Only I am Venerable

Li Longchuan sighed softly and said, "Qin Li’s rise has been too fast. To be honest, even I... find it a little hard to believe. And a little bit jealous!"

The old man nodded. "I hope the boy, Qin Li, can escape this ordeal. After all, the secrets he carries are far too alluring. Anyone who could obtain them could build a massive power in just a few decades, or perhaps even one. And what’s more, I suspect he must have an Ancient Map. Rumors are rarely born from nothing. I believe Qin Li has this kind of strength. If it weren’t for that little girl, Wan’Er... I might even want to meet this young man myself!"

Li Longchuan gave a wry smile. "If Wan’Er knew Qin Li was in Tongtian City, she’d be searching for him everywhere. Great-Grandfather, if you have the time, please help me keep an eye on her. That girl is clever and mischievous, quite a handful."

The old man smiled faintly. "I’m fond of that girl! So, I’ll take good care of her."

Li Longchuan nodded, thinking, ’Qin Li, if you’re smart, you took that chance to leave. Staying in Tongtian City will be your doom, sooner or later!’

And just as Li Longchuan suspected, Qin Li had already left Tongtian City.

The walls of Tongtian City, thousands of meters high, were no obstacle for Qin Li and Cao Hong. So, while the two sides were locked in a standoff, Qin Li had already enveloped Cao Hong with Innate Purple Qi and made a swift departure from the city.

By now, they were already more than a hundred miles outside Tongtian City!

Even if the Purple-eyed Emperor Ancestor Qu Zhi came after them, he would have no way of finding Qin Li now.

Because Qin Li and Cao Hong were now hidden within a primeval forest spanning thousands of miles. Towering ancient trees completely blanketed the vast mountain range.

Over ten days later, Qin Li and Cao Hong finally emerged from the forest.

During their journey, they encountered powerful Spirit Beasts on several occasions. However, after Qin Li released just a hint of his aura, the beasts all took the initiative to retreat.

Spirit Beasts that could cultivate to such a high level were rarely unintelligent. Attacking a passerby of unfathomable strength was an irrational act. A Spirit Beast would only initiate an attack if Qin Li showed signs of wanting to claim territory. Otherwise, no creature was willing to provoke such a mysterious and powerful opponent.

A few more months passed, and Qin Li returned to the East.

Instead of heading to the Cyan Dragon Kingdom, Qin Li led Cao Hong directly toward the Mysterious Land where the Qin Family resided. However, as they neared the region, they suddenly discovered a large number of skilled Martial Artists roaming the mountains, seemingly searching for something.

In just three days, they encountered over a hundred of them.

The strongest among them were at the Shattered Void Realm, while even the weakest were at the Celestial Embracing Realm.

A dark premonition surfaced in Qin Li’s heart. ’Has something gone wrong? Or did this group catch wind of something and come here to search?’

The two avoided the searchers. Qin Li made his way to the great peak within the Mysterious Land where the Qin Family was, only to discover people there as well!

Cao Hong glanced at Qin Li and asked softly, "Young Master, shall I go investigate what these people are doing?"

Qin Li was quite confident in Cao Hong’s abilities. He was also curious. ’Why have people found this place? I was so careful when I moved the Qin Clan Members here; word shouldn’t have gotten out.’

Cao Hong’s figure gradually faded into the air. Qin Li remained still, leaning against a large tree to rest.

Without the Teleportation Arrays and precise coordinates of the families in the Land of the Far West, Qin Li could only travel with Cao Hong by using short-distance Shattered Void jumps.

While incredibly fast, this method consumed a tremendous amount of stamina.

Before long, Cao Hong returned with a flicker of anger in his eyes. He looked at Qin Li, hesitating.

"What is it?" Qin Li asked flatly, looking at Cao Hong.

"Young Master... something has happened to the branch of your family on Profound Island," Cao Hong said slowly after a moment’s hesitation.

Qin Li’s brow furrowed slightly. ’Profound Island?’ Although the people left on Profound Island were all members of the Qin Family, he honestly didn’t care much for them.

The family was too vast; besides his direct lineage, who could possibly look after so many people? Furthermore, it wasn’t that he hadn’t wanted to bring them along—it was Qin Yu and the others who had insisted on staying.

’Even so, the Thousand Mechanism Sect, the Qian Family, and Ice Edge shouldn’t have just stood by and done nothing. Could it be that someone suddenly annihilated those offshoots of the Qin Family with lightning speed?’

With this in mind, Qin Li asked coolly, "What did you hear? Tell me everything."

Cao Hong sighed softly. "I just captured and interrogated one of them. All the people spread throughout this area, including those we’ve encountered over the past few days, are from a sect called the Iron-blooded Hall. Apparently, they’re also a sect from a Mysterious Land near the Land of the Far West. They seem quite powerful, and they also have... a connection to the Hai Family."

Qin Li frowned. ’The Hai Family? How did they get dragged into this?’

