My Enemy Became My Cultivation Companion
Chapter 127 - 108: Why Did You Come In?

Chapter 127: Chapter 108: Why Did You Come In?

As soon as Chen Yi stepped inside the massive bronze gate, he felt a faint suppression.

Turning his head to examine the stone walls on either side, he saw an array of obscure and convoluted ancient golden script. Accompanying it were motifs of deities wielding snakes, bold and archaic. These inscriptions and drawings served as spiritual suppressors protecting the main burial chamber, forcibly lowering the cultivational realm of intruders: Martial Artists were suppressed to the Sixth Rank, Taoists to Core Formation, and monks to the Meditation Realm.

This seemed disadvantageous for Zhou Yitang, who was initially of the First Rank with Nascent Soul cultivation. However, if the two were to engage in battle here, Chen Yi would surely falter.

The lower one’s realm, the more one tends to rely on an array of techniques, but such paths often lead astray.

Conversely, those of higher realms understand more deeply that every move must reach perfection; one must avoid distractions. When top-tier cultivators of the Third Rank duel, one unbreakable move alone often determines who survives until the end.

The corridor stretched long, evoking an odd sense of familiarity. In his past life, he and Zhou Yitang had supported each other here, slaughtering countless ancient beasts and spilling blood without end to reach this place.

Zhou Yitang walked ahead, seemingly lost in thought, while Chen Yi followed behind. She entrusted her back to him completely, without the slightest worry of him stabbing her in the back to end her life.

She knew he wasn’t that kind of man—at least, not toward women.

As they traversed the lengthy corridor, the path became wider and the space more open, but the gloom lingered. Only a faint hint of light appeared here and there.

After walking for the span of an incense stick’s burning, glass lanterns appeared on both sides in succession.

The lamps emitted faint blue flames, small and subdued. These were the Soul Lamps that marked the final hundred miles before the Yellow Springs—a chilling implication that the path to the main burial chamber led directly toward the netherworld.

In the darkness ahead, a shadowy figure loomed. Zhou Yitang paused, gazing toward what revealed itself to be a statue in the distance. As they came closer, a pair of grotesque, massive eyes suddenly surfaced, their presence horrifying.

Chen Yi’s heart quivered instantly.

Outside of its hideous, bulging eyes, the colossal beast statue was largely shattered, with fragments scattered across the ground. It resembled a tiger, with a broken wing lying a yard away. Zhou Yitang, perhaps accidentally, glanced directly into those massive eyes.

Chen Yi hurriedly covered her eyes.

His palm felt warmth, as droplets of blood trickled from it.

"What’s wrong?"

Zhou Yitang appeared completely oblivious.

Blood began seeping out of Chen Yi’s seven orifices, staining her black Daoist robe with crimson splatters.

Suddenly recalling something, Zhou Yitang gave a bitter smile.

She had foreseen this long ago,

Yet he still instinctively shielded her eyes, first and foremost.

"That’s a Qiongqi statue, do you not remember?"

Chen Yi spoke faintly, as whispers of malevolence echoed in his mind.

Blood continued streaming from his orifices, causing a sharp sting. Pushing Zhou Yitang forward, he guided her beyond the Qiongqi statue.

Only after they passed the statue did he lift his hand from her eyes. The one-armed woman turned to see his blood-covered face, lifted a sleeve, softly incanted the Evil Exorcism Healing Spell, and pressed her finger against his forehead.

Chen Yi slowly began to recover.

Zhou Yitang turned away and finally asked:

"Why did you enter here?"

As he wiped the blood from his face, Chen Yi replied:

"The reason I came with you is to ensure I never have to break your sword again."

"Then... why must we first battle before entering?"

"Because I don’t want to be manipulated by anyone, not even you."

Chen Yi’s voice was warm and rich.

Zhou Yitang fell silent for a moment.

"Then why still come?"

After a pause, she asked again.

He knew full well that stepping inside meant being controlled.

Chen Yi smiled, replying:

"You already know the answer."

"You’re that confident?"

