After My Rebirth, I Ended Up Happily Ever After with the Saintess - Chapter 69

With the Star Core collected and the gigantic python dissipated, the entire spherical space fell into a deadly silence. Only Ye Li’s slightly hurried breathing was clearly audible. The strain on her spirit, caused by forcefully activating the fragment of the Wheel of Reincarnation Mirror, far exceeded her imagination. At this moment, she was suffering from a splitting headache, and her spiritual power was almost entirely depleted from the previous battle and the final act of collecting the Star Core. She was in an extremely weak state.

However, even more chilling than her physical weakness were the gazes around her—greedy, shocked, and containing undisguised killing intent—almost solidifying into substance!

Yan Lie’s roar was like lighting the fuse of a powder keg!

“Hand over the Star Core!” Yan Lie’s eyes were bloodshot, and the flames around him surged uncontrollably as he was the first to pounce on Ye Li! The immense contrast of having the Star Core within reach only to have it snatched away completely drove him mad!

Almost simultaneously, the terrifying spiritual-mansion-realm-late-stage pressure from the Red Flame Sect’s red-haired Elder (named Yan Sha), who had just burst in, erupted like a volcano, instantly engulfing the entire area! His gaze was like a hawk’s, locking directly onto Ye Li. His withered hand rose, and a highly condensed finger of fire, carrying an aura capable of incinerating the void, struck Ye Li’s glabella, arriving before anyone else! This attack was far more lethal than Yan Lie’s!

On the other side, although Lei Ying and Leng Yun were a beat slower, the temptation of the Star Core was enough for them to abandon all scruples. Lei Ying’s twin swords drew wind and thunder, blocking Ye Li’s escape route; Leng Yun’s sword energy was bone-chilling, aiming straight for Ye Li’s vital points! Even Gao Sheng, like a hyena smelling blood, led the Battle Maniac Peak disciples to surround her from the flank!

In an instant, Ye Li was plunged into a desperate situation, cornered on all sides! Facing the siege of at least four Spiritual Mansion Realm experts (one of whom was a late stage), let alone her current poor state, even at her peak, she would have absolutely no chance of survival!

Shi Yue’s face drastically changed. He wanted to rush forward to help but was desperately held back by two other Stout Earth Sect disciples: “Senior Brother Shi! Stop! With a late-stage Spiritual Mansion Elder attacking, we would only be committing suicide by going up!”

Right at this critical moment!

“How dare you!”

A clear, cold shout, like profound ice from the nine heavens, suddenly rang out! A dazzling blue water curtain, faster than lightning, instantly appeared in front of Ye Li!

It was Qin Yixuan!

She had somehow also reached the core area and had been coldly observing. It was only at this most perilous moment that she surprisingly made her move!

The water curtain appeared gentle but contained a vast and mighty power, like the deepest abyss of the sea, completely blocking Yan Sha’s sure-kill finger, Yan Lie’s flames, Lei Ying’s wind and thunder, and Leng Yun’s sword energy!

Boom—!!!

The deafening sound of colliding energy reverberated! The water curtain fiercely undulated but remained incredibly resilient, refusing to break! Qin Yixuan’s figure appeared behind the water curtain, clad in white, her expression cold. In her hand, she held a treasure pearl emitting a faint blue light—a replica of the ‘Ocean Moon Pearl,’ one of the Azure Water Pavilion’s most prized treasures! Although a replica, it still possessed unfathomable power!

“Qin Yixuan! Is your Azure Water Pavilion also getting involved?!” Yan Sha was both surprised and enraged. He hadn’t expected Qin Yixuan to take his full-power strike for the sake of Ye Li.

Qin Yixuan’s gaze swept over the crowd, her voice still calm but carrying an undeniable authority: “Treasure hunting in the relic depends on individual destiny. Since the Star Core has chosen a master, it belongs to Ye Li. Do you, elders and heaven’s favored, not feel you have lost face by collectively assaulting a Vein Condensation Realm disciple?”

Her words caused Yan Sha, Yan Lie, and others to flush with shame, but greed quickly overshadowed their embarrassment.

“Chosen a master? What a joke! That demoness must have used some evil technique!” Yan Lie roared. “Qin Yixuan, step aside quickly, or we’ll kill you too!”

“You can try.” Qin Yixuan’s eyes slightly chilled. The Ocean Moon Pearl’s light burst forth, standing toe-to-toe against Yan Sha’s spiritual pressure!

