Long Yifan gently patted Gu Jin's back, his touch calm and reassuring.
"You don't need to worry so much," he said softly. "No matter what cos our way, we'll face it together."
Gu Jin looked at him for a mont before nodding slowly. "You're right. That's the only option we have."
Her gaze drifted toward the ashes that still shimred faintly on the ground, remnants of the god they had just destroyed.
"Still," she murmured, "I can't shake the feeling that this might've only been a soul fragnt. What if it wasn't the real one?"
Long Yifan frowned, shaking his head. "No. That's impossible."
Gu Jin turned to him sharply, her expression serious. "What do you an?"
"If it was only a fragnt," he explained, "then it wouldn't have tried to detonate itself at the end. I saw it, the way he tried to circulate his divine energy just before the chain activated. That kind of reaction isn't sothing a fragnt can perform. It was the real Chang Yin."
Gu Jin's eyes darkened. "So you're saying… he was completely destroyed?"
"Yes," Long Yifan replied firmly. "This was no re shadow or echo. The body we fought and the soul that scread, it was all him."
For a few seconds, the wind howled through the quiet clearing.
Then Gu Jin took a deep breath, her shoulders straightening. "If that's true," she said slowly, "then we've completely erased the Mage God from this world."
Her lips pressed into a thin line. "The mage world will collapse now that its god is gone."
Long Yifan nodded. "That's one problem solved," he said, though his voice carried a hint of caution. "But the real trouble will co after this."
Gu Jin's gaze flickered to him. "You an the Celestial Realm."
"Yes." Long Yifan's tone turned grim. "They'll know by now that you've awakened the Golden Chain. Once they sense its power, they'll definitely co looking for you. So may even try to recruit you back to the heavens."
Gu Jin let out a small, cold laugh. "Recruit ? They can try," she said, eyes narrowing.
"And if they do, I'll show them what this chain can really do. I'll use it on them too, if I have to."
Long Yifan couldn't help but chuckle. "You really haven't changed," he said, shaking his head with amusent.
"The chain of justice itself...one of the most powerful relics in existence...and you threaten to use it like a whip."
Gu Jin arched an eyebrow. "You sound like you're complaining."
He stepped closer, smiling faintly. "Complaining? Not at all. I actually find it adorable."
Her eyes widened slightly. "Adorable?"
Long Yifan nodded and gently wrapped his arms around her, his voice dropping to a soft murmur.
"Sotis, I really do love the woman who dares to challenge gods and still blushes when I say she looks cute pretending to be cold."
Gu Jin blinked, caught off guard. Then she rolled her eyes, though the faintest hint of color crept onto her cheeks.
"Flattery won't work on ," she muttered. "Are you trying to charm your way out of trouble?"
"Is it that obvious?" he teased.
She nodded solemnly. "Painfully obvious."
Long Yifan laughed, the sound warm and light. "Well, I only flatter one person in this world," he said, his smile turning tender. "My wife."
Gu Jin couldn't help but laugh softly at his shaless words. "You really know how to flirt," she said, shaking her head. "Even after everything that's happened."
"If you give the chance," Long Yifan said playfully, "I'll flirt with you even during death."
The word hung between them like a cold wind.
For a long mont, neither spoke. Both their smiles faded as old mories flickered in their minds, mories of their past lives, the betrayal, the loneliness, and the countless tis they had died apart.
Long Yifan sighed softly, brushing his thumb along the back of her hand. "Let's not dwell on the past anymore," he said quietly.
Gu Jin nodded. "You're right," she whispered.
"It would only bring resentnt. Instead of resenting what happened, we should cherish what we have now."
Her eyes softened.
"In our past life, we didn't know how to treasure what was given to us. We took too much for granted, and when we lost it, we could never get it back. But now…" She smiled faintly. "Now it's ti to cherish everything."
Her words lingered in Long Yifan's mind like a poem. He looked at her and smiled. This...this was the woman he had fallen for. No matter how much pain she carried, she still found a way to see light in everything.
He pulled her into a gentle hug. "You're right," he whispered.
