National Guardian's Gone and We're Done

When Lucifer’s deep, slightly hoarse voice uttered the words, ”I’m already too late,”

it was like a bombshell

had gone off among the four of them: Xiao Yu, Nanting Snow, Lin Zuoguang, and Gao Liceng.

The four of them, already on edge, felt their nerves pulled taut by his sudden words, plunging them into deep worry.

All four of them snapped their heads toward Lucifer, their eyes filled with desperation and longing. Like drowning men clinging to a final straw, they were desperate for him to reveal more information

and solve the mystery that shrouded them like a fog.

Lucifer, however, seemed to have hit a pause button. He slowly closed his mouth, his gaze drifting to the horizon as a mysterious aura enveloped him.

He stood there silently, facing the horizon, as if lost in thought, or perhaps peering through the vast expanse of sky and land at something they could never perceive.

In the distance, the sky and sea had, at some point, returned to their usual calm.

Sunlight fell gently on the water, making it sparkle. The azure waves rippled, their endless layers like the wrinkles of time, speaking of the sea’s ancient peace and tranquility.

It was as if the harrowing scene from just moments before had been nothing but a dream, something that had never truly happened.

But inside, Xiao Yu, Lin Zuoguang, Nanting Snow, and Gao Liceng were in turmoil, their hearts burning with anxiety.

Lucifer’s ”I’m too late” was a sharp hook that had snagged their hearts, sending their thoughts racing like wild horses through a field of speculation.

’Could it be? Has the Reincarnation plan for Chu He—the one everyone was pinning their hopes on—already failed?’

’Or maybe it ran into some unforeseen, powerful resistance at a critical stage, bringing everything to a halt?’

’Or... has the plan already succeeded,

and Lucifer is just lamenting that he couldn’t be there for it, hence his sigh of being ”too late”?’

These thoughts intertwined in their minds, a tangled mess of possibilities.

Each guess was a heavy stone, pressing down on them until they could barely breathe.

Finally, Xiao Yu could no longer hold back his anxiety. His fists were clenched so tight his knuckles had turned white, his eyes flashing with resolve as he was the first to break the suffocating silence. ”Let’s go help! We can’t just stand around waiting. Maybe we can do something for Chu He.”

Lucifer slowly turned his head. His calm gaze fell upon Xiao Yu as he gently shook his head. His tone was placid, yet left no room for argument. ”It would be useless for you to go.”

He said it without a trace of mockery or contempt, his expression as placid as if he were stating a simple, ordinary fact.

Those seemingly simple words, however, struck their hearts like a sledgehammer.

For Xiao Yu, Nanting Snow, Lin Zuoguang, and Gao Liceng, it was an almost unbearable blow.

They knew in their hearts that Lucifer wasn’t trying to belittle them.

He was simply, coolly, and objectively revealing a cruel reality.

Even though they were all extraordinary powerhouses in their own right,

honed by countless trials and battles to possess astonishing power,

in the face of the kind of battle Chu He was involved in,

they were like toddlers facing a giant. The gap was simply too immense.

Deep down, all four still clung to a sliver of hope.

Since Lucifer had come here to support them,

surely with his unfathomable power, he could go to Chu He’s side and turn the tide of the battle.

Yet, Lucifer simply stood there between the sea and sky, becoming one with the scenery.

The dark, oppressive aura emanating from him was like an invisible, impenetrable net, tightly enveloping everyone present.

It was a cold, heavy presence, carrying the innate authority and pressure of a superior being.

Every one of them could feel it, as if an invisible hand were squeezing their heart. Fear washed over them in waves, rising from the depths of their souls,

and their throats felt constricted, as if choked. Even if they had a million things to say, they dared not utter a single word.

Xiao Yu grit his teeth, a powerful wave of frustration welling up inside him.

He stole a glance at Nanting Snow beside him. Her face was pale, her once-rosy lips had lost their color, and she was biting her lower lip. Her eyes betrayed a sense of helplessness and dejection—a deep frustration with her own weakness.

Lin Zuoguang, meanwhile, had his head bowed, his thick hair obscuring his eyes and hiding his expression.

But his hands were clenched into tight fists, the veins on their backs bulging like coiling snakes, a clear sign that he was desperately suppressing his anger and frustration.

As for Gao Liceng, her expression was as grim as the sky before a storm, her eyes filled with worry and confusion. From time to time, she would sneak a glance at Lucifer,

a faint glimmer of hope remaining in her eyes that he might suddenly change his mind.

Lucifer seemed to sense their complex emotions. He let out a soft sigh that seemed to echo across endless ages, carrying with it a faint, ancient sorrow.