Only I am Venerable

The middle-aged man known as Elder Hong repeatedly consoled himself. ’I’m not abandoning my sect brothers to save my own skin. I’m enduring this humiliation for a greater purpose. I’m doing this for them. I’m no match for this young man; charging in would be suicide. So, I must carry their hatred back to the Sect and have them send someone stronger to kill him! When the time comes, I’ll burn incense and paper offerings for my fallen brothers. I will... I definitely will!’

Just as Elder Hong had fully gathered his power and was about to make his escape, Qin Li’s icy, mocking voice calmly sounded from behind him.

"What? Leaving so soon? Not even going to say goodbye? I hear... you’re a Tributor to the Royal Family. Sneaking away like this... doesn’t reflect well on you, does it? Just a moment ago, you said it yourself... you had a great time slaughtering my brother’s entire family, didn’t you? Your sect brothers all played a part, but you’re the only one who inspires so much hatred! Do you know why I’ve spared your miserable life? Turn around and see the way my brother is looking at you. Are you heartless enough to just walk away?"

Qin Li’s voice was cool and detached, yet it sent a chill down the spine of everyone present. This young man looked as gentle as jade, yet he acted with the force of a thunderbolt. His words sounded mild and pleasant, yet they concealed an endless killing intent.

Zhao Xinghai’s gaze toward Qin Li was now filled with relief. He had every reason to be relieved. From the very beginning, he had been resolute in his decision not to make an enemy of Qin Li. Even when Elder Hong and his group of terrifyingly powerful masters had arrived, he had not changed his stance.

Even the order to raid Hu’s home had been given under duress. He believed that neither Hu nor Qin Li had any reason to blame him for it.

As for the massacre of Hu’s entire family, that was the doing of this Elder Hong who was now trying to slip away. It had nothing to do with him, the Emperor.

As Zhao Xinghai thought this, he turned his gaze to the side, toward Bu Tong, who was shaking like a leaf, and the madwoman who stood there, stunned. An irrepressible killing intent finally flashed in his eyes as he gave a cold order, "Guards! Seize this man and woman!"

’How could an Emperor’s majesty be so offended? To think I’d see the day when one of my own subjects—a titled one, at that—would curse me to my face! It’s simply intolerable!’

’Do you think you’re Qin Li? Even Qin Li has never spoken to Us like that!’

Several guards, fierce as wolves, immediately seized the limp Bu Tong and his crazed wife.

Leng Yao saw Qin Li standing there, unmoved. Her mouth opened as if to say something, but in the end, she gave up and silently watched as the ashen-faced Bu Tong was led away.

Elder Hong gave a bleak smile. He turned his head to look at Zhao Xinghai, who had recovered his imperial bearing, and his voice, in just an instant, had become incredibly hoarse. "Little Emperor, you are good. Very good. Excellent! It was I who underestimated the wisdom and decisiveness of a mortal emperor. To think that I couldn’t even protect a common man... Heh, hehehe..."

As Elder Hong spoke, he suddenly flicked a finger toward Zhao Xinghai. The speed was so great that neither Zhao Xinghai nor his guards had any way to dodge. A flash of terror finally appeared in Zhao Xinghai’s eyes.

Qin Li had been on guard against Elder Hong the entire time. With a cold sneer, he flicked his own finger. A deafening BOOM echoed in midair. Elder Hong, using this as a diversion, shot toward the crowd of soldiers on the ground.

He knew that trying to fly away in front of this young man would be suicide. It was better to rush into the crowd of ordinary people; there might be a slim chance of survival there.

He was betting that Qin Li wouldn’t resort to slaughtering these ordinary people!

The idea was sound, but reality was cruel, informing him that some people’s realms of power were far, far beyond his own.

She She, who had yet to act, had been waiting anxiously. She could sense that Qin Li was truly enraged, which was why she hadn’t dared to rush in and help. ’But now this guy is trying to run. If I just show a tiny bit of my power... and immobilize him, that’s not breaking any rules, is it?’

After she did this, the Snake Woman looked at Elder Hong, who was frozen mid-stride, leaning forward to run. She stuck out her tongue and glanced cautiously at Qin Li.

Qin Li, however, gave her an approving smile. The Snake Woman felt a wave of sweetness in her heart, as if she had just received a reward.

In truth, even if the Snake Woman hadn’t acted, Elder Hong would have had no chance of escaping into the crowd. Qin Li turned his head, looked at Hu, who had wiped away his tears and now wore a savage expression, and said softly, "Brother, this man... is yours."

"Good brother! You don’t need to feel any more guilt! The dead can’t be brought back to life. This... was their fate! Today, my family can finally rest in peace in the underworld!" As Hu spoke, two lines of bloody tears streamed from his fierce eyes. Even the cold-hearted Iron-blooded Soldiers standing guard on all sides couldn’t help but be moved.

Watching the hulking, wound-covered man walk toward him step by step, an immense fear rose in Elder Hong’s heart. Yet his hands and feet were completely unable to move!

