After My Rebirth, I Ended Up Happily Ever After with the Saintess - Chapter 66

The space inside the Star Palace was far more vast than it appeared from the outside, as if it were a small, self-contained world. The ruined dome vaguely showed murals of stars, and broken pillars recounted the glory of the past. The air was filled with a pure yet chaotic stellar power, and a lingering sense of death and desolation.

The five members of the Night Radiance Pavilion dared not linger and quickly proceeded along their chosen path. From far behind them, the noise and sounds of fighting from the invading teams of the Scarlet Flame Sect, Wind Thunder Pavilion, and others could already be heard—clearly, they had run into conflict amongst themselves while vying for a path or clearing out the relic guards blocking their way.

“Pavilion Master, which direction should we take?” Lin Feng asked, vigilantly watching their rear. Several junctions appeared in the passage ahead.

Ye Li’s eyes sharply scanned the junctions, her divine sense carefully sensing the subtle flow of stellar power in the air. She noticed that the stellar power emanating from the second left fork, while relatively thin, was purer and more stable, subtly carrying a strange rhythmic feeling.

“Go this way,” Ye Li chose that path without hesitation. Her intuition told her that this seemingly unremarkable path might lead to a more core area.

The group restrained their auras and moved quickly. This passage was indeed different from the others; the star runes carved on the walls on both sides were relatively intact, and though still fragmented, they faintly formed some kind of profound array. The relic guards they encountered along the way (some fragmented puppets driven by stellar power) were noticeably stronger, but sparse in number.

After dealing with a stellar puppet comparable to a late-stage Meridians Condensation cultivator, whose movements were slightly stiff, they arrived at a relatively intact side hall. In the center of the side hall stood a half-collapsed altar. Above the altar, three fist-sized crystals, emitting a soft starlight, were suspended—these were the high-purity Star Crystals they had been desperately searching for! And they were of extremely high quality!

“Star Crystals!” Sun Xiaohou’s eyes lit up.

However, before they could get close, a new change occurred! Countless complex runes suddenly lit up on the ground around the altar, and a powerful trapping formation was instantly activated! Strands of starlight chains extended from the void, wrapping around the five people like spiritual snakes!

“A formation!” Xia Zhihe cried out in alarm.

Ye Li reacted extremely quickly, utilizing the Universal Trace-less Steps to contort her body in a strange way, dodging several chains. Lin Feng, Sun Xiaohou, and Zhao Xiaoyi, however, were too late to dodge and were entangled by the starlight chains around their limbs. They immediately felt their spiritual power stagnate and were unable to move! Xia Zhihe barely managed to avoid entanglement with her footwork but was still in grave danger.

This formation was extremely subtle, focused not purely on attack but primarily on trapping the enemy. The starlight chains were incredibly tough and could continuously absorb the trapped person’s spiritual power to strengthen themselves.

“Don’t struggle, the more you struggle, the tighter the chains will constrict!” Lin Feng quickly warned.

Ye Li’s expression was grave. She tried slashing at the chains with her Profound Ice Sword, but only sparks flew, and the chains remained unmoved! The Ice Soul Sealing Heaven Finger only caused the chains to pause slightly, failing to break them.

“This formation is at least a Tier 4 level, it will be very difficult to break through brute force!” Ye Li quickly judged. Although she had some knowledge of the Dao of Formations, it was impossible to find the core array eye of such a subtle ancient formation in a short time.

Just as she was pondering a way to break the formation, a slight sound of footsteps came from the entrance of the side hall.

More people were coming!

Ye Li’s heart tensed. She gripped her Profound Ice Sword and stood in front of the three trapped individuals. Xia Zhihe also retreated to her side, remaining vigilant.

Three figures walked in through the entrance. They were not members of the Scarlet Flame Sect or the Wind Thunder Pavilion, but three cultivators in earth-yellow Daoist robes, whose auras were deep and steady. By their attire, they were disciples of the “Bountiful Earth Sect,” known for their expertise in formations and defense. The leader was a young man with an honest face but very bright eyes, his cultivation at the peak of the late-stage Meridians Condensation realm.

The Bountiful Earth Sect disciples were also stunned when they saw the scene inside the hall. When they saw the three high-quality Star Crystals on the altar, their eyes showed a burning desire, which was quickly replaced by vigilance. They saw Lin Feng’s group trapped, and Ye Li and Xia Zhihe standing by in full defense.

The two sides faced each other in a stalemate, the atmosphere tense.

The leader of the Bountiful Earth Sect disciples (named Shi Yue) glanced at the formation runes on the ground, then looked at Ye Li, and suddenly spoke, “Fellow Daoist, are you Junior Sister Ye Li of the Profound Cloud Sect?”

Ye Li raised an eyebrow, surprised that the other party recognized her. “I am. And you are?”

Shi Yue clasped his hands and smiled, his attitude quite amiable: “Bountiful Earth Sect, Shi Yue. I’ve long admired Junior Sister Ye’s reputation. Your bravery in fighting Senior Brother Leng Yun during the minor competition was truly impressive.” He paused, pointing to the trapping formation on the ground, “This is the ‘Celestial Circulation Star-Lock Array,’ an ancient formidable formation, difficult to break by brute force. If you trust me, I may be able to help you all escape.”

Ye Li quickly weighed the options in her mind. The Bountiful Earth Sect was famous for its Dao of Formations, and this Shi Yue did not seem like a treacherous person. Moreover, the two parties currently had no direct conflict and even shared common “competitors” (the Scarlet Flame Sect, etc.). Cooperation might be a win-win choice.

