After My Rebirth, I Ended Up Happily Ever After with the Saintess - Chapter 96

The moment Ye Li stepped into the entrance of the Ice Soul Profound Palace, she felt an irresistible spatial tearing force. The light and shadows before her eyes rapidly warped, and her five senses seemed to be stripped away. The intensity of this transmission was far beyond that of an ordinary teleportation array; it felt more like a random and unstable spatial rift.

She immediately circulated the 《Ethereal Sovereign Sutra》, using the extreme cold spiritual energy to protect her whole body, while her divine sense strained to reach out, trying to stabilize herself and observe her surroundings. However, her divine sense was greatly suppressed in this place, only barely able to cover a radius of a few zhang (meters) around her.

After a few breaths, her feet found solid ground, and the tearing force abruptly vanished. A bone-piercing cold, like countless fine needles, instantly penetrated her spiritual energy shield, making her shiver violently. Before her eyes was a boundless expanse of white, where a howling gale swept up ice shards, sounding like the wailing of ghosts.

Her landing spot was not the palace corridor she had anticipated, but a dead, desolate, and terrifyingly cold Ice Plains! The sky was an eternal grayish-white, devoid of sun, moon, or stars, only endless frigid wind and swirling snow. The ice layer beneath her feet, of unknown thickness, was hard as iron and radiated an ancient, unmelting chill.

“Random transmission?” Ye Li’s heart sank. This was not good news, meaning the Profound Cloud Sect team had been scattered, and she was now alone. Even worse, she keenly sensed that the natural laws of this Ice Plains were somewhat abnormal; although the spiritual energy was dense, it was wildly erratic and difficult to absorb and refine, furthermore, it contained a bizarre cold that corroded the soul.

She tried to determine her direction, but the surroundings looked almost identical, and with her divine sense suppressed, it was impossible to discern. Relying on instinct, she chose a direction where the wind was slightly weaker and proceeded cautiously. Her Profound Ice Sword was gripped in her hand, ready to deal with any potential danger.

She hadn’t walked far before finding several frozen cultivators’ corpses ahead. By their attire, they were disciples from small sects and rogue cultivators. Their faces still held expressions of terror and despair, their bodies covered in thick frost, clearly having died recently. It seemed not everyone was fortunate enough to be transmitted to a relatively safe location.

Ye Li became even more vigilant. She pushed the 《Universe Shadow Step》 to its limits, her figure blurring and indistinct in the wind and snow, minimizing the leakage of her aura.

She traveled for about half an hour, and apart from the harsh environment and the scattered corpses, she encountered no living creatures or other dangers. But Ye Li’s heart grew heavier, as she realized she seemed to be walking in circles! This Ice Plains was likely a massive illusion formation or a naturally formed dead end!

Just as she stopped, preparing to carefully examine her surroundings, faint sounds of energy clashes and a clear, cold shout suddenly drifted from the wind and snow ahead!

Someone was fighting there!

Ye Li’s heart stirred. She immediately suppressed all her aura, moving quietly like a phantom in the night, inching closer.

Passing through a dense forest of ice pillars, the sight before her made her pupils contract slightly.

In a relatively open expanse of ice, several figures were engaged in a fierce battle. One side consisted of three cultivators dressed in identical black tight-fitting outfits, with cold expressions and sinister, ruthless techniques—the very mysterious, unmarked team she had noticed at the entrance! Their cultivation method was cold and venomous, and their combined power was astonishing.

Their opponent was only one person—Qin Yixuan, whose white robe was stained with spots of red like plum blossoms, her face pale, but her eyes still clear and resolute!

Qin Yixuan had clearly endured a bitter fight. The azure water light surrounding her was noticeably dimmer, and the Profound Sea Bright Moon Pearl floating above her head could only barely protect her vital points with its scattered clear light. She wielded a long sword that flowed like water, her swordsmanship exquisite, consistently blocking the opponents’ fatal attacks at the crucial moment, but she was clearly at a disadvantage, and defeat was only a matter of time.

