My enemies became my companions

Chapter 696 All Illusions (Part 2)

The Holy Maiden of the Demonic Cult remained motionless for a long time before finally raising her head and staring intently at the man before her.

For some reason, as if she had vaguely anticipated it, she was not surprised at all.

He's the worst; he always loves to go against women, which is really annoying... What is she thinking?
A fleeting, inappropriate thought crossed Yin Tingxue's mind, but she quickly suppressed it, her eyes filled with even deeper resentment.
"You fool me?"

"Don't worry, I don't play tricks on people."

Just as the resentment in Yin Tingxue's eyes lessened slightly, Chen Yi paused, then said:

"After all, I really don't know."

Yin Tingxue's face suddenly darkened, and she gripped the long sword in her hand so tightly that it trembled. This enemy in front of her was even more hateful than when she killed him.

However, for some reason, perhaps because he was in a world of ignorance, his abilities were much stronger than those seen yesterday, and for the time being, he was helpless.

It all seems to stem from the strangeness of this ignorant world...

Yin Tingxue pressed her forehead, wiping away a bead of cold sweat.
Including those... memories.

Chen Yi had plenty of free time. He recalled years ago when he was killed by Yin Tingxue. His memory was already blurry. At that time, he felt both hatred and anger, and even some fear because of his escape over the past few days. Now, all of that had vanished. When he saw this little fox again, he just thought of it as a fox that would bare its teeth and claws.

After all, even the greatest grudges from the past had been buried for so long, and had long since been wiped away by her pleas for mercy. Besides, she was pleading with him to be gentle and kind with tears in her eyes. Thinking of this, Chen Yi's heart softened considerably. Moreover, the little fox was always well-behaved and considerate, which made him love her even more.

Chen Yi couldn't think of any reason for his angry expression. On the contrary, after riding on the little fox and acting like a tyrant for so long, it would be good to be more tolerant.

However, he still couldn't understand why Yin Tingxue, who was in front of him, had appeared if she wasn't the one who had made his wish come true... Of course, the most important thing right now was to find a way to get to the Ming Palace.

Yin Tingxue took a deep breath, composed herself, and slowly said, "Since that's the case, if you have no ideas, we won't be able to enter the forbidden area."

"...Didn't you say that the Holy Maiden could open the gate to the forbidden area?"

“That’s true, but…” Yin Tingxue paused visibly, a hint of anger on her face, and said hesitantly, “Something went wrong… Anyway, it can’t be opened.”

Of course, she couldn't possibly reveal all those overwhelming memories; how bizarre, how unspeakable.

"trouble?"

Thinking about it, it makes sense. The strange look on Yin Tingxue's face just now didn't seem fake. She must have been unable to open the forbidden area for some reason, and Chen Yi had no doubt about it.

Yin Tingxue stared intently at him, and asked tentatively, "It seems we can't get out?"

Chen Yi took the bait willingly. After a long while, he slowly said, "Not necessarily. I probably haven't told you that the reason I was pulled into the World of Ignorance is closely related to the previous generation of Pure Saintess. She told me to find the Bright Palace, and only then... will there be a possibility of getting out."

Yin Tingxue's pupils contracted almost imperceptibly.

The Bright Palace is the highest secret in the sect. It is rumored to be the residence of the Bright Venerable. Even she only knows a few words about it and does not know its exact location or purpose.

The previous generation of the Pure Saintess was a figure of legend.

"Do you know where the Ming Palace is?" she asked, her voice tense.

Chen Yi chuckled softly, his fingertips unconsciously tracing the hilt of his sword. "The saintess gave me some hints, but she needs your help."

He suddenly leaned closer, stopping in front of Yin Tingxue's suddenly tense body, and said in a low voice, "After all, little fox, you are also the Pure Saintess."

Yin Tingxue subconsciously took a half step back, her sword already drawn three inches from its sheath. She was extremely uncomfortable with his intimacy, but Chen Yi just smiled at her, his smile carrying a composure that made one's teeth itch.

Why should I believe you?