“What are Senior Brother Shi’s conditions?” Ye Li asked directly; there was no such thing as a free lunch.

Shi Yue smiled: “Junior Sister Ye is straightforward. The condition is simple: after breaking the formation, my Bountiful Earth Sect will take one of these three Star Crystals. Additionally, if there are any other formation-related ancient texts or artifacts in the hall, we need priority to examine and copy them. As for other treasures, it will be up to individual ability. How does that sound?”

The condition was not excessive; in fact, it was quite fair. There were three Star Crystals. Giving one to the other party could secure their escape and potential gains related to formations.

Ye Li glanced at the trapped Lin Feng and the others, and no longer hesitated: “Agreed. Please, Senior Brother Shi, proceed.”

“Excellent!” Shi Yue nodded, motioned to his two companions behind him, who immediately guarded the entrance. Shi Yue then walked to the edge of the trapping formation, squatted down, and pressed his hands on the ground. Earth-yellow spiritual power surged into the formation runes as he carefully sensed the formation’s operating principles.

His technique was professional and steady, his gaze focused, and he muttered incantations, seemingly deducing the formation’s operation. The Bountiful Earth Sect’s attainments in the Dao of Formations were indeed worthy of their reputation.

After about an incense stick’s worth of time, a sharp light flashed in Shi Yue’s eyes. He formed a hand seal and continuously pointed at several inconspicuous nodes of the formation!

“Buzz!”

The entire trapping formation’s light became chaotic. The starlight chains entwining Lin Feng’s group trembled slightly, and then receded like a tide, sinking back into the ground.

Lin Feng and the others were freed. They quickly moved their limbs and thanked Shi Yue: “Thank you, Senior Brother Shi!”

Shi Yue waved his hand, smiling: “A small matter. This formation is old and in disrepair; its power is less than one-tenth of its peak, otherwise, I wouldn’t have been able to crack it so quickly.”

With the crisis resolved, the relationship between the two parties eased considerably.

Shi Yue looked at the Star Crystals on the altar, then at Ye Li, and stated frankly: “Junior Sister Ye, as per the agreement, we will take one.” He stepped forward and carefully used a special jade box to collect one of the Star Crystals, showing no greed.

Ye Li also put away the other two.

Shi Yue then carefully searched the side hall. Under the debris of a collapsed bookshelf, he found several fragmented jade slips recording some ancient formation insights, which filled him with unexpected joy.

“Junior Sister Ye, this collaboration has been pleasant,” Shi Yue had gained a good harvest and was in good spirits. “The interior of this Star Palace is intricate and full of danger. Acting alone may not yield significant gains. I wonder if our two parties could temporarily join forces to explore? The gains obtained will be distributed according to the contribution made. What do you say?”

Ye Li had been considering the same idea. The Bountiful Earth Sect specialized in formations and defense, which perfectly compensated for the Night Radiance Pavilion’s slight shortcomings in direct offense and protection. Moreover, Shi Yue seemed forthright and was a suitable partner for a short-term alliance.

“We can,” Ye Li nodded in agreement.

Thus, the two teams merged, increasing their total number to eight, greatly boosting their strength. Shi Yue was responsible for identifying and cracking the formations and traps along the way. Ye Li was responsible for the main combat and decision-making. Lin Feng provided support, Xia Zhihe assisted, Sun Xiaohou scouted, Zhao Xiaoyi handled logistics, and the other two Bountiful Earth Sect disciples were responsible for flank protection.

This temporarily formed alliance surprisingly worked in good coordination. The Bountiful Earth Sect’s knowledge of formations allowed them to avoid many dangers, while Ye Li’s powerful combat strength easily dealt with the guards they encountered.

During this time, they discovered a vault containing a small amount of “Star Essence Gold” (a more valuable artifact refining material than Star Crystals), as well as a few fragmented ancient treasures. Under Ye Li’s guidance, the distribution was relatively fair, and both parties were satisfied.

During a break, Shi Yue chatted with Ye Li: “Junior Sister Ye, I heard you have some conflict with Gao Sheng of Battle Maniac Peak? Since the Scarlet Flame Sect and the Wind Thunder Pavilion are also here for this ruin exploration, you need to be extra careful. Yan Lie and Lei Ying are not easy to deal with.”

Ye Li said calmly: “Thank you for the reminder, Senior Brother Shi. I will be mindful.”

Shi Yue smiled and lowered his voice: “My Bountiful Earth Sect has always been at odds with Battle Maniac Peak, and we maintain only a superficial harmony with the Scarlet Flame Sect and Wind Thunder Pavilion. If a conflict truly arises later, my Bountiful Earth Sect is willing to advance and retreat together with Junior Sister Ye.”

This was almost an explicit signal of alliance. Ye Li looked deeply at Shi Yue. This man had sharp insight and had clearly seen her potential and the irreconcilable conflict with Battle Maniac Peak, betting on her in advance.

“I appreciate Senior Brother Shi’s kindness,” Ye Li did not immediately agree, but she also did not refuse. Having more friends was always better than having more enemies, especially in these perilous ruins.

After a brief rest, the alliance continued to push deeper into the Star Palace. With the Bountiful Earth Sect’s addition, their exploration efficiency and safety factor had greatly improved. As they delved deeper, the energy fluctuations in the air grew stronger, indicating that they were approaching the true core area of the Star Palace.

What awaited them ahead: greater opportunities, or a more brutal struggle for them? What role would this unexpected alliance with Shi Yue play in the coming storm? The final secret of the Star Palace was about to be revealed.