National Guardian's Gone and We're Done

The Royal City of the Great Jing Empire was like a volcano on the verge of erupting, with oppression and rage filling the air.

The citizens gathered in droves, their faces flushed with agitation, their eyes filled with dissatisfaction and dread toward the current situation.

Like a raging tide, the crowd of protestors surged toward the Queen’s Royal Palace. Their interwoven slogans and shouts made the very air tremble.

They held high homemade signs, scrawled with accusations against Queen Ji Shengyue. Their steps were hurried yet firm, intent on expressing their indignation to the Queen.

Just as the citizens were about to reach the Royal Palace, disaster struck.

As if an unseen giant’s hand had yanked a massive black curtain across the sky, it darkened in an instant, without a single warning.

The once-azure sky disappeared, replaced by a swath of inky-black clouds. They hung so low they seemed almost close enough to touch, creating an intense, oppressive feeling.

At the same time, it was as if the hand of a Demon had viciously churned the air, instantly filling it with a pungent, nauseating, and thick stench of blood,

The smell was so heavy one could barely breathe, as though the entire world had been submerged in blood.

From the depths of the dense, dark clouds came the constant sound of beating wings, one flap after another. The rhythm was eerie, like the ticking of the Death God’s countdown, echoing relentlessly in the people’s hearts.

The terrified citizens tilted their heads back, eyes wide, trying to peer through the roiling black clouds to see just what was beating its wings inside.

Their gazes were filled with fear and confusion. They blinked repeatedly; some even rubbed their eyes, thinking they must be seeing things.

But no matter how hard they tried, all that met their eyes was the boundless, terrifying, and oppressive mass of clouds.

...

Meanwhile, inside the Royal Palace, the atmosphere was just as suffocatingly tense.

Ye Lingyun, the Clan Leader of the Vampire Clan, exuding an innate arrogance, had quietly appeared within the Royal Palace. She led the upper echelons of the Vampire Clan, her steps elegant yet chilling.

In the grand hall of the Royal Palace, the lavish decorations seemed particularly garish amid the tense atmosphere.

Ji Shengyue sat upon the throne, her posture still holding the dignity of a Queen, but her eyes could not conceal her panic.

She stared fixedly at Ye Lingyun, her eyes a mix of anger and resentment.

Her voice trembled with agitation as she said loudly, ”Ye Lingyun, I remember you. You were once a citizen of our Great Jing Empire.

You left the Great Jing Empire with Chu He back then,

but your home is here. Your family and friends are all here.

Are you really going to make your homeland just like the White-Red Empire?

Are you going to turn all our citizens into Vampires like you, forced to live on fresh blood?”

There was an accusatory tone in Ji Shengyue’s voice as she attempted to awaken Ye Lingyun’s lingering affection for her homeland.

Her hands unconsciously tightened their grip on the throne’s armrests, her knuckles turning white from the strain.

Ye Lingyun stood in the center of the hall, her posture ramrod straight. Her long black robes fluttered gently, making her paper-white complexion stand out even more.

She lifted her chin slightly, a cold light glinting in her eyes. The corners of her mouth curled into a disdainful smile as she responded mercilessly, ”I had thought that after everything, you would have changed. I didn’t expect you to be just as proud and arrogant as you always were.”

Ye Lingyun’s voice was clear yet frigid, each word a sharp blade piercing Ji Shengyue’s heart.

As she spoke, she casually lifted a hand to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear,

a simple gesture filled with disdain for Ji Shengyue.

Hearing this, Ji Shengyue fell silent.

She lowered her head slightly, her brow furrowed, her mind a turbulent sea.

It wasn’t that Ye Lingyun’s pointed words had broken through her defenses,

but that she keenly sensed the unshakeable resolve behind them.

In Ji Shengyue’s memory, Ye Lingyun had always been a completely insignificant person.

She had never thought to investigate

why Ye Lingyun had chosen to leave the Great Jing Empire with Chu He,

nor had she ever cared if Ye Lingyun had any feelings for the Great Jing Empire.

After all, in her eyes, Ye Lingyun was incapable of making any waves.

It wasn’t until this moment, with Ye Lingyun standing before her once more,

that Ji Shengyue realized with a shock

that this minor figure she had once dismissed had grown into a powerful being she was helpless to resist.

Even Xiao Cangqing, the new National Guardian War God whom Ji Shengyue had painstakingly groomed to replace Chu He,

could now only trail obediently by Ye Lingyun’s side like a humble servant, his head bowed, not daring to meet her gaze. The sight filled Ji Shengyue with utter shock and despair.

”You can get off the throne now. From now on, I’m in charge of the entire Great Jing Empire.”

Ye Lingyun said bluntly, her voice echoing through the spacious hall, filled with an authority that allowed no debate.

As she spoke, she advanced a few steps, each one firm and powerful.

The moment she finished speaking, a group of Vampire Clan members strode in from outside the great hall.

They walked in unison, exuding a sinister, cold aura.

Each member of the Vampire Clan was carrying a freshly severed human head.

Blood dripped incessantly from the severed necks, splashing onto the polished floor like crimson blossoms and quickly staining it red.