Only I am Venerable

Qin Li didn’t hesitate, following the Hou down into the forest. A moment later, the deep valley returned to its usual tranquility, filled with the overlapping calls of various birds flitting through the forest of towering ancient trees.

The Spiritual Qi here was incredibly dense, making one feel clear-headed and light-hearted. Upon landing, Qin Li discovered an enormous cave in the deep valley.

The cave was at least a hundred meters high and seventy to eighty meters wide. It was so deep that he couldn’t see the end.

The Hou led the way with Qin Li following behind, curiously examining the cave walls. The moment he entered, he felt Spiritual Qi rushing toward him from all directions.

Looking closer, he realized the cave walls were studded with countless Spirit Stone Raw Stones of all sizes!

Qin Li was slightly taken aback. The cave didn’t look man-made at all, but naturally formed. It was actually... a natural Spirit Stone Ore deposit!

With so many Spirit Stone Raw Stones on the surface, digging deeper would almost certainly reveal a massive Spirit Stone Vein!

However, this place was occupied by the Hou. Although the Hou had agreed to guard the Yaoxian Palace for ten thousand years, the palace could forget about ever mining the Spirit Stones here during that time.

The higher the level of a Martial Artist, the greater their need for Spirit Stones. For example, for a Martial Artist at Qin Li’s level of Pill Nascent Soul Transformation, if they cultivated Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi using Primordial Power, then at this realm, absorbing Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi was simply too slow. They needed a supply of Spirit Stones, and the daily consumption would be an astonishing figure!

To put it simply, the Spirit Stones produced from a medium-sized Spirit Stone Vein, if mined normally, could only supply two Martial Artists at the Pill Nascent Soul Transformation Realm!

Therefore, in the eyes of High-Level Martial Artists in the Land of the Far West, Spirit Stones were true hard currency, something that could be exchanged for many Heavenly and Earthly Treasures!

At this thought, Qin Li couldn’t help but give a wry smile. ’The people from the Yaoxian Palace back then probably had no idea this was a Spirit Stone Vein. Sealing the Hou here... I wonder if they ended up profiting or taking a loss.’

Qin Li didn’t believe for a second that the Hou would be indifferent to these Spirit Stones. Sure enough, as they went deeper, the cave branched into countless tunnels. Many of these passages were just large enough to fit the Hou’s body, and from the marks on the walls, it was clear that the Hou had carved them itself.

As if sensing what Qin Li was thinking, the Hou’s deep, rumbling voice echoed from within the cave, "This is a massive Spirit Stone Vein. The people of the Yaoxian Palace back then didn’t know that such a treasure existed on their own land. After I was defeated by their combined attack, I sensed this Spirit Stone Vein and agreed to guard the Yaoxian Palace for ten thousand years. Over these ten thousand years, I’ve nearly absorbed this entire massive Spirit Stone Vein. There are hardly any Spirit Stones left inside."

"..." Qin Li stared speechlessly at the Hou’s massive back. ’This big guy’s intelligence is nothing to scoff at!’ he thought. ’Whoever said humans were the most intelligent species? That’s just completely wrong! I wonder what kind of expressions the people of the Yaoxian Palace will have when they discover this secret after the Hou leaves? To find out that the thing they’ve been so proud of was just a huge joke all along... If those ancestors of the Yaoxian Palace who went to such great lengths to keep the Hou here could see this from their graves, would they be so angry they’d cough up blood and die all over again?’

The Hou led Qin Li for over an hour until they finally reached the end of the cave. Qin Li’s eyes lit up, for they had actually walked outside.

Before them lay another valley, and the scenery was so beautiful it was breathtaking. It was like a world that could only appear in dreams, now laid out before Qin Li’s very eyes.

"This... What is this place?" Qin Li asked in astonishment, looking at the mountains and fields covered in colorful flowers and inhaling the fragrant aroma carried on the gentle breeze.

"I call this place Dream Valley," the Hou said softly, as if afraid of disturbing the bees gathering nectar from the flowers. It then added, "The people of the Yaoxian Palace don’t know about this place. This... is a Little World!"

"Huh?" Qin Li was stunned. He quickly looked up at the dazzling sun in the sky, then at the heavens, as blue as if they had been washed clean. In the distance were endless mountain ranges covered with towering Ancient Trees that blotted out the sun.

He said in disbelief, "This... this isn’t a place on the Celestial Essence Continent? Or is it like those Mysterious Lands sealed by the Great Mages of the Primordial Era, a place isolated from the rest of the world?"

The Hou turned and gave Qin Li a surprised look, not expecting this young man, who exuded an aura that it found very comfortable, to know so much.

