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

The cavern lay in a deathly silence, broken only by the rushing echoes of the underground river.

Shen Xian concealed himself in the deep shadow of a stone pillar. His gaze, sharp as lightning, took in the entire scene.

In the darkness, the lurking Golden Core cultivators held their breath, their eyes wide with shock.

“The number one beauty of the Azure Province… is she truly this powerful?” someone inwardly marveled.

“Truly worthy of receiving a Divine Venerable’s legacy,” another murmured, their voice trembling with a mix of fear and envy.

Despite the terrifying display of power, none of them retreated. Instead, the flames of anticipation in their eyes burned brighter.

Just how precious was this Spirit Jade Marrow to force two such prodigies into a life-and-death struggle?

If they could obtain it… soaring to the heavens would no longer be a dream.

They suppressed their desires, quietly waiting for the inevitable moment of weakness.

A faint smile touched Shen Xian’s lips beneath his mask.

These people are certainly patient, he thought. Ye Qingxian needs to end this quickly.

Suddenly, his brow furrowed.

In the center of the clearing, Wei Qingshan slowly straightened up. He wiped a trace of blood from the corner of his mouth with a pristine handkerchief.

The gentle, cultured smile on his face vanished. In its place was a chilling, murderous intent.

“The disciple of the Celestial Venerable is indeed… worthy of her reputation.”

His voice remained calm, but it carried a bone-chilling coldness.

“However…”

A bronze compass suddenly flew out from his sleeve. Its surface was covered in obscure, ancient runes that seemed to crawl like living insects.

As it spun, the cavern trembled violently. Cracks split the ground, and countless bronze chains erupted from the earth like striking vipers.

“The Heavenly Secret Spirit-Locking Plate?!” someone in the shadows exclaimed in horror. “He actually brought one of the Divine Machine Sect’s three great treasures!”

Shen Xian’s heart jolted.

Inside his storage bag, the bronze compass he had looted earlier trembled faintly, resonating with the artifact in Wei Qingshan’s hand.

There’s a connection, he realized, his gaze sharpening.

As the artifact appeared, the bronze chains coiled toward Ye Qingxian. Each link shimmered with strange runes designed to seal spiritual power.

Simultaneously, the folding fan in Wei Qingshan’s hand disintegrated into ninety-nine sharp fragments. They arranged themselves in the air, forming a star chart vast enough to suppress the void.

For the sake of his Nascent Soul breakthrough, Wei Qingshan was holding nothing back.

Ye Qingxian’s eyes turned icy.

Her jade-like hands formed a seal. The golden hairpin in her hair bloomed with blinding light, and the Nirvana True Fire around her surged, coalescing into a fiery phoenix barrier.

Clang! Clang!

The bronze chains collided with the fiery phoenix, emitting the screech of metal on metal. Sparks showered the cavern floor.

Wei Qingshan’s expression was grave as he shifted through hand seals. The star chart fragments poured down like torrential rain, each one tearing through the air with lethal intent.

Ye Qingxian moved with mysterious footwork, her figure turning illusory as she weaved through the onslaught. Occasionally, she flicked her sleeve, sending a blast of blazing True Fire roaring out to melt the incoming attacks.

Where the two clashed, spiritual energy ran wild. Space distorted.

Bronze chains dissolved and regenerated. Star chart fragments shattered against the golden hairpin’s phantoms.

The entire cavern trembled. Rubble pattered down from the ceiling, and the underground river churned with towering waves.

To fight to such an extent…

Shen Xian narrowed his eyes, rapidly calculating.

Wei Qingshan has emptied his arsenal. Although Ye Qingxian is strong, she has only just entered the Golden Core Realm. If this drags on, she’ll be the first to exhaust herself.

His gaze swept the surroundings. The lurking Golden Core cultivators were growing restless, their muscles tensing like coiled springs. They were waiting for the mutual destruction.

I can’t let these rats pick up the pieces.

Shen Xian’s fingertips moved. A cyan jade array plate materialized from his storage ring.

He needed to prepare an escape route.

The Nine Palaces Heaven-Maze Array from the Heavenly Works Array Explanation… might be worth a try.

His Divine Sense entered the array plate. Although he was new to formations, with the help of Shen Yanchi’s legacy, he only needed to copy the model.

Following the records in his memory, he began to set up the array.

