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

Chapter 220: Abducting the Furnace, Heading to the Northern Region

The mountain gates of the Tianyao Sect were hidden within an ethereal sea of clouds, where seventy-two floating immortal islands dotted the sky like scattered stars.

Each island was tethered by chains forged from Thousand-Year Cold Iron, etched with intricate defensive arrays that shimmered with a cold, silvery light under the sun.

The main peak, Jade Yao Peak, pierced the heavens. At its summit sat a palace of cold jade that refracted the sunlight into seven-colored auroras, resembling a celestial court descending upon the mortal realm.

Shen Xian stood at the foot of the mountain, gazing up. The mountain-protecting grand array formed a pale blue barrier that rippled like water, distorting the view of the flying boats shuttling within and the disciples soaring on their swords.

Flanking the entrance were two Cold Jade Qilin statues, standing ten zhang tall. Their eyes were inlaid with Rank 5 Void-Piercing Stones, artifacts capable of seeing through any illusion or disguise. Under their gaze, no spy could hide.

But the most arresting sight was the thousand-zhang waterfall cascading down the side of the main peak. It was not made of water, but of liquefied lunar essence.

This was the Tianyao Sect’s supreme treasure—Lunar True Water.

Legend had it that only Nascent Soul True Lords possessed physiques strong enough to cultivate within its flow without their meridians freezing into brittle glass.

Shen Xian narrowed his eyes. Below the waterfall, dozens of female cultivators in snow-white robes sat cross-legged in meditation. As they practiced their tuna breathing techniques, the cold air they exhaled instantly condensed into crystalline ice lotuses that floated in the air.

Without a disciple token, forcing his way in would be suicide. Fortunately, he had kept a trump card from the incident at the Ten Thousand Corpses Tomb.

He donned the silver-white mask. The metal seemed to melt into his skin, reshaping his features until he perfectly resembled the “Evil Cultivator Wang” persona he had used before.

With a tap of his finger, a jade slip glowing with a dark blue luster appeared in his palm. He injected a wisp of spiritual power into it. The slip transformed into a translucent ice-crystal butterfly, which fluttered its wings and drifted through the barrier, heading deep into the sect.

Not long after, a white streak cut through the clouds.

Bai Qingyao descended on her flying sword, landing before him with a complex expression. Her brows furrowed as she looked at him. “Fellow Daoist Wang… you…”

She hadn’t expected the man—an admitted evil cultivator—to be audacious enough to show his face at the gates of a Righteous Sect.

If she reported him right now, he would be ground to dust by the sect’s elders.

But she didn’t. She still owed him a life debt.

“Fairy Bai, pardon the intrusion,” Shen Xian said with a faint smile, though his tone was anything but apologetic. “Please send a message to Qiu Ruoli. Tell her I have matters to settle with her.”

Bai Qingyao’s expression shifted. “You intend to harm Senior Sister Qiu?”

“Harm? No. I just want to talk,” Shen Xian lied smoothly. “This is the Tianyao Sect’s territory. Are you worried I could hurt her right under the noses of your elders?”

Bai Qingyao hesitated. His logic was sound; attempting violence here would be madness. And delivering a message seemed like a small price to pay to clear her debt.

“Fine.” She retrieved a transmission talisman, whispered a few words into it, and released it into the wind.

A moment later, a cold, aloof figure descended from the sky.

Qiu Ruoli was dressed in robes whiter than snow, her expression one of vigilance and confusion. But when she saw Shen Xian’s face, her confusion instantly ignited into rage.

“You! You evil heretic!” Her voice cracked like a whip. “You dare come to the Tianyao Sect?”

She immediately reached for her communication token to alert her Master.

Shen Xian’s smile didn’t waver, but his eyes turned glacial. “Fairy Qiu, long time no see.”

Before the last syllable left his lips, the dark red silk in his sleeve exploded outward.

[Soul-Binding Silk]!

Qiu Ruoli’s pupils contracted. Before she could channel a single thread of Qi, the crimson silk wrapped around her throat. The golden runes flared, and her spiritual power instantly turned sluggish, as if she were wading through wet cement. Even her Divine Sense stalled.

“You—!”

She gasped, shock warring with fury. But Shen Xian was already on her. He closed the distance in a blur, his palm striking the back of her neck with surgical precision.

A Nascent Soul strike was not something a Golden Core cultivator could withstand.

Thud.

Darkness claimed her, and Qiu Ruoli slumped into his arms.

Bai Qingyao watched in horror, her face draining of blood. “Fellow Daoist Wang! You—”

“Thanks for the help. Farewell!”

Shen Xian caught the unconscious woman with one arm while his other hand formed a rapid seal. The array patterns beneath his feet flared blindingly bright.

