Only I am Venerable

A confident smile appeared on Xiaohai’s face. He pointed at Forest and declared, "I will defeat him with my own strength and make him confess how he framed me all those years ago! Then, I’ll take Rainbow with me and give her the happiest life possible!"

Rainbow, a young woman in a black dress, heard Xiaohai’s words, and her beautiful eyes instantly lit up. Her attire made it clear that this female Spirit Beast, capable of Transformation, greatly yearned for and admired the human way of life.

"You must be dreaming!" the young Black Gold Divine Leopard, Forest, roared. "Rainbow only likes living in this forest, and the only one she likes is me!"

"Forest, don’t talk nonsense! I don’t like you anymore!" Rainbow turned her head away and said to the young, handsome Spirit Beast, "I only agreed to be with you back then to make Baal angry. I never thought you would frame Baal and claim he stole someone’s treasure!"

"What...? Rainbow, you... how could you say that?" Forest’s eyes shone with disbelief. He looked at the somewhat restless group of Black Gold Divine Leopards and said angrily, "What proof do you have that I framed Baal?!"

Qin Li, She She, and Xiaohai also looked at the beautiful young woman beside the Grand Elder with some confusion, unsure why she had suddenly said such a thing.

Rainbow took a deep breath. She looked at her father, who was also staring at her with suspicion, and said slowly, "I thought Baal would never come back, so I was prepared to forget about this whole affair. Forest, do you know why I suddenly refused to marry you? It was because two months after Baal left, I overheard you talking to those men! This whole thing was your conspiracy. You colluded with them to have everyone come watch while you and Baal fought, but they used that opportunity to plant the treasure in Baal’s home, then snuck back to pretend they were just part of the crowd! Hmph. I saw you dividing your own treasures among them afterward. Do you still dare to deny it?"

Forest’s handsome face suddenly turned pale. The corner of his mouth twitched, and a low growl rumbled in his throat. But one look at the Grand Elder, who was standing there watching him with a disappointed expression, sent a chill through him. He suddenly remembered the Black Gold Divine Leopard Clan’s punishment for traitors. He dropped to his knees at once, tears streaming down his face as he pleaded with the Grand Elder, "Grand Elder, you have to believe me! I... I would never do something like that! Grand Elder, for the sake of my father who died fighting for our clan, you must believe me!"

The Grand Elder could tell what had happened just from Forest’s reaction. He couldn’t help but sigh. He glanced at his daughter, a wave of regret washing over him. ’Why couldn’t I have trusted Baal back then? Thank goodness my daughter hasn’t married this one yet!’ The Grand Elder then looked at the now-matured Baal and said slowly, "Forest, for the sake of your deceased father..."

"Father!" the young woman Rainbow cried out angrily.

"You be quiet! This is all your fault!" the Grand Elder scolded. Then, looking at Forest and then at Baal, he said, "Baal, you wish to duel him, is that right?"

"Yes!" Xiaohai replied with a resolute expression.

"Fine! However, this is an internal matter of the Black Gold Divine Leopard Clan. Outsiders are not to interfere!" The Grand Elder glanced at Qin Li and She She. He knew that if that powerful female Spirit Beast made a move, even he would be unable to stop her.

"Grand Elder, this is my personal affair. I won’t let anyone else interfere!" Xiaohai replied.

"Very well. In that case, I approve your duel with Forest! And after the duel, I will permit you... to take Rainbow with you!" No matter how muddled the Grand Elder might have been, he still cared for his daughter. How could he fail to see the changes in Baal over the years? Besides, being able to follow such a powerful Spirit Beast would be of great benefit to the entire Black Gold Divine Leopard Clan. After all, the Black Gold Divine Leopards would all eventually return to their people.

If they could gain greater strength through their trials, then they should be allowed to go out and experience them!

This had always been a rule of the Black Gold Divine Leopard Clan.

Forest stood up, his eyes radiating a venomous light as he stared fixedly at Xiaohai. "Baal, I will kill you!" he shouted.

"Hmph, don’t make empty boasts. I won’t let you off either!" Xiaohai sneered. ’With your level of strength, killing me is just a dream!’

Even if Forest had advanced by leaps and bounds these past few years, breaking through from the Celestial Embracing Realm to the Venerable Realm, Xiaohai was completely unafraid. He had learned far too much from Qin Li over the years. His perspective was on a completely different level from a Spirit Beast like Forest, who had never once stepped outside the forbidden grounds of Profound Island.

The Black Gold Divine Leopards were belligerent by nature. Hearing that there was a fight to watch, the large group of them who preferred their Spirit Beast forms and were unwilling to undergo Transformation immediately grew restless. Low growls rumbled from their throats, creating a blood-pumping atmosphere.

Qin Li and She She were invited to sit with the Grand Elder. This was partly to show respect, and partly to prevent the two of them from intervening to help Xiaohai.

The young woman, Rainbow, sat next to Qin Li. She sized him up curiously and whispered, "Is the human world really fun?"

