Chapter 131: Fighting in the Ghost Realm, Reincarnation and Advancement
Deep within the Netherworld, the environment grew increasingly treacherous and unpredictable. Leaving the remnant of the River of Oblivion, Ye Li stepped into a wasteland shrouded in a gray-purple mist. This mist wasn't ordinary water vapor; it was a "bewitching ghost fog" capable of creating a truly convincing illusion.
When she first entered the foggy area, Ye Li didn't take it too seriously, thinking it was just a common gathering of yin energy. However, she soon noticed the surrounding landscape begin to distort. The once barren land suddenly transformed into a fairyland of lush green grass. In the distance, the Xuanyun Sect appeared, and she even saw Master Muyun waving at her.
"Li'er, come back quickly, our sect is in trouble!" The lay Buddhist Muyun in the illusion looked anxious.
Ye Li's mind was shaken, and she almost took a step forward. But at that moment, the fragments of the Samsara Mirror in her sea of consciousness vibrated slightly, and a cool breath flowed through her body, instantly waking her up.
"That was a close call!" Ye Li was secretly shocked. This mind-bending ghost fog was indeed worthy of its reputation, capable of striking at the most vulnerable part of the human heart. She hurriedly activated the "Emperor's Scripture of the Netherworld", casting a layer of extreme cold shield around her body. At the same time, she infused a trace of the power of the Samsara Mirror into her consciousness, and only then was she able to barely resist the invasion of the ghost fog.
After three days of traveling through the fog, Ye Li had to remain vigilant. Sometimes the illusions would transform into Qin Yixuan's figure, sometimes it would be scenes from the Lizun Palace in her past life, each time pointing directly to her deepest concerns. Fortunately, the Samsara Mirror protected her from getting lost.
After passing through the bewildering ghost fog, a strange forest appeared before my eyes. The trees here were blood-red, and their branches and leaves were wriggling like blood vessels. They were none other than the infamous "Blood Vine."
As soon as Ye Li entered the forest, the surrounding demonic vines rushed towards her like sharks smelling blood. These demonic vines were not only extremely tough, but even more terrifying was that they could directly devour the blood and flesh of living beings.
"laugh!"
A demon vine shot out like a venomous snake. Ye Li swung her sword and cut it off. Scarlet liquid spurted out from the broken end, emitting a disgusting bloody smell. What frightened her even more was that the severed demon vine regenerated rapidly, and in increasing numbers.
Ye Li fought and retreated, her Xuanbing Sword dancing with impenetrable force, its frigid energy freezing any approaching demonic vines. But the vines were too numerous, as if the entire forest were against her. She was forced to use her "Universe Traceless Steps," swiftly weaving through the forest, searching for a way out.
At this moment, she noticed an exceptionally large demonic vine in the center of the forest. It was dark red in color and exuded a powerful aura of resentment. This must be the main body of the demonic vine.
Ye Li's mind moved, and she charged towards the main demon vine like lightning. The demon vines along her path frantically tried to stop her, but they all collapsed before the sword of samsara. Finally, she broke through the numerous obstacles and reached the main demon vine.
"Six Paths of Reincarnation Sword - Hungry Ghost Path, Devouring Souls!"
A grayish sword energy shot out, accurately striking the main body of the demonic vine. Surprisingly, this time the sword energy didn't immediately destroy the demonic vine, but instead began to devour its blood, flesh, and resentment. The demonic vine twisted violently, emitting a piercing scream, but ultimately, unwillingly, it was reduced to ash.
The main body was destroyed, and the entire demon vine forest began to wither. Ye Li didn't dare to stay for long and quickly left this strange place.
After a series of fierce battles, Ye Li arrived at the ruins of an ancient battlefield. Broken weapons and white bones littered the area, and the air was thick with murderous intent. According to the ancient texts she had consulted in the Heavenly Palace, this was likely the site of a battle between immortals and demons in ancient times.
Walking through the ruins, Ye Li could sense the powerful energy fluctuations lingering in the air. In some places, the space was extremely unstable, with tiny cracks occasionally appearing. She carefully avoided these dangerous areas, while carefully sensing the fluctuations of the fragments of the Samsara Mirror.
Just as she passed through an altar made of countless bones, something strange happened!