Cao Hong also found it surprising and continued, "A few years ago, this sect took in a disciple named Pang Wen. It wasn’t a big deal at first. This Pang Wen was a skilled opportunist, and his talent was supposedly quite high. He quickly established himself in the Iron-blooded Hall. And then... what happened next concerns you, Young Master!"

The moment he heard the name Pang Wen, Qin Li thought of the Thousand Kills Sect he had annihilated. A bitter smile touched his lips. ’Is this the price for not pulling up the weed by its roots? But Pang Wen had already fled back then, and there was no way to find him. I never thought such a minor figure could stir up so much trouble.’

At the same time, Qin Li felt a surge of relief. ’It’s a good thing I moved the entire family. Then again, if we hadn’t moved, the people Pang Wen brought might not have been able to destroy the Qin Family so easily.’

’At the very least, it would have resulted in devastating losses for both sides, that’s for sure!’

’And with the Old Ape Bai Zhongshan, an expert at the Pill Nascent Soul Transformation realm, present, the Qin Family might have come out of it completely unscathed!’

’But this just goes to show that fate has its own designs; some things simply cannot be forced.’

Cao Hong smiled wryly. "Young Master, your great fame in the Land of the Far West has reached the East. When the Iron-blooded Hall heard of it, they naturally considered you an enemy due to their ties with the Hai Family. On top of that, this Pang Wen fellow, who already held a grudge against you, led a large force of Iron-blooded Hall elites to Profound Island. They launched a surprise attack on the Qin Family there. Thousands of Qin Clan Members were killed. Some escaped, but others were captured alive and interrogated for the whereabouts of the rest of the family..."

Hearing this, Qin Li understood. When they left Profound Island, he hadn’t told Qin Yu and the others their exact destination, but he had once casually mentioned it wasn’t far from the entrance to Profound Island...

A single careless remark from back then had now been used against him. And the clansmen left behind... thousands of them killed. He could only imagine the horrific scene.

’Pang Wen!’

Qin Li’s eyes narrowed, a glint of sharp killing intent flashing within them.

It was obvious. Pang Wen had seized this opportunity for revenge, only to find that the main branch of the Qin Family was already gone. To vent his fury, he had ordered the massacre of the remaining clansmen, then quickly left Profound Island to hunt for the new location of Qin Li’s family.

"Is Pang Wen here as well?" Qin Li asked calmly, but Cao Hong could feel the storm brewing in his tone.

"He is! It seems he’s at the summit!" Cao Hong said with a frown. He felt a sense of futility. Pang Wen was clearly one of the Young Master’s old enemies, perhaps the only one who had escaped. And yet, this single fish that slipped through the net had borrowed another’s power to wreak such havoc.

Initially, Cao Hong hadn’t thought much of Qin Li’s decision to move the family. He had believed that with the Young Master’s strength and reputation, no one would dare to make trouble for him. Even a power like the Hai Family wouldn’t speak lightly of annihilating another clan. After all, the fish may die, but the net will break.

That’s why, when Qin Li had declared at the Moon Shaking Immortal Palace that he would destroy the Hai Family, many had thought he was just boasting. One man alone could never possibly annihilate the entire Hai Family.

The Hai Family was so vast that even if they lined up and let you kill them, it would take years to finish the job.

However, for Qin Li, his "destruction" of the Hai Family was less about annihilation and more about ruination. Eradicating a clan was difficult, but ruining one was far simpler.

The simplest way was to kill all of the clan’s experts. That would cripple them, draining their vital strength. Even if they managed to stage a comeback one day, they could never reclaim their former glory.

Qin Li had no desire to engage in needless slaughter, but if others came to kill him, he would most certainly strike back.

Take Pang Wen, for instance. From his perspective, Qin Li had destroyed the entire Thousand Kills Sect and was his mortal enemy. But if Qin Li hadn’t destroyed the Thousand Kills Sect, they would never have let him live.

Thus, once a cycle of vengeance begins, it becomes difficult to say who is right and who is wrong. Qin Li never considered himself a saint; repaying evil with kindness was something he would never do.

Repaying grievance with justice—that was Qin Li’s way.

So, upon hearing that Pang Wen was right at the summit, a cold sneer spread across Qin Li’s lips. ’And this so-called Iron-blooded Hall... since they participated in the massacre of a branch of the Qin Family, not a single one of them will leave this place alive!’

’Perhaps there are good people among them, people who were unwilling to take part in the killing. But that doesn’t matter. The only thing that matters is the outcome.’

’And the outcome is that they all participated!’

"Let’s go. We have some people to kill."

Qin Li shot to his feet, his body moving like a bolt of lightning as he flew toward the mountain’s peak.

A fire ignited in Cao Hong’s blood. With an opportunity to fight openly like this, who the hell would want to sneak around with assassinations!

A piercing whistle echoed through the mountains! (To be continued...)