After My Rebirth, I Ended Up Happily Ever After with the Saintess - Chapter 130

After a brief stay of over a month in the Nine Heavens Heavenly Palace, Ye Li completely stabilized her cultivation at the peak of the early-stage Divine Abilities realm and gained a deeper understanding of the Six Paths of Reincarnation Sword. She decided it was time to take her leave. While remaining in the Heavenly Palace offered safety, the overly peaceful environment was not conducive to her cultivation path. She required combat, pressure, and the brink of life and death to seek breakthroughs, and more importantly, she needed to search for the fragments of the Reincarnation Mirror.

On this day, she arrived at the “Purple Cloud Hall,” where Palace Lord Yaoguang resided, to bid farewell. Inside the hall, clouds and mist swirled. Palace Lord Yaoguang sat upon a nine-colored cloud platform, her body flowing with Dao rhythm, as if she were integrated with the entire Heavenly Palace.

“Have you thought this through?” Palace Lord Yaoguang slowly opened her eyes, her gaze as profound as a sea of stars. “The Underworld Ghost Realm is treacherous; even Nascent Soul cultivators dare not venture deep easily.”

Ye Li bowed respectfully, her tone firm: “The path of cultivation is akin to sailing against the current. Since I have chosen this path, I will not fear the hardships. Furthermore, the fragments of the Reincarnation Mirror are scattered across various realms. Since there may be clues in the Underworld Ghost Realm, I must go and investigate.”

Palace Lord Yaoguang gazed at her for a moment, then gently nodded: “Since your mind is set, this Palace Lord will not insist on keeping you.”

She waved her jade hand, and two items slowly flew toward Ye Li. One was a jade talisman glowing with a purple haze, inscribed with mysterious runes; the other was a scroll dotted with starlight, which, when unrolled, showed countless stars revolving within it.

“This ‘Purple Cloud Amulet of Protection’ contains the full-power strike of this Palace Lord. It may save your life at a crucial moment,” Palace Lord Yaoguang explained. “This Starmap records various secret realms and perilous lands in the Spirit Realm. It marks several known entrances to the Underworld Ghost Realm, as well as some forbidden areas you should be wary of.”

Ye Li solemnly accepted the gifts, feeling the terrifying power contained within the amulet and the vast information within the Starmap. Her heart was filled with gratitude: “Thank you for the generous gifts, Palace Lord. I will certainly heed your instructions.”

“Remember,” Palace Lord Yaoguang’s voice turned serious, “the Reincarnation Mirror is of great significance. Until your strength is sufficient, you must not expose it easily. The Underworld Ghost Realm is not only filled with dangerous ghosts but may also harbor other forces searching for the mirror.”

“I understand, Palace Lord,” Ye Li bowed again.

After leaving the Purple Cloud Hall, Ye Li went to see Envoy Yunying to thank her for her previous care. Upon learning that Ye Li was heading to the Underworld Ghost Realm, Yunying specially gifted her a bottle of “Clear Heart Purifying Soul Pills” to resist the corrosive resentment within the ghost realm.

After preparing thoroughly, Ye Li went to the Heavenly Palace’s inter-realm teleportation formation. This formation was far more magnificent than any she had seen outside, composed of nine jade pillars carved with dragons, with the power of space and time flowing at its center.

“Please present your passage token,” the attendant guarding the formation said respectfully.

Ye Li took out the Purple Cloud Token given to her by Palace Lord Yaoguang. Seeing this, the attendant’s expression grew even more reverent, and he quickly activated the formation. As the nine jade pillars lit up simultaneously, a beam of light shot up into the sky, and Ye Li’s figure gradually faded within the light.

The process of teleportation was longer than expected, as if she were traversing a long river of time. After an unknown duration, as the light dispersed, Ye Li found herself in an unfamiliar star field.

The stars here were sparse, and a dying sun in the distance emitted a dim red light. Surrounding her were vast amounts of cosmic dust and the wreckage of shattered celestial bodies. According to the Starmap, this was already the edge of the Spirit Realm, and she was not far from one of the entrances to the Underworld Ghost Realm, the “Ghost Soul Canyon.”

Ye Li summoned the star vessel she had prepared in the Heavenly Palace—a silver flying boat only three zhang long, its surface covered with defensive runes. Its extreme speed made it ideal for solo, long-distance travel.

She piloted the star vessel through the void for more than ten days, witnessing many peculiar sights along the way: nebulae that were giving birth to new stars, binary star systems intertwined with each other, and even a star field entirely covered in ice and snow.

