After My Rebirth, I Ended Up Happily Ever After with the Saintess - Chapter 75

The brutal encounter at Broken Blade Cliff was like a searing brand, leaving a deep impression on the heart of every survivor. On the return journey to Demon-Suppressing City, the atmosphere in the team was heavy and silent. Only the solemn sound of footsteps and the occasional groan of the wounded echoed in the wind and snow.

Although Ye Li had also expended a vast amount of spiritual energy and acquired several shallow scars left by the demon creatures, her eyes were brighter and sharper than ever before. The life-and-death struggle, the initial activation of the Star Core’s fundamental power, and the contemplation of the ancient runes she had glimpsed beneath Broken Blade Cliff all left her in a state of marvelous enlightenment.

She traveled while repeatedly analyzing and refining the hastily created move, “Star-Cold Rend,” in her mind. This sword strike, which merged the extreme coldness of the Ice Soul Sealing Heaven Finger, the spiritual energy circulation of the Abyssal Sovereign Sutra, and a sliver of the Star Core’s power of annihilation, was formidable but crude. It also placed an extremely heavy burden on her spiritual energy and soul. The key issue she currently needed to resolve was how to perfect it and transform it into a controllable, powerful killing move.

Simultaneously, after its recent excitation, the Star Core in her Sea of Consciousness seemed to have forged a closer connection with her. The fundamental power it emitted, though faint, adhered more closely to her meridian attributes, subtly nourishing the barrier of her cultivation. She felt that the bottleneck at the middle stage of the Coagulation Meridian Realm, which had been stagnant, was finally showing signs of loosening.

Upon returning to Demon-Suppressing City, Tie Ying immediately went to the General’s Mansion to report the situation, focusing on the abnormal scale of the demon tide and the cliff-face runes Ye Li had discovered. Ye Li, however, declined Tie Ying’s suggestion to claim credit for her deeds. Instead, she returned to her humble stone house and immediately entered seclusion.

She needed to digest the gains from the mission and, more importantly, seize the opportunity for a breakthrough.

Inside the stone house, cold air permeated the space. Ye Li sat cross-legged, holding an Upper-Grade Ice-Element Spirit Stone in each hand. The Abyssal Sovereign Sutra was running at full capacity, greedily absorbing the pure, icy spiritual energy like a whale gulping water. In her Dantian, the spiritual meridian, resembling an icy, starry river, surged relentlessly, continuously impacting the invisible barrier of the middle stage.

The fragment of the Wheel of Reincarnation Mirror emitted a warm, clear light, protecting her Sea of Consciousness and maintaining absolute clarity as she challenged the bottleneck. The Star Core slowly rotated, its emanating fundamental stellar power acting like the finest carving tool, helping her to temper her spiritual energy and consolidate her foundation.

Days passed one after another. The wind and snow outside the stone house seemed endless, while the aura inside grew increasingly icy and profound.

On the seventh day, a faint, subtle sound, like the cracking of an ice layer, erupted from Ye Li’s body!

Boom!

An even more majestic and pure torrent of extreme-cold spiritual energy breached the solid barrier and surged through her body! The spiritual meridian visibly widened and solidified, its color deepening to an intense indigo, and the faint star-points within it became even more dazzling!

The late stage of the Coagulation Meridian Realm!

The breakthrough was a matter of course!

In the moment of breakthrough, Ye Li’s understanding and control of power ascended to a whole new level. Her analysis of “Star-Cold Rend” became perfectly clear, and many previously obscure points were now crystal clear. She even felt that the second level of the Universe Trace-less Step, “Void Wander,” was also within reach.

She did not immediately end her seclusion. Instead, she continued to stabilize her realm while working on perfecting “Star-Cold Rend.” She disassembled and reassembled the move, discarding the unnecessary and retaining the essence, finally forming the prototype of a sword move that was more stable, less taxing on energy, yet retained its immense power. She named it — “Star’s Stillness” (Xing Ji), symbolizing the annihilation of stars and the freezing of all things.