Chen Yi responded:

"The confidence lies with you."

She nodded, then broke into a mocking smile,

"Since you’ve come, then I shall sever your Three Corpses."

Only his final Corpse remained uncut, yet his attachment to the self was too stubborn to relinquish for now.

Currently, within the tomb chamber, Yu Zhen Yuanjun had made prior arrangements. With his near-ascendant abilities, supplemented by the alignment of heavenly timing and spiritual geography, resolving a mortal’s attachment to self would be entirely plausible.

The two fell silent as they moved on. The space gradually widened, transitioning from a corridor into a sprawling expanse. Here, an underground river appeared, flanked by an increasing number of sacrificial relics. Scattered shallow graves holding the remains of undead filled the way, with mist swirling all around them.

Step by step, Chen Yi progressed, his eyes catching sight of a massive stele ahead on the distant riverbank. Intricately carved with complex designs and supported by a yellow energy-infused three-legged turtle sculpture, the stone depicted an ancient image: Gong Gong, with a human face and serpent body, ramming the mountain that upheld the heavens—undeniably the scene of Gong Gong’s Anger Touching Buzhou Mountain!

At the sight of this carving, both immediately realized one thing.

The river churned violently, only to dry up moments later amidst the turbulence.

The ground trembled as a chilling pair of monstrous eyes emerged from the shadows. A gargantuan "Fei" beast stomped across the ground, leaving shallow pits in its wake as it charged toward both of them.

Zhou Yitang rotated her wrist, and a long sword, entirely pure white, fell into her hand—it was none other than the Ruoque Sword. Engraved on its blade were eight words: "Great Completion Like Deficiency, Communing With Truth."

The beast exuded a terrifying aura, with a serpentine tail of coiled dust that sizzled the moss along the riverbank to death wherever it passed. Even with the Shariputra’s Buddha Light rippling faintly in defense, Chen Yi could feel his skin aging under its influence.

As Zhou Yitang recited the Golden Light Body Protection Spell, her body shone with golden light, warding off the withering aura of the beast. She then swung her sword in one swift strike.

In this underground palace with its suppressing force, Zhou Yitang’s original sword strike split into three, slightly weakening its power. Three sharp arcs of Sword Qi furrowed the ground, converging on the beast from three directions.

The beast remained unfazed. Roaring fiercely, it shattered two arcs of Sword Qi with soundwaves alone, leaving only the most potent strike to pass through.

Even so, it tore through the beast’s tough hide. Black blood spattered and hissed on the ground as if burning through it.

The Fei beast let out a pained screech, its ferocity intensifying. Barreling forward with city-breaking force, it threatened to crush Zhou Yitang entirely.

Chen Yi planted his foot firmly and stepped forward, his sword meeting the monstrous eyes in a decisive strike.

Slicing through wind and rain, he wielded his sword like a saber. A streak of blinding light cut horizontally, unleashing surging energy. The beast’s massive eyes burst into a vivid mist of blood, forcing it to falter. Its four legs buckled, and its colossal frame slid sideways, collapsing toward Chen Yi like an avalanche.

Chen Yi, prepared to sidestep, realized he moved slower than expected. As he understood the suppression from the main burial chamber was taking its toll, the beast’s massive horns rammed into him sharply. Raising his arm to block, he was sent flying dozens of meters.

The immense weight of the Fei beast slid toward Zhou Yitang. Experienced from previous encounters, she unleashed another piercing Sword Qi attack. The sharp energy tunneled directly through the creature’s bleeding eye.

Moments later, the beast ceased to breathe, its massive body gradually dissolving. Chen Yi rose slowly, noticing Zhou Yitang moving toward him. However, she stopped mid-step, glanced at him, then turned away.

Chen Yi chuckled, shaking his head slightly.

If her cultivation hadn’t been suppressed, she wouldn’t have even spared him that glance.

A sudden ache struck him, and looking down, he saw a large patch of blackened skin on his left arm.

"If I remember correctly, there’s a tomb chamber ahead. It’s getting late—shall we rest there for now?"

