My enemies became my companions

Chapter 693 Enemy and Daoist Companion
"Where is...where?"

The sky was pitch black, and a dense, deathly silence filled the mountains and forests. There was no sound of birds, beasts, or insects. Familiar houses and brick walls stood silently on both sides, empty and deserted, as if this was the wrong time.

The girl stood quietly, looking around with a slight sense of confusion. She gazed at the majestic and silent hall, then pushed open the door and entered. Seeing the ever-burning lights inside, she seemed to confirm where she was.

"I'm back?"

But...didn't she just...in the capital area, just finish off that enemy's life...?

In the blink of an eye, we were back in the church.

The surroundings were deathly silent. The girl stood there, staring at the overwhelming darkness outside the door. Layers of darkness piled up on top of each other, seemingly endless, like ink being poured onto paper.

She thought that the so-called world of ignorance in Buddhism was nothing more than this.

However, unlike the Buddhist teachings that her mother often talked about, the world of ignorance described by the cult was indeed a world where people's souls were trapped, confused and ignorant, gradually losing themselves and falling into the prison of the Lord of Resentment, unable to extricate themselves for eternity. The girl's heartstrings were touched by the floating thoughts. Under the lamplight, her mother seemed to be gently stroking her head. The ignorance in Buddhism was different. Ignorance was something in the depths of people's hearts, the greed, anger, and delusion that one was obsessed with in that instant, or perhaps it was an innate lack of awareness, not knowing the existence of the Dharma.

She was still young then and couldn't understand it. She just felt that those things were very profound. Some children always like to learn profound things in order to gain praise from adults and admiration from their peers. The lamplight shone into her eyes and revealed a hint of unspeakable loneliness. She had long since replaced many Buddhist teachings with the doctrines of the religion, just as her divine hearing had made her a pure and holy woman.

However, it's all worth it.

The girl raised her hand, gazing silently, as if it were stained with blood, a sight that brought a sense of gratifying pleasure.

But as she watched, the girl's brows furrowed slightly.

Her hands are indeed hers, but... they're a bit too immature.

Where did the calluses from when she first learned martial arts on Gaoliang Mountain go?
The girl seemed to snap out of her daze, and after looking around again, she murmured, "Why is no one here in the cult?"

Gaoliang Mountain is the headquarters of the Ming and An Divine Sect. No matter the year or month, it is always bustling with people. Believers who join the sect burn incense and pray for blessings, and disciples come and go on the way up and down the mountain. If we put aside the fact that it is known as a demonic sect in the martial arts world, it is no different from those Taoist immortal mountains and Buddhist holy sites.

But why is it so deserted today?

It was less deserted and more deathly still.

In such a situation, one should be terrified, but Yin Tingxue was not in that mood. She had just killed a lifelong enemy not long ago, and her heart was empty for a moment. She did feel the pleasure of avenging her great enemy, but it disappeared without a trace a few breaths after the sword took her life.

Everyone has this experience: after going through countless hardships, you finally get what you want, but in the end, you feel empty.

Fortunately, emptiness comes and goes quickly.

Yin Tingxue lowered her eyes, realizing that she needed to re-examine her current situation. Just as she was about to start looking for some clues, she heard some rustling sounds in the distance, like the wind and waves being stirred up below the mountain gate.

She focused her mind, and the rustling sounds in the distance gradually became clearer, turning into human voices.

The sound pierced through the darkness, coming from the foot of Gaoliang Mountain. Yin Tingxue immediately picked up a sword from the palace, leaped onto the roof beam, and hid in the shadows. She lifted a brick from the inside out and looked towards the mountain gate. She was hiding, and the flame of the ever-burning lamp flickered, unable to illuminate her.

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

"Master, what's wrong with her?"

Yin Tingxue lay on her back in the hut, maintaining a meditative posture with her eyes closed, like an old monk in deep meditation. However, the girl's face was too youthful to convey much of a sense of Zen.

Lu Ying stood to the side, knowing that Yin Tingxue was performing some kind of ritual, but still couldn't help asking. Her tone was not very emotional, but rather more of a disciple's confusion and curiosity than worry.

Now, Lu Ying is truly formless, without image, and without self. She rarely shows any superfluous emotions. Whenever Chen Yi sees her, he always feels that she is like Zhou Yitang back then, which makes him heartbroken. However, Zhou Yitang is very satisfied.

“There’s no need to disturb her,” Zhou Yitang said.

Lu Ying nodded slightly, gazing at Yin Tingxue's face, the surrounding spiritual energy resonating faintly with her.
The acupoints connect to various parts of the body, making one feel that her soul has traveled thousands of miles away, but when the divination is performed again, it is clear that she is still in the same place, which reminds one of Zhuangzi's dream of the butterfly.

The girl's aura was ethereal and uncertain, as if she had a mysterious resonance with some distant time and space. Even the flickering fire in the furnace seemed to glow and flicker, casting swaying light and shadow on her fair cheeks.

Li Kang stared at Yin Tingxue from the side, marveling at her identity as someone with the ability to hear the heavenly ears.

