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

After leaving the Netherworld Bone Realm, Shen Xian found a secluded spot on a cliffside and sat cross-legged. A faint smile played on his lips.

He tapped the communication token at his waist, sending a brief message of safety to Wei Zhaoli. Watching the spiritual light flow across the token, Shen Xian chuckled softly.

This trip to the Bone Realm had been immensely profitable.

With a casual wave of his hand, brilliant spiritual light spilled from his storage pouch.

Over three hundred third-grade Yin Fiend Bone Crystals piled up into a small mountain. Each one was crystal clear, containing swirling liquid Yin Fiend essence within.

In the outside world, major auction houses would fight tooth and nail for just one of these. Here, they were stacked casually like ordinary stones.

Shen Xian was already calculating.

First, he would gift a portion to trigger the System’s better returns. The remainder could be sent back to the family, which would easily exchange for a high-grade spirit treasure.

He could then gift that treasure to Wei Zhaoli. With luck, the return might be a true spirit treasure.

His gaze shifted to the floating Ghost King True Spirit Bead.

His breathing quickened slightly.

A fifth-grade material. This was a supreme treasure that would make even Nascent Soul cultivators go mad with greed. If he gifted this for a return, he might obtain a sixth-grade material—something even Divine Transformation venerables would covet.

“But first, I need to visit the Bronze Blood Hall in the Godfiend Battlefield,” he mused.

If he could activate the humanoid puppet there and then gift it, the potential return value might be astronomical.

“As for this…”

Shen Xian looked inward at his dantian, observing the eerie blood-red lotus mark. The corner of his mouth curved into a meaningful, slightly cold smile.

It could devour souls, seize spirits, and refine essence blood.

Such an overbearing technique. If revealed in the outside world, it would stir up a storm of bloodshed. Although he wouldn’t lightly employ such a sinister art, it remained a potent trump card.

But he had to be cautious. Once exposed, it would invite endless calamity.

Shen Xian rose to his full height, clasping his hands behind his back as he gazed into the distance. The gains from this trip had far exceeded his expectations.

“What next…”

He glanced at his spirit beast pouch and summoned the Mysterious Turtle.

“Not bad. Keep going.”

Shen Xian took out a Purple Immortal Ganoderma and placed it on his palm.

The Mysterious Turtle swallowed it in one gulp.

Instantly, the Eight Trigrams patterns on its shell began to flow like liquid, emitting layers of golden ripples.

Hum—

With a low vibration, eight golden threads shot out from the shell, intertwining in the air to form a profound star chart.

At the center of the chart, the illusory image of a valley shrouded in mist gradually clarified. Within the valley, ten bronze pillars stood majestically, their surfaces carved with flowing hexagram symbols.

“Heavenly Secret Valley…”

A sharp glint flashed in Shen Xian’s eyes.

Deep within the star chart’s valley, a bronze compass could be seen floating mid-air. The twelve-hour markings on its surface rotated on their own, exuding an aura of ancient, time-worn Dao charm.

The Mysterious Turtle suddenly let out a low roar.

The star chart trembled violently. The hexagram patterns in the southeast shone as brightly as the scorching sun, while the northwest emitted a bloody, dark glow—indicating the valley entrance and the danger zones, respectively.

As the golden light faded, the exhausted Mysterious Turtle retracted into its shell, leaving only a single golden thread pointing southeast.

Shen Xian gently stroked the turtle shell.

Then, he transformed into a streak of light and shot through the sky.

Several days later.

The moment Shen Xian stepped into Heavenly Secret Valley, the air grew stagnant.

Mist coiled through the valley, and ancient trees reached for the sky. It should have been a place of serene seclusion, yet it exuded a faint, scorching heat.

His footsteps paused.

His fingers unconsciously brushed against the rock wall beside him. There was a scorch mark, five fingers wide, as if seared by raging flames. The surface of the rock had vitrified, refracting fragmented, multicolored light under the sun.

Shen Xian’s pupils contracted slightly.

This was no ordinary fire.

He bent down, plucking a remnant feather from the edge of the scorch mark. It was gold-red and scalding to the touch. Even after being separated for some time, it still contained undying fire spirit energy.

A Divine Phoenix feather.

Ye Qingxian had been here. And she had utilized her Divine Phoenix bloodline power.

Shen Xian abruptly looked up, his gaze piercing through the layers of mist.

Deeper in the valley, more scorch marks crisscrossed the terrain, evidence of a fierce battle. On the central giant rock, a palm print remained clear and new, its edges still flickering with tiny golden flames.

For a moment, a ripple disturbed his usually steady state of mind.

Is she still here?

