After My Rebirth, I Ended Up Happily Ever After with the Saintess - Chapter 122

Yuming’s escape was like casting a giant stone into a calm lake, the ripples spreading rapidly. Ye Li knew well that the “Dark Eye” force was insidious and would never give up. Though they had lost several members in the recent fight, Yuming’s dying roar and the powerful spatial fluctuation activated by the shattered jade pendant had undoubtedly transmitted their location and characteristics.

“We must leave here immediately!” Ye Li’s tone was urgent, brooking no argument. She quickly cleared the area of any possible lingering aura, grabbed Qin Yixuan’s hand, and chose a direction opposite the altar—a region with more complex terrain. She pushed the Universal Traceless Steps to the limit, transforming them into two blurred afterimages, and rapidly fled.

Qin Yixuan also understood the gravity of the situation. She suppressed the discomfort caused by the recent battle and the agitation of her Divine Maiden Origin, and followed Ye Li with all her might. She could feel that Ye Li’s grip on her hand was exceptionally firm, signifying not just tension, but a deep, protective instinct, as if she wanted to meld Qin Yixuan into her very being.

They traveled at a breakneck pace, not daring to stop for even a moment. The Primordial Secret Realm was vast and its topography bizarrely varied. They deliberately chose to traverse perilous areas where energy was chaotic and divine sense was difficult to penetrate, attempting to shake off any potential pursuit.

However, the tracking methods of the “Dark Eye” clearly exceeded their expectations.

Not long after they passed through a twisted stone forest riddled with spatial fissures, a terrifying, suffocating pressure, like an invisible colossal net, abruptly descended upon them from all directions! The might of this pressure far surpassed the Core Formation Realm, and was even more formidable than many Divine Ability cultivators they had encountered. It carried an aura of shadow and death, similar to Yuming’s, but far more pure and profound!

“Danger!” Ye Li’s face drastically changed. She abruptly halted, shielding Qin Yixuan behind her. The Profound Ice Sword instantly materialized in her hand, its body humming, exuding an intense coldness.

The void in front of them rippled like water, and three figures slowly emerged.

The one leading them was shrouded in a wide black robe, his face obscured. Only a pair of eyes, burning with a faint blue flame, were visible, staring coldly at them. His aura was deep and vast, like an abyss—he was clearly a great cultivator in the Middle Divine Ability Realm! The two figures behind him were also cloaked in black, their auras slightly weaker but still firmly within the Early Divine Ability Realm!

Three Divine Ability cultivators!

Ye Li’s heart sank to the bottom. This was a force they could absolutely not contend with in their current state! To capture them—or rather, to seize Qin Yixuan’s Divine Maiden Origin—the enemy had deployed such a formidable lineup!

“Hand over the Divine Maiden Origin bearer, and your complete corpses shall be left behind.” The leading black-robed man spoke, his voice hoarse and dry, like two rusty iron sheets scraping together, devoid of all emotion.

Qin Yixuan felt the tangible killing intent and pressure. Her face was pale, yet she stubbornly stepped forward to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Ye Li: “Dream on!”

“Obstinate fools.” The black-robed man seemed too lazy to speak further, merely waving a hand.

The two Early Divine Ability black-robed men behind him moved instantly! Their figures were like ghosts, attacking from left and right, bringing with them overwhelming Shadow Power! The Shadow Power transformed into countless hideous ghostly hands and chains, covering the sky and earth, sealing off all their escape routes!

“Fight!”

With no retreat, there was only battle! A fierce determination flashed in Ye Li’s eyes. The Samsara Mirror Shard in her Sea of Consciousness spun at an unprecedented speed, and boundless Origin Power surged into her limbs and bones! Her cultivation base was instantly forced to rise, approaching the Late Core Formation Realm. The chill on the Profound Ice Sword suddenly became deep and dark, as if it could freeze even light!

“Ice Emperor Sealing Heaven Art—Absolute Zero Domain!”

She swung her sword, not attacking the enemy, but centering the extreme cold domain around herself and expanding it with full force! Within a hundred-zhang radius, the temperature plummeted to an unimaginable degree. Space seemed to solidify. The speed of the howling Shadow Ghost Hands and chains visibly slowed down, their surfaces covered with a thick layer of frost!

However, the Divine Ability Realm was the Divine Ability Realm! The massive gap in strength could not be easily bridged with a secret technique. The two black-robed men only paused for a moment. Their surrounding Shadow Power erupted, shattering the frost on their bodies. Though their attack was hindered, it remained fierce!

