I Was Forced to Marry a “Trash” Cultivator, But She Turned Out to Be a Reborn Empress!

Shen Xian gazed at the dense blood mist and the faint trail of ink lines guiding his path.

He transformed into a streak of light, rushing toward the source.

The blood mist churned like a roaring beast, its baleful aura sweeping over him like a gale, attempting to crush his advance. But protected by his sixth-stage heart technique, Shen Xian passed through unimpeded.

Guided by the memories he had stolen, he broke through the final barrier of mist. The sight before him made his blood run cold.

Nine broken bronze chains hung limply around a flesh-and-blood altar like dying pythons. At the center, a mountain-sized Blood Demon Beast was awakening. Its body was a mass of pulsating tumors, and with every breath, it spewed a nauseating stench.

Most horrifying was the bloody maw on its abdomen, which was greedily sucking the essence blood from seven Golden Core cultivators.

“Th… Third Young Master…”

A faint call drifted down from above.

Shen Xian looked up, his heart sinking.

Shen Zhimo, impaled through the shoulder blades and right leg by three black tentacles, hung upside down in mid-air. His refined appearance was marred by a blood-stained beard, and the inkstone that had accompanied him for centuries lay shattered at his waist.

His trembling right hand still maintained a seal. At his fingertips, the last trace of ink rhythm gathered, pointing the way for Shen Xian.

“Go… get out of here…”

Blood gushed from the corner of the old man’s mouth with every word.

“This beast… is devouring our souls… Before it fully awakens, follow the route I provided and escape!”

At that moment, the Dao rhythm at his fingertips erupted. Countless ink lines surged forth, clearly marking the path of escape for Shen Xian.

From the right, chains clanked.

Shen Tiexin, bound in a cross shape by five tentacles, had every bone in his body shattered. Yet, he still used his broken teeth to bite fiercely into one of the tentacles.

Seeing Shen Xian, his eyes widened in fury. “Third Young Master, don’t hesitate! We’re beyond saving. Get out of here now!”

As he roared, another tentacle pierced his abdomen. The old man grunted but stubbornly refused to scream.

The most tragic sight was Shen Yanchi.

This master of formations had all four limbs crushed by tentacles. Yet, he still clenched a formation disk between his teeth.

Catching Shen Xian’s gaze, he mustered all his remaining strength and spat the disk forward. “Third Young Master… catch!”

Shen Xian raised his hand and caught it. A warm sensation spread across his palm—the last vestige of the man’s body heat.

He silently lowered his gaze to the bloodstained disk. The Li Fire mark between his brows burned silently, and his eyes resembled unfathomably deep, icy pools.

The desperate pleas of the elders echoed in his ears, yet he acted as if he hadn’t heard them.

Instead, he charged toward the center of the altar, straight into the sky-filling blood mist.

He saw it clearly—the life force of these elders was like a candle flickering in the wind.

But precisely because of that, he could not retreat.

Roar—!

A deafening bellow exploded!

The Blood Demon Beast’s nine vertical pupils snapped open simultaneously. Crimson light illuminated the entire abyss.

Its mountain-like body slowly straightened, every inch of its skin writhing as it spewed the stench of blood and foul qi.

“Not good! It’s awakening early!”

Shen Zhimo’s face turned deathly pale, his voice hoarse. “Third Young Master, run! This beast is not something you can contend with!”

Boom—!

Before his words finished, a pillar of bloody light erupted from the giant maw on the beast’s abdomen. Wherever it passed, space fractured. The bronze chains vaporized instantly, and the surrounding rock walls turned to dust.

The seven elders’ faces turned ashen. Under this world-destroying might, even breathing became impossible.

Shen Zhimo closed his eyes in despair. “It’s over…”

“Die!”

Accompanied by this furious roar, the bloody light pillar accelerated, hurtling toward Shen Xian with the intent to annihilate everything.

Just as the light was about to engulf him, the Traceless Sword gleamed with a layer of frosty white light. The air around the blade instantly condensed into tiny ice crystals.

