After My Rebirth, I Ended Up Happily Ever After with the Saintess - Chapter 31

The shadows of the West Mountain Abandoned Mine and the turmoil with the Hall of Enforcement had gradually subsided, but Ye Li knew well that the feud with War Maniac Peak was set. Overt and covert attacks would be inevitable in the future. However, she did not retreat into a shell on Cloud Pill Peak because of this. Cultivation was like sailing against the current—to stop was to fall back. Resources and Contribution Points still had to be earned by herself.

After a brief rest to restore her state to its peak, she once again came to the Merit Hall.

This time, she was more cautious. As her gaze swept over the mission jade wall, her spiritual sense slightly condensed, carefully perceiving if there were any prying spiritual thoughts around. Perhaps because her previous counterattack had been too severe, or perhaps because the Hall of Enforcement’s warning had taken effect, she did not sense the auras of Shi Feng or Gao Sheng this time.

She quickly browsed through the missions. She bypassed those with generous rewards but remote locations, or those related to the sphere of influence of War Maniac Peak. Finally, her gaze settled on a mission that seemed ordinary but was quite suitable for her current situation:

“Collect Ice Condensation Flowers. Location: Ice-Cold Gorge north of the Sect. Requirement: Ten complete Ice Condensation Flowers. Time Limit: Seven days. Contribution Points: One hundred points.”

The Ice Condensation Flower was a top-grade Grade-1 spiritual herb, which thrived in extreme cold and typically grew near icy streams. It was an auxiliary ingredient for refining various Ice-element pills and some healing elixirs. The mission difficulty was not high, but the environment of the Ice-Cold Gorge was harsh, with cold air invading the body. Furthermore, a Grade-1 demonic beast called the “Ice Scale Serpent” lurked there, and its gallbladders were an extra item purchased by the mission, which could be exchanged for Contribution Points. The Contribution Points for the mission were not many, but it was reliable, and the environment might be compatible with the spiritual power of her Nine Hells Imperial Scripture.

Without hesitation, she quickly went to the window and presented her token: “Accepting Mission Ding-Character Ninety-Three.”

The disciple serving at the window seemed to recognize her. A complex look flashed in his eyes, but he did not dare to delay, quickly completing the procedure without any difficulties.

Taking the token, Ye Li turned and left the Merit Hall. She did not set off immediately but first went to the Myriad Forms Hall.

The Ice-Cold Gorge was bitterly cold, so preparation was necessary. She used her remaining spirit stones and Contribution Points to buy several low-grade “Cold Resistance Talismans” and “Detoxification Powder” (the Ice Scale Serpent carried mild venom), and also replenished some materials for drawing talismans. As for medicinal pills, she trusted what she was about to refine more.

Returning to her small courtyard on Cloud Pill Peak, she activated the quiet room’s array. This time, she did not attempt to draw new talismans but took out the ancient storage ring she had obtained from the West Mountain Abandoned Mine. Her spiritual sense probed inside; the space in the ring was small, only about one cubic meter, piled with some long-decayed miscellaneous items and dozens of dim low-grade spirit stones. Only a small jade box in the corner caught her attention.

Opening the jade box, she saw three dragon-eye-sized, perfectly round, ice-blue pills, exuding a pure cold energy and medicinal fragrance.

“Ice Heart Pill?” Ye Li was slightly stunned. This was a top-grade Grade-1 pill. Its effect was to assist in cultivating Ice-element cultivation methods and could resist cold poison to a certain extent—exactly what she needed! Moreover, judging by its quality and aroma, it was of excellent grade, far surpassing ordinary Grade-1 pills. It must have been prepared by the original owner of the storage ring before death but never used.

What a pleasant surprise! She carefully put away the pills, then cleaned out the miscellaneous items in the storage ring and collected the dozens of low-grade spirit stones. Although the storage ring was small, it solved her problem of carrying items with her.

With preparations complete, she set off for the Ice-Cold Gorge early the next morning.

The Ice-Cold Gorge was located deep within the northern mountain range of the Profound Cloud Sect. The closer she got, the colder the air became. By the time she reached the gorge entrance, it was already afternoon. She saw a deep, winding canyon ahead, with ice ridges hanging from the cliff walls on both sides. An icy stream rushed through the gorge, emitting visible white cold mist. The temperature dropped sharply, and her breath turned to ice.

