After My Rebirth, I Ended Up Happily Ever After with the Saintess - Chapter 141

At the peak of the Mystic Maiden Palace, Ye Li finally reached her limit. Her body swayed violently, her vision blurring, as a tidal wave of gut-wrenching pain and soul-tearing weakness overwhelmed her. She had forcibly trespassed into the Celestial Palace, fought fiercely with the Ghost-Faced Man, and overdrawn her spirit essence to purify the demonic seal. Her injuries were critically severe; her persistence until this moment was solely fueled by her concern for Qin Yixuan’s safety and her own unyielding will.

Just as her body stumbled and she was about to collapse, a pair of warm and steady arms caught her in time. Qin Yixuan’s eyes were filled with distress and urgency. She carefully drew Ye Li into her embrace, letting her lean against her. “Don’t move, and don’t try to be strong anymore,” Qin Yixuan’s voice carried a hint of a choke, yet held an undeniable blend of gentleness and determination. “Now, it’s my turn to protect you.”

She gently helped Ye Li sit down on the smooth, glazed tiles of the palace roof, positioning Ye Li with her back against her own. Her slender, jade-like hand lightly pressed against a vital acupuncture point on Ye Li’s back. The next moment, the pure, vast, yet incomparably gentle primal divine power of the Mystic Maiden, which contained the most fundamental life force and creative energy of the cosmos, flowed slowly into Ye Li’s nearly depleted and fragmented meridians and her collapsing Sea of Consciousness, like a warm stream thawing in early spring, carrying an ineffable, sacred aura.

This divine power was completely different from ordinary spiritual energy. Instead of forcibly surging or filling, it was like the most meticulous weaver, gently smoothing over every torn wound in Ye Li’s body, repairing the shattered organs, and nourishing the depleted Dantian. The sensation of soul-tearing agony caused by the excessive activation of the Reincarnation Mirror, under the nourishment of this sacred power, gradually lessened and subsided, like shadows dispelled by the sun. Ye Li’s body, which had been painfully tensed, slowly relaxed. Her tightly furrowed brows gradually smoothed out, and a faint sigh, minuscule yet imbued with incomparable comfort, escaped her throat. Her nerves, stretched to the absolute limit, finally completely relaxed. An intense feeling of exhaustion washed over her, and her consciousness slowly blurred, eventually sinking into a warm, peaceful, restorative deep sleep. Her breathing became even and long, and a barely perceptible hint of color finally returned to her pale cheeks.

Qin Yixuan lowered her head, gazing at the tranquil sleeping face of the person in her arms. Her fingertips trembled slightly as she passed them over Ye Li’s silver hair, which was stained with blood and dust, with infinite tenderness and reverence, her movements delicate, as if touching a rare, fragile treasure. Looking at the dozens of wounds of varying depths on her body and sensing her nearly exhausted vital essence, Qin Yixuan’s heart felt tightly squeezed by an invisible hand, throbbing with sharp pain. She knew that had Ye Li not disregarded her own safety at the last moment, forcibly entered her Sea of Consciousness, and used her own spirit essence to trigger the ultimate power of the Reincarnation Mirror to purify the demonic seal, she would have long since been drained of her essence and her soul extinguished by the corrosion of the Soul-Eroding Demonic Seal, thus ending the legacy of the Nine Heavens Mystic Maiden. This life-for-a-life devotion was heavier than Mount Tai and deeper than the vast ocean.

While Qin Yixuan was wholly focused on healing Ye Li, Palace Master Yaoguang had already led the remaining loyal disciples and employed lightning-fast measures to completely clear out all remaining enemies outside the Celestial Palace. Seeing the situation was irreversible—the powerful clone of Ling Hao realized that the Nine Heavens Celestial Palace’s Great Guardian Array had restabilized after the Mystic Maiden’s return, and further entanglement would only lead to defeat—he finally let out a roar filled with unwillingness and malevolence before collapsing. Only an extremely subtle wisp of demonic thought attempted to flee. A cold glint flashed in Palace Master Yaoguang’s eyes. She wielded the Palace Master’s Command Sigil, unleashing a beam of purifying divine light that annihilated the majority of the demonic thought, leaving only a trace of the most fundamental remnant, which slipped away like an agile loach into the void and vanished. She did not pursue it deeply, knowing that the immediate priority was to stabilize the Celestial Palace’s situation, reassure the people, and confer with the newly returned Mystic Maiden, whose power was not yet fully familiar, on the grand strategy for dealing with the subsequent demonic tribulation.