The feeling was countless times more terrifying than sleep paralysis. No matter how frightening sleep paralysis was, it was still just a nightmare. But this scene before him was real... a real wait for death!

He wasn’t even given the chance to commit suicide!

"Qin Li!" A sharp cry escaped Elder Hong’s hoarse throat. "We are both masters beyond the mortal world! A gentleman can be killed, but not humiliated! Give me a quick death!"

SLAP!

Hu raised his huge hand and brought it down across Elder Hong’s face, which was already contorted with fear and anger, producing a crisp sound.

Half of Elder Hong’s face instantly began to swell, and half the teeth in his mouth were shattered by Hu’s hate-filled slap!

"Now you want a quick death? When you were torturing and killing my family, my wife and child and parents, didn’t you say it was a great pleasure? Didn’t you say killing was fun? Didn’t you say... that to make it satisfying, you have to kill them bit by bit, to draw out all their fear?"

SLAP! SLAP! SLAP! SLAP!

Hu roared as he slapped Elder Hong’s face again and again, back and forth.

"Now you want dignity? You can’t be humiliated? Today, I’m going to make you die from utter humiliation! Then, when you have one breath left, I’m going to throw you into a latrine and drown you!"

As he spoke, Hu ripped open Elder Hong’s robes, revealing a lean, strong body with skin as pale and tender as a baby’s. In just a few tugs, he tore off all of Elder Hong’s clothes, leaving him stark naked. Frozen in place, his face was swollen like a pig’s head, his eyes erupting with a mixture of terror, fury, and hatred.

She She and Leng Yao couldn’t help but spit in disgust and turn their heads away.

Hu reached out and grabbed Elder Hong’s groin. His face was savage and twisted as he sneered and, with a sudden squeeze... Elder Hong let out an inhuman, bloodcurdling scream.

The scream seemed to pierce the heavens; likely more than half of Cyan Dragon City could hear it. It was so horrifying that everyone who heard it shrank back into their homes, not even daring to step outside.

Hu crushed Elder Hong’s groin, then began to break his mortal enemy’s bones, inch by inch. The CRUNCH, CRUNCH of the breaking bones finally made the faces of the Iron-blooded Soldiers and Emperor Zhao Xinghai turn pale with horror.

Zhao Xinghai couldn’t stop himself from turning away and vomiting.

But Hu was laughing, though his laughter sounded like a wail. "Father, Mother, my wife, Xiaohu... Did you all see? Did you hear? I’ve avenged you! The murderers who killed you are right here... they’re all here, not one got away! With my own hands... I broke the bones of our greatest enemy, the one you hated most, the one you wanted dead, inch by inch! My technique is very good. I can guarantee he won’t die, and he’ll stay conscious! I’m making him taste the most painful suffering in this world, and then I’ll throw him into a cesspit while he’s still alive! WAAAAH... Did you see? Did you see? DID YOU SEE?!"

Hu roared at the sky as he crushed Elder Hong’s last bone. Finally unable to endure the torture, Elder Hong’s eyes rolled back in his head and, with a final, shrill scream, he passed out.

Hu raised his head and glanced at Qin Li. Understanding at once, Qin Li walked over and infused a trace of Innate Purple Qi into Elder Hong’s body.

Elder Hong slowly regained consciousness. Seeing Qin Li, how could he not know what had happened? The excruciating pain wracking his entire body was so intense he no longer had the energy to even hate Qin Li. All he could do was lie on the ground and wail in agony.

Qin Li just watched him indifferently. ’Although I don’t particularly like this method of torturing someone to death, it’s born of hatred. If our positions were reversed, I believe I would be even more ruthless than Hu.’

’Therefore, in a matter like this, I will only support my brother. As for good and evil... what is good and evil?’

"Oh majestic Lord Tributor, how does this feel?" By now, Hu had vented most of the hatred and grief that filled him. His eyes stared at Elder Hong’s face, twisted in agony, as he spoke with a bleak smile.

"Hehe... heh... heh. It feels... it feels... quite good. Quite good! Just as... good as when... I killed your... son... and your wife... So satisfying!" At this point, only a mad gleam remained in Elder Hong’s eyes. "Oh, right, your wife... her skin... so pale. Haha, hahaha! When I sliced open... her cunt with my sword... it felt... really... really... UGH!"

Before he could finish, Hu smashed a fist into Elder Hong’s mouth, forcing the last word back down his throat. The punch pulped Elder Hong’s mouth.

Hu’s own fist was scraped raw and dripping with blood from the force of the blow, but he didn’t care at all. He sneered, "Trying to provoke me? You succeeded. But you’re still alive! Now that your mouth is smashed, in a moment... you’ll get to drink your fill!"

Elder Hong’s eyes were filled with venomous hatred, but he no longer had the strength to speak another word. He had used up all his energy trying to provoke Hu into killing him.

With that, Hu hoisted up Elder Hong’s body, which was as limp as a pile of mud, and said grimly to a soldier, "Take me to a latrine!"

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