My Enemy Became My Cultivation Companion

His tone was quite intriguing, as if he had guessed why Chen Yi ventured deep inside, merely for the so-called "Taiyi," but naturally, he guessed wrong.

Finding Donggong Ruoshu and Yin Tingxue was the biggest goal of Chen Yi's trip, and as for Taiyi, exploring it later was neither here nor there.

Might as well go along with the mistake, Chen Yi said, "Can you guide the way?"

"Even the best path guide wouldn't lead someone to the Yellow Springs Road,

The Hidden Crown Prince clapped his hands appreciatively, paused for a moment, then looked up and smiled:

"It seems that my matters have nothing to do with you; you may proceed deeper."

Chen Yi glanced at the Dragon and Tiger Mountain people and White Lotus Sect members, who hesitated to speak, but before they could, the Hidden Crown Prince stepped forward and walked to the front of the crowd.

They were the ones on the same path.

The White Lotus Sect was here for the Vacuum Home, and Dragon and Tiger Mountain for the Evil-Slaying Sword. It seemed their goals coincided with the Hidden Crown Prince's presence here, and a tacit understanding had already formed silently.

Chen Yi waved Donggong Ruoshu over and glanced at Qing Yuan, noticing she had no intention of following, so he ignored it and led Donggong Ruoshu deeper.

At this moment, the Hidden Crown Prince suddenly turned back and said, "Excuse my kindness for speaking up, but the depths of this tower are not a good place to visit."

"Speak freely," Chen Yi said, slightly puzzled.

"It's a dream."

"A dream?"

"After the battle to cut down the mountain and break the temple two thousand years ago, countless residual spirits were suppressed beneath the tower, their resentment like a roaring sea, impossible to fill, yet they couldn't break out from under this White Tower. They should have been worn away inside the tower, but the 'Holy Emperor' you spoke of had undue compassion, wanting to be a Saint. Not only did they convince some residual spirits to accept guidance and bring them out of the tower to create a paradise in this Demon Refining Abyss, living a life of happiness, but also..."

The Hidden Crown Prince's tone grew extremely playful, and he sneered,

"For those residual spirits unwilling to leave the tower, he created a phantom dream from his energy to soothe their resentment. But can deep-seated obsessions be cured by a few good dreams?"

"You mean..." Chen Yi caught a hint of something, "their resentment will affect this phantom dream?"

The Hidden Crown Prince did not answer directly, saying eerily, "With the passage of time and changes over the ages, who knows what the dream inside has turned into."

He ended his words there, and Chen Yi did not delay any longer, nor did he care what dealings he wanted to conclude with the White Lotus Sect and Dragon and Tiger Mountain people, leading Donggong Ruoshu, he strode deeper.

...…

The corridor was narrow and long.

Along the way, there were no forks, and the stone walls on both sides were so dry that they exuded a sense of tidiness. Yin Weiyin followed closely behind Chen Yi, not knowing why he was so determined to go deep, but the further down they went, the more uneasy she felt.

She couldn't describe this feeling.

It wasn't like walking down a dark, deserted street, surrounded by chaos, but more like sitting alone, not knowing what to do or where to go, her feet seemingly not touching the ground, her whole being drifting away.

A thin fog lingered in the corridor.

It was particularly quiet around, with only the shuffling of their footsteps echoing in their ears.

Unconsciously, she clenched Chen Yi's hand, feeling the warmth of his palm. Yin Weiyin was no longer too afraid.

Ironically, while she was always scared of this unknown, she couldn't help but rely on it. How could there be a woman in this world who relies on her greatest fear out of fear of anything else? It's so contradictory and awkward, yet only she, Yin Weiyin, managed to do it.

However... separated by Donggong Ruoshu, the female crown couldn't feel those fears of the unknown, only experiencing a woman's endless reliance on her husband.

Yin Weiyin sometimes wished for it to stay this way; realizing this, she found the thought absurd, but after a while, she thought it was also quite okay to remain like this.

That's what it means to be a First Lady...

Chen Yi didn't know what Donggong Ruoshu was thinking; he just noticed her grip tighten, and so he strengthened his hold as well, softly saying, "Don't be afraid."

"…I'm not afraid." She then pretended to act silly, not deliberately saying, "With you here, I definitely don't have to be afraid."

Chen Yi slowed his pace, then returned to normal after a while.

Before long, a glimmer of light appeared around the bend ahead, and the corridor seemed to be ending; the two quickened their pace and stepped out of the cave.

A dark red and black glow was spilling down.

Fierce energy surged, bloody and desperate, extending from this side to the other, all signs of bloodshed and military disaster...

Chen Yi wiped the tip of his nose, took a deep breath, and suddenly pricked his ears, as at the same time, the ground beneath his feet began to tremble slightly.

