After My Rebirth, I Ended Up Happily Ever After with the Saintess - Chapter 88

In the side hall of the ancient tomb, the atmosphere was tense. Gao Sheng’s powerful aura, typical of the late-stage Spirit Mansion Realm, surged towards Ye Li like a tide. The two disciples from the Battle Maniac Peak behind him also blocked her retreat with sneers, the cold gleam of their weapons flashing. In their eyes, Ye Li, having just gone through a fierce battle and with her spiritual power heavily depleted, was a caged beast.

“Gao Sheng, you truly are in league with those heretical devils!” Ye Li’s eyes were icy, her Profound Ice Sword held horizontally before her. Although at a disadvantage, her imposing presence did not weaken. She didn’t rush to fight, instead secretly adjusting her breath while connecting a trace of her spiritual consciousness to the Minor Heaven Star Array Plate.

“On the verge of death, yet you still dare to slander me!” Gao Sheng’s eyes flashed with killing intent. “After killing you, who will know what happened here? If you must blame someone, blame yourself for knowing what you shouldn’t have and blocking a path you shouldn’t have!”

He stopped wasting words, his body erupting forward. A flaming battle saber, accompanied by a shriek that tore the air, cleaved directly at Ye Li’s face! It was the Battle Maniac Peak’s ultimate skill, Heaven Burning Slash! Before the saber arrived, the scorching heat had already drastically raised the temperature inside the hall.

The other two disciples also struck simultaneously, a saber and a sword, sealing off Ye Li’s space to dodge left or right.

Facing the combined attack of the three, a cold light flashed in Ye Li’s eyes. Instead of retreating, she advanced! Heavenly Domain Trace-less Step—Star Flash!

Her figure instantly blurred, not retreating in a straight line, but reappearing behind the left-side sword-wielding disciple at an incredible, almost teleportation-like angle! The speed was extreme!

That disciple only felt his vision blur and a bone-chilling cold pierce his back. Terrified, he tried to turn, but it was too late!

“Ice Trace!”

Ye Li pointed her fingers like a sword, striking after the others, her Ice Soul Sealing Heaven Finger precisely hitting the vital point on his back! The extreme cold finger-force instantly invaded, freezing his heart meridian!

Instant kill!

Gao Sheng’s and the other disciple’s attacks immediately missed. They were both shocked and enraged!

“Vicious little tramp, die!” Gao Sheng roared, his battle saber reversing, the flames becoming even more ferocious. The other disciple’s eyes also turned red, and he attacked wildly.

Having succeeded in one strike, Ye Li didn’t stop. Her figure flashed again, avoiding the main force of Gao Sheng, and the Profound Ice Sword turned into streaks of cold light, fighting the saber-wielding disciple. She knew she couldn’t clash head-on with Gao Sheng and had to eliminate the small fries first!

That disciple was only at the peak of the Meridian Condensing Realm; how could he be Ye Li’s match? After only three to five exchanges, Ye Li found an opening and severed his wrist with her sword. He screamed and collapsed.

In a blink of an eye, two helpers were dead and injured! Gao Sheng was both alarmed and furious. He had not expected Ye Li to possess such terrifying explosive power and battle awareness even after heavy consumption!

“I’ll tear you to shreds!” Gao Sheng went completely insane. His late-stage Spirit Mansion Realm spiritual power erupted without reservation. The battle saber waved, transforming into a sea of fire that enveloped the entire side hall! He intended to crush Ye Li with absolute power!

Ye Li’s pressure drastically increased. Her spiritual power was indeed severely depleted, and a direct confrontation was absolutely not an option. While maneuvering and circling through the sea of fire with her bizarre movement technique, she secretly activated the Minor Heaven Star Array Plate!

Buzz!

An invisible stellar force field expanded around her! Although it couldn’t completely neutralize Gao Sheng’s flame domain, it significantly weakened its power and created a trace of interference and restraint!

Gao Sheng felt his body sink, and the operation of his spiritual power was momentarily sluggish. His face instantly changed: “An array? You even possess such a means!”

Seizing this opportunity, Ye Li took a deep breath, pouring her remaining spiritual power and a trace of Star Core power into the Profound Ice Sword! The sword burst forth with an unprecedented, brilliant star-blue light!

“Star Annihilation—Descent of the Galaxy!”

She shouted, moving with the sword, transforming into a cold, celestial river traversing the hall, carrying the artistic conception of star annihilation, meeting Gao Sheng’s Burning Heaven Saber Sea!

