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

Chapter 296: Abilities of the Supreme Treasure, The Mastermind in the Shadows

A lazy, imperious female voice drifted from the heart of the lamp’s flame, heavy with the languor of a slumber that had lasted eons.

Before Shen Xian could react, the flame roared to life, surging upward to coalesce into a graceful, voluptuous silhouette suspended in mid-air.

She appeared to be a woman in her late twenties, her figure wrapped in dark silver robes that accentuated every curve. Her jet-black hair was loosely pinned with a golden hairpin fashioned in the shape of a turtle and snake entwined.

But it was her eyes that truly seized the soul—heterochromatic phoenix eyes. The left was as deep and dark as an abyssal pool, while the right shimmered with a piercing, gilded light.

“Hmm?” She lifted her heavy eyelids, her red lips parting slightly. “A mere Nascent Soul cultivator…”

Her expression shifted mid-sentence. In a flicker of motion, she vanished and reappeared directly in front of Shen Xian, her face inches from his. “How do you possess…”

She stopped abruptly, retreating just as fast. With a graceful sweep of her wide sleeves, she regained her dignified, aloof posture. “Hmph. I see. You relied on that old ghost’s legacy to repair This Sovereign.”

Though she scoffed, a faint, almost imperceptible smile played at the corners of her eyes.

Shen Xian opened his mouth to speak, but the woman had already spun around and seated herself on a gilded low table that manifested from the void.

She leaned back against the table, her slender fingers drumming a rhythmic beat on its surface. “This Sovereign is named ‘Xuan Shang.’ I am the Artifact Spirit of this Turtle-Snake Lamp.”

Her phoenix eyes slanted upward, assessing him. “Although your cultivation is shallow, the fact that you could repair me suggests we have some destiny together.”

She suddenly leaned forward, her collar loosening to reveal a expanse of snow-white neck. “However…”

Her red lips curled into a playful, dangerous smile. “To be the Master of This Sovereign, knowing how to fix a lamp is hardly enough.”

Suddenly, a faint disturbance arose from outside the window. Xuan Shang’s gaze sharpened instantly. She flicked her wide sleeve casually.

*Thwip! Thwip! Thwip!*

Three invisible bursts of qi tore through the air. Muffled grunts of pain echoed from the distance immediately after.

“A few blind little insects,” she murmured, smoothing her cuffs with exaggerated disinterest. She turned to Shen Xian, her smile radiant yet terrifying. “If my new Master finds them annoying, shall This Sovereign go and harvest their lives right now?”

Her tone was gentle, like a lover’s whisper, yet it carried a killing intent that chilled the bone.

Shen Xian’s eyes narrowed.

*Spies.*

Before he could respond, the defensive restrictions outside the room rippled.

“Master Wang, was that you who acted just now?” Venerable Zi Yun’s voice transmitted through the barrier.

Moments ago, the Venerable had sensed a terrifying spike of power—a force so abrupt and potent that even he, a Void Refinement expert, felt he couldn’t have stopped it in time. Immediately after, the three individuals he had been monitoring were locked down by an irresistible pressure.

He hadn’t wanted to startle the snake in the grass, but this power was undeniable.

A Dongxuan Supreme Treasure!

A Dharma Treasure comparable to a Body Integration True Venerable. Even if it was just the artifact spirit acting, its power was profound.

“Mn, it was me,” Shen Xian replied, glancing at the woman before him.

He turned his gaze back to her. “Xuan Shang, bring those three here.”

His voice was calm, but his mind was razor-sharp.

Although he was technically the owner of the Turtle-Snake Lamp, this artifact spirit was clearly not fully under his thumb. Unlike the Heaven-Connecting Spiritual Treasure, he hadn’t established a deep soul-bind with this lamp yet. He couldn’t command her with a mere thought like he could with Xing Ya.

This order was a test.

Xuan Shang looked at him deeply for a moment. Then, the corners of her lips quirked up. She raised a slender, jade-like arm, and a mysterious force surged outward.

The next second, three dark-clad figures were unceremoniously dumped at Shen Xian’s feet.

The three Nascent Soul spies were wrapped in a ghostly blue light, their eyes glazed over, standing frozen like statues.

Shen Xian mentally relaxed a fraction.

*She is still within the range of control.*

As his strength grew, his authority over this Dongxuan Supreme Treasure would eventually become absolute.

“Master, is there anything else?” Xuan Shang narrowed her beautiful eyes, her tone light.

“What are your abilities?” Shen Xian asked directly.

Xuan Shang leaned back lazily against the gilded table, twirling a lock of hair around her finger. “Master wishes to know This Sovereign’s capabilities?”

She opened her mouth slightly, exhaling a wisp of deep blue flame.

“First: The Heart-Incinerating Flame.”

She waved her hand gently. The wisp of blue fire instantly split into three fiery serpents that coiled around the unconscious spies.

“This fire does not damage the flesh; it specializes in incinerating the Divine Soul. Even a Void Refinement cultivator would wish for death upon touching a single strand.”

Although the spies were unconscious, their faces contorted into masks of sheer agony, their bodies trembling as their souls were roasted.

