After My Rebirth, I Ended Up Happily Ever After with the Saintess - Chapter 30

The sunlight outside the Hall of Merit seemed to carry a hint of chill. Ye Li held her identity token, which now bore the mission details: “Clear out the Corpse Puppets in West Mountain Mine.” Gao Sheng’s words, which sounded like a concession but were actually full of threat, still echoed in her ears.

“I hope Junior Sister… has a smooth journey, and doesn’t end up falling in the West Mountain Abandoned Mine.”

This was definitely not a blessing of goodwill. The mission must have been tampered with, and what awaited her was likely more than just twenty low-level Corpse Puppets.

However, a cold smile played on Ye Li’s lips. Retreating in fear was never her style. Since the opponent had made their move, she would accept the challenge! This was the perfect opportunity to see the extent of the sect’s dark side, and also to… establish some authority!

She did not immediately head to West Mountain but returned to Cloud Pill Peak first.

Entering the quiet room, she did not rush to prepare talismans or pills—those conventional methods were likely already within the opponent’s calculations. She sat cross-legged, sinking her divine sense into the jade slip obtained from Recluse Mu Yun, focusing on comprehending the Basic Array Analysis and the simple runes for dispelling evil and stabilizing the mind found in the ancient notebook.

At the same time, she took out the mysterious metal fragment she had obtained from the Ye family’s treasure vault. The fragment was still dull and unremarkable. She tried to slowly infuse a trace of the Nether Sovereign Emperor Scripture’s spiritual power into it.

This time, the fragment was not unresponsive! A faint, dark blue glow seemed to flash across its dull surface for a brief instant. It felt icy cold to the touch, and it even caused her spiritual power to slightly stagnate, slowing its circulation!

“It works, after all!” Ye Li’s eyes brightened. Since this object could affect the circulation of spiritual power, it might have a special restraining effect on sinister corpse aura! She carefully tucked the fragment close to her body, keeping it ready for any contingency.

After these preparations, she made a trip to the Hundred Forging Hall. Instead of renting a ground-fire chamber, she spent ten contribution points to purchase some basic materials for drawing talismans—cinnabar, talisman paper, and a small vial of low-level demon beast blood. She then went straight back to her small courtyard.

She did not draw attack or defense talismans. Instead, in the quiet room, she mixed demon beast blood with cinnabar, held her breath, and, relying on her strong control over her spiritual soul, meticulously traced the lines on the coarse talisman paper, stroke by stroke.

The talisman she was drawing was not one of the common types recorded in the jade slip. Instead, it was an attempted modification of a simple “Evil-Warding and Suppression Talisman,” based on the incomplete records in the ancient notebook and her own understanding of the Nether Sovereign Emperor Scripture’s cold, Yin properties!

The process was not smooth, and several sheets of talisman paper were ruined. However, the advantage of her precise control over energy became evident, and after seven or eight failures, three talismans were successfully drawn! The lines on the talismans were archaic and twisted, subtly forming an enigmatic pattern, radiating a faint, icy aura. They were even able to spontaneously absorb the surrounding meager spiritual energy to maintain their effectiveness.

The actual effect remained unknown, but Ye Li felt that this talisman should be useful against evil and sinister entities.

Carefully storing the three self-made talismans and the metal fragment, she finally set off for the West Mountain Abandoned Mine.

West Mountain was located on the edge of the Profound Cloud Sect’s sphere of influence, quite a distance away. By the time she reached the foot of the mountain, it was already the afternoon of the next day.

The entrance to the abandoned mine before her was like a massive black maw embedded in the mountainside, ready to devour people. A cold wind howled out of the cave, carrying a dense stench of decay and a chilling aura, causing a shiver to run down one’s spine. The surrounding vegetation was withered, and the rocks had an ominous gray-black color.

A dilapidated stone stele stood at the cave entrance, with the blurry inscription “Forbidden Area,” adding a layer of eeriness.

Ye Li circulated the Aura Concealment Art, reducing her presence to a minimum. At the same time, she gripped one of the self-made Evil-Warding Talismans between her fingers, cautiously stepping into the mine shaft.

The light inside the cave was dim, with numerous forks in the path. Rust-eaten mining picks and the remains of pushcarts were scattered on the ground, and dark-brown, long-dried bloodstains could be seen on the rock walls from time to time. The deeper she went, the heavier the Yin energy became, and the temperature plummeted. She could even hear faint, grating scratching sounds and low growls coming from the distance.

According to the mission description, Corpse Puppets usually gathered in the deepest, most Yin-heavy parts of the mine. She chose the fork with the densest Yin energy and ventured deep inside.

Sure enough, it wasn’t long before several figures appeared, swaying in the darkness ahead! Their skin was pale and festering, their eyes vacant, their nails black and sharp. They made “ho ho” noises—they were low-level Corpse Puppets! Sensing the presence of a living person, they immediately roared and lunged forward, moving surprisingly fast!