The bones beneath his feet suddenly glowed, triggering an ancient and vicious curse. Ye Li felt as if his soul had been struck hard, his vision went dark, and he nearly fell to the ground.
The next moment, she found herself on a bloody battlefield. Immortals and demons clashed in the sky, corpses littered the ground, and shouts and screams filled the air. A blood-soaked demon general lunged at her, his demonic blade wielding the power to annihilate heaven and earth.
Ye Li subconsciously raised her sword to meet the attack, only to discover that her cultivation had fallen back to the Yuan Dan realm! With the demonic blade looming, she felt the threat of death.
"No, this is an illusion!" Ye Li suddenly woke up, but the illusion was too real, and her soul was still greatly shocked. At the critical moment, the fragments of the Samsara Mirror in her sea of consciousness burst into a brilliant light, like a bright lamp illuminating the darkness, protecting her spiritual clarity.
The illusion shattered, and Ye Li returned to reality, but her face was pale, and a trace of blood oozed from the corner of her mouth. The power of this ancient war curse far exceeded her imagination. If it weren't for the protection of the Samsara Mirror, she would have been lost in the illusion of killing forever.
She hurriedly left the area surrounding the bone altar and found a relatively safe cave to heal her wounds. The cave was cold and damp, but at least it didn't have those strange curses.
Sitting cross-legged, Ye Li began to reflect on the gains and losses of this battle. "The Samsara Mirror is not only capable of attacking, but also has remarkable effects in protecting the soul and piercing illusions. I previously overemphasized its offensive capabilities."
She recalled her experiences in the Bewitching Mist and the Curse of War, and how disastrous the consequences would have been if the Samsara Mirror hadn't come to her rescue. This made her realize that the Samsara Mirror, as an ancient super-artifact, had uses far beyond mere attack.
So, while healing, Ye Li began to consciously explore the potential of the Samsara Mirror in defense and support. Combining it with the "Eye of Origin" she had previously mastered, she attempted to develop a defensive technique specifically targeting soul attacks.
After several days of deduction and experimentation, she finally developed the "Reincarnation Heart Shield." This magical power, based on the power of the Reincarnation Mirror, forms an invisible shield around the sea of consciousness, specifically designed to resist all kinds of spiritual attacks and illusions.
Although it is still in its infancy, Ye Li can feel that as her understanding of the way of reincarnation deepens, this magical power will surely become more powerful.
After recovering from her injuries, Ye Li's cultivation improved significantly. No longer content with passively dealing with the dangers of the ghost realm, she began to actively seek out powerful ghosts to hone herself.
Based on the information she gathered on the battlefield, she discovered a place called the "Yin Sha Soul Nest." It was one of the most yin-filled areas in the ghost realm, home to thousands of ghosts of all kinds, including three ghost kings in the early stages of the Divine Power Realm.
Standing at the entrance to the Soul Nest, Ye Li could sense the terrifying yin energy emanating from it. An ordinary cultivator wouldn't even dare approach. But her eyes gleamed with fighting spirit; this was exactly the kind of training she needed.
Without hesitation, Ye Li charged into the Soul Nest alone. As soon as he entered, countless ghosts swarmed in like a tide. Skeletons, zombies, spirits, evil spirits... Each ghost had a different form, but all exuded a strong sense of resentment.
"Well done!" Ye Liqing shouted, unleashing her "Universe Traceless Step" to its fullest potential, her figure drifting erratically among the swarm of ghosts. At the same time, the Extreme Cold Field was fully deployed. With her as the center, the temperature within a hundred feet plummeted, and the ghosts' movements became sluggish.
Every time the Xuanbing Sword was swung, scores of ghosts were frozen, then shattered into ice crystals. But there were simply too many ghosts to kill. Even more troublesome, the three-headed ghost king had finally appeared.
The first ghost king is shaped like a giant ape, covered with bone armor, holding a huge bone axe; the second ghost king is a ball of black mist that constantly changes its shape and can split into countless clones; the third ghost king is the most bizarre, it has no fixed form, sometimes turning into a beautiful woman, sometimes into a hideous evil ghost, and is good at mental attacks.
The three Ghost Kings attacked simultaneously with astonishing force. The Bone Armor Ghost King's massive axe carried the power to split mountains and shatter rocks; the Black Mist Ghost King's clones were omnipresent and impossible to defend against; and the Formless Ghost King's mental attacks were aimed directly at the soul.
