Only I am Venerable

Feng Xuan, a high-ranking elder of the Feng family, possessed the strength of an Earth Venerable.

One hundred and thirty years ago, Feng Xuan had broken through from the Celestial Embracing Realm to the Venerable Realm. He had mastered his family’s hereditary Celestial Eagle Twelve Claw Combat Skill to a sublime degree, arguably making him the greatest practitioner in the Feng family’s history.

In truth, experts like Feng Xuan were not uncommon on Profound Island. This was a key reason why many families and sects, which appeared to be of only moderate or even low strength, dared to openly challenge the Qin Family.

Not all Martial Artists in this world were so high-profile and flamboyant, making a name for themselves in the Martial World. Many Independent Martial Artists remained obscure, yet their strength could well reach an astonishing level.

After all, once one’s Martial Skill cultivation reached a certain level, it became crucial to also cultivate one’s mind and character. This was why the powerful Elders and Supreme Elders of major clans and sects were so fond of cultivating in seclusion.

Consequently, there were perhaps only a few dozen well-known Supreme Powerhouses on Profound Island, mostly belonging to the various superpowers. After all, as a superpower, even if you wanted to remain hidden, you would be looked down upon if you didn’t display some of your strength. In reality, however, the true number of Supreme Martial Artists far exceeded this figure.

The Feng family was a prime example of this. The family’s strength lay in its younger generation, which included many Martial Artists at the Celestial Shattering Realm and Celestial Integration Realm. They were the foundation of the clan and the true measure of its overall power.

Fifteen years ago, Feng Xuan had finally broken through the Human Venerable realm and achieved the power of an Earth Venerable. This was a top family secret, known only to a handful of people even within the Feng family itself.

The Cui Family of Profound Island, one of the Seven Great Superpowers, was a behemoth that the Feng family would never have dared to provoke.

Even with Feng Xuan having reached the Earth Venerable realm, they lacked the courage to provoke the Cui Family. The thought had never even crossed their minds.

But the Martial World is always in flux. No one could have imagined that the Cui Family—with its unimaginably deep foundations, its terrifying strength, its arrogant and domineering ways, and its high-profile, ostentatious members—would be utterly annihilated in just a few short months, vanishing like smoke into thin air.

This fact stunned the countless families and sects on Profound Island, but it also filled many ambitious schemers with excitement.

Chaos gives rise to great men!

There was never a truer saying.

The Feng family instinctively felt their opportunity had arrived. They had never had the power to disrupt the established order on Profound Island. While there was occasional friction between the various powers, all-out, life-or-death wars were few and far between, as no one could bear the devastating consequences.

But things were different now. The Cui Family had actually been annihilated!

The Cui Family’s businesses on Profound Island alone were enough to make everyone green with envy, to say nothing of the wealth they had accumulated over ten millennia. This fortune was so vast that even a Great Power at the Shattered Void realm would be tempted by it! After all, once a Martial Artist reached a certain level, their consumption of various Heavenly and Earthly Treasures would reach an astonishing rate. Without the backing of a fortune vast enough to rival a nation’s, the cultivation of a single Great Power could bankrupt an entire family!

So, upon learning that the Cui Family’s entire treasury had fallen into the hands of the Qin Family, Feng Xuan’s ambition began to swell uncontrollably.

But the Feng family had always maintained a low profile, so they made no overt moves at first. They simply notified all their family members to prepare for battle.

Then, as Profound Island grew restless, like a gathering storm, the various family powers began to flood into Fengsha City. When Feng Xuan learned that the three great superpowers of the island—the Slaying Sword Lin Family, the Anger Sword Xiao Family, and the Fire Sword Wang Family—were fanning the flames from the shadows, he knew the Feng family’s chance to rise had finally come!

Success always comes at a price. Feng Xuan, the Feng family Patriarch, and the other high-ranking members had painstakingly schemed over how to reap the greatest benefits from the coming siege against the Qin Family.

Initially, many disagreed with such a radical approach—robbing the Qin Family’s businesses in Feng City, injuring their members and servants, smashing their shops, and so on. They worried it would provoke the Qin Family’s frenzied retaliation.

But Feng Xuan confidently held his ground. In his eyes, ’it wasn’t that the Qin Family didn’t want to retaliate; they simply didn’t dare... nor did they have the ability!’

’What was the Qin Family? They called themselves a mid-tier family, but did they even have a single Supreme Powerhouse? The Feng family did! Not only did they have him, an immensely powerful Earth Venerable, holding down the fort, but they also had six Supreme Elders at the Human Venerable realm! And on top of that, dozens of members at the Celestial Embracing Realm, hundreds at the Celestial Integration Realm, and hundreds more at the Celestial Shattering Realm!’

’With such strength, why should they fear the paltry Qin Family?’

’Besides, the Qin Family was already doomed this time. With so many families and sects involved, plus the three great superpowers fanning the flames, it would be a cold day in hell if they still couldn’t destroy the Qin Family!’

