Only I am Venerable

"Really?" The Grand Elder’s eyes suddenly grew incredibly bright. It was as if it could see the day the Black Gold Divine Leopard Race would become the strongest within Profound Island’s restricted area.

Without a moment’s hesitation, the Grand Elder nodded emphatically. "It’s a deal!"

The restricted area on Profound Island wasn’t home to just the Black Gold Divine Leopards; there were other major Spirit Beast Races as well. The Winged Tiger Race and the White Bear Race, for instance, were no weaker. In fact, the father of Forest, whom Xiaohai had killed, had died years ago in a battle against the Winged Tiger Race. Although Spirit Beasts had their own legacies, and even unique combat skills and Cultivation Techniques, they were far inferior to humans in areas like Alchemy and Artifact Refining, despite humanity’s comparatively weaker physical constitution.

Therefore, most Spirit Beast Races could only guard the lands where all sorts of Spirit Flowers and Herbs grew, consuming them in their raw, primitive form. While they had developed their own methods over the long eons, the effects of these Spirit Flowers and Herbs could never compare to Elixirs, which were packed with pure essence.

Furthermore, the natural animosity between humans and Spirit Beasts meant that practically no one would ever conduct this kind of business with them. Even if someone wanted to try, the Spirit Beasts’ wariness toward humans would only lead to those audacious Adventurers throwing their lives away for nothing.

The restricted area on Profound Island was no joke.

But the Black Gold Divine Leopard Race, thanks to Xiaohai, now had a line of communication with the human, Qin Li. More importantly, with She She, a supreme expert among Spirit Beasts, by Qin Li’s side, the Grand Elder agreed to the cooperation without any hesitation.

Qin Li was naturally delighted as well. The samples he carried were all Heavenly and Earthly Treasures selected by Leng Yao from an Ancient Pill Formula. For humans, finding such things was an arduous task fraught with difficulty. For the Spirit Beasts who were masters of this vast Forest, however, it was a much simpler matter.

Thus, it was a win-win cooperation!

After bidding farewell to the Black Gold Divine Leopard Race, Qin Li left the restricted area on Profound Island with She She, Xiaohai, and Rainbow.

At their level of cultivation, and with the immensely powerful aura of She She, entering and exiting this restricted area—a forbidden land in the eyes of the people of Profound Island—was as easy as walking on flat ground.

Half a month later, they left the restricted area on Profound Island. Xiaohai and Rainbow departed in the direction of the Qin Family’s Fengsha City, while Qin Li, accompanying a homesick She She, began the journey to Black Tortoise Peak.

「On Black Tortoise Peak, within the Golden Palace.」

Three years passed in a flash. Shangguan Shiyu sat quietly on a meditation cushion, her beautiful hair cascading down to her waist. The aura of her stunning face had grown even more noble.

At the same time, the invisible space around her body was constantly warping. If anyone dared to approach her at that moment, they would be instantly injured by this distorted space. Those with weaker cultivation might even be torn to shreds by it!

Shiyu’s eyes were lightly closed. After a long moment, she slowly opened them. A faint trace of longing flickered in her bright eyes. Then, she stood up, walked out the door, and saw Qin Xue outside, training diligently with the three girls from the Qin Family’s branch clan. They were no longer eight or nine years old, but eleven or twelve.

Seeing Shangguan Shiyu emerge, the little girls ran over excitedly, crying out, "Big Sister is out of seclusion!"

Shiyu smiled at the little girls, then gave Qin Xue a slight nod. "Sister."

"How did it go? Did you break through? You were in seclusion for quite a long time—a full year!" Qin Xue asked softly, a faint smile on her refined and otherworldly face.

"I did it. I finally broke through!" Shangguan Shiyu was filled with emotion as she recalled the many hardships of her breakthrough. Her thoughts drifted to Qin Li, and she missed him more than ever. ’I wonder how he’s been these past three years. Has he changed at all?’

Qin Xue understood what Shiyu most wanted to know. "Qin Li hasn’t come by," she said. "He’s probably been held up by something. But I think he’ll be here soon."

Just then, one of the little girls from the branch clan suddenly pointed outside. "Uncle White Ape is here to play with me again!"

Qin Xue and Shangguan Shiyu followed the little girl’s gaze. Sure enough, outside the Golden Palace, the White Ape was waiting, holding a cloth sack filled with precious fruits native to Black Tortoise Peak. He was gazing eagerly at the little girls inside.

It was rather amusing. Bai Zhongshan, who had once hated humans more than anything, had become friends with these three little girls despite their age difference after an incident two years ago.

Shangguan Shiyu had gained some measure of control over the Restriction on the Golden Palace, at least enough to come and go as she pleased.

Having lived here for a long time, and with the three White Apes living nearby, they didn’t have to worry about danger, so the three little girls would occasionally go out to play.

On one such occasion, the three little girls, whose cultivation had already reached the Celestial Shattering Realm, accidentally ran into a White Wolf Spirit Beast from Black Tortoise Peak. The wolf’s strength wasn’t exceptionally high—only at the Celestial Integration Realm—but dealing with three little girls who had no combat experience was naturally a piece of cake.

