National Guardian's Gone and We're Done

Chapter 74: Chapter 74: Is It Truly Impossible to Overcome This Crisis Without Chu He?

Ji Shengyue’s eyes widened in shock upon hearing her mother’s suggestion.

She stared in disbelief at the dignified and imposing middle-aged woman before her.

A storm raged in her heart. Her voice trembled as she retorted, ”Mother, do you truly know what you’re saying? I am the Queen of the Great Jing Empire, the supreme ruler of this nation. How can I simply bow my head to another?”

The middle-aged woman cut her off, her tone filled with reproach and disappointment. ”You are too naive, child.

When you came to me all those years ago saying you wanted to fight for the throne, why do you think I immediately refused you?

It was because I could see that your strength did not match your ambition.

Compared to Lu Yinxing of the Great Xia Empire, you fall far too short.

I had thought you would understand, but I didn’t make myself clear enough.

Today, I must force you to wake up.”

”In the eyes of a truly powerful expert, your status, your authority, your pride—they are all meaningless.

Your so-called title, ’Her Majesty the Queen’—what does that count for in the eyes of a Martial Artist at the Martial Arts Peak?

An Emperor Realm expert could take your life with a flick of a finger.

Even a Fifth or Sixth Grade Martial Artist could kill you more easily than killing a chicken.

What good do you think your power is in the face of absolute strength?”

The middle-aged woman’s words struck Ji Shengyue’s heart like a heavy hammer.

Seeing Ji Shengyue’s conflicted expression, her heart ached with both pain and urgency.

So she took out her phone and played a video.

The video showed one of the Royal City’s busiest streets, but at this moment, the street was strangely devoid of its usual hustle and bustle.

A large crowd had gathered on the street, holding banners and megaphones, their voices rising and falling in waves.

”Ji Shengyue should apologize to the former National Guardian War God, Chu He, and then abdicate!”

”Ji Shengyue, you are not fit to sit on the throne!”

”Chu He is the true National Guardian War God! Xiao Cangqing is nothing but a wolf in sheep’s clothing!”

The voices crashed over her like a tidal wave, assaulting her ears and her spirit.

Watching the video and hearing the furious shouts, an unprecedented sense of crisis welled up within her.

’So my past actions have provoked intense dissatisfaction and anger among the people.’

Ji Shengyue’s hands gripped the armrests of her chair, her heart filled with conflict and turmoil.

She knew her mother was right, but how could she so easily cast aside her dignity and power?

Faced with her current predicament and the public outcry, she knew she had to make a choice.

”Do you see now?”

The middle-aged woman turned off the phone screen and looked at Ji Shengyue calmly, her eyes filled with endless expectation.

Ji Shengyue’s head drooped listlessly. She was truly exhausted.

Her former pride and confidence had been mercilessly shattered by reality.

She recalled her previous boasts—that the Great Jing Empire could suppress the Evil Spirits even without Chu He.

But the reality was that Evil Spirits were running rampant, villains were causing trouble, and the people lived in fear.

Yet when Chu He was around, the Great Jing Empire had enjoyed an era of peace and prosperity, with the common folk living and working in contentment.

’Is it really impossible to overcome this crisis without Chu He?’

Ji Shengyue squeezed her eyes shut, her heart filled with endless turmoil.

She knew that she had likely been wrong—wrong to be overconfident, wrong to overlook Chu He’s importance.

But Ji Shengyue just couldn’t bring herself to bow her head so quickly!

Seeing Ji Shengyue’s tormented expression, the middle-aged woman couldn’t help but feel a pang of pity.

She shook her head, turned, and left, leaving Ji Shengyue alone to face the cruel reality.

If Ji Shengyue still couldn’t figure it out, then it would be useless even if she talked until she was blue in the face.

In the end, the future of the Great Jing Empire was something Ji Shengyue had to grasp for herself.

「...」

Meanwhile, in the Demon Cave of the Great Xia Empire, dark clouds gathered, and the entire sky was swallowed by darkness.

Chu He had been closely monitoring Xiao Cangqing’s every move through the wisp of Primordial Spirit he had left inside his body.

He couldn’t help but marvel that Xiao Cangqing had actually reached the Emperor Realm through such an extreme method.

