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

Chapter 239: Heaven-Reaching Spirit Treasure, Artifact Forging Grand Gathering

Amidst the flickering of spiritual light, a wave of majestic pressure washed over the room, heavy enough to warp the air itself.

A compass, forged from silvery-white metal, materialized before Shen Xian.

It was a size smaller than the Heavenly Secrets Disk, yet infinitely more exquisite. Its surface was etched with countless microscopic star charts. Each tiny star shimmered with its own rhythm, as if a fragment of the true night sky had been sealed within the bronze.

A Heaven-Reaching Spirit Treasure!

For any cultivator, this was a legendary artifact. Unlike True Spirit Treasures, which only scratched the surface of elemental manipulation, a Heaven-Reaching artifact contained a complete, perfected Law.

The Power of Law was the apex force of the cultivation world.

Originating from the very source of the Heavenly Dao, a single strike imbued with Law was beyond the comprehension of mortals. Generally, only those who had reached the Soul Formation Realm could begin to glimpse such power.

But this treasure, aided by its Dharma Treasure Spirit, could unleash the full might of a Law instantly. It was equivalent to carrying a pocket-sized Soul Formation Venerable by one’s side.

Shen Xian’s face lit up with genuine delight. He had truly hit the jackpot.

“Xing Ya pays respects to Master.”

Suddenly, a clear, cold female voice echoed directly inside Shen Xian’s Sea of Consciousness.

The Starry Sky Disk dissolved into a stream of silver light, shooting into his brow. Inside his mental world, the phantom of a young girl appeared. She was draped in robes woven from starlight, bowing respectfully.

However, as she covertly sized up her new master, she noticed his cultivation base.

Only the Nascent Soul Realm? she muttered internally, her voice dripping with disdain. Why is he so weak?

Compared to the spirits of True Spirit Treasures, the spirits of Heaven-Reaching treasures possessed higher intelligence—and significantly more pride. If it were a Cave Profound Supreme Treasure, the spirit could even detach from the artifact and fight independently, wielding terrifying power.

Unfortunately for Xing Ya, Shen Xian could hear every thought in her head. This was the absolute control granted by the System.

Shen Xian merely had a thought.

Zap.

“Ugh—!”

Xing Ya’s phantom form convulsed, her face twisting in agony as an invisible force crushed her soul.

“Master, I was wrong! Spare me! Please, spare me!” she screamed, her arrogance shattering instantly.

Shen Xian didn’t press the matter further; a simple reminder of the hierarchy was enough. He turned his attention to the specific capabilities of his new weapon.

The Starry Sky Disk possessed three major abilities:

Stellar Annihilation: Draws upon the power of the constellations to condense phantom stars for bombardment. Each star contains Law-level destructive power, equivalent to a full-force strike from a Soul Formation cultivator.

Astral Aegis: Summons Starlight Protection, forming a 360-degree absolute defense. It can withstand attacks even from Void Refinement level entities. The duration depends on the user’s spiritual power reserves.

Star Shift, Dipper Turn: Briefly rewrites local spatial rules, creating a suppression effect similar to a Domain. Unlike the gravity of the Mountain-Suppressing Chaotic Sky Bell, this is a complete Law suppression—stronger, wider, and inescapable.

Shen Xian’s eyes gleamed with satisfaction.

Worthy of the Heaven-Reaching rank.

Once a treasure involved the complete power of Laws, its utility skyrocketed. He also noticed a structural similarity between this disk and the Heavenly Secrets Disk. It felt like a formation, yet it operated without the need for flags or arrays.

“Can you activate the treasure on your own?” Shen Xian asked the now-terrified Xing Ya.

“Yes, Master,” the girl responded hurriedly, head bowed. “But my operational time is linked to your strength. With your current cultivation… I can likely sustain independent activation for about fifteen minutes.”

Shen Xian nodded.

He stored the artifact away. With this trump card, he could afford to be bolder. As his influence grew, so would the number of eyes watching him from the shadows. Now, he didn’t have to worry about safety.

