After My Rebirth, I Ended Up Happily Ever After with the Saintess - Chapter 121

Inside the mountain cave, the light was dim, with only the runes of the formation set up by Ye Li emitting a faint glow. Qin Yixuan sat cross-legged, her eyes closed. The divine mark on her forehead, which had turned pale gold, flickered intermittently. The sacred aura surrounding her, though slightly calmer than before, was still intensely chaotic, like a restless ocean before a storm.

Ye Li guarded her side, one hand placed against her back. Pure extreme-cold spiritual power, mixed with a trace of the Samsara Mirror’s fundamental energy, patiently and meticulously smoothed out the turbulent, conflicting energy torrent within Qin Yixuan’s body, like the most careful craftsman. Ye Li’s face was also pale; forcefully interfering with power of that level was a heavy burden for her.

Time passed slowly. The chaotic celestial light unique to the Primeval Secret Realm outside the cave seemed to dim a bit. After an unknown period, the restless golden light around Qin Yixuan finally subsided. The divine mark on her forehead also faded from view. Although her breath was weak, it had stabilized. Her long eyelashes fluttered, and she slowly opened her eyes, weariness and lingering fear visible in her gaze.

“How do you feel?” Ye Li withdrew her hand, her voice carrying an almost imperceptible hoarseness.

“Much better… Just now, I almost lost control of myself,” Qin Yixuan said with lingering dread, still chilled by the memory of her consciousness being stripped away and filled by a grander, alien will. “What exactly were that altar and that light cluster? Why did they generate such a strong attraction and impact on my source energy?”

Ye Li pondered for a moment, then shared her earlier speculation: “The Primeval Secret Realm is the origin of all great Daos. The power within you is of an extremely high level, likely originating from the ancient past, or even more distant ages. That altar and light cluster might be the core of some ancient heritage or seal, sharing the same source as your power, hence the resonance. But this resonance isn’t entirely a good thing. It’s more like a… test, or perhaps an awakening. If the will isn’t strong and the foundation is unstable, one will be assimilated and lose oneself.”

Qin Yixuan’s expression grew serious upon hearing this. She knew her own power was extraordinary, but she also understood the immense karma that might be tied to it. “It seems I must quickly increase my control over this source energy.”

“Yes, proceed step by step, and don’t be overly hasty,” Ye Li nodded, taking out a “Soul Stabilizing Pill,” a reward from the Heavenly Pride Assembly, and handing it to her. “First, recover your divine soul damage.”

Just as Qin Yixuan took the pill and prepared to meditate, Ye Li’s expression suddenly turned serious, and she raised a hand to signal silence. The fragment of the Samsara Mirror in her sea of consciousness was sending out a rapid warning!

“Someone is approaching, quite a few of them, and their aura… is very strong, carrying an uncomfortable chill,” Ye Li whispered, her eyes sharp as a hawk’s, peering out through the cave’s concealment barrier.

Qin Yixuan immediately restrained her aura and focused her senses. Sure enough, moments later, several powerful divine senses, like invisible tentacles, swept past the cave entrance. Although blocked by the restriction, the cold, dead, life-sapping quality within those divine senses made both of them feel a chill run through their hearts.

This aura… was different from any cultivator they had encountered before, possessing an ancient evil and decay.

“They are cultivators, not Secret Realm creatures,” Ye Li’s tone was heavy. “Moreover, they mean us harm.”

Indeed, a slightly effeminate, somewhat mocking young male voice came from outside the cave: “Friends inside, why hide? This ‘Myriad Transformation Reversion Array’ is intricate, but to us, it’s not traceless. Will you come out yourselves, or wait for us to ‘invite’ you out?”

As the voice faded, a powerful spiritual pressure descended with a roar, engulfing the entire cave. The concealment restriction Ye Li had set up violently fluctuated, clearly about to give way.

Ye Li and Qin Yixuan exchanged a look, both seeing the determination in the other’s eyes. There was no avoiding it; they had to fight!

“Stay close to me,” Ye Li muttered, her Profound Ice Sword already in hand. Qin Yixuan also gripped her long sword, the Azure Sea Bright Moon Pearl hovering at her shoulder, ready for action.

