Only I am Venerable

After much difficulty persuading the crowd to get back on their feet, a figure in white suddenly soared over from the distance, moving like a celestial descending from the heavens. The people immediately grew restless, but Qin Li called out, "Don’t be afraid! It’s my wife!"

The restless crowd gradually quieted, their eyes on the woman who looked to be in her mid-thirties. Though not strikingly beautiful, in the hearts of these people, she and her husband were the kindest individuals in the world.

Of course, this was only because neither Qin Li nor Shangguan Shiyu had altered their appearances.

Seeing the specks of blood staining Shangguan Shiyu’s white combat attire, Qin Li’s heart tightened. "Are you alright?" he asked with concern.

Shangguan Shiyu shook her head. "I’m fine. It’s all enemy blood!"

Although Shangguan Shiyu was giving Qin Li a gentle smile, the killing intent radiating from her was still intimidating.

Just then, the Martial Artist who had met Qin Li in the village earlier that day boldly stepped forward. He bowed to Qin Li and Shangguan Shiyu before speaking in a grave voice, "My name is Sun Sea. Would you two seniors please come speak inside the castle?"

"Did you build this castle complex?" Shangguan Shiyu asked softly. She had seen it from the mountaintop and had been struck by its breathtaking scale and grandeur. Now, standing before it, the impact of its towering majesty was even more intense.

At the mention of the castle, expressions of grief and indignation crossed many faces. The Martial Artist named Sun Sea answered in a somber tone, "This castle was built by all the humans in this Mysterious Land. You could say it is a fortress built on a foundation of human lives. Nearly three hundred thousand people died during its construction!"

"What?" Shangguan Shiyu’s face paled, and her eyes widened in shock as she stared at Sun Sea. She knew nothing of architecture, but she found it impossible to imagine that building such a place could cost so many lives.

"Sigh... those beasts forced us to work around the clock. Many people, even powerful Martial Artists, were literally worked to death!" Sun Sea said, his voice laced with hatred.

"And you... you didn’t fight back?" Shangguan Shiyu found it incredible. She herself had killed seven or eight powerful Spirit Beasts just today, and the rest had, for some unknown reason, simultaneously abandoned their assault and fled deep into the forest. ’Three hundred thousand people!’ Shiyu thought. ’With that many fighting back at once, surely they could have resisted, no matter how strong the Great Witch Master is?’

"Fight back? Of course we fought back!" Sun Sea sighed as he walked, his eyes filled with a deep sadness. "Once, more than ten thousand of our strongest united to overthrow the Great Witch Master and his followers. But we never imagined he had a contingency plan. He gathered our families and threatened to have his Spirit Beasts kill them all. If we didn’t surrender, our loved ones would die. We’re only human. Who would choose mutual destruction unless there was absolutely no other choice?"

Qin Li and Shangguan Shiyu considered this and realized it was true. ’After all,’ they thought, ’why else would we have traveled so far, leaving behind Yellow Sand City and the bustling Divine Temple, just to find this Mysterious Land?’

Wasn’t it for the exact same reason—to create a safe haven for their families, so no one could ever use them as a threat?

At this thought, Qin Li suddenly spoke. "The Great Witch Master must have been boiling the frog slowly, gradually wearing you down. He planned this outcome from the very first day of construction. The tragedy is, even if you saw it happening, you were powerless to stop it!"

While Sun Sea didn’t quite understand the "boiling the frog" analogy, the rest of what Qin Li said resonated deeply. He nodded repeatedly before sighing. "Now, just over two thousand of us remain in this entire castle. We are likely the last humans left in the whole Mysterious Land. If you hadn’t come, it wouldn’t have been long—a few more years at most—before the Great Witch Master and his followers slaughtered every last one of us!"

The Great Witch Master’s power still gave Qin Li pause. ’He really is strong,’ he thought. ’An ordinary Martial Artist at the Shattered Void realm would have broken down or gone insane after my ambush, making them easy to finish off!’

’But the Great Witch Master was only injured and still escaped so easily. Now that he’s gone, finding him again will be incredibly difficult... unless he comes back for revenge.’

"If he doesn’t return, finding him will be extremely difficult," Qin Li sighed softly.

"Oh, he’ll be back," Sun Sea said with absolute certainty. Before Qin Li could ask why, he continued, "He built this fortress for one reason: to monopolize the Divine Spring and the Spiritual Medicines! I’ll take you there now. But be warned, the place is guarded by two very powerful Spirit Beasts in their Transformation stage. They won’t leave their post unless they’re dead!"

’Divine Spring? Spiritual Medicine?’ This wasn’t the first time Qin Li had heard of them. The Great Witch Master himself had mentioned a Divine Spring and Divine Grass when the Be was injured. ’Could it be that this Mysterious Land really does hide something so miraculous?’

