National Guardian's Gone and We're Done

Hatred instantly erupted in the villagers’ eyes.

Flames of fury burned in their gazes.

In that moment, all their other resentments vanished.

All their hatred focused on a single person: Chang Bailin.

If they had the chance, they would have torn Chang Bailin to shreds without hesitation,

grinding his bones to dust just to quench the hatred in their hearts.

If not for Chang Bailin’s selfishness and greed,

all of Xia Shui Village might still be living in peace and tranquility.

They wouldn’t have let the wolf into their house,

nor would they have been forced to continually sever their family ties,

sacrificing one living person after another to that fraudulent, bullshit Mountain God.

However, given their current desperate situation,

it seemed they might not even get the chance to avenge themselves.

Every one of them was being controlled by that evil power,

their bodies no longer their own. They could only watch helplessly as all this unfolded.

But when they saw that the so-called Mountain God had no intention of sparing Chang Bailin and Chang Zimo,

a twisted sense of balance was restored in the villagers’ minds.

It was as if they had found a sliver of comfort in their endless suffering.

"AHAHAHAHAHA..."

Just as Chang Zimo stared at the hand-faced creature, his face full of anticipation,

a glimmer of hope flickering in his eyes, the creature erupted in a deafening, wild laugh.

The laugh was like the screech of a night owl,

tearing through the night sky, filled with mockery and disdain. "You secluded, ignorant, and unruly peasants,"

"you’re all so stupid it’s almost cute. That Deadman’s Grass,"

"was nothing more than a trivial little treat we tossed to your village."

"Did you really think Deadman’s Grass had the miraculous ability to cure any and all ailments?"

"It’s just a bizarre power that temporarily paralyzes your bodies,"

"before slowly invading your souls."

"The Deadman’s Grass that grew in your courtyards,"

"was actually grown by absorbing the essence of your life"

"from your very own bodies."

"To us, the Dark Holy See, this stuff is worthless—just a little trick to fool you."

"As for you and your father, you’re nothing but disposable tools in the hands of the Dark Holy See."

"Tools like you? In this world, the Dark Holy See can find as many as we want."

"Our supply is inexhaustible."

"And you fools still delude yourselves into thinking you can negotiate with us? You’re utter morons!"

Hearing this, Chang Zimo’s eyes widened, filled with shock and despair.

His body swayed slightly.

He had suffered a heavy blow,

but it wasn’t a physical one.

The real injury was to his heart.

’Right now, his heart was filled with despair and on the verge of collapse. So, from the very beginning, he and his father, Chang Bailin, who thought he had everything figured out, were nothing more than two fools being played like puppets in the eyes of the Dark Holy See.’

’The Deadman’s Grass, once seen as a blessing from the Mountain God sent to the mortal world to cure all illnesses, was just a scam where the wool was shorn from their own backs.’

’The so-called Mountain God had never truly protected Xia Shui Village.’

’It was all just a conspiracy orchestrated by the Dark Holy See.’

"Why don’t I feel the slightest bit of pity for the people of Xia Shui Village? I just feel like they’re getting what they deserve,"

a young man said with a look of contempt, a hint of coldness in his eyes.

"Seeing the desperate faces of the Xia Shui villagers, and Chang Bailin and Chang Zimo,"

"I feel inexplicably satisfied."

"They deserve to be sliced into a thousand pieces."

"Who knows how many innocent lives Xia Shui Village has claimed over the years?"

"How many others like us, tricked into being sacrifices for the Mountain God, have met a brutal end?"

another woman chimed in, grinding her teeth, her eyes filled with hatred.

The young men and women all turned their gazes in unison toward the bulwark formed by human bodies,

their eyes filled with malice and rage.

That wall was a symbol of Xia Shui Village’s sins.

They wished they could tear it down immediately, expose the truth to the world, and bring justice to the souls of the wrongly deceased.

If not for their fortunate, chance encounter with Blue Star’s strongest expert, Chu He,

they feared that at this very moment tonight,

they too would have already been hung high on that terrifying tree,

becoming cold, hanged corpses.

Their families would be plunged into endless grief, crying until their tears ran dry,

searching everywhere but never finding a trace of them,

left to live out the rest of their days in despair and agony.

Because of this, when it came to Xia Shui Village—and especially the main culprits, Chang Bailin and Chang Zimo—the young people felt nothing but infinite hatred.

They knew full well

that sometimes,

the accomplices to evil are even more detestable than the evil itself,

because they are the hidden hands that push the innocent into the abyss.

"Still not backing down, Mr. Chu?"

The hand-faced creature’s arrogant voice rang out again, tinged with smugness and provocation.

"What makes you think your threats will work on me?" Chu He retorted, his expression calm and his gaze as sharp as a torch.

His voice was steady and powerful, piercing through the terrifying atmosphere and striking deep into people’s hearts.

"If you’re not threatened, then go on and make your move!"

the hand-faced creature continued to taunt, a sinister smile appearing on its face.

’He was secretly gloating.’

’He was certain that Chu He, as the National Guardian War God of the Great Xia Empire,’

’valued his honor and reputation above all else.’

’In his view, if Chu He were to slaughter innocent people here,’

’and word got out, Chu He, the National Guardian War God, would have his name and reputation utterly destroyed,’