Leng Yun frowned, looking at Qin Yixuan blocking Ye Li and then at the severely weakened Ye Li. He slowly lowered his long sword. His nature was arrogant; his initial attack was due to the desire for the treasure. Now, seeing Qin Yixuan intervene and realizing they were many bullying one, and attacking an injured Ye Li, the pride belonging to a Sword Cultivator made him hesitate.

Lei Ying’s eyes flickered, seemingly weighing the pros and cons. Completely falling out with the Azure Water Pavilion was not a wise move.

The scene fell into a temporary stalemate. Qin Yixuan’s forceful intervention bought Ye Li precious time to catch her breath.

Ye Li quickly swallowed a few elixirs handed to her by Xia Zhihe, forcefully suppressed her surging vital energy and the stinging pain in her spirit, and shot a grateful glance at Qin Yixuan. She owed her this favor. But she knew that Qin Yixuan could only protect her for a moment, not forever. The real crisis would begin after leaving the relic.

She took a deep breath, forced herself to stand upright, and pointed her Profound Ice Sword at Yan Sha and the others. Her voice, though weak, carried a cold determination: “The Star Core is already connected to my spirit. Unless I die, no one can take it! If you insist on snatching it, I’ll detonate the Star Core, and we’ll all perish! Let’s see if this relic can withstand the explosion of the Star Core’s origin!”

The moment these words were spoken, everyone’s faces changed drastically!

How immense was the energy contained within the Star Core? If it were truly detonated, let alone them, the entire Meteorite Ruins would probably be utterly annihilated! No one dared to bet on whether Ye Li was bluffing!

Yan Sha stared sinisterly at Ye Li, seemingly trying to discern a flaw in her expression. But Ye Li’s gaze was frighteningly calm—a look where madness and composure coexisted, a willingness to disregard life and death.

“Junior, you dare threaten this Elder?” Yan Sha’s voice was hoarse, laced with killing intent.

“It’s not a threat; it’s a statement of fact.” Ye Li did not back down. “Either we go our separate ways, or we’re all buried here together!”

Silence, suffocating silence.

Finally, Yan Sha coldly snorted and withdrew his spiritual pressure. He dared not gamble. The Star Core was tempting, but his own life was more important. “Good! Very good! Ye Li, is it? This Elder remembers you! Let’s go!”

With that, he swept his sleeve, taking the reluctant Yan Lie and the Red Flame Sect disciples, and was the first to leave the Star Core space. Remaining there was completely pointless.

With the Red Flame Sect retreating, Lei Ying gave Ye Li and Qin Yixuan a deep look and also left with the Wind Thunder Pavilion members.

Leng Yun sighed, gave a slight nod to Qin Yixuan, cast a complicated glance at Ye Li, and turned to leave.

Gao Sheng, seeing that the momentum was lost, gnashed his teeth in hatred but could only give Ye Li a venomous glare before leading the Battle Maniac Peak members away crestfallen.

In the blink of an eye, the crowd that had been so murderously intent was gone, leaving only Ye Li, Qin Yixuan, and Shi Yue and the other Stout Earth Sect members.

“Thank you, Senior Sister Qin, for your timely help.” Ye Li bowed solemnly to Qin Yixuan.

Qin Yixuan put away the Ocean Moon Pearl, gave her a fleeting look, and said lightly: “No need to thank me. I didn’t act for you, but merely because I dislike the practice of ganging up on the weak. The Star Core is a good thing, but it’s also a hot potato. Take care of yourself.”

With that, she said no more, and led the Azure Water Pavilion disciples to drift away. She was as cold and aloof as ever, as if her intervention just now was merely a casual act.

Shi Yue then led his disciples forward, still shaken. “Junior Sister Ye, that was truly dangerous just now! Thank goodness for Fairy Qin… However, you have completely offended the Red Flame Sect and the Battle Maniac Peak now!”

Ye Li nodded, her expression serious. How could she not know? Yan Sha’s sinister look upon leaving and Gao Sheng’s vow of endless revenge both heralded a major storm brewing.

“Let’s get out of here first.” Ye Li suppressed the worry in her heart. The priority was to quickly return to the sect.

The group dared not delay and quickly retraced their steps. Perhaps due to the collection of the Star Core, the entire Star Palace began to become unstable, with spatial cracks increasing and collapses intensifying. They rushed out of the Star Palace without further incident, only to find that the outside Meteorite Ruins had also begun to shake violently, appearing as if it would completely collapse at any moment.