Chen Yi spoke softly.

Zhou Yitang gave no answer and simply walked ahead.

Chen Yi followed closely behind.

Before long, they arrived at a tomb chamber, semi-natural in shape like a cave. Inside lay a stone bed, but no corpses. In antiquity, such empty tombs were reserved for incorporeal deities.

Zhou Yitang pulled a talisman from the Square Land, pressing it to the ground. Flames ignited instantly, becoming their bonfire.

Gingerly rubbing the blackened area of his arm, Chen Yi took a healing ointment from his satchel and applied it.

"Aren’t you going to ask how I’m faring?"

Chen Yi’s tone was soft.

"It’s nothing serious."

Staring into the fire, Zhou Yitang’s gaze didn’t waver. Her tone was detached, making it seem as if Chen Yi were the uninjured one.

Silence hung over the tomb chamber.

That was just her nature—to speak only when necessary, indifferent to an awkward atmosphere.

But while she could endure the silence, Chen Yi couldn’t. He would suffocate without words.

"Do you still remember... Ge Sheng?"

"I do."

Hearing this, Chen Yi recalled their first meeting in the underground palace, and her remark: "Devotion is tiresome."

Chen Yi’s voice softened with a trace of tenderness as he asked:

"How is it you can still remember... memories from the past?"

This was the question that intrigued him the most.

"And what about you?" Zhou Yitang countered.

"I... by sheer chance." Chen Yi hesitated before replying.

"Same here." The one-armed woman adopted a look that clearly said, "If you don’t share, neither will I."

Chen Yi fell silent, then chose to speak proactively:

"I... am not of this world."

"I know."

"Oh?"

"Outer Heaven Demon."

Zhou Yitang’s tone was unhurried and unaffected.

Only then did Chen Yi realize—he was the so-called Outer Heaven Demon.

Suddenly, a thought struck him.

If Zhou Yitang could remember her previous life’s memories, then...

"After my death, what became of this world?"

Chen Yi couldn’t resist the question.

In his first journey, for the sake of maximum immersion, he had avoided all guides and simply followed his heart. Toward the end, when the Heaven Gate cracked, the Four Lands collapsed, and Shenzhou sank, he had only achieved an ordinary ending—sacrificing himself to mend the heavens.

It was precisely because of this that Chen Yi harbored a deep aversion to Xia Qi’s plan to kill his mother as a means to repair the heavens.

"After your death..."

The one-armed woman hesitated before saying:

"The Three Teachings merged, and Dao and Buddhism united.

Under the lead of Bodhisattva the Apothecary, the gods and Buddhas attained their fruits of Buddhahood. Under the lead of the Daoist scion of Penglai, the celestial immortals ascended to the Grand Luo Heavens."

Chen Yi’s eyes narrowed slightly.

In ancient times, when Gong Gong contended with Zhu Xiu for the throne and lost, his fury toppled Buzhou Mountain. The heavenly pillar crumbled, the earthly bindings shattered, and the Heaven Gate cracked. After Xia Qi’s sacrificial act of killing his mother to mend the heavens, the cycle had remained intact for thousands of years without fracturing.

For the Heaven Gate to break again after all this time couldn’t be without cause. Thousands of years ago, it had been the conflict between Gong Gong and Zhu Xiu. Thousands of years later, this "Dao-Buddhist Unity" must also tie inexorably to the cracking of the Heaven Gate.

Yet such matters were not for him to concern himself with now.

"You... didn’t ascend with them?"

Chen Yi asked.

"No."

Zhou Yitang paused briefly before continuing. This time, her words carried more weight,

"You asked how I remember my past life. I don’t know. The moment I closed my eyes and turned to ash, everything rewound. I awoke on that day, inside the Sword Tomb, with my arm severed by the demonized Wu Buyu, and the Ruoque Sword accepting me as its master."

Chen Yi glanced at her left sleeve, empty and swaying at her side.

Ruoque, Ruoque...

Great Completion Like Deficiency.