"Very powerful? How powerful are they?" Shangguan Shiyu asked from the side.

"Heh, to us, they’re incredibly strong. But for you two, it might be a different story. The two guardian Spirit Beasts are both around the Celestial Venerable realm," Sun Sea said quietly. By now, he was in complete awe of Qin Li and Shangguan Shiyu—especially Qin Li. He had pinned all his hopes on him. In all these years, no one had ever inspired such confidence in him, and certainly, no one had ever routed the Great Witch Master so effortlessly.

As he spoke, the group entered the ancient castle complex. While from the outside it merely seemed vast and imposing, from the inside, one could feel an air of luxury mixed with its grandeur.

The wide, immaculate streets were paved entirely with marble, polished to a mirror finish. The buildings were resplendent, their exteriors alone so captivating that one could gaze at them for hours.

With its comprehensive facilities and fully integrated life-support systems, the castle complex was not merely beautiful; its design also incorporated various techniques that were far ahead of their time.

Even Qin Li and Shangguan Shiyu, who were not typically moved by such things, couldn’t help but marvel privately. ’This fortress,’ they thought, ’is truly a masterpiece of human ingenuity!’

But it was a pity that it had been built at the cost of so many lives. So, despite their admiration, neither of them let it show on their faces.

Following the wide road, the group came to the rear of the castle complex. Here, the colorful, exquisite architecture came to an abrupt end.

In its place was an enormous building constructed of massive cyan boulders. Judging by the size of the stones, the walls had to be at least twenty meters thick!

Two incredibly ugly creatures stood guard at the entrance, staring blankly at the approaching crowd.

One of them, a Spirit Beast with a wolven face, bared its sharp fangs and snarled, "How dare you trespass on forbidden ground? Do you have a death wish?"

Sun Sea burst out laughing. "Wolf Guard, you’re the ones with the death wish! In all these years, you two have only stood guard and never participated in the slaughter of humans. In light of that, we’ll give you a chance to live. The Great Witch Master has already fled, so you should leave as well. Otherwise, your lives will end here today!"

"HAHAHAHA!" The wolf-faced Transformation Spirit Beast roared with laughter. He pointed a finger at Sun Sea and said coldly, "You hideous humans have truly lost your minds! Since you refuse to heed our warning and insist on storming the Holy Hall, then prepare to die!"

As he spoke, the Wolf Guard threw back his head and let out a piercing howl. Many in the crowd couldn’t bear the sound, clutching their ears as their faces turned pale.

Shangguan Shiyu gave a cold snort. With a flick of her Blood Jade Sword, she shot toward the Wolf Guard like a meteor. The immense killing intent and astonishing pressure emanating from the sword startled the Wolf Guard. Its palms transformed into wolf claws and slashed through the air in a cross pattern, instantly sending two sharp waves of Power hurtling toward Shangguan Shiyu.

The other, silent Wolf Guard treacherously circled to Shangguan Shiyu’s flank. It lunged forward in a sudden burst, leaving a trail of afterimages as it charged ferociously at Shiyu. At the same time, its head morphed into that of a wolf, and it opened its massive, blood-red maw to clamp down on Shangguan Shiyu’s throat!

Sun Sea glanced nervously at Qin Li. He had witnessed Qin Li’s power, but he had no idea what level Shangguan Shiyu was at. Could she withstand a pincer attack from two Spirit Beasts at the Celestial Venerable realm?

But Qin Li showed no signs of worry, watching with a calm smile as Shangguan Shiyu engaged her foes.

The Blood Jade Sword in Shiyu’s hand had a powerful suppressive effect on Spirit Beasts. It made the two Wolf Guards tremble instinctively, as if Shangguan Shiyu were a primordial beast from the Ancient Times whose bloodline completely dominated their own.

Still, the two creatures were undeniably powerful and coordinated with flawless teamwork. An ordinary person would have been in serious trouble.

But the Shiyu of today was no longer the kind-hearted and naive young woman she once was. Against Spirit Beasts who treated humans as slaves, she had no intention of holding back.

Her Blood Jade Sword suddenly fanned out, creating the afterimage of countless blades that blasted toward the Wolf Guard in front of her. At the same time, she pointed her free left hand at the one attacking from her flank. Another Blood Jade Sword materialized in the air above, looking completely solid. It radiated immense pressure and a terrifying killing intent as it shot forward with incomparable speed!

It all happened in an instant. Most of the crowd saw only a blur. When their vision cleared, the Wolf Guard that had been facing Shangguan Shiyu was headless, its massive skull flying through the air! The one at her side had been impaled through the heart!

One move!

It only took one move!

Two powerful Wolf Guards, both slain by her sword! Even if everyone knew the Wolf Guards were no match for the couple, no one could have imagined the fight would be... so effortless!

Everyone was utterly stunned!

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