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

Chapter 289: Holy Maiden Submits, Area-of-Effect Killing Weapon

The night deepened, wrapping the backyard of the Duobao Workshop in a profound silence.

Qiu Ruoli stood beneath the corridor, her gaze fixed on the brightly lit forging chamber in the distance. Her fingers unconsciously twisted the fabric of her sleeve, betraying the turmoil within.

*He really did it…*

Complex emotions churned in her heart like a storm at sea. “Even a veteran Grandmaster like Lu Tingwei was crushed beneath his heel…”

The moonlight spilled over her delicate, exquisite features like water.

Memories of the past began to surface, playing out bit by bit…

From her initial capture and forced dual cultivation when she first arrived in the Northern Region, to the present moment where this man had become a titan of the Holy City. Meanwhile, under his shadow, she had smoothly advanced in her cultivation, showing faint signs of yet another breakthrough.

It felt like a dream.

“Perhaps… this man is my true Fated Chance?”

Qiu Ruoli pondered this, her thoughts drifting.

In this moment, she realized with a start that her hatred had vanished. In its place was a strange, unfamiliar longing.

A longing to stay by his side.

“What are you thinking about?”

A familiar voice cut through the silence from behind.

Qiu Ruoli whipped her head around. Shen Xian was standing by a pillar, though she hadn’t heard his approach. The moonlight plated his figure in a layer of cold silver radiance.

“N-nothing,” she stammered, hurriedly lowering her head.

Even though her heart had quietly shifted, she refused to lay her true feelings bare before him.

It seemed that only by maintaining this facade could she remain the lofty, untouchable Holy Maiden of the past!

Shen Xian approached slowly, his body still radiating the faint, scorching heat of spirit fire. With a casual motion, he produced the *Heavenly Secret Gathering Spirit Array Disk* he had obtained earlier that day.

“This item can subtly reconstruct a cultivator’s physique and refine the purity of their spiritual roots. It will be of great aid to your cultivation.”

He held it out. “Use it for a year. After that, you will return it to Venerable Zi Yun.”

He spoke with an expression of absolute calm, though internally, he felt a twinge of apprehension.

This was a gamble. He was attempting to exploit a bug in the System—gifting a borrowed item to trigger a return reward. He wasn’t sure if the System would buy it.

Qiu Ruoli stared blankly at the *Heavenly Secret Gathering Spirit Array Disk* hovering before her, her fingertips trembling slightly.

*He negotiated to keep this item for a year… and it’s actually for me to use?!*

Under the moonlight, the spirit disk flowed with a lustrous, ethereal halo, casting a soft glow upon her face.

Suddenly, she recalled the scenes back at the Tianyao Sect, where dignified Elders would fight tooth and nail, shedding blood over a single True Spirit Treasure.

And this… this was a supreme treasure that even Venerable Zi Yun regarded as precious.

An unprecedented warmth surged through her chest, melting the icy walls she had built. *In his eyes, am I actually more important than a Void Refinement Celestial Venerable?*

Seeing her hesitate, Shen Xian frowned slightly. “What? Do you think the time is too short?”

“No!” Qiu Ruoli shook her head frantically, her voice laced with a trace of panic, terrified he might withdraw the offer.

For a cultivator, any method that could enhance one’s foundation was something to be craved with desperation. Moreover, the origin of this item was extraordinary, its effects legendary.

She reached out carefully, treating the disk as if it were made of fragile glass. The moment her fingertips brushed against Shen Xian’s palm, her heartbeat accelerated violently.

*So… this is what it feels like to be cherished?*

The spirit disk felt cool to the touch, yet it made her entire heart burn with a feverish heat.

The past flashed through her mind like a revolving lantern…

The man she had once dismissed as an ant, a lowly evil cultivator, was now a figure who commanded the wind and clouds. And she, the once-arrogant Holy Maiden, had broken through her shackles step by step only because of his protection.

“How laughable that I was once full of resentment…” She mocked herself internally, the corner of her lips curling in a bitter smile.

*Little did I know, this man is the greatest Fated Chance of my life!*

**[System Notification: Host has gifted the mid-grade True Spirit Treasure ‘Heavenly Secret Gathering Spirit Array Disk’ to Dao Companion. Triggering Hundredfold Blessing Return…]**

**[Reward: Top-grade True Spirit Treasure — Thousand Whirlpools Return to Ruin Seal. Claim?]**

The prompt flashed in Shen Xian’s vision.

Delight sparked in his eyes.

*It actually works!*

With this top-grade True Spirit Treasure secured, he now possessed a total of six True Spirit Treasures, plus one Heaven-Connecting Spirit Treasure.

Such a foundation was already comparable to that of a Void Refinement Celestial Venerable.

Adding in his various other scattered spirit treasures, it seemed the title “Multi-Treasure Celestial Venerable” would soon be no exaggeration!

