Only I am Venerable

If at first, everyone had been hoping for a miracle or some inexplicable phenomenon, now their hearts began to pound in their chests. This all went far beyond anyone’s imagination. A so-called "divine sign" would be no different from this!

At that moment, those with slightly greater strength suddenly felt the ground beneath their feet begin to slowly... vibrate.

The expressions on everyone’s faces finally changed!

"What’s happening? Why is the ground shaking?" someone cried out in alarm.

"The gods are enraged!"

"Wrath, my ass! This is clearly an earthquake!"

"Agh, a crack just appeared under my feet!"

The crowd instantly descended into chaos, scattering in all directions to find safety. But the few people hovering in the air witnessed a sight that shook them to their very souls. Just over a hundred miles away, at the very center of the four great danger zones, an incomparably massive structure was slowly... bursting forth from the ground!

And like a spiderweb, cracks spread out from that spot at an unbelievable speed!

In an instant, the earth quaked and the mountains swayed. Then came the landslides and fissures!

BOOM!

BOOM!

A series of massive rumbles echoed from all directions. People could only watch, wide-eyed, as a great mountain not far away trembled violently before collapsing with a deafening roar!

The scene was apocalyptic!

Countless birds and beasts scattered, fleeing madly in all directions. In the sky, swarms of birds took flight, blotting out the sun and sky!

Many massive birds soared even higher, as if trying to break through the blue cage, but not a single one succeeded.

The people below watched, helpless, as the flocks of birds slammed into the blue light barrier and descended into a chaotic frenzy, unable to escape.

"Son of a bitch, we’re in deep shit now!" someone in the crowd mumbled nervously, their face ashen as they watched the scene unfold.

The sheer power of the fissuring earth and collapsing mountains was far beyond what any human Martial Artist could produce. The figures flying in the sky froze in mid-air, watching dumbfounded as the enormous structure that had emerged at the center of the four danger zones continued to rise higher and higher.

It then pulled up other structures with it, until ancient buildings were bursting from the ground even right before their eyes.

Within the several-hundred-mile radius enveloped by the blue light barrier, an incomparably grand ancient temple rose from the earth, bit by bit, amidst the destructive scene!

This continued for over an hour before the ancient temple had fully risen.

It towered from earth to sky!

Before the crowd’s eyes appeared a... gigantic Divine Temple, hundreds of miles high and nearly a hundred miles in circumference!

Everyone, including Qin Li, stared dumbfounded. Their mouths were dry, their eyes filled with disbelief, and their minds had all but ceased to function.

It was all just too astonishing!

If the Golden Palace had been enough to shake the world, then compared to this immeasurably vast Divine Temple, the Golden Palace was as insignificant as an ant!

If the Golden Palace was man-made, then this Divine Temple could only have been built by... a god!

"Magnificent! This is the most incredible sight I’ve ever seen in my life!"

"This old man didn’t come here for nothing! Even if I don’t get a single treasure, just witnessing this divine sign has made my life worthwhile!"

The Divine Temple was square with a rounded dome, its sharp peak piercing the clouds!

The overall structure looked quite simple, yet its scale was enough to make one’s very soul tremble.

It inspired an impulse to prostrate oneself in worship!

"Find the main entrance!"

Someone in the crowd shouted it first, and then everyone, as if possessed, swarmed toward what they presumed was the direction of the Divine Temple’s main entrance.

Qin Li didn’t move right away. Ever since the Divine Temple had burst from the earth, he’d had a strange feeling, as if the temple and he shared some inexplicable connection.

Qin Li subconsciously thought of the giant that towered from earth to sky within his Sea of Consciousness. He immediately shook his head. ’I know my own situation best. I don’t belong to this world. My soul is from ancient Earth. What possible connection could I have with this Divine Temple?’

’If anything’s connected to this Divine Temple, it’s more likely the four pieces of the Ancient Map I’m carrying!’

The walls of the Divine Temple shot straight up into the clouds without a single seam. The black walls, made of an indiscernible material, looked as if they were forged from a single, solid piece of black iron.

The walls bore no patterns or markings, only exuding a vast, ancient, and desolate aura that made it difficult to remain calm.

By now, the crowd had nearly dispersed, everyone having run off to find the Divine Temple’s main entrance. Qin Li noticed that the group from the Hongyan Sect was still there, and many of them were looking at him.

At that moment, the apparent leader of the Hongyan Sect, a scholarly-looking middle-aged man, clasped his fist toward Qin Li. "Greetings, Young Master. I am Jiang Heng, the Third Elder of the Hongyan Sect. Might we have the honor of accompanying you?"

Qin Li smiled faintly. "My surname is Qin. If it’s alright with you, we can all explore this Divine Temple together and see what’s inside."