"The Celestial Essence Continent actually holds countless mysteries. I know of the Mysterious Lands you speak of; those are places that were sealed by men. But this place is a Little World that has existed since the birth of the Celestial Essence Continent itself! This place is exactly like the outside world, but they are two different planes of existence. I brought you here because there are several rare treasures inside. Consider them a gift from me." As the Hou spoke, its enormous body slowly floated up and flew deeper into the valley.

’Why are you being so good to me?’ Qin Li was quite surprised. ’Is it just because I brought a message for that descendant of yours with the impure bloodline? That seems unlikely. This pure-blooded Hou before me is unfathomably powerful; even I can’t see what realm it has reached. It’s lived for at least tens of thousands of years, maybe even hundreds of thousands. With such a long life, its experiences far surpass what any human can compare to. What could it possibly be unable to let go of?’

’Lines like ’I just like the look of you’ are even less believable. What about me is worthy of its favor?’

"Because you are the one who fulfills the prophecy of the Celestial Essence Continent." The Hou’s answer, while understandable to Qin Li, only confused him more. ’How can it see that too?’

’Did I really transmigrate here because of those two prophecies on the Celestial Essence Continent? If that’s true, then this world is just too incredible, isn’t it? Or is there truly some great hand in the shadows, manipulating everything?’

Qin Li’s thoughts ran wild as he followed the now-silent Hou to a quiet pool in the valley. The Hou’s enormous body descended.

Qin Li surveyed the surroundings. The environment here was extremely tranquil. The gurgling of the spring sounded like a beautiful melody, and the area was surrounded by towering Ancient Trees with perfectly straight trunks. If one didn’t know this place well, it would likely be difficult to spot such a small pool from the sky.

Beside the pool, a plant caught Qin Li’s attention. It was only about two meters tall and as thick as an adult’s arm. It was entirely emerald green, as if carved from Jade, and it emitted a faint fluorescent glow.

Its branches were the same, a luscious green that seemed to drip with vitality, shimmering with a captivating luster.

At first glance, one might think it was fake. The plant had no leaves, not a single one. There were only bare branches, on which hung twenty to thirty blue fruits. The fruits were the size of a bull’s eye, lustrous and translucent, and they shone with a blue light, like sapphires hanging on the tree.

"This fruit, I call it Blue Dream. Each one can increase a person’s Power by five hundred years!" The Hou said, then paused for a moment as if recalling something, before continuing, "Take them all!"

"How can I do that? This is too precious. Senior, just two or three will be enough..." Qin Li was truly stunned. Although he didn’t know exactly what five hundred years of Power entailed, he knew full well that if news of this item got out, it would cause an uproar across the entire Celestial Essence Continent.

"This thing is useless to me now." The Hou’s tone suddenly became a little melancholic. "When that group of Yaoxian Palace ancestors joined forces to fight and seal me back then, I was injured as well. Fortunately, the Spirit Stones in that cave allowed me to recover. It was only later that I discovered this place. After reaching the Thunder Tribulation Realm, the effects of eating this blue fruit are no longer significant. It is best to consume the Blue Dream Fruit at the Shattered Void Realm, because after consuming about three of them, one’s Power will increase to the breakthrough point. The rest depends on their comprehension of the Martial Dao. As long as they achieve that comprehension, they can enter the Pill Nascent Soul Transformation Realm!"

"Without even a bottleneck?" Qin Li asked in surprise.

The Hou shook its head slightly and said, "The so-called bottleneck is, in fact, just a result of insufficient personal strength. It’s an attempt to force a breakthrough. Under normal circumstances, cultivation should be a natural process. Where would a bottleneck come from?"

This was the first time Qin Li had heard such a theory. He was surprised at first, then frowned in thought for a moment before a smile spread across his face. He bowed deeply to the Hou. "Thank you for your guidance, Senior!"

"It’s nothing. Just take all the fruit. This tree cannot be separated from this spring. The fruit ripens once every five thousand years. When I first saw it, it was just a sapling. There were originally two, but I tried to transplant one and failed. It can only grow in this specific spot. The next time it ripens will be five thousand years from now. If you remember this place then, you can come back and look for it."

Qin Li gave a bitter smile. Even if he reached the Pill Nascent Soul Transformation Realm, he couldn’t say for sure he could live for five thousand years. That was too incredible. ’Five thousand years... that’s practically the entire history of human development.’

The Hou glanced at Qin Li and then said, "Do you think it’s very easy to enter this place?"

Qin Li thought for a moment and nodded. "That’s right. I just followed the tunnel and walked right in. Of course it wasn’t difficult. After you leave, the Yaoxian Palace will easily be able to find this place, won’t they? They’ll definitely take control of it then!"

On the Hou’s massive, ferocious head, its mouth curled slightly upward in what looked like a smile. "Young man, you underestimate this place. Hurry and pick the fruit, or we’ll run out of time!"