This was the strongest strike she could currently unleash!

Boom! Rumble!

The two forces of extreme cold and extreme heat fiercely collided! The entire side hall violently shook, and dust sifted down from the walls! At the center of the explosion, energy currents rampaged!

A figure staggered backward from the explosion’s center, crashing heavily against the wall—it was Gao Sheng! His clothes were tattered, blood spilled from the corner of his mouth, and the arm holding the saber slightly trembled. His eyes were filled with incredible shock! He, a dignified late-stage Spirit Mansion Realm cultivator, was actually forced to this extent by a late-stage Meridian Condensing Realm cultivator!

Meanwhile, Ye Li used the recoil force to drift back, her face ashen, leaning on her sword, clearly at the end of her rope. But her gaze remained sharp, coldly staring at Gao Sheng.

Gao Sheng looked at Ye Li’s icy gaze, and then felt the churning qi and blood and damaged meridians within his body. For the first time, a trace of fear arose in his heart. This woman was too monstrous, her trump cards endless. If he continued to fight, even if he won, he would surely pay a heavy price. Moreover, the commotion here had likely already attracted the attention of others…

“Ye Li! Consider yourself lucky! I, Gao Sheng, will remember today’s grudge! We shall meet again!” Gao Sheng gritted his teeth, dropped a harsh threat, grabbed the injured disciple, and fled in disarray, disappearing deep into the passage.

Watching Gao Sheng retreat, Ye Li’s tense nerves finally relaxed, and she violently spat out a mouthful of clotted blood. In that clash just now, she had been seriously injured. She quickly consumed several healing pills, not daring to linger, and immediately left this troubled area.

After this battle, although she successfully forced Gao Sheng to retreat and saved the Soul-Stabilizing Pearl, she truly felt the immense pressure of directly clashing with a late-stage Spirit Mansion Realm cultivator. The gap in strength was still evident.

A few days later, the demonic creatures within the ancient tomb were mostly cleared out, and disciples from various sects withdrew sequentially. After investigation, the ancient tomb was confirmed to be a dilapidated outer stronghold of the Ice Soul Profound Palace. The core area had long since collapsed, and its value was limited. The true treasures and secrets seemed not to be located here. The clues regarding the Zhao family’s massacre also pointed to a few mysterious heretical cultivators who had long escaped, making it temporarily a cold case.

The Black Water City incident drew to a close for now, but its impact was profound. All sects strengthened their border defenses and became stricter in vetting their internal personnel.

Ye Li returned to the Profound Cloud Sect with the sect’s team. She handed the Soul-Stabilizing Pearl to Xia Zhihe for the treatment of Lin Feng. Lin Feng’s injuries were extremely severe, and even with the Soul-Stabilizing Pearl to nourish him, he would need at least half a year to recover and would be unable to fight during that period. This loss made Ye Li deeply realize that the power of the You Ge (Hidden Chamber) was far from sufficient, and the safety of its core members could not be fully guaranteed.

However, fortune is often accompanied by misfortune. Ye Li’s astonishing performance outside the ancient tomb in Black Water City—fighting a mid-stage Spirit Mansion Realm demonic creature alone and forcing the late-stage Spirit Mansion Realm Gao Sheng to retreat—spread like a whirlwind throughout the Profound Cloud Sect, even beginning to disseminate outside the sect.

Previously, discussions about Ye Li mostly focused on her inheritance and her opportunities. But this time, she used genuine, over-the-level combat feats to prove her terrifying practical combat ability! The name “Ice Specter” was no longer just a code name but represented the symbol of a peerless expert among her peers, one who could even challenge those above her realm!

Her prestige reached its peak among the younger generation of disciples, subtly earning her the reputation as the number one Meridian Condensing Realm cultivator in the Profound Cloud Sect!

However, fame does not only bring awe but also challenges.

On this day, Ye Li was recuperating on Cloud Pill Peak, consolidating her cultivation at the peak of the Meridian Condensing Realm (after a series of major battles, her bottleneck had loosened). A duty disciple came to report: outside the mountain gate, a young cultivator claiming to be from the “Heavenly Saber Sect” had directly challenged Ye Li by name!

The Heavenly Saber Sect was a major sect in the Northern Domain, on par with the Profound Cloud Sect, known for its fierce and overbearing saber techniques.

