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

In an instant, a massive Taiji diagram materialized beneath the feet of Shen Xian and Qiu Ruoli. Black and white qi erupted like geysers, coalescing into spectral chains that bound their limbs and violently dragged them toward the formation’s eye.

“This is…” Shen Xian’s pupils contracted.

The [Heavenly Secrets Disc] spun frantically in his mind, deducing the nature of the trap in a split second: The Yin-Yang Union Formation!

This was the final trial of the [Tortoise-Snake Lamp]. To break it, two cultivators had to merge their spiritual power completely.

“Damn it!” Shen Xian cursed under his breath. He tried to struggle, but the qi in his meridians betrayed him. Guided by the formation’s irresistible pull, his energy surged out of his control, flooding directly into Qiu Ruoli.

Opposite him, Qiu Ruoli’s expression twisted in horror. The spiritual power of her [White Lotus World-Purifying Art] reversed its flow, pouring into Shen Xian. An unbreakable bridge of energy locked them together, cycling their power in a closed loop.

“Yin and Yang interchange; only then is the Great Dao attained!”

The ancient Dao voice boomed through the chamber. The formation abruptly contracted, slamming the two cultivators together until they stood chest to chest.

Qiu Ruoli’s breath hitched. A flush of shame and annoyance cracked her icy, aloof mask. “You… stay away from me!”

Shen Xian sneered. “You think I want this?”

As he spoke, a pink mist began to permeate the water surrounding them, wrapping around their bodies like a silken veil.

The mist carried a sweet, cloying fragrance that bypassed physical defenses. The moment it entered his lungs, a burning heat exploded in Shen Xian’s [Dantian]. The [Li Fire True Seal] began to pulsate with a violent, rhythmic thrum.

The golden flames within him transmuted into a scorching torrent of liquid fire—a dragon of Yang water—that surged along the spiritual bridge and crashed into Qiu Ruoli’s body. The intensity of the energy rendered her snow-white Daoist robes semi-transparent, clinging to her skin.

Qiu Ruoli fared even worse. Her porcelain skin turned the color of peach blossoms, and her clear, cold eyes glazed over with a misty haze. She bit her lip until it nearly bled, desperate to suppress the shameful sounds threatening to escape her throat.

To her horror, she realized her White Lotus spiritual power was transforming. It took the shape of a silver serpent, instinctively seeking to intertwine with Shen Xian’s invading Yang energy—a posture of the Tortoise and Snake entwining necks.

“This is… Tortoise-Snake Symbiosis?” Qiu Ruoli bit the tip of her tongue, using the sharp pain to force a moment of clarity. But it was futile; the pink mist had already seeped deep into her meridians.

Shen Xian’s breath, hot with the scorching intensity of [Li Fire], brushed against her neck.

Instinctively, she formed her fingers into a sword hand to strike, but her arm trembled. Her fingertips brushed weakly across his chest—it was no killing blow. It was a touch that feigned resistance while welcoming the contact.

The Tortoise and Snake intertwine. One Yang, one Yin. Ren is Yang. Gui is Yin. Ren water scorches; Gui water transforms and circulates!

Under the catalysis of the Yin-Yang Union Formation, the heavy water energy they had absorbed during the trial began to evolve, splitting into complementary elemental forces.

Suddenly, the Taiji diagram beneath them spun faster.

Boom!

The phantom of a Mystic Tortoise burst from Shen Xian’s [Dantian], roaring silently. Simultaneously, a white snake phantom emerged from Qiu Ruoli’s spiritual platform. The two avatars coiled around each other in the air above them.

As the tortoise clamped its jaws onto the snake’s vital point, the circulation speed of the spiritual power between the two cultivators increased tenfold.

Shen Xian felt every tremor in the woman’s body pressed against his. Qiu Ruoli, in turn, was forced to endure the scorching magma surging through his meridians into hers.

“Let… go…” Qiu Ruoli gasped, her breath exhaling like the fragrance of orchids. The blue phoenix hairpin holding her hair in place slid free and clattered to the ground.

She realized with despair that her spiritual treasure had softened in the pink mist, mirroring her own crumbling will.

Shen Xian wasn’t faring much better. His [Sea of Consciousness] trembled, and the [Mystic Essence True Congealing Art] proved utterly useless against this primal drive. His mind was consumed by a singular, overwhelming instinct. Reason was drowned beneath a curtain of scorching water.

When the tortoise phantom above completely coiled around the snake, Qiu Ruoli let out a soft moan. Her knees gave way, and she collapsed into Shen Xian’s embrace.

Her White Lotus Dao Body, inherently attuned to water, reacted explosively to the Gui water influence. Amplified by the formation, her jade-like legs instinctively wrapped around Shen Xian’s waist to stabilize herself.

Shen Xian’s hand moved on instinct, cupping the back of her head. He crushed his lips to hers, the heat of the Ren water pouring into her body. Under the pink mist’s influence, they formed a perfect, self-sustaining Yin-Yang cycle.