Three more days passed before Ye Li concluded her seclusion. When she pushed open the door of the stone house, the aura around her was completely internalized, but the occasional sharp light that flashed in her eyes revealed the significant elevation of her strength.

Tie Ying, who had been waiting outside, once again showed a flicker of astonishment in his eyes when he saw her. He clearly sensed that the young woman before him seemed to have been reborn compared to before her seclusion, her aura now unfathomably profound.

“Fellow Daoist Ye, your timing is perfect!” Tie Ying stepped forward, his tone a mix of excitement and gravity. “General Zhao requests your presence! There’s been a major breakthrough regarding the runes you discovered!”

Ye Li’s heart stirred, and she followed Tie Ying back to the General’s Mansion.

In the study, General Zhao Gan, along with several senior generals and array masters of the Demon-Suppressing Army, were gathered around the massive map of the Northern Territory. The location of Broken Blade Cliff was prominently marked.

“Junior Niece Ye, you’ve come!” Zhao Gan finally offered a rare smile upon seeing Ye Li. “The runes you discovered have been studied and compared tirelessly by several Array Grandmasters. We can essentially confirm that they are the residual nodal runes of the ‘Profound Ice Heaven-Rending Array’—the protective grand array of the ancient ‘Ice Soul Profound Palace’!”

“Ice Soul Profound Palace?” Ye Li was unfamiliar with the name.

An old array master excitedly explained, “The Ice Soul Profound Palace was a powerful sect that ruled the Northern Icefield tens of thousands of years ago. Its cultivation methods were said to be extremely Yin and cold, possessing infinite power, before it suddenly vanished for unknown reasons. The location of its mountain gate has always been a mystery. If the runes beneath Broken Blade Cliff truly are the nodes of the Profound Ice Heaven-Rending Array, it means the ruins of the Ice Soul Profound Palace are very likely hidden at the bottom of Broken Blade Cliff, or in an adjacent spatial dimension!”

Zhao Gan interjected, his expression grave: “More importantly, we suspect that the recent abnormal movements of the Black Fiend demons are very likely related to these ruins! Perhaps the seal of the ruins has loosened, the leakage of Yin and cold demonic energy attracted the demons, or even… a more powerful demon creature has escaped from the ruins!”

This inference sent a chill down everyone’s spines. The ruins of an ancient sect inherently meant enormous opportunities, but also came with unknown dangers, possibly far exceeding their current capacity to handle!

“Junior Niece Ye,” Zhao Gan looked at Ye Li, his gaze piercing. “Your mission not only uncovered clues about the abnormal demon tide but also the crucial information regarding the Ice Soul Profound Palace ruins. You have performed a great meritorious service! This matter is of immense importance and can no longer be handled by Demon-Suppressing City alone. I need you to immediately take this detailed intelligence and return to the Profound Cloud Sect, personally reporting to the Sect Master! Request the sect to dispatch Array Dao experts and elite forces for support!”

Ye Li understood. This was both a major responsibility and an opportunity for her to return to the sect openly and legitimately. Her return with such critical information would naturally mitigate much of the pressure and questioning previously directed at her.

“I am honor-bound to do so!” Ye Li bowed and accepted the task.

The situation was urgent, and Zhao Gan immediately prepared the fastest flying demon beast for Ye Li—a peak Tier 3 “Snow-Winged Condor”—along with an encrypted jade slip recording all the discoveries and inferences.

Before her departure, Tie Ying and several squad members who had fought alongside her came to see her off.

“Fellow Daoist Ye, take care on your journey! We look forward to your early return with reinforcements!” Tie Ying said solemnly.

“Senior Sister Ye, thank you for saving our lives!” The surviving sect disciples and rogue cultivators also bowed in respect.

Through the battle at Broken Blade Cliff, Ye Li had earned the respect of these seasoned border soldiers with her strength and courage.

