After My Rebirth, I Ended Up Happily Ever After with the Saintess - Chapter 133

The Shattered Starlight River is a star system that was utterly broken and fragmented due to an ancient great war. Legend has it that a million years ago, this was the decisive battleground between the Human Race and the extraterrestrial Sky Demons. Countless powerful beings perished here, and the immense force of their power tore the entire star system apart, creating the dangerous and spatially unstable region that exists today.

Ye Li carefully piloted the “Flowing Light Skiff,” which she had purchased from the Myriad Realms City, weaving through the periphery of the Shattered Starlight River. She had specifically chosen this starship not only for its extreme speed and excellent defenses but also because its surface was covered with runes for spatial reinforcement, allowing it to withstand the impact of temporal-spatial turbulence to a certain degree.

Looking out the porthole, the scene was breathtaking. Stars that should have been in orderly orbits were scattered chaotically. Huge planetary fragments drifted in the void, some still slowly rotating and emitting their last light. Even more perilous were the spatial fissures that flickered in and out of existence, acting like invisible blades that could instantly slice any passing object in half.

The protective light shield outside the skiff flickered precariously under the assault of the temporal-spatial turbulence, emitting a grating, teeth-jarring sound. Ye Li had to continuously channel spirit power into the starship to maintain the shield’s stability. Even so, occasional, exceptionally strong gusts of turbulence would cause the shield to violently fluctuate, as if it were on the verge of shattering.

“The spatial structure here is indeed fragile,” Ye Li muttered, observing the surroundings. She cautiously extended her divine sense outward but quickly retracted it. In this region, her divine sense was severely disrupted, and a minor lapse could result in her soul being damaged by the chaotic temporal-spatial power.

Following the information guide obtained from the Pavilion of Heavenly Secrets, she steered the starship towards the hazardous area known as the “Temporal-Spatial Vortex.” The closer she got, the stranger the scenery became. Star-light that should have traveled in straight lines was visibly bent here, and the flow of time experienced subtle shifts. At times, she even caught fleeting glimpses of fragmented scenes from the past flickering in the void.

After more than ten days of cautious navigation, the outline of the Temporal-Spatial Vortex finally appeared before her. It was a colossal maelstrom, probably tens of thousands of miles in diameter, slowly rotating in the void. The center of the vortex was pitch black, swallowing even light, with only the edges shimmering with an eerie, multi-colored light.

As she drew near, Ye Li could feel a terrifying suction emanating from within the vortex. If she hadn’t immediately stabilized the skiff, she might have already been pulled inside. Even standing on the edge of the vortex, she felt her own sense of time and space being twisted, as if she simultaneously existed at multiple points in time.

“So this is the Temporal-Spatial Vortex…” Ye Li gazed at the cosmic wonder, feeling both awe and vigilance. According to records, powerful cultivators had once attempted to explore the depths of the vortex, but none had ever returned.

She did not rush into the center of the vortex but instead searched for a relatively safe location in its outer region. After careful investigation, she found a comparatively stable area on a massive planetary fragment. This fragment was a hundred miles across, its surface covered with impact craters, yet, strangely, it seemed unaffected by the vortex’s suction, maintaining a steady orbit.

Ye Li landed the starship on the fragment and set up layer upon layer of defensive arrays. She decided to reside here temporarily, utilizing the unique environment to temper her physique and gain insights into the Laws of Time and Space.

Sitting cross-legged at the center of the array, Ye Li began to attempt to guide a wisp of temporal-spatial turbulence power into her body. This process was extremely dangerous; a slight mistake could lead to the collapse of her physical body or damage to her soul.

She cautiously lowered her defenses and immediately felt the surrounding, violent temporal-spatial power. This power was pervasive, like ten thousand invisible blades simultaneously slicing her meridians and flesh. A sharp pain instantly spread throughout her body, causing her to let out a muffled groan.

But Ye Li held fast to her mind and circulated the Imperial Sutra of the Nether Universe. The extreme-chill spirit power formed a protective film within her body, while the power of the Samsara Mirror also began to take effect, helping her stabilize the surrounding temporal-spatial fluctuations.

Once inside her body, the temporal-spatial power began to fiercely destroy her bodily tissues. Muscle fibers were torn, cracks appeared in her meridians, and even her internal organs were impacted. Simultaneously, however, the power of the Samsara Mirror was repairing this damage, and the repaired tissues became even tougher and more resilient.

