Only I am Venerable

’Well, so much for that. They couldn’t wait any longer and came knocking on my door to demand it, so I can only give it to them.’ Dragon Seal saw the change in the Saintess’s attitude and knew that if he dared to refuse, he would likely lose his life right then and there. ’Besides, going back on my word would do me no good. In the future, relying on a huge backer like the Moon Shaking Immortal Palace is a pretty good thing!’

As he thought this, Dragon Seal’s conflicted heart gradually settled. He turned and walked briskly toward the backyard.

Han Mei suddenly said, "Wait!"

Dragon Seal stopped and turned back, looking at Han Mei with some confusion.

Han Mei said coolly, "I’ll go with you!"

The five Elders exchanged a look. The young matron in the red dress, Elder Hu, said slowly, "Saintess, do you need us to go along with you?"

"No need!" Han Mei said coldly, then turned to Dragon Seal. "Let’s go!" ’Actually, in her heart, Han Mei wanted the five Elders to come along. She didn’t want any more mistakes with this matter.’

’But she couldn’t stand the strange, passive-aggressive tone and looks from these Elders. Especially after those three ordinary girls from the East joined the Moon Shaking Immortal Palace, these Elders had been particularly good to them. Elder Mo, in particular, had even passed a Spiritual Artifact to that fox-like seductress named Linghu Feiyue! You have to understand, there weren’t many Spiritual Artifacts in the entire Moon Shaking Immortal Palace!’

’That Spiritual Artifact was a Treasure Sword, of all things, and one Han Mei had coveted for many years. Back then, Elder Mo had even said she would give that sword to her, but later conveniently chose to forget about it.’

’These were all reasons why Han Mei looked down on those Elders. Most importantly, Han Mei had noticed some signs: a large portion of the Sect’s upper echelons and Elders didn’t want her to take over as Palace Master! Moreover, what worried Han Mei even more was that her master, the current Palace Master of the Moon Shaking Immortal Palace, hadn’t been the Saintess back in her day!’

’Instead, the previous Saintess had died a sudden, bizarre death, and only then did her master rise to power!’

’With these suspicions, Han Mei had tried to win these Elders over, but found that they were completely unyielding. They paid her no mind at all. This feeling of opposition had grown even stronger, especially after she caused the Sect some losses this time around.’

Han Mei was lost in thought as she followed Dragon Seal to the backyard of the Long Family estate. Arriving at the inner courtyard, Dragon Seal walked toward a place that looked like a woodshed, opened the door, and slipped inside. Then he turned back to Han Mei and said, "Saintess, if you could just wait at the door for a moment. It’s right inside. I’ll bring it out right away."

Han Mei frowned as she glanced at the surroundings, then said, "Then be quick about it!"

"It’ll just be a second!" Dragon Seal said, full of confidence. ’Because this Ancient Map, along with some of his other treasures, had been hidden in this very spot when the estate was first being built. Aside from him, it was impossible for a second person to know the secret of this place.’

Beneath the woodshed was a small secret chamber. An Everlasting Lamp burned inside, its dim light barely illuminating the small room.

Dragon Seal reluctantly picked up a simple, ancient wooden box. He glanced again at the other treasures in the secret chamber, then let out a soft sigh. ’He knew that from this day forward, his safety would rest in the hands of the Moon Shaking Immortal Palace.’

He walked up and activated the mechanism. ’He wasn’t afraid of Han Mei learning his secret. She surely wouldn’t care about his meager possessions. Exposing the secret in front of her might even make the Saintess think he was an open and honest person.’

Dragon Seal closed the mechanism and walked out the door. He handed the wooden box to Han Mei and said, "Saintess, this is it!"

Han Mei reached out and took it. Suddenly, she felt a sense of danger approaching. Already prepared, a silver longsword radiating a cold, faint light instantly appeared in her hand. A streak of Sword Qi slashed toward the sky.

BOOM!

A huge, sudden bang echoed through the night sky!

Dragon Seal’s body reacted with extreme speed, shrinking back into the woodshed. He was incredibly tense. ’Thank goodness I already handed the wooden box over,’ he thought. ’If it had been lost while in my hands, that would have been a disaster!’

Han Mei snorted coldly. Her body soared into the air, holding the wooden box in one hand and her sword in the other. Her sword once again erupted with a silver rainbow of light, slashing toward a certain spot in the darkness.

"Hahaha, the might of the Moon Shaking Immortal Palace’s Saintess is truly extraordinary!" The voice in the air seemed to be praising her, but it was filled with a mocking tone.

Then a white figure, moving at a speed the naked eye could not follow, instantly appeared before Han Mei!

Shattered Void!

’Han Mei was instantly alarmed!’

It wasn’t that she didn’t want to put the wooden box containing the Ancient Map into her Storage Ring; it was just that her opponent hadn’t given her the chance!

They didn’t even leave her a moment to breathe!

"You’re courting death!" As someone who could become the Saintess of the Moon Shaking Immortal Palace, Han Mei was naturally no ordinary person. With a cold snort, the air around her suddenly began to distort. The next moment, her body appeared in the sky above the Long Family estate’s reception hall.

