy beast is. If someone comes, we will be blind until they are right in front of us."

Qin Mo stood up, his long, silver hair catching the light as he moved with that fluid, dangerous grace unique to the Teng Snake tribe.

He placed a cool hand on her forehead, rubbing it with absolute gentleness. "Then we will use our own eyes, Lin Wan. Do not worry about the scanning. I didn’t become king of beast city by relying on magic screens, I have my own plans for us."

Long Zhan nodded, his expression turning into something hard and unyielding. "Rest now, Lin Wan. Your body is carrying new lives, and the stress from that old man is already too much. Leave everything to us. We need to discuss how to rearrange the everything manually now that your divine guardian is gone."

Lin Wan nodded, leaning back against the furs. She felt incredibly tired, but her mind was finally clear. "Alright. Just... don’t push yourselves to the point of breaking. We need to be smart about this."

Qin Mo gave her a small, reassuring nod, then cast a cold look toward Long Zhan. "Come, Stinky lizard. Let us leave her to rest. We have matters to settle outside."

The two males walked out of the bedroom, closing the wooden door softly behind them to ensure Lin Wan wouldn’t be disturbed.

The moment the door clicked shut and they stepped into the main hallway of the cottage, the gentle demeanor Qin Mo had shown completely vanished.

A smug, arrogant smile played on the corners of the Teng Snake King’s lips. He slowed his pace, walking slightly ahead of Long Zhan.

"You look particularly grim today, Long Zhan," Qin Mo remarked, his voice dripping with smooth, calculated malice. "Is the thought of the Upper Realm truly enough to make the great Dragon Sovereign lose his appetite?"

Long Zhan scoffed, his boots thudding heavily against the floor. "I am thinking about our defenses, snake. Unlike you, I do not waste time playing mind games when our female is vulnerable."

Qin Mo stopped walking and turned around, leaning casually against the wall with his arms crossed over his chest. His eyes narrowed with absolute triumph. "Oh, is that what you think? Well, let me give you something else to think about while you worry about the fences. Lin Wan and I will soon be beast-husband and wife."

Long Zhan froze in his tracks. The air around him instantly grew hot, the temperature in the hallway spiking as his draconic aura flared in pure shock and anger. "What did you say?"

"You heard me," Qin Mo boasted, his smile widening as he saw the visible distress on the dragon’s face. "While we were inside, she gave me my status. She promised that the moment she gives birth to the triplets, I am allowed to mark her. I will no longer be just a guest or a protector in this house. I will be her official mate. Her man."

Long Zhan felt a sudden, sharp pang of jealousy pierce his chest like a physical blade. His fists clenched so hard that his knuckles popped, and he could feel the phantom heat of his violet flames bubbling under his skin.

’A mate? She gave him a status? After everything I have done to protect this village, she chose the sneaky serpent first?’

He ground his teeth together, the sound of his jaw snapping loudly in the quiet hallway. He wanted to rip the smug look right off Qin Mo’s face, but he knew Lin Wan was resting just a few feet away. If he started a fight now, it would only stress her further.

"She only promised you because she was shaken by the Elder," Long Zhan hissed through his teeth, his voice a low, vibrating growl. "Do not think you have won anything, Qin Mo. A promise for the future is not a mark on her skin today."

"Jealousy does look good on you lizard ," Qin Mo replied, thoroughly enjoying the dragon’s fury. "But deny it all you want. The promise is made, and Wanwan always keeps her word."

Long Zhan turned his back on the snake, walking toward the front door with rigid, angry strides. ’if that smooth-tongued snake can get a status just by looking pathetic and insecure, then I will make her give me one too, I can also do that too’ Long Zhan thought fiercely, his pride thoroughly stung. ’I am a Dragon Lord. I will not stand by and watch a lowly snake become the master of her heart while I am still like an outsider.’

Once they stepped out into the open air of the ruined square, the playful malice vanished from Qin Mo’s face. The reality of their situation returned.

He looked at the white dust on the ground, then closed his eyes, sensing the vast, empty space where Lin Wan’s system used to keep watch.

"The dragon fire alone will not be enough if the Upper Realm decides to send a whole army next time," Qin Mo said, his tone turning clinical.

"What do you plan to do, then?" Long Zhan asked, his voice still tight with residual anger. "Your poison wouldn’t even touch the skin of that Elder."

"My poison couldn’t, but numbers can buy time, if need be" Qin Mo said. He reached into his robes and pulled out a small, dark silver artifact shaped like a coiled serpent.

It was a high-grade signaling device from the Beast City, something he only used in times of extreme geopolitical crisis. With a sharp flick of his wrist, he channeled his core energy into the artifact.

A brilliant, piercing silver beam of light shot up from his hand, tearing through the clouds and exploding into a massive, shimmering serpent emblem high in the sky.

The light was so bright it could be seen for thousands of miles across the southern territory.

Over at the grand Beast City, far to the north, the sky suddenly reflected that sharp silver glow.

Inside the central palace, the military adviser of the Beast City, an elderly and highly respected beastman, rushed out onto the balcony. His eyes widened as he saw the serpent emblem pulsing in the distance.

"The King’s personal signal!" the adviser shouted, his voice trembling with a mixture of shock and sudden excitement. "He has been gone for so many months without a single word, and now he sends call for mobilization!"

Within minutes, the other heads of the city’s elite clans gathered in the main courtyard. The atmosphere wasn’t one of fear, but of immense joy and bloodlust