On this day, a colossal rift appeared in the void ahead, looking from afar like a tear in the sky. The rift was as black as ink, emitting a cold, desolate aura, and even the surrounding space was distorted.

“Ghost Soul Canyon…” Ye Li murmured softly. She could feel the fragment of the Reincarnation Mirror in her Sea of Consciousness stirring slightly.

Closer to the rift, the terror became more palpable. The edges of the rift were littered with the debris of broken stars and the remains of cultivators, some of which still clung to a powerful residual resentment. Occasionally, spatial turbulence would surge out of the rift, bringing with it a biting cold.

Ye Li put away the star vessel and activated the Nether Sovereign Emperor Sutra, causing frigid spiritual energy to form a thin armor of ice crystals on her body. This armor could not only resist the erosion of Yin energy but also perfectly conceal her vital life force fluctuations, making her less noticeable in the ghost realm.

She took a deep breath and stepped into the Ghost Soul Canyon. In an instant, it was as if she had stepped from the world of the living into the underworld. The surrounding temperature plummeted, and even the light became dim.

The canyon was not pitch black but permeated with a ghostly green fire. These ghost fires drifted through the air as if they were alive, reflecting a distorted and grotesque landscape. Underfoot was the soft, viscous “Resentful Soul Quagmire,” from which pale arms occasionally reached out, attempting to drag the living into the abyss. The air was filled with an invisible “Soul-Devouring Yin Wind,” wailing as it blew. A cultivator whose soul was not strong enough would likely have their spirit scattered instantly.

Ye Li proceeded cautiously, her Dark Ice Sword already unsheathed, its body radiating a faint, cold light. She expanded her divine sense, but within this ghost realm, her divine sense was greatly suppressed, capable of probing only a hundred zhang around her.

She had not gone far when a group of low-level ghosts discovered her, a living person. These ghosts varied in form, including skeletal soldiers, rotting zombies, and translucent specters. They let out chilling howls and lunged at her from all directions.

Ye Li’s eyes narrowed. With a light sweep of her Dark Ice Sword, a frigid sword energy spread out in a fan shape. Wherever it passed, the ghosts instantly froze, then shattered into ice crystals. For her, these low-level ghosts did not even count as a warm-up.

As she continued, the terrain became more complicated. Sometimes, she had to cross bridges made of piled-up white bones, beneath which blood pools boiled. Other times, she had to circle around colossal, ghostly stone carvings whose eye sockets burned with green ghost fire. There were also moments when she had to dodge suddenly appearing spatial rifts, which were like invisible blades that could easily tear a cultivator’s physical body apart.

The deeper she went, the stronger the ghosts she encountered. Soon, she began running into fierce ghosts and ghost generals equivalent to the Core Formation realm. These ghosts already possessed some intelligence and knew how to use the Yin energy of the realm to launch attacks.

A fierce ghost with a blue face and sharp fangs pounced from the shadows, its hands turning into claws carrying a chilling Yin wind. Ye Li did not evade. Her Dark Ice Sword thrust straight out, the tip of the sword shimmering with a speck of golden Reincarnation Light. The fierce ghost shrieked upon contact with the golden light, its form rapidly dissolving, and finally dissipating into a wisp of black smoke.

“The power of Reincarnation indeed has a suppressive effect on these ghosts,” Ye Li mused. She found that attacks imbued with the power of Reincarnation inflicted far more damage on the ghosts than ordinary attacks.

Along the way, she cleared obstacles while carefully sensing the fluctuations of the Reincarnation Mirror fragment in her Sea of Consciousness. Since entering the Underworld Ghost Realm, the fragment had certainly become more active, but the directional pull remained weak, as if shielded by something.

A few days later, she arrived at a black river. The river flowed silently, with black mist rising from the surface, emanating a dense aura of resentment. According to the ancient texts she had consulted in the Heavenly Palace, this should be a tributary of the “Wangchuan River” (River of Oblivion), known as the “Remnant Flow of the Wangchuan.”

A ruined stone tablet stood by the riverbank, inscribed with the ancient characters for “Wangchuan.” Scattered nearby were many withered bones, some still draped with tattered robes, clearly the remains of cultivators who had attempted to cross the river.

Ye Li was about to look for a way to cross the river when a sudden danger warning flashed in her heart. She retreated immediately, and almost the instant she moved, the spot where she had been standing was struck by a black water arrow, corroding a deep pit.

“Splash!”

The river water churned, and a massive figure slowly rose from the bottom of the river. It was a monster shaped like an ape but entirely covered in black scales. Its eyes were like two black holes, and black saliva dripped from its mouth.

