Investing in the Reborn Empress, She Actually Calls Me ‘Husband’ Chapter 736: The Death of Yuwen Cuojin, Yunlus Secret

Yuwen Cuojin had always considered himself a preeminent talent.

He had declined to accompany Situ Ding and the others to the Great Shang Imperial Mausoleum, recognizing it as a perilous forbidden zone of the former dynasty where unpredictable anomalies might manifest.

As a cultivator of the Palm Profound realm, he assumed that suppressing someone at the Fourth Realm would be a simple task without any complications.

However, Yuwen Cuojin never anticipated that a guardian would be standing watch at the entrance of the Autumn Water Pavilion.

The sight of the Marriage Fate Tree brought two sudden realizations to his mind.

First, his adversary had reached the Seventh Realm.

Second, the opponent had mastered the Marriage Fate Dao, a path that had left a legendary mark upon the history of the Demon Summoning Sect.

The Marriage Fate Dao was notoriously peculiar, yet it was supposed to have vanished without a trace long ago.

Facing a dangerous foe, Yuwen Cuojin’s thoughts raced. Although he hadn't fully recovered from his previous wounds, his opponent had only recently ascended to the Seventh Realm, leaving their foundation shaky. He still held the upper hand. Nevertheless, he needed to conclude this fight swiftly to avoid the experts gathered at the Clear Abyss Sect for the wedding festivities.

With his resolve set, Yuwen Cuojin lashed out with his left hand, choosing to seize the initiative.

As he threw a punch, his personal Grotto-Heaven materialized behind him. Within it, a dark, distorted river flowed like a jagged scar, swallowing the sun, moon, and landscape alike.

A thick, malevolent aura erupted, obscuring the radiance of the moon above.

In that instant, a palm struck out from the darkness. Though it appeared simple and unembellished, life withered in its wake. It surged forward, aiming straight for the core of the Marriage Fate Tree.

Swish—

A figure emerged from the tree’s emerald canopy, accompanied by the haunting strains of a zither. Her hair flowed like a dark waterfall and her aura was transcendent as her slender fingers danced across the strings.

Her face remained hidden, but her current presence was worlds away from the image of someone who might casually snack on melon seeds or roll around on the ground like a common bird.

Shang Qinqing — Serious Mode.jpg.

The zither's melody rippled through the air, sounding both gentle and refined.

With a sharp ding-dong, the massive, sinister hand slowed down, as if the very passage of time had become sluggish around it.

Yuwen Cuojin’s eyes narrowed. He watched as countless crimson threads descended from the Marriage Fate Tree, swaying in harmony with the zither's song to form a scarlet web that tightly ensnared his palm.

He couldn't help but wonder silently.

She has only just stepped into the Seventh Realm; why is her power so immense?

What could have possibly infused the Marriage Fate Tree with such vibrant vitality...?

“You have just broken through, so your realm is naturally unstable.”

Yuwen Cuojin let out a cold snort. His palm vibrated, and a vortex manifested in the center of the giant ghostly hand. It was a force designed to rot bone and consume souls, grinding against the laws of the Marriage Fate Dao in an attempt to shred the red threads into chaos.

However, the more strength he exerted, the more those red threads became "cut, yet unsevered; sorted, yet entangled," causing him to sink further into the trap.

Despite this, Yuwen Cuojin remained unfazed, his face showing a strange level of composure.

With a sudden bang, his physical form shattered and dispersed.

“He fled?”

Shang Qinqing knit her brows, sensing that something was wrong.

A Palm Profound cultivator, even if weakened, would not be so easily dispatched. Every master of that realm possessed a unique Dao with its own distinct advantages.

They did, however, share one trait: they were incredibly difficult to kill.

For instance, she herself was notoriously hard to eliminate.

Had Yuwen Cuojin truly fled because he couldn't secure a quick victory?

Before she could finish the thought, the dark river suddenly poured out from the void, splitting into two separate black tides.

Upon closer inspection, these were not tides of water. Every swirling droplet was actually a tiny, crawling insect.

The two tides surged in different directions, but they weren't trying to escape.

One crashed toward the Marriage Fate Tree, while the other—shockingly—rushed toward the Autumn Water Pavilion!