She quickly appeared at the peak of the Mystic Maiden Palace, witnessing the two embracing figures—the sacred and majestic Mystic Maiden was gently nourishing the unconscious guardian with her own primal divine power. A complex, unreadable emotion—a blend of relief, deep feeling, and worry for the future—flickered in Palace Master Yaoguang’s eyes. She did not interrupt, instead choosing to silently stand guard, like the most loyal protector, while remotely commanding, via divine sense, the less severely injured Envoy Yunying and others to speed up the clearing of the battlefield, reorganize defenses, treat the wounded, and tally losses.

Time flowed in silence. The setting sun dyed the sky a magnificent orange-red, as if painting a tragic, grand oil color onto the brutal victory. Several hours later, when the rising sun once again bathed the Nine Heavens Celestial Palace, now repaired by the Mystic Maiden’s divine power, in golden radiance, driving away the last trace of blood and gloom, Ye Li, under the continuous nourishment of the pure divine power, finally stabilized the majority of her injuries and slowly woke up.

Her long eyelashes fluttered a few times like butterfly wings before slowly opening. Her vision was blurry at first, but the incomparably beautiful face, etched into her soul and bones, showing worry and concern, came into clear focus. Feeling the residual warm and powerful divine energy still slowly circulating within her body, repairing the final internal injuries, Ye Li’s heart warmed. She tried to move her limbs. Although still weak, she was no longer in mortal danger, and her strength had recovered by about twenty to thirty percent.

“How do you feel? Is there any discomfort?” Seeing her wake up, Qin Yixuan quickly asked in a concerned whisper, her voice as soft as an ear murmur.

“Much better,” Ye Li replied with a slightly pale smile meant to reassure her. She struggled to sit up, but was gently held down by Qin Yixuan. “You have also expended a considerable amount of divine power. There’s no need to waste any more on me,” Ye Li shook her head, her gaze shifting to Palace Master Yaoguang standing silently nearby. Her expression turned serious. “Palace Master, what are the losses in the Celestial Palace? What is the situation outside?”

Palace Master Yaoguang sighed softly and stepped forward: “The casualties are significant. Especially among the lower-level disciples, nearly thirty percent were lost. Yunying was also severely wounded, but thanks to the Mystic Maiden’s divine power, she is now out of danger. As for the outside world…” Her tone grew heavy. “According to the fragmented intelligence we just received, the Shadow Demons’ actions this time are absolutely not limited to our Nine Heavens Celestial Palace. Cases of missing geniuses are frequent across the land. Traces of the demons have appeared in Central State, Eastern State, Southern Wilderness, and even the Western Regions. Before the collapse of Ling Hao’s clone, he raved that the ‘Erosion World Plan’ has already been activated, and a great catastrophe for the Spirit Realm is imminent. We must quickly unite all forces, clarify the truth, and jointly respond to the demonic tribulation.”

Ye Li nodded, her eyes sharp: “Exactly. The Shadow Demons’ plan this time is meticulous and ruthless. Their ambition is fully exposed. The cases of missing geniuses and the conspiracy targeting Yixuan are likely just the tip of the iceberg of the ‘Erosion World Plan.’ They must be collecting the essence and souls of geniuses for some massive ritual or summoning. Ling Hao’s main body has yet to appear, indicating that he must be plotting something even more terrifying.”

Qin Yixuan had also stood up by now. A sacred and majestic aura naturally flowed around her. After a brief period of internal adjustment, her temperament became even more composed and transcendent. Her gaze was clear and firm as she looked into the distance, her voice steady and powerful, carrying a convincing strength, as if representing the will of the Heavens: “Since I have inherited the position of the Mystic Maiden and returned here, protecting the common people of the Spirit Realm is my duty, and I shall not shirk it. The Nine Heavens Celestial Palace is willing to be the vanguard in this calamity, contacting all parties, exposing the demonic conspiracy, and jointly resisting the demonic tribulation!”

Her voice was not loud, yet it clearly resonated throughout the Celestial Palace, which had just undergone the baptism of war, falling into the ears of every surviving disciple, bringing boundless confidence and hope.

The decision was made, and action immediately began. Under the name of the Nine Heavens Celestial Palace, the “Demon Slaying Alliance Pact” and an urgent notice regarding the “Erosion World Plan,” jointly signed by the newly returned Nine Heavens Mystic Maiden Qin Yixuan and Palace Master Yaoguang, were transmitted through the Celestial Palace’s unique and extremely rapid communication channels including thousand-mile transmission arrays, specially trained spirit birds, and directional spatial talismans. They took flight, rapidly heading towards all major top-tier forces in the Spirit Realm: the Human Imperial Dynasty that controlled order in Central State, the Pure Land Buddhist Kingdom in the Western Regions where faith converged, the Star Palace in Eastern State that observed the stars and predicted fate, the Myriad Monster Valley in the Southern Wilderness with its myriad races, and major first-tier sects and aristocratic families such as the Profound Cloud Sect (Ye Li’s original sect) and the Azure Water Pavilion (Qin Yixuan’s original sect).

