After My Rebirth, I Ended Up Happily Ever After with the Saintess - Chapter 136

Ye Li stayed at the Hidden Mist Mountain Villa for over a month. After properly arranging the affairs of the Youge (Shadow Pavilion), she prepared to set off for her next destination. Before leaving, she specifically inspected the Youge’s newly established intelligence transmission system. This system, utilizing an improved communication formation, could transmit crucial intelligence to all corners of the Spirit Realm in an extremely short time—a project she had specially instructed Lin Feng to establish.

Just as she was about to depart on that morning, an urgent communication talisman tore through the sky and accurately landed in the receiving formation at the Hidden Mist Mountain Villa. The disciple responsible for guarding the formation immediately presented the talisman to Ye Li.

The talisman originated from the Youge branch in Tian Shu City, located in the Central State, and was made of the highest-grade red paper, signifying a matter of utmost emergency. Ye Li immersed her spiritual sense into the talisman, and her expression instantly became grim.

The intelligence recorded in the talisman was shocking: Three days ago, a bizarre attack occurred in Tian Shu City. Seven genius cultivators who had performed exceptionally well at the Thousand Domains Heaven’s Chosen Assembly mysteriously disappeared on the same day. These included Monk Huiming from the Western Regions Buddhist Kingdom and the Young Master Golden Roc from the Southern Wild Monster Domain, among others. What was even more disturbing was the faint trace of Demonic Qi left at the scenes, which was extremely similar to the aura of the “Dark Eye” organization they had encountered previously in the Primordial Secret Realm.

“Finally, they can’t sit still…” A cold light flashed in Ye Li’s eyes. She immediately changed her itinerary and decided to personally travel to Tian Shu City to investigate the matter.

Piloting the Streamer Boat, Ye Li rushed to Tian Shu City at her fastest speed. Along the way, she continuously received intelligence from Youge branches in various locations, indicating that the situation was far worse than she had imagined.

In addition to Tian Shu City, similar disappearances of geniuses had occurred in places like the Star Palace in Eastern Continent, the Vajra Temple in the Western Regions, and the Myriad Monster Valley in the Southern Wild. All the missing individuals were young talents who had made a name for themselves at the Thousand Domains Heaven’s Chosen Assembly, and the same residual Demonic Qi was found at every scene.

What made Ye Li even more wary was that the timing of these incidents was extremely close, clearly indicating a well-planned and coordinated operation.

Three days later, Ye Li arrived at Tian Shu City. This city, one of the most prosperous in the Spirit Realm, was now shrouded in an atmosphere of tension. The checks at the city gates were extraordinarily strict, and the street patrols were several times more numerous than usual.

Without alarming anyone, Ye Li quietly made her way to the Youge’s secret base in Tian Shu City—a calligraphy and painting shop called “Ink Rhyme Studio.”

The shopkeeper, a refined middle-aged scholar, immediately led Ye Li to the secret chamber in the back courtyard upon seeing her.

“Pavilion Master, you’ve finally arrived!” The shopkeeper’s expression was nervous. “The situation is not good.”

He took out a memory stone and activated it, displaying recent scenes of Tian Shu City. In the footage, masters from various major powers could be seen mobilizing frequently, and the city’s atmosphere was highly charged.

“Among the seven missing geniuses, three are direct descendants of prominent city families, and two are important inheritors of major sects,” the shopkeeper reported. “Now, all the major families and sects are exerting pressure, demanding that the City Lord’s Mansion solve the case as soon as possible.”

Ye Li carefully examined the images in the memory stone, when her gaze suddenly narrowed: “Stop! Zoom in on this corner.”

The image froze on a shadowy corner of an alley, where there was an extremely faint black mark, shaped like a distorted eye.

“This is… the mark of the Dark Eye!” Ye Li recognized the symbol. “They are demonstrating their power to the various major forces.”

Just then, another urgent communication talisman flew in. This time, the intelligence was even more startling: three disciples of the Nine Heavens Celestial Palace who were out on a trial were also attacked, resulting in two serious injuries and one disappearance. The cultivation technique used by the attackers contained rich Demonic Qi, identical to the methods of the perpetrators in the various genius disappearance cases.

“They dare to strike even the Nine Heavens Celestial Palace…” A sense of ominous foreboding arose in Ye Li’s heart. This was no longer a simple provocation but a premeditated, large-scale operation.

She immediately contacted Envoy Yun Ying at the Nine Heavens Celestial Palace through a special channel. Communication was quickly established, and Envoy Yun Ying’s image appeared before her, her face equally solemn.