The black-robed man on the left struck Ye Li with a palm, the force of which contained a Shadow Poison that corroded the soul! The one on the right curled his fingers into a claw, aiming for Qin Yixuan. The claw force tore through the air, heading straight for her Dantian Qi Sea, the intent clearly to cripple her cultivation and capture her alive!

“Profound Water Transforms Shield, Bright Moon Protects Body!” Qin Yixuan cried out softly. The Azure Sea Bright Moon Pearl shone to its utmost brilliance, resonating with the Buddhist Prayer Beads, transforming into layers of water shields and Buddhist light barriers, which she used to forcibly withstand the Divine Ability strike!

Boom! Boom!

Two loud crashes erupted almost simultaneously! Ye Li used the Profound Ice Sword to forcefully clash with the palm wind, feeling an irresistible force surge through her. Her throat tasted sweet, and blood couldn’t be stopped from spilling from the corner of her mouth. She was sent flying, crashing heavily into a large glazed rock, which instantly became covered in cracks!

Qin Yixuan fared no better. The layers of water shields and Buddhist light barriers shattered one after another. Although she managed to block the claw, the massive counterforce churned her blood and Qi, and her internal organs felt displaced. Her beautiful face was deathly pale; she had clearly sustained significant internal injuries.

In a single exchange, both were injured! The difference between Divine Ability and Core Formation was like a chasm!

“The power of ants dares to shake the heavens?” The black-robed man who had attacked let out a scornful cold hmph and approached again.

Ye Li struggled to her feet, wiping the blood from her mouth, her eyes growing colder and more resolute. She glanced at Qin Yixuan, who was also barely holding on, and a thought began to grow wildly in her mind—she couldn’t hide it anymore! Even if it meant exposing the secret of the Samsara Mirror, she had to ensure Qin Yixuan’s safety!

“Yixuan, trust me!” she transmitted, her tone conveying an undeniable resolve.

Qin Yixuan looked at her. Though she didn’t know what Ye Li intended, seeing the near-burning determination in her eyes, she nodded without hesitation: “I will always trust you!”

Just as the two black-robed men launched their next attack, Ye Li made a shocking move! She didn’t meet the attack; instead, she plunged the Profound Ice Sword into the ground and formed an ancient and complex hand seal on her chest! In her Sea of Consciousness, the two fused Samsara Mirror Shards erupted with a light more dazzling than ever before!

“Samsara Forbidden Art—Mirror Image Thousand Phantoms, Myriad Realm Displacement!”

Om—!

Centered around Ye Li, a profound fluctuation involving the very origin of space and time burst forth! Countless water-like mirror images appeared out of thin air, layered one upon another, reflecting their figures within, making it difficult to distinguish reality from illusion! The surrounding space began to violently twist and fold, as if countless parallel spaces intersected at this point!

The attacks of the two black-robed men plunged into the mirror images, like stones sinking into the sea, unable to lock onto their true forms!

“This is… the Power of Space and Time?!” The Middle Divine Ability black-robed man, who had been watching coldly, showed surprise for the first time in his faint blue eyes. “This woman possesses such a priceless treasure?! Capture her! Capture her alive at all costs!”

He finally took action himself! A colossal hand, completely condensed from Shadow Power, covered the sky and the sun, bringing with it a terrifying power that sought to suppress everything, and directly grabbed the chaotic mirrored space! He intended to forcefully break this Space-Time Forbidden Art with absolute power!

However, just as the Shadow Giant Hand was about to descend, all the mirror images suddenly contracted, converging into a single point, and then violently erupted into a blinding flash of light!

After the blinding light, only shattered spatial ripples remained. The figures of Ye Li and Qin Yixuan had completely vanished!

“Spatial teleportation? No! It’s a more advanced Space-Time Displacement!” The Middle Divine Ability black-robed man retracted his Shadow Giant Hand, sensing the residual Space-Time Law fluctuation in the air that even made him feel somewhat uneasy. His faint blue eyes flickered with surprise and uncertainty. “Chase! By forcibly activating such a forbidden art, they must have paid a huge price and can’t have run far! Notify the other teams, blockade this area! The Divine Maiden Origin and that Space-Time Supreme Treasure must be obtained!”

…

Meanwhile, thousands of miles away from the original spot, in a region of deathly silence covered with pale bone mountains.

