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

Chapter 284: Shocking Identity, Competing in Artifact Refining

A deep, thunderous boom detonated out of nowhere, shaking the very foundations of the plaza.

On the horizon, black clouds churned violently as a massive war chariot, forged from dark iron, tore through the void. It was pulled by three obsidian flood dragons, their scales flickering with black flames that stained half the sky in ink.

Each flood dragon radiated the terrifying, suffocating pressure of the **Deity Transformation Realm**. Their eyes were crimson pools of bloodlust, and their roars vibrated in the marrow of every cultivator below.

Behind the chariot, eighteen cultivators clad in heavy black iron armor strode through the empty air. On their chests, they bore the distinctive Black Dragon emblem of **Black Profound City**.

Every single one of them was a **Deity Transformation Realm** Venerable.

“It’s the **Black Dragon Guards** of **Black Profound City**!” An elderly, knowledgeable cultivator in the crowd screamed, his voice cracking with terror. “Heavens above… even the weakest among them is at the mid-Deity Transformation Realm stage!”

**Yan Hao** descended first, landing with the weight of a mountain. He dropped to one knee, cupping his fists in absolute reverence.

“By the City Lord’s command, I lead the **Black Dragon Guards** to rally behind the Deputy City Lord!”

Behind him, the eighteen **Deity Transformation Realm** Venerables knelt in unison, their combined voices shaking the cloud layer.

“We pay homage to the Deputy City Lord!”

*Boom!*

The plaza instantly descended into chaos.

“Deputy City Lord? What Deputy City Lord?”

“Wait… **Master Wang** is the Deputy City Lord of **Black Profound City**?!”

“That **Black Profound City**? The one second only to the Holy City in power?!”

Countless cultivators stood frozen, their faces masks of utter disbelief. The realization hit them like a physical blow.

“No wonder he dared to challenge **Lu Tingwei**!”

“The Deputy City Lord of **Black Profound City**… that status is infinitely more noble than any Tier-5 Artifact Refining Master!”

“I’ve heard that even the **Black Profound Celestial Venerable** forces the Dao Profound Sect to give him face!”

The cold sneer on **Lu Tingwei**’s face froze into a rictus of horror.

*How is this possible?!*

*When did this brat become the Deputy City Lord of Black Profound City?*

*Damn it… I’ve kicked an iron plate.*

Behind him, the three Tier-5 Artifact Refining Masters turned pale. The reputation of **Black Profound City** was a heavy shadow over the entire Holy Land. Its City Lord, the **Black Profound Celestial Venerable**, was a tyrant whose strength made countless experts tremble.

No one could have imagined that this unassuming artifact refiner was actually the second-in-command of such a terrifying force.

**Master Zhou** of the **Hundred Arts Sect** sent a frantic voice transmission. “Brother Lu, this…”

Before he could finish, **Yan Hao** rose and swept his sleeve.

*Bang! Bang! Bang!*

Eighteen black iron treasure chests slammed onto the pavement. The lids sprang open automatically.

The first chest contained Ten-Thousand-Year Profound Ice Marrow. A wave of bone-chilling frost instantly flash-froze the ground for a hundred *zhang*.

The second chest held Flowing Cloud Fine Gold, emitting a scorching heat that visibly distorted the air.

…

The eighteenth chest was filled to the brim with Tier-4 materials, shining with blinding spiritual light.

“A meager gift, merely to express our sentiments,” **Yan Hao** said respectfully, his voice carrying across the silent square. “The City Lord has stated: should the Deputy City Lord require any further materials, the treasure vault of **Black Profound City** is yours to command!”

Dead silence.

“I… am I hallucinating? Is that an entire chest of Tier-4 materials?!”

“And Tier-5 materials… a single piece is worth my entire clan’s fortune!”

“Access to the **Black Profound City** vault? That kind of authority…”

**Venerable Zi Yun** was stunned for a moment before stroking his beard and bursting into laughter. “Hahaha! Good! Good!”

He hadn’t expected that old monster, the **Black Profound Celestial Venerable**, to pull such a dramatic stunt. It was indeed satisfying to watch.

Zhao Wuchen of the **Heaven-Reaching Chamber of Commerce** was so excited his beard trembled. He had originally planned to arrange some fanfare for **Shen Xian**, but the Chamber’s higher-ups had advised caution to avoid offending **Lu Tingwei**.

Who would have thought **Master Wang** didn’t need their help at all?

The cultivators who had previously mocked **Shen Xian**’s “poverty” now looked ashen, wishing the ground would open up and swallow them whole.

“It’s over… I’m dead…”

“Did the **Black Dragon Guards** hear what I said earlier?”

“Shabby? This is the definition of low-key dominance!”