"Where is this place?"

Donggong Ruoshu had just asked when leaves suddenly fell from above, and all around, birds took flight, flapping their wings desperately to soar high.

The tremors grew more intense.

Amidst the noisy and chaotic bird calls, the neighed sound of a horse broke through.

Chen Yi turned sharply, only to see a rider charging from the overlapping shadows of trees!

The armored warhorse galloped forward with reckless abandon, like a fierce storm sweeping through, amidst the frenzied dance of dead leaves, a blood-stained spear thrust straight ahead!

"Prepare to meet your end, knave!"

With a thunderous shout, the man was already upon them, the spear hurtling toward their face.

In a split second, the two passed by each other, and from the side, it seemed as if Chen Yi had been impaled. However, as the whirlwind stirred and the leaves scattered, the scene suddenly seemed frozen in time.

In the corner of Donggong Ruoshu's eye, Chen Yi's arm veins bulged, clutching the spear tightly.

Then, the armored knight and horse were lifted into the air.

The knight clearly hadn't anticipated this turn of events, his face a mix of fear and madness as he attempted to withdraw his weapon and strike again. But then Chen Yi's arm suddenly yanked downward, and with a crash, the knight and horse shattered.

The head was crushed under the horse, and Chen Yi squinted as he inspected the knight, contemplating whether to extract the soul for investigation.

After encountering the Hidden Crown Prince, here, deep within the tower, he once again came across something tangible and real.

"Are they... truly residual spirits?" Chen Yi buried the question deep in his Heart Lake.

The Old Saintess carefully observed and then provided an affirmative answer: "Yes, they certainly are."

"But how can I... see them?"

"You are in someone else's dream, of course, you can see them."

Upon hearing this from the Old Saintess, Chen Yi felt a vague enlightenment, coupled with the Hidden Crown Prince's earlier words, suggesting that the Holy Emperor had crafted a collective illusion dream here.

And the residual spirits before them dreamed themselves into fully armored knights.

The Old Saintess murmured, "This is... the God of War..."

"What?"

"A wild god who leads armies and battles, often enshrined in the Warlord Temple."

Boom, boom, boom!

There was little time for thought; the rumbling sound of hooves tearing through the earth approached from afar. Amidst the chaotic cries of startled birds, a large group of knights arrived, raising banners high.

Chen Yi looked up and saw the knights, each with identical faces, indistinguishable from the one he had just slain. They seemed a unified collective, sensing the death of one and swarming to avenge!

Even two fists struggle to battle four hands. Chen Yi lowered his eyes slightly; there were undoubtedly more knights charging out of the distant yellow dust than anticipated.

What other choice is there?

Retreat is the better option.

...

Time passed indeterminably; the sound of horses pounding the earth behind them gradually dwindled.

Chen Yi took Donggong Ruoshu and turned into the woods; unfamiliar with the terrain, he simply walked in a straight line, seeking a road to follow before losing them completely.

Though not entirely escaped, a path beneath his feet indicated they would likely find civilization eventually. Thus, Chen Yi was in no rush.

This collective dream was indeed bizarre. From the earlier bloodshed, a few steps into the forest unexpectedly led them into a world of ice and snow.

A rustling cold wind swept in, chilling the skin, causing Chen Yi to shrink his neck and tug his tunic. Yet, what he tore away was not fabric, but strips.

"Your clothes..."

Donggong Ruoshu noticed the anomaly as well. She looked at Chen Yi, and gone was any sign of his previous Daoist robe. Only rags wrapped haphazardly around him, dusty-faced, indistinguishable from a tattered beggar on the roadside.

Chen Yi couldn't help but furrow his brow in suspicion. What was going on?

"Dreams... people dream of whatever they wish. As long as they desire, they can change everything within the dream," the Old Saintess slowly speculated. "I suspect... someone nearby hopes for beggars to arrive."

Hopes for beggars to arrive?

Chen Yi raised an eyebrow. There was no immediate danger, but it was undoubtedly strange.

Furthermore, why was Donggong Ruoshu unaffected while he was transformed into this ragged state? Was it unintentional or deliberate targeting?

The cold wind blew, causing him to shiver uncontrollably. Chen Yi took a deep breath and quickened his pace.

He wondered who might be waiting around here.

Before long, down the winding mountain path, a small figure clad in a cotton-padded coat, carrying a basket, made their way up.

The figure appeared exceptionally diminutive.

Chen Yi glanced down, ready to let out a cold laugh and stride forward. But as she raised her face, he paused again.

Yin Weiyin hurried to catch up, also looking up, a sound escaping involuntarily from his throat,

"Ting, Tingxue?"