“As expected of a Vice Sect Leader, you are bold and decisive.”

Shang Qinqing gave a soft sigh.

By dividing his power, Yuwen Cuojin risked a total defeat. If both halves were destroyed, he might lose his Seventh Realm status entirely, requiring years of cultivation to recover.

Yet, he chose to gamble, betting that she wouldn't be able to protect the Marriage Fate Tree and save the Autumn Water Pavilion at the same time.

“I am hardly a match for the Right Protector. During our brief meeting earlier, I failed to realize I was facing Clan Leader Shang.”

Two identical voices spoke in unison from the twin black tides:

“If we fought without distractions, I would certainly retreat. But unfortunately for you, you have things to protect. I’ve heard Clan Leader Shang’s speed is the greatest under heaven. I wonder, can you be in two places at once?”

As the words echoed, the black tides began to swallow their targets.

Shang Qinqing didn't bother to reply, as the answer was already clear.

In a flash, she reappeared directly above the Autumn Water Pavilion.

Because she shifted her focus to the pavilion, the reviving Marriage Fate Tree faltered for a second, becoming shrouded in shadows.

In that brief window, Yuwen Cuojin’s form reappeared in front of the tree.

Looking at the towering tree, its rustling leaves vibrating with a soul-stirring Dao charm, he was briefly mesmerized, but his instincts took over.

The Marriage Fate Tree shuddered violently as leaves fell away. A deep palm print was hammered into the center of its trunk.

A dark, corrosive energy bled from the mark, causing the entire tree to rapidly shrivel and rot.

“Hahaha! What a shame you’ve only just returned to the Seventh Realm. I suppose I won’t get to see the true wonders of the Marriage Fate Dao!”

As the zither music turned chaotic, Yuwen Cuojin regained his focus. He laughed with triumph, though he felt a hint of disappointment.

Sect records suggested that while the Marriage Fate Dao wasn't built for direct combat, its other applications were terrifying.

Before Shang Qinqing, a senior of the Demon Summoning Sect named Yun Lu had mastered the tree and nearly reshaped the entire world.

By utilizing the unique traits of this Dao, Senior Yun Lu forced countless people to fall in love with him, turning them into...

Slaves of love.

Back then, the Demon Summoning Sect consisted of five halls. The leaders of three halls, along with many powerful figures from Great Shang—including many men—became completely subservient to Yun Lu’s whims.

Those ensnared by his power were willing to walk through fire, performing any task without question. Their devotion surpassed that of the most loyal suicide warriors, and they cared nothing for the judgment of the world.

Emboldened by this, Yun Lu even plotted to start a new divine cult!

Ultimately, Yun Lu failed; otherwise, the Demon Summoning Sect wouldn't exist today.

The exact cause of his downfall wasn't in the records, likely scrubbed by the powerful figure who ended the rebellion, leaving only a single note: ‘Simps are truly something else.’

Even a Vice Sect Leader like Yuwen Cuojin didn't know the full story.

When he had read those accounts, he couldn't help but fantasize. If he held the power of the Marriage Fate Dao, could he not act with total impunity?

A new cult?

A new Great Yu empire?

It was a natural ambition for someone in his position.

Sadly, the Marriage Fate Dao had vanished after the rebellion, only to reappear now...

“Hmm?”

Yuwen Cuojin noticed a faint glow inside the rotting tree trunk. He reached out, and an object flew into his hand. It was...

A tree seed?

“Could it be... that by refining this, I can grow a new Marriage Fate Tree and master its Dao?”

Yuwen Cuojin gasped, his heart racing with overwhelming joy.

If such a thing were possible, he would gladly discard his current path! To hell with the Rotten Decay Dao; anyone else could have it!

He was completely oblivious to his surroundings.

“Another one who thinks I’m a fool.”

Watching Yuwen Cuojin stand frozen before the tree, his mind wandering and a vacant look on his face, Shang Qinqing sighed.

Love can strip away all restraint and simultaneously trap one in a dream.

Shang Qinqing had been waiting for this very moment from the start.

She had only recently recovered her rank, and since the Path of Matrimony wasn't suited for a direct brawl, a head-on fight was never the plan. However, when it came to techniques that targeted the soul and mind, she had absolute confidence in her rebuilt foundation.