My Enemy Became My Cultivation Companion
Chapter 187 - 166: You’re Here Too?

Chapter 187: Chapter 166: You’re Here Too?

Time rewinds to half an hour earlier.

The Scripture Pavilion was far more eerie than imagined, with a constant chill in the air. Entering it felt like stepping into a ghostly realm.

Yin Weiyin formed the Golden Light Body Protection Technique with one hand, while gripping the Guiding Talisman in the other, advancing cautiously without letting her guard down for a moment.

Inside, the pavilion was utterly dim. The first through third floors had no windows at all—each level sealed with layers of wooden boards, as if completely shut from the inside, giving off an especially sinister vibe.

Dong Gong Ruoshu and Lu Ying followed closely behind her. The former carried the Yanling Saber, vigilantly scanning her surroundings, while the latter also formed the Golden Light Body Protection Technique, holding a longsword.

The three of them had not entered the Scripture Pavilion alone but together with a group of Jianghu figures, drawn by a rumor that the pavilion’s peak held a statue of the Heavenly King.

From the outside, there seemed no evidence of malice. Yin Weiyin and Lu Ying, being Taoists, had expected to break the array inside with relative ease. Yet after walking a while, they noticed fewer and fewer people remained, until, finally, only the three of them were left.

Although the Scripture Pavilion appeared modestly sized from the outside, its interior was riddled with twists and turns, to the point of seeming like a hidden realm.

All three had Night Light Talismans affixed to them, though even so, their vision within the pavilion was severely constrained, limited to a mere foot around them.

Thin, mist-like vapors wafted through the area, making it nearly impossible to see clearly.

The Guiding Talisman glowed faintly. The pavilion was unnervingly quiet. Yin Weiyin stepped cautiously onto the stairs, hearing the groaning creaks. The wooden steps beneath her feet swayed, as though they might snap at any moment.

"Stay close."

The white-robed female crown spoke softly.

The two women behind her nodded slightly, tightly following Yin Weiyin’s lead. The light from the Guiding Talisman illuminated their path as they searched for the array eye—a task that, logically, should have been quick. But they had no idea how many times they had circled the pavilion’s first floor.

Webs layered on the wooden shelves, and an icy wind brushed past their faces, chilling them to the bone. Yet when they looked up, they saw wooden boards tightly sealing the windows—there was no telling where the wind originated.

Yin Weiyin’s brows furrowed heavily. Her vision was repeatedly obstructed by the darkness, beads of cold sweat forming on her forehead.

The pavilion seemed like an inescapable labyrinth.

Unnoticed until now, the mist appeared to have thickened, and the air carried a heavy, decayed odor. There was a faint sound of footsteps on the wooden floor.

It shouldn’t have stood out.

But there was only one set of footsteps behind them.

Yin Weiyin abruptly halted, then slowly turned her head, her skin crawling.

Dong Gong Ruoshu stared at her in bewilderment, following her gaze to look beside herself.

Lu Ying was gone!

Their breaths hitched, and their expressions froze.

"Where did she go?"

Yin Weiyin asked tremulously.

"I don’t know... I only just realized..."

Dong Gong Ruoshu’s voice wavered as well.

"...We can only locate the array eye and break the array here," Yin Weiyin murmured, clutching the Guiding Talisman tighter.

Within the pitch-black corridor, rows of shelves lined with books stood. Yin Weiyin didn’t examine them closely, but she stopped shortly afterward, spotting a sudden Buddha statue ahead.

The statue was carved from hardwood, entirely blackened. Its face was concealed by a Residence Exorcism Talisman, completely covering its visage. Its appearance was deeply unsettling, for a Buddha’s face was meant to bear a serene, compassionate expression!

This seemed more like oppressive suppression—not the Buddha keeping malice at bay, but rather the malice subjugating the Buddha meant to protect against it!

The corridor was enveloped in darkness, Yin Weiyin tiptoed closer.

The dim environment made her scrutinize the Buddha statue, studying its features. She recognized it as the Heavenly Drum Thunder Sound Buddha, one of Esoteric Buddhism’s Womb Realm’s Five Buddhas. Legend held its voice was akin to heavenly drums, preaching wisdom to awaken souls to discern good from evil, suppressing malice and overcoming ignorance and fear.

On the Buddha statue’s lotus base, there was faint blackened bloodstaining—like traces left by some sort of curse.

As she moved past the statue, she suddenly realized the sound of footsteps was gone.

The white-robed female crown spun around abruptly.

The distinctive Yanling Saber was missing, and so too was Dong Gong Ruoshu!

Her breath caught instantly. The surrounding darkness loomed, unrelenting; cold winds surged, and even the Night Light Talisman flickered erratically.

Suppressing her fear, Yin Weiyin slowly stepped forward. Reaching the edge of the corridor, she caught sight of faint details—the wooden boards sealing the windows were covered with scratches and bloodstains, as if someone had been trapped inside the Scripture Pavilion, desperately attempting to escape, ultimately leaving only futile marks.

The boards were carved from hardwood, which was as tough as iron. Yin Weiyin tried scraping them with her nails but managed only shallow marks.

Yin Weiyin pressed on cautiously. Rounding a corner, she heard faint sounds of footsteps, causing her heart to sink.

There seemed to be something lurking within the corridor!

Thin strands of cold air brushed by, the hallway enveloped in darkness. Beneath her Taoist robe, goosebumps prickled her skin as she unsheathed her peach wood sword from her waist, holding it before her.

The closer she got, the stronger her panic grew, her trembling fingertips ready to strike at any moment.

Yet as she turned another corner, Yin Weiyin widened her eyes with disbelief.

"Why is it you, Chen Yi?"

Before her, Chen Yi paused, seemingly surprised to encounter Yin Weiyin here.

"I was about to ask why I’m running into you here," Chen Yi exhaled and said.

"I mistakenly entered this area... searching for the array eye."

After the false alarm, Yin Weiyin relaxed somewhat and hesitated briefly before giving a brief explanation.

She had thought about where she might meet Chen Yi, especially since Chen Yi had been investigating the Joyful Sect’s heir.

But now was not the time for idle chatter; they couldn’t remain trapped in the Scripture Pavilion for long.

"Do you... want to join forces?" Yin Weiyin asked, recalling the golden Shariputra relic Chen Yi carried.

"I’m looking for Yin Tingxue—we got separated."

"Here, anyone would get separated."

Yin Weiyin said bluntly, choosing not to insist. If anyone could get separated, there was little point in traveling together.

Besides, she didn’t want to travel with him.

"Perhaps... it’s better if we each go our own ways and try separately." Yin Weiyin suggested.

"Then let’s go our own ways."

After some consideration, Chen Yi agreed with a nod.

The two passed by each other, heading in opposite directions.

The dark corridor grew increasingly obscure as Yin Weiyin pressed forward.

She felt an unsettling sense of losing her bearings. The creaking of wooden planks sounded dangerously brittle, as though ready to snap underfoot, while dust and dense mist drifted through the stagnant air, unnervingly quiet.

Cautiously, Yin Weiyin forged onward. She had no idea how long had passed before hearing footsteps again within the corridor.

Gripping the peach wood sword tightly in her hands, her feet subconsciously began treading a martial stance. Turning another corner, she abruptly halted. Seeing the face of the person approaching, she froze momentarily before regaining her composure.

"I thought it was some kind of monster..."

Yin Weiyin asked skeptically:

"Chen Yi, why are you heading this way?"