An ordinary Qi Initiation Realm disciple would have to constantly circulate spiritual power to resist the cold, which would consume a great deal of energy.

Ye Li activated a Cold Resistance Talisman. A faint yellow glow enveloped her body, isolating some of the cold. However, she did not rely entirely on the talisman but secretly circulated the Nine Hells Imperial Scripture. A trace of faint ice-cold spiritual power flowed within her body, actually taking the initiative to absorb the cold air from the surrounding environment and transform it into her own spiritual power. Not only was she fearless of the cold, but she felt quite comfortable, and her spiritual power even showed a subtle trend of increase!

“Just as I thought.” Ye Li was slightly pleased. The properties of the Nine Hells Imperial Scripture were actually complementary to the extremely cold environment.

She carefully moved deeper into the gorge along the icy stream. Her spiritual sense spread out like a spiderweb, meticulously searching for traces of the Ice Condensation Flowers while also being wary of any potential Ice Scale Serpents.

The Ice Condensation Flowers were not hard to find. They usually grew in shady rock crevices or by the stream. Their petals were like carved ice crystals, emitting a faint blue glow in the cold mist. But harvesting required care; they needed to be dug out completely with their roots intact, or their medicinal efficacy would be greatly diminished.

Soon, she found the first one. She carefully dug it out with a jade shovel, root and all, and placed it in the prepared jade box.

The mission required ten plants, which didn’t seem like much, but searching for them in the vast Ice-Cold Gorge still required time and patience.

Along the way, she also encountered a few Ice Scale Serpents. This demonic beast was entirely covered in ice-blue scales, blending into the environment, and was good at ambushing. Its speed was extremely fast, and it could spray icy, venomous mist with a paralyzing effect from its mouth.

However, for Ye Li, who possessed keen spiritual perception and uncanny movement techniques, these Ice Scale Serpents posed no major threat. Her Phantom Step easily dodged their strikes, and her finger strikes shot out with precision, often piercing their heads with a single blow. She would then skillfully dissect the gallbladders and put them into her pouch. These gallbladders could also be exchanged for a good number of Contribution Points.

As time passed, she gradually ventured deeper into the Ice-Cold Gorge. She had collected eight Ice Condensation Flowers and five serpent gallbladders.

Just as she was looking for the last two Ice Condensation Flowers, her spiritual sense suddenly picked up a burst of intense spiritual power fluctuations and sounds of fighting not far ahead, mixed with a woman’s sharp shout and the roar of demonic beasts!

Someone is here?

Ye Li frowned, immediately concealed her aura, and quietly approached, using her Phantom Step and the rugged ice rocks for cover.

Rounding a massive ice wall, the sight before her made her pupils contract.

She saw three disciples wearing inner-sect robes (two males and one female) being besieged by a full seven or eight Ice Scale Serpents that were significantly larger and whose eyes glowed with ferocious red light! These serpents were clearly mutated, with strength nearing the peak of Grade-1, equivalent to the Perfection stage of the Qi Initiation Realm. They cooperated well, and the poisonous mist they sprayed nearly covered the entire area!

The three disciples were clearly struggling. The male disciple leading them had the highest cultivation, roughly at the early Pulse Condensation stage. He wielded a long sword, his sword light flashing, barely managing to block most of the attacks, but he was already stretched thin and had sustained injuries. Another male disciple was at the peak of the Qi Initiation Realm, stumbling through his magic spells, his face pale. The sole female disciple was at the high-level Qi Initiation Realm and seemed adept at support, constantly releasing faint green light to heal and buff her companions, but the effect was limited, and her spiritual power looked about to be depleted.

One mutated Ice Scale Serpent lay dead on the ground, but one disciple had also fallen, injured and his fate unknown.

“Senior Brother! What should we do? These beasts have gone mad!” the male disciple at the peak of the Qi Initiation Realm cried out in panic.

“Hold on! Junior Sister Li, can you still manage?” the male disciple at the early Pulse Condensation stage urgently asked.

The female disciple’s lips trembled, and she shook her head, clearly on the verge of collapsing.

Just then, one mutated Ice Scale Serpent seized an opening, fiercely broke through the sword light, and opened its mouth to spray a thick plume of venomous mist, directly targeting the female disciple who was out of spiritual power!

“Junior Sister, be careful!” The Pulse Condensation male disciple’s eyes were tearing, but he was fiercely entangled by several other demonic serpents and couldn’t rescue her in time!