“Ye Li, you’ve come at a good time,” Envoy Yun Ying said directly. “The Celestial Palace has confirmed that the attackers of our disciples were indeed the Shadow Demon forces. Furthermore, according to the intelligence we have, they seem to be planning a major conspiracy targeting the geniuses of all domains.”

“Shadow Demon?” This was the first time Ye Li had heard this name.

“This is a demonic organization even older and more mysterious than the Dark Eye,” Envoy Yun Ying explained. “Legend has it that they originate from the Outer Domain Heavenly Demons and have been secretly infiltrating the Spirit Realm. The Dark Eye is very likely just a branch of theirs.”

She paused, then continued: “What’s more worrying is that we suspect the Shadow Demon organization has ties to your former life’s enemy.”

Ye Li’s eyes flashed sharply: “Do you have evidence?”

Envoy Yun Ying took out a memory crystal: “This was found at the attack site. Take a look.”

Ye Li immersed her spiritual sense into the memory crystal, and her body immediately trembled. The crystal recorded a blurry image. Although the face was unclear, the figure’s demeanor and the way the cultivation technique was operated were extremely similar to Ling Hao in her memory!

“It’s him…” Ye Li’s voice carried suppressed fury. Though years had passed, she would never forget the aura of the junior disciple who had betrayed her.

“We suspect that the Shadow Demon is collecting the essence blood and divine souls of the various domain geniuses to activate some ancient forbidden formation,” Envoy Yun Ying said. “This forbidden formation is likely related to the World-Erosion Plan.”

Ye Li pondered for a moment, then suddenly thought of a crucial question: “Why are they targeting the Nine Heavens Celestial Palace?”

Envoy Yun Ying’s expression became even graver: “We suspect their true target is Qin Yixuan, who is currently in secluded cultivation.”

This statement struck Ye Li like a bolt from the blue, causing her heart to clench. She immediately realized the gravity of the situation. If the Shadow Demon organization had truly set their sights on Qin Yixuan, the situation at the Nine Heavens Celestial Palace might be more perilous than she had imagined.

After ending the communication with Envoy Yun Ying, Ye Li immediately summoned all the core members of the Youge in Tian Shu City.

“Initiate the highest level of alert,” Ye Li commanded. “Utilize all our intelligence networks. I want to grasp all movements of the Shadow Demon in the Central State in the shortest possible time.”

In the days that followed, the vast intelligence machine of the Youge operated at full capacity. Countless pieces of intelligence converged on Tian Shu City from across the Spirit Realm, and after analysis and collation, they were presented to Ye Li.

As the investigation deepened, a startling conspiracy gradually surfaced.

The Shadow Demon organization was indeed plotting a large-scale operation against the geniuses of all domains. Their goal was to simultaneously strike the talented cultivators of various domains at a specific point in time to collect their essence blood and divine souls.

Even more frightening was the Youge’s intelligence, which revealed that the Shadow Demon had infiltrated multiple major sects and aristocratic families. Some seemingly accidental incidents were, in fact, meticulously planned conspiracies.

“Pavilion Master, this is crucial intelligence we discovered in the Western Regions,” Lin Feng personally delivered a secret report. “The person in charge of the Shadow Demon in the Western Regions is very likely the Head of the Discipline Hall of the Vajra Temple—Master Liaochen!”

Ye Li took the secret report and read it carefully, her face slightly changing. Master Liaochen was a highly respected figure in the Western Regions Buddhist Kingdom. If even he was a member of the Shadow Demon, the extent of the organization’s infiltration was terrifying.

Just then, Ye Li suddenly sensed an abnormal fluctuation from the Wheel of Reincarnation Mirror. She immediately closed her eyes and focused, establishing a deeper connection with the mirror.

With the aid of the Wheel of Reincarnation Mirror, she witnessed a chilling sight: the essence blood and divine souls of countless genius cultivators were being poured into a massive blood-colored formation. A blurry figure was suspended at the center of the formation, absorbing these powers.

And the aura of that figure was extremely similar to Ling Hao’s!

“So that’s it…” Ye Li suddenly understood. “They are reconstructing a physical body for Ling Hao!”

This discovery escalated the severity of the entire incident once again. If Ling Hao succeeded in being resurrected, his understanding of the Wheel of Reincarnation Mirror would make him Ye Li’s greatest threat.

What worried Ye Li even more was that in her deduction, she also saw the Nine Heavens Celestial Palace being besieged. Countless demonic shadows surrounded the Celestial Palace, and the Mystic Maiden Palace, where Qin Yixuan was in secluded cultivation, was their key target.

“I must stop them!” Ye Li made up her mind.