Ye Li’s eyes narrowed, but she did not meet them head-on. She executed the Phantom Shadow Step, her figure weaving like a ghost through the narrow mine shaft, evading the Corpse Puppets’ pounces. Simultaneously, she struck out with two fingers like a sword, accurately targeting the Corpse Puppets’ joints or heads—their vital points!

Pfft! Pfft!

The force of her fingers was sharp, imbued with the icy spiritual power of the Nether Sovereign Emperor Scripture, which seemed to have an additional restraining effect on sinister entities! Often, two or three strikes were enough to shatter a Corpse Puppet’s head, completely neutralizing its ability to move.

However, these Corpse Puppets seemed endless! As soon as she cleared a few, more surged out of the darkness! Moreover, she keenly noticed that the strength of these Corpse Puppets seemed slightly greater than the “Mid-to-Late Qi Enlightenment Stage” described in the mission. A few individuals were even touching the threshold of the Meridian Condensation Stage! And the quantity was far more than twenty!

“They definitely tampered with it,” Ye Li sneered inwardly, but her movements did not slow down. She fought and retreated, using the complex terrain of the mine shaft to her advantage, trying to avoid being cornered by a large number of Corpse Puppets.

Just then, she suddenly felt an extremely subtle spiritual power fluctuation coming from deep within the mine! The fluctuation carried a disturbing, sinister aura!

“Something’s wrong! This isn’t ordinary Yin energy!” Ye Li’s heart tensed. She immediately activated one of her self-made Evil-Warding Talismans!

The talisman ignited without fire, transforming into a soft, icy-blue halo that enveloped the one-zhang area around her!

“Chichichi!”

Wherever the halo reached, it was as if an invisible, evil aura was being purified, producing a slight hiss. The movements of the lunging Corpse Puppets clearly paused; they seemed greatly wary of the blue light!

“It’s effective!” Ye Li’s spirits lifted. It seemed the combination of the ancient notebook and the Nether Sovereign Emperor Scripture yielded extraordinary results!

She seized the opportunity to accelerate, sneaking toward the source of the sinister fluctuation!

The deeper she went, the more Corpse Puppets she encountered, and the stronger they became! “Iron Corpses” even began to appear, with parts of their bodies metallized and their defense greatly enhanced! An ordinary Qi Enlightenment Stage disciple would likely have been instantly turned into a corpse here!

Ye Li pushed the Phantom Shadow Step and her finger techniques to their limits, advancing with difficulty, aided by the blue light of the Evil-Warding Talisman. The spiritual power in her body was being consumed rapidly!

Finally, after rounding another corner, the sight before her made her pupils contract!

This was the bottom of a huge mine pit, where the Yin energy was so dense it had almost solidified into black mist! In the center of the black mist, there was a black miniature banner, palm-sized and covered with bizarre, evil runes! The sinister spiritual power fluctuation emanated from this very banner!

And surrounding the banner, there were at least a hundred Corpse Puppets densely gathered! Among them were even three Corpse Puppets that were exceptionally tall, with bronze-colored skin and green ghost-fire flickering in their eyes. The fluctuations they emitted had clearly reached the Early Meridian Condensation Stage!

This was not a naturally formed Corpse Puppet nest! Someone had deliberately set up this Evil Banner here to attract and strengthen the Corpse Puppets! This was a trap!

“What a vicious tactic!” A chilling light flashed in Ye Li’s eyes! The person who set up this banner intended to completely trap and kill her here!

The three Meridian Condensation-level Bronze Corpses seemed to sense her arrival, letting out a roar and leading the tide of Corpse Puppets to charge toward her!

Her retreat was blocked by Corpse Puppets that had surged in at some point!

In this critical moment, Ye Li became completely calm instead. She abruptly activated her last two Evil-Warding Talismans! The icy-blue halo intensified, temporarily pushing back the Corpse Puppets at the forefront!

At the same time, she did not hesitate to take out the mysterious metal fragment she had kept close to her body! She frantically poured the remaining spiritual power of the Nether Sovereign Emperor Scripture into it!

“Buzz—!”

The fragment violently shook! A hundredfold more powerful than the Evil-Warding Talisman, an utterly cold, chilling dark-blue light, as if it could freeze the soul, suddenly erupted!

The light swept across the entire mine pit like mercury spilling onto the ground!

“Aow—!”

The Corpse Puppets illuminated by the dark-blue light screamed miserably, as if they had encountered their nemesis! Black smoke billowed from their bodies, and their movements instantly became sluggish and stiff! The three Bronze Corpses also roared in pain, the Yin energy around their bodies fluctuating violently, as if about to be completely purified by the light!

