Only I am Venerable

WHOA!

Although one could guess from the sheer size of the Divine Temple that its gate wouldn’t be small, the sight of these two doors still drew involuntary gasps from the crowd.

The gate looked pitifully small compared to the entire Divine Temple, but when measured against the Martial Artists below, it made them seem like ants!

And compared to the Divine Temple as a whole, a person wasn’t even an ant—at best, they were a speck of dust!

Standing before the enormous gate and looking up, it was impossible to see the top of the Divine Temple. The mysterious, faint blue light barrier had also vanished at some point.

As the crowd stood before the Temple Gate, they gazed upward but couldn’t see its peak. All they could see were the black walls, which constantly radiated a desolate, ancient aura, looking just like a cage that had fallen from the heavens!

Fortunately, it wasn’t a real cage. Otherwise, almost no one would be able to escape it.

The entrance to the Divine Temple was recessed by several hundred meters, and this entire recessed area consisted of steps, each several meters wide, leading progressively upward.

At this moment, everyone was standing outside the steps. Some people flew into the air, trying to get a closer look at the massive, dark-yellow gate, but they were blocked by an invisible force.

Most couldn’t even set foot on the steps.

When Qin Li, the Third Elder, and their group walked over, they didn’t attract much attention. Everyone’s gaze was currently captivated by the strange patterns on the enormous, dark-yellow gate.

Qin Li’s gaze swept over the four people who possessed a map and wanted to eliminate him and Shiyu. He saw a look of utter shock in the old man’s eyes.

The old man stared, mesmerized, at the dark-yellow Temple Gate, his eyes filled with a mixture of horror and delight. For years, he had studied his Sect’s Ancient Map until he knew it inside and out. He had especially memorized the patterns of the incomplete Array Map on its back.

Now, seeing it in person, he realized it was completely identical to many of the markings on the gate!

How could this discovery not excite him? Although they only had one piece, it was undeniable that no matter who managed to open the Divine Temple’s gate in the future, they would be guaranteed a share of the benefits!

’However, the first priority was to keep this a secret.’ At this thought, the emaciated old man couldn’t help but glare at the junior brother beside him. ’If it weren’t for his big mouth, how could anyone else have found out about this?’

’Unfortunately, that couple has disappeared. If I ever run into them again, I definitely won’t let them go! Only the dead can truly keep a secret!’

Qin Li was also reeling from shock. He had even more pieces of the map—four of them!

He had also memorized the incomplete Array on the back of these four pieces, and now he saw that they corresponded to half of the patterns on the Temple Gate!

Didn’t this mean that the incomplete Ancient Map had been split into eight pieces back in Ancient Times? And the fifth piece was in the hands of those four people!

’No matter what, I must get my hands on it!’

By now, the crowd had tried everything. They couldn’t even get close to the Temple Gate, let alone enter it.

Just then, an old man in the crowd silently and slowly began walking toward the steps.

The others immediately started murmuring amongst themselves.

"Didn’t we all try that already? There’s an invisible force on those steps; you can’t get on them. Why is someone still trying?"

"Heh, maybe he’s just really confident in his strength!"

"Exactly. Let’s just watch. If nobody can get in, then nobody gets in. But if someone manages to open it, we can all follow them inside!"

As they spoke, the old man’s aura began to erupt from his body. Visible fluctuations in the air around him created a distorted-looking space.

The people below looked at each other in astonishment, not expecting such a powerful Martial Artist to be hidden among them.

"That old man’s strength has to be at least at the Venerable realm, right?"

"I’d say he’s an Earth Venerable at the very least, maybe even a Celestial Venerable!"

"That’s right! Can you feel the fluctuations in the air and his aura? He’s a true expert!"

"I wish I had that kind of power. I’m so jealous!"

"Haha, keep dreaming. You think breaking through to the Venerable realm is that easy?"

"Hmph, it’s not like you’re any stronger than me!"

Amidst the crowd’s discussion, the old man moved very slowly but deliberately, ascending the steps one by one until he was about a third of the way up.

Suddenly, the old man stopped and stood motionless.

The scene fell silent. Everyone watched the old man nervously, unsure what had happened.

Then, the old man suddenly and slowly knelt to the ground, prostrating himself in a full kowtow with extreme piety, worshipping the desolate, magnificent Divine Temple.

The people below were suddenly overcome with a strange sensation, as if a grand, majestic aura was washing over them, compelling them to kneel. In an instant, their minds became crystal clear!

It was like they had a sudden epiphany. The essence of martial techniques they couldn’t grasp before was suddenly understandable, and problems they couldn’t solve were suddenly clear!

Although Qin Li, Shangguan Shiyu, Third Elder Jiang Heng, and the others were farther away, the same feeling reached their minds. Even Shangguan Shiyu couldn’t resist and slowly knelt.