"No one's coming to disturb us for now. So… how about we enjoy a little peace? Just the two of us. Here, in the Forbidden Land."
Gu Jin blinked, then rolled her eyes again. "You really never stop, do you?"
Long Yifan chuckled. "Not when it cos to you."
Despite her exasperation, she didn't refuse. "Fine," she said, a faint smile curling on her lips. "But only for a while."
As they walked away hand in hand, the dark sky began to clear.
Far away, inside the White Palace, Lady Ling was deep in ditation.
Her room was quiet, filled with the soft hum of mana. But suddenly...
She gasped and coughed up a mouthful of dark blood.
Her eyes flew open, disbelief flooding her face. "Impossible…" she whispered hoarsely. "How can this be possible?"
Her heart pounded violently. Without hesitation, she waved her hand, summoning a shimring mirror.
The surface rippled, showing the very scene that had just occurred in the Forbidden Land.
There...Gu Jin and Long Yifan stood victorious.
The Mage God's body dissolved into golden dust. And in Gu Jin's hands, the Golden Chain of Justice glowed brilliantly.
Lady Ling staggered back, her face pale. "No… no, this cannot be…"
Her voice trembled as panic clawed at her heart. "If that really happened, then… what am I supposed to do now?"
She knew instantly what it ant. If the Golden Chain had awakened, it could only an one thing...Gu Jin and Long Yifan had regained their divine mories. And if they could destroy Chang Yin, they could destroy her too.
"I'm nothing but a pawn to them now," she muttered, her nails digging into her palms.
Fear turned quickly into desperate calculation. She began pacing, her mind racing through countless scenarios. Then, a dark thought surfaced, a weakness.
"The Gu Family," she whispered, her eyes narrowing. "Yes. They're still her weakness. If I can't defeat them, I can at least use them."
Her lips curled into a chilling smile. "If I can't win against gods, I'll make them bleed through what they love most."
Without wasting another second, she summoned her attendant. "Maya!"
Monts later, a young woman entered, bowing deeply. "Yes, Lady Ling?"
"Send a ssage to the Gu Family," Lady Ling ordered coldly. "Tell them that Gu Jin and Long Yifan were injured during their stay in the Forbidden Land. Ask them to co to the White Palace imdiately."
Maya nodded, thinking her mistress was only concerned for Gu Jin's safety. "Yes, my lady," she said respectfully and left at once.
Hours passed. The sun rose and fell, but there was no response.
By evening, Maya returned, her face tense. "My lady," she said quietly, "the Gu family's mansion is empty. I couldn't find any of them. It's as if they've vanished into thin air."
Lady Ling froze. "Vanished?" she repeated, her voice rising. "How can an entire family just vanish?! Where did they go?!"
Maya lowered her head, trembling. "I...I don't know, my lady."
Rage burned in Lady Ling's eyes. She clenched her fists until her nails drew blood.
"So they've already planned this…" she whispered bitterly. "They knew I'd make a move."
Her mind replayed everything... their calmness during the battle, their unshaken confidence, the way Gu Jin had smiled at the end.
"They were pretending all along," she hissed. "They knew sothing was coming. They killed Chang Yin because they already knew what's next. I've underestimated them again."
Her anger boiled, but she forced herself to stay composed. With a wave of her hand, she dismissed Maya. Once alone, her calm mask shattered.
"The Mage God is dead," she muttered. "Now the power gap will draw attention. If people find out what Chang Yin really did, I'll be finished."
She began pacing again, her thoughts racing faster than lightning.
"Even if others don't notice imdiately, those who sensed the golden chain's aura will co for her. And when they do, they'll uncover everything… what Chang Yin and I did to the Justice God and her fiancé."
Her face paled further as she rembered the ancient curse.
It had been a divine punishnt...one that forced Gu Jin and Long Yifan to live countless mortal lives, forever apart, forever incomplete.
But there had been one flaw.
If either of them ever rembered their past life completely, the curse would break.
To prevent that, Chang Yin had used his connections to alter their souls, sealing away their divine mories and implanting resistance in their hearts.
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