Chapter 139: Breaking the Ban and Entering the Palace, the Soul Faces Life and Death

The death of the ghost-faced man was like throwing a piece of ice into a boiling oil pot, instantly causing a chain reaction on the battlefield.

Elder Qingxu, who was currently battling Yunying and the remaining Heavenly Palace disciples, sensed the complete demise of the Ghost-Faced Man's aura. His face instantly turned pale as paper, his mind in turmoil. "How is this possible?! The Ghost-Faced Elder..."

Yun Ying, who fought with him, was seriously injured, with broken bones in her right shoulder and was dying, but she had rich combat experience and immediately seized this fleeting opportunity!

"Qingxu! Your doom has come!" Yun Ying shouted fiercely. Ignoring her own injuries, she poured all the remaining spiritual energy in her body, along with the final strength gained from burning her life essence, into the long sword in her hand. The long sword burst into an unprecedented brilliance, transforming into a stunning sword light that pierced the rainbow!

"Nine Skies Cloud-Breaking Sword - Final Form!"

This sword strike was swift, precise, and ruthless! It condensed all of Yun Ying's will and strength, and was filled with overwhelming hatred for the traitor and her determination to protect the sect!

Elder Qingxu's mind was shaken by the ghost-faced man's death, and he was slow to react. Even if he tried to defend himself with all his might, it was too late. The hastily erected magic shield was like paper, easily torn apart by the sword light.

"No--!"

The sword's light pierced through his body! Elder Qingxu froze in place. He looked down at the enormous hole in his chest, which was constantly being eroded and expanded by the pure sword energy. His eyes were filled with resentment, fear, and despair of death. He opened his mouth, as if wanting to say something, but in the end, nothing came out. His body disintegrated inch by inch under the blazing sword energy, turning into ash, and his soul was completely destroyed!

With the two great leaders killed one after another, the remaining demon cultivators and traitors were suddenly leaderless and their morale completely collapsed.

"The Ghost-faced Elder is dead!"

"Elder Qingxu is also dead!"

"Run!"

Cries of terror rang out everywhere, and the remaining enemies no longer had the will to fight. They fled in all directions, wishing only that their parents had not given them two more legs.

The loyal disciples of the Heavenly Palace cheered for surviving the disaster. Although everyone was injured and exhausted, they still held on. Under the leadership of several deacons who were still able to move, they began to clear out the remaining enemies and treat the wounded.

After delivering that fatal blow, Yun Ying could no longer hold on and collapsed, only to be supported by a quick-witted disciple. She watched Ye Li stumble towards Xuannv Palace and weakly called out, "Ye Li... Yi Xuan... I'm counting on you..."

Ye Li turned around, glanced at Yun Ying, and nodded heavily. No need to say more, everything was said without words.

She turned and walked step by step towards the tightly closed gate of the Xuannv Palace, bathed in a hazy glow and eerie demonic patterns. The white jade steps beneath her feet were soaked in blood, becoming slippery and sticky. Every step she took ripped through her wounds, bringing excruciating pain. Her spiritual power was nearly depleted, and her soul was wracked with tearing pain from overactivating the Samsara Mirror and casting the "Thunder of Samsara."

But the light in her eyes grew more resolute. The closer she got to the palace gate, the more clearly she could sense the faint presence behind it, like a candle in the wind, ready to go out at any moment. The chilling ripples of the "Erosion God Demon Seal," though sluggish due to the Ghost-Faced Man's death, still clung to Qin Yixuan's essence like a venomous snake.

Finally, she reached the palace gate. Reaching out to touch the cold, ornate door, she felt a repulsive force from the powerful barrier. This barrier contained the sacred power of the Nine Heavens Mysterious Lady. Normally, only the Master of Yaoguang Palace or the Mysterious Lady herself, having completed the inheritance, could safely open it.

"Yixuan... can you hear me? Hold on... wait for me..." Ye Li gently pressed her forehead against the door, ignoring the burning pain from the barrier. She unleashed her full spiritual awareness, attempting to penetrate the barrier and establish contact with Qin Yixuan within. At the same time, she slowly injected the remaining feeble spiritual energy within her body, mixed with a hint of the Samsara Mirror's aura, into the barrier, attempting to find a weak point or perhaps resonate with the inner core of the inheritance.

