Only I am Venerable

Over the past few days, Leng Yao, Lin Yunlan, Qin Hanyue, and Qin Wenxuan had all entered closed-door cultivation after consuming Blast Pills, Strengthening Pills, and Essence Pills.

A few days ago, Xiaohai had finally emerged from seclusion, breaking through to the Ultimate Venerable Realm from the Celestial Embracing Realm!

For the past twenty-some days, Qin Li had been standing guard for them. Now, his parents, along with Leng Yao, Lin Yunlan, and the others, had all passed through the most dangerous period.

One had to admit, the Ancient Pill Formula left behind by Prince Wu truly had heaven-defying effects. After consuming the elixirs, all four of them experienced an explosive surge in strength that had yet to cease!

The rest of the process involved them slowly digesting that energy and converting it into their own power.

The Qin Family was now in an incredibly powerful position. Aside from the three great families, nearly all the families and sects that had opposed them had either been annihilated or had obediently come to offer apologies and reparations.

The Qin Family’s bloody campaign of slaughter had truly stunned and terrified them. Fearing the Qin Family’s retaliation would befall them next, they decided it was better to simply apologize and make amends.

The Golden Eagle Spirit and the Ink Eagle were also on their way back, leading the surviving Qin Family disciples who had fought through bloody battles.

Now, all eyes were fixed on the Qin Family and the three great families. Everyone wanted to see whether the three families would heed Qin Li’s words and come to offer their apologies. And if they didn’t, how would Qin Li react?

In his small courtyard, Qin Li lay in a rocking chair under a grape trellis, his eyes slightly closed. The afternoon sun filtered through the grapevines, casting dappled light upon him.

Just then, Qin Suo walked in from outside. His expression was composed, and his every gesture finally carried the bearing of a great clan’s patriarch. He looked at Qin Li and asked softly, "The three great families still haven’t made a move. I don’t think they’re coming. How do you want to handle this?"

"We’ll take the fight to them! I want to train every disciple of the Qin Family. To make the entire family powerful, we need vast financial resources to support them. The wealth we obtained from the Cui Family is enough to last us several hundred, or even a thousand, years. But who would complain about having too much money? It’s not like it’s going to bite you."

Qin Li’s words made Qin Suo give a wry smile. "That may be true," he said with a nod, "but are the three great families really so easy to deal with? Can you guarantee that one of them doesn’t have a Shattered Void Realm ancestor hidden away, just like the Lin Family did? After all, families like theirs don’t put all their eggs in one basket. It’s impossible that they’ve shown all their cards."

Qin Li opened his eyes, glanced at Qin Suo, and pointed to the empty rocking chair beside him. "So what if they do?" he said. "Heh. These Shattered Void Realm Martial Artists on Profound Island... their realms may have been elevated, but in truth, they are no match for the Shattered Void Realm Martial Artists from the Land of the Far West!"

Qin Suo’s cultivation realm was too low for him to fully grasp Qin Li’s meaning. He couldn’t help but ask, "Is there really a difference? Ultimately, isn’t an increase in strength just an increase in power?" As he spoke, he sat down in the other rocking chair, leaned back, and let out a long, comfortable sigh. He had been incredibly busy lately. Vast amounts of treasure were continuously being transported to the Qin Family, and in fact, the value of this new wealth already exceeded that of the treasure seized from the Cui Family.

The ironic thing was, no one dared to covet this treasure now.

Qin Li first nodded, then shook his head. "I haven’t reached the Shattered Void Realm myself, so I can’t be absolutely certain, but it’s definitely not just an increase in power as you say. The Shattered Void Realm represents a transformation from combat skills to Magic!"

"Magic?" Qin Suo looked at Qin Li, his face a mask of confusion.

"Yes, Magic. It’s comprised of ’Law’ and ’Skill’!" Qin Li explained softly. "The ’Law’ part refers to the fundamental Laws of nature—for example, the Law of Water, the Law of Fire, the Space Laws, the Law of Wind. The most obvious change upon reaching the Shattered Void Realm is that a Martial Artist gains control over certain Space Laws, giving them the ability to tear open the void and perform a Void Crossing. However, everyone’s level of control and understanding of the Space Laws differs, so there are varying levels of proficiency. It’s like arriving at a treasure vault: some people have the key, and others don’t. It might be hard to grasp, but that’s as much as I know for now."

Qin Suo’s furrowed brow relaxed slightly. "I think I’m starting to understand what you mean," he said. "It’s like the battle between Miss Xiaoxue and that old ancestor from the Lin Family. Clearly, the Lin Family’s ancestor was one of those without a key. He could only rely on his old habits and fight with brute force."

