My Enemy Became My Cultivation Companion

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The vengeful spirits sculpted into the Buddha statue dispersed entirely, seemingly entering the karmic cycle of reincarnation. Yin Tingxue felt a bit dizzy and almost lost her balance.

Chen Yi swiftly steadied her by holding onto her shoulder, keeping her firmly in place.

"Are you alright?" Chen Yi asked softly, his expression shrouded in shadows.

Yin Tingxue suddenly felt fearful for no apparent reason and replied faintly:

"I… I'm fine."

Chen Yi squinted at her.

Before he could speak, Yin Tingxue hurriedly explained:

"I don't know, I really don't know what happened. I merely recited some sutras, and all those spirits just flew away."

Clearly, she was afraid that Chen Yi might think she was intentionally hiding something from him, so she rushed to explain before he could utter a word.

This unfortunate young concubine had always feared her husband.

Chen Yi stroked her head and, seeing her instinctively flustered expression, chuckled softly:

"Even if you were truly hiding something from me, I wouldn't fault you here."

His words sounded pleasant, but Yin Tingxue didn't believe them at all. He loved to torment her—how could "not faulting" truly mean no repercussions?

Even if he didn't pursue the matter now, he would likely find an excuse later.

The little fox understood somewhat—Chen Yi didn't torment her because she did something wrong, but simply because he enjoyed tormenting her.

Whether she erred or not, if she did, he'd have a legitimate reason to bully her; if not, he'd just find a pretext.

Chen Yi grasped Yin Tingxue's unease towards him but said nothing at the moment, continuing to stride forward.

The space ahead was not wide but stretched deep, seemingly harboring something within.

When they reached the end, Chen Yi paused for a moment. Looking up, he saw a statue of the Medicine Buddha holding an invaluable jewel and forming the Three Realms Seal. Beside it were two statues of attendant Bodhisattvas, the Supreme Medicine King and Superior Medicine King.

In front of the Buddha's lotus pedestal lay a bowl of water.

The Medicine Buddha statue had no facial features, vacant and hollow, yet still emanating an intangible sense of compassion.

Yin Tingxue glanced at it but quickly lowered her head.

Chen Yi noticed her subtle action and lightly stroked her back, asking indifferently:

"What did you see?"

After hesitating, Yin Tingxue finally replied:

"…I saw that the Medicine Buddha's face… looked just like mine. How terrifying."

Chen Yi's expression grew grim upon hearing her words.

Yin Tingxue's next remark made Chen Yi's palm sweat.

"The… the face of the accompanying Bodhisattva resembles Mother's a bit," Yin Tingxue added softly.

This was an immense insult, so after speaking, she quickly murmured a faint "Amitabha Buddha."

Chen Yi's brows furrowed deeply. Without saying a word, he swung his blade.

The Buddha statue, along with the two Bodhisattva statues, shattered entirely and collapsed with a resounding crash.

The three sacred and dignified statues were now mangled beyond recognition. Chen Yi walked forward a couple of steps as if confirming something.

He then saw that the bowl of water before the Buddha's lotus pedestal remained utterly undisturbed.

When his gaze fell upon it, the calm surface of the water suddenly rippled, its patterns intertwining, turbulent and unclear. Unusual, indistinct colors slowly emerged.

A foreign face materialized within.

"Finally, we meet, Chen Qianhu."

The image reflected in the water was faint and difficult to discern.

But Chen Yi could still tell—it was Zhao Bai, the last heir of the Joyful Sect.

"The Buddhist Eighty Thousand Eyes Skill?"

Yin Weiyin looked at the face emerging on the water's surface and commented in surprise.

Zhao Bai, within the water's reflection, nodded slightly, as though agreeing with her guess.

Chen Yi gazed at Zhao Bai in the water, rubbing his chin thoughtfully.

Earlier, he had already killed two heirs of Joyful Sect.

And now, appearing before him was the last heir of the sect.

"Between us—it seems we are enemies, not allies."

Uninvited, Zhao Bai must have a purpose for showing up. Chen Yi was keen to understand his motives.

What's more, separated by a bowl of water, there was no way for Chen Yi to slash him with his blade.

Across the surface, Zhao Bai smiled faintly and spoke:

"We could also turn foes into friends. Perhaps… I might be able to help you."

Chen Yi, intrigued, asked:

"Help me with what?"

"To deal with the Prince of Annan," Zhao Bai said directly, casting his bait.

"Why would I need your assistance?"

"She has absorbed an inch of the Medicine Buddha's Luminous Light—granting her eternal life, immunity to calamity, and studied the inscriptions on Wuxiang Zen Master's vestment robe…"

Zhao Bai seemed confident, his tone steady and unhurried.

From his perspective, Chen Yi had no reason to refuse.

"She will ascend to the Fourth Rank, and though you've survived being besieged, you too must have entered the Fourth Rank. Surely you comprehend the invincible state of one newly breaking into the Fourth Rank realm."

Zhao Bai's tone remained composed and undisturbed, as though everything was under his control.

This made Chen Yi… a little annoyed.

And if annoyed, why bother giving him a pleasant face? Why unnecessarily grant his blade the effort?

Across the water, Zhao Bai's pupils abruptly contracted. He saw an intimidating light from Chen Yi's blade filling his entire field of vision, followed by the crashing sound of violent destruction.

Zhao Bai's image in the water churned into chaos. When the surface calmed once more, all that remained was his now livid expression.

This Qianhu was so…

Obstinate?!

Zhao Bai couldn't understand—what could this Chen Yi possibly rely on to face Qin Qingluo, someone who rejected him outright without negotiation? Such a person was either a total fool or completely mad.

Taking a deep breath, Zhao Bai regained his composure and muttered to himself:

"Now… it's just down to those two bald donkeys."

