CHAPTER 643: CHAPTER 643: SECRET OF THE CRACK

It was Chang Yin, the God of the Mage World.

His deep voice echoed softly. "You are late today, Ling."

Lady Ling lowered her head. "I was occupied with Gu Jin and Long Yifan."

"Those two again," Chang Yin said coldly.

"They are special," Lady Ling replied quietly. "Their energy feeds the pool faster than anyone else’s. When they cultivate here, your soul heals twice as quickly."

Chang Yin’s faint form moved closer. "You are right. Their energy is strong, but it is dangerous. If they reach too high, they might remember who they really are. And even start to take action against us."

Lady Ling’s expression darkened. "That is why I am holding them back. The more they trust me, the easier it will be to control them."

Chang Yin gave a low chuckle. "You always were clever. Does the pool still work as before?"

"Yes," Lady Ling said. "The others believe it’s a gift from me. But every time someone cultivates here, a little of their Yin or Yang energy seeps into the water. Over time, it gets absorbed by us."

The god’s soul shimmered faintly. "Good. My body is forming slowly, but I can feel it becoming more solid."

Lady Ling smiled faintly. "It will take time, but we will reach that day. Your return will change everything."

Chang Yin’s eyes glowed red for a second. "You said Gu Jin and Long Yifan’s energy helped the most."

"Yes," Lady Ling answered. "When they cultivated in the pool last year, the balance inside the water changed completely. Your recovery doubled. May her god body constitution somehow benefit this pool."

Chang Yin’s tone turned cold. "That is what worries me. If she remembers the past, she will destroy everything we built. She and that boy both."

Lady Ling nodded. "I understand. That is why I plan to restrict their access. I will not let them enter the pool again. Without it, their cultivation will slow down, and we will have time."

Chang Yin stared at her for a long moment, then said, "You do realize, if they ever find out that their energy was feeding me, they will turn against you."

Lady Ling gave a small, calm smile. "That is why they must never know."

Chang Yin laughed quietly. "Very well. You are still as ruthless as ever. Continue this path, and soon my body will return. When that happens, no one can save Gu Jin from me."

Lady Ling’s smile faded. "As you command."

The light between them pulsed once, and then the god’s form faded slowly into mist again. Lady Ling opened her eyes. Her face looked calm, but a shadow crossed her gaze.

For a long moment, she stayed still in the pool, lost in thought. Then she whispered to herself,

"Gu Jin, you really should not have been born in this age. But since you are here, I will use you as the world demands."

.............................................

At the same time, far away inside the cursed land they once visited, Gu Jin and Long Yifan appeared through a shimmering portal.

The air smelled of burning rock, and the sky above them was full of countless eyes, black and red, watching silently.

Gu Jin landed first, followed by Long Yifan. The ground beneath them was pitch black and cracked, with lines of glowing lava running through it.

Gu Jin looked around and whispered, "It’s the same place as before."

Long Yifan nodded.

They both stood still, feeling the heat around them. After a while, Gu Jin closed her eyes and began to chant softly. Her voice echoed in the dark world, and one by one, the eyes in the sky began to fade.

If Lady Ling were here, she might have noticed that Gu Jin was chanting the exact same mantra as she had done.

A deep crack opened in the air before them, glowing faintly with light.

Long Yifan looked at her. "Are we doing it again?"

Gu Jin took a deep breath and looked at the glowing crack again.

"This time," she said firmly, "we will make sure to know the truth behind this thing."

Long Yifan nodded. "Right."

Gu Jin stretched out her hand slowly.

After all, when Gu Jin and Long Yifan were slowly pouring their energies into the crack, they soon realized that the eyes and the crack weren’t related at all.

In fact, it was some kind of illusion.

This was a discovery that Gu Jin and Long Yifan had made last year.

However, they had thought merely that Lady Ling was either blind sided or maybe there was some kind of other secret yet, and they almost wanted to report it after the court case.

But then Lady Ling approached and even asked them to become the Mighty Mage couple, they started to suspect Lady Ling, especially when the news about them being the Mighty Mage couple slowly started to slip out.

