After My Rebirth, I Ended Up Happily Ever After with the Saintess - Chapter 132

After nearly a year of training in the Netherworld Ghost Domain, Ye Li felt it would be difficult to find the next fragment quickly. Furthermore, her cultivation had hit a bottleneck at the mid-level of the Divine Ability Realm, requiring new opportunities and insights for a breakthrough. She decided to temporarily leave this gloomy and desolate place and head to a location known as the “Myriad Realms City.”

Myriad Realms City is not a single city, but a super trade hub jointly established by seven major chambers of commerce, including the “Star Sea Commerce Guild,” the “Treasures Pavilion,” and the “Heavenly Secret Tower.” It is located at the confluence of several star domains. It is not governed by any single major power but is fully self-governed by the commercial guilds, famous throughout the entire Spirit Realm for its absolute neutrality and abundant resources.

Using a relatively hidden exit in the Netherworld Ghost Domain, Ye Li piloted her star-boat through the void for over a month, finally arriving at the star domain where Myriad Realms City was located.

Looking from afar, a gigantic floating city spanned across the sea of stars, its scale comparable to that of a small planet. The entire city was enveloped by a massive transparent light barrier, and inside, buildings of diverse styles—from Eastern-style pavilions and terraces to Western-style spired castles, and even some uniquely shaped alien architectures—stood in dense arrays.

Countless flying boats, star rafts, and even some rare void creatures gathered outside the city, forming radiant lanes of travel. Occasionally, massive merchant ships bearing the insignias of the major chambers of commerce would slowly pass by.

Ye Li landed in the designated docking area. After paying a considerable parking fee, she entered the Myriad Realms City on foot. She had long since altered her appearance, using a secret technique learned from the Samsara Mirror to conceal her true cultivation at the late-stage of the Core Formation Realm. Dressed in an ordinary blue daoist robe, she looked like a typical wandering cultivator.

Upon entering the city, a wave of noise and excitement rushed over her. The broad streets were crowded with people. Besides the commonly seen human cultivators, one could spot the scale-armored Demon Race, the winged Feathered Race, the cloaked Shadow Race, and even some otherworldly visitors whose forms were entirely different from ordinary people.

Shops lined both sides of the street, their banners fluttering. A rich medicinal fragrance drifted from the entrance of the “Hall of a Hundred Herbs,” the clanging sound of forging came from within the “Divine Weapon Pavilion,” and the windows of the “Talisman Chamber” displayed various glowing spirit talismans. Further away, the nine-story-tall “Heavenly Secret Tower” stood majestically—the best place to purchase intelligence.

Ye Li first found an inn that looked reasonably clean and checked into a premium room. The inn was called “Star Sea Abode,” featuring an elegant environment. Each room was equipped with soundproofing restrictions, making it highly suitable for cultivators.

After settling in, she began to implement her plan. The primary objective was to gather information about the other Samsara Mirror fragments or related ancient ruins.

She first visited the largest intelligence organization in Myriad Realms City—the Heavenly Secret Tower. It was a magnificent building, guarded at the entrance by two stone lions whose eyes were inlaid with “Illusion-Breaking Stones” capable of seeing through falsehoods.

Upon entering the tower, a waiter in a uniform immediately came forward: “Fellow Daoist, what service do you require?”

“I would like to purchase some information concerning ancient ruins and special fragments,” Ye Li said, lowering her voice.

The waiter understood and led her to a private room on the second floor. Before long, an old man with a goatee pushed the door open and entered, introducing himself as a Three-Star Deacon of the Heavenly Secret Tower.

“What kind of information are you looking for, Fellow Daoist?” the old man asked straightforwardly.

Ye Li carefully chose her words: “Regarding fragments that are neither gold nor jade, with starlight flowing along their edges, or ancient ruins connected to them.”

The old man’s eyes flashed when he heard this. Stroking his beard, he said, “This kind of intelligence is not cheap. Moreover, to be honest, most news concerning such special fragments are merely unsubstantiated rumors, difficult to verify.”

“No matter. As long as it’s relevant information, I want it all.” Ye Li took out a storage pouch and placed it on the table; inside were five hundred high-grade spirit stones.

The old man’s divine sense scanned the storage pouch, and he nodded with satisfaction. He then took out a jade slip and began recording: “To our knowledge, there are three places that might be related to this. The first is the ‘Nirvana Star Abyss,’ rumored to be the battlefield of an ancient divine war, where strange fragments often flow out. The second is the ‘Space-Time Maze,’ an area of turbulent space-time that occasionally spits out objects of unknown origin. And the third…”

He paused, then lowered his voice: “It is rumored that the ‘Dark Pupil’ organization is also looking for similar items, and they are active in multiple ancient ruins.”

