The Mighty Mage

Only then could he flip the story in Gu Jin's favor.

Now, as his plan reached its final stage, he thought of her again. He whispered to himself,

"Gu Jin… you will no longer need to hide. You will no longer need to fear using your power. Necromancy will not be cursed. It will be respected."

He leaned back in his chair, remembering the steps he had taken.

He had gathered proofs showing how Gu Jin used her skeleton warriors not for destruction, but to save lives in Fujio City. He had spoken to survivors secretly, asking them to tell their stories and defend her name.

He had arranged debates, articles, and rumors that questioned the so-called danger of necromancy.

After returning to her room, Gu Jin walked calmly toward her bed. Her face was calm, as if the burning of Long Yifan's clothes had not shaken her at all.

She sat cross-legged and started her cultivation again.

Hours passed, and she felt the steady rhythm of mana flowing through her veins.

But midway through, she realized that the day had slipped away like water through her fingers.

Her body felt heavy, her eyelids drooping. "Strange," she murmured softly. "I did not think I was so tired."

Giving in to the sleepiness clouding her mind, she lay down on her bed and closed her eyes.

When she opened them again, everything was different.

She was no longer in her room.

Instead, she stood in a vast world made of white.

The air itself was white. The sky was white.

Beneath her feet was a glowing white, wide platform. Around her, white clouds drifted slowly in circles.

Her eyes widened as she turned in a circle.

In front of her stood nine white pillars arranged in a ring. At the center of the platform, there was a group of thrones.

Each throne was carved with delicate, golden patterns that glowed faintly. The designs seemed alive, shifting like flowing rivers of light.

On those thrones sat blurry figures. They were neither men nor women, but their presence was overwhelming, so grand that it made Gu Jin's heart tighten.

Her lips trembled. A hint of resistance crept into her heart. "Why… why do I feel like I know this place?"

The figures remained silent.

She did not know why, but her instincts screamed to stay alert, to not trust them fully.

Then a voice echoed across the white clouds. It was loud, powerful, yet strangely familiar.

"Gu Jin," the voice said, "even though you are a goddess, you do not understand the pain of mortals. Your decision this time had caused countless mortals to die. For that, you deserve to live through their pain."

The sound shook the platform.

Suddenly, more voices joined in. They rose one after another, drowning the first.

"Yes, she must suffer."

"She cannot return so easily."

"She must pay the price of her past."

The voices grew louder, filling the platform until it sounded like thunder.

Gu Jin clenched her fists. "What is going on? Who are these people..."

Why does she feel so unwilling in her heart?

Then, a sharp clap rang out.

Instantly, the many voices went silent.

The original voice spoke again, calm but firm. "You must suffer. You will go through trials, each one showing you pain, until you understand. Only then can you resume your throne."

Lightning suddenly flashed across the white sky.

Gu Jin gasped as the white clouds around the platform grew darker, rolling like waves. Her chest tightened. She felt an invisible chain pulling at her soul.

Her heart skipped a beat.

No... No... I need to stop this...

Even Gu Jin didn't know why she felt that way; however, a voice in her mind instructed her to stop whatever was going on.

Before she could understand what was happening, her body jolted.

She sat upright in her bed, breathing heavily. The familiar walls of her room greeted her.

She touched her forehead, sweat clinging to her skin. "What a strange dream," she muttered.

Shaking her head, she sat back down and forced herself to focus on cultivation again.

Slowly, the memory of the dream blurred. After a while, she forgot it completely.

Days passed. Five of them slipped by in a calm routine.

On the sixth day, her door opened gently. A maid walked in with a soft smile. In her hands, she carried a phone.

"Miss Gu," the maid said politely, "Young Master Long has allowed you to use this now. You can connect to the internet again."

Gu Jin blinked. She tilted her head in confusion. "The internet? Now?"

The maid nodded. "Yes. He also said that you can check the top headlines."

Gu Jin accepted the phone slowly. Why now? she thought.

She knew very well that Long Yifan had hidden the internet from her before. He feared she would be hurt by the cruel words people had written about her.

Which of course she didn't fear. She had gone through real betrayals and loss of her loved ones.

The comment on the internet could hardly faze her.

Her lips curved into a cold smile. "He is too protective."

For the last few days, she had already prepared a counterplan in her mind. If the world truly hated her necromancy element, she would vanish.

She would fake her own death, change her face, and appear again as someone else.

It would be a pity to lose her name, "Gu Jin," but as long as she survived, that was enough.

Yet now, she had the phone in her hand. Her fingers tightened around it.

Opening it, she began to scroll.

As expected, scandals filled the headlines. Her name appeared across the screen, always tied to the word "necromancy." Many comments were full of hate.

"A necromancer is still alive? Kill her!"

"She must be destroyed before she destroys us."

"A woman with necromancy will only bring disaster."

"I always knew something was wrong about her!"

Gu Jin's eyes remained calm. None of this surprised her.

But then, her gaze paused.

Amid the hate, there were different voices.

"Why is necromancy forbidden? Why so much hate for it?"

"Necromancy is strong. Why fear it instead of using it?"

"Is the government hiding something? Maybe they want to control all power and fear losing control if necromancy is accepted."

Her brows furrowed. More and more comments followed in this direction.

Some questioned the logic of banning an element simply because it was powerful. Others even spoke with open respect.

Then she saw articles.

One headline read: Gu Jin, Savior of Fu Jio City?

Her eyes narrowed as she clicked it.

The article described in detail how she had used her skeleton warriors during the parasite attack.

It spoke of her quick thinking, how she had rescued trapped citizens, and how without her, the city would have fallen.

There were testimonies from survivors.

One name stood out: Qi Zhaoyu.

In a video interview, he repeated again and again,

"If it wasn't for Gu Jin, I would be dead. She saved us. She is not a monster. She is a hero."

Other survivors echoed the same.

Gu Jin froze. She had expected their help one day, yes.

She had even prepared them for it.

But now that they had stepped forward with such courage, she felt something heavy in her chest.

Her lips trembled. "They… truly stood by me."

For the first time, she felt guilty.

She had always calculated, always planned.

Her actions were never without reason.

Yet these people had spoken with pure gratitude, not because she asked, but because they truly believed.

Her heart softened.

Even she didn't realize the myriad of emotions she had felt.

"They deserve pure intentions," she whispered.

Scrolling again, she found hate comments too.

"Necromancy is cursed for a reason. She might look kind now, but one day she will fall into darkness."

"Imagine if she becomes greedy. She could rule the world with undead armies."

"At that time, we will regret letting her live."

Her eyes darkened slightly. She was not surprised. Fear always lived in the hearts of people.

Strong survived by creating fear in the weak. And if they couldn't fight the strongest, they would make the strongest person a monster.

But she saw something new this time.

For every hateful comment, there was at least one voice that fought back.

"You are only afraid."

"She already proved herself."

"She saved thousands. Stop twisting the truth."

Now she understood why Long Yifan let her watch the internet.

Suddenly, her attention was attracted by the interview video of the Gu Family.

A hint of curiosity rose in her heart, and she clicked on the video.

Mr. Gu's loud and authoritative voice sounded from the phone's speaker, creating a slight vibration,

"I will support my daughter till the end. Having a necromancy element isn't a big deal. What? You all want to go on a witch hunt? Go ahead. My company's intelligence will also reveal the dark secret hidden by all of you! "