This notice was not a simple plea for help. It comprehensively detailed the existence of the Shadow Demon organization, its structural characteristics such as the possibility of the Dark Eye being a branch, the accumulated crimes of collecting the spirit essences of geniuses in recent years, the malicious nature of the Soul-Eroding Demonic Seal and the difficulty of its neutralization, as well as the connection between Ling Hao although his specific relationship with Ye Li’s past life was not explicitly stated, he was identified as a core figure of the Shadow Demons and an ancient demon lord and the ‘Erosion World Plan’ aimed at world destruction. To enhance persuasiveness, the notice also included processed, fragmented memory images obtained via soul searching from Elder Qingxu and the Ghost-Faced Man as supporting evidence. These included bloody and cruel scenes and cryptic records mentioning “sacrifices,” “descent,” and “end of the epoch.”

In an instant, the entire high-level strata of the Spirit Realm were profoundly shaken! Although the missing genius cases in various regions had previously raised alarms, most believed them to be local skirmishes, vendettas, or isolated acts by certain evil cultivators, and had not escalated the matter to a level that threatened the very survival of the Spirit Realm. It was not until the long-standing Nine Heavens Celestial Palace suffered such a fierce attack, nearly being destroyed, and the legendary reincarnation of the Nine Heavens Mystic Maiden almost fell victim, coupled with the disclosure of the horrifying “Erosion World Plan” and the conclusive visual evidence, that a heavy hammer struck, fiercely awakening all those in power—this was not internal conflict, nor local dispute, but a massive, long-premeditated conspiracy aimed at destroying everything, affecting the entire Spirit Realm!

The Central State Imperial Dynasty was the first to respond. The current Human Emperor, in court assembly, was furious, ordering a thorough investigation into all clues related to the Shadow Demons within their territory. All those involved would be executed along with their nine familial relations. He immediately dispatched an envoy delegation carrying lavish gifts to the Nine Heavens Celestial Palace, expressing their intention to form an alliance, while simultaneously mobilizing elite legions to patrol the borders and guard against the demonic plague. In the Western Regions Buddhist Kingdom, the contemporary Living Buddha, who had been in secluded meditation for years, was startled awake, issuing an edict commanding the Vajra Temple, Great Thunder Sound Temple, and other Buddhist holy sites to activate their protective mountain arrays and exercise strict caution, and to dispatch a monastic delegation led by the Venerable Huijue Arhat, renowned for his wisdom and martial prowess, to the Nine Heavens Celestial Palace to deliberate countermeasures. The Palace Master of the Eastern State Star Palace observed the stars at night, confirming that the Emperor Star was dim and the Demon Star was blazing, portending a great calamity. Not daring to delay, he sent a team of elders skilled in array formations. Although the Southern Wilderness Demon Region was internally divided by numerous races with frequent friction, under the unified suppression of several Demon Emperors, they temporarily set aside their differences and dispatched an envoy delegation composed of several powerful Demon Kings.

For a time, the wind gathered the clouds. The Nine Heavens Celestial Palace became the focus of the Spirit Realm’s attention, the center of the counterattack storm.

Simultaneously, Ye Li was not idle. After her injuries stabilized slightly, she immediately used the most covert, single-line communication channel of the Nether Pavilion to transmit more detailed intelligence including her understanding of Ling Hao’s cultivation methods and some characteristics of the Reincarnation Mirror, as well as several vague locations where other Reincarnation Mirror fragments or important Shadow Demon strongholds might exist mainly concentrated in the Western Regions and several ancient battlefield ruins, which she deduced from the subtle sensation between the Reincarnation Mirror fragments. She instructed Lin Feng, who was secretly developing his forces in the Profound Cloud Sect’s area, to spare no expense, utilize all available resources, and intensify efforts to infiltrate and investigate the Western Regions and other areas. He was commanded to obtain more crucial information before the joint army’s action.

Undercurrents surged, and a vast net targeting the Shadow Demons was slowly being cast with the coordination of all forces in the Spirit Realm. Meanwhile, the Nine Heavens Celestial Palace, having just undergone the baptism of fire and blood, was rapidly recovering its vitality under the illumination of the Mystic Maiden’s divine radiance, preparing to meet the larger-scale storm that was about to arrive.