Only I am Venerable

The annihilation of the Lin Family’s Shattered Void ancestor dealt a devastating blow to the onlookers on the ground. The black-clad woman, in particular, stood motionless in mid-air like a War God, her icy, murderous aura sending shivers down their spines and draining them of nearly all their former courage.

The Wang Family, the Xiao Family, the Lin Family... and all the other major and minor families and sects from Profound Island fell into a deathly silence.

Qin Li, still standing in the same spot, spoke slowly. "Who else wants to step forward and die?"

Qin Li’s words made everyone on the opposing side feel a burning shame, as if they had been viciously slapped across the face.

A young man in the Xiao Family’s ranks, who appeared to be in his twenties, could no longer bear the oppressive atmosphere. He couldn’t help but shout, "Qin Li, you’re just hiding behind a woman! Hmph, what skills do you..."

Before the young man could finish speaking, a searing pain suddenly shot through his head, as if a red-hot iron rod had been viciously plunged into his brain and was being churned about.

"AHHH!" The young man from the Xiao Family let out a bloodcurdling shriek and collapsed, clutching his head as his body curled into a ball, wailing in agony.

"Young Master Qin, please be merciful!" At that moment, the Xiao Family’s eldest young master, Xiao Changtian, shouted out. But it was too late. After a fit of wailing, the young man was wracked by violent convulsions, and moments later, he stopped breathing and died.

HISS!

The people who had been standing there, stunned, couldn’t help but suck in a sharp breath. They were all people of the Martial World; few among them hadn’t drawn blood or killed before. Yet, they had never witnessed such a method of killing!

’Could this be the legendary... killing without a trace?’

If before their gazes toward the black-clad woman were filled with awe and fear, now there was another person who inspired the same feelings.

Qin Li!

"Is there anyone else who doesn’t want to live?" Qin Li asked coolly, not moving from his spot.

At that moment, a middle-aged man cradling the young man’s corpse and sobbing, his face streaked with tears, looked at Qin Li and roared, "Qin Li, you animal! You’ll die a miserable death! You killed my son! I’ll fight you to the death!"

Qin Li looked at the man with utter indifference. "Your son deserved to die."

"By what right? You’re the one who should die! My son never killed anyone, never did a single evil thing! Why did he deserve to die? Why? WHY?"

The man looked crazed. The pain of losing his son had sent him into a complete frenzy, making him utterly forget the ruthless power the person before him wielded.

His words, however, also stirred indignation in many others. ’To kill someone over a single disagreement... that’s something only a Demon would do!’

"Qin Li is a devil!" a woman suddenly shrieked from the crowd.

"That’s right, Qin Li is a Demon! He kills anyone who defies him!"

"We have to get rid of this devil! Let’s all attack together! There’s no way he can stop us!" someone instigated.

"Qin Li, what right do you have to be so arrogant, you homicidal maniac!"

The crowd was filled with all manner of curses condemning Qin Li. A powerful killing intent suddenly flared in the limpid eyes of She She, who had already landed beside him.

’These people still haven’t learned their lesson. Are they trying to get themselves killed?’

Sensing She She’s emotions, Qin Li chuckled. "They believe there’s safety in numbers."

Seeing that Qin Li hadn’t answered, the middle-aged Xiao Family man cradling the corpse puffed up like a victorious rooster. He raised his head proudly and roared, "Qin Li, what right do you have to kill! What right do you have to kill an innocent person!"

"By what right?"

Qin Li’s voice was soft and distant, yet it miraculously overpowered everyone else’s. The people who had been shouting so fervently fell silent without realizing it, their faces twitching as they stared at the young man standing at the gates of the Qin Mansion.

"Do I need a reason to kill scum like you?" A faint smile played on Qin Li’s lips, but his seemingly calm eyes blazed with a furious fire. "But if you really want a reason, fine. I’ll give you one."

The massive crowd, thousands strong, fell so quiet that people could hear their own heartbeats. All eyes were fixed on Qin Li.

"You deserve to die!" Qin Li roared with laughter. "That’s my reason. How do you like it?"

"Qin Li, you dare mock the heroes of this world! Do you not fear heavenly retribution?" Xiao Wuqing, the Patriarch of the Xiao Family, watched Qin Li coldly as he spoke. "Your Qin Family is defying the heavens. The heroes of Profound Island should rise up and attack you. Are you not the least bit afraid that the Qin Family will be destroyed?"

"Hahahaha."