**Lu Tingwei**’s face was a mask of livid rage. He forced a cold, trembling sneer. “Hmph. Artifact refining is a competition of true skill, not theatrical displays of wealth!”

His words found purchase with a few sycophants.

“Exactly! What use is high status without the skill to back it up?”

“He’s just setting himself up for a bigger joke!”

These words gave the hostile crowd a desperate outlet for their fear.

**Shen Xian**, however, remained completely unmoved. He walked calmly to his refining station, his white robes fluttering gently. Connected to the earth fire array, standing under the gaze of thousands, his handsome features and aloof demeanor made him look like an immortal descended to the mortal coil.

**Lu Tingwei** took his position at the adjacent station.

The **Nine Dragons Heaven-Refining Cauldron** hovered before him, the crimson flames casting sinister shadows across his face. “Wang Yu, it’s not too late to admit defeat. If you humiliate yourself publicly, where will you put your face as a Deputy City Lord?”

**Shen Xian** didn’t even look up. He leisurely arranged his materials, his movements precise and unhurried. “Master Lu, you’ve lived for a thousand years. Is wagging your tongue the only art you’ve mastered?”

“You!” Anger flashed in **Lu Tingwei**’s eyes. “Sharp-tongued junior! When your furnace explodes, don’t go crying for your mother!”

“Failure?” **Shen Xian** finally raised his eyes. A faint, mocking curve played on his lips. “That word does not exist in my lexicon.”

He flicked a finger, sending a shard of Ice Soul Crystal into a graceful arc through the air. “As for you…”

His gaze drifted over the old master, dripping with polite condescension.

“If your advanced age is causing your hands to tremble… I am perfectly willing to wait until your medication takes effect before we begin.”

*Pfft!*

**Zi Chen** couldn’t hold back a laugh, quickly covering her mouth.

**Lu Tingwei** turned purple. He slammed his palm against the cauldron. “Arrogant! Today, I will show you the true Dao of Artifact Refining!”

But **Shen Xian** had already turned his back, leaving only a single, indifferent word floating in the air.

“Noisy.”

**Lu Tingwei**’s eyes narrowed dangerously. He stopped speaking. Instead, he pressed his hands against the void, closing his eyes. His spiritual power extended like invisible silk threads, penetrating the **Nine Dragons Heaven-Refining Cauldron**.

The earth fire within the cauldron roared, yet under his control, it settled into a bizarre, rhythmic pulse.

His left hand formed the “Li Fire Seal,” his right the “Kan Water Seal.”

*Whoosh!*

The earth fire inside the cauldron split into nine distinct streams.

The innermost layer formed three clusters of azure flame in a triangular formation, locking the temperature at the “Three Yang Realm” to smelt the primary Black Iron.

The middle layer bloomed into five purple flames like a lotus, wrapping the auxiliary materials in a “Five Qi Converging to Origin” formation.

The outermost ring became a coiling dragon of crimson fire, gently protecting the delicate Gold Thread Grass.

“The Nine Palaces Fire Control Technique!” Elder Yan from Skyfire City gasped, his pupils contracting. “To tame wild earth fire to such a microscopic degree…”

As a fellow Tier-5 refiner, he recognized the terrifying difficulty of this technique.

**Lu Tingwei**’s fingers danced like phantoms. The materials inside the cauldron began to undergo a miraculous transformation.

The Black Iron blocks unfurled in the azure flames. Rust and impurities sloughed off like shedding snakeskin, revealing the pristine, silver-white core beneath.

The Cold Jade Marrow, cradled by purple fire, wept crystalline tears of pure essence, while impurities drifted away like melting snowflakes.

Most breathtaking was the Gold Thread Grass. Under the tender caress of the crimson dragon-fire, every leaf vein extended fully, performing a vibrant dance within the inferno.

“Marvelous!” **Master Zhou** of the **Hundred Arts Sect** clapped in admiration. “Using fire as a guide to coax the materials into self-purification… this is the essence of the Heavenly Crafts Spirit-Guiding Method!”

The spectators held their breath. Even **Venerable Zi Yun** nodded in slight approval.

Those who had initially held out hope for **Shen Xian** began to sweat.

“Every step is perfection. A fraction more heat would burn it; a fraction less would fail to refine…”

“As expected of a millennial Grandmaster. His control is god-like!”

“How can Master Wang possibly surpass this?”

A smug smile touched the corner of **Lu Tingwei**’s mouth, though his hands never ceased their complex weaving. He knew the crowd was awestruck, but he knew something else even more clearly—

The real war had only just begun.

Eyes began to drift toward **Shen Xian**. He, too, had begun the quenching process.

But his technique…

It looked disappointingly ordinary.