Destruction and rebirth repeated endlessly in this process. Fine beads of sweat broke out on Ye Li’s forehead, and her body occasionally trembled from the intense pain, but her eyes remained resolute.

As time passed, she gradually adapted to the pain and gained a deeper understanding of temporal-spatial power. She realized that time and space were not two independent concepts but a whole interconnected entity. The distortion of space affects the flow of time, and changes in time can lead to alterations in the spatial structure.

In this deep-seated realization, she gained a new understanding of the Footwork of the Boundless Universe. This movement technique originally involved the Dao of Space, and now, under the tempering of temporal-spatial power, it began to manifest new changes. She vaguely felt that if she could integrate the variability of time into it, the power of this movement technique would multiply.

Aside from cultivation, Ye Li also explored the fragment. This planetary fragment had an extraordinary history, with many lingering traces of the ancient great war. During one exploration, she discovered a partially buried ruin. Judging by the architectural style, it seemed to have been the outpost of an ancient sect.

In the ruin, she found some broken magical artifacts and jade slips. Although most were damaged, some valuable information remained. One jade slip recorded a divine ability called the “Temporal-Spatial Imprint,” which allowed the user to mark a specific temporal-spatial coordinate for a short duration, enabling short-distance instant teleportation.

Ye Li felt as though she had acquired a priceless treasure and immediately began to study this divine ability. Cultivating temporal-spatial-related divine abilities in an environment of temporal-spatial turbulence yielded surprisingly good results. In just one month, she had grasped the basic essentials of the ability.

Several months later, Ye Li could withstand the outer temporal-spatial turbulence with relative ease. Her physical body strength had increased several times, and her understanding of the Laws of Time and Space had reached new heights. Now, she could survive in the Shattered Starlight River for short periods even without relying on the starship.

One day, when the Temporal-Spatial Vortex experienced another periodic eruption, Ye Li decided to get closer to observe. She put away the starship and flew through the void relying on her physical body, gradually approaching the edge of the vortex.

The closer she got, the more violent the temporal-spatial power she felt. Surprisingly, however, special treasures were birthed in this extreme environment. During one temporal-spatial tide eruption, Ye Li saw a streak of silver light shoot out from the vortex. Quick-witted, she immediately executed the newly learned Temporal-Spatial Imprint, instantly teleporting in front of the silver light, successfully capturing it.

This was a crystal-like substance that exhibited a silver, flowing light. It slowly flowed in her hand, emitting pure spatial fluctuations.

“Void Crystal!” Ye Li recognized the treasure with a pleasant surprise. This was a celestial material and earthly treasure that could only be conceived in extreme temporal-spatial environments. It was invaluable for refining spatial magical artifacts and gaining insight into spatial divine abilities, being priceless in the outside world.

However, just as she was about to leave, danger suddenly descended.

A colossal creature slowly swam out of the Temporal-Spatial Vortex. Its appearance resembled a ray magnified countless times, its body flat, its edges thin as a cicada’s wing, and its entire body translucent silver, nearly blending into the surrounding temporal-spatial turbulence.

“Void Ray!” Ye Li immediately recognized this star-sky behemoth, which only lived in extreme temporal-spatial environments. An adult Void Ray possessed power comparable to a cultivator at the late stage of the Divine Ability Realm, and because they were naturally able to manipulate spatial power, their actual combat strength is even greater.

This Void Ray was clearly attracted by the scent of the Void Crystal. It gently flapped its massive pectoral fins, instantly crossing several miles to appear before Ye Li. Its silver eyes stared at her coldly, radiating a powerful suppressive force.

Ye Li immediately entered a battle state. The Dark Ice Sword appeared in her hand, the Samsara golden light on its blade flickering. She knew this would be a difficult battle.

The Void Ray launched the first attack. It gently flicked its huge tail, and an invisible spatial blade sliced towards Ye Li. The space where the spatial blade passed was visibly distorted, even bending the light.

Ye Li dared not meet the attack head-on and executed the Footwork of the Boundless Universe to dodge to the side. But the Void Ray’s control over space far exceeded her imagination. As the first spatial blade grazed past, the second and third were already attacking from different angles.