Xuan Shang watched the scene with satisfaction before turning a charming smile toward Shen Xian. “If Master wishes to interrogate them, now is the perfect time. Their mental defenses are crumbling.”

Shen Xian noted the cruelty of the technique. Direct soul scorching—a vicious method.

He shook his head. He didn’t need to ask questions to get answers.

“As for the second…” Xuan Shang stood up, her sleeves billowing as the lamp’s flame surged.

A massive phantom of a Black Turtle materialized, its shell inscribed with ancient, glowing runes.

“Mystic Armor Soul Suppression. It can block a full-force strike from a Void Refinement cultivator.” She tapped the air, and the turtle shell phantom expanded to shroud the room. “However, with Master’s current cultivation, it can only be maintained for three breaths.”

Shen Xian caught a flicker of loneliness in her eyes. Clearly, this divine ability had withered significantly over the long years. Artifacts needed nurturing, and she had only just awakened.

“And the third…”

Xuan Shang suddenly dissolved into a stream of light, diving back into the lamp. The Turtle-Snake Lamp vibrated violently.

A blood-red serpent shadow shot out from the flame, coiling through the air.

“Crimson Chain Immortal Slayer. This is This Sovereign’s strongest killing move.”

Wherever the crimson shadow passed, fine, spiderweb-like cracks appeared in the fabric of space itself.

“In the past, I used this move to severely injure a Mahayana Divine Venerable…”

Before she could finish boasting, the serpent shadow flickered and dissipated.

When Xuan Shang reappeared, her face was pale as paper, though she stubbornly held her chin high. “Of course, with Master’s current cultivation, you can unleash at most one ten-thousandth of its true power.”

Shen Xian looked at her thoughtfully.

*Proud. Even when weakened, she refuses to show vulnerability.*

Suddenly, Xuan Shang turned, her demeanor shifting back to elegant composure. “Additionally, this treasure possesses one final auxiliary ability.”

She transformed into light once more, merging with the lamp. The flame leaped three *zhang* high, bathing the room in a dreamlike radiance.

Under this light, Shen Xian felt the spiritual energy in his body accelerate wildly—circulating ten times faster than normal!

His mind became crystal clear, his Divine Sense sharpening to an unnatural degree.

“The Dongxuan Bright Lamp,” Xuan Shang’s voice echoed from the flame, tinged with pride. “Under this illumination, Master’s comprehension of cultivation techniques and artifact refining will be twice as effective with half the effort.”

Her voice cut off abruptly, and the flame dimmed.

After a long silence, Xuan Shang spoke again, sounding weary. “If Master has no further orders, This Sovereign must rest.”

As she faded, she left one final remark. “By the way, those three little insects have been touched by the Heart-Incinerating Flame. If they do not receive the antidote within an hour, their souls will scatter into nothingness.”

The lamp’s flame settled into a low burn.

Shen Xian looked at the three twitching bodies on the floor, his plan already forming.

This artifact spirit was arrogant, yes, but her power was undeniable. To fully wield the Turtle-Snake Lamp, he would need to raise his cultivation and slowly nurture the treasure back to its prime.

As a Tier-5 Grandmaster Refiner, he knew countless nurturing methods. But this was not the place. He would wait until he returned to the Duobao Sect, where he could utilize their vast resources.

Shen Xian turned his attention to the captives. His eyes went cold.

He didn’t know who these spies were, but anyone daring to make a move against him in Snowstorm City was not a small fry.

“Let’s see who sent you.”

Shen Xian raised his right hand. A blood-colored lotus bloomed in his palm, shooting out countless crimson threads that drilled into the spies’ heads.

The three bodies convulsed violently as the threads wrapped around their Divine Souls, ripping their memories open for Shen Xian’s inspection.

Images flashed before his eyes.

“So, it’s the Cold Moon Palace.”

He saw the memory of Bai Liuqing—the Holy Son of the Cold Moon Palace—issuing the order to have him killed. Shen Xian’s eyes narrowed into dangerous slits.

He had assumed the conflict at the auction was merely a business disagreement. He hadn’t expected the other party to be so petty and vindictive, going so far as to dispatch dark guards to hunt him down.

Shen Xian clasped his hands behind his back and walked to the window, overlooking the glittering nightscape of Snowstorm City.

The Cold Moon Palace was an old, established power within the Dao Xuan Sacred Land. They were not easily provoked.

But since they had already bared their fangs, Shen Xian was not one to offer his neck.

“Ordering a hit just to vent anger over a lost auction item…” Shen Xian let out a cold, mocking laugh. “It seems this Holy Son’s heart is even smaller than I imagined.”

He glanced back at the Turtle-Snake Lamp. The flame flickered, as if sensing its master’s killing intent.

With this Dongxuan Supreme Treasure in hand, Shen Xian’s confidence had solidified into certainty.

“I heard that Holy Son hasn’t left the city yet, lingering after winning that ancient treasure.”

Shen Xian’s gaze turned icy.

“Since he is so reluctant to part with this city… then I shall ensure he stays here forever.”