She immediately used the Youge’s intelligence network to issue a warning to the major forces in the Spirit Realm. At the same time, she personally headed to several locations that might become the Shadow Demon’s next targets to set up defenses.

The first stop was the Star Palace in the Eastern Continent. This was a gathering place for young geniuses and was likely the Shadow Demon’s next target.

Ye Li piloted the Streamer Boat, rushing to the Star Palace at the fastest speed. When she arrived, traces of Demonic Qi had already appeared outside the Star Palace.

“It seems I’m still a step late.” Ye Li’s eyes flashed cold, and she immediately launched a spiritual sense search.

In a hidden valley behind the Star Palace, she found an anomaly. Dozens of black-robed figures were gathered there, setting up a bizarre formation. Several young disciples of the Star Palace were trapped in the center of the formation, their faces etched with pain, clearly having their essence blood extracted.

“Stop!” Ye Li roared, her Profound Ice Sword already unsheathed.

The black-robed figures were clearly unprepared for a sudden appearance, and their formation instantly fell into disarray. The leader of the black-robed figures shouted sternly: “Who dares to ruin the Shadow Demon’s great plan!”

Ye Li didn’t waste words with them, directly unleashing the newly created “Six Paths of Reincarnation Sword Art – Path of the Destroying Asura.” Where the sword light passed, all sounds ceased, and even space showed signs of decay.

The black-robed figures discovered with horror that their demonic cultivation techniques were completely ineffective against this bizarre sword intent. Where the sword light reached, the Demonic Qi dissipated, and life force was cut off.

In just a few breaths, all dozens of black-robed figures were killed. Ye Li rescued the trapped Star Palace disciples and obtained more intelligence from them.

It turned out that the Shadow Demon was indeed planning a large-scale operation against the geniuses of all domains, aiming to launch simultaneous attacks on the night of the full moon to collect enough essence blood and divine souls.

“The night of the full moon… that’s three days from now!” Ye Li realized the urgency of the timing.

She immediately used the Youge’s intelligence network to transmit this crucial information to all major forces. At the same time, she decided to personally head to several key locations to oversee the situation.

Over the next three days, Ye Li traveled across the Spirit Realm, successively thwarting the Shadow Demon’s conspiracies at the Vajra Temple, Myriad Monster Valley, and other locations. With every exchange, she felt Ling Hao’s aura more clearly.

“He’s indeed still alive…” The killing intent in Ye Li’s heart grew stronger.

In the final battle, she even had a direct confrontation with one of Ling Hao’s clones. Although it was only a clone, the strength it displayed had reached the level of the Nirvana Realm.

“Senior Sister, still doing well, I see.” Ling Hao’s clone let out a chilling laugh. “We’ll truly reunite very soon.”

Ye Li looked at him coldly: “This time, I won’t give you another chance to betray me.”

During the fierce battle, Ye Li finally confirmed a critical piece of intelligence: the Shadow Demon’s true target was indeed Qin Yixuan, who was in secluded cultivation at the Nine Heavens Celestial Palace. They wanted to use Qin Yixuan’s Mystic Maiden of the Nine Heavens Origin to complete Ling Hao’s resurrection ritual.

The night of the full moon finally arrived.

That night, the entire Spirit Realm was shrouded in a tense atmosphere. All major forces stood ready, guarding against the Shadow Demon’s sudden attack.

And Ye Li, alone, arrived at the outskirts of the Nine Heavens Celestial Palace. She chose to wait here because her intuition told her that this would be the main battlefield for the decisive confrontation.

As expected, when the moonlight was at its brightest, countless demonic shadows surged toward the Nine Heavens Celestial Palace from all directions. Leading them was another clone of Ling Hao, along with several elders of the Shadow Demon organization.

“Ling Hao, your ambition ends here.” Ye Li stood holding her sword, her silver hair shimmering in the moonlight.

Ling Hao’s clone let out a wild burst of laughter: “Senior Sister, do you think you can stop me? I’ve been planning for this day for hundreds of years!”

Following his words, a massive blood-colored formation appeared above the Nine Heavens Celestial Palace. Countless tormented faces, the missing geniuses from various domains over the past few days, emerged within the formation.

Ye Li’s eyes grew cold, knowing the moment for the decisive battle had come. She took a deep breath, adjusting her state to the peak. This battle was not only about her feud with Ling Hao but also about the safety of the entire Spirit Realm.

Meanwhile, Qin Yixuan, in secluded cultivation within the Mystic Maiden Palace far away, seemed to sense the upheaval outside, and a powerful, sacred aura began to emanate from her body…

The battle for the fate of the Spirit Realm was about to begin.