Both of them blinked. Then Gu Jin looked at Long Yifan before turning to Lady Ling. Her expression softened a little.

"Maybe for a moment," Gu Jin said honestly.

"But then I thought...if you really wanted to harm the Mage God, you would have done it long ago. You had many chances. Why would you wait for us to appear?"

Lady Ling's lips curved faintly. "I see."

Gu Jin continued,

"Besides, you've always guided us. Even during the trials, you supported us. Someone who planned to destroy the world wouldn't do that."

Lady Ling's eyes narrowed slightly. "So, you trust me?"

Long Yifan nodded. "We do. But we think someone is using your name or power without your permission."

Lady Ling almost laughed again. Inside, she was thrilled. 'So they don't know anything. They're still under my control.'

Still, she pretended to sigh. "This matter is serious. I'll help you investigate it. But you must not act rashly."

Gu Jin nodded. "We won't."

"Good," Lady Ling said softly. "For now, rest. I'll summon you tomorrow with a plan."

Gu Jin and Long Yifan both bowed slightly before leaving the hall.

Once they were gone, Lady Ling stood still for a long moment. Then her gentle smile faded, replaced by a cold expression.

"Fools," she whispered. "You walked right into my trap."

As she turned back toward the cultivation pool, a faint red mist rose from the floor, forming Chang Yin's shadow again.

"They didn't suspect you," he said, his voice like distant thunder.

Lady Ling smiled darkly. "No. They still trust me completely."

"Then proceed," Chang Yin said. "Prepare the opportunity to kick them to the forbidden land."

Lady Ling's smile deepened. "Yes. Soon, both of them will step into their own grave."

And in the distance, far beyond the walls, Gu Jin and Long Yifan walked side by side under the fading light.

Gu Jin glanced at him and said quietly, "She believed us."

Long Yifan smiled. "Good. Then everything is going according to your plan."

Gu Jin shook her head slowly. "Everything isn't going according to my plan at all," she said quietly.

Long Yifan stopped walking and turned to her, his gaze serious.

"What do you mean? Didn't Lady Ling believe us? Isn't that what we wanted?"

Gu Jin looked ahead at the horizon, where the strange black sky met the fiery cracks in the ground.

Her expression was calm, but her voice was heavy.

"She believed us, yes. But that's not the problem. The problem is what comes next."

Long Yifan frowned. "What do you mean?"

"Lady Ling isn't someone ordinary," Gu Jin said, her voice soft but firm.

"She holds a huge position in the mage world. Whatever she plans, no one will question her. Even if we doubt her, no one will believe us. She can twist the truth however she wants."

Long Yifan sighed. "So, you're saying she can do whatever she wants, and we won't be able to stop her?"

"Exactly," Gu Jin replied. "Till now, we were safe because she was taking us lightly. She thought we were still too trusting, too obedient. But once she starts to move her pawns... everything will change. We won't be able to resist her plans anymore."

Long Yifan rubbed his chin and nodded slowly. "Then we have to think ahead." He paused.

"There's something that bothers me. Who or what is she feeding that energy to?"

Gu Jin frowned.

"That's what I can't figure out. That power isn't flowing toward Lady Ling herself. It's going somewhere else. But who would she want to give that much energy to?"

Long Yifan thought for a moment before saying, "Could she be feeding it to the Mage God?"

Gu Jin's eyes widened, but she quickly shook her head.

"No. If it were the Mage God, she wouldn't hide it. The temples would already know. She would have told the whole world about it to gain honor and glory. This... this secrecy means something else."

Long Yifan narrowed his gaze. "Then maybe it's someone she's trying to resurrect."

Gu Jin blinked. "Resurrect?"

"Yes," Long Yifan said. "Think about it. She's drawing life energy, powerful enough to rebuild something. And the energy being pulled has traces of old magic... ancient magic. The kind used to rebuild lost souls or bodies."

Gu Jin fell silent, her mind working fast.

Long Yifan continued in his deep voice.

"And whoever she's trying to resurrect must be someone who can't take energy from the masses directly. That's why she's making us channel it through the cracks instead."