The female disciple looked at the venomous mist rushing at her, her eyes filled with despair!

In this moment of extreme peril!

A gray figure flashed out from behind the side ice rock like a ghost, without any warning! Its speed was so fast that it left an afterimage!

The newcomer did not attack the demonic serpents but instantly positioned herself in front of the female disciple. Facing the surging poisonous mist, she neither dodged nor retreated, merely flicking her sleeve gently!

A burst of pure, ice-cold spiritual power surged out. It was not an attack but formed a rotating, thin, ice-blue vortex in front of her!

The dense venomous mist collided with the vortex and was instantly frozen, disintegrated, and vanished into thin air, as if a mud ox had entered the sea!

Immediately afterward, the gray figure did not stop, holding her fingers together like a sword. Icy blue light that made hearts palpitate coiled around her fingertips, and she struck out like a flitting butterfly!

Puff! Puff! Puff!

The speed was too fast for the naked eye to capture! Each strike was incredibly precise, landing exactly on the vital seven-inch spot or the head of a mutated Ice Scale Serpent!

The finger force, imbued with the extreme cold of the Nine Hells Imperial Scripture, seemed to have a fatal restrictive effect on these Ice-element demonic beasts! The thick-skinned, mutated Ice Scale Serpents were pierced with ease by the finger force, as if they were made of paper!

In the blink of an eye, four or five of the seven or eight mutated Ice Scale Serpents that were attacking instantly stiffened, fell to the ground, and died on the spot!

The remaining two or three were also startled by this sudden, terrifying attack, letting out terrified hisses. They dared not advance, instead circling nervously.

Everything happened so fast—from Ye Li’s appearance to the instant resolution of the siege and the quick killing of several demonic beasts—it was all in a flash of lightning!

The three disciples who had narrowly escaped death all stared at the suddenly appearing Ye Li, as if they had seen a ghost!

Especially the male disciple at the early Pulse Condensation stage, who thought to himself that even if he went all out, it would be absolutely impossible to instantly kill so many mutated Ice Scale Serpents so effortlessly! Who was this woman? Her cultivation felt only like the peak of the Qi Initiation Realm, so why was her strength so terrifying?!

Ye Li did not pay attention to their shock. Her gaze swept over the corpses of the Ice Scale Serpents on the ground and… a few Ice Condensation Flowers growing on the edge of the battle area that had not been affected.

The male disciple immediately understood and quickly said: “Senior Sister, are you looking for Ice Condensation Flowers? These demonic serpents were killed by Senior Sister, so the spoils of war naturally belong to Senior Sister! It is a miracle that we were able to save our lives!” He was very tactful, even actively pointing out a few Ice Condensation Flowers they had found nearby.

Ye Li did not stand on ceremony, waving her hand to collect the gallbladders of the mutated Ice Scale Serpents (which were more valuable) and the few Ice Condensation Flowers. With this, her mission was not only complete but she also had extra gains.

She then glanced at the injured, unconscious disciple on the ground.

The female disciple quickly said: “This Senior Brother has been poisoned by the serpent’s venom. We must immediately send him back to the Sect for treatment…”

Ye Li pondered for a moment, then flicked an Ice Heart Pill she had obtained from the storage ring (she had already verified it was non-toxic): “This pill may alleviate the cold venom. Feed it to him.”

When the three saw the precious glow and the extraordinary medicinal fragrance circulating on the pill, they knew it was an uncommon item and were even more grateful.

“Thank you, Senior Sister, for the medicine! May we know your esteemed name? We will surely repay you in the future!”

Ye Li did not answer, merely saying faintly, “Leave quickly.”

With that, her figure blurred, and she vanished as if melting into the cold mist, leaving the three disciples standing there, looking at each other, their hearts filled with shock and gratitude.

After getting far away, Ye Li reappeared. She did not leave the Ice-Cold Gorge immediately but continued to search, gathered the last two Ice Condensation Flowers, and then drifted away.

This mission was successful, with a scare but a rich harvest.

More importantly, she once again validated her strength, especially the advantage she held in an extremely cold environment. Although the brief engagement was done anonymously, the rumor of the “Mysterious Female Cultivator of the Ice-Cold Gorge” would likely spread within the inner sect soon.

Her first experience with a sect mission showcased not only her combat ability but also her calm judgment and… perfectly timed intervention.