The Divine Ear, one of the six supernatural powers in Buddhism and Taoism, is rarely seen even once in thousands of years. It allows one to hear the sounds of the ten directions and six realms and to discern the thoughts of all beings.

Therefore, if a sword were to be forged to match Tian Er Tong's talent, ordinary, so-called superior immortal swords would be nothing more than lifeless objects, ultimately wasting this extraordinary gift. Man and sword can never truly connect; it would be like scratching an itch through a boot.

The best way is to trace back to the source, using the karma from her past life as a guide, to see the deepest imprint of her soul, and to forge a sword for her, condensing her unfulfilled thoughts and deep feelings from her past life, so that a sword that belongs only to her and can resonate with her soul can be forged.

Li Kang focused her gaze again and saw that the aura swirling around Yin Tingxue's crown was not the pure, spiritual aura of an ordinary cultivator. Instead, it swirled and drifted like smoke and clouds, within which seemed to float and sink in blurry images, exuding an indescribable sense of spatial and temporal distortion. She couldn't help but feel puzzled, her brows furrowing: Where exactly did this girl dreamt of her past life? Why did the images within that aura possess such a heavy… deathly, demonic atmosphere?
Zhou Yitang spoke up at the right moment, her tone steady yet unquestionable, interrupting Li Kang's thoughts: "Master Li, let's get ready."

Li Kang snapped out of his daze, suppressed the unease in his heart, and nodded.

Indeed, with Jianjia Zhou Yitang here, he knows what he's doing and has the necessary skills, so there's no need for me to worry too much. The most urgent task is to prepare all the spiritual materials and magic arrays needed to forge the sword.

…………

Chen Yi, with Donggong Ruoshu in tow, flew along the mountain path.

As you pass by ancient trees reaching for the sky and deep valleys, the scenery of Gaoliang Mountain comes closer and closer.

Perhaps out of genuine fear of the Demonic Sect, Chen Yi was unwilling to stay on Gaoliang Mountain for long. Even when he had arranged for the women to be temporarily settled on Gaoliang Mountain, he did not stay there overnight. He quickly brought the three women back one by one, including Donggong Ruoshu's body.

In fact, Chen Yi had thought on the way that he might take advantage of the wish-fulfilling ability of the Unknown World to let Donggong Ruoshu return to her body.

But upon further reflection, I decided against it. If Donggong Ruoshu, who had turned into a ghost, was already so troublesome, what would happen if she were to turn back into a human now?

Compared to this annoying young lady from the Eastern Palace, Chen Yi began to appreciate Yin Tingxue's good qualities again.

His little fox is still the best. She knows how to be considerate. Even though she often has her own little schemes and tries to control him, the little fox is still the best in the end.

Although Xiao Yin repeatedly said that she was only willing to be the second wife, as long as she was the second favorite, Chen Yi sometimes wondered if she was too shrewd. He was prone to getting bored easily, and the woman he liked the most might change all the time, while the woman he liked the second would never change and would always make him miss her.

Whether this was unintentional or not, even if it was, she is truly a shrewd little fox, both pitiful and heartbreaking.

Chen Yi didn't like this feeling of heartache.

Since that's the case, when I see her again,
I'll just bully her a bit.

The thought brought him a sense of relief, and like quenching thirst with the sight of plums, Chen Yi felt a great deal of comfort.

Following the path up the mountain, we finally arrived at the mountain gate square. The scene on Gaoliang Mountain was as empty as ever, and shrouded in a world of ignorance, it seemed even more eerily strange.

Where is Gongsun Guan?

Chen Yi murmured to himself as he entered the main hall alone. All he saw were the ever-burning lights on the walls. This time, even the cult leader in his white robes, who was talking nonsense, was nowhere to be seen.

As I was deep in thought, I suddenly heard a slight tremor, as if my robes were swaying unintentionally.

Is someone on the beam?

Chen Yi flicked a lamp with one hand, then turned around abruptly. Amidst the flying sparks, a petite figure emerged from the darkness as if from the water. Chen Yi frowned, momentarily puzzled, and then he saw a face that was equally astonished.

Her face flickered in the lamplight.

Chen Yi suddenly stopped, staring at the familiar face, utterly astonished.

In the next instant, he suddenly realized something.
May all your wishes come true…

I've thought about giving Yin Tingxue...?
In a world of ignorance, it is only natural to think what you want. However, the fact that he could think of Yin Tingxue, who was thousands of miles away, left Chen Yi stunned and speechless. His emotions were too complicated to control. Although this place was dangerous, seeing that familiar and obedient little face still softened his heart.

"Little Fox..."

The words have not yet fallen.

A glint of fire flashed in the darkness, and a sword shot out from the shadows, heading straight for Chen Yi's face.

Chen Yi was utterly stunned. In this completely unprepared moment, he could only stare straight at the girl getting closer and closer, wanting to utter the last word he had left unsaid.
But in her still somewhat immature eyes, a coldness shone through...

Killing intent.

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

That was her enemy.

That was his Daoist partner.

(End of this chapter)