Ye Li slightly furrowed her brow and came to the mountain gate. She saw a young man in black tight clothes, carrying an ancient long saber on his back, standing proudly. His face was stern, his eyes like sabers, and his aura had clearly reached the initial stage of the Spirit Mansion Realm! Moreover, his spiritual power was condensed, and his saber intent was aggressive, clearly indicating he was not an ordinary cultivator who had just broken through the Spirit Mansion Realm.

“You are Ye Li?” The black-clad youth’s gaze fell upon Ye Li, carrying scrutiny and a hint of fighting spirit. “I am Li Juetian, a true disciple of the Heavenly Saber Sect. Hearing that you are hailed as invincible in the Meridian Condensing Realm, I have specifically come to request a match! Do you dare to fight me?”

Li Juetian! Ye Li had heard of this name. He was one of the most dazzling geniuses in the Heavenly Saber Sect in recent years, rumored to have previously slain a mid-stage Spirit Mansion Realm heretical cultivator with a peak Meridian Condensing Realm cultivation. His combat power was extremely fearsome. Now that he had broken through to the Spirit Mansion Realm, his strength was even more unfathomable.

His challenge instantly attracted countless sect disciples to watch.

“It’s Li Juetian! He actually came!”

“He is the Heavenly Saber Sect’s precious gem, rumored to have grasped the ‘momentum’ level of saber intent!”

“Senior Sister Ye just went through a major battle and is still injured. This…”

The crowd buzzed with discussion, most of them worried for Ye Li. Li Juetian was clearly here with ill intentions, wanting to climb the ladder of fame by stepping on Ye Li’s current skyrocketing reputation!

Ye Li looked at Li Juetian, her eyes calm. She could sense that this person was not instigated by anyone but purely driven by a martial artist’s competitive spirit, wanting to verify his Saber Dao. Such challenges were common in the cultivation world.

Under normal circumstances, she might have gladly accepted the challenge to test her own knowledge. But right now, her injuries were not healed, Lin Feng was severely wounded, and the You Ge needed stability. It was truly inappropriate to cause unnecessary trouble.

She was about to decline when a clear, cold voice sounded first:

“Senior Brother Li has traveled a long way, and since you wish to spar, why the rush? Junior Sister Ye’s injuries are not yet healed; a fight now would be unfair. Why not wait until Junior Sister Ye recovers and her cultivation progresses further? Wouldn’t that be more enjoyable?”

Everyone looked in the direction of the voice, only to see Qin Yixuan had arrived at the mountain gate at some point, her white robes fluttering, her tone calm yet carrying an undeniable force.

Li Juetian looked at Qin Yixuan, raising an eyebrow slightly: “Is Fairy Qin also getting involved?”

Qin Yixuan said serenely: “It is not interference, merely stating a fact. Furthermore, Senior Brother Li, challenging a Meridian Condensing Realm with a Spirit Mansion Realm cultivation, even if you win, what glory is there? If you truly wish to verify your Saber Dao, why not wait until after the exploration of our sect’s ancient ruins? By then, I believe Junior Sister Ye will also have broken through, and we can have a fair match. How about that?”

Qin Yixuan’s words were reasonable and well-grounded, both protecting Ye Li and giving Li Juetian a graceful exit.

Li Juetian pondered for a moment. Although he was a martial arts fanatic, he was not completely devoid of reason. He glanced at Ye Li and said in a deep voice: “Fine! In that case, I will wait for your recovery and breakthrough! I hope you don’t disappoint me then!” With that, he didn’t linger, turning into a flash of saber light and soaring away. His arrival was sudden, and his departure was decisive.

A storm was resolved by Qin Yixuan with just a few sentences.

Ye Li looked at Qin Yixuan and nodded slightly: “Thank you, Senior Sister Qin, for diffusing the situation.”

Qin Yixuan smiled faintly: “It’s nothing. However, Li Juetian possesses extraordinary talent in the Saber Dao. Since he has set his sights on you, this battle is inevitable. You must prepare early.”

Ye Li nodded, a trace of fighting spirit igniting in her eyes. Evasion was not her style. Once her injuries were healed and her cultivation consolidated, she would need a powerful opponent to sharpen her Star Annihilation sword techniques and test the threshold of the Spirit Mansion Realm that she had just touched!

Li Juetian’s appearance was like an alarm bell, reminding her that the cultivation world never lacks geniuses. Her rise was bound to attract more and stronger challenges. Only by continuously growing stronger could she stand tall! And the upcoming exploration of the Ice Soul Profound Palace ruins would be an important step for her to become stronger.