Qin Li couldn’t help but throw his head back and laugh. He looked at the self-righteous Xiao Family Patriarch, thoroughly amused. "Are you an idiot? The Qin Family is defying the heavens? For fuck’s sake, can you spew any more bullshit? All you pieces of scum traveled from far and wide to come to my Qin Family. First, you destroyed my family’s businesses all over Profound Island, causing us devastating losses and killing many of our disciples. Then you all gathered in Fengsha City, planning to get your hands on my family’s wealth. To your surprise, even with so many of you scumbags, you were still no match for the Qin Family. A big shot at the Shattered Void realm finally shows up, only to be annihilated. Now you’re scared. You’ve lost your nerve, but you’re still not willing to give up. You want to use ’righteousness’ to suppress us? You want to stand on the moral high ground and just walk away unscathed? Goddamn it, where in the world do you find a deal that good?"

Qin Li’s words made the expressions of everyone surrounding the Qin Mansion turn foul.

"Didn’t you call me a devil? A homicidal maniac? A Demon? Well then... come and kill me!" The smile had vanished from Qin Li’s face, replaced by a grim, murderous expression. "Why isn’t anyone stepping up to kill me? Why isn’t anyone brave enough to raise the great banner of demon-slaying? Come on... all you bastards, you scum, you degenerates, you animals standing on your moral high ground, come and destroy me! If you don’t have the guts to come destroy me, then... I might just have to come kill you! Hehe, I’m a homicidal maniac, after all!"

As he spoke, Qin Li feigned a lunge.

The crowd, which was already keeping its distance, let out cries of absolute terror. Many turned pale as ash, spun around, and fled, cursing their parents for not giving them two more legs.

"All of you who are running, listen up! You have one month! Bring compensation equal to one hundred times the losses you caused the Qin Family! Your Patriarch or Sect Leader must come here personally, to this very spot, and kneel to beg the Qin Family for forgiveness! Otherwise... I will personally annihilate your entire clan!"

Qin Li’s words boomed like thunder. Many of the fleeing people stumbled, nearly tripping over their own feet.

’This is outrageous!’

’This is despicable!’

’Is this something a human being would do? This is an idea only a devil could dream up!’

But what could they do? At this moment, who dared to challenge Qin Li head-on? Only now did they finally realize one thing: the quiet, unassuming Qin Family had long since surpassed them in strength by an enormous margin.

Not even the Cui Family’s astonishing wealth could have brought about such a dramatic change in such a short time. There was only one explanation: Qin Li was too powerful!

He was so powerful that he had silenced the three great families.

’Does this mean that even if the three great families—the Lin, Wang, and Xiao Families—joined forces, they still wouldn’t be a match for Qin Li?’

No, that wasn’t it. Even with She She and Qin Li, the Qin Family was still no match for them. The problem was that loyalties were divided. Even members within the same family had their own schemes, let alone three families who were never truly on the same side. What’s more, they didn’t dare take the risk, because they couldn’t afford the loss.

It didn’t even require an alliance. Any one of the three families, if they went all out, could destroy the Qin Family without much trouble. The problem was, no one could guarantee that Qin Li and the black-clad woman wouldn’t escape.

Never mind the terrifying retribution the three great families would face if the pair escaped; their power in battle alone was enough to inflict unacceptable, devastating losses.

They had thought that with a Shattered Void Martial Artist from the Lin Family backing them, besieging the Qin Family would be a pleasant walk in the park. They never imagined that their greatest trump card would be as fragile as a clay chicken and a pottery dog before the Qin Family, annihilated with ease.

Their attempt to stand on the moral high ground and pressure the Qin Family with righteousness was utterly demolished by Qin Li’s sarcastic and brutish tirade.

What could they do now? They were all kicking themselves with regret. The people who had made the decision to launch this attack wished they could slap themselves a few dozen times. The Qin Family had been developing slowly. If they had used gentler methods to try and swallow the Qin Family, it might not have even been that difficult.

But who could they blame for being so impatient? Who could they blame for taking their anger over the massive losses they suffered at the Cui Family’s expense out on the Qin Family? Who could they blame for coveting the Cui Family’s treasure so greedily?

As a result, a peaceful merchant family like the Qin Family, one that kept to itself, had been forcibly molded by them into a bloodthirsty, wolf-like, and aggressive clan.

And now, this family was climbing to the top... over their dead bodies!

Unfortunately, in this world, there are no "what ifs" and no second chances.

The rise of the Qin Family was now unstoppable. Their trump cards had indeed been exposed in this battle, but so what? A family that had a freakishly powerful Martial Artist, one who could easily annihilate a Shattered Void expert... who would dare provoke such a family in the future?

"We’re leaving!"

At last, as if they had reached a silent agreement, the leaders of the Xiao, Wang, and Lin families all spoke in unison.

The members of the three great families finally retreated like a receding tide.

"Don’t you forget, you scum! Just like the other families and sects, you will repay a hundredfold the losses you inflicted on the Qin Family! Your Patriarchs must also come to this plaza personally and kneel to beg the Qin Family for forgiveness!"

Qin Li stared at the retreating figures of the three great families and said in an icy voice, "Anyone who fails to comply can just wait for us to pay them a personal visit!"

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