They were entangled, body and soul. Energies flowed, clashed, and merged.

Yin and Yang interchange; only then is the Great Dao attained.

As the moments passed, the chaotic clash of Yin and Yang water began to settle into a rhythm, quietly transforming both of them. Their consciousnesses, previously clouded by lust and heat, began to sharpen.

Shen Xian looked down at the woman in his arms, his eyes flashing with a sudden, cold realization.

He could feel it. The scorching power of the Ren water gave him a slight edge in this union. He was the dominant force.

Tortoise and Snake fusion inherently has a hierarchy!

This ancient treasure can only have one master, Shen Xian thought, his mind racing.

There was only one [Tortoise-Snake Lamp]. It was impractical to assume they would need to dual cultivate every time they wanted to use it. The key to ownership lay in who dominated this ritual.

Shen Xian’s gaze turned icy.

Since you’ve tried to kill me time and again, don’t blame me for being ruthless.

The Tortoise-Snake Symbiosis was originally a path of mutual benefit, of Yin and Yang complementing each other. The Tortoise was Yang water; the Snake was Yin water. But right now, the Ren water in Shen Xian’s body was as violent as fire.

Bolstered by his resolve, he stopped passively accepting the flow. Instead, he began to frantically devour Qiu Ruoli’s Gui water spiritual power.

Qiu Ruoli instinctively tried to resist, but the gap in their current states was too wide.

Shen Xian tore away the obstructions between them, pressing his body fully against hers. If they were going to fuse, he would make it thorough.

“Mmm… you!” Qiu Ruoli trembled violently. Her aloof features were flushed crimson, her eyes swimming with tears and mist, yet she clung to the last shred of her dignity.

She struggled to break free, but the formation locked them in an iron embrace. Her spiritual power, her [Divine Sense], and even her flesh were enslaved by the array, forced to merge with Shen Xian.

“You… how dare you?!” She gritted her teeth, but her voice was soft, lacking any real threat.

“Why wouldn’t I dare?” Shen Xian sneered close to her ear.

He gripped the back of her neck, anchoring her in place. His Yang water spiritual power surged into her meridians like an angry dragon, no longer asking for entrance but forcefully plundering her Gui water origin.

“Ah—!”

Qiu Ruoli could no longer restrain herself. A low, broken cry escaped her lips as her body convulsed.

Under the savage impact of his Yang water, her White Lotus Dao Body melted like ice and snow. Her Gui water spiritual power leaked out uncontrollably, siphoned away and devoured by Shen Xian’s greedy meridians.

…

Ren water is scorching; it refines Gui water!

As he plundered her essence, a brilliant light exploded in Shen Xian’s eyes. He felt his affinity with the water element skyrocketing.

Originally, his spiritual roots were dominated by Thunder and Fire. But now, after stripping Qiu Ruoli of her Gui water origin, his roots were mutating, birthing a third attribute—Ren Water!

Boom!

Inside his [Dantian], the Mystic Tortoise phantom threw its head back and roared at the heavens. The runic patterns on its shell glowed with blinding clarity. In contrast, Qiu Ruoli’s white snake spirit was suppressed, growing fainter and weaker until it curled up in total submission beneath the tortoise.

Ren water governs slaughter and conquest. Gui water governs transformation and nourishment.

Enlightenment flooded Shen Xian’s mind. Ren water was violent and explosive, capable of burning mountains and boiling seas. Gui water was soft and enduring, capable of moistening things silently.

Only when the two merged did one achieve the true Great Dao of Water.

By now, Qiu Ruoli was completely limp, drained of strength as if she had fought a war for three days and nights. She leaned heavily against Shen Xian, utterly spent.

Shen Xian showed no mercy. He continued to drain her, refining the stolen Gui water origin and integrating it into his own cultivation base.

Rumble—

Spiritual power surged like a river within him. Under the nourishment of the Gui water, Shen Xian’s comprehension accelerated at a terrifying pace. Obscure principles of cultivation that had once baffled him suddenly became clear, as if the clouds had parted to reveal the sun.

Gui water moistens things silently; it is the ultimate aid for comprehending the Dao!

Shen Xian was ecstatic. To think Qiu Ruoli’s spiritual root possessed such divine efficacy!

…

An unknown amount of time passed before the formation finally released them.

Qiu Ruoli collapsed away from him, escaping his clutches. Her snow-white skin still glowed with an enticing pink hue, but her cool, aloof temperament had been shattered. All that remained was the weakness and humiliation of having been thoroughly plundered.

“I… I will definitely kill you…” Her voice was faint, a whisper carried on a trembling breath, yet it was saturated with hatred.

“Kill me?”

Shen Xian sneered. He reached out, his fingers pinching her chin and forcing her to look up into his eyes.

“Look at yourself. With what will you kill me now?”