My Enemy Became My Cultivation Companion-Chapter 959 - 552: Turning the Tables (Three-in-One) (Part 3)

Yin Weiyin raised her head upon hearing the words, her gaze somewhat ethereal.

She thought to herself, there's no way they're a couple.

With her as the First Lady, how could the East Palace and Chen Yi have a good union?

...…

Walking through these buildings and cottages, the scenery along the way remained beautiful, exuding an unusual serenity and natural ambiance. The air was filled with the fragrance of flowers and chirping birds, with streams rushing by. In no time, Chen Yi and his companion reached the archway.

Chen Yi observed the route, memorizing every scene here. In his view appeared a hint of white; in the distance, he saw a White Tower.

The White Tower stood opposite the White Jade Pavilion at the edge of the plain, the latter being the so-called Holy Emperor's residence.

Reaching the archway, they saw no other figures.

Chen Yi waited patiently, his gaze falling onto another distant spot. There, at the boundary of the vast field, indistinct black shadows seemed to move. Even with a long gaze, clarity was elusive, prompting a slight frown from him.

What could it be?

They didn't wait long before a sudden gust of wind came from behind. Turning around, they saw Fairy Cai Xia riding the wind with a group of Immortals.

Many familiar faces from yesterday were present, as well as unfamiliar ones, but everyone's expressions were somewhat somber. Landing, Fairy Cai Xia approached and said, "I'm afraid we won't be able to meet the Holy Emperor today."

"Why?"

"There!" Fairy Cai Xia pointed into the distance, precisely where Chen Yi had been looking earlier. She said, "Madmen are coming!"

Chen Yi's eyes lit up.

White Lotus Sect.

...…

Everywhere he looked was a murky, grayish hue.

"It's about to rain. Have you found a place?"

Venerable Red glanced at the sky, slowly asking, as several Saint Heirs were about to shake their heads. However, Huang Duren keenly spotted something and shouted,

"There!"

Everyone followed the direction he pointed; in the distance, nestled at the foot of the mountains, lay a village. In the gloomy gray, mud bricks and gray tiles blended, hard to discern clearly.

From behind came a moaning wind, mingling with fine raindrops hitting faces. Even with blurred outlines, a pitch-black patch appeared with an abrupt gap, instinctively inducing fear in the onlookers.

"Is this truly Vacuum Home?" a White Lotus Sect member quivered as they spoke.

"Shut up, don't talk," Violet Compassion Sage reprimanded.

The surrounding followers instantly fell silent. Their attire varied, no longer tidy like when they first entered the valley, their expressions turned forlorn and despairing. Initially, in Demon Refining Abyss, they were ambushed inexplicably and besieged, resulting in numerous brothers either dead or wounded. The fact that they could regroup here in Demon Refining Abyss was testament to their elite status.

Fortunately, the four Saint Heirs weren't killed during the encirclement, only gaining some new wounds, yet they were still capable of fulfilling White Lotus Sect's mission.

The White Lotus Sect group slowly approached the distant village, their pace gradually slowing.

"Do we really need to go over?" Azure Lotus Adept frowned, voicing the question.

It seemed as if they had entered a different world from that of Demon Refining Abyss. The intertwining shadows of trees formed a dense mesh blocking the view, pitch black without a trace of moon or stars. The further they walked, the more they could hear their increasingly rapid heartbeats.

Even those who had stayed in the main altar of White Lotus Sect for a long time couldn't bear such eerie silence.

"If we don't go, how can we find Vacuum Home?" Venerable Red spoke.

Saying this, he pulled out a map from his bosom, it was the map of Demon Refining Abyss, which they hadn't missed throughout the journey, averting countless dangers along the way. Every place where demonic entities were sealed was marked.

By the slight glow of a nearby torch, Venerable Red discerned their location, advising, "Be careful, there's too much evil in this village, the yin energy is too heavy, breeding numerous malevolent spirits, do not touch anything unnecessarily and disturb them."

Hearing this, a few White Lotus Sect members peeked at the map in his hand and saw that no less than a dozen red crosses marked the village.

Seeing disharmony among people, Violet Compassion Sage spoke, "Beyond here lies Vacuum Home."

Upon hearing this, the chaotic hearts slowly gathered somewhat, and at the mention of Vacuum Home, the White Lotus Sect members' faces showed more anticipation, and the group proceeded once again.