Ye Li was in a tough fight, but she was not afraid at all. The Six Paths of Reincarnation Sword was in full force at this moment:
The Hungry Ghost Path Sword Intent transformed into an invisible vortex, madly devouring the ghosts' soul power, which in turn replenished her consumption;
The beastly sword intent disturbed the Black Mist Ghost King's clones, causing them to kill each other;
The sword intent of Hell brought endless pain and torture to the Phantom Ghost King, making it impossible for him to concentrate on launching attacks.
The most exciting moment was her direct confrontation with the Bone Armor Ghost King. This ghost king possessed immense strength and formidable defense, and each axe he struck carried the force to rip apart space. Ye Li chose not to engage it head-on, but instead used exquisite agility to maneuver around it, searching for its weaknesses.
"Now!" Ye Li's eyes flashed, and he seized the moment when the Bone Armor Ghost King's old strength had been exhausted and his new strength had not yet been generated. The Xuanbing Sword turned into a stream of light and pierced the gap in his bone armor.
"Puff!" The tip of the sword pierced precisely, and an extremely cold sword energy erupted instantly. The Bone Armor Ghost King roared unwillingly, and his massive body collapsed to the ground, turning into a pile of shattered bones.
After defeating the most formidable Bone Armor Ghost King, the remaining two Ghost Kings were no longer a threat. Ye Li seized the opportunity to pursue them, his Samsara Sword Intent maneuvering freely, and quickly killed them one by one.
The battle was a bloodbath, a scene of utter despair and the wailing of ghosts and gods. When the last Ghost King's soul was shattered, the entire Soul Nest was emptied. Ye Li stood amidst a sea of corpses and bones, bathed in blood (mostly from ghosts), yet her aura grew ever more concentrated and powerful.
After this exhilarating battle, her control over the power of reincarnation reached a new level, and her cultivation naturally broke through to the middle stage of the Divine Power Realm! The spiritual energy in her body became even more pure and powerful, and the range of her spiritual awareness more than doubled.
After the battle, Ye Li began to clean up the battlefield. In the deepest part of the Soul Nest, she discovered a piece of metal that was completely black, yet faintly glowing. This was the "Netherworld Soul Iron," the top-grade material for refining soul-related magic weapons.
Even more surprising was that, through the Samsara Mirror's induction, she discovered that beneath the Soul Iron, buried a small fragment, neither gold nor jade, with a starlight shimmering around its edges. Carefully unearthing it, she discovered it was indeed the third Samsara Mirror fragment she had been searching for!
Although this fragment was small, only the size of a fingernail, it resonated with the previous two. When the three fragments converged in the sea of consciousness, the phantom of the Samsara Mirror became more solid, and the aura it exuded became more vast.
At the same time, more information flooded into her mind: methods on how to better hide the aura of the Samsara Mirror, an introduction to the other functions of the Samsara Mirror, and even some vague perceptions about the possible locations of other fragments.
"Great!" Ye Li was excited. This method was too important to her. As she collected more and more fragments, the aura of the Samsara Mirror would become stronger and stronger. If there was no way to hide it, it would be easily detected by those with ulterior motives.
After fusing the new fragments, Ye Li didn't rush to leave the Netherworld. She used this cleaned-out soul nest as a temporary base, set up numerous restrictions, and began to consolidate her cultivation and digest her gains.
In the days that followed, she continued to cultivate while hunting powerful ghosts in the ghost realm to hone her magical powers. At the same time, she also began to consciously utilize the unique ghost environment of the Netherworld to temper her own spirit.
She discovered that, under the protection of the extremely cold spiritual energy and the power of reincarnation, moderately absorbing and refining the pure Yin Qi could actually strengthen the soul, making it more resilient and powerful. Although this method of cultivation was dangerous, the benefits were also enormous.
Three months later, Ye Li's cultivation had completely stabilized at the middle stage of the Divine Power Realm, and she was more adept at using the power of reincarnation. She felt that it was time to leave the Netherworld and head to her next destination.
After packing up her belongings, Ye Li took one last look at the Soul Nest she had been staying in for months, then resolutely turned around and walked out of the ghost realm. Behind her, she left behind only a dead silence and the now empty Yinsha Soul Nest that had once terrified countless cultivators.
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