In the following days, Shen Xian spent his time observing Ai Xiao’s forging process, occasionally refining a few Dharma Treasures himself to use as gifts.

Unfortunately, the cooldown for the “Hundredfold Return” on Top-Grade True Spirit Treasures was ten days. He forged several items but had to stockpile them for later use.

Finally, the day of the Artifact Forging Grand Gathering arrived.

On this morning, the sky above Azure Nether City was torn asunder by nine streaks of crimson light. It looked as if a celestial god had taken up a brush and splashed vibrant red ink across the clouds.

This was the Hundred Arts Sect’s signature grand formation—Nine Rosy Clouds Welcoming Guests.

Within each band of rosy light, tens of thousands of forging runes swirled, casting a gilded halo over the city under the rising sun.

In the city center, before the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion, a massive white jade platform had been erected, standing 300 feet tall.

The body of the platform was carved with ancient illustrations from the Heavenly Creations canon. Each engraved line breathed in the ambient Qi, exhaling pale purple spiritual flames.

Twelve Ancient Bronze Mirrors floated around the perimeter. Their surfaces didn’t reflect the crowd, but instead projected flickering phantom images of artifact souls—the spiritual imprints of past Grandmasters.

The streets were thick with a unique scent: a blend of burning ambergris and molten Star Pattern Steel. This was the “Artifact Aura,” a smell that only lingered around high-level craftsmen.

Cultivators on the street hurriedly stepped aside, clearing a path for the VIPs clad in forging robes. The golden threads on these robes weren’t mere decoration; they were functional defensive arrays, shimmering with heart-palpitating fluctuations.

“Look! It’s Master Yanxiao’s Scarlet Flame Carriage!”

A collective gasp swept through the crowd as a bronze chariot, pulled by nine fire flood dragons, rumbled across the clouds. Thirty-six wind chimes hung from the carriage, each a top-tier soul-suppressing treasure, their tinkling sounds carrying a pressure that made mortals tremble.

Atop the Heaven-Reaching Chamber of Commerce, seven glazed treasure lamps ignited simultaneously.

This was the Seven Stars Artifact Guiding formation, a ceremonial honor reserved strictly for Rank 4 Artifact Forgers.

The shadows of the lamps cast profound geometric patterns onto the bluestone pavement, silencing the bustling street. The air grew heavy with the sulfurous scent of earth fire and the rich fragrance of rare spirit materials.

“I heard a dignitary from a Holy Land is here to observe!”

“It’s normal. When has a gathering of this scale ever been quiet? Azure Nether City has really lucked out this time.”

“Just witnessing these Grandmasters at work is a blessing for the likes of us!”

The crowd buzzed with excitement. Rank 4 Artifact Forgers, usually reclusive and rare, were now walking the streets like commoners. They wore magnificent robes or carried strange, oversized Dharma Treasures, their bodies radiating heat and pride.

Into this spectacle walked Shen Xian.

Flanking him were Qiu Ruoli and Ai Xiao.

Compared to the grandiose entrances of the other masters, their trio was exceptionally low-key. They had simply walked here on foot.

Yet, they drew more eyes than the dragon carriages.

The reason was simple: Qiu Ruoli.

Dressed in a moon-white gown, she stood out like a crane among a flock of chickens. With every lotus-step she took, the hem of her dress rippled like water, the embroidered green lotus patterns seeming to bloom in the sunlight.

Her neck was as graceful as a swan’s, and the lotus mark between her brows added an air of inviolable sanctity. But it was her eyes—clear, cold, resembling a frozen pond reflecting the moon—that captivated the onlookers. Combined with the faint pressure of her Nascent Soul cultivation, she looked like a Banished Immortal exiled to the mortal dust.

“Which clan’s fairy is that?” someone whispered, entranced.

“Never seen her before… but gods, she’s beautiful.”

“Wait,” another voice cut in, sharp with recognition. “Isn’t that Master Ai walking behind them?”