Ye Li’s heart stirred, but she remained calm on the surface: “Is there anything else?”

The old man shook his head: “That’s all. However, I must remind Fellow Daoist that these places are extremely dangerous; even Divine Ability cultivators dare not easily set foot in them.”

After leaving the Heavenly Secret Tower, Ye Li also visited several other intelligence agencies, such as the “Wind Listening Pavilion” and “Omniscient Scholar.” The information she received was largely similar—vague pointers without definite locations.

The next step was to inquire about the “Dark Pupil” organization. However, to her disappointment, these overt intelligence agencies were highly secretive about the “Dark Pupil.” Back at the Heavenly Secret Tower, when she asked about the “Dark Pupil,” the old man’s expression noticeably changed.

“‘Dark Pupil’? Fellow Daoist, it is best not to inquire about this organization,” the old man said with a serious expression. “This is no ordinary power; it is heavily involved, and knowing too much will only bring trouble upon yourself.”

The situation was similar at the other intelligence agencies. Clearly, the power of the “Dark Pupil” was greater than imagined; even these large-scale intelligence organizations were unwilling to easily offend them.

Ye Li was not surprised by this. Following the pre-arranged code and method, she prepared to contact the person in charge of the Dark Pavilion in Myriad Realms City.

In the southeast district of Myriad Realms City, there was a street named “Artisan Alley,” a seemingly unremarkable place crowded with various craftsmen and small vendors. Ye Li walked into a puppet shop named “Skillful Hand Workshop,” where various lifelike puppets were displayed.

“What does the esteemed guest require?” a shop assistant came forward.

Ye Li took out a special jade token engraved with the Dark Pavilion’s secret mark: “I wish to commission a puppet modeled after the ‘Nine Heavens Profound Maiden.'”

The shop assistant’s eyes subtly shifted but quickly returned to normal: “Please come inside, esteemed guest. This kind of special commission requires a detailed discussion with the manager.”

Following the assistant to the back hall, a middle-aged man was polishing a puppet component. Upon seeing the jade token in Ye Li’s hand, he immediately stood up and respectfully bowed: “This subordinate pays respects to the Pavilion Master!”

To Ye Li’s surprise, the person in charge of Myriad Realms City was none other than Sun Xiaohou, who had followed her when she left the Northern Region! After several years, Sun Xiaohou’s cultivation had reached the early-stage of the Core Formation Realm. His demeanor was much calmer and more capable, no longer the impulsive youth he once was. A touch of life’s hardship was visible in his eyes, but his excitement upon seeing Ye Li was undiminished.

“Xiaohou, is that you?” Ye Li was also somewhat surprised.

“It is your subordinate!” Sun Xiaohou said excitedly. “Big Brother Lin Feng said that Myriad Realms City is a crucial location and requires a reliable person to take charge, so I volunteered to come.”

He led Ye Li through a secret door to an underground safe house. This place was secured with multiple restrictions, making it absolutely safe.

“Pavilion Master, please rest first. I will now report on the Dark Pavilion’s development over the past few years.” Sun Xiaohou brewed a pot of spirit tea for Ye Li and then began his detailed report.

Leveraging the fame Ye Li and Qin Yixuan had gained throughout the Spirit Realm, along with the massive resources Ye Li had provided, the Dark Pavilion—under Lin Feng’s overall coordination—developed extremely rapidly. Now, the Dark Pavilion was no longer limited to the Northern Region and the Central State; its reach had extended to the Eastern Continent, Western Region, Southern Barrens, and even some overseas star islands.

“Currently, the Dark Pavilion has three hundred and twenty-seven core members, all strictly vetted and reliably loyal. Outer members exceed five thousand, distributed across various industries and forces,” Sun Xiaohou reported meticulously. “We have established strongholds in thirty-six major cities, with Myriad Realms City being the most crucial one.”

Overtly, the Dark Pavilion used the “Li Xuan Commerce Guild” as a cover, engaging in businesses such as elixirs, talismans, and intelligence. Sun Xiaohou specifically mentioned that the “Ice Heart Pills” and “Profound Water Talismans” refined using the elixir formulas Ye Li left behind were very popular in the market, providing a stable financial source for the organization.

Covertly, the Dark Pavilion had established an intelligence network spanning a significant portion of the Spirit Realm. “Our personnel have infiltrated the middle ranks of some large sects and commerce guilds. Although we can’t access core secrets yet, we can already obtain a lot of valuable information.”

Sun Xiaohou took out a jade slip and handed it to Ye Li: “This is a summary of the important intelligence collected recently.”

Ye Li’s divine sense swept over the jade slip. It recorded the movements of the major powers, news of secret realms opening, the whereabouts of important individuals, and so on. What caught her attention were multiple records concerning the “Dark Pupil” and the “Eclipse Realm.”