A Spirit Beast’s instinctive hatred for humans drove the White Wolf to attack the three girls frantically. Just when they were in mortal danger, Bai Zhongshan appeared and chased the wolf away. He then discovered that these three human girls were innocent and artless, and they thanked him with genuine sincerity. Because of these three children, Bai Zhongshan’s hatred for humankind lessened considerably.

Afterward, whenever the three girls from the Qin Family’s branch clan went out, Bai Zhongshan would silently watch over them from the surroundings. Although he was the king of Black Tortoise Peak, he couldn’t guarantee that every Spirit Beast would refrain from attacking humans.

Over time, even Bai Zhongxue and Bai Zhonghuo joined in. Every time they found some rare Exotic Fruits, they would bring them to the three little girls. Gradually, the wariness between them completely disappeared, and they became friends.

These three young women from the Qin Family’s branch clan were exceptionally talented to begin with. With the constant supply of Exotic Fruits from the three White Apes, two of them had now broken through to the Celestial Integration Realm, and the third had reached the peak of the Celestial Shattering Realm.

In the eyes of any Martial Artist from Profound Island, this was simply an impossible feat! As a result, their destinies had been completely transformed, and their lives would now be countless times more brilliant than their pasts.

Although the three White Apes rarely paid any mind to Qin Xue and Shangguan Shiyu, their attitude had undergone a major shift.

Shangguan Shiyu saw this and smiled faintly. "Go on and play," she said.

The three little girls cheered and flew outside.

At that exact moment, Shangguan Shiyu and the Old Ape, Bai Zhongshan, both let out a small sound of surprise. Their eyes turned simultaneously toward the base of Black Tortoise Peak, in the direction of human territory.

A look of joyful surprise appeared in Shangguan Shiyu’s eyes. "It might be him!" she exclaimed.

As for the Old Ape, Bai Zhongshan, a complicated look first flickered in his eyes. But upon seeing the little girls running toward him, his kind smile returned, and he handed the sack of Exotic Fruits to them.

"Thank you, Uncle White Ape!" The three little girls’ sweet voices made the smile on Bai Zhongshan’s face grow wider. "Go on, eat up!" he said.

At that moment, a sovereign aura, like that of a ruler reigning over the world, began to slowly spread up from the base of Black Tortoise Peak. It advanced like a relentless, unending tide.

This was the might of the overjoyed Snake Woman, who, unable to control her excitement, had let her power flow out involuntarily.

And across the entirety of the massive Black Tortoise Peak, countless Spirit Beasts, large and small, all stopped what they were doing at that very moment.

A White Wolf, its mouth stained with blood and its claws pinning down a bovine-like beast, looked up with confusion in its eyes. It peered through a gap in the Forest canopy toward the sky. ’Which great figure is arriving now?’ it wondered. ’I haven’t provoked any of those humans lately!’

Two giant bear Spirit Beasts, who had been in the middle of a fight, unconsciously stopped their attacks. They prostrated themselves on the ground, trembling. The heaven-shaking aura instilled an irrepressible fear that arose from the depths of their very souls.

Within the many caves on Black Tortoise Peak dwelled pythons of all sizes and colors—black, yellow, red, white, you name it. At this moment, every one of them showed immense excitement.

Because they all sensed it: their leader, their big sister... had returned!

Walking beside She She, Qin Li’s heart was also churning with emotion. He was about to see the woman he yearned for day and night. The feeling made his own heart surge uncontrollably.

The Old Ape, Bai Zhongshan, reacted as if facing a tremendous threat. He abruptly bared his sharp, white fangs and roared at the sky.

The three adorable little girls jumped in fright and retreated several steps.

Bai Zhongshan hastily reined in his display of aggression, but his heart was filled with both anger and astonishment.

He was angered that someone dared to fly up Black Tortoise Peak so arrogantly, showing him no respect whatsoever. He was astonished because he quickly identified the newcomer.

After all, they had been neighbors for so many years. Even if they rarely interacted, they knew each other quite well.

Bai Zhongshan sensed that the aura belonged to that snake. But that snake was clearly at the peak of the Celestial Venerable Realm. ’When in the world did she also reach the Shattered Void Realm?’

’It’s only been a few years!’

For Spirit Beasts like them who had lived for thousands of years, a period of three to five years was practically negligible.

’Could it be... that all of this is related to that human?’

As Bai Zhongshan was reeling with shock and suspicion, Qin Li and She She were already about to reach the summit of the peak.

From the Golden Palace, a figure shot out like a bolt of lightning, speeding toward Qin Li.

From a distance, Qin Li opened his arms and tightly embraced the onrushing Shangguan Shiyu.

She She glanced over, pursed her lips slightly, and felt a pang of jealousy. However, when she saw the three white figures on the ground, a teasing smile spread across her lips, and she dove toward them.

Meanwhile, Qin Li, with his arm around Shangguan Shiyu, slowly descended toward a dense patch of woods below.

"I’ve missed you so much, Husband." Shiyu lifted her head from Qin Li’s embrace. A shy blush was on her face, and her Star Eyes were hazy with emotion. Her soft, gentle words made Qin Li’s heart tremble.

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