The void twisted, and two figures were violently thrown out by an invisible force, crashing heavily into the cold bone dust.

“Pfft—!”

The moment Ye Li landed, she violently spat out a large mouthful of blood, even mixed with fragments of internal organs! Her face was as pale as paper, her aura extremely weak, and intense tearing pain radiated throughout her meridians. Her Sea of Consciousness felt like it was being pricked by billions of needles, and the light of the Samsara Mirror Shards had dimmed considerably.

Forcibly activating the Samsara Mirror’s Forbidden Art, “Myriad Realm Displacement,” which far exceeded her current cultivation realm, had resulted in an extremely severe backlash! This was not just spiritual power exhaustion; it had damaged her very origin!

“Ye Li!” Qin Yixuan ignored her own internal injuries and rushed to her side. Seeing her spitting blood, her heart felt as if it were being twisted by a knife, and tears immediately welled up. She frantically took out all her healing elixirs, trying to feed them to Ye Li.

“I’m… fine.” Ye Li spoke with difficulty, her voice hoarse and weak. She held Qin Yixuan’s trembling hand and forced a comforting smile. “It’s just… a big drain… a little rest… and I’ll be fine.”

She spoke lightly, but how could Qin Yixuan not see that she was at the end of her rope? Her ashen face and weak aura all indicated the heavy price she had paid for this escape!

“Why are you so foolish… why did you push yourself so hard…” Qin Yixuan’s voice was laced with sobs. Tears fell like broken strings of pearls, scalding her skin on Ye Li’s cold hand.

Ye Li looked at her tear-stained face, and the softest spot in her heart was touched. She raised her trembling hand and gently wiped away the tears, her movements tender and precious.

“Because… you are here.” She gazed into Qin Yixuan’s eyes. That pair of eyes, usually as deep as a cold pool, now clearly reflected the other’s face, devoid of any coldness, leaving only an intense, unresolvable affection and devotion. “I can’t… lose anyone important… again.”

The betrayal and loneliness of her past life, the encounter and warmth of this life, were intertwined at this moment. She did not want to repeat the past, nor did she want to bear everything alone. This cold yet gentle woman, she didn’t know when, had become the most indispensable light in her life.

Qin Yixuan’s sobbing stopped abruptly. She stared blankly at Ye Li, at those eyes that had never so clearly expressed her feelings, listening to those simple yet incredibly weighty words. An indescribable emotion, mixed with heartbreak, moved tenderness, joy, and sorrow, instantly broke through all her reserve and defense, like a flooding dam.

“Ye Li…” She choked out, turning her hand to tightly grip Ye Li’s, as if wanting to transfer her own strength. “I won’t let anything happen to you! Absolutely not!”

She took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down. Looking around, this was an endless expanse of bone mountains, silent and dead. Divine sense was also suppressed here, but she hadn’t detected any traces of pursuers for the time being.

“We need to find a place to hide first, and you must heal immediately!” Qin Yixuan’s tone was firm. She wrapped Ye Li’s arm around her neck and used her strength to help her up.

Ye Li was extremely weak now, leaning almost all her weight onto Qin Yixuan. Feeling the warmth of the person next to her and the firm support, her heart was filled with peace.

The two supported each other, painstakingly moving forward between the jagged bone mountains, looking for a place to hide. Finally, under the skull of a giant, unidentified beast, they found a relatively dry and hidden depression.

Qin Yixuan carefully settled Ye Li and immediately began setting up concealment formations. She utilized all her knowledge of formations to its limit, layering several formations for concealment, defense, and even confusion, completely isolating this small corner from the outside world.

After doing all this, she returned to Ye Li’s side, looking at her still pale face, filled with distress.

“Your injury…” Qin Yixuan hesitated. She could tell that Ye Li’s injury was far from what ordinary elixirs could cure, as it involved a deeper level of origin.

Ye Li leaned against the cold bone wall, slightly panting. She knew that it was time to let the person in front of her know some secrets. Having gone through life and death and clarified their feelings, there should be no more secrets between them.

“Yixuan,” she called softly, her gaze calm as she looked at her. “Do you know why I was able to use that Space-Time Displacement technique?”

Qin Yixuan shook her head, her eyes filled with confusion and worry. The level of that Space-Time Power was extremely high, far beyond the reach of a Core Formation cultivator.

