My Enemy Became My Cultivation Companion-Chapter 96 - 80 Who Deserves It? (5k two-in-one)_2

On the bronze tripod, ancient and intricate patterns slowly emerged, hard as a Xuanwu’s shell, with one head and three legs, its head resembling that of a bear—this was none other than the mythical beast Huang Neng Three-Legged Tortoise from the Ancient Era!

Legend has it that Gun, the father of Dayu, failed in his efforts to control the floods. He stole the Resting Soil from the Supreme Emperor in order to smother the floods but was ultimately executed on Mount Yu. After his death, he transformed into the Huang Neng Three-Legged Tortoise and entered the Feather Abyss.

With the appearance of Huang Neng Three-Legged Tortoise, the bronze door seemed to receive divine mercy and slowly swung open.

"Go!"

Chen Yi, after forcing back the Ba Snake, quickly grabbed Yin Weiyin and charged through the bronze door.

The Ba Snake, its bloodthirsty maw wide open, crashed forward loudly. The bronze tripod was instantly crushed to powder, and the bronze door behind them trembled violently, as if on the verge of collapse at any moment.

It was only after they had moved far away from the bronze door that the crashing noises began to gradually fade into silence.

Yin Weiyin gasped for breath, her eyes filled with lingering fears.

"The Tushan Underground Palace... how could it suddenly emerge near the Capital City? This place was only mentioned a few times in ancient records. They say it hides the Ancient Dao. Taoist masters and Buddhist mages alike have sought to explore it, yet none returned alive.

We have stumbled into this place by mistake. Our odds are bleak—perhaps... we’re destined to die here."

"You’d have to ask the late emperor about that."

Chen Yi paused, then smirked and said:

"Looks like I’ll have to become a death-defying ’pair of mandarin ducks’ with Yin Immortal."

Yin Weiyin turned her head to glare at him angrily.

"Who wants to pair up as desperate mandarin ducks with you?!"

"A lucky omen." Chen Yi suddenly remarked.

"Lucky? What omen?"

Yin Weiyin was dumbfounded.

"You haven’t explicitly stated your unwillingness; I was afraid you’d drag me back to Taihua Mountain to cultivate as a stone alongside you. Isn’t this a lucky escape?"

Chen Yi teased with a playful grin.

"After all, who was it that begged me earlier to become their Dao companion?"

Yin Weiyin’s face froze, her cheeks flushing red with embarrassment. She was just about to mutter angrily, "Ignorant wretch."

Before the word "Ignorant" could fully leave her lips, Chen Yi cut in:

"You could try cursing me again. Worst case, I’ll pick up my pace and leave you behind here."

The white-robed female crown stiffened.

"If you curse me twice, I’ll break your Longevity Bridge and leave you here as well."

Chen Yi, speaking teasingly, even patted her cheek.

Suppressing her humiliation, Yin Weiyin clenched her fists tightly and said:

"...So I’m only allowed to be taunted by you, but forbidden from cursing you?"

Imagining the despair of having her Longevity Bridge severed and being abandoned in this perilous place, Yin Weiyin dared not entertain the thought.

"You’ve tried to kill me several times. My sparing your life is already a mercy, and I still allow you to follow along. Isn’t that an enormous favor?"

Chen Yi sneered.

"If the Taichua Goddess had some sense, she’d not only take the blows willingly but also actively cooperate and flatter me. I wouldn’t mind letting her stay by my side indefinitely. Don’t you agree, Yin Luanhuang?"

As he finished speaking, Chen Yi pinched her earlobe forcefully. Yin Weiyin winced in pain, her face flushing crimson with shame and anger, but ultimately she could only reluctantly nod.

Another ten-years’ worth of True Qi fell into his grasp.

"To change topics—how is it that a practitioner of the Supreme Forget Love Technique ends up being so vengeful?" Chen Yi casually queried.

Yin Weiyin responded, "Though I cultivate the Supreme Forget Love Technique, I have yet to master it. Once one enters its inner sanctum, they attain ultimate fulfillment, remaining unmoved even should Mount Tai collapse before them, unaffected by the most disastrous of events."

"You’re deflecting. My question was: why exactly are you so vengeful? Why let a little teasing and embarrassment stir your emotions?"

Yin Weiyin, displeased by his blunt manner of questioning, felt dissatisfied but dared not show it and answered, "Once golden boys and jade girls ascend the mountain, they are only allowed to descend for trials after achieving mastery of their Dao. During initial practice of the Supreme Forget Love Technique, emotional fluctuations are prone to arise at the slightest disturbance. Consider—if you cast a pebble into a stream, would the ripple be larger, or if you cast one into a lake?"

Chen Yi thought about it and found some sense in her words. After all, once golden boys and jade girls enter Taihua Mountain, they remain secluded until their Dao is perfected—once perfected, they may leave to train. On the mountain, there are no winds or waves, virtually no disturbances.

"So, in the end, it’s a fragile flower of the greenhouse, a pathway built of glass."

"At the slightest calamity, the Heart Lake shatters, the cultivated state deteriorates—this is what you mean, yes?"

Chen Yi inquired intriguingly.

"Should misfortune suddenly strike, damage to the Heart Lake may result in an immediate collapse of one’s cultivation realm."

Yin Weiyin answered truthfully but sensed something amiss and asked:

"Why are you asking this?"

"No reason."

Chen Yi said plainly, turning away and moving forward.

The white-robed female crown followed closely behind, scanning their surroundings. From the time of Ancient Dayu’s flood control until now, how many thousands of years had passed? The Tushan Underground Palace had appeared several times throughout history, drawing countless mountaintop practitioners who flooded in eagerly, but none had ever emerged alive. The longer they lingered in this place, the more Yin Weiyin felt fear welling up in her heart.

The number of square-shaped burial pits continued to increase, their inhabitants undead beings from the Ancient Era—all once distinguished nobles. They had witnessed Gun’s execution on Mount Yu due to his failure in controlling the floods, as well as Dayu’s alliances in Tushan, the slaying of the giant Fangfeng Clan, and possibly even Emperor Yao passing his throne to Emperor Shun, followed by Emperor Shun passing his throne to Dayu.

The profound weight of history seemed to emanate from the strewn skeletal remains, and the scattered bronze relics bore the traces of time.

Walking through the corridor, yet another bronze door appeared before them, with another corroded and rust-marked bronze tripod blocking the way.

Being an experienced mountain-top practitioner, Yin Weiyin recognized inscriptions in ancient script and approached the tripod, her brows furrowing tightly.

"What do these characters say?"

Chen Yi asked.

"The erosion is quite severe, and these inscriptions are incredibly intricate... far more elaborate than the previous ones."

Yin Weiyin spoke slowly and said: fгee𝑤ebɳoveɭ.cøm

"I feel these tripods might be layers upon layers of seals. What exactly is sealed behind them?"