The three black-clothed cultivators cooperated seamlessly. One focused on the main attack, his moves broad and powerful, containing a strange corrosive force; one was like a ghost, his figure flickering, specializing in sneak attacks and distractions; and the last one continuously launched various poisonous hidden weapons and talismans from the periphery, restricting Qin Yixuan’s movement.

“Fairy of the Azure Water Pavilion, why resist pointlessly? Hand over the ‘Essence of Profound Water’, and we can leave you a complete corpse!” The black-clothed cultivator leading the attack sneered ominously, his offensive growing fiercer.

Qin Yixuan pressed her lips together, saying nothing, but her sword momentum became more persistent and tenacious. Clearly, the opponents were after some treasure she possessed.

Ye Li hid behind the ice pillar, her eyes flickering. To save, or not to save?

From a public standpoint, Azure Water Pavilion and Profound Cloud Sect were currently allies. Personally, she and Qin Yixuan shared a temporary alliance of convenience. However, the three opponents were skilled, and their techniques were strange. Her rash intervention could easily lead to her own demise. In this unknown dead end, preserving her strength was the priority.

Yet, just as she was weighing the pros and cons, the situation suddenly changed!

The black-clothed cultivator responsible for sneak attacks disappeared into thin air using some unknown movement technique. The next moment, he emerged from the ice surface beneath Qin Yixuan’s feet like a shadow, a poisoned dagger aimed straight at her back! This sneak attack was executed from a tricky angle, with impeccable timing!

Qin Yixuan was preoccupied by the frontal assault and had no time to defend! She was moments away from being killed!

“Watch out!”

Almost instinctively, Ye Li’s figure shot out from behind the ice pillar like a momentary flash! 《Universe Shadow Step》—Star Flash! Simultaneously, the Profound Ice Sword transformed into a cold stream of light, arriving from behind, precisely deflecting the poisoned dagger!

Clang!

Sparks flew! Ye Li felt a wave of sinister, poisonous cold energy transmit through the sword, causing her arm to tremble slightly, but she had managed to block the fatal blow just in time!

The sudden turn of events stunned both sides of the battle.

Qin Yixuan seized this momentary gap, rapidly retreated, and joined Ye Li, standing back-to-back. She looked at the suddenly appearing Ye Li, a subtle complexity flashing in her clear, cold eyes—surprise, gratitude, and a hint of relief. She whispered, “Thank you.”

“Now is not the time for pleasantries.” Ye Li’s gaze was icy as she locked onto the three black-clothed cultivators, who were now on high alert. “Let’s deal with the trouble at hand first.”

The three black-clothed cultivators clearly hadn’t expected a third party to suddenly intervene, and one whose strength seemed formidable. The leader stared gloomily at Ye Li: “A little girl from the Profound Cloud Sect? Humph, interfering in our business. Then you shall stay here too!”

The battle erupted once more! But this time, it was two against three!

Ye Li and Qin Yixuan, the two most dazzling heavenly maidens of the Northern Domain, were forced onto the same front line in this desperate situation!

Their initial coordination was a bit awkward. Ye Li’s swordsmanship was fierce and overbearing, following a path of extreme offense; Qin Yixuan’s swordsmanship leaned towards gentle defense and control. But both were individuals with exceptional combat talent and quickly found their rhythm.

Ye Li focused on the main attack. Her Profound Ice Sword, carrying bone-chilling cold and the aura of star annihilation, aimed for the opponents’ vital points with every strike, forcing the main attacking black-clothed cultivator to respond with all his might. Qin Yixuan, on the other hand, provided support. Her sword light was like flowing water, sometimes transforming into a tough water screen to block the sneak attacks and hidden weapons of the other opponent, and sometimes winding like a spiritual snake to entangle and disrupt, creating opportunities for Ye Li to attack.

“Profound Ice Shield!” With a thought, Ye Li instantly conjured a crystal-clear shield of cold ice, blocking a sinister black light that struck from the side.