’As for Qin Li and his friends, Feng Xuan was even more dismissive. A mere youth, no matter how strong—even if he was stronger than that Cui Family genius, the Venerable Cui Leng—at best, he was only at the Human Venerable realm, and that was already a generous overestimation! He was just relying on a powerful Combat Skill and a miraculous Step Technique. Even a fierce tiger can’t fend off a pack of wolves, let alone this Qin Li of the Qin Family, who at best was a mere tiger cub who had yet to reach a truly terrifying level of power!’

’The actions of the Thousand Mechanism Sect and the Qian Family were, in Feng Xuan’s view, even more contemptible. If families and sects like his, which openly pressured and attacked the Qin Family, were considered true scoundrels, then in his eyes, the Thousand Mechanism Sect and the Qian Family were nothing but sanctimonious hypocrites!’

’When all was said and done, wasn’t everyone just after the astonishing wealth in the Qin Family’s hands?’

Thus, with all these factors combined, Feng Xuan finally decided: either do nothing at all, or if they were going to make a move... they would make it a vicious one! He would make every family and sect on Profound Island take notice, be stunned, and feel... fear!

’Yes, there was no rule saying it always had to be the big devouring the small in this world. If that were the case, the world would have been unified long ago. What great powers and great families would be left?’

This time, Feng Xuan had brought over thirty members of the Feng family to Fengsha City. His goal was to apply further pressure on the Qin Family and, at the same time, display the might of the Feng family to the Qin Family and all the other clans and sects watching from the sidelines!

’Attacking Qin Wenxuan hadn’t actually been part of his plan. It was a chance encounter, not deliberate. But what was done was done. So what?’

’Would the Qin Family dare to resist?’

So, when Feng Ziqi—a Martial Artist at the Celestial Embracing Realm who was young enough to be his grandson—brutally beat Qin Wenxuan, Feng Xuan merely gave a faint smile upon hearing the news.

’Bullying them right on their own doorstep! This... this was the confidence a true powerhouse ought to have!’

Even when Feng Xuan later heard that the man who had been beaten was the father of Profound Island’s legendary Qin Li, he only smiled nonchalantly. He then laughed at the slightly apprehensive Feng Ziqi and said, "Don’t you worry, my dear grandson. Even if that Qin Li shows up in person, I’ll make sure he enters vertically and leaves horizontally!"

At over one hundred and fifty years old, Feng Ziqi was considered young and promising on Profound Island. He naturally knew much more about Qin Li, who had been in the limelight for the past few years, than his grandfather did.

However, he had never personally witnessed Qin Li in battle, nor had he ever met the man himself. Although the Feng family had sent a few juniors to the Grand Venerable Tournament for experience, Feng Ziqi hadn’t gone, as he was over the age limit. As a result, he was rather dismissive of the younger members’ descriptions of Qin Li’s power, believing they were exaggerating.

After all, most Martial Artists in the Martial World were prone to exaggerating events to make themselves sound more worldly and experienced.

Therefore, after hearing Feng Xuan’s words, Feng Ziqi’s worries were assuaged. He smiled and said, "With Grandfather’s immense strength, you naturally don’t need to worry about a minor figure like Qin Li. It looks like our Feng family is truly going to rise to prominence on Profound Island this time!"

Feng Xuan stroked a long strand of his beard, an irrepressible look of triumph in his eyes as he declared nonchalantly, "In the future, the history of Profound Island will surely have a bold and brilliant Chapter written by... the Feng family!"

Pfft!

A sudden, derisive scoff echoed from the doorway of their room. It was followed by a man’s calm voice. The voice was pleasant, but his words caused the expressions of the Feng family members inside to change instantly, their eyes filling with disbelief.

"Rise to prominence? I think you’re about to be wiped from the map! A bunch of fools courting death. Oblivion is at your doorstep, and you’re still here singing each other’s praises. How amusing!"

Feng Xuan’s face flushed crimson. ’He had felt a bit embarrassed himself by the smug words he’d just spoken, but he’d said them in front of his own family, so it was no big deal. But for someone to have reached their door, overheard their conversation, and for them to have been completely unaware?’

’This was an enormous loss of face! Were the guards outside all dead?’ A flash of fury crossed Feng Xuan’s eyes.

Feng Ziqi shouted coldly, "Who’s there? Show yourself, you skulking coward!"

The moment Feng Ziqi finished speaking, Feng Xuan roared, "Watch out!"

The seemingly solid wooden door of the inn room suddenly exploded, shattering into countless tiny splinters that shot toward everyone inside like a volley of arrows!

Feng Xuan snorted coldly. His hands became a blur, creating a flurry of afterimages that looked like eagle claws. A powerful wave of energy surged through the room.

The incoming wooden splinters seemed to be seized by an unseen force, freezing less than half a meter from the Feng family members. Then, with a loud CLATTER, they all fell to the floor, reduced to a pile of debris.

Through the dust and smoke, several figures walked in from outside.