Chapter 90: Soul-breaking Ambush, Retreat and Calm

That anonymous letter of life-or-death challenge pierced Ye Li's heart like a poisonous thorn. The clues to the Zhao family's annihilation in Blackwater City were a temptation she couldn't ignore, but the appointment at the Cliff of Broken Souls was 99% likely a carefully orchestrated killing spree.

To go or not to go?

Ye Li barely hesitated. A fragment of the truth might be right before her eyes; even if it was only a glimmer of hope, she had to seize it. Furthermore, her strength had greatly increased, and she needed a true life-or-death battle to sharpen her edge and validate her learning. If she couldn't even accept such a challenge, where was her Daoist heart?

But she was not a reckless person. Before the appointment, she made careful preparations.

First, she sent an order to Lin Feng, who was recuperating far away, through the most secret channel left in Youge, asking him to use all possible means to investigate whether there were any suspicious people who had recently contacted the survivors of the Zhao family (perhaps there were branches that had not been wiped out) or rumormongers related to the Blackwater City incident, in an attempt to verify the authenticity of the information in the challenge letter from the side.

Secondly, she exchanged most of the spirit stones and resources on her body for several life-saving talismans and disposable attack magic weapons through Xia Zhihe's secret channels, and re-tempered the small Zhoutian star array to make it more powerful.

Finally, she visited the cave of Lay Buddhist Muyun. She didn't mention the challenge letter directly, simply saying she'd recently gained some insights through cultivation and needed to find a secluded place to test them. Her return date was uncertain. Lay Buddhist Muyun gave her a deep look, as if sensing something, but didn't stop her. Instead, he gave her another life-saving jade talisman and urged her to be careful.

The three-day period passed in a flash.

At midnight, at the Soul-Breaking Cliff, the wind howled, the rocks were jagged, the bottom of the cliff was bottomless, and there was a heart-pounding dead silence.

Ye Li arrived alone, Xuanbing Sword in hand, his consciousness surging like mercury as he vigilantly scanned the surroundings. The moonlight was obscured by thick, dark clouds, leaving only a few scattered stars. The environment was extremely harsh.

"I'm here." Ye Li's cold voice echoed on the top of the cliff.

As soon as she finished speaking, four dark figures emerged silently from behind the rocks and the shadows like ghosts, surrounding her. All four wore nightgowns and masks, their auras cold and sharp. Their cultivation levels were all at the early stages of the Spiritual Residence Realm! Furthermore, their spiritual powers varied in attributes: one fire, one earth, one wind, and one darkness. Clearly a carefully coordinated combination, designed to complement each other and counter her extreme cold technique.

Without further ado, the four attacked simultaneously! Fireballs, ground spikes, wind blades, and a silent shadow curse attacked Ye Li from four directions!

The attack was fierce and tricky, and the coordination was tacit, instantly blocking all her escape routes!

"It's quite a spectacle indeed!" Ye Li's eyes flashed with cold light, and the spiritual energy that had been accumulating for a long time suddenly erupted! Unleashing his "Universe Traceless Step" to its fullest potential, his figure flickered and shifted within the confined space like a phantom, narrowly avoiding most of the attacks. At the same time, his Mysterious Ice Sword slashed in an icy arc, slashing towards the wind-attributed cultivator—the fastest of the four, and the most threatening!

However, the four were clearly wary of her movements. The wind-attributed cultivator retreated quickly, while the earth-attributed cultivator stepped forward, instantly raising a thick earthen wall to block the sword's light. The fire-attributed and dark-attributed cultivators' attacks followed her like shadows!

Ye Li was locked in a bitter fight. These four might not be as strong individually as Gao Sheng, but together, their power was multiplied. Their strategy was clear: to wear her down and wear her down! They didn't give her a chance to engage in close combat, always keeping their distance and harassing her with ranged attacks and curses.

For a moment, the clash of spiritual energy resonated endlessly on the clifftop, the blaze of exploding flames intertwined with icy sword energy. Ye Li unleashed her "Star Silence" sword technique to its fullest potential, her sword light pouring down like a galaxy, but she was always blocked by the combined might of her opponents. Her spiritual energy was rapidly depleting, and she sustained several wounds. While not fatal, they hampered her mobility.

"We can't go on like this!" Ye Li's mind raced. She realized that she had to break the enemy's combined attack formation!

She deliberately exposed herself and took the fire monk's fireball head-on, stumbling back with her breathing seemingly disordered. Seeing this, the dark monk thought it was an opportunity and immediately activated a stronger "Soul-Eroding Shadow" to shoot at Ye Li's back!

Just as the shadow was about to fall upon her, a glimmer of success flashed in Ye Li's eyes! She turned abruptly, and the Small Zhoutian Star Array Plate, which had been clasped in the palm of her left hand, instantly activated!

Buzz!

Brilliant starlight erupted from her center! A powerful star force field instantly enveloped a ten-foot radius! The four assassins felt their bodies sink, their spiritual energy sluggish, and their movements slowed down! Especially the dark-attributed cultivator, whose curse was greatly weakened by the power of the stars!

"It's now! Xingji—Beidou kills evil!"

Ye Li summoned the last of his spiritual energy, and the Mystic Ice Sword activated the power of the array, transforming into seven sharp sword beams arranged like the Big Dipper, shooting towards the four killers one by one! This sword not only contained the power of extreme cold, but also carried a hint of the artistic conception of the stars suppressing demons!