Inside the palace gate is the core of inheritance.

This place should have been sacred and peaceful, filled with endless vitality and profound Daoist rhymes. A massive lotus-shaped platform hovered in the void, a hazy, multicolored glow swirling beneath it. Ancient totems depicting the ascension of celestial maidens were engraved on the surrounding walls. But now, a shadow cast a shadow over everything.

Qin Yixuan sat cross-legged at the center of the Lotus Dao Platform, still enveloped by the rich divine light of the Mysterious Woman's origin. Yet, within that sacred radiance, countless fine black demonic patterns wriggled and entwined like living creatures, constantly devouring and contaminating the divine light. Her face was pale, almost transparent, her once rosy lips drained of all color. Fine beads of cold sweat streamed down her forehead, soaking her clothes. Her body trembled uncontrollably, as if enduring the excruciating pain of being cut into pieces by a thousand knives.

The Eclipse Demon Seal not only frantically drained her life essence and mysterious female power, but also continuously impacted and polluted her sea of ​​consciousness. The process of inheritance was forcibly interrupted. The immense energy that was supposed to help her integrate her memories and elevate her realm was now without guidance. It rushed through her meridians and sea of ​​consciousness, causing tearing pain and leaving her feeling extremely weak and cold due to the loss of her essence.

Her consciousness was gradually sinking into the boundless abyss of darkness. Fragments of past memories flashed before her eyes like a revolving lantern: her master's teachings, the smiles of her fellow disciples, the hardships of cultivation, the experiences of her travels... Finally, they settled on a face that was cold and beautiful, yet showed tenderness only to her.

"Ari..." She called silently in her heart, full of reluctance and attachment.

At the last moment when her consciousness was about to be completely swallowed by the darkness, a voice that was so familiar that it was engraved in the depths of her soul, with incomparable anxiety and determination, like the first ray of morning light that broke through the eternal night, penetrated the heavy palace gate restrictions, and sounded directly in her heart!

"Yixuan! Hold on! I'm coming!"

It's Ye Li! She's really here!

An indescribable power, accompanied by this call, surged from the depths of Qin Yixuan's almost dried-up heart! Her originally scattered soul seemed to have received the most effective nourishment, and it once again gathered a trace of weak but tenacious strength.

"Ari... is outside... she's trying hard... I can't give up!"

This thought became her last pillar of support. She desperately gathered her remaining willpower, trying to mobilize the dwindling Xuannv essence within her body that had been suppressed by the Demonic Seal. Like a drowning man grasping at a last straw, she struggled to attack the restrictions of the palace gate, answering the call from outside.

Rumble——!

Under the reckless onslaught of Ye Li's spiritual energy, the infiltration of the Samsara Mirror's aura, and the resonance of Qin Yixuan's inner inner energy, the Xuannv Palace's incomparably solid sacred barrier was finally shaken! The flowing rosy light and the magic patterns above the palace gates violently clashed and vibrated, emitting a dull roar!

A tiny crack first appeared in the center of the door, then spread out like a spider web! Finally, with a sigh that seemed to come from ancient times, the heavy palace door slowly opened inward, creating a narrow gap just wide enough for one person to pass through!

In an instant, an even richer and purer sacred aura, mixed with the disturbing cold demonic energy of the Erosion God Demon Seal, surged out from the crack in the door like a flood bursting through a dam!

Ye Li didn't hesitate at all. The moment the gap opened to a large enough size, he flashed and squeezed in like a swimming fish!

The scene inside the palace came into view, and her heart sank to the bottom in an instant, with pain as sharp as a knife.

On the Lotus Daoist platform, the figure she cherished as her life was now barely breathing. The once radiant Xuannv's robes had dimmed, and her stunning face was filled with pain and weakness. A black demonic mark between her brows, like an ugly scar, flickered constantly, devouring her life force.

"Yixuan!" Ye Li's voice was trembling, which he himself did not notice. He instantly came to the side of the Taoist platform and carefully supported Qin Yixuan's body which was about to fall.