[Void-Escape Talisman]!

His silhouette dissolved into a streak of light, vanishing instantly.

Bai Qingyao stood frozen, her mind reeling. She never imagined that Shen Xian would be insane enough to kidnap the Holy Maiden right at the sect’s front gate.

And she… she had just become his accomplice.

From the peaks above, several terrifying auras roared to life—the Elders had sensed the spatial fluctuation.

“This is bad…” Bai Qingyao gritted her teeth. Panic clawed at her throat, but self-preservation took over. She turned and vanished back into the sect.

She had to find a way to cover this up.

High above the clouds, heading toward the Northern Region.

Shen Xian wasted no time. With a sweep of his sleeve, a magnificent vessel materialized from the void.

[Sun and Moon Boat]

The hull shimmered with celestial light, engraved with star charts that seemed to move on their own. At the bow, golden solar essence and silver lunar essence intertwined to form an impenetrable barrier.

“Rise!”

The boat tore through the sky, leaving behind a dual-colored trail of gold and silver afterimages. The speed was terrifying; space itself rippled around the hull as the top-grade Spirit Treasure engaged its void-piercing drive.

Even a standard Nascent Soul cultivator would be left eating his dust.

Shen Xian stood at the bow, hands clasped behind his back, looking down at his unconscious prize with a cold sneer.

With this boat, the Tianyao Sect could mobilize their entire army and still never catch him.

Roughly half an hour later.

Qiu Ruoli groaned. Her eyelashes fluttered, and she slowly opened her eyes.

Confusion gave way to recognition, then fury. She was on a spirit boat, and Shen Xian was watching her with the amused look of a predator toying with a trapped mouse.

“Despicable villain!”

She snapped upright, her hands forming a seal to summon a technique.

Gah!

She doubled over, a pained groan escaping her lips. Her spiritual power surged violently like boiling oil, tearing through her meridians with agonizing pain.

Shen Xian leaned against the railing, unbothered. “Don’t waste your energy. You’ve been dosed with Heart-Eroding Powder. The more you try to channel Qi, the faster the poison works.”

He held up a dark green pill between his thumb and forefinger. “The antidote is right here. If you want to live, sit down and behave.”

Qiu Ruoli’s face turned deathly pale. She could feel the toxin gnawing at her Dantian. As a disciple of a healing sect, she knew exactly what this poison did. First, it dissolved one’s cultivation base. Then, it liquefied the internal organs.

“What do you want?” she hissed, her voice trembling despite her best efforts to sound defiant.

“Simple.” Shen Xian stepped forward, reached down, and gripped her chin, forcing her to look up at him. “Become my Dao Companion. Agree, and you get the antidote. Refuse…”

His other hand traced the line of her slender neck, resting lightly over her pulse.

“…and I throw you off this boat.”

Qiu Ruoli froze.

Without her cultivation, a fall from 10,000 meters would turn her into a red smear on the ground.

She stared into his eyes, searching for a bluff, a joke, anything. She found nothing but ice-cold calculation. He meant it.

“Fine! Give me the antidote!”

Shen Xian released her chin and tossed the pill into her lap. “Smart choice.”

Qiu Ruoli swallowed the pill instantly. A cooling sensation washed over her meridians, suppressing the boiling pain. Her Qi began to flow smoothly again.

Joy flashed in her eyes. Her power was back.

She gathered her energy, preparing to strike—

BOOM!

A crushing wave of Nascent Soul Pressure slammed into her, pinning her to the deck like an insect. She gasped, coughing up a mouthful of blood as her vision blurred.

“Don’t try anything stupid,” Shen Xian said, his voice bored. “That pill only suppresses the poison temporarily. If you want the permanent cure, you follow me.”

Qiu Ruoli bit her lip until it bled. She glared at him, hatred burning in her eyes, but she stopped struggling. The gap between them was now an chasm she couldn’t cross.

She slumped against the deck, defeated.

[System Alert: Dao Companion Successfully Bound!]

[Dao Companion: Ye Qingxian — Current Multiplier: 50x] [Dao Companion: Wei Zhaoli — Current Multiplier: 50x] [Dao Companion: Qiu Ruoli — Current Multiplier: 50x]

Shen Xian exhaled a silent sigh of relief as the notification appeared.

“So, forced binding works too,” he thought, a triumphant smirk tugging at his lips.

With the Holy Maiden of the Tianyao Sect as his Dao Companion, his dual cultivation sessions would be twice as effective. And the gift-giving returns… the potential was limitless.

Qiu Ruoli looked away, staring into the endless clouds. A shadow passed over her eyes. She knew that from this moment on, her destiny was no longer her own.