Boom!

The restriction at the cave entrance was finally forcibly shattered, and dazzling celestial light flooded in. The two figures flashed, appearing outside the cave.

Outside, seven figures stood in a semicircle, surrounding them. The leader was a young man in a dark purple brocade robe, his face handsome to the point of being almost demonic, his skin pale. His pair of narrow eyes flickered with a gloomy light like a venomous snake, and a faint, cold smile played on his lips. His cultivation had reached the Peak of the Core Condensation Realm, just one step away from entering the Divine Ability Realm!

The six figures behind him also possessed cold, powerful auras, the lowest being Late Core Condensation, and they wore uniform dark purple robes. On the cuffs was embroidered a bizarre, twisted eyeball pattern, seemingly made of shadow.

The moment Ye Li saw this pattern, her pupils contracted violently! Her heart felt as if it were fiercely clutched by an invisible hand. A bone-deep, excruciating hatred and coldness, originating from the depths of her soul, almost shattered her sanity!

This pattern! She would never mistake it! This was the symbol of “Dark Eye,” the core force under Xuan Cong, one of the past life’s betrayers! Xuan Cong, the traitor who seemed gentle but was actually the most cunning, most adept at manipulating hearts and schemes! Did his descendants or legacy power still exist? And had they appeared in this Primeval Secret Realm?!

Scenes from her past life flooded into her mind like a tide: Xuan Cong’s hypocritical smile, the secret move he quietly deployed when she was at a critical stage of cultivation, his determined look while conspiring with Ling Hao and Mo Shang… Endless fury and killing intent surged in Ye Li’s chest. Her nails dug deep into her palm, barely maintaining her outward calm, but the cold aura emanating from her instantly became sharp and chilling, causing a layer of frost to condense on the glazed ground beneath her feet.

Qin Yixuan keenly sensed the fierce fluctuation of Ye Li’s emotions—a type of hatred and viciousness she had never felt from Ye Li before, almost tangible. She looked at Ye Li with concern and gently squeezed her hand.

Feeling the warmth in her palm, Ye Li took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the churning killing intent. Now was not the time for impulsiveness. The opponent’s strength was unknown, and they were very likely connected to her arch-enemies from the previous life; she had to be cautious.

The purple-robed man, apparently, did not notice Ye Li’s momentary loss of composure, or perhaps he didn’t care. His gaze swept over Ye Li and Qin Yixuan with interest, especially when he sensed the unique, sacred aura on Qin Yixuan that hadn’t completely stabilized; a trace of unconcealed greed and astonishment flashed in his eyes.

“Tsk tsk, I didn’t expect to meet two such beauties in this Secret Realm, both bearing a special source energy and being favored daughters of the Heavens,” the purple-robed man clapped his hands and smiled softly, his voice still effeminate. “I am ‘You Ming,’ from the ‘Dark Eye.’ How should I address the two ladies?”

“Dark Eye?” Ye Li’s voice was frigid, devoid of any emotion. “Never heard of it.”

The man who called himself You Ming did not get angry; instead, his smile deepened: “No matter, you will remember it soon. That sacred aura just now… it came from this white-robed lady, didn’t it? Such a pure and ancient source energy is truly covetable. If I present it to my Lord, it will surely be a great deed.”

His flippant tone and the attitude of treating a person as an object caused Qin Yixuan’s delicate eyebrows to furrow, a hint of disgust flashing in her eyes.

Ye Li, however, caught the crucial information in his words—”my Lord”? Was Xuan Cong not dead? Or did this “Dark Eye” have a new master?

“Hiding your head and showing your tail, sneaking around, and yet you dare to scheme against us?” Ye Li sneered, the Profound Ice Sword pulsing with chilling air. “If you want the source energy, try to take it yourself.”

You Ming’s narrow eyes narrowed, flashing a dangerous light: “Since the two ladies refuse my polite invitation, don’t blame me for not knowing how to cherish beauty.”

He lightly waved his hand: “Take them down. Alive. Especially the white-robed one; her source energy is critically important to my Lord.”

“Yes, Young Master!”