He shook his head with a wry smile. If she were here, it would be perfect; he could finally gift Xiao Bai and that Vermilion Bird Essence Blood.

Shen Xian activated the Void Reflecting Spirit Mirror.

Divine Transformation-level spiritual sense spread out like a tide, instantly enveloping the entire Heavenly Secret Valley.

Empty. Silent.

Apart from the residual Divine Phoenix aura, there were no signs of life.

Within those crisscrossing scorch marks, he could vaguely sense a strand of lingering sword intent—sharp, fierce, and carrying a familiar cadence.

“She’s already gone…”

He let out a soft, derisive snort.

A pity. He couldn’t gift those items now. However, the fact that she had to leave such obvious traces suggested she had encountered significant trouble.

The thought flashed through his mind but was quickly suppressed.

The Mysterious Turtle’s spiritual sense stirred again, pointing directly at the stone platform surrounded by ten bronze pillars in the valley’s center.

Shen Xian, hands clasped behind his back, strolled forward.

He stopped abruptly three zhang away from the platform.

“It’s never that simple, is it?”

He sneered coldly, flicking a strand of spiritual power forward.

The moment the energy touched the platform’s edge, dense clusters of golden runes materialized in the void, weaving a massive net of light that enveloped the entire structure.

“An ancient spirit formation…”

A trace of surprise flashed in Shen Xian’s eyes. However, the formation’s grade wasn’t particularly high—likely intended to test visitors rather than kill them.

To him, this obstacle was useless.

Shen Xian withdrew the Nine Orifices Exquisite Needle from his storage pouch. This item specialized in breaking restrictions.

He lightly pinched his fingers.

Nine golden needles, fine as ox hair, hovered above his palm. With a thought, they transformed into streams of light, flying toward the formation’s nodes.

“Break.”

With a soft command, the nine needles simultaneously pierced the weak points.

The golden light net trembled violently. Runes extinguished one after another. In mere moments, the ancient protective formation crumbled to dust.

At the center of the stone platform, the bronze compass floated quietly.

“Saves me some trouble.”

He flicked a finger, sending a wisp of spiritual power to scoop up the compass. It felt cool to the touch, almost weightless. The characters “Heavenly Secret” on its surface were ancient and weathered, hinting at profound power.

However, when he tried to activate it, the compass remained motionless.

The runes were frozen solid. No matter how much spiritual power he injected, there was no reaction.

“Hmm?”

Shen Xian’s brow furrowed.

He operated the Void Reflecting Spirit Mirror at full power. Under the probe of his spiritual sense, he discovered the compass’s interior was sealed by an obscure force. It was like smoke or mist—neither spiritual energy nor a restriction, but a manifestation of some law.

“Strange…”

He tried several methods to break it, even employing a sliver of the Li Fire True Seal’s power.

Nothing worked. The compass was like a stubborn rock.

Shen Xian felt something was off. How could such a treasure be impossible to crack? The solution had to be nearby.

He released his spiritual sense again, sweeping the area. Finally, he discovered a half-buried jade slip covered in dust.

Delighted, he stepped forward and picked it up. The jade slip was warm and smooth, carved with four ancient seal characters: Heavenly Secret Deduction.

He probed it with his spiritual sense.

Incomplete.

Only the opening lines were intact:

[Heavenly Secrets are unfathomable, Deduction has its limits]

[…Must not…Divulge…]

The following content had been forcibly erased by some power, leaving large blanks.

“Heavenly Secrets Must Not Be Divulged?”

The corner of Shen Xian’s mouth twitched. This deduction sect had truly taken the art of being deliberately mysterious to the extreme.

He suddenly looked down at the Mysterious Turtle lying obediently on the ground.

“This is the supreme treasure you spent a Purple Immortal Ganoderma to find?”

He walked over, grabbed the turtle by the scruff of its neck, and stared into its beady eyes.

The Mysterious Turtle paddled its limbs in the air, making pleading sounds in its throat.

“If you find junk like this again…”

Shen Xian rubbed his fingertips together. A wisp of the Li Fire True Seal flickered into existence, hovering three inches beneath the turtle’s shell.

The Mysterious Turtle trembled, eyes wide with terror. It seemed to want to argue, but one look at Shen Xian’s indifferent expression silenced it.

Shen Xian tossed the unresponsive Heavenly Secret Compass into the farthest corner of his storage pouch.

“Next time you give me wrong directions, I’ll stew you for nourishment.”

He had only brought five stalks of Purple Immortal Ganoderma. Wasting one was a significant loss. The remaining three had to be saved for the Godfiend Battlefield.

So, what next…

As he pondered, his ears twitched slightly.

Footsteps.

Someone was coming.