Looking at this innocent, charming, yet sharp-witted young woman, Qin Li smiled. "Of course. Just wait. When Baal takes you with him, you’ll see for yourself!"

"Are you so sure Baal will win? Forest is one of the young prodigies of our Black Gold Divine Leopard Clan, you know!" Rainbow asked curiously, blinking her pure, beautiful eyes.

"Who do you want to win?" Qin Li asked with a smile.

"Me? Of course I hope Baal wins! Hmph, Forest lied to me back then. He said Baal was with another woman, and he also said..."

"Ahem." The Grand Elder’s mouth twitched slightly as he let out two soft coughs. The young woman immediately shut her mouth. Her eyes turned to Baal and Forest in the center of the arena, and when her gaze fell upon Baal, it would occasionally reveal a hint of tenderness.

In a wide-open area, Forest looked provocatively at Xiaohai and sneered, "Xiaohai, I may have been weaker than you back then, but now... you haven’t eaten any strength-enhancing treasures for years. You’re definitely no match for me! In a moment, I’m going to rip your skin off, tear out your heart, lungs, and intestines, and then I’ll use my sharp claws to poke a few holes in your guts, leaving you in agony but unable to die right away!"

"Keep dreaming, Forest. You weren’t my match back then, and you’re still not my match now!" Xiaohai looked at Forest with contempt and scoffed, "Do you really think the only treasures in this world that can increase one’s strength are found here? How laughable. Forget it. Even if I told you, you’d never understand. When you’re dead, I hope you reincarnate as a human in your next life. Then you’ll understand just how shallow you are!"

ROAR!

Forest had never left this forbidden land. He felt both a yearning for and a fear of the outside world. Facing Baal, who had returned from that world, he naturally felt psychologically inferior. Hearing Xiaohai’s words, he roared with uncontrollable fury. He pounced toward Xiaohai, instantly reverting to his true form—a massive, powerful Black Panther!

His pounce stirred up a shrieking gale, and he simultaneously spat a volley of more than ten Ice Arrows from his mouth, shooting them at Xiaohai’s entire body!

Ice Arrow, an Elemental Skill of the Black Gold Divine Leopards. Among the clan’s younger generation, Forest had always been a master at using the Ice Arrow skill. Even the Xiaohai of the past had been slightly inferior to him in this regard.

Xiaohai did not transform into a Black Panther. As if intending to humiliate Forest from his superior position, he kept a contemptuous sneer on his face. With a single wave of his hand, a barrier of Protective Gang Qi appeared before him. The dozen or so Ice Arrows struck the Protective Gang Qi, causing only a dozen faint, distorted ripples in the air; they failed to create even a larger wave.

VMMMM!

The massive crowd of Black Gold Divine Leopards watching from all sides all let out an uncontrollable gasp, their eyes widening in disbelief as they stared at Xiaohai.

The Grand Elder had also unconsciously risen to his feet. As the supreme leader of the Black Gold Divine Leopard Clan, he had a clear grasp of the strength of every young prodigy in the clan.

Back then, even if Baal had been stronger than Forest, it was only by a limited margin. Although Baal hadn’t yet counterattacked, as the saying goes, "an expert reveals their skill with a single move." The Grand Elder and the others could see with a single glance that the current Baal held an overwhelming advantage over Forest!

This was no longer a question of whether he could win, but rather a matter of Baal’s mood—a matter of *how* he wanted to win!

The young woman Rainbow’s eyes also sparkled with excitement. She stood up and began to cheer loudly for Baal.

A monstrous wave of jealousy and hatred surged in Forest’s heart. With a furious roar, his body shot toward Baal again like a black bolt of lightning.

He refused to believe that Baal could have improved so much in just a few years!

BAM!

With a dull thud, Xiaohai’s powerful, heavy kick landed squarely on Forest’s soft abdomen, sending him flying. He was thrown into the air before crashing back down to the ground with another thud.

Xiaohai’s body followed like a shadow, rushing toward Forest. He raised his right hand high and brought it down toward Forest’s massive panther head.

"Baal, show mercy!" the Grand Elder shouted urgently.

Xiaohai’s hand stopped barely a finger’s breadth from Forest’s enormous head. Forest’s body trembled; he was completely terrified by the astonishing killing intent emanating from his opponent. He knew that if the Grand Elder hadn’t called out, his head would have absolutely been smashed to pieces by Baal!

"For the sake of his father, who died in battle for our people, and since he didn’t cause you too much harm... just... spare him this once." The Grand Elder looked at Xiaohai with a sincere expression. Although he also hated Forest for deceiving him, the thought of Forest’s father made the Grand Elder’s heart soften.

Xiaohai looked at the fear and pleading in Forest’s eyes, laughed, and stood up. "Spare him? Fine! But, Grand Elder, I, Baal Xiaohai, am the victor, right?"

"Baal Xiaohai?" the young woman Rainbow murmured. "When did he change his name?"