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

The rules deciphered by the [Heavenly Mechanism Disk] caused Shen Xian’s brows to furrow.

He glanced up at the woman teetering on the edge of collapse, his gaze darkening.

She just tried to kill me. Am I really supposed to save her?

As he hesitated, the black ocean of heavy water surged. Several water dragons burst through the waves, roaring as they charged straight for the pair.

Shen Xian snorted coldly. The [Li Fire True Seal] flared between his brows. He flipped his palm, weaving threads of golden fire into a net that forcefully shoved the water dragons back.

However, his spiritual power was draining at a terrifying rate.

Across from him, Qiu Ruoli sensed the danger. The radiance of her white lotuses was flickering, dim and weak. If this continued, the heavy water would devour them both within minutes.

“Qiu Ruoli!” Shen Xian shouted, a shadow passing over his face. “If you don’t want to die, join forces with me!”

He had no choice.

At worst, they could settle their blood feud after they survived.

Qiu Ruoli froze, wary of a trap. But considering his overwhelming strength, he didn’t need to scheme to kill her. Recalling the tribulation’s hint—Unite hearts and join forces—she realized the truth.

“Fine!”

She gritted her teeth and summoned her life-bound Dharma Treasure, the [Sky Sea Bracelet].

The bracelet erupted with blinding azure light, forming a semi-circular barrier that held back the crushing tide. She used the reprieve to flash to his side. Her snow-white Daoist robes were soaked through, clinging to her skin and outlining her delicate curves, but neither had time to notice.

“How do we do this?” she asked coldly, her beautiful eyes still guarding a trace of suspicion.

Shen Xian ignored her tone. He raised his hand, and the [Traceless Sword] materialized in his grip.

She’s going to die anyway. No need to hide my skills.

“Use your strongest water arts to guide the flow!” he commanded.

He swung the sword. A chilling gleam shot forth, dropping the ambient temperature of the entire pocket dimension instantly.

Qiu Ruoli’s heart skipped a beat.

Such powerful Sword Intent!

She had assumed he was purely a demonic cultivator reliant on artifacts and forbidden arts. But this… this was the foundation of a sword master.

Is he really a demonic cultivator?

What Golden Core rogue had this many treasures and such a deep foundation? Only the elite scions of the Great Sects possessed this kind of heritage.

There was no time to think. Shen Xian moved.

The tip of his blade trembled, unleashing the frost intent of the [Heavenly Abyss Snow Illumination Sword Scripture].

The miniature arrays inside the [Traceless Sword] hummed. Hexagonal ice crystals condensed along the steel. Shen Xian spun, slashing out a crescent moon of pure cold.

Snap-freeze!

Spiderwebs of frost spread across the surface of the black ocean.

“Now!” Shen Xian barked.

Qiu Ruoli buried her doubts. She had no choice.

Her pale hands formed a seal. The [Sky Sea Bracelet] blazed, its spiritual light transforming into a massive tidal wave that didn’t clash with Shen Xian’s frost, but intertwined with it.

Ice and water merged.

The churning momentum of the heavy water stalled. Shen Xian’s sword energy froze the surface solid, while Qiu Ruoli’s hydro-kinesis controlled the currents underneath, preventing the water from coalescing into new dragons.

“Again!”

Shen Xian shifted his stance. A second wave of frost slashed out. The ice spread rapidly, turning the raging ocean into a silent glacier.

Qiu Ruoli pushed her bracelet to the limit, churning the heavy water beneath the ice to disrupt its spiritual structure, stopping the drain on their energy.

The Earth Tribulation… suppressed!

It truly was as the hint suggested: Working together with one heart.

Crack!

A fissure split the ice.

From the depths of the pitch-black water, countless transparent shadows coalesced. Dozens of humanoid water puppets, wielding jagged ice blades, burst through the frozen surface.

Shen Xian’s eyes flashed. He had been waiting for this.

The [Traceless Sword] swept horizontally. Three puppets lunged at him, only to be sliced in half at the waist.

