National Guardian's Gone and We're Done

Although she had crossed swords with Amaterasu before,

even now, she still couldn’t fathom the true depths of Amaterasu’s power.

The deity’s mysterious and unfathomable aura left a lingering fear in her heart.

But with Chu He by her side, an inexplicable sense of security washed over her.

Goto Taiji subconsciously looked up at the night sky.

A brilliant and majestic golden figure entered his sight, radiating a light so intense he dared not look directly at it.

With just a single glance, Goto Taiji felt as if he’d been struck by lightning, instantly realizing who had arrived.

With a thud,

his knees buckled, and he dropped to the ground without hesitation. He pressed his palms together, raised them high above his head, and an overwhelming wave of devotion washed over his face.

His voice trembled, a deep, soul-shaking awe welling up from within as he cried out, "Venerable Amaterasu!

That crater is a veritable Purgatory in the Mortal World, a disaster of immense proportions!

It is as if a Demon is roaring from within, constantly spewing out blood-red sludge of unimaginable malevolence.

This sludge is like a Curse from Hell. The moment it touches someone,

it instantly assimilates them into a terrifying monster, completely stripping them of their sanity and soul."

As he spoke, he pointed a trembling finger,

toward several ghoulish monsters in the distance that looked as if they had been flayed alive.

His eyes were filled with terror and anguish, the rims turning red as his voice choked up. "They were once the elite Samurai and Ninja I personally led here.

Every one of them was exceptionally skilled, my most trusted subordinates.

But now, not a single one has survived.

They were all mercilessly assimilated by that vile sludge, twisted into these abominations that are neither human nor ghost.

I beg you, Amaterasu, save us! We have nowhere else to turn!"

Amaterasu, suspended high in the night sky, was a sovereign overlooking all of creation.

She gazed down silently at the chaos below.

Her crimson lips parted slightly, and from them came a voice as cold as a perennially frozen spring on a snow-capped mountain. She leisurely uttered a single word: "Purify."

She slowly raised her jade-like hand, which contained infinite Divine Power, and elegantly spread her fingers.

In her palm, a dazzling golden light converged rapidly, like a hundred rivers flowing into the sea.

In the blink of an eye, a pillar of concentrated golden light, as brilliant as the midday sun, shot out with a deafening roar.

Within the pillar of light surged a power violent enough to destroy everything in existence.

Wherever the light passed, the air seemed to ignite like gunpowder,

sizzling and crackling.

Space itself seemed to warp and distort from the force,

sending out ripples visible to the naked eye.

Down below, in the crater of seething, blood-red sludge,

the sentient evil entity keenly sensed the approaching danger.

In that instant, like a thoroughly enraged beast,

the sludge began to erupt with even greater force, like a volcano on the verge of blowing.

After a terrifying, violent churn, the blood-red sludge shot up from the ground.

It rapidly condensed and twisted in mid-air at a speed imperceptible to the naked eye,

and in a flash, it formed a giant earth dragon woven from blood and mud.

Baring its fangs and brandishing its claws, the dragon exuded a pungent, bloody stench as it fearlessly charged toward the incoming pillar of golden light.

The two forces collided in an instant, like two supernovas crashing into each other,

unleashing an earth-shattering wave of energy.

The entire construction site began to shake violently.

The ground beneath their feet trembled like a lone boat tossed on stormy seas.

The towering crane in the distance, a veritable giant of steel,

proved to be as fragile as paper under the force of the impact and was snapped in half.

BOOM!

The crane came crashing to the ground, kicking up a dust storm that blotted out the sky,

once again shrouding the entire site in a chaotic haze.

"Since you have reawakened, why hide yourself?

Hand over the Eight-footed Jade Hook."

Amaterasu’s gaze, as cold as a blade of ice on a winter night, slowly swept across the surroundings.

Yumizakura stood quietly to the side and asked, "Master, can you discern the true extent of this Amaterasu’s power?"

The family—Zheng Qifeng, Xiang Xiufang, Zheng Bolan, and Zheng Xuezhen—

also looked over with curiosity.

From the moment this Amaterasu appeared and made her move,

they had been profoundly shaken. Tumultuous waves crashed within their hearts, refusing to calm.

How could any mortal possibly attain such power?

In their eyes, this had already transcended the limits of humanity.

This was likely the descent of a true Deity.

In less than a minute, the sense of pressure Amaterasu had instilled in their hearts

had become like the towering peak of Mount Everest,

completely overwhelming their prior perception of Chu He.

It made their faith in him flicker and waver like a candle in the wind.

The family of four felt their scalps tingle and their legs go weak.

Fear grew wildly within them like weeds in a gale, threatening to consume them entirely.

They no longer had the courage to remain in this perilous place, which resembled a battlefield of gods and demons.

So, after hearing Yumizakura’s question,

their gazes snapped toward Chu He as one, like drowning people grasping at a final straw.

They were filled with the desperate hope of hearing a reassuring answer from him,

praying that only Chu He could shield them and create a safe haven in this desperate situation.

Chu He tilted his head back slightly and said, "She’s strong. Not as strong as me, but stronger than almost anyone I’ve ever met."

"Understood." Yumizakura nodded lightly, the heavy weight in her chest finally lifting.

’As long as Amaterasu isn’t stronger than Chu He, then we’re safe for now.’

At the same time, a flicker of curiosity arose within her. ’What on earth,’

’could be so important as to draw Amaterasu here in person?’

’Even Chu He traveled thousands of miles to get here.’

’There must be some great opportunity hidden here. Perhaps for me,’

’it could also be a rare stroke of fortune, one that could help me break through my own shackles and reach a higher realm.’