Ye Li slowly raised her hand, palm up, and with a slight shift of intention. A weak, yet endlessly profound, faint golden light slowly condensed in her palm, eventually forming the extremely vague, fragmented shadow of a mirror whose edges flowed with starlight.

Though it was only a phantom, the moment the mirror image appeared, Qin Yixuan felt a faint resonance and… awe in her own divine origin? As if encountering an existence of a much higher rank.

“This is…” Qin Yixuan’s beautiful eyes widened, filled with shock.

“It is called… the Samsara Mirror.” Ye Li’s voice was very soft, yet it exploded like a clap of thunder in Qin Yixuan’s heart. “A… shattered ancient Supreme Divine Artifact. And I am its current owner, or rather, the bearer of its shards.”

She paused, watching Qin Yixuan’s shocked eyes, and continued slowly: “In my previous life, I was the Supreme of the Spirit Realm, known as ‘Venerable Li.’ But I was betrayed by my closest friend and younger martial brother, and I perished… Fortunately, these Samsara Mirror Shards protected a sliver of my true spirit, allowing me to be reborn.”

She briefly recounted the hatred and mystery of her rebirth, without too much detail, but enough for Qin Yixuan to understand the heavy burden she carried, and the source of her world-weary solemnity and strength that far exceeded her age.

Qin Yixuan was utterly shaken. She never imagined that Ye Li had such a startling background! Reborn Supreme! Ancient Supreme Divine Artifact! All of this seemed like a myth, yet it was truly happening to the person she cared about most!

She finally understood why Ye Li was always so calm and composed, why the depths of her eyes always hid a loneliness and profundity inconsistent with her age; why her cultivation speed was so heaven-defying, her combat strength so formidable; and why she held such deep-seated hatred for the “Dark Eye” force!

After the shock, a more turbulent wave of heartache surged over her. She couldn’t imagine how Ye Li had shouldered this immense hatred and secret alone, step by step, to reach where she was today.

“So… what you used just now was the power of the Samsara Mirror?” Qin Yixuan’s voice trembled slightly.

“Yes.” Ye Li nodded. The phantom dispersed, and her face grew even paler. “Forcibly activating it caused a significant backlash. But… for you, it was worth it.”

This phrase, “worth it,” was more moving than any declaration of love. Qin Yixuan couldn’t hold back any longer. She leaned forward and tightly embraced Ye Li, burying her face in her neck, tears silently streaming down.

“You idiot… you big idiot…” she sobbed, her arms tightening around her. “Don’t ever do that again! Your life is important, more important than anything! We have to live together, face all enemies together!”

Feeling the warm body in her arms and the unreserved concern and reliance, Ye Li’s cold heart was completely filled. She slowly raised her hands and returned the embrace, gently patting Qin Yixuan’s back.

“Alright, together,” she promised in a low voice, her tone more gentle and resolute than ever before.

In the depths of this silent bone mountain, in a desperate situation surrounded by powerful enemies, the two held each other tightly. Their feelings had never been so clear and close. All secrets and barriers vanished at this moment, leaving only the purest trust and dependence.

After a long time, Qin Yixuan finally raised her head, her face flushed, but still holding Ye Li’s hand tightly: “Your injuries are too severe; you must heal quickly. What can I do?”

Ye Li looked at her worried eyes, a warm current flowing in her heart: “I need time for quiet cultivation to guide the Samsara Mirror Origin to repair the injuries. The formations outside…”

“Leave them to me!” Qin Yixuan immediately said. “I will guard this place and will never let anyone disturb you!” Her eyes were firm, as if she were making a vow.

Ye Li nodded, said no more, and slowly closed her eyes, beginning to fully guide the dimmed Samsara Mirror Shard in her Sea of Consciousness, drawing on the continuous Origin Power within it to repair her damaged meridians and soul. She knew that the crisis outside had not been resolved, and the “Dark Eye” pursuit would arrive soon. She had to recover her strength as quickly as possible to protect the person she was willing to guard with her life.

Qin Yixuan stood guard at her side, her gaze vigilantly watching the dead world of bone mountains outside the formations, her long sword held tightly in her hand, like the most loyal sentinel. She knew that from the moment Ye Li confided everything to her, their destinies were completely intertwined. The hatred of the past life, the enemies of this life, they would bear them together, until death.

This mutual confession and reliance in desperation allowed their feelings to reach their ultimate sublimation and confirmation. The road ahead might be full of thorns, but as long as they held hands, they had nothing to fear.