"That’s right. And Xiaoxue doesn’t actually have a key, either!" Qin Li sighed. An image of the white-robed woman from the Moon Shaking Immortal Palace, a Saintess he had met at sea, surfaced in his mind. ’Yunyan and the others are there, too. I hope they can accomplish great things. The Land of the Far West is truly as mysterious and powerful as they say. The Shattered Void Realm Martial Artists there must have mastered both Law and Skill!’

Qin Suo then asked, "So ’Skill’ refers to the methods and techniques for applying the Laws? Just like how our combat skills are methods for applying Primordial Power?"

Qin Li nodded, smiling at Qin Suo. "You may not be the most powerful, but your insight is truly admirable!"

Qin Suo chuckled, a little embarrassed. "Well, my dear brother, when can you spare a few of those miraculous elixirs for me? I’d like to raise my strength a bit, too, you know?"

Qin Li nodded. "Of course. I’ve said it before: the whole reason I’m working so hard to extort these families and sects is to make the Qin Family’s power reign supreme on Profound Island! We must catch up to them at a fundamental level, surpass them, and then... leave them far behind in the dust!"

Qin Suo was taken aback for a moment. He had long known that Qin Li intended to revitalize the Qin Family of Fengsha City, but he had never heard him state it so explicitly himself.

Energized, Qin Suo immediately took his leave. He was going to make arrangements to select the most outstanding and loyal disciples from the Qin Clan, preparing them for training in the near future to become the backbone of the family’s rise to power.

He even forgot the original purpose of his visit: to ask Qin Li how he planned to deal with the three great families. But in truth, had Qin Suo, a man known for his meticulous nature, really forgotten? Not likely.

In truth, everyone within the Qin Family, just like the outsiders, was waiting to see how Qin Li would handle the three great families. After all, he had already made his declaration.

The three great families, as the superpowers of Profound Island, had always held an invincible and unshakable reputation in the minds of its people.

How could anyone hope to contend with a foundation so profound it made one shudder? In a way, Qin Suo had deliberately ignored the question to spare Qin Li any embarrassment, just in case he was actually planning to back down. Pressing the issue would only make things awkward.

Even if the conflict between the Qin Family and the three great families fizzled out, no one would dare make a move against the Qin Family again. The past month of bloody slaughter, along with the might of the Golden Eagle Spirit and the Ink Eagle, had already left an equally indelible impression on the people of Profound Island.

Still, such an outcome would leave many feeling a sense of regret. Of course, whether that regret stemmed from missing a spectacular showdown or from not seeing both sides suffer devastating losses was a matter for debate.

But in Qin Li’s mind, a decision had been made from the very beginning—from the moment all pretenses with the three great families were torn away.

Many people believed the Qin Family was making a show of force, and that the best targets for this were the families and sects annihilated by the Golden Eagle Spirit and the Ink Eagle.

While not the largest, they were all reputable families and sects on Profound Island, most of them quite powerful. Destroying them seemed like the perfect way to establish dominance.

It would make any restless powers dare not underestimate the Qin Family ever again.

In reality, however, Qin Li had never intended to use those families and sects to make a show of force. Destroying them was simply the Qin Family’s revenge.

Nothing more.

The true targets Qin Li had chosen to establish his dominance were the three great families!

Qin Li had always been audacious. His ambitions went far beyond a single Profound Island.

From the very beginning, the Qin Family had started down a path of no return. No one would ever again see them as a family that could be bullied at will. But by the same token, the Qin Family now had far too many enemies.

Only by keeping the Qin Family under constant pressure could they inspire a powerful sense of unity and motivate its disciples to strive for greatness.

The Qin Family was already past the point of no return with the three great families. Even if these recent events hadn’t happened, Qin Li would have looked for a chance to pick a fight. Without using a superpower as a stepping stone, the Qin Family could never hope to replace and surpass them to become the true number one power on Profound Island.

The golden sun gradually sank in the west. A faint smile touched Qin Li’s lips. He knew the three great families wouldn’t come. ’If they did,’ he thought, ’they wouldn’t be the three great families.’

’So, just as I promised, I will have to pay you a visit myself.’

Over the past several days, Qin Li had been accessing the memories Hu Yanbo had passed down to him. They contained a wealth of information about understanding Laws and using Skills beyond the Shattered Void Realm. Based on She She’s unique characteristics, he had selected several techniques for her, and she too was now immersed in cultivation.

「On the thirtieth day.」

A light rain began to fall in the early morning, filling the air with a fresh scent. In the dilapidated square before the Qin Family’s estate, three contingents of horsemen slowly approached from three different directions. They moved in perfect formation, as if by prior arrangement, each group numbering around one hundred men.

They gathered in the Qin Family’s square, the riders and their mounts ignoring the ruined state of the plaza, traversing it as if it were perfectly flat ground.

One contingent was dressed entirely in black martial attire, with longswords strapped to their backs. Another was clad in yellow, also carrying swords. The final group wore crimson uniforms.

The three groups converged, their combined presence creating a powerful aura that dared anyone to underestimate them.