With only his own power remaining, it was far from enough to break the game amidst the countless schemes—from both mortals and deities—that sought a single ray of hope.

The Prince of Annan could see through his attempts to bait survival; Zhao Bai, in turn, could see the prince's perception of his intentions.

No one truly wishes to be someone else's puppet—not even divine or celestial beings.

From its founding, Joyful Sect had been riddled with manipulative schemes by countless figures—snaking lines hidden in its history.

Now, the sect's fortune was concentrated solely on Zhao Bai himself. Thus, he must gamble, to forge a path towards life.

Zhao Bai stood leisurely, his sleeve brushing against the water's surface.

Then, he strode forward boldly. Judging by the timing, the Prince of Annan should still be absorbing that inch of Luminous Light.

He needed to tempt life-defying risks and make a subtle move.

"Surely Master Zhihui's compassion is vast and generous, willing to overlook my petty act of desperation for survival."

Zhao Bai needed to gamble—for the abbotess, fearing he might lash out uncontrollably and ruin their grand scheme, to not suppress his small actions.

In other words, he was leveraging her influence.

No one is truly free, so he had long learned to thrive under others' shadows.

...............

The colossal Medicine Buddha statue before Qin Qingluo, gilded with gold, remained starkly featureless, its brilliance restrained to startling abruptness.

According to Pure Land Sect teachings, the Medicine Buddha of Pure Luminous Light presides over the Eastern Pure Luminous World. With vast vows and boundless merits, this Buddha alleviates sentient suffering—curing illnesses and dispelling calamities wrought by earth, water, fire, and wind.

The Buddha's vows are extraordinary: for a dying person afflicted with grave ailments and apparent signs of decline, if their kin devote themselves day and night to the Medicine Buddha by worshipping, reading the "Pharmacist Buddha's Original Vows and Merits Sutra" forty-nine times, lighting forty-nine lamps, and crafting forty-nine five-colored banners, then the person may extend their lifespan.

Once, the north predominantly revered the Pure Lands while the south leaned toward Zen Buddhism. With the Annan Royal Mansion commanding the Southern Border, it was expected to align with the Zen Sect. However, Zen seldom championed uprisings despite claiming allegiance to the imperial court, while Pure Land repeatedly inspired rebellions—spawning rogue sects like the White Lotus Sect.

Kneeling upon a prayer cushion, Qin Qingluo noticed an imperceptible point of pure, radiant light condensing at the Buddha statue's brow, accompanied by melodic chants invoking, "Namo Medicine Buddha of Pure Luminous Light."

Nearby, a red-robed woman reeled in shock upon witnessing this inch of light, sensing its eerie resemblance to the Divine Sect's scriptures describing the holy brightness. She dared not linger her gaze, fearing insatiable desires might arise.

The inch of luminous light descended slowly; as it neared her, Qin Qingluo felt an extraordinary warmth envelop her, as though her soul was being cleansed entirely.

The Medicine Buddha statue, though gilded head-to-toe, grew increasingly dim as the Luminous Light descended.

The golden radiance reshaped itself into an aura encircling Qin Qingluo.

Before the Prince of Annan, purple lightning quivered faintly—caught between fear and exhilaration.

Suddenly, from the deep violet shaft of the spear, three thick bolts of lightning surged forth. They exploded beside Qin Qingluo in deafening cracks; the lightning danced upwards before crashing back down, hissing and rumbling, forming a confrontation against the Luminous Light.

However, the pure radiance of Luminous Light remained immovable, like an unyielding mountain crushing all opposition. The roaring purple lightning gradually subsided, tamed by the Buddha's glowing presence. Encircled by crescent rays, the three bolts began to spiral reverently around the Luminous Light.

The spear obeys its wielder's will. As Qin Qingluo's consciousness began to blur, vivid memories of her first time wielding the weapon resurfaced.

As a teenager, her first striking attempt fatally pierced an assassin, whose bloodied and shredded body revealed him to be none other than her uncle—a sword fanatic.

She understood then: the spear was king of all weapons.

Even swords must succumb to the spear!

Spears are divided into six levels: Divine Artistry, Subtlety, Proficiency, Lawful Defense, Superior Specialty, and Brutal Combat.

Qin Qingluo had long lingered between levels three and four. Yet, now, bathed in golden lotus-like brilliance with Luminous Light encircling her, she faintly grasped the essence of Divine Artistry.

Divine Artistry—transcendence beyond mortal craft.

Throughout history, only a handful have compelled the spear into such heights. Legendary spear masters include Zhu Diji of bygone years, who later mastered all weaponry, and Xu Qi—the divine transcendent who returned to his origins. Beyond them, examples remain elusive. Qin Qingluo hadn't fully reached the Divine Artistry tier, but even a glimpse bore significant importance for breaking into the profound Fourth Rank of martial arts mastery.

What defines a spear?

When Shakyamuni emerged into the world, he stepped seven strides in all directions, raised his right hand, and recited the sacred verse: "Above heaven and below earth, I alone am honored." This declaration symbolized ultimate supremacy.

That is what the spear embodies!

The supreme ruler among all weapons!

Qin Qingluo now lifted her gaze. Her serpent-like pupils glowed with radiant gold, the Medicine Buddha statue rendered utterly dim while she herself shimmered faintly as if manifesting enlightenment akin to a Buddhist Arhat.

Zhao Bai, the last surviving heir of Joyful Sect, emerged silently from a small doorway. He cupped his hands from afar, addressing Qin Qingluo:

"Congratulations to the prince for receiving this inch of Luminous Light."

"No need for ceremony. Simply hand me the vestment robe," she commanded, beckoning with a gesture.

The purple lightning, seemingly imbued with sentience, darted into her palm.

"Afterward, it's time to find someone… to test the spear," she concluded.

"""