My Enemy Became My Cultivation Companion-Chapter 697 - 453: Killing the Bodhisattva (Combined)_2
Chen Yi remained silent.
After a long moment, he asked calmly, "May I ask, Immortal Master, where does this so-called Heaven's Gate originate from?"
This time, his tone carried no sarcasm, nor the distant chill that kept others at bay.
Wuling True Monarch curled his lips into a faint smile, resembling the immortals depicted in paintings, as he revealed heavenly truths, "Our Quanzhen Sect values dual cultivation of life and nature, merging the Three Teachings. Thus, the path to immortality is exceptionally difficult. Over countless years, numerous Daoists have secluded themselves in deep mountains and ancient forests. Despite their accomplished Dao practices, they cannot find the path forward, ultimately dying of old age in their caves. Because of this, a century ago, Chongyang Temple invited two top-notch swordsmen of the era to duel, allowing their Sword Intents to tear open a Heaven's Gate. Through this gate, countless individuals seeking immortality have ascended, accumulating immeasurable merits. Now then, Friend, do you understand?"
Chen Yi nodded deeply and said slowly, "I understand."
Wuling True Monarch clasped his hands together and made a bow, as though offering a great courtesy with his immortal bearing, seemingly in gratitude for Chen Yi's understanding.
Chen Yi walked past him without a word.
Wuling True Monarch, puzzled, tilted his head slightly, only to see the man draw his blade from its sheath and lift it high…
Bang!
With a deafening crash, the blade struck, splitting the ancestral tablet shrine clean down the middle!
Dust billowed, wood fragments flew, and the tablet at the very top bearing the inscription "Wuling Shouzhen True Monarch" cracked and fell to the ground. Chen Yi gave it a kick, sending it spinning through the air.
"You've been rambling on about righteousness, but in the end, it's all just a damn smuggling operation!"
...…
Among the ancestral tablets, golden light suddenly scattered, and the previously dense purple qi now appeared faint.
Wuling True Monarch's face turned visibly cold.
Having cultivated for years to avoid karmic ties, seeking longevity in a tranquil mind, a brazen whelp like this was a first in his entire life.
Chen Yi turned back slowly, raising an eyebrow with a smirk. "Did I say anything wrong about you lot?"
He had finally understood.
The immortals and Buddhas he had encountered on this journey, their so-called Heaven's Gate—when it came down to it, it was nothing more than them ascending while parading their supposed boundless merits, only to leave the mess for others to clean up.
And he knew that those waiting for ascension were far too many to count. Throughout millennia, countless people had sought to ascend but failed, relying on various means to scrape by and survive until now.
Wuling True Monarch's gaze grew icy, sending a chill down one's spine. Slowly, he said, "Breaking our tablet out of momentary anger means little. The Heaven's Gate remains where it is. There's no reason we cannot descend to the mortal realm for a time."
His cold eyes now revealed a flicker of rage, unable to be concealed any longer, as though divine lightning from the Ninth Heaven was about to smite this irreverent rogue.
Chen Yi remained utterly unconcerned. "Then come on down. You think I'm scared of you?"
Wuling True Monarch sneered coldly. "Friend, do you truly believe that Wu Buxu, with his 'Immaculate Thought,' can protect you all? Back then, he was well aware of our intent to open Heaven's Gate, yet he tacitly allowed it. Why? Merely to duel the Loulan Sword Emperor. He seeks only the way of the sword and cares for nothing else."
Chen Yi offered no response.
Wuling True Monarch continued, "We have maintained a semblance of cordiality with him all these years, with neither party interfering in the other's affairs. When the time comes, persuading him to stand idly by would not be hard at all."
This time, Chen Yi raised his eyes. His gaze was far colder than Wuling True Monarch's as he said:
"If you're coming, then hurry up. Enough with the yammering and long-winded nonsense."
With that, Chen Yi swept all the tablets to the ground right in front of Wuling True Monarch.
In Wuling True Monarch's eyes flashed a murderous intent rarely seen even among immortals over centuries.
He was about to speak a furious rebuke when a blade's gleam suddenly cut across the air, shattering the faint golden light into pieces. All that was heard was one sentence:
"I forgot to tell you—I've killed Bodhisattvas before, but never an immortal…"
"Well, looks like it's time for a trial run!"
The golden light shattered completely. Within the shrine, the ancestral tablets turned ashen, collapsing to the ground in a lifeless heap: none of the dazzling radiance, none of the encircling purple qi.
Lu Ying came back to her senses, only to realize that the grand sounds at her ear, the formless presence in her sight, had silently disappeared. No unusual sounds could be heard anymore, no oddities could be seen. And… though she knew her rare opportunity had been ruined, her heart felt surprisingly calm.
In fact, she felt almost no thoughts stirring within herself.