The six members of Dark Eye behind him shouted in unison, their figures moving, instantly forming a bizarre battle formation. Thick, inky shadow power poured out from them, weaving into a huge black spider web that enveloped Ye Li and Qin Yixuan! The shadow spider web not only contained powerful binding force but also emitted a malicious aura that corroded spiritual power and corrupted the divine soul!

“Be careful, this shadow power is strange!” Qin Yixuan cried out. The Azure Sea Bright Moon Pearl shone brightly, and the gentle, pure profound water light spread out like a cleansing spring, colliding with the shadow spider web, producing a “hissing” corrosive sound, temporarily resisting its descent.

Ye Li chose the most forceful way to break through! She knew that the longer they tangled with a force potentially linked to her past life’s enemies, the more variables would emerge!

“Cosmic Trace, Frozen Thousand Miles!”

Her figure was like a flickering cold star, instantly breaking through the shadow power’s blockade and appearing before one of the Dark Eye members! The Profound Ice Sword, carrying coldness that could freeze the soul, thrust straight toward his glabella!

The Dark Eye member clearly hadn’t anticipated Ye Li’s speed. In a hasty defense, he condensed a shadow shield!

Crack!

The shadow shield shattered like paper under the Profound Ice Sword! The sword tip plunged into his glabella without obstruction! The extreme-cold sword energy instantly erupted, freezing and shattering his head along with the divine soul within it!

Killed with one strike!

However, the strange thing was that after the Dark Eye member died, his body rapidly transformed into a mass of pure shadow energy, which was absorbed by the other formation members, seemingly strengthening the power of the shadow spider web!

“Hmph, some skill, no wonder you’re so arrogant.” A trace of surprise flashed in You Ming’s eyes, quickly replaced by coldness. “But under my ‘Shadow Soul Devouring Array,’ your struggles are futile! Your spiritual power, your divine souls, will all become nourishment for us!”

The shadow spider web pressed down again, beginning to spin, generating a powerful suction force that frantically devoured the spiritual energy within its range. Even Qin Yixuan’s profound water light was being extracted and swallowed, thread by thread!

Ye Li felt her own spiritual power draining faster as well. This formation was indeed bizarre!

“Yixuan, help me break the array!” Ye Li transmitted her voice.

Qin Yixuan understood, fully activating the Azure Sea Bright Moon Pearl and the Buddhist prayer beads. Azure divine light and peaceful Buddhist light intertwined, desperately holding back the shadow spider web’s devouring force, creating an opportunity for Ye Li.

Ye Li closed her eyes, the fragment of the Samsara Mirror shining brightly in her sea of consciousness—the “Source Tracing Eye” activated! She needed to find the core and the flaw of this strange formation!

In that mysterious perspective, the trajectory of energy flow in the formation, the source of the shadow power, and the fragile connection points constructed by the shadow energy between the six Dark Eye members were all clearly presented before her “eyes”!

Found it!

Ye Li suddenly opened her eyes, the Samsara golden light flashing in her pupils! She no longer attacked a single target but locked onto the most crucial energy connection points among the six people!

“Star Silence—Samsara Severance!”

She integrated a trace of the Samsara Mirror’s fundamental energy into her sword move. The Profound Ice Sword drew a gray sword light that seemed ordinary but looked as if it could sever karmic links! The sword light did not thrust directly at any person but, as if it had a life of its own, traced several bizarre arcs in the air, slicing with precise accuracy onto those invisible energy nodes!

Hiss, hiss, hiss—!

Sounds like snapping strings rang out consecutively! The previously integrated shadow spider web suddenly stagnated, then violently twisted and disintegrated! The six Dark Eye members groaned simultaneously, their auras instantly becoming chaotic as the formation was forcibly broken!

“What?! You can actually see through my Shadow Soul Devouring Array?!” You Ming’s face finally changed drastically, looking at Ye Li with astonishment and uncertainty. This formation was a secret transmission within their organization, infinitely powerful, yet it was so easily broken by a woman in the Mid Core Condensation Realm?

“Not only can I break the array, but I can also take your life!” Ye Li’s killing intent was set. Since she confirmed they were an enemy force, she would never let them go! Her figure moved again, charging straight toward You Ming! Qin Yixuan tacitly followed, her sword light raining down on the other five Dark Eye members whose formation was already in disarray.