Gu Jin crossed her arms, thinking. "That makes sense... but then who? Who could be so powerful that Lady Ling would serve them?"

Long Yifan's eyes darkened. "Maybe it's not someone she's serving willingly. Maybe she's being controlled."

Gu Jin turned sharply to him. "Controlled?"

Long Yifan nodded.

"It's possible. If she's been possessed or taken over by something ancient... maybe the real Lady Ling is gone. What we're seeing might just be a puppet."

Gu Jin's face turned pale. "That would explain everything. Her strange behavior."

Long Yifan looked at her. "Then the one controlling her might be the real cause of the curse."

Gu Jin nodded slowly. "And that also means this isn't about us at all. We just got caught in the middle."

They both fell silent for a while, the sound of the bubbling lava around them filling the air.

Then Gu Jin said quietly,

"But there's still something I don't understand. If Lady Ling...or whoever is controlling her...wanted to control me, she could have done it long ago. My necromancy element alone gives people a reason to accuse me. She could have just said I was dangerous and needed to be monitored."

Long Yifan frowned. "You're right. She had many chances. But she didn't use any of them. That means... she needs us to be willing."

"Needs us?" Gu Jin asked.

"Yes," Long Yifan said. "Think about it. She gave us resources, guided our cultivation, and even supported us during the courtroom trials. She wanted us to become stronger...but only to a certain point. And now she's suddenly stopped giving us resources. It's like she wants us to reach a level she can still control, but not beyond it."

Gu Jin's eyes widened. "So... she's using us?"

"That's what it looks like," Long Yifan said grimly. "She's preparing something big, and we're part of it. Maybe she needs our power for that resurrection ritual."

Gu Jin clenched her fists. "Then it's true."

Long Yifan's expression darkened. "When she realizes we know too much, she'll strike."

Gu Jin shivered slightly. "Then why didn't she do it today? She looked so calm when we talked."

Long Yifan lowered his voice.

"Because she wasn't sure yet. She wanted to test us. The moment she confirmed we knew something, she was ready to end us. I saw it in her eyes. The only reason she didn't attack was because you said you still trusted her."

Gu Jin's heart skipped a beat. She remembered the moment Lady Ling had gone silent before asking,

"You don't suspect me?" At that time, she had felt a strange chill. Now it all made sense.

"So she really was ready to kill us," Gu Jin said quietly.

"Yes," Long Yifan said. "And she still will, once she thinks the time is right."

Gu Jin sighed deeply and looked up at the burning sky. "Then what do we do now?"

Long Yifan crossed his arms. "First, we increase our cultivation. Quietly. She must not know."

Gu Jin frowned. "That's risky. If she senses a change in our energy, she'll know immediately."

"Not if we hide it properly," Long Yifan said with a small grin. "There's a way to increase power while keeping it sealed inside. It's difficult, but we can do it together."

Gu Jin raised an eyebrow. "And how do we hide it from someone like her?"

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

The next morning, when Lady Ling arrived, she found Gu Jin and Long Yifan standing near the glowing crack, calmly pouring their energy into it as usual. The air shimmered softly around them.

Lady Ling smiled, her eyes gleaming. "You're still pouring? Weren't you suspecting someone to be behind this? "

Gu Jin looked up and said seriously,

"Yes. Whoever is behind this would be alerted once we stopped. We thought it was better to keep going until you finish your investigation."

Lady Ling tilted her head, pretending to think. "Very wise. I'll begin my investigation immediately. It may take a few weeks."

Long Yifan nodded politely. "We'll hold on until then."

Lady Ling smiled again, pleased. "Good. Continue your work." Then she turned and left the chamber.

As soon as her footsteps faded, Gu Jin and Long Yifan exchanged a look.

Without speaking, they activated a faint golden glow around their temples. The telepathy artifacts hidden in their ears lit up faintly.

"We can talk now," Long Yifan said in her mind.

"Good," Gu Jin replied. "We can't risk speaking aloud. She might have planted something to spy on us."

"Exactly," Long Yifan said. "Now, listen. We have only a few weeks before she attacks."