“Underworld Water Sprite!” Ye Li recognized this ferocious creature unique to the ghost realm. According to the texts, the Underworld Water Sprite was born in the Wangchuan River, feeding on resentment. It could manipulate the Weak Water and possessed the strength comparable to a mid-stage Divine Abilities realm cultivator, making it extremely difficult to handle.

The Water Sprite let out a low roar, waving its hands. The Weak Water in the river transformed into countless arrows, shooting toward Ye Li. These weak arrows contained strong corrosive and resentful power; even a Divine Abilities realm cultivator would not dare to take them head-on.

Ye Li deployed the Universe Trace-less Steps, her figure moving like a phantom through the rain of arrows. Her Dark Ice Sword danced, freezing and shattering the arrows she could not evade. However, the sheer number of weak arrows was too great, and one grazed her arm. Instantly, a frigid wave of resentment invaded her body through the wound.

She quickly circulated her spiritual energy to force out the resentment; her heart filled with alarm. The Underworld Water Sprite was indeed formidable, and by the Remnant Flow of the Wangchuan, it possessed a geographical advantage that further enhanced its strength.

Seeing that its initial attack had failed, the Water Sprite roared, and the entire Remnant Flow of the Wangchuan began to boil. The black river water surged toward the sky, forming a gigantic vortex that enveloped Ye Li. Wails of countless resentful souls echoed from within the vortex, unsettling her mind.

Ye Li felt dizzy, and her soul seemed to be tearing out of her body. She hastily guarded her spiritual platform, and the Reincarnation Mirror fragment in her Sea of Consciousness emitted a clear radiance, protecting her soul from erosion.

“I must finish this quickly!” Ye Li’s thoughts raced. This Water Sprite could mobilize the power of the entire Remnant Flow of the Wangchuan, making a prolonged battle disadvantageous for her.

She held the Dark Ice Sword vertically before her chest, and the golden Reincarnation Light on the blade intensified. “Six Paths of Reincarnation Sword—Path of Beasts, Enslaving Soul!”

This was a sword technique she had newly comprehended, specifically targeting the soul. The sword light transformed into countless tiny golden runes, which shot out like chains toward the Water Sprite. The Water Sprite tried to dodge, but the runes seemed alive, tightly tracking its soul fluctuations.

“Aoo!”

As the runes entered its body, the Water Sprite let out a painful howl. Its movements became stiff, and its eyes filled with confusion, indicating its soul had been severely disturbed. Seizing this opportunity, Ye Li merged with her sword, turning into a streak of light that pierced the Water Sprite’s glabella.

“Puchi!”

The Dark Ice Sword ran through the Water Sprite’s head, and the frigid sword energy instantly erupted, freezing its entire body. With a subsequent shake of the sword, the ice sculpture shattered, and the Water Sprite dissipated into countless ice crystals, leaving behind only a black pearl the size of a pigeon’s egg—its innate Soul Pearl, a material used for refining certain special elixirs and artifacts.

Ye Li collected the Soul Pearl, breathing slightly heavily. Though the battle was short, its danger was far greater than her previous encounters. If not for her new comprehension of the “Path of Beasts” sword intent, slaying this Water Sprite would have required much more effort.

Through this battle, she gained a deeper understanding of the environment and enemies of the Underworld Ghost Realm. The ghosts here were not only powerful but also skilled at using their environmental advantage, and most possessed attacks aimed at the soul.

She recuperated by the Wangchuan River for a moment, restoring her state to its peak before continuing toward the direction where the Reincarnation Mirror fragment’s induction was slightly stronger. For some reason, she felt that a deeper secret was hidden within this Underworld Ghost Realm, something beyond just the Reincarnation Mirror fragments.

Along the way, she began to consciously collect some materials unique to the ghost realm, such as “Yin Soul Wood” and “Nether Iron,” which were rare items in the outside world. At the same time, she paid closer attention to any abnormalities in the environment, hoping to find more clues regarding the Reincarnation Mirror fragments.

The deeper she ventured into the ghost realm, the denser the resentment in the air became, to the point where it could even affect a cultivator’s sanity. Fortunately, Ye Li had her Dao artifact protecting her soul and had taken the “Clear Heart Purifying Soul Pills” gifted by Envoy Yunying, which kept her from being fully corrupted by the resentment.

On this day, she arrived at a barren plain, on which countless gravestones stood, forming an endless cemetery. In the center of the cemetery, she sensed an abnormally powerful fluctuation of Yin energy, as if something was awakening…