National Guardian's Gone and We're Done

As she spoke, Xia Chengli naturally reached out again and intimately linked her arm with Chu He’s.

Chu He was slightly taken aback.

A ripple of mixed confusion and emotion stirred in his heart. He then asked softly, "Then why are you telling me this? It’s a secret you promised the old man you would keep."

"Because I feel that you’re trustworthy."

Xia Chengli answered with the utmost seriousness, her eyes clear and resolute.

She looked directly into Chu He’s eyes as if trying to convey all her sincerity to him without reservation. "Besides, you’re the only person in this entire world who has earned my acknowledgment."

"I have one last question."

For some reason, after hearing Xia Chengli’s reply, Chu He felt a strange flicker of emotion welling up from deep within his heart.

The feeling was like a gentle stream, flowing slowly through his heart.

He quickly suppressed the emotion,

and shifted his focus back to other critical points.

"What other questions do you have?

Everything you just told me is already all you know, right?

If you want to ask about anything more, I’m afraid you’ll have to go talk to the old man face-to-face.

But I can’t be sure if the old man would tell you everything without holding back."

Xia Chengli shook her head slightly and said helplessly.

"That’s not what I want to ask.

Since those people command the immense power of the Ancient Martial Inheritance,

why didn’t they show themselves when the Evil Spirits invaded the world?"

Chu He frowned, his face filled with confusion and bewilderment as he questioned, "If they had stepped forward then, they could have prevented so many human casualties and saved countless lives from ruin."

In Chu He’s eyes,

the Deities who only existed in ancient legends and stories

were no different in essence from these so-called practitioners of Ancient Martial Inheritance.

No matter how powerful they were or how mystical and unpredictable their methods,

to Chu He, they were still just as high and mighty, cold and indifferent.

In the face of the Mortal World’s disasters and life-or-death struggles, they chose to stand by and do nothing.

They were solely focused on scheming for their own benefits and goals.

Although from an individual’s perspective, such behavior might be understandable,

Chu He had personally witnessed the scenes of utter devastation and unimaginable tragedy during the Evil Spirit invasion.

Deep down, he found it impossible to accept such selfish actions.

Most critically, these people had monopolized the Ancient Martial Inheritance.

During the initial stages of the Evil Spirit invasion, humanity fought to the death.

Those who managed to become Martial Arts Practitioners in such desperate circumstances...

...all did so through sheer tenacity, incredible luck, and their own exceptional talent.

They painstakingly transformed and distinguished themselves through the brutal trials of life and death.

And only that first batch of Martial Artists who had endured those life-and-death hardships...

...truly understood how brutal the fighting was back then, and how difficult it was just to survive.

"Regarding that matter, I’ve also asked the old man about it."

Xia Chengli sighed softly and said slowly, "His answer was that the practitioners of Ancient Martial Inheritance had a more important mission that they urgently needed to complete.

In their eyes, even if the majority of humanity met a tragic end and perished,

it would not be as important as the matter they were planning."

Upon hearing this, the corners of Chu He’s mouth lifted into a cold smile.

His smile was filled with mockery and disdain, as if scoffing at this so-called "important matter."

...

「Night fell.」

Inside a hospital in Jinshan City, the bright lights did little to dispel the oppressive silence.

Qu Yuxiu lay quietly on a hospital bed in the intensive care unit.

His face was ashen, completely drained of color.

Only the slight rise and fall of his chest proved he was still clinging to life.

At that moment, Qu Yuxiu had slowly opened his eyes.

The terror and panic from the day’s nightmarish encounter still lingered in his gaze.

His mind was still a turbulent sea, unable to find calm as he replayed the day’s events.

Recalling the moment he faced Chu He,

he felt as if he were a lone, helpless boat,

adrift on a boundless, raging ocean.

And then, the ocean had suddenly whipped up a monstrous tempest, with mountain-high waves forming in an instant.

Then, like a towering mountain condensed from endless seawater,

it came crashing down on him with the force to topple mountains and overturn seas.

At that moment, Qu Yuxiu’s mind went completely blank.

Only a single, desperate thought remained: ’I’m finished. I’m going to die.’

It was a bone-deep terror,

like a Demon’s claws, gripping his soul tightly.

It had left him hovering on the brink of death, and the memory still made his heart pound with fear.

In the ICU, which was as silent as the abyss of death, the very air seemed to have frozen.

Every slight current was starkly audible.

Qu Yuxiu lay on the bed, his body as fragile and helpless as a lone boat tossed in a storm.

His consciousness drifted in a haze between waking and sleep, the pain like a Demon’s claws, constantly tearing at his nerves.

Suddenly,

the door was slowly pushed open with a CREAK.

The faint sound was like a clap of thunder, exploding right next to Qu Yuxiu’s ear.

His body jolted as if struck by a powerful electric current.

Every muscle tensed violently, and every nerve was instantly stretched to its limit.

This sudden, violent reaction mercilessly tore open his unhealed wounds.

A wave of excruciating pain, like ten thousand ants gnawing at his heart, washed over him.

Qu Yuxiu clenched his teeth, veins bulging on his forehead as beads of sweat rolled down his temples.