The four assassins were horrified and hastily defended themselves. However, under the interference of the formation and the sudden and decisive attack, the wind-attributed monk and the dark-attributed monk were the first to bear the brunt of the attack. Their defenses were torn apart by the sword light, and they fell to the ground in an instant! The fire-attributed monk and the earth-attributed monk were also seriously injured!

The combined attack formation was broken in an instant!

Ye Li, taking advantage of the situation, showed no mercy. His figure was as fast as lightning, and he rushed directly towards the most seriously injured fire monk! The monk showed fear on his face and crushed a talisman to escape!

"Stay!" How could Ye Li let him have his way? The life-saving talisman that had never been used before—a "Mysterious Ice Confinement Talisman"—was instantly activated! A chain of ice arrived first, binding him tightly!

At the same time, she swung her sword and killed the dark monk who was struggling to get up.

In the blink of an eye, two of the four were killed, one was captured and one was injured!

Seeing that the situation was hopeless, the remaining earth-attributed monks turned around and fled without hesitation!

Ye Li didn't pursue him, as she was already at the end of her strength. She quickly subdued the imprisoned fire monk and pulled off his mask, revealing a middle-aged man with an unfamiliar face and a venomous look in his eyes.

"Tell me! Who sent you here? What is the truth behind the Zhao family's extermination?" Ye Li pressed the tip of his sword against his throat and asked coldly.

The monk laughed grimly, "Don't even think about it! Ugh..." Before he could finish his words, blood suddenly gushed out of all his orifices, his body convulsed violently, and he died instantly! He had actually already taken the deadly poison!

Ye Li's face darkened as he examined the other two bodies. The same thing happened. Death soldiers! They were acting with extreme caution, leaving no one alive.

She searched the body but found nothing except some ordinary weapons and spirit stones, nothing that could prove the identity.

At the Cliff of Broken Souls, she narrowly defeated an ambush with the help of her formation and strategy, but apart from killing a few assassins, she did not obtain any truly valuable clues. Instead, she consumed a lot of energy and suffered some internal injuries.

"What a cunning opponent..." Ye Li took the pill, adjusted his breath for a moment, dealt with all traces of the corpse, and quickly left the Cliff of Broken Souls.

After returning to the sect, she immediately received a secret message from Lin Feng through the most urgent channel: After much investigation, it was revealed that several mysterious individuals had indeed paid high prices for ancient maps related to the feng shui layout of the Zhao family's ancestral home after the Blackwater City incident, and their behavior was suspicious. However, the clues were cut off at this point and could not be followed up.

Combined with the information about the assassins at the Cliff of Broken Souls, Ye Li was almost certain that this was a trap set for her, exploiting her desire to uncover the truth behind her parents' disappearance. The mastermind behind this was most likely the "Shadow Demon" forces in league with Situ Kuang!

This experience made her more aware of her opponent's cunning and strength. Even if she could win temporarily through sheer force, it would be difficult to reach the core. She needed greater strength, wisdom, and patience.

Retreat! You must retreat immediately!

Ye Li reported to Master Mu Yun that he had returned with "confirmation" and needed to go into seclusion to digest what he had learned. He then completely closed the Yundan Peak courtyard and activated the most stringent protective formation.

This retreat has a clear purpose:

1. Healing and Consolidation. The battle at Soul-Breaking Cliff had drained her spiritual energy and shaken her internal organs, requiring rapid recovery. At the same time, she needed to digest and assimilate the insights gained from the recent series of battles, thoroughly solidifying her cultivation at the peak of the Condensing Veins Realm and laying the most solid foundation for her breakthrough to the Spiritual Mansion Realm.

Second, cultivate a newly acquired secret technique. The jade slip she retrieved from the ancient tomb not only contained the Soul-Fixing Orb, but also a foundational secret technique of the Ice Soul Mysterious Palace: the Mysterious Ice Shield. This technique wasn't simply about defense; it condensed extremely cold spiritual energy into a transformable ice shield, offering both physical defense and spell resistance. Upon mastery, it could even deflect some attacks. This was exactly what she needed to address her defensive shortcomings.

Third, deeply refine the Void Divine Crystal. This was paramount. She took out the Void Divine Crystal, emitting a hazy silver glow, and began to slowly nourish and connect with it with the fundamental chill energy of the "Emperor's Scripture of the Netherworld." The process was extremely slow and mentally draining, but with each step of refinement, her connection with the Divine Crystal grew stronger, and her confidence in refining her future life-defining magical weapon grew stronger. She even tried to incorporate a trace of star power into the refining process to see if it would produce miraculous changes.

Fourth, deduction and planning. While meditating, she repeatedly deduced the events of Blackwater City, the ambush at Broken Soul Cliff, the internal strife within the sect, and the upcoming exploration of the Ice Soul Mysterious Palace ruins. She pieced together all the clues, attempting to uncover the patterns of the mastermind's actions and ultimate purpose. She realized that the next confrontation might very well take place within the ruins! She must be fully prepared.

Outside the courtyard, the situation shifted. Word of Li Juetian's challenge continued to circulate, and within the sect, the undercurrents against her continued unabated. Perhaps a new challenger was brewing. But within the courtyard, Ye Li remained focused, like a dormant dragon, quietly gathering the power to subvert everything.

She knew that when she emerged from seclusion, the storm would rise again. Then, she would be even more powerful, ready to face all challenges and conspiracies head-on! This retreat was her final, and most important, moment of calm before the storm arrived.