After My Rebirth, I Ended Up Happily Ever After with the Saintess - Chapter 67

The temporary alliance with Shi Yue of the Earth Guard Sect allowed Ye Li’s group to proceed relatively smoothly through the perilous Star Hall. The two sides leveraged each other’s strengths, avoiding several fatal ancient formation traps and clearing out a few waves of troublesome ruin guards. They harvested a good amount of rare Starlight Essence Gold and damaged ancient treasures, and their relationship grew steadier through cooperation. Shi Yue’s honesty and formation expertise earned Ye Li’s trust, and Ye Li’s demonstrated power and fair conduct won over the Earth Guard Sect disciples.

As they ventured deeper, the surrounding scenery became increasingly bizarre. The ruined palace structures gradually gave way to a crystalline, sapphire-like structure. The Star Power permeating the air was so dense it was practically liquefied, even beginning to condense into tiny drifting starlight. A faint, almost ethereal pressure, as if emanating from the depths of the starry sky, weighed on everyone’s hearts.

“I fear we are approaching the core area of the Star Hall,” Shi Yue said gravely, carefully examining the increasingly complex and complete Star Runes on the walls. “The power contained in these runes is terrifying. Everyone, be extremely careful, stick close to me, and do not touch anything suspicious.”

Everyone became doubly vigilant. Sun Xiaohou’s scouting was more cautious, and Lin Feng’s mechanical bees had scanned virtually every inch of the space ahead.

Passing through a long corridor made of blue crystal, the view suddenly opened up. The group found themselves at the bottom of an unimaginably large spherical space. The “sky” of the space was not solid, but a slowly rotating, miniature, dazzling starry night sky. Countless stars flickered, exuding a vast and desolate aura. Suspended in the center of the space was a pulsating blue crystal, about the size of a house, emitting boundless light and heat. The extremely pure Star Source Power radiating from this crystal was the very essence they had been sensing!

“The Star Core! It’s the core of this fallen meteor ruin, the materialized essence of the Star Source!” Shi Yue exclaimed in shock, his eyes filled with awe and greed. Such a treasure was enough to drive any cultivator mad! If one could refine even a trace of it, the benefits to one’s cultivation and foundation would be unparalleled!

However, this Star Core was not unguarded. Below it was a massive creature—a giant serpent entirely condensed from pure Star Power! The serpent was azure blue, its scales distinct, and its eyes were like two burning stars. The pressure it exuded had clearly reached the peak of a Fourth-Tier demonic beast, equivalent to a human cultivator’s Spirit Mansion stage peak!

Aside from this terrifying Star Serpent, the spherical space was not empty. Almost simultaneously with Ye Li’s group’s arrival, activity was heard from several other directions.

Yan Lie of the Scarlet Flame Sect, Lei Ying of the Wind Thunder Pavilion, and Leng Yun and Gao Sheng of the Profound Cloud Sect, each leading their teams, had also burst in almost back-to-back! Clearly, they had all found the path to the core area.

Four teams, plus the alliance between Ye Li and the Earth Guard Sect, five major forces, had converged in the Star Core space!

Everyone’s gaze was instantly drawn to the massive Star Core and the guardian serpent, their breathing heavy. But immediately after, they engaged in mutual wary scrutiny and confrontation. There was only one Star Core, and the guardian beast was immensely powerful. Everyone wanted it, but no one dared to strike first and become the target of all others.

“Hmph, I didn’t think you small fries could crawl your way here,” Yan Lie broke the silence first, his gaze sweeping over Ye Li and Shi Yue’s team with contempt. “However, this Star Core is not for the likes of you to covet. If you know what’s good for you, scram now!”

Gao Sheng also spoke with a sinister tone, “Ye Li, you’re quite lucky to have mixed in with the Earth Guard Sect’s bunch. But this is no place for your petty cleverness.”

Though Lei Ying and Leng Yun did not speak, the Spirit Mansion stage pressure emanating from them clearly conveyed their stance. In the face of such supreme treasure, the so-called bonds of the same sect seemed pale and insignificant.

Ye Li was expressionless, but her mind was rapidly calculating. The situation was extremely unfavorable. Their side, on the surface, only had her and Shi Yue—two late/peak Pulse Condensation stage cultivators. Facing four Spirit Mansion stage cultivators, the disparity in strength was immense. Seizing it directly was impossible.

