Only I am Venerable

As a large number of Martial Artists from Profound Island entered Yellow Sand City, and as news of the mysterious patterns on the Divine Temple’s gate spread, someone maliciously started a rumor. It was likely one of Qin Li’s enemies—perhaps a remnant of the Cui Family, or someone from Profound Island with a grudge against him. The rumor was that Qin Li possessed an Ancient Map!

As far as Qin Li was concerned, this was nothing but malicious slander!

The ways he had obtained his five maps were all extremely secret; it was impossible for any outsider to know. The one from Shiyu’s mother was obtained in the utmost secrecy, and she would never have told a soul. The one from the Cui Family had been a closely guarded secret within their family, and with the Cui Family Master long dead, there was no way that information could have gotten out.

And it was even more impossible for the news to have come from the Black Gold Divine Leopard Clan.

He had acquired the last two maps after arriving in Yellow Sand City, and the origin of the four old men who gave them to him remained a mystery. He hadn’t seen anyone come looking for them, either.

As for the map from the Iron Sword Sect, Qin Li had obtained it in Disguise while posing as one of the Female and Male Thieves. There were at least three or four pairs of such thieves in Yellow Sand City now, so how could anyone possibly suspect him?

Therefore, Qin Li and Shiyu concluded that this had to be the work of an enemy, who was deliberately slinging mud at them.

The people from the Land of the Far West were now offering an extremely tempting reward for information about the Ancient Map. As long as the tip proved true, one could obtain Top-Grade Elixirs, combat techniques, Cultivation Techniques, and weapons!

After witnessing the immense power of the Martial Artists from the Land of the Far West, everyone coveted their Elixirs, combat techniques, and Cultivation Techniques; weapons were of secondary importance.

The words "Ancient Map" were now too sensitive. Those people wouldn’t let even the slightest clue slip by.

So, faced with this situation, Qin Li and Shangguan Shiyu were both annoyed and amused. People were calling it an attempt to smear his name, but the reality was, not only did Qin Li possess an Ancient Map, he had quite a few. He alone controlled more than half of them!

’But who would ever admit to that?’

To be safe, Qin Li and Shangguan Shiyu had moved out over two months ago into a mansion that Hu had purchased many years prior.

Moreover, they had once again used Disguise, transforming into two people who bore no resemblance to their former selves.

Qin Li had transformed into a somewhat gaunt, middle-aged man in his forties. His face was utterly ordinary, the type that would get lost in a crowd.

Shangguan Shiyu, on the other hand, Disguised herself as an alluring matron of thirty-five or thirty-six. This couldn’t be helped; her eyes were so expressive that it was impossible to completely conceal their liveliness. So she decided to lean into it, dressing as a wealthy, young wife.

In any case, they had so completely altered their appearances that even if Qin Hanyue were standing right in front of them, she probably wouldn’t recognize them.

The only thing that still worried Qin Li and Shiyu was the Qin Family in Fengsha City on Profound Island.

The reason was simple. Before the people from the Land of the Far West arrived, the Qin Family’s strength on Profound Island, bolstered by their Spirit Beasts, was considered top-tier. No one dared to provoke them.

’But since someone is already slinging mud and trying to frame me, what if they simply reveal the location of Profound Island’s gate to the people from the Land of the Far West? That would put my family in grave danger.’

’Normally, that would be almost impossible. Everyone understands the principle that "when the nest is overturned, no egg remains intact." But this world has never been short of deranged people. Who’s to say someone wouldn’t actually do it?’

So, Qin Li had someone secretly send a message back, telling Qin Suo to be prepared. If anyone from the Land of the Far West truly managed to enter Profound Island, the Qin Family was to evacuate the entire clan immediately.

’In any case, with five pieces of the Ancient Map in hand, I’m not worried about finding a suitable Mysterious Land.’

After sending that message, Qin Li and Shangguan Shiyu received another piece of news: information about the sixth piece of the Ancient Map had surfaced.

The news was somewhat surprising, yet it also felt inevitable.

Because the source of this information was none other than the person holding the map himself. Or, to be more precise, the person holding the Ancient Map had appeared and been discovered.

This person came from a small Mysterious Land, home to three major Sects, over twenty families, and a total population of about one million.

Although small, it was a place of constant strife. The various families and Sects were entangled in relationships of both marriage and enmity, so while there were no major wars, smaller conflicts were never-ending.

The person who held the Ancient Map was from the Dragon Soaring Pavilion, one of the three major Sects. Furthermore, he was a young man of mediocre strength and extremely low status.

If the Ancient Divine Temple hadn’t appeared, this young man named Dragon Seal might have lived and died his entire life in obscurity. He wouldn’t have enjoyed a good life, and absolutely no one would have remembered him after he was gone.