At the same time, the five Elders from the Moon Shaking Immortal Palace had all come out and flown into the air, surrounding Han Mei protectively.

Elder Mo shouted in a low voice, "Saintess, put it in your ring already!"

Han Mei focused her mind to open her Storage Ring, but just then, a laugh like silver bells echoed through the air. A blurry shadow approached Han Mei like a Ghost, moving at an unbelievable speed!

It was so fast that the attacks of the five Elders all missed their mark. Then a delicate, fair hand grabbed the wooden box in Han Mei’s hand with a SMACK. A woman’s sharp voice cried out, "Let go!"

Han Mei was both frantic and furious. Her opponent’s strength was clearly far greater than her own. She thrust her sword backhandedly toward the shadow, but at the same time, she felt an irresistible force coming from the wooden box, accompanied by a surging, scorching heat!

Han Mei subconsciously let go. Then the shadow let out a peel of bell-like laughter and drifted away into the air. The entire event, from start to finish, had taken but a single moment, so fast it was incredible.

No one had even been able to see what the woman looked like!

Then the man who had first attacked Han Mei also vanished silently into the air, following the laughter.

In the darkness of the night, who knows how many people were watching the events unfold. At this moment, they were all dumbfounded because they hadn’t even seen clearly what had happened, let alone how the culprits had escaped or where they had fled!

If word got out, no one would dare believe it!

Han Mei and the five Elders were left behind, staring blankly at one another.

After a long while, four words were forced from Han Mei’s lips: "Female and Male Thieves!"

At this moment, outside of Yellow Sand City, the young pair who had just snatched the wooden box from Han Mei’s hands both wore excited smiles. The man was a fair-skinned, chubby young man, looking to be about twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old. His small eyes twinkled with a cunning light, and his face was the sort that immediately reminded one of a steamed bun.

The woman was masked, but from her lively, intelligent eyes, one could tell she was a beauty.

"Junior Sister, you’re really something! Your Hundred Transformations Shadowless Step has improved again!" The chubby young man wore a fawning smile, sidling up to the woman to flatter her.

"Get away from me! All you know how to do is take advantage of me!" The woman laughed coquettishly, her figure flashing as she dodged the chubby young man’s groping hand, which he had secretly extended.

"Hehe, what’s the big deal between us? Master already said you’ll marry me sooner or later. What’s there to be afraid of from a little touch? It’s not like you’ll get pregnant..." the chubby young man said with a pouting grin.

"Hmph, I’m still not letting you touch me!" The woman shot him a look. Then she said, "Alright, Senior Brother, stop messing around. Let’s hurry up and see if this map is the same as the one we have!"

The chubby young man stopped his playful grinning. He said with a serious expression, "Okay. But... here?"

The woman seemed to understand what her Senior Brother was wary of. She smiled and said, "Don’t worry. There’s no one within a five-li radius of here!"

The chubby young man nodded. He seemed to have great faith in his Junior Sister’s ability. Then he said, "Then let’s take it out and have a look. If there are no problems, we’ll return to our Sect immediately. Who the hell would want to stay in this godforsaken place any longer? That Demoness Han Mei is not to be trifled with!"

"Heehee, I’m not afraid of them!" The woman let out a clear, pleasant laugh. "So what if she’s a Saintess? So what if it’s the Moon Shaking Immortal Palace? Nothing to be afraid of!"

"Junior Sister, don’t underestimate your enemy. You’re only so formidable because of your Hundred Transformations Shadowless Step. In a one-on-one fight, you are definitely not Han Mei’s match. You have to understand this, or you’ll surely suffer for it later!" the chubby young man warned with a straight face, but his hand was secretly reaching for the woman’s rear.

The masked woman twisted her body and dodged again. Then she said, "Alright, alright, I know!"

As she spoke, she took out the wooden box and opened it. A simple, ancient-looking Scroll was revealed inside. A look of joy appeared on both their faces. The woman carefully unrolled the Scroll. Immediately after, both of their expressions changed, turning extremely ugly.

The chubby young man slammed the map on the ground. His face ashen, he cursed, "Dammit! We were played by that bastard Dragon Seal!"

The woman also reacted in an instant, saying angrily, "He kept the real map and let us steal the fake one, making everyone mistakenly believe we stole the real one... Damn it! How dare he make me take the fall for this! Senior Brother, go kill them!"

"Kill them, my ass!" The fat on the chubby young man’s face trembled a few times. A glint shone in his small eyes. "Going back now? Isn’t that just asking to be killed? That bunch of old women from the Moon Shaking Immortal Palace would love nothing more than for us to go back and get ourselves killed!"

"Then what do we do?" The woman was clearly furious. "Are we just supposed to swallow this loss? I can’t stomach this insult!"

"We wait!" the chubby young man said in a chilling tone. "Making Master Pang suffer such a huge loss... Master Pang will get his revenge sooner or later! That Little Demoness Han Mei, and that Dragon Seal... You just wait for me!"

-----------------

In a past life, a beast who left its name in the North Sea. Reborn as a human in this life, watch me shatter the Dao and make my Inquiry into the Void! — "Inquiry into the Void"

Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!