Shi Yue secretly sent a sound transmission to Ye Li: “Junior Sister Ye, we’re outnumbered. Why don’t we temporarily retreat and wait for an opportunity? This Star Serpent is not easy to deal with. They might not be able to succeed easily.”

Ye Li subtly shook her head, transmitting back: “Retreating will only make them more reckless. The Star Core Power is vital to me; I cannot give up. Look at that serpent. Though its aura is strong, its intelligence seems low, and… its energy core does not appear to be entirely one with the Star Core. Perhaps there’s an opening.”

Just as the five forces were locked in a tense standoff, wary of one another, the Star Serpent seemed enraged by the intruders. It let out a soundless roar (yet the space vibrated), and its massive body suddenly lashed out, sweeping a devastating pillar of starlight indiscriminately toward everyone!

“Be careful!”

Everyone’s expression changed drastically, and they scrambled to use their skills to dodge or defend.

Yan Lie roared, flames surging around him, transforming into a massive fire shield! Lei Ying’s twin swords invoked wind and thunder, forming a protective sword aura! Leng Yun’s sword energy shot toward the light pillar! Gao Sheng also fully activated his Battle Maniac Peak cultivation method, bracing against the impact!

Ye Li and Shi Yue did not dare to be negligent. Shi Yue instantly deployed a thick, earthy-yellow light barrier, shielding their eight people. Ye Li, on the other hand, brandished her Profound Ice Sword. The extreme cold sword energy clashed with the starlight pillar, emitting a hissing sound, barely neutralizing a portion of the power.

Boom!

The serpent’s attack was terrifying! Aside from the four Spirit Mansion stage cultivators who barely managed to withstand it, all the other disciples felt their blood and Qi churn. Some with lower cultivation even sustained minor injuries.

In the chaos, Gao Sheng, who had been glowering darkly at Ye Li, flashed a look of extreme malice! He took advantage of everyone’s attention being drawn to the serpent, and the moment Ye Li had just taken a hit—her old strength exhausted and new strength not yet fully generated—he suddenly gritted his teeth and pulled out a dark red, ominous-looking talisman from his robe—the “Soul Devouring Blood Curse Talisman”!

This was an extremely venomous one-time talisman. Fueled by the caster’s own essence blood, it could bypass most physical and energy defenses and directly attack the opponent’s soul! Once afflicted, the soul would feel as if being chewed by ten thousand ants, suffering unbearable pain, damaging the foundation, or even resulting in total annihilation of the soul! Gao Sheng was clearly consumed by hatred for Ye Li. He spared no expense of his essence blood and such a precious talisman to utterly cripple her!

“Ye Li! Die for me!” Gao Sheng sneered, activating the talisman! A fine, almost invisible blood thread, like a poisonous snake, penetrated the chaotic energy fluctuations and shot silently toward the back of Ye Li’s head!

This surprise attack was malicious in timing, cunning in angle, and both fast and vicious!

“Careful, Peak Master!” Lin Feng was the first to notice, his eyes wide with horror, but he was too late to help!

Shi Yue also sensed it, but was too far to intervene!

Xia Zhihe, Sun Xiaohou, and Zhao Xiao Yi were aghast!

The vicious blood curse was about to enter Ye Li’s sea of consciousness!

In the nick of time!

Ye Li’s constantly vigilant spiritual sense, along with the Samsara Mirror fragment’s extraordinary sensitivity to soul attacks, allowed her to capture that sliver of cold killing intent at the last moment!

She wanted to dodge, but her body was in a brief moment of stiffness after bracing against the serpent’s attack! She wanted to defend, but a regular spiritual energy shield could not block such a direct attack on the soul!

In the moment between life and death, a flicker of madness and determination flashed in Ye Li’s eyes! Instead of retreating, she forcibly twisted her body, pouring the sliver of spiritual energy she had just managed to gather into the Ice Soul Sealing Heaven Finger technique. Not toward the blood curse, but—she remotely pointed it at a Battle Maniac Peak disciple next to Gao Sheng, who was currently resisting the serpent’s second attack!

That disciple was Gao Sheng’s trusted subordinate, Shi Feng’s cousin, named Shi Yue (same name, different person), with a cultivation base in the middle Pulse Condensation stage. He had always been subservient to Gao Sheng!

Ye Li’s finger strike was not meant to kill but to—divert the disaster to another!