After all, they knew that they had only told the news to their close friends and family, and no one from their family or friends would ever betray them.

So, the only person who might have released the news itself was Lady Ling.

Yet, she remained calm when Gu Jin and Long Yifan were under the storm.

Hence, they started to suspect Lady Ling’s motives. With that thought, Gu Jin and Long Yifan didn’t pour their energy.

She looked at Long Yifan. "Should I use an artifact? Maybe one of my searching orbs?"

Long Yifan smirked. "Not necessary. I have something better."

He waved his hand, and suddenly a floating eyeball appeared in the air. It was dripping with faint red liquid, and it blinked slowly, glowing with strange light.

Gu Jin stared at it in disbelief. "What... what is that?"

Long Yifan raised both hands quickly. "Hey, don’t look at me like that. It’s not what it looks like!"

"It’s an eyeball that’s bleeding," Gu Jin said flatly. "It looks exactly what it looks like."

Long Yifan scratched his head. "It’s just one of my old experiments. I never used it on people. It’s called the Cursed Eye."

Gu Jin’s eyes widened slightly. "Cursed Eye? Are you serious?"

He grinned sheepishly. "Yeah. Don’t worry, it’s safe. Mostly."

Gu Jin sighed heavily. "You mean the semi-god rank artifact that can see through black holes and magical barriers? The one that even the Mage Council couldn’t create properly?"

Long Yifan rubbed the back of his neck. "You know it?"

"Of course I do," Gu Jin said. "Every armament master dreams of making one. And you’re just casually carrying it around?"

Long Yifan smiled proudly. "What can I say? I’m talented."

Gu Jin rolled her eyes. "You’re talented, but also lazy. You could make god-rank artifacts if you actually tried."

He shrugged. "But that would be too much work."

Gu Jin sighed again but smiled faintly. "Fine. Let’s see what your Cursed Eye can do."

Long Yifan nodded and looked at the eyeball. "Go," he commanded softly. "See what’s inside."

The Cursed Eye blinked once, then slowly floated toward the crack. A faint red mist surrounded it as it entered the glowing gap.

Gu Jin watched silently. "It’s creepy," she muttered.

Long Yifan smiled. "You’ll get used to it."

She glanced at him sharply. "Please tell me you’ve never used this to spy on people."

He hesitated for a moment, then asked, "Do you want the truth or a lie?"

Gu Jin’s eyes narrowed. "The truth, obviously."

Long Yifan looked innocent. "Well... there was one time I thought about using it when you were in the bathroom."

"What?" Gu Jin said in disbelief.

He quickly raised his hands. "But I didn’t! I swear! I stopped myself because I realized you’d burn me alive if you ever found out."

Gu Jin glared at him, but then sighed. "At least you knew your limits."

He grinned. "Always."

While they were talking, the Cursed Eye had gone deeper into the crack. Suddenly, it stopped.

Long Yifan frowned. "It found something."

Gu Jin’s attention sharpened. "What is it?"

"Don’t know, I will try to see it." Long Yifan muttered and closed her eyes.

The Cursed Eye hovered for a moment and began taking pictures with flashes of red light.

Just as it was about to return, a strange pulling force appeared from the circle.

Long Yifan’s eyes widened. "No!" he shouted.

The Cursed Eye trembled violently as the suction grew stronger.

For a moment, it resisted, blinking rapidly as if sending signals. But then, with a sharp flash, it was pulled into the circle and turned into ashes.

Gu Jin’s heart skipped a beat. "What happened?"

Long Yifan clenched his fist. "It’s gone. Completely destroyed."

Gu Jin stared at the crack in shock. "Even a semi-god artifact got destroyed? What kind of power is that?"

Long Yifan took a deep breath. "Before it was destroyed, it managed to send some images back."

Gu Jin’s eyes lit up. "Then show me!"

He nodded, closed his eyes for a moment, and a small glowing bead appeared in his palm.

He began to roll it between his fingers, and then a projection appeared in front of them, shining like a floating mirror.