Dragon Seal was twenty-three years old with a pitiful cultivation at the Earth Level—decidedly the type of person with no talent, status, or position. He owed his possession of the map to a fortunate ancestry.

Within the Dragon Soaring Pavilion, Dragon Seal’s ancestor had been a high-ranking Elder. In his day, he was a commanding figure whose power had reached the realm of a Celestial Venerable.

However, he was grievously wounded during an expedition into the Mortal Realm. He returned to the Sect, but died from his injuries not long after. This map was something his ancestor had obtained on that expedition. Instead of handing it over to the Sect, he passed it down through the generations within his own family.

Ever since that powerful ancestor died, Dragon Seal’s family had gradually declined. By his generation, they had faded into complete insignificance.

Although Dragon Seal’s strength was only at the Earth Level, he was quite intelligent. He knew that if he remained in the Dragon Soaring Pavilion, there was no other path for him but to be ignored or even bullied.

However, if he went to the Mortal Realm, it wouldn’t be difficult for him to live a prosperous life with his intelligence and strength.

In the Sect, with his prospects, even finding a wife was a problem. ’But if I go to the Mortal Realm,’ he thought, ’with my ability to reach the Celestial Level by the time I’m thirty, what kind of woman couldn’t I find?’

Therefore, three years ago, Dragon Seal had petitioned the Sect to let him leave and pursue a life in the Mortal Realm.

The Dragon Soaring Pavilion readily agreed to his request. They needed people to go to the Mortal Realm to manage the Sect’s businesses, which both increased their income and allowed them to gather information.

Just like that, Dragon Seal was dispatched to Yellow Sand City in the Cyan Dragon Kingdom. There, he established his own home, took a beautiful wife and several lovely concubines, and lived a very comfortable life.

However, a while ago, a sect member who disliked him and held a much higher rank issued a cruel order: Dragon Seal was to abandon everything in the Mortal Realm and return to the Dragon Soaring Pavilion within a year. Otherwise, he would be branded a traitor to the Sect!

This left Dragon Seal furious but helpless. He didn’t want to return to that cold, heartless place. He didn’t want to be at the mercy of bullies, and he certainly didn’t want to grow old and die in obscurity.

Here, he had a home, a wife and concubines who depended on him, and an adorable, toddling child. He loathed the fellow disciple who was tormenting him so relentlessly over a minor grudge, yet he was completely powerless to resist.

And then... the Divine Temple appeared out of nowhere!

When news of the Divine Temple’s appearance first spread, Dragon Seal was mired in such great distress and anger that he paid little attention to the world-shaking event.

The Dragon Soaring Pavilion, however, was paying close attention. They dispatched a large number of disciples to Yellow Sand City, and Dragon Seal was put in charge of receiving them. This allowed him to remain there temporarily, delaying his return to the Sect.

The Dragon Soaring Pavilion disciple who had been tormenting him also focused all his energy on the Divine Temple, leaving Dragon Seal alone for the time being.

It was only then that Dragon Seal realized the Divine Temple might be the very opportunity he needed to stay in the Mortal Realm. Soon after, drawings of the complex patterns on the temple’s massive gate began to circulate.

When Dragon Seal saw the drawings of the patterns on the Divine Temple’s gate for the first time, he was stunned. They were a perfect match for the mysterious map his ancestor had passed down to him!

Dragon Seal even found several patterns that were completely identical. In that instant, his heart leaped into his throat as he finally understood just how precious the heirloom Treasure Map his ancestor had left him truly was.

Being quite clever, Dragon Seal immediately thought of several possible courses of action.

’First, I could hide the map and tell no one, keeping it an absolute secret. I know that if I control this map, I’m guaranteed to gain immense benefits.’

’Second, I could present the map to the Sect. By doing so, I would also gain enormous benefits and an extremely high status. At the very least, that disciple from the Dragon Soaring Pavilion who dares to torment me would be crushed beneath my heel!’

However, he rejected both ideas. ’With the first option, keeping the map won’t bring me any immediate benefits. On the contrary, if its existence leaks, I could be killed for it!’

’The second option might work, but my cultivation is too low. If I hand over the map, I might gain high status and wealth in the short term, but what about later? Would my children and grandchildren be able to hold on to that status and wealth?’

The answer was an obvious no. Before all this, Dragon Seal had already planned to put down roots in the Mortal Realm. He didn’t want his children to become overly powerful; as long as they could live happy lives, that was enough for him.

After rejecting both options, Dragon Seal suddenly felt that the map in his hands was... too hot to handle. ’This thing is a death warrant!’

It was at this exact moment that the people from the Land of the Far West offered an irresistible price for these maps—or even for clues about them.

An idea began to form in Dragon Seal’s mind.

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