Formation patterns spread along the natural veins of the cavern walls, taking shape silently under the cover of the battle’s chaotic spiritual light.

Three Powers positioning. Nine Palaces to obscure the path.

His movements were concealed, the formation eyes cleverly placed behind inconspicuous stalactites. Once activated, it would turn this cavern into a trap for anyone with covetous eyes.

The battle reached its fever pitch.

Wei Qingshan activated the bronze compass fully. Nine rune-covered chains transformed into ferocious azure dragons, pouncing toward Ye Qingxian from all sides.

Her golden hairpin flashed nine times. Nine sword beams shot with pinpoint accuracy toward the dragons’ reverse scales.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Using the cover of the surging energy, Shen Xian sped up his deployment.

Suddenly, Ye Qingxian bit the tip of her tongue. A spray of essence blood fell onto the golden hairpin.

It transformed into a dazzling stream of light, carrying the full fury of the Nirvana True Fire, and shot straight for Wei Qingshan’s forehead.

Wei Qingshan hastily blocked, but the hairpin split into nine separate blades, attacking simultaneously from nine angles.

Thud—

Blood blossomed.

Three bloody holes pierced through Wei Qingshan’s chest. The Heavenly Secret Spirit-Locking Plate was sent flying, smashing against the rock wall.

Wei Qingshan staggered back, his face pale as paper. He dropped to one knee, powerless to continue.

Ye Qingxian swayed. She refused to fall, but her face was as white as snow, her spiritual light dimming rapidly. She had reached her limit.

Yet, her crimson-gold pupils remained cold and sharp, looking down disdainfully at her defeated opponent.

In that split second—

“Now!”

A sharp shout rang out from the darkness.

Over a dozen figures erupted into motion. The scavengers had found their opening.

Eyes flashing with greed, they unleashed a torrential rain of magical treasures and talismans toward the weakened Empress.

“Hahaha, the Spirit Marrow is mine!”

“Take her life while she’s weak!”

“Kill this woman first!”

Ye Qingxian’s brow furrowed. She had anticipated these hidden rats, but she hadn’t expected Wei Qingshan to push her so far.

She had only one option left.

If she used her forbidden secret technique, her entry into the Nascent Soul Realm would be delayed by a hundred years. But she had no choice.

Gritting her silver teeth, she prepared to burn her foundation…

“Come to me.”

A calm voice suddenly rang out in her mind.

Ye Qingxian’s pupils contracted. This Divine Sense transmission was all too familiar.

Him?

Her heart trembled. Glancing out of the corner of her eye, she saw a figure in cyan robes within the shadow of a stone pillar, giving her a slight nod.

Shen Xian remained calm. His fingertip lightly tapped the air, and a formation pattern lit up beneath Ye Qingxian’s feet.

“The Nine Palaces Heaven-Maze Array is ready. It will activate in three breaths.”

The voice transmission ended.

Over a dozen lethal attacks arrived.

Ye Qingxian snorted coldly, canceling her secret technique and mustering the very last of her spiritual power. The golden hairpin drew a line of fire, delaying the assault for a fraction of a second.

BOOM!

Just as the attacks were about to land, the cavern spun.

The attacking Golden Core cultivators were horrified to find the stone pillars moving, the underground river surging into the sky, and the entire scene fragmenting into a chaotic maze.

“It’s a maze formation!”

“Damn it! Someone is interfering from the shadows!”

Amidst the chaos, Shen Xian’s figure flashed.

He swiftly closed the distance, his hand clamping firmly onto Ye Qingxian’s wrist.

At the exact same moment, his other hand flicked. The Void Rope shot out like a viper, coiling around the Heavenly Secret Spirit-Locking Plate that Wei Qingshan had dropped.

Mine.

With a sharp tug, the treasure flew into his grasp.

Ye Qingxian didn’t notice this petty theft. She only looked down at the warm hand gripping her wrist. Her long lashes trembled slightly as Shen Xian pulled her, transforming them both into a stream of light that vanished into the formation’s eye.

“After them! They can’t have gone far!”

Enraged roars erupted behind them.

Several Golden Core Perfection cultivators frantically bombarded the maze. With a final, earth-shaking boom, the formation shattered.

But the cavern was empty. Shen Xian and Ye Qingxian had long since disappeared without a trace.