To make matters worse, the Void Ray could also generate temporary spatial fissures. A few times, just as Ye Li dodged to a certain position, a spatial fissure suddenly appeared there, nearly swallowing her.

Ye Li realized she couldn’t continue to be on the defensive and began to launch her own offense. The Dark Ice Sword swung, and the Samsara Sword Intent surged, but the Void Ray’s body seemed somewhat immune to physical attacks; the sword intent passed through its body, only stirring up rings of spatial ripples.

“It seems ordinary attacks won’t be effective against it,” Ye Li thought quickly, beginning to change her tactics.

She incorporated her temporal-spatial insights into her swordsmanship, each strike carrying subtle spatial fluctuations. Simultaneously, she began to attempt using the newly understood Temporal-Spatial Imprint, constantly teleporting across the battlefield, making it difficult for the Void Ray to lock onto her position.

This battle lasted for three days and three nights in the shattered star-space. The Void Ray was elusive, relying on its innate spatial abilities, while Ye Li circled it, relying on her exquisite movement technique and the Samsara Sword Intent. Both sides suffered significant injuries. Several marks damaged by the Samsara Sword Intent appeared on the Void Ray’s body, and a spatial blade had grazed Ye Li’s left shoulder, staining her Daoist robe with blood.

At the most intense moment of the battle, Ye Li had an epiphany, integrating all the temporal-spatial insights she had gained during this period into her swordsmanship.

“Six Paths Samsara Sword—Human Path, Life is Like a Dream!”

This sword strike looked slow but contained a profound understanding of time and space. Where the sword intent passed, the surrounding time and space underwent subtle changes. The Void Ray’s spatial perception was disrupted, and its movements showed a moment of sluggishness.

Now! A sharp glint flashed in Ye Li’s eyes. Man and sword became one, transforming into a streak of flowing light that stabbed directly at the Void Ray’s core.

Pfft! The Dark Ice Sword accurately pierced the Void Ray’s core, and the extreme-chill sword energy and Samsara power erupted simultaneously. The Void Ray let out a silent wail, and its massive body began to collapse, ultimately turning into specks of silver light that dissipated into the temporal-spatial turbulence.

The battle ended. Ye Li panted heavily, exhausted, but her eyes were gleaming with excitement. In this battle of life and death, her understanding of the Laws of Time and Space reached a new height, and her cultivation level naturally broke through to the late stage of the Divine Ability Realm!

She felt a strange connection forming between herself and the surrounding space. With a thought, she could perform short-distance spatial travel. Although she could only move a hundred feet now, this was already a qualitative leap.

Where the Void Ray dissipated, a silver crystal core was left behind. This was the essence of its lifelong cultivation, and it was also a precious material for refining artifacts. Ye Li collected it and then began to search the Void Ray’s lair.

In a relatively stable spatial fold on the edge of the Temporal-Spatial Vortex, she found the Void Ray’s lair. Many items it had collected were floating here, mostly various sparkling ores and crystals.

Among these miscellaneous items, Ye Li discovered a half-ruined ancient teleportation array. The style of this array was extremely old; the runes carved on it were vastly different from the currently popular teleportation arrays, but it was relatively well-preserved, with only a few parts damaged.

What surprised her even more was that at the core of the teleportation array, she found a jade slip recording a star map. This jade slip had been stored here for an unknown amount of time, but the restrictions on it were still intact.

Ye Li cautiously broke the restriction, and the information in the jade slip was presented in her mind. This was an extremely detailed star map, marking many star systems and secret realms that are now lost. On the edge of the star map, one area was specially marked—the “Abyss of Annihilation.”

Next to this marker was an ancient symbol. Ye Li immediately recognized that this symbol was quite similar to some of the patterns on the Samsara Mirror, which was clearly no coincidence.

“Abyss of Annihilation…” Ye Li murmured, a determined light flashing in her eyes. It seemed this was her next destination.

Before leaving the Shattered Starlight River, Ye Li spent several days meticulously recording the structure of the ancient teleportation array. Although she had no immediate use for it, the Dao of Time and Space contained within this type of ancient array would be of great benefit for perfecting her temporal-spatial divine abilities.

With everything prepared, Ye Li piloted the starship and headed in the direction of the Abyss of Annihilation marked on the star map. Behind her, the Temporal-Spatial Vortex continued to slowly rotate, as if recounting the ancient and mysterious story of this star system.