CHAPTER 595: CHAPTER 595: CHAOS STONE

But he did not. He wanted Gu Jin to look at him, even if it was just for a few moments.

Yet, to his surprise, Gu Jin was still as cold as always. She only stayed quiet, sitting cross-legged with her eyes half closed. She did not even glance in his direction for a long time.

At least she brought me here, Long Yifan thought with a helpless laugh in his heart. At least she did not throw me away outside. That was already something.

After some time passed, his stomach rumbled softly. He sat up and stretched. "Since it has been a while, I should make dinner," he said aloud, even though he knew Gu Jin probably would not answer.

He quickly moved around the space, pulling out some food materials from his storage bag. Soon, the smell of cooking filled the peaceful air. Gu Jin finally opened her eyes when he placed a bowl of steaming food in front of her.

"It is already dinner time," Long Yifan said with a smile.

Gu Jin’s eyebrows knitted together. "Dinner time? It is only lunch time."

"For me, it does not matter if it is lunch or dinner," Long Yifan replied with a small chuckle. "I made this for you, so eat it."

Gu Jin stared at him for a moment, then looked away. She did not reply, only pushed the bowl aside and continued to sit in silence.

Long Yifan scratched his head. "Cold as ever," he muttered softly, but his eyes still sparkled with patience.

At that moment, Gu Jin’s gaze moved elsewhere. Her eyes landed on Mimi, who was sitting in meditation not far away. The little beast was surrounded by faint silver light, sitting right in the middle of the Skeleton Herb field.

When Gu Jin saw this, her heart shook slightly. She remembered clearly the first time she brought Mimi inside her space. Mimi had rushed straight to this spot as if she had been called. It was strange at that time, but now she understood a little.

"Why there?" she asked softly to herself.

Long Yifan followed her gaze. "That little one... seems to like the Skeleton Herbs a lot."

Gu Jin nodded faintly. She sighed inside. When she had planted the Skeleton Herbs, she never thought they would become this useful.

But now she saw Mimi cultivating there, as if it was part of her destiny, she felt they were put to perfect use.

She turned her eyes back to the food. After all, her stomach was empty too. Without a word, she picked up the bowl and ate quietly. Long Yifan’s smile widened as he saw her eating.

When she finished, she placed the bowl down and stood up. "I am going out."

"Wait," Long Yifan said quickly, also standing. "It will be better if we make a plan first."

Gu Jin’s eyes narrowed slightly. "What do you mean?"

Long Yifan’s face grew serious.

"The Abyss Rift is not a small place. It is vast, and dangerous. If we just rush out without thinking, we might search for months and never find the Chaos Stone. We need a plan."

Gu Jin crossed her arms. "Then speak."

Long Yifan nodded.

"First, we must understand how the Rift is structured. From the maps I studied before, the Rift is like layers of a broken world. Each layer has stronger beasts than the last. The Chaos Stone will not be lying on the surface. It should be at the deepest point, where chaos energy is the strongest."

Gu Jin listened quietly, her eyes thoughtful.

"We cannot just jump down carelessly," Long Yifan continued.

"The chaos energy will crush us. So I suggest we move slowly, level by level. I can use my wind to protect us from most of the pressure. You will keep your senses sharp to find the stone. Your ability to sense rare energy is much stronger than mine."

Gu Jin raised an eyebrow. "And what if beasts keep coming endlessly like before?"

"Then we fight together," Long Yifan said firmly. "Not just me burning myself out alone. You have your own strength too. We will share the burden."

Gu Jin’s lips pressed together. For a moment, she wanted to refuse, but after a deep breath, she nodded. "Fine. Your plan is reasonable."

With that, they set off.

The days passed as they descended deeper into the Rift. Each level tested them in new ways.

On the first layer, black mist filled the air so thickly that it was hard to breathe. Long Yifan used his wind to blow paths open, while Gu Jin cut down the smaller beasts that tried to sneak through.

On the second layer, the ground itself was broken, with floating rocks drifting like islands. They had to jump carefully, and more than once, Long Yifan caught Gu Jin’s wrist just as she nearly slipped. Each time, she pulled her hand back coldly, but her heart skipped in secret.

On the third layer, fire beasts with glowing eyes attacked in groups.

On the fourth layer, the chaos energy grew heavier. Their bodies ached, and moving felt like pushing through thick mud.

Long Yifan’s wind shield lessened the pressure, but his face grew pale each time he maintained it too long.

Gu Jin saw this and frowned. "You are reckless again."

Long Yifan only smiled faintly. "I promised not to fall. I will not."

Finally, on the seventh day, they reached the deepest layer.

The ground was split into wide cracks, glowing with purple light. The air was filled with the roar of energy, loud like thunder.

At the very center of the broken land, a giant crystal floated, shining like a star. Its body pulsed with both darkness and light.

Gu Jin’s eyes widened. "The Chaos Stone..."

Long Yifan let out a long breath. "We found it."

But before they could move closer, the ground shook. From the cracks, dozens of monstrous shapes climbed out. Their bodies were made of both stone and shadow, their eyes burning like fire.

"So it will not be easy," Long Yifan said, stepping forward.

Gu Jin unsheathed her sword, her face cold. "It never is."

Together, they fought side by side. Wind and fire mixed with ice and sword light. Beasts fell one after another, but more kept coming.

The battle stretched on and on, each step closer to the crystal filled with danger.

At last, covered in sweat and breathing hard, Gu Jin cut down the final beast. Long Yifan struck the ground, creating a wall of flame to stop the cracks from birthing more.

Gu Jin walked forward slowly. She placed her hand on the shining crystal. The moment she touched it, the Chaos Stone pulsed brightly, then shrank, turning into a small glowing gem that floated into her palm.

She held it tightly, her expression unreadable.

Long Yifan stood behind her, smiling softly even though his body trembled from exhaustion. "We did it."

Gu Jin turned her head slightly. "Yes. We did."

For the first time, her voice was not cold.

Long Yifan’s smile grew wider.

After finishing up, both Gu Jin and Long Yifan decided that they should take a break inside the space.

For the next day, they stayed there to recover their energy. When they finally came out, they discovered that in the real world, only ten hours had passed.

"It is still early," Long Yifan said, stretching his arms. "We should head back to the hotel and rest properly."

Gu Jin nodded. "Yes. There is no need to stay here longer."

They quickly made their way back to their hotel. After entering their rooms, both began to pack their bags. Long Yifan was careful and folded everything neatly, while Gu Jin packed quickly without wasting time.

"I booked the earliest flight already," Long Yifan told her. "We can leave right after this."

Gu Jin gave him a glance. "Good."

A few hours later, they arrived in Beijing City. The familiar air greeted them, and for the first time in many days, Gu Jin felt calm. But her heart was impatient. She could not wait to use the Chaos Stone.

Her steps were firm as she walked to the place where Little White was kept. The lodging area was like a small palace in itself.

The entire backyard had been changed into a grand white structure.

The walls shone like polished jade, and the roof glittered as if decorated with stars. Even Long Yifan stopped for a moment to admire it.

"This place... looks too beautiful," he whispered.

Gu Jin’s eyes were steady. She ignored the beauty of the structure and walked straight inside.

There, lying lazily in the courtyard, was Little White. Right now, Little White looked nothing more than a hand-wide lizard. Its body was plump, and its scales reflected faint silver light.

Beside him lay another creature. It looked like a caterpillar, around the size of a human hand. It was round, long, and very strange to look at.

At that moment, it was munching loudly on a snack, moving its fat body up and down as it chewed.