’That New World Organization is truly unfathomable and hard to grasp.’

A strong sense of curiosity welled up in his heart, making him want to probe the secrets behind it.

Chu He speculated whether the Young Master Liu that the Great Xia Empire had previously captured, as well as the people behind him, were also connected to this New World Organization in some intricate way.

Chu He sat on a tree branch, lost in deep thought.

’The Lighthouse Empire’s reveal about the power of the Emperor Realm must have been the result of long-term preparation and planning.

It means the Lighthouse Empire already has a certain number of Emperor Realm experts, and they’re confident that no one can surpass them.

The release of this information has undoubtedly opened a new path for many King-level experts,

letting them see the hope of a breakthrough.’

Shaking off his thoughts, his gaze returned to Ye Lingyun, who was still in the Demon Cave.

Over the past few days, she had gone through countless life-and-death trials, struggling on the brink of death many times.

It was these experiences that had allowed her to gradually mature and become more resilient.

Chu He had been helping her from the shadows, allowing Ye Lingyun to find opportunities between life and death.

Though she stumbled along, she managed to escape from perilous situations every time.

Chu He believed that with another day or two, she would definitely be able to break through to the King-level realm.

Then he would be able to complete the mission and obtain a Golden Core.

Just as he was pondering this, Ye Lingyun suddenly stumbled into the territory of the Evil Spirit that held a rattle and kept its head bowed.

This Evil Spirit was no ordinary one; Ye Lingyun might be in grave danger.

Ye Lingyun gripped her longsword tightly, her steps firm yet cautious as she trod on the grayish-brown ground.

Her sixth sense told her that an extremely dangerous Evil Spirit was ahead.

In these few short days of fighting, Ye Lingyun could already feel the Elemental Power inside her quietly changing, an active fluctuation churning in her Dantian.

This was a sign of a breakthrough. Perhaps today was the day she would step into the King-level realm.

’Fortune favors the bold.’

Therefore, despite the lurking dangers ahead, she decided to press forward and chase that sliver of opportunity for a breakthrough.

As Ye Lingyun ventured deeper, the surrounding temperature began to drop sharply.

The cold air seemed to pierce through her clothes, chilling her to the skin.

She stopped. Before her was a grove of black willow trees.

Despite the lack of wind, the willows swayed gently, as if whispering secrets to one another.

Below the grove of willows lay a swamp, which gave off a pungent odor from having never seen the sun.

The surface of the swamp roiled from time to time, hiding some indescribable presence beneath.

Just then, a long-haired man, half-submerged in the swamp, raised his head with extreme slowness.

His movements were unnaturally stiff, as if he had held that posture for a very, very long time.

The man’s face was shriveled and devoid of moisture. He looked to be in his thirties or forties, but his deeply sunken eye sockets glinted with a sinister, cold light.

He bared sharp, bestial teeth, a hair-raising sight.

Without hesitation, Ye Lingyun raised her longsword, gathered all her strength, and slashed down at the long-haired man.

The Sword Qi formed a crescent moon that glinted with a cold light as it shot forward with unstoppable momentum.

The instant it touched the long-haired man, however, the Sword Qi seemed to collide with an invisible barrier.

It shattered, scattered, and vanished without a trace.

Although Ye Lingyun’s attack failed to cause any real harm to the long-haired man, it succeeded in getting his attention.

He staggered to his feet, his hand still gripping the ancient rattle.

He gave the rattle a gentle shake. A crisp ”CLANG” echoed across the empty swamp.

Ye Lingyun felt a bizarre force strike her. Her neck instantly lost control and snapped backward.

An intense tearing and twisting pain erupted from her neck, as if her bones and muscles were being mercilessly wrenched apart.

The root of her tongue went numb and throbbed with pain. It felt as if her entire body was about to be torn apart by this force.

Just as Ye Lingyun was about to lose consciousness, a figure suddenly appeared behind her.

It was Chu He. He placed a hand gently on Ye Lingyun’s shoulder, and a gentle power instantly flowed into her body, neutralizing the bizarre force.

[Thank you to boss reader 2024071334_dE for the 15,000 Book Coin donation. This is the largest donation I’ve received. Thank you, boss, for your incredible support. Thanks again!