Even the sinister black miniature banner violently trembled, and the fluctuations it emitted became extremely unstable!

An opportunity!

Ye Li endured the piercing pain in her spiritual soul caused by the excessive activation of the fragment. She pushed the Phantom Shadow Step to its limit, flashing through the group of stiff Corpse Puppets like a bolt of lightning, charging straight for the black miniature banner!

Gathering her last strength on her fingertip, she pointed it out!

“Pfft!”

The Evil Banner shattered immediately! Turning into dust!

The moment the Evil Banner was shattered, the dense Yin energy in the mine pit seemed to lose its core and began to violently churn and dissipate! The Corpse Puppets, as if drained of their source of power, wailed and fell to the ground, turning into real dead corpses!

The crisis was averted!

Ye Li staggered, her face pale, cold sweat beading on her forehead. The previous act had nearly drained her spiritual and soul power. She quickly swallowed a few Qi Gathering Pills, her gaze coldly sweeping over the fragments of the Evil Banner.

Suddenly, her eyes narrowed. Among the fragments, she found a small piece of black jade that was not completely destroyed. A tiny mark was carved on the jade piece—the image of a dripping dagger!

This pattern… she seemed to have seen it on the corner of Gao Sheng’s robe in the Hall of Merit!

It was him, indeed!

Ye Li put away the jade piece, a murderous intent flashing across her eyes. This grudge, she had recorded!

She did not leave immediately but forced herself to search the pit carefully. Sure enough, beneath where the Evil Banner had been, she discovered a small pile of “Yin-Inducing Powder” that had not entirely dispersed! This was further concrete evidence of human setup!

After completing all this, she began to clean the battlefield, collecting the left ears of the twenty Corpse Puppets required for the mission (the proof of completion).

By the time she emerged from the West Mountain Mine Shaft, dragging her exhausted but still upright body, it was already close to dusk.

She did not return to Cloud Pill Peak but went straight to… the Law Enforcement Hall!

The mountain where the Law Enforcement Hall was located had a chilling atmosphere. Ye Li directly requested an audience with the duty deacon, presenting the mission process, the Evil Banner fragments, the residue of Yin-Inducing Powder, and the jade piece marked with the dripping dagger, all at once!

Her tone was calm, her logic clear. She only stated the facts objectively, without directly accusing Gao Sheng, but all the evidence subtly pointed towards the Battle Maniac Peak!

The duty deacon’s expression became extremely solemn as he looked at the evidence, especially the unique Evil Banner fragments and the Yin-Inducing Powder! Using such an evil artifact for internal sect conflicts was a serious crime!

“The Law Enforcement Hall will definitely conduct a thorough investigation into this matter!” the deacon stated deeply, collecting all the evidence.

Only then did Ye Li turn to leave.

She knew that the Law Enforcement Hall’s investigation might not truly harm Gao Sheng; since he dared to do it, he must have ways to clear his name. But this action was undoubtedly blowing the matter up completely and bringing it out into the open!

The next day, the news of the Law Enforcement Hall’s intervention to investigate the “West Mountain Abandoned Mine Evil Banner Incident” spread throughout the inner sect as if it had grown wings!

Everyone was stunned!

No one expected Ye Li not only to return unscathed from that obvious trap but also to turn around and report the matter to the Law Enforcement Hall! This was simply a slap in the face to the Battle Maniac Peak!

Shi Feng turned deathly pale upon hearing the news. Gao Sheng was so enraged that he smashed the tables and chairs in his cave dwelling. He had not anticipated Ye Li being so ruthless and decisive!

Although the final investigation concluded with “insufficient evidence” and could not directly implicate Gao Sheng, everyone knew what had happened. The Battle Maniac Peak’s reputation for bullying and despicable tactics was partially cemented. Gao Sheng and Shi Feng, among others, also received a severe warning from the Law Enforcement Hall and dared not act recklessly for a short time.

As for Ye Li, she smoothly submitted the mission and received two hundred contribution points.

After this incident, no one in the inner sect dared to underestimate this new Junior Sister from Cloud Pill Peak again.

A ruthless person! Absolutely ruthless!

Not only was she strong and meticulous, but when she counterattacked, she was utterly merciless, taking the matter straight to the highest authority!

In a short time, Ye Li’s reputation soared among the inner disciples, subtly establishing her authority. However, she had also completely forged an irreconcilable feud with Gao Sheng and Shi Feng from the Battle Maniac Peak.

In the small courtyard on Cloud Pill Peak, Ye Li inventoried her gains from this mission. Two hundred contribution points, and… an unexpected item she had found while clearing the Corpse Puppets from a particularly tall Bronze Corpse—an ancient ring (storage ring) wrapped in filthy blood, yet faintly emitting spatial fluctuations.

She wiped off the foul blood and let her divine sense probe into it…