Qin Li saw a look of pure delight flash in Lu Qi’s eyes when she heard him agree. He sighed inwardly and, pretending not to notice, took Shangguan Shiyu’s hand and asked softly, "What do you think?"

Shangguan Shiyu understood his intention. She nodded gently and said with a smile, "I’ll follow your lead, my love."

The light in Lu Qi’s eyes dimmed again, but she was still thrilled to be traveling with Qin Li. The unhappiest person was probably the young man, Liang Luo. And yet, he couldn’t find a single reason to object. First, Young Master Qin had saved his junior sister. Second, all of them could tell that this Young Master Qin was incredibly strong, and that the stunningly beautiful woman by his side was no ordinary Martial Artist either. Traveling with companions like them naturally offered a greater degree of safety.

They could all look out for one another. Besides, this Young Master Qin seemed to have noticed his junior sister’s affections and was actively avoiding them, acting very affectionately with the beautiful woman to prevent any misunderstandings.

So, Liang Luo could only lament his own lack of ability to capture his junior sister’s heart. ’I’ll just have to wait,’ he thought, ’until this is all over and we go our separate ways, never to meet again. Maybe then, she’ll finally accept me.’

Lost in their own thoughts, the group set off in one direction.

Since no one knew where the Divine Temple’s main entrance was, their only option was to follow the wall. They figured if they walked far enough, more than halfway around, they were bound to find it eventually.

Along the way, Jiang Heng, the Third Elder of the Hongyan Sect, got along splendidly with Qin Li. The Third Elder seemed to be a man of integrity, making no attempt to pry into Qin Li’s origins. Instead, they discussed matters of the Ancient and even the Primordial Era, some of which Qin Li found greatly enlightening.

Thanks to Qin Li’s treatment, Lu Qi’s injuries were no longer severe, so she was quite lively during the journey. Tailing the Third Elder and the others, she listened to his stories of the Primordial Era before suddenly interjecting, "Why is everyone so certain that this huge building is a Divine Temple and not some kind of palace?"

The Third Elder glanced at Lu Qi and answered with a smile, "From the Primordial Era to the Ancient Era, all Divine Temples looked more or less the same—they were all square buildings with a rounded dome. Of course, countless years have passed since the Ancient Era. In that time, there have been several crises of faith. As a result, people today, whether they are Martial Artists from the Mysterious Land or common folk, have much weaker faith in the gods. The number of Divine Temples has fallen sharply, and because the traditions were lost, many later temples were built in a hodgepodge of styles, a confusing mess. The gods of the Primordial Era are almost completely forgotten today."

Qin Li chuckled. "Elder Jiang, you seem to have studied the Primordial Era quite extensively!" The memories Qin Li had inherited from Hu Yanbo confirmed that everything the Third Elder said was true.

In the Primordial Era, people’s faith had been exceptionally devout. However, after the war against the Outer Celestial Demons erupted, their faith in the gods began to wane.

For when the Outer Celestial Demons—with their Purple Eyes and twin wings—invaded the Celestial Essence Continent in droves, no god came to their aid. Only the Martial Artists of the Celestial Essence Continent rose up to resist them.

Jiang Heng smiled, seeming completely unguarded around Qin Li. "I was fortunate enough to come across many well-preserved texts from the Primordial Era," he said. "After nearly a century of research, I’ve come to understand some of the customs of that time. Furthermore, one of the Primordial Era scriptures describes this very Divine Temple. It said the temple was a thousand miles high and a hundred miles in circumference. At the time, I thought it was just nonsense. How could such a tall building exist in this world? But I never imagined I’d actually see it with my own eyes today!"

Qin Li was taken aback for a moment, then it dawned on him. ’No wonder everyone else left while the Hongyan Sect stayed behind,’ he thought. ’So, the Third Elder, Jiang Heng, actually knew the origin of this temple!’

’If I hadn’t saved Lu Qi out of kindness, this Third Elder would never have revealed this. By telling me now, he’s repaying the favor!’

Thinking of this, Qin Li clasped his fist toward the Third Elder and said, "Thank you."

"It’s a small matter, not worth mentioning." The Third Elder smiled at Qin Li. "It’s nothing compared to Young Master Qin’s great benevolence!"

"What are you two talking about?" Lu Qi asked, looking confusedly at the Third Elder and Qin Li.

The two men laughed, ignoring her completely. Lu Qi stomped her foot in a huff. Her eyes darted around, and then she ran over to Shangguan Shiyu, calling out sweetly, "Sister!" before pulling her aside to whisper.

The Third Elder sighed softly and said, "With the appearance of the Divine Temple, a great event is surely about to shake the world. At the very least, the people from the Land of the Far West will likely arrive soon. But as for the contents of this Divine Temple... in truth, no one will be able to take them."

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