Feeling the familiar embrace and breath, Qin Yixuan opened her eyes with great difficulty and very slowly. Those eyes, once as clear as autumn water, were now dim and lifeless. The moment she saw Ye Li, a faint light burst out, but that light was quickly replaced by deeper worry.

"Ari... hurry... hurry up..." She used all her strength to speak intermittently, her voice so weak that it was almost inaudible, "This magic seal... is weird... it will... corrode you... hurry up..."

"Don't talk nonsense!" Ye Li held her frighteningly cold hand tightly, and said in a firm voice, "Since I'm here, I will never leave alone!"

She immediately released her divine sense, carefully examining Qin Yixuan's internal state. This investigation sent her heart plunging even deeper into a scorching pit. The venom and tenacity of the Erosion God Demon Seal far exceeded her imagination! It wasn't simply attached to the surface; instead, like countless tiny roots, it deeply embedded itself in Qin Yixuan's meridians, dantian, and sea of ​​consciousness, becoming completely entangled and fused with her Mystic Woman Essence and Divine Soul. Forcibly stripping it away with external force would only result in one outcome: the collapse of her Essence and the annihilation of her Divine Soul!

What to do? Samsara Mirror! Yes, Samsara Mirror!

Ye Li immediately used all his strength to activate the fragments of the Samsara Mirror in his sea of ​​consciousness. The soft and vibrant white mirror light enveloped Qin Yixuan, trying to purify the devil seal.

Under the mirror's light, the Demonic Seal was indeed significantly suppressed, its rate of devouring the Essence slowing slightly, and the pain on Qin Yixuan's face eased slightly. However, the Demonic Seal, as if possessing a life of its own, only temporarily shrank under the pressure of the mirror's light. The contaminated power at its core still stubbornly lingered deep within Qin Yixuan's Essence, unable to be eradicated! The power of the Samsara Mirror fragment seemed to be lacking!

"No... the fragments are incomplete... the power isn't enough to completely purify..." Cold sweat dripped from Ye Li's forehead, and an unprecedented sense of powerlessness and panic welled up in her heart. She could clearly feel the life force of the woman in her arms slipping away irreversibly, like the sand in an hourglass. Time was truly running out!

Could it be... could it be that he really had to watch her perish in his arms? After living a whole life, going through so much hardship to get to this point, was there no way to change the ending?

No! Never! My fate is in my own hands! Even if I have to defy the will of heaven and change my fate, even if my soul scatters, I will save her!

A maddeningly sinister thought suddenly arose within Ye Li's despairing heart—using his own soul as a bridge, he would channel the power of the Samsara Mirror directly into the depths of Qin Yixuan's sea of ​​consciousness, confronting the Eclipse Devil Seal directly from its very core! Either completely devour and transform it, or perish alongside it!

This method is equivalent to completely binding the fate of the two people's souls together. If they are not careful, they will both be contaminated and swallowed by the magic seal, and their souls will be destroyed!

But, this is the only and last chance at the moment!

Ye Li lowered her head and stared at Qin Yixuan's eyes that were full of worry and dissuasion. She suddenly smiled, and the smile lost all its coldness, leaving only endless tenderness and determination, as if the ice and snow had just melted and the spring flowers were blooming.

"Yixuan, believe me." Her voice was soft, yet it carried an unshakable, indestructible strength. "Whether we live or die, we're together."

Qin Yixuan looked at her smile, understanding the unquestionable determination in her eyes. Tears instantly burst out, sliding down her pale cheeks. She wanted to shake her head, wanted to push her away, but she couldn't muster even a trace of strength, and could only let the tears blur her vision.

Ye Li no longer hesitated. She gently straightened Qin Yixuan and sat cross-legged across from her. She extended her hands and clasped her fingers tightly with hers, as if to connect their life forces. Then, she slowly leaned forward and gently placed her forehead against the spot where Qin Yixuan's ominous magic seal had been.

The next moment, Ye Li closed his eyes, and his spiritual consciousness, carrying all the protective light and purifying power of the Samsara Mirror without reservation, like the bravest warrior, resolutely broke through the boundaries of the flesh and broke into the sacred sea of ​​consciousness that was eroded by endless demonic energy and on the verge of collapse!