“You don’t have to believe me,” Chen Yi shrugged. “Then you’ll be stuck here forever, facing the person you hate most day and night.”

His words were like a needle, piercing precisely into the depths of Yin Tingxue's heart. Her grip on the sword tightened and loosened, finally giving a cold snort: "Continue."

Chen Yi looked at Yin Tingxue with a smile, but he was not captivated by her. Leaving the World of Ignorance was the priority. He turned back and gazed at the tightly closed gate of the forbidden area, his thoughts swirling.

A cold glint flashed in Yin Tingxue's eyes behind her.

She wanted to see what tricks this man was up to.

Chen Yi suddenly asked, "What's inside the forbidden area?"

Yin Tingxue was about to speak, but then fell silent. She hesitated for a long time before slowly saying, "You'll know once you go in. No matter what sect or faction you're from, there aren't necessarily any good things in forbidden areas."

Chen Yi glanced at her sideways, and he suddenly realized that whatever was in the forbidden area was the reason why the little fox had transformed from such an adorable girl into such a demonic witch.

Yin Tingxue slowly uttered, "The Five Poisons Dead Tree is located deep within it."

Even though Chen Yi didn't know much about the Ming and An Divine Cult, he was stunned when he heard these four words. The Five Poison Dead Tree was not only the source of the ignorant world mentioned by the cult, but also the root of the Resentful Demon Lord.

That is undoubtedly a place of utter ignorance.

Chen Yi walked past Yin Tingxue and approached the gate of the forbidden area. He gently placed his hand on the gate.

The gate to the forbidden area stood silently like a mountain, the mottled marks on the stone surface like frozen time, resisting the touch of outsiders without moving an inch.

Yin Tingxue stood half a step behind Chen Yi, her gaze fixed on his back with a complex expression, her fingers unconsciously tightening.

She was filled with doubts: This door clearly requires a holy maiden who has preserved her primordial yin to open, so what exactly does he, a man, want to do?
Chen Yi's palm rested steadily on the cold stone door. He neither exerted his internal energy nor chanted any incantations; he simply stood there quietly.

Just as Yin Tingxue was about to voice her doubts, the heavy, mountain-like door, silent for countless years, emitted a very faint, low hum, and then silently slid open a crack, as if waiting only for a specific person.

A deep darkness emanated from within the door, accompanied by an old, stale aura.

Yin Tingxue's eyes widened suddenly as she stared in disbelief at the widening entrance, her grip on the sword hilt tightening unconsciously.

Chen Yi turned around, a familiar yet worried smile on her face, and said easily, "It's not that hard to open."

Yin Tingxue stood there, stunned, her mind a complete mess, all the rules and secrets of the sect overturned at this moment.

She blurted out instinctively, "How did you drive it?" Her voice was filled with an eagerness and surprise that she herself didn't realize. Chen Yi had been about to tease her as usual, and the words "Guess" were already on the tip of his tongue.

However, Yin Tingxue looked him up and down, hesitated for a moment, and then said:

"You are... a virgin?"

Chen Yi remained silent for a moment.

Sometimes, the little fox really knows how to annoy him, leaving him speechless and helpless. And whenever this happens, he always gets a little angry and teases her mercilessly.

After all, sometimes he really couldn't win an argument with her.

After a long while, Chen Yi finally spoke slowly, "Whether I'm a virgin or not, little fox, don't you know very well?"

Yin Tingxue looked puzzled, then her face suddenly turned pale. A flood of memories surged through her mind, and she hurriedly suppressed them, thinking to herself, "Damn it."

These memories... she didn't know where they came from, but she clearly had no recollection of them before, and... she should have been teaching back then.

...They were mostly illusions, but they were all distorted memories.

Yin Tingxue took a breath, determined to avoid answering his question, and asked instead, "How exactly did you open it?"

Chen Yi didn't hide anything and said directly, "If you can make your wish come true, you can naturally open the forbidden area. I opened it directly."

Yin Tingxue looked at Chen Yi and found that he was also staring at her, his eyes filled with a playful yet tender affection.