Everyone knelt before the Temple Gate as if in a trance. Of the several hundred people present, only Qin Li remained standing. And only in Qin Li’s Sea of Consciousness did a tremendously powerful force suddenly emerge, instantly repelling the mysterious power radiating from the Divine Temple!

As a result, while Qin Li did have a flash of insight, it was only for a fleeting moment. When he came to his senses, he was met with this shocking scene.

Even Qin Li didn’t know if this was a good thing or a bad thing!

Fortunately, the phenomenon didn’t last long. After about the time it takes for half an incense stick to burn, everyone regained their clarity. Their faces were all beaming with joy; clearly, in that short interval, they had all gained many new insights!

No one noticed that Qin Li was an exception. The Third Elder stood up and couldn’t help but exclaim in admiration, "Truly worthy of being the number one Divine Temple since ancient times, a work that defies Creation itself! Even the aura it radiates can lead to enlightenment. Hehe, a bottleneck that has troubled me for years was just resolved like that! This is wonderful news! Younger Brother Qin, what did you gain just now?"

Qin Li smiled and said, "I’m ashamed to say, I... didn’t gain anything at all."

Third Elder Jiang Heng gave Qin Li a strange look, then glanced at the excited crowd. He felt a deep sense of doubt but didn’t press the matter.

Just then, someone suddenly felt that something was wrong. Everyone else had stood up, but the powerful old man on the steps was still prostrating, completely motionless.

Gradually, everyone stopped their conversations and turned their gazes toward the old man who remained kneeling on the steps.

Qin Li frowned slightly. He sent his Innate Purple Qi out to investigate. He met some resistance at the edge of the steps, but it wasn’t very strong. His Divine Sense flowed out like quicksilver, probing toward the old man.

When Qin Li’s Divine Sense reached the old man and found no signs of life, he froze. The corner of his mouth twitched, but his Divine Sense didn’t linger, continuing to probe toward the Temple Gate.

When it reached the entrance, the towering, dark-yellow gate stood there like a pillar supporting the heavens, giving Qin Li an immense sense of pressure. It was impossible for his Divine Sense to penetrate the gate and see what was inside!

If Qin Li hadn’t been fast enough to retract his Divine Sense, he would have likely been injured!

"Elder Tian, Elder Tian, what’s wrong?" At this point, the members of the old man’s Sect began to shout nervously.

"Elder Tian, come back!"

"What happened to Elder Tian? Could he be...?"

"Impossible! Elder Tian’s power had reached the Celestial Venerable realm. How could anything have happened to him?"

The members of the old man’s Sect had all become incredibly tense.

Qin Li sighed softly and said nothing. For one, he didn’t want to draw attention to himself. For another, even if he spoke up, they might not believe him and could even accuse him of cursing their elder.

However, Third Elder Jiang Heng, who was beside Qin Li, seemed to have noticed something. He sent a telepathic message to Qin Li, asking, "Younger Brother Qin, that old man... did something happen to him?"

Qin Li wasn’t too surprised that the Third Elder could tell he knew something. He nodded and said with a hint of regret, "This Divine Temple is not nearly as peaceful as it appears on the surface! It seems to contain an extremely terrifying power, one that is far beyond what we can withstand!"

The Third Elder nodded in deep agreement. "You’re right. Compared to this Divine Temple, our strength is simply insignificant. In the past... sigh, in the past, I was far too arrogant! There are countless beings in this world stronger than us!"

The Third Elder then lowered his voice and said to Qin Li, "My young brother, I don’t plan to stay here any longer. I’m going to take my people back to the Sect. My little junior sister here is the Sect Leader’s youngest daughter. I can’t bear the responsibility if anything happens to her. So, I must thank you again, Younger Brother Qin, for saving her. Let’s part ways here. Perhaps we’ll have a chance to meet again in the future!"

Qin Li cupped his fists toward Third Elder Jiang Heng and smiled. "Farewell until we meet again!"

The Third Elder then turned, gathered his fellow disciples, and was the first to leave. As they departed, Lu Qi was clearly reluctant to go. She looked at Qin Li with a pitiful, pleading gaze, wanting to say something but ultimately holding her tongue. She followed her fellow disciples away, turning back to look every few steps.

Qin Li sighed inwardly. ’It’s just the fleeting dream of a young girl in love. Perhaps, many years from now, when Lu Qi is a wife and a mother, she’ll look back on this encounter as a beautiful dream from her youth.’

With that thought, Qin Li took Shangguan Shiyu’s delicate, soft hand and said quietly, "Let’s go too. We won’t gain anything by staying here. Besides, now that this Divine Temple has appeared, the East... will no longer be at peace!"