But bizarrely, the shattered water didn’t disperse. The moment the droplets hit the ice, they reassembled, reforming the puppets instantly—and their aura was stronger than before.

Qiu Ruoli’s expression faltered. She spun the [Sky Sea Bracelet], creating a defensive curtain.

An ice blade stabbed through her barrier as if it didn’t exist, slashing a bloody gash across her shoulder.

“They ignore spiritual defenses!” she shouted, panic creeping into her voice.

Shen Xian sheathed his sword with a clack. In the same motion, the [Burning Heaven Cauldron] appeared.

The fire patterns on the bronze vessel lit up, but instead of flames, arcs of terrifying lightning poured out.

“Attack as defense!”

Roaring thunder dragons surged from the cauldron, crashing into the horde of puppets.

Qiu Ruoli understood instantly. She pulled a jade hairpin from her hair.

This seemingly ordinary ornament was the [Azure Phoenix Thorn], her concealed close-combat treasure.

Her movement became elusive, flitting among the puppets like a butterfly threading through flowers. With each tap of the jade hairpin, a puppet exploded into mist.

Back-to-back, the two mortal enemies fell into a rhythm of perfect coordination.

Shen Xian’s profound thunder provided massive area suppression, while Qiu Ruoli precisely assassinated the stragglers.

The number of puppets dropped sharply. But with each kill, the pressure in the room grew heavier.

“Something’s wrong…” Shen Xian realized. “These things are made of Heavy Water essence. The more we kill, the stronger the survivors become!”

Before his words could fade, the final five puppets merged.

They twisted and morphed into a ten-foot-tall black-armored general. It raised a massive axe and brought it down with mountain-splitting force.

“We can’t dodge that!” Qiu Ruoli cried, her face pale.

At the critical moment, Shen Xian grabbed her wrist and yanked her sideways.

BOOM!

The axe smashed into the ice. A shockwave blasted them backward, sending them tumbling several zhang across the glacier.

“Cough…” Blood trickled from Qiu Ruoli’s lips.

She looked up to see Shen Xian already flipping to his feet. In his hand, he now held an [Ancient Bronze Mirror]—the [Grand One Mirror]!

He angled the artifact. A beam of light hit the armored general, slowing its movements by thirty percent.

“What are you waiting for?” Shen Xian roared. “Attack the reflection point!”

Qiu Ruoli gritted her teeth, ignoring the pain in her shoulder. Seven white lotuses bloomed in her palm.

She held nothing back. Every drop of her remaining spiritual power poured into the attack.

The lotuses transformed into streaks of pure light, slamming into the weak point illuminated by the mirror.

KA-BOOM!

The general exploded.

A torrential rain of water droplets fell from the sky. But instead of reforming, the droplets turned into motes of pure spiritual energy.

They divided into two streams, rushing into Shen Xian and Qiu Ruoli.

Shen Xian felt his meridians flush with power. His exhausted reserves were instantly replenished by eighty percent. A cool, refreshing energy swirled in his Dantian, lubricating the circulation of his [Li Fire True Seal].

He glanced at Qiu Ruoli. The wound on her shoulder was knitting together at a visible speed. Her aura was climbing, stronger than before the battle began.

“Spiritual feedback?” She stared at her hands in disbelief.

Under the nourishment of this energy, her [White Lotus World Purification Art] smashed through a bottleneck. The fifth layer, “Moonlight Body Tempering,” which had stuck her for years, was suddenly complete.

The heavy water receded. Silence returned to the domain.

Shen Xian and Qiu Ruoli stood apart, regulating their breathing, savoring the influx of power.

But before they could even exhale, the space shuddered violently.

Hum—

The phantom of the [Tortoise-Snake Lamp] materialized above them once more. The flame surged, splitting into two streams of light—one black, one white. They twisted around each other like swimming dragons, forming a perfect circle.

The ancient Daoist voice rumbled through the void:

“Yin and Yang complement each other. The Human Tribulation begins!”