A seemingly ordinary sword qi swept out horizontally.

The moment it touched the bloody light pillar, spiderweb-like cracks appeared on the energy’s surface.

Heavenly Abyss Snow Illumination Sword Scripture!

Crack!

The bloody light pillar shattered with a thunderous crash, transforming into a sky full of drifting ice crystals. The ferocious ghostly faces within the energy were frozen in mid-roar, eternally preserved in ice.

The Blood Demon Beast’s nine pupils contracted simultaneously.

Before it could react, Shen Xian struck again. His Flawless Golden Core erupted with surging spiritual power, like a raging flood.

Whoosh—!

The sword qi moved like lightning, arriving in the blink of an eye.

The Blood Demon Beast’s massive body stiffened.

A huge hole, piercing clean through from front to back, silently appeared in its chest. The edges of the wound were smooth as a mirror. Not a single drop of blood splattered, as if instantly cauterized by extreme cold.

Awooo—!

The beast let out a shrill, mournful cry, crashing to its knees like a collapsing mountain. Thick frost began to condense all over its body, and the tentacles entwining the elders withered and fell away.

The entire abyss fell into dead silence.

The seven elders stared at Shen Xian, their turbid eyes filled with disbelief. Their withered faces twitched slightly, as if witnessing something that overturned all logic.

Especially Shen Zhimo, whose blood-stained beard trembled faintly.

Shen Xian stepped forward, looking at the barely breathing elders, his brow slightly furrowed.

“Third Young Master…”

Shen Zhimo regained his senses, his voice as faint as a thread. A gratified smile appeared on his aged face. “All these years, I always thought…”

Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth with every word, yet he persisted. “…thought that entrusting the Shen Family to you… was a mistake… that you were far inferior to the Second Young Master.”

The others revealed complicated expressions. This wasn’t just Shen Zhimo’s opinion; it had been the consensus among the Shen Family’s higher-ups.

“But today…” Shen Zhimo struggled to sit up straight, his murky eyes blazing with a final brilliance. “…today, I finally understand. The Third Young Master is a hidden dragon in the abyss… concealing his true depths.”

“No need to say more,” Shen Xian interrupted calmly. “Do you elders have any final instructions?”

The opinions of outsiders had never mattered to him. These people were beyond saving now. What he could do was ultimately limited.

The elders exchanged glances, reading resolve in each other’s eyes.

“Third Young Master…” Shen Zhimo trembled as he retrieved a broken inkstone from his robes. Dried bloodstains marred its surface. “This old man’s life-bound inkstone… inside is hidden the Shen Family’s secret transmission… the Ink Rhyme True Explanation.”

With great difficulty, he offered the inkstone to Shen Xian, his eyes full of expectation. “Please… please accept it, Third Young Master.”

One by one, the seven Golden Core cultivators took out their respective inheritance objects, trembling as they handed them to Shen Xian. Their auras grew weaker, yet each wore a relieved smile.

With a Third Young Master of such talent inheriting their legacy, the Shen Family was sure to reach even greater heights.

Shen Xian accepted each item solemnly, storing them in his robes.

He took a deep breath and said gravely, “Rest assured, elders. In my hands, the Shen Family will surpass its former glory.”

“Good… good.”

Shen Zhimo closed his eyes contentedly, his voice fading. “This old man… can finally go in peace to meet the ancestors.”

The auras of the seven elders dissipated one after another, but peaceful smiles remained on their faces.

In the abyss, the blood mist had completely dispersed. Sunlight fell upon their serene faces, as if they were merely asleep.

Shen Xian stood silently for a long time. Finally, he bowed deeply.

“May you walk in peace, elders.”

He raised his hand, summoning a wisp of Li Fire to transform the bodies into ashes, which he collected into a jade box. Since they had contributed to the family, he would not leave them to rot in the wilderness.

After completing this, Shen Xian turned.

His icy gaze locked onto the severely wounded, dying Blood Demon Beast.