“Regarding the ‘Dark Pupil,’ the intelligence we currently possess is still very incomplete,” Sun Xiaohou said with a grave expression. “This organization is extremely secretive and its structure is complex. Its members do not appear to be entirely human and are connected to some ancient demonic entities.”

He displayed a few clips: “This was taken by our people at great risk. Look at the eyes of these individuals; under specific lighting, they display non-human vertical pupils. Furthermore, the power they use is different from ordinary spiritual energy.”

In the footage, several black-robed figures were performing some kind of ritual in an ancient ruin. Black mist surrounded them, radiating an unsettling aura.

“In recent years, the ‘Dark Pupil’ has been frequently active, seemingly searching for something or preparing for some large-scale ritual,” Sun Xiaohou continued. “We have found their traces in multiple ancient ruins, including the ‘Netherworld Ghost Domain,’ ‘God Burial Mountain,’ and the ‘Samsara Sea.'”

Ye Li furrowed her brow. These places were all related to Samsara (Reincarnation) and death, which was clearly not a coincidence.

“As for the ‘Eclipse Realm’…” Sun Xiaohou’s voice became even lower, “We have only seen fragments of information in some extremely ancient, incomplete texts. It seems to be related to the legends of ‘World Annihilation’ and ‘Epochal Samsara,’ but its specific meaning is unclear.”

He took out a yellowish, damaged ancient scroll: “We obtained this accidentally at an underground auction. It mentions the phrase ‘The Eclipse Realm descends, and all things return to nothingness.’ But most of the content is lost.”

Ye Li took the damaged scroll and examined it carefully. The text on it was an extremely ancient divine script; had it not been for her extensive knowledge in her previous life, she would not have been able to recognize it. As Sun Xiaohou had said, the content was fragmented and difficult to piece together into a complete message.

“However,” Sun Xiaohou hesitated, “We recently discovered that the ‘Dark Pupil’ seems to be collecting ancient texts and magical artifacts related to the ‘Eclipse Realm.’ Perhaps they know more of the inside story.”

Ye Li pondered for a moment, highly satisfied with the capabilities of Lin Feng, Sun Xiaohou, and the others. To be able to develop the Dark Pavilion to such a scale in just a few years truly exceeded her expectations.

She issued new instructions: “Continue to expand the intelligence network, focusing on infiltrating the major top-tier powers and some chaotic star domains that are ungoverned. But remember, safety comes first; better to be slow than to be exposed.”

“Increase the investigative efforts into the ‘Dark Pupil’ and the ‘Eclipse Realm,’ but do not alert them. You can try starting from the ancient ruins they have been active in to look for clues.”

“At the same time, begin covertly collecting and cultivating talents with special abilities. Especially specialists in spatial manipulation, divination, and ghost control—this is crucial for our future development.”

She also handed over some of the unused resources she had acquired in the Netherworld Ghost Domain and previously to Sun Xiaohou, including the Netherworld Soul Iron and several magical artifacts obtained from the Ghost King: “Use these as funding for the Dark Pavilion’s further development. Remember, wealth must be used where it matters most.”

During her half-month stay in Myriad Realms City, Ye Li not only handled the Dark Pavilion’s affairs but also took the opportunity to replenish some essential supplies. She purchased talisman crafting materials, healing elixirs, and some life-saving magical artifacts from multiple shops.

Notably, at a small auction, she unexpectedly found a fragmented page from a scripture concerning the “Six Paths of Samsara.” Although the content was incomplete, it provided considerable inspiration for her to perfect the Six Paths of Samsara Sword technique. For this, she did not hesitate to bid a hefty sum to acquire it.

Before her departure, Sun Xiaohou prepared a detailed star map and a special communication jade token for Ye Li: “Pavilion Master, this star map marks some known dangerous areas and shortcuts. The communication jade token can be used to call for our aid in times of crisis, and we will do our utmost to respond.”

Ye Li accepted the gifts and patted Sun Xiaohou on the shoulder: “You’ve worked hard. Remember, no matter what happens, preserving your own safety is the most important thing.”

“Rest assured, Pavilion Master, your subordinate understands.”

After leaving Myriad Realms City, Ye Li piloted her star-boat towards a new destination. This time, based on a vague piece of information she purchased at the Heavenly Secret Tower, she was heading to an area known as the “Shattered Star River,” where space-time turbulence was rumored to appear. It was said that an ancient ruin related to the Samsara Mirror was hidden there, which might hold clues to the next fragment.

The star-boat streaked through the void and quickly vanished into the vast sea of stars. Behind her, the Dark Pavilion, an organization hidden in the shadows, was quietly growing, like an invisible net slowly enveloping the entire Spirit Realm.