CHAPTER 590: CHAPTER 590: MYSTIC SEED

Another bolt of lightning struck the ground with a deafening crash. The earth shook, and sparks flew everywhere.

Gu Jin narrowed her eyes. "It will not be easy."

Long Yifan looked at her. "Do you want to wait and rest first? Or should we move forward now?"

Gu Jin did not answer right away. She stared at the storm, the glow, and then at her own hands. Her heart was heavy, but her face stayed calm. Finally, she said in a quiet voice, "We go now."

Long Yifan gave a firm nod. "Then let me go ahead. I will shield you from the lightning."

But Gu Jin did not respond. She simply started walking toward the storm.

Long Yifan followed close behind, ready to block any strike that came their way.

The first step into the thunder field was like stepping into another world.

The ground under Gu Jin’s feet felt alive, buzzing with power. Lightning kept striking from the purple sky, hitting the black stone around them. The sound was deafening, like thousands of drums beating together.

Behind them, some travellers who had followed stopped in fear.

"This is madness," one man shouted. "How can anyone pass through this?"

Another man laughed bitterly. "People have tried for thousands of years. None have succeeded. Do you think today will be any different?"

Still, a few of them rushed forward, their artifacts glowing. They barely made it ten steps before a huge bolt of lightning fell on them. Their shields shattered like glass, and their screams echoed as their bodies turned to ash.

The others who watched turned pale. Some dropped to their knees. "Impossible. It is impossible to reach the seed."

Gu Jin kept walking. Her steps were steady, her face calm.

"Gu Jin!" Long Yifan called, running beside her. He stretched his hand out, and a shield of thunder energy covered her. "Stay inside this. The lightning will not touch you."

But Gu Jin glanced at him only once, then looked away. She walked forward without replying.

Another strike came, larger than before. It slammed against Long Yifan’s shield. Sparks exploded in all directions. Long Yifan’s face turned pale from the pressure, but he gritted his teeth and pushed on.

Gu Jin’s eyes flashed. She could feel the wild energy around her. It was pure, violent, and endless. Yet instead of fear, she felt something else, an odd closeness, as if the storm was whispering to her.

She raised her hand slowly.

"Gu Jin, stop!" Long Yifan shouted. "You will get burned!"

But when the next bolt of lightning fell toward her, she did not hide behind his shield. Instead, she stretched her palm upward.

The lightning slammed into her hand.

Everyone watching gasped. They expected her body to explode like the others. But instead, the bolt spread across her skin like a stream of silver snakes. Her eyes glowed faintly, and her hair fluttered in the wind. She stood unharmed.

Long Yifan’s eyes widened. "She... absorbed it?"

Gu Jin closed her fingers, and the lightning disappeared into her body. A faint trace of thunder energy remained in her veins, mixing with her own power. Her calm voice broke the silence.

"This storm cannot harm me."

The travellers in the back stared in shock. One of them whispered, "She... she is walking like the storm is her friend."

Gu Jin ignored them and continued. Every time a bolt fell, it struck her body. But instead of killing her, the lightning wrapped around her, sinking into her. She became like a part of the storm itself.

Long Yifan followed close behind, his eyes never leaving her. He killed any beast that tried to attack, but he knew clearly, this place belonged to her alone.

The deeper they walked, the stronger the storm became. Some travellers tried to follow Gu Jin’s path, hoping to survive by copying her. But when the lightning struck them, they screamed and collapsed instantly. Their bodies could not bear it.

One old cultivator fell to his knees, his face twisted in despair. "For ten thousand years we tried. Thousands of people entered this field.

None of us could last more than a few steps. And now... this girl..." He could not finish his words.

Step by step, Gu Jin walked closer to the glowing light.

Finally, they reached the very center. There, floating above a cracked stone altar, was the thunder mystic seed.

It was small, no bigger than a fist, but it shone like a star. The glow was pure and warm, yet filled with unimaginable power. Every bolt of lightning in the field seemed to come from it, as if it was the heart of the storm.

The travellers behind fell silent. None dared to step forward. Their eyes were filled with longing, but also hopelessness.

Gu Jin’s eyes locked on the seed. She felt her heart beat faster.

Long Yifan whispered, "Careful. If you touch it recklessly, the entire storm might destroy you."

But Gu Jin only raised her hand.

The storm went wild. Dozens of lightning bolts struck at the same time, all targeting her. The ground split, and the air shook. It was as if the mountain itself roared.

The travellers screamed and ran for their lives.

But Gu Jin stood tall. Her eyes turned sharp, and a faint trace of chaos energy mixed with the thunder around her. She lifted her palm and whispered, "Come."

The lightning bent toward her hand like obedient servants. Instead of fighting her, the bolts merged together, creating a path of light that connected her to the seed.

The thunder mystic seed trembled. For thousands of years it had resisted every hand that reached for it. But now, it floated toward Gu Jin slowly, as if answering her call.

"No... this is impossible!" a mage shouted, his voice filled with disbelief. "The seed has never accepted anyone! How can it respond to her?"

But there was no stopping it.

The glowing seed drifted down and landed gently in Gu Jin’s palm.

The storm suddenly went quiet. The sky cleared, the purple clouds disappeared, and the mountain returned to silence. The only sound left was the faint crackle of energy from the seed in her hand.

Everyone froze.

Long Yifan’s eyes softened. He looked at her with pride and relief. "You did it. You really did it."

Gu Jin stared at the seed in her hand. For the first time in many days, a faint smile appeared on her lips.

The other travellers could only kneel in defeat. Some cried, some cursed, but most just stared at her with awe.

"For ten thousand years," one old man whispered, "the thunder mystic seed has waited. And today, it chose her."

Gu Jin closed her fingers around the seed. The lightning inside her veins pulsed warmly, as if the seed had been waiting only for her all along.

The silence after the storm was heavy. Everyone stared at the seed glowing faintly in Gu Jin’s hand. For a moment, no one dared to move.

Then a voice broke the stillness.

"It should be ours!"

Everyone turned. A man in a black robe, his eyes red with envy, pointed at Gu Jin. His voice shook with anger. "We came here first! We have been trying for hours while she just walked in and took it. She does not deserve the seed!"

Another mage stepped forward, his hands trembling. "Yes! The thunder mystic seed is too precious to belong to a little girl. Give it to us!"

Gu Jin did not respond. She only looked at them with calm eyes, her hand tightening slightly around the seed.

Long Yifan stepped in front of her, his eyes cold. "She risked her life and the storm chose her. If you dare to touch her, you will face me first."

The black-robed mage sneered. "Who are you to decide? This is not your treasure! Do not think you can scare us!" He lifted his staff, lightning energy flickering around it.

In an instant, three mages attacked together. They sent fireballs, ice spears, and lightning bolts toward Gu Jin.

Long Yifan raised his hand. A wall of earth surged up from the ground, blocking the attacks. Steam filled the air as fire and ice crashed into the earth wall. Sparks flew everywhere as the lightning scattered harmlessly.

"Leave," Long Yifan said firmly. "Do not force me to hurt you."

But the mages only grew angrier. "Kill him first! Then take the seed from her hand!"

They charged again.

Long Yifan’s eyes turned sharp. With a sweep of his arm, blades of wind slashed forward, knocking two men off their feet. The third tried to strike again, but a whip of vines coiled around his body and threw him to the ground.

The crowd gasped.

One of the beaten mages spat blood and glared at him. "You dare fight us for her sake? Are you blind? She is just a girl. She cannot hold that power! The thunder mystic seed will destroy her!"

Long Yifan’s voice was cold. "If it was going to destroy her, it would have done so already. But it chose her. That means it belongs to her."