Shen Xian was in an excellent mood.

However, he wasn’t in a hurry to claim the reward. Instead, his gaze fell upon the beauty standing before him.

*First, a session of dual cultivation is in order.*

…

Inside the room, the Tortoise-Snake Lamp swayed gently, casting a hazy pink spirit light. It emitted a rich, pure energy that stirred the water-attribute spiritual power within both Shen Xian and Qiu Ruoli.

Every session of dual cultivation was a tremendous boost for both parties.

And this was only the incomplete effect of the lamp. If this Dongxuan supreme treasure could be fully repaired, the benefits would likely be exponential!

In that scenario, he could leverage Qiu Ruoli’s rapid improvements to receive even greater cultivation returns, stepping steadily toward the pinnacle of power.

Before him, Qiu Ruoli actively shed her garments, revealing skin as fair and delicate as porcelain.

She activated the dual cultivation secret technique. The look in her fluid eyes held less of her usual aloofness and more of an indescribable, soft charm.

Amidst the ambrosial light of the Tortoise-Snake Lamp, she no longer deliberately maintained a distance. Instead, she actively guided the fusion of their spiritual power, completely unsealing her meridians and inviting his energy in without a shred of defense. It was a display of unprecedented trust and total submission.

This posture of active cooperation was a stark contrast to her usual image as the cold, self-possessed Holy Maiden.

Shen Xian was surprised, but privately, he confirmed a suspicion: *She has been thoroughly conquered.*

…

The next day.

Qiu Ruoli slept soundly, her jade-like arms encircling the man beside her, her cheek resting against his broad chest.

Shen Xian, however, was awake. His thoughts were focused on the top-grade True Spirit Treasure he had obtained the night before.

With a mental command, he claimed the item. The information regarding the *Thousand Whirlpools Return to Ruin Seal* flooded his mind.

A palm-sized, deep blue jade seal materialized. The knob of the seal was sculpted in the shape of nine intertwined Xiangliu serpents, while the base was carved with four ancient seal characters: *Wan Chuan Gui Xu* (Ten Thousand Rivers Return to Ruins).

Once activated, the jade seal would transform into nine layers of ring-shaped water arrays. An azure pupil would manifest at the center of each whirlpool, simultaneously generating nine titanic water vortices.

Each vortex possessed a unique, deadly characteristic. Furthermore, the array was designed to be a death trap—for every vortex a trapped victim managed to break through, the power of the subsequent vortices would increase by thirty percent!

Shen Xian analyzed the specific properties of the vortices…

*Turbid Wave Vortex: Corrodes Dharma Treasures.*

*Cold Marrow Vortex: Freezes spiritual power.*

*Heavy Water Vortex: Applies thousandfold gravity.*

…

*Return to Ruins Vortex: Ultimate Annihilation.*

If used in battle, this item would be a terrifying area-of-effect weapon of mass destruction!

Especially the final *Return to Ruins Vortex*, which claimed to annihilate all things.

It could effortlessly obliterate dozens of Nascent Soul True Lords in a single strike, and even a Soul Formation Venerable would find themselves hard-pressed to survive it.

“Good item,” Shen Xian thought, joy blooming in his heart.

He possessed many Dharma Treasures, but most were designed for single-target duels. It was rare to receive a return of such a potent crowd-control and mass-killing weapon.

When the time came to confront the Ice Soul Immortal Sect, this seal might play a decisive role.

He stored the item away and rose from the bed, leaving the room quietly.

Outside the workshop, Su Mu approached him, brimming with enthusiasm.

“Master! Your disciple plans to establish the Hundred Forging Pavilion as the official base for our Duobao Sect. It will save us a significant amount of resources!”

She and Senior Brother Ai Xiao had spent the entire night auditing the Hundred Forging Pavilion’s assets and had finally decided to convert it into the Duobao Sect’s mountain gate.

“Won’t the place be too small?” Shen Xian asked, his tone neutral.

Since they were establishing the Duobao Sect, it needed to look the part. He had no intention of running a petty, small-time operation.

“Master, rest assured. Your disciple has already acquired all the nearby shops!” Su Mu smiled confidently.

Leveraging her Master’s fearsome reputation, she had easily annexed the buildings surrounding the Hundred Forging Pavilion.

“Once we combine them and restructure the layout, the compound will be comparable to the grand estates of the major clans. It is more than sufficient to accommodate the Duobao Sect’s current personnel.”

Shen Xian nodded slightly in approval. “Good. But remember, we must not only develop here in the Holy City. Do not forget Black Profound City.”

Now that he was the Deputy City Lord with full management authority, it was only natural to deepen his roots there.

In his grand design, Black Profound City was to be his true stronghold, his unassailable main base.

“Your disciple understands. Once I finish the arrangements here, I will immediately head back to organize everything,” Su Mu promised, nodding emphatically.