More than that, one could even say her mind was utterly tranquil.
Chen Yi turned his head and looked at Lu Ying, speaking softly:
"It's over… Senior Sister."
It was the first time he had ever called her "Senior Sister." Lu Ying heard it and stood still, her gaze distant and ethereal.
Chen Yi casually nudged one of the fallen tablets with his foot and said indifferently, "Senior Sister Lu, I've seen plenty of immortals, and there are hardly any good ones among them."
Lu Ying lowered her head and murmured softly, "Mm."
Her reaction was shockingly subdued.
Chen Yi frowned slightly, raising his head to take a long, hard look at her. Lu Ying, who usually bantered and jested with him, was now behaving so strangely. How could that not arouse suspicion? He had rushed all the way here because of Zhou Yitang's words but still had no idea that Lu Ying had already entered the state of "oneness of self and universe."
What had happened to her?
Chen Yi couldn't help but wonder about the change in her.
Just as he was about to speak again, a voice drifted to his ear—Zhou Yitang's:
"She's entered the state of 'oneness of self and universe.'"
Chen Yi looked surprised, then instinctively questioned, "Was this your doing?"
Zhou Yitang replied placidly, "Lu Ying has always been filial. Why would I need to interfere?"
Hearing this, Chen Yi's frown deepened. He understood Zhou Yitang—whether in this life or the previous one, their master had always doted on his first disciple, Lu Ying, never allowing any harm to befall her. As Yin Sword Mountain's Sword Armor, he was never harsh on her cultivation.
Zhou Yitang might willingly sever his own three karmic bodies, but he would never willingly sever Lu Ying's.
But Lu Ying—how had she reached the state of "oneness of self and universe"?
Chen Yi realized that it was precisely because Lu Ying had achieved this state, where she could align with the universe and merge with it, that she had drawn the attention of the immortals from Chongyang Temple.
While he mused over these thoughts,
Lu Ying had already stepped across the threshold, lifting her head slightly to gaze into the distance.
At that moment, in the far-off horizon, twilight deepened and clouds churned. Where heaven and earth met, a touch of dusky yellow twilight mingled with the dim hues of an encroaching long night, everything blending together in hazy light and shadow. Blackened clouds seemed to surge downward, and for a fleeting moment, the heavens and earth appeared boundless. She stood there, surrounded by lush growth, endless tombs, interwoven Sword Intent—
Everything was around her, everything felt as if it were one with her. The faint stirrings from before now seemed so utterly insignificant.
She stood alone, as a soft breeze stirred, evoking a trace of indescribable wistfulness, which quickly dissipated with the wind.
"Lonely?"
Chen Yi was startled out of his thoughts.
After a moment, Lu Ying shook her head, answering her own question:
"I am no longer lonely."
...…
"What… has happened to her?"
Yin Weiyin found it increasingly strange.
Something seemed to have changed in Lu Ying, though no one could pinpoint exactly when or why. She now sat silently day after day, gazing outward at the unchanging landscape beyond Absolute Sword Cave.
Even more startling, she had become strangely easy to overlook. When Yin Weiyin first entered the area, he hadn't even noticed her presence. Only when he deliberately thought of Lu Ying did he turn and see her.
She seemed to blend harmoniously with the Dao itself, merging with the very heavens, embodying the principle described in the Daoist texts as "harmonizing with light, mingling with dust." She was utterly unlike any Daoist Yin Weiyin had ever met before—not even her master, Yu Zhen, could compare.
Yin Weiyin turned to Min Ning, seeking insight.
Min Ning, too, was fixed on Lu Ying. After a long pause, she shook her head.
Previously, she could perceive Chen Yi's cluttered thoughts and inner turmoil. But now… she found herself unable to glimpse even the faintest trace of Lu Ying's state of mind.
Lu Ying sat there without sword in hand, neither meditating nor training. She simply gazed outward, her heart utterly placid and still.
It wasn't merely a placid "Heart Lake"; rather, it was as if her Heart Lake had become void, a complete vacuum. She had entered the state of "oneness of self and universe," with no self, no thoughts, and no reactions to anything around her.
Min Ning mused inwardly,
"Zhu Yu, what's going on here?"
No answer came.
Min Ning found this curious. Then again, it wasn't unusual for Zhu Yu to offer no response.
...…
Chen Yi stood on the lower slope of the mountain, tilting his head slightly. From that vantage point, he could see Lu Ying seated at the edge of Absolute Sword Cave, gazing out at the heavens, giving off an ethereal yet faintly desolate aura.
And yet… profoundly indifferent.
Chen Yi inhaled deeply and asked aloud:
"Zhu Yu, is this really what you wished for her?"
Zhou Yitang gave no reply.
He exhaled that breath,
…just like you did in the past.
