My Enemy Became My Cultivation Companion
Chapter 207 - 186: Must You Seek Discomfort?

Chapter 207: Chapter 186: Must You Seek Discomfort?

The Practice Tower was of an ancient design. As the two ascended step by step, traces of the array’s destruction gradually became visible.

The building was dimly lit. The higher they climbed, the plainer and emptier it became. The first level still had traces of opulence, but the upper floors resembled simple wooden huts of ordinary families.

Yin Weiyin was despondent, hanging her head as Chen Yi dragged her along, like cattle being led to slaughter.

She never expected Chen Yi would bring her up here, rather than Yin Tingxue.

"Why bring me here..."

The female crown’s voice trembled as she said:

"Do we have any feelings to speak of?"

Even that hero couple at the Watercloud Sword Pool couldn’t break the array with their love, let alone them.

Between them, it was at best a fleeting affair. If today Chen Yi declared he no longer needed her essence, Yin Weiyin would flee far away, avoiding him like the plague for the rest of her life.

If, on the Demon Extermination Day, Yin Weiyin had still harbored a sliver of goodwill toward him, all that remained now was profound fear.

This fear was far deeper than what Yin Tingxue felt.

After all, that Princess of Xiang at least bowed to being a concubine. But she, who had not even a title to her name, had her Longevity Bridge severed and could not ascend to immortality.

To live an eternal life—this was the lifelong desire of any cultivator. Yin Weiyin had lived for this desire for over a decade, only for it to be crushed to near nothingness under his heel.

Chen Yi paid no mind to Yin Weiyin’s complaints.

Did he care about this female crown? Yes, but not deeply enough to matter.

Whenever he thought of her, what came to mind was her physical allure, not the affection he felt when Yin Tingxue crossed his thoughts.

The reason was simple: Yin Tingxue had betrayed him in their past life but was utterly submissive now, pitiful and endearing, content to stay by his side meekly and lovingly.

But Yin Weiyin had repeatedly harmed him, even driving him to take his own life. These were grudges of the current lifetime, and no matter how obedient she might appear outwardly, Chen Yi still found her unsettling.

Two princesses—so alike yet utterly different.

"Do we have any feelings to speak of?"

As they stepped onto the fifth floor, the question from Yin Weiyin resurfaced, echoing in his ears, the very floor where the hero couple had broken through with their unwavering devotion.

Chen Yi sneered coldly, mocking:

"Yin Luanhuang, do you truly wish to hear the truth?"

The female crown shivered, her face drained of all color, her fingers involuntarily clenched.

Yin Weiyin searched herself thoroughly, realizing that apart from her body, there was nothing about her that could inspire lasting affection in him—and the same held true for her feelings toward him.

Even Yin Tingxue might feel jealous of Chen Yi’s affections, but the Princess of Jing felt nothing of that sort. Their relationship, in a single phrase, was no more than that of a cultivation cauldron.

When Chen Yi saw that she remained silent, he softened his tone out of habit, saying:

"You’re an Immortal; I’m a mere mortal. There is no deep love between us akin to a phoenix seeking its mate. But though there’s much to lament, things happened as they did, and we muddled through. Besides, I wouldn’t say I don’t care about you entirely."

Unexpectedly, the female crown suddenly became agitated and said:

"My body may be impure, but my heart must remain pure and unblemished."

Chen Yi frowned and asked, "Must you seek unrest?"

"I would rather unrest!"

Yin Weiyin spat the words viciously, but when her gaze met his, her legs faltered slightly.

The Princess of Xiang thought her body weak, but compared to that girl, she was the one truly lacking in resolve.

Her unexpected response stirred something in Chen Yi, but barely—a fleeting ripple that quickly passed.

For a moment, the way she spoke bore a trace of the bearing of the Taichua Goddess.

Chen Yi remained silent, and so did Yin Weiyin. The two continued their slow ascent.

In the corridor connecting the fifth and sixth floors, a voice rang out—ethereal, seductive, and chillingly clear.

"Oh? Another pair of foolish lovers and bitter souls arrives.

Do you also dream of breaking the array with undying love?"

The voice did not echo in their ears but reverberated across the surface of their Heart Lake.

When they looked around, there was nothing but emptiness all around, no one to be seen. Even when they sought to grab at the source, the woman producing the voice was intangible and elusive, impossible to catch.

"Don’t bother searching. I am the All Heavens Treasure Girl, also known as the Celestial Lady," the Celestial Lady said with a playful tone, as if scrutinizing Chen Yi and Yin Weiyin from some unseen realm.

"Celestial Lady..." Yin Weiyin pondered for a moment and then exclaimed in astonishment: "You’re the Blissful Consort?"

The so-called Blissful Consort referred to the consort of the Buddha Bodhisattva, a manifestation of his Wisdom. Wisdom represented the essence of enlightenment itself.

The Celestial Lady expressed mild surprise and said, "You have sharp eyes, guessing my origin in an instant. But I am merely an avatar of the Blissful Consort herself, no more than that."

Even an avatar was enough to leave Yin Weiyin shocked. It was a stunning revelation: the consort of the Buddha had left an avatar here. What earth-shattering secret lay behind the Joyful Sect?

The Celestial Lady caught something in Yin Weiyin’s expression but naturally would not share more than necessary. She chuckled and said:

"From what I see, there is no true love in your hearts. With that, how do you expect to break the array? That hero couple—deeply in love, with just a glance at each other—was able to empty their minds, hearts dead to all else."

After saying this, she seemed to inspect the two of them closely once more.

"You’re this cycle’s Taichua Goddess?!"

The Celestial Lady’s gaze seemed to linger on Chen Yi briefly before sweeping circuitously around the female crown. Her tone turned greedy as she said:

"What exceptional foundations, such enlightenment, such aptitude!

Once this is over, abandon this mortal man and follow me into Pure Land to cultivate Buddhist Law. What say you?"

When Chen Yi heard the Celestial Lady utter the word "exceptional" three times, he fully understood the magnitude of Yin Weiyin’s talent.

In her early twenties, she had already reached the Core Formation Realm, making her an unrivaled rarity even among previous generations of the Taichua Goddess.

Chen Yi glanced at Yin Weiyin.

The female crown’s heart seized with fear, and she hesitantly replied:

"I thank the Celestial Lady for her kind offer, but I wish to follow him until the end of my days, even if the man I follow is less than human."

Her words were loaded with dual meanings.

Yin Weiyin was already resolved to pursue immortality, not extinction or nirvana. Moreover, Chen Yi would never let her go so easily.

The Celestial Lady was neither startled nor offended but instead chuckled derisively:

"Compared to the supreme Buddhist Law, all is but an illusion—a fleeting dew. And what is this mortal man worth? Besides, his body carries the Mortal Relic Soup; he has little time left."

The Celestial Lady referred to Chen Yi as "mortal" not because of his cultivation level but because his innate potential was no more than that of an ordinary man.

Chen Yi narrowed his eyes slightly and said flatly:

"Enough talk."

"Such is well," the Celestial Lady remarked, her ethereal voice dissipating, lingering faintly in the surroundings,

"To break the array requires merely three exchanges of gaze. But can you even manage a single look?"

The Heavens of Absolute Freedom—each glance was akin to countless lifetimes.

Chen Yi slowly turned his head, and at that moment, Yin Weiyin also turned to face him.

Their gazes intertwined instantly...

The first glance!