In that gaze, she suddenly felt a strange palpitation, as if something important that had been forgotten was trying to break through the lock of memory.

“Let’s go,” Chen Yi said, stepping inside first. “The answer might be inside.”

Yin Tingxue took a deep breath, gripped her sword tightly, and followed in his footsteps.

Whatever lies ahead, she must find out the truth—about him, about herself, about that seemingly altered past.

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

After struggling for a while, Donggong Ruoshu, who had been restrained, quickly jumped out.

She didn't know how long Chen Yi had been holding her captive, but now that she was finally free, she immediately jumped out, wanting to complain to Chen Yi. However, the boundless darkness around her left her feeling lost and helpless.

It felt like arriving in an extremely empty desert, with nothing at all.

In her haste, she searched around and suddenly saw a slightly cold face in the darkness.

"...Listening to Snow?"

Yin Tingxue was stunned for a moment, then suddenly raised her head, the sword blade almost touching her.

Chen Yi raised his hand to stop her, and Yin Tingxue withdrew her sword, turned her head to look at Chen Yi and asked, "Who is she?"

Donggong Ruoshu blinked, then suddenly floated in front of Yin Tingxue and said, "It's me, Sister Donggong. Don't you remember me?"

Yin Tingxue was on high alert. She didn't recognize the ghost in front of her at all, and besides, she was in a forbidden area. If she ignored even the slightest inconspicuous anomaly, her life would be in danger.

"Little fox, don't be afraid. She is Donggong Ruoshu, my... friend." Chen Yi gestured for her to put away her sword.

Donggong Ruoshu tilted her head. For some reason, she suddenly felt a little unhappy when she heard the word "friend". After thinking about it, she realized that Chen Yi might have forgotten to add the words "best". However, she didn't care. Yin Tingxue was the most important thing right now.

Yin Tingxue slowly sheathed her sword, half believing and half doubting. To the Holy Maiden of the Demonic Sect, everything that happened today was too strange, completely different from what she had seen yesterday.

"Let me reintroduce you. She and you were... very close friends before. You often called her Sister Donggong..."

"That's enough, no need to say more," Yin Tingxue said coldly. "I don't need to know."

She didn't want to get entangled in these trivial illusions. Things that never happened were all illusions. She clearly remembered who she was and who she had killed yesterday.

Hearing this, Chen Yi didn't press the matter and could only smile awkwardly.

Donggong Ruoshu was momentarily confused. She sniffed, wondering what had happened. Yin Tingxue, who used to be the sweetest person to Chen Yi, seemed to have a different vibe now.

"What's wrong with her?" Donggong Ruoshu asked.

"I don't know, you don't need to worry about it," Chen Yi replied.

Donggong Ruoshu thought about it and realized that this was not a good idea. She didn't know what had happened to Yin Tingxue, so she had to find a way to turn her back to normal.

The relationship between Yin Tingxue and Chen Yi was rather awkward.

Looking around at her surroundings, Donggong Ruoshu raised her head and hurriedly asked, "Chen Yi, where is this?"

Chen Yi stood still, looked around, and after a while said, "The forbidden area of ​​the Divine Cult... We've been here for about... an hour or two."

After entering this forbidden area, Chen Yi and Yin Tingxue searched for one or two hours.

All I could see along the way was endless darkness, no different from a desert.

Chen Yi went to ask Yin Tingxue, but the Holy Maiden of the Demonic Sect was tight-lipped and refused to reveal more, leaving everyone wondering what she was planning.

The little fox was still the same little fox, with her own thoughts. However, Chen Yi still couldn't figure out whether she was the one who made his wishes come true.

The reason for targeting Donggong Ruoshu was to see if the girl's inexplicable good fortune would lead her to something big...

The thought was right there when...
Suddenly, a chilling tremor swept in from afar, and the entire forbidden area began to vibrate abruptly. Chen Yi froze on the spot, his gaze first sweeping over Yin Tingxue, and then suddenly turning to Donggong Ruoshu.

Donggong Ruoshu stared straight at Yin Tingxue.
Her wishes came true!

(End of this chapter)