Through a subtle manipulation of her finger force, she skillfully mimicked and amplified the trace of essence blood aura that Gao Sheng had attached to the Soul Devouring Blood Curse Talisman, and instantly affixed it to the body of the unlucky Battle Maniac Peak disciple, Shi Yue! Simultaneously, under the protection of the Samsara Mirror fragment’s pure light, her own soul was heavily retracted, simulating a soul fluctuation similar to that of the disciple!

The exquisite control and timing in this maneuver were virtually divine!

In a flash! The blood thread of the Soul Devouring Blood Curse, just as it was about to hit Ye Li, seemed to be pulled by some sort of traction. It paused for a moment, then bizarrely curved, shooting at an even faster speed toward the back of the Battle Maniac Peak disciple, Shi Yue!

“What?!” The ferocious grin on Gao Sheng’s face instantly froze, turning into extreme shock and disbelief!

The disciple had no defense whatsoever. He was fully focused on resisting the aftermath of the Star Serpent’s attack. He only felt a chill at his back, and a cold, evil power instantly invaded his sea of consciousness!

“Ah—!!!”

A scream, too mournful to be human, echoed through the entire space! The disciple violently clutched his head, black blood flowing from his seven apertures. His body convulsed violently, his eyes filled with endless pain and terror. His soul withered and dissipated at a visible rate!

In just two or three breaths, a middle Pulse Condensation stage cultivator, in full view of everyone, had his soul scattered, becoming an empty husk that fell straight down!

Silence!

A deathly silence!

Even the Star Serpent seemed stunned by the sudden turn of events and the horrific scream. Its attack paused for a moment.

Everyone was stunned by the sight!

Gao Sheng looked as if he had been struck by lightning. His face was ashen, his body trembling. He pointed at Ye Li, his lips quivering, unable to utter a single word! He could never have imagined that his meticulously planned killing move would end up killing his own confidant!

Ye Li’s face was also slightly pale; the “substituting the dead” maneuver had heavily consumed her spiritual sense. She stared coldly at Gao Sheng, her voice like ten thousand years of cold ice: “Gao Sheng, you tried to kill me? This is the price!”

“Ye! Li!” Gao Sheng finally recovered from the immense shock and fear, letting out a heart-wrenching roar. His eyes instantly turned blood red, filled with towering hatred and killing intent! “How dare you kill my Battle Maniac Peak disciple! I, Gao Sheng, swear we will be irreconcilably enemies! Battle Maniac Peak and you are irreconcilably enemies!”

He looked possessed, about to throw himself at Ye Li regardless of the consequences!

“Enough!” Leng Yun shouted sternly, his sword energy crisscrossing, blocking Gao Sheng’s path. “Gao Sheng, you were the one who launched the sneak attack first; you brought this upon yourself! The great enemy is upon us now. Are you trying to cause an internal conflict?”

Yan Lie and Lei Ying watched coldly, happy to see the Profound Cloud Sect fighting among themselves.

Shi Yue (Earth Guard Sect) also led his disciples closer to Ye Li, making his stance clear, and stated in a deep voice: “Senior Brother Gao, this happened in plain sight. Right and wrong are clear. If you persist, my Earth Guard Sect will not stand idly by!”

Gao Sheng looked at Leng Yun blocking him, then at Ye Li and Shi Yue standing together against him, sensed the malicious gazes of Yan Lie and Lei Ying, and the terrifying Star Serpent nearby. He finally regained a sliver of rationality. He knew that if he acted now, he would surely suffer a terrible loss.

But his hatred for Ye Li had seeped into his bones! The vengeance for killing his confidant, coupled with all the previous grievances, had established an irreconcilable, mortal feud!

“Fine! Fine! Ye Li! You wait and see! The day we leave these ruins will be your day of death! I, Gao Sheng, swear here and now, I will kill you!” Gao Sheng gritted his teeth, nearly crushing them, and glared at Ye Li with venomous eyes. He picked up the disciple’s body and, taking the Battle Maniac Peak people, retreated to the side, no longer participating in the contest for the Star Core. However, his blood-red eyes remained fixed on Ye Li.

With this turn of events, the atmosphere in the arena became even more bizarre. Ye Li and Gao Sheng, and the Battle Maniac Peak, had completely torn off all pretenses and forged an unbreakable, mortal feud.

The contest for the Star Core was consequently shrouded in an even thicker, bloody shadow. Ye Li knew that the real crisis might have just begun. But her gaze remained cold and firm. Since the feud was established, she would meet whatever came her way.

Her eyes once again fixed on the Star Core, emanating endless temptation. The giant beast before her and the powerful enemies around her could not make her back down.