At some point, the rain began to fall heavily.

When mountain rain swept in, the entire village was submerged in a blue-gray haze, desolate and dilapidated.

Mud water flowed along with stones, washing over the stone road at the village's entrance, turning it pale. Half of the earthen walls had collapsed, leaving some crooked beams, resembling a stripped skeleton. A door of one tile house hung inclined on its frame, with a rusty machete stuck in the crack.

Along the road stood an old tree, its charred trunk gnarled like a demon's claw, now with a few broken branches holding faded cloth strips that swayed in the rain like Soul Summoning Banners.

Finally reaching the edge of the village, looking deeper, everyone's faces suddenly turned pale.

Coffins piled along the village road, the shattered muddy streets pounded by the rain, with wild grass crawling under the coffins, obscured outlines in the dim light resembling elongated limbs.

Fortunately, the surroundings were quiet. The White Lotus Sect members could only hear each other's breathing, unable to distinguish whether it was rain or cold sweat in their hands.

Many houses had collapsed. They found a relatively spacious place, looked up—it was an ancestral hall—and they squeezed in one by one, taking a temporary rest, waiting for the rain to cease.

Venerable Red raised an oil lamp, bending over to discern the map in a corner.

Azure Lotus Adept's expression was hesitant, cautiously approaching Venerable Red, "Where is the White Sun Tower that leads to Vacuum Home?"

"According to the map, it should be on the east side of the village, but we can't see…" Venerable Red lifted his head, looking into the distance, but only infinite darkness greeted him, "We must explore slowly; with enough people, we'll find it sooner or later."

Azure Lotus Adept surveyed the area.

Do we… really have enough people? 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

In the chaos of the attack and their scattering, they've only gathered barely twenty people, scarcely one-tenth of their numbers. Even though they were elites, exploring in such a strange place would only require lives to clear the path.

Venerable Red understood his concern and sighed, "Until now, is there still a way out? If the plan wasn't leaked, we would have been unstoppable."

In the dark, Azure Lotus Adept transmitted secretly, "Come think of it... who leaked the plan?"

Venerable Red's eyes glimmered slightly, he slowly spoke, "Don't rush, that person hasn't revealed themselves, and may not be here, but I have a suspicion."

"Speak… Only heaven, earth, you, and I will know."

Venerable Red whispered, "It shouldn't be someone from our side, he doesn't know the whole plan."

"Then who could it be? Lifeng Pavilion, or…" The answer seemed ready to emerge.

"…Chen Yi, it must be him. I've suspected him for a while. He's not only skilled in martial arts but possibly has Taoist skills," Venerable Red paused and continued slowly, "He might have followed us all the way, watching us from somewhere unknown!"

Chen Yi: "…"

He was standing right next to Venerable Red and Azure Lotus Adept, listening as they probed and conspired, one sentence at a time.

Moreover, besides the anxious White Lotus Sect members in this room, there were many other people as well.

Fairy Cai Xia, Forgetful Immortal, Qingyi Fairy, and others… all crammed in, moving about the room, pointing and discussing among themselves about these White Lotus Sect members.

But these White Lotus Sect members couldn't see them.

Chen Yi realized they seemed to exist in different worlds; his side could see them, but they couldn't see his side. They entered with panic and unease, unable to hide their fear, suggesting the place seemed sinister and creepy in their eyes.

Which side was real didn't concern Chen Yi, he pondered the underlying reason and then recalled the filth in the deity statue.

It appeared to be due to the string of prayer beads.

Silently, Chen Yi planned how he should use them.

At this time, Fairy Cai Xia walked over slowly, apologetically saying, "I'm sorry, I promised to take you to see the Holy Emperor, but it seems we'll have to delay a bit."

"It's okay."

"These madmen barged in; we'll have to drive them out first before taking you to meet the Holy Emperor; otherwise, it wouldn't be good if they offend the Holy Emperor."

Hearing this, Chen Yi followed the conversation and asked, "How do we drive them out?"

The words hadn't even finished.

"It's moving! The deity seat is moving!"

Suddenly a White Lotus Sect member exclaimed.

Everyone in the room was startled, hurriedly looking up, and then, there was an eerie silence.

The deity seat shifted an inch, and behind it in the shadows, a pale face stared eerily at everyone in the room.