Disciples from various sects and rogue cultivators were scrambling to escape. Ye Li and her group blended into the crowd and rushed out of the ruins’ entrance.

Outside, the elders of the various sects had been waiting for a long time. When they saw Ye Li and her group emerge safely, while the Red Flame Sect’s Yan Sha was ashen-faced and the Battle Maniac Peak’s Gao Sheng was overflowing with resentment, the accompanying elder of the Profound Cloud Sect (an elder from the Enforcement Hall surnamed Li) immediately had a sinking feeling.

Sure enough, before Ye Li and her group could even report, Yan Sha furiously flew to the front of the Profound Cloud Sect’s flying vessel and shouted: “Elder Li! Your Profound Cloud Sect disciple Ye Li used evil techniques in the relic to snatch the Star Core supreme treasure that was about to fall into my Red Flame Sect’s hands! Your Profound Cloud Sect must give this Elder an explanation for this matter! Otherwise, my Red Flame Sect will never let it go!”

Gao Sheng immediately added fuel to the fire: “Elder Li! This woman Ye Li is vicious and ruthless! She not only stole the treasure but also harmed fellow disciples (referring to the disciple who suffered the backlash from the blood curse)! Please administer justice for us, Elder!”

In an instant, all pressure converged on the Profound Cloud Sect. Elders and disciples from other sects watched coldly, waiting for the show.

Elder Li’s face was grim. He looked at Ye Li: “Ye Li, is what Elder Yan Sha said true?”

Ye Li took a deep breath, stepped forward, and said neither humbly nor overbearingly: “Reporting to Elder Li, treasure hunting in the relic is by individual capability. How can it be called snatching? The Star Core was an ownerless object, and this disciple was fortunate enough to obtain it. As for harming fellow disciples, it is baseless. It was Senior Brother Gao Sheng who attacked first with a sinister curse, resulting in his own misfortune. Everyone present can testify!” Her gaze swept over Shi Yue and the Stout Earth Sect disciples.

Shi Yue immediately stepped out and declared loudly: “Elder Li, this junior, Shi Yue of the Stout Earth Sect, can testify! It is indeed the Battle Maniac Peak disciple, Gao Sheng, who first launched a vicious curse to ambush Junior Sister Ye, which resulted in a self-inflicted backlash! Junior Sister Ye merely acted in self-defense!”

With the Stout Earth Sect’s testimony, Gao Sheng’s accusation instantly appeared weak and unbelievable.

Yan Sha, however, would not let go: “Hmph! Glib tongue! The Star Core is the core of the relic and concerns matters of great importance. How can a junior monopolize it? Elder Li, if you do not hand over the Star Core today, don’t blame this Elder for disregarding courtesy!”

The late-stage Spiritual Mansion Realm pressure once again permeated the air, and the atmosphere instantly became tense!

Elder Li frowned, quickly weighing the situation in his mind. Ye Li was a rare genius in the sect, and she had obtained the Star Core, a supreme treasure. Her future was limitless, and the sect would surely protect her. However, the Red Flame Sect was a powerful force, and a complete fallout would also be extremely detrimental to the Profound Cloud Sect.

“Elder Yan Sha, please calm down.” Elder Li said in a deep voice. “This matter is of great significance and cannot be decided by us here. How about we return to our respective sects first and let the high-level officials of both sects negotiate a resolution?”

This was clearly a stalling tactic. Although Yan Sha was dissatisfied, he also knew that forcefully acting here was unwise, as the Profound Cloud Sect was no pushover. He coldly snorted: “Fine! This Elder awaits the Profound Cloud Sect’s ‘explanation’! Let’s go!”

The Red Flame Sect’s flying vessel was the first to depart, carrying palpable hostility.

Elder Li watched the Red Flame Sect’s flying vessel disappear into the distance, then looked at the pale-faced but resolute Ye Li, and sighed: “Ye Li, let’s return to the sect first. This time… you have really stirred up a hornet’s nest.”

Ye Li remained silent. She knew that the real trouble had just begun. The joy of a successful haul had long been replaced by immense pressure. The blame of possessing a treasure has always been the case. Upon returning to the Profound Cloud Sect, awaiting her would be internal questioning from the sect, the insane revenge of the Battle Maniac Peak, and the external pressure from the Red Flame Sect.

Storm clouds have already gathered.