Ye Li nodded to the group, then leaped onto the Snow-Winged Condor. The giant condor let out a clear cry, spread its wide, snowy white wings, and soared into the sky, swiftly heading south toward the Profound Cloud Sect!

The return journey was much smoother than the trip there. The Snow-Winged Condor was incredibly fast, and with her increased cultivation, Ye Li no longer deliberately concealed her tracks. The occasional short-sighted flying demon beast that tried to intercept her was instantly frozen into an ice sculpture by a casual strike of her Star’s Stillness sword energy.

Half a month later, the familiar outline of the Profound Cloud Sect’s seventy-two peaks finally appeared in her view.

When the Snow-Winged Condor landed on the Heavenly Profound Peak Plaza, it immediately caused a sensation.

“It’s Ye Li! She’s back!”

“Didn’t she go to the Northern Territory? Why is she back so soon?”

“Look at her aura… it seems she’s gotten stronger!”

“The one she’s riding is… a Tier 3 Snow-Winged Condor? A military demon beast from Demon-Suppressing City!”

The news spread like wildfire. When Ye Li, holding General Zhao Gan’s token and the encrypted jade slip, headed straight for the Lingxiao Hall, she attracted countless gazes filled with doubt, curiosity, and complexity.

Inside the Lingxiao Hall, Sect Master Xuanchengzi and several Elders were once again gathered. Upon hearing that Ye Li had not only returned safely, broken through to the late stage of the Coagulation Meridian Realm, but also brought back critical intelligence regarding the anomaly of the Northern Demon Tide and the ruins of the ancient “Ice Soul Profound Palace,” everyone was utterly shocked.

After personally examining the contents of the jade slip, Sect Master Xuanchengzi’s expression became extremely solemn: “The Ice Soul Profound Palace… this matter is indeed of great significance! Ye Li, the meritorious service you’ve rendered this time far exceeds imagination!”

His gaze swept over the Elders present, especially the disgruntled Situ Kuang, and he said in a deep voice: “Ye Li disregarded her personal safety, ventured deep into the Northern Territory’s danger zone, ascertained the root of the demon tide, and discovered the ancient ruins. She has performed a great meritorious service for the sect and the safety of the entire Northern Spirit Realm! All previous disputes, compared to this achievement, are to be set aside! I decree: Ye Li is to be promoted to Elite Inner Sect Disciple, enjoying the treatment of a True Heir Disciple! She is awarded 500,000 Contribution Points, 100,000 Spirit Stones, and is granted three days of access to the top floor of the Scripture Repository!”

This reward was undeniably generous! It directly affirmed Ye Li’s merit and standing!

Situ Kuang opened his mouth, but ultimately said nothing. In the face of such undeniable achievement, any further objection from him would only be self-humiliation.

Resident of the Evening Cloud stroked his beard and smiled, his eyes full of satisfaction.

Ye Li calmly accepted the rewards and thanked the Sect Master. She felt no great emotional fluctuation; everything was earned through her strength and risk-taking.

When she walked out of the Lingxiao Hall, the sunlight shone upon her, cool and dazzling. The way the sect disciples looked at her had fundamentally changed. From initial doubt and jealousy, it had transformed into awe, admiration, and even a hint of worship.

She returned with a powerful stance, using concrete achievements to dispel all controversy. The winds and snows of the Northern Territory had not defeated her; instead, they had tempered her to be even sharper and more brilliant.

However, Ye Li knew this was just a new beginning. The secret of the Ice Soul Profound Palace and the sect’s newfound focus meant greater opportunities and a more complicated whirlpool. And the grudges between her and Battle Maniac Peak and the Scarlet Flame Sect were far from over.

But at this moment, she stood on Heavenly Profound Peak under the sunlight, her Dao heart clear and fearless.

“Next, it’s time to explore that Ice Soul Profound Palace…” She looked toward the North, a flicker of anticipation in her eyes. A new storm was brewing, and she was ready to ride the wind.