National Guardian's Gone and We're Done

”Besides, there’s another strange thing. Have you guys noticed?”

”None of the women from Xia Shui Village are here. Everyone who stayed is a man.”

Sun Canxing spoke as he keenly observed the people all around them, like a wary leopard.

These villagers from Xia Shui Village just stood there silently,

maintaining a disquieting stillness.

But their eyes were like those of hungry wolves in the dark,

all fixed intently on the group of young men and women who had come for the graduation party.

Their gazes held a peculiar meaning,

like a bottomless pool of icy water.

A chilling aura even emanated from that look, burrowing straight into one’s heart.

”If you could say they still barely looked like normal villagers when we met them last night,

then right now, there’s some kind of inexplicable feeling about them.

It makes your skin crawl, as if countless ants are crawling all over you.”

Yu Yingjie added.

As he spoke, his gaze kept drifting back to Chu He.

His eyes held a hint of dependence and expectation,

like a ship searching for a Lighthouse in the dark, awaiting Chu He’s command.

After all, ever since learning Chu He’s true identity,

the tension that had gripped Yu Yingjie had eased considerably.

The nervousness and pressure he’d felt before were gone.

’With a top-tier expert like him here,’ he thought, ’it’s as if we’ve been given a calming pill. No matter what secrets these Xia Shui villagers are hiding, they won’t be able to stir up any real trouble. A tiny mountain village, no matter how bizarre or savage, could it possibly compare to a behemoth like the Lighthouse Empire on Blue Star? To Yu Yingjie, the idea was simply absurd.’

”You are our honored guests from afar. Please, come to the very center of the sacrificial grounds,

right in front of the Mountain God statue that’s covered by the black cloth.

In a little while, the statue of the Mountain God will bestow its blessings.

These blessings will protect you and allow you to escape this strange crisis safely and smoothly.”

The village chief of Xia Shui Village had approached them at some point.

He wore a gentle smile, which looked rather eerie in the flickering firelight.

”I was wondering, how did the people of the village discover this Mountain God?”

Chu He asked, his face full of curiosity. A probing light gleamed in his eyes, as if he were deeply interested in the story of this mysterious Mountain God.

”The invasion of this world by strange phenomena is something everyone has grown accustomed to, and of course, our Xia Shui Village was no exception.”

Chang Bailin calmly recounted the old story with no intention of hiding anything. ”At that time, a terrifying Evil Spirit descended upon our Xia Shui Village. The scene was nothing short of Purgatory in the Mortal World.

The Evil Spirit was like a Demon from Hell, mercilessly reaping the lives of the villagers.

One by one, the villagers were killed. The shadow of death loomed over the entire village.

Everyone fell into an abyss of despair, feeling as though the end of the world was upon them.

It was at that moment that the Mountain God appeared.

It took the form of a colossal, towering tree—a tree of immense size.

Its trunk was so thick it would take several people to encircle it, and its lush canopy was like a giant green umbrella,

sheltering the entire village.

It was like a guardian deity, protecting everyone in our village.

From then on, we only needed to make regular offerings,

and we could use the Mountain God’s power to protect the villagers from the harm of Evil Spirits.

The Deadman’s Grass you saw was also a blessing bestowed upon us by the Mountain God.

It’s just that the village has been too busy recently,

which is why that unfortunate incident of someone being killed by an Evil Spirit happened last night. It was truly our oversight.”

After listening to Chang Bailin’s unhurried explanation,

the young men and women present felt as if they had seen a glimmer of light in the darkness.

The doubts in their hearts began to dissipate, and they started to understand the cause and effect of the situation.

”What does the Mountain God look like? Is it that thing under the black cloth?”

Lai Yu Yao asked, blinking her wide eyes. Her gaze held both curiosity and a faint trace of worry.

”That thing? Hmph. The Mountain God is not something you can refer to with such a casual term.

But never mind. The Lord Mountain God has always been magnanimous.

He wouldn’t squabble with a young lady like you.”

Chang Bailin first frowned slightly.

His brow furrowed for a moment, then just as quickly smoothed out again.

The flicker of displeasure was like a passing breeze, gone in an instant.

”The auspicious time has come! All you young people,

quickly go and stand around the Mountain God. Just wait for our ritual to begin.

As long as we can summon the Mountain God,

we’ll be able to solve all the terrible problems that both Xia Shui Village and you are facing.

Then, you’ll be able to leave here smoothly and safely.

And in the days to come, you won’t encounter any more setbacks or hardships.

Speaking of which, for you to have stumbled upon our Xia Shui Village after encountering an Evil Spirit,

I’d say you’re quite lucky.”

As he spoke, Chang Bailin personally urged and directed the young men and women.

Hearing his words, the young men and women, though filled with doubt, did not dare to disobey.

One by one, they had no choice but to follow his instructions, slowly forming circle after circle,

tightly surrounding the mysterious object shrouded in black cloth.

Each of them tilted their faces upward, their expressions as taut as a drawn Bow string.