“Water Dragon Roar!” Qin Yixuan’s sword gesture evoked a roar from an ice dragon condensed entirely from Profound Water, temporarily trapping the black-clothed cultivator with the strange movement technique.

Their coordination grew increasingly seamless. Often, a single glance or a subtle movement was enough for them to understand each other’s intentions. This trust and rapport, forged rapidly under the pressure of life and death, far surpassed that of ordinary sparring.

The three black-clothed cultivators became increasingly alarmed as the fight wore on. They had expected to easily defeat Qin Yixuan with their combined forces, but they hadn’t anticipated the sudden emergence of Ye Li’s formidable strength, nor the fact that the two women’s combined effort could produce an effect greater than the sum of their parts!

After a long stalemate, they gradually began to be suppressed. A look of ruthlessness flashed in the lead black-clothed cultivator’s eyes. He fiercely bit his tongue, spitting a mouthful of essence blood onto his curved saber. The saber immediately glowed with intense black light, radiating a nauseating, foul stench!

“Nether Slash!”

A massive black saber aura, accompanied by the wailing of ghosts, tore through the wind and snow, slashing towards Ye Li and Qin Yixuan! Its power had clearly reached the peak of the middle-stage Spirit Mansion Realm!

Feeling the terror of this strike, both Ye Li and Qin Yixuan’s expressions changed simultaneously!

“Alliance!” Qin Yixuan shouted clearly. The Profound Sea Bright Moon Pearl burst into brilliant light, condensing the endless water vapor into a massive blue light shield!

Ye Li also pushed her spiritual energy to the maximum. The star light on her Profound Ice Sword shone brightly, brewing the strongest variation of the 《Star Annihilation》 sword move! But she knew that relying on either her or Qin Yixuan alone would likely be insufficient to fully block this desperate, all-out attack!

In this critical moment, as if telepathically connected, the two made their decision almost simultaneously!

Qin Yixuan’s water shield was not purely defensive; it carried a gentle guiding force! Ye Li’s sword energy was not merely rigid and fierce; it contained the trajectory of a turning star!

The water shield and the sword energy, one soft and one hard, one defensive and one offensive, perfectly merged at the moment of contact! They formed a bizarre, half-blue, half-white light wheel that possessed the utmost softness of water, the ultimate hardness of ice, and the circulation of starlight!

Boom!!!

The black saber aura violently struck the light wheel, unleashing an earth-shattering roar! The energy storm swept out, shattering many of the surrounding ice pillars!

The light wheel severely fluctuated, but ultimately was not broken! Instead, it gradually wore down the terrifying saber aura and reflected it back!

Puff!

The black-clothed cultivator who had used the forbidden technique suffered a backlash, spitting out a large mouthful of blood, his aura instantly plummeting! The other two were also affected, looking utterly disheveled!

An opportunity!

Ye Li and Qin Yixuan exchanged a glance, both seeing the resolve in the other’s eyes! Strike while the iron is hot!

“Star Annihilation!”

“Profound Water Sword Prison!”

The two simultaneously unleashed their strongest killing moves! The cold star sword energy and the endless Profound Water sword light intertwined into a net of death, instantly enveloping the three heavily wounded black-clothed cultivators!

The screams abruptly stopped.

The wind and snow continued, and three corpses, rapidly frozen by ice, lay on the Ice Plains.

The battle was over.

Ye Li and Qin Yixuan both breathed slightly raggedly; the combined attack just now had been extremely draining. But now, as they looked at each other, the distance between them had lessened, replaced by a hard-to-describe trust and… acknowledgment.

In this desperate situation, this forced alliance had truly allowed them to witness each other’s strength and character.

“I owe you another one,” Qin Yixuan said to Ye Li, her tone still clear and cold, but with a touch more warmth than before.

Ye Li shook her head, looking out at the vast Ice Plains: “It’s too early to talk about that. The immediate priority is to find a way to leave this accursed place.”

They were now truly bound together.