Seeing Ye Li rush toward him, a venomous glare flashed in You Ming’s eyes. He quickly formed hand seals, the shadow power around him boiling, condensing a gigantic, blurry demon figure behind him, seemingly composed of countless wailing, suffering souls!

“Dark Eye Secret Art—Myriad Soul Devouring Heart!”

The demon figure let out a silent roar, and a terrifying soul-targeting shockwave swept toward Ye Li like a tsunami! This was a malicious technique that directly attacked the divine soul!

If it were an ordinary Core Condensation cultivator, they would likely suffer severe divine soul damage or even be directly devoured by this attack. But the Samsara Mirror resided in Ye Li’s sea of consciousness!

Facing the soul shockwave, the Samsara Mirror merely trembled slightly, emitting a circle of gentle and steady light, which completely blocked the terrifying shockwave, even purifying and absorbing the resentment and negative emotions within it!

“How is that possible?!” You Ming was horrified. His ultimate move was ineffective against the opponent?

In the instant he lost his composure, Ye Li’s sword had arrived! The icy sword tip rapidly magnified in his pupils!

At the critical moment of life and death, You Ming fiercely bit his tongue, spitting out a mouthful of vital blood. A jade pendant on his body shattered abruptly, and a powerful spatial fluctuation instantly enveloped him!

“Ye Li, is it? I will remember you! And that woman beside you who possesses the Divine Maiden Source Energy! You won’t escape! My Lord will descend, and then, everything you have will be reduced to nothingness! ‘World Erosion’ will ultimately…”

Puff!

The sword light flashed. You Ming’s figure was struck just as the spatial transmission was completing. An arm flew up with spraying blood, but he ultimately turned into a black light and vanished from the spot. Only the roar, full of malice and a certain fanatical faith, echoed in the air.

Meanwhile, on the other side, Qin Yixuan, relying on her powerful strength and treasures, had also successfully slain all five Dark Eye members who had lost the formation’s support. Similarly, their bodies transformed into pure shadow energy, eventually dissipating into the air without leaving any trace.

The battle ended, and the valley returned to silence. Only the lingering cold air and a faint scent of blood testified to the danger just moments ago.

Ye Li stood holding her sword, her face as dark as water. You Ming’s final words echoed in her mind like a curse.

“Dark Eye”… “my Lord”… “World Erosion”…

These words strung together pointed to a truth she least wanted to face—the betrayers of her previous life might genuinely still be alive, secretly active, and carrying out a terrifying plan called “World Erosion”! And Qin Yixuan’s Divine Maiden Source Energy also seemed to be one of their targets!

Qin Yixuan walked to Ye Li’s side, observing her solemn expression, and asked softly, “Ye Li, did you… know them? That symbol, and what they said in the end…”

Ye Li remained silent for a long time before slowly raising her head, looking up at the chaotic sky of the Secret Realm, her eyes filled with an unprecedented coldness and determination.

“They… are enemies. Sworn, irreconcilable enemies,” her voice was low, carrying a hint of suppressed killing intent. “I don’t know much about ‘World Erosion’ and the master behind them. But it’s certain that it’s a massive conspiracy capable of overthrowing the entire Spirit Realm.”

She turned to Qin Yixuan, her gaze complex: “And you, Yixuan, your Divine Maiden Source Energy is very likely a key part of this conspiracy. We… have already been drawn into it.”

Qin Yixuan took her hand, her eyes clear and firm: “No matter who the enemy is, no matter how great the conspiracy, we will face it together.”

Feeling the strength transmitted through her palm, the chill in Ye Li’s heart slightly melted. Yes, she was no longer alone. The vendetta of her past life, the enemies of this life, no matter how arduous the path ahead, she would join hands with the person beside her and cleave through all the mist!

This sudden encounter was like lifting the corner of a massive iceberg, making Ye Li clearly realize that the days of peace might be drawing to a close. A storm that would sweep across the entire Spirit Realm was quietly brewing. And she and Qin Yixuan were already at the center of the storm.