Only I am Venerable

The Spiritual Power was so immense that it sent a chill down everyone’s spine. The weaker disciples of Lengqiu Palace trembled uncontrollably as the Spiritual Power swept over them. Some even collapsed, their legs giving out, and would surely fall gravely ill from the ordeal.

The wave of Spiritual Power came as quickly as it went, but in that brief instant, it had already scanned the entire main peak of Lengqiu Palace, finding nothing out of the ordinary.

Everyone the Spiritual Power had scanned was a disciple of Lengqiu Palace...

In mid-air, an old man in gray robes with deep-set eyes, his pupils glowing with a faint purple light, stood with his brows tightly furrowed, his face a mask of rage. He muttered to himself, ’How is this possible? There were no intruders, so how could a fire start? And where in the hell did that damned bastard hide? With my Spiritual Power, it’s impossible that I couldn’t find him! Could it be... the work of a disciple from within the Sect?’

The old man pondered for a moment before dismissing the idea. Lengqiu Palace never recruited disciples without the Purple Eyes bloodline. Every disciple was indoctrinated from childhood, and those of average strength might never even leave the Sect in their entire lives. They were simply incapable of such an act.

Moreover, the old man had noticed that the fire was highly unusual. It was like a flame without a source and was extremely difficult to extinguish. When that large section of burning buildings had been blasted away, the debris crashed to the ground, and after all the wood had turned to ash, even the soil itself began to burn.

The old man slowly descended and walked toward the smoldering soil. Upon seeing him, all the Lengqiu Palace disciples adopted expressions of utmost reverence.

"Greetings, Supreme Elder!"

The old man waved his hand. "No need for formalities. Go and bring everyone who was here just now!"

The Lengqiu Palace disciples stationed in this area walked over with their heads bowed, trembling in trepidation. They wouldn’t dare provoke the old man before them, not in a million years. Even if the Palace Master himself were present, he would have to treat this man with the utmost respect.

For this old man was one of Lengqiu Palace’s Supreme Elders, Venerable Kuang Lei!

His strength had long since reached the Thunder Tribulation Realm!

It was all thanks to Qin Li’s quick wits and good luck that he had managed to enter a place that completely blocked Divine Sense before this old monster of the Thunder Tribulation Realm arrived. Otherwise, even with the protection of his Innate Purple Qi, he likely would have been discovered by the old man.

Because Venerable Kuang Lei’s power was simply too immense!

"Can someone tell me what just happened?" Venerable Kuang Lei’s expression was grim. Despite his power, he hadn’t been able to immediately find the damned troublemaker. While the rescue at the Library Pavilion had been timely, saving all the Secret Technique Manuals and ancient texts Lengqiu Palace had accumulated over the years, the vast complex of buildings itself had been burned to the ground. If they had been even a moment later, all the books inside would have likely been lost to the flames.

Even Venerable Kuang Lei could not bear such a loss!

The Library Pavilion contained journals left by the Purple-eyed Ancestors from the Primordial Era, powerful combat skills and Cultivation Techniques, and various priceless, one-of-a-kind books from that ancient time—such as texts on Magic, Alchemy, and more.

Although these subjects were commonplace and held little value back in the Primordial Era, in the current age where combat skills were the only profession left, their worth was immeasurable!

"Reporting to the Venerable, I am the Guard Captain of the Library Pavilion," a man said. "There were no abnormalities at all today. Just before the fire started, a messenger from the Palace Master even came to deliver a warning. All of us were on high alert; there were no lapses whatsoever..." The Guard Captain’s voice trailed off. The reason was simple. Though his conscience was clear, if they truly hadn’t been negligent, how could the fire have started?

He worried that saying such a thing in front of the Supreme Elder would provoke his displeasure.

As the Guard Captain’s heart pounded with anxiety, he heard the Supreme Elder give a noncommittal grunt. He immediately felt a sense of relief, knowing that even if the Supreme Elder was displeased, he had at least accepted his answer.

Next, Supreme Elder Venerable Kuang Lei turned to the guards of the building that caught fire second and asked coolly, "Was it the same for you?"

One of the Lengqiu Palace disciples stepped forward and replied in a low voice, "Yes, Venerable. When we saw the fire over there, we didn’t abandon our posts and remained on guard here. But then the flames just... suddenly erupted. We... we don’t know why. There was nothing and no one around."

Venerable Kuang Lei waved his hand dismissively. "It’s not your fault. You are all dismissed."

The men looked at each other, stunned. They never expected Venerable Kuang Lei to let them off so easily. After all, the Venerable was not known for having a good temper; he was famous throughout Lengqiu Palace for his explosive rage. If he weren’t, he wouldn’t have been the first to show up the moment a fire broke out.

However, since he wasn’t pursuing the matter, the Palace Master would likely not hold them accountable for dereliction of duty either.

Though they didn’t understand why, the men immediately bowed to Venerable Kuang Lei and chorused, "Thank you for your mercy, Venerable!"

In truth, it wasn’t that Venerable Kuang Lei didn’t want to hold them responsible, but that even he himself had failed to find the cause of the fire. As a Supreme Elder of extremely high standing in Lengqiu Palace, how could he have the face to punish disciples who were countless generations his junior?

There was one thing, however, that Venerable Kuang Lei was certain of. ’This fire... was no accident. Someone set it! And this person must be incredibly powerful! It’s even possible they’re an old monster on the same level as me!’

The thought made Venerable Kuang Lei even more furious. ’Every Martial Artist in the Thunder Tribulation Realm is an old monster who has lived for thousands of years. Who among them would stoop so low as to sneak into another’s Sect just to set fires?’

Just then, a figure rushed over, followed by a large group of people. The man approached Venerable Kuang Lei, bowed respectfully, and asked, "Venerable, have you discovered anything?"

The newcomer was none other than He Wuya, the Palace Master of Lengqiu Palace. Dressed in yellow robes, he had the refined air of an immortal. His eyes appeared normal, save for an occasional flash of purple light.

"Palace Master," Venerable Kuang Lei said, his old face tinged with shame and anger. "I’m ashamed to say I haven’t found anything. I can only be certain of one thing: this fire was set deliberately, and the culprit’s strength is likely no less than my own! If I find him, I will definitely not let him go!"

He Wuya gave a bitter smile. "Just now on Huiming Peak," he said, "someone attacked and killed many of our disciples and abducted Peak Master Lou Chengfang. I suspect this is a targeted act of revenge!"

"Hmph," Venerable Kuang Lei said coldly. "That brat Lou Chengfang has always had a corrupt character. He was the one who started a conflict with outsiders all those years ago, wasn’t he? Made an enemy over some handmaiden with an impure bloodline. If he’s been kidnapped, so be it. Things will be more peaceful once he’s dead!" He had never liked Lou Chengfang, and with today’s events likely connected to him, the Venerable’s explosive temper finally flared up. He didn’t mince his words, even in front of the Palace Master.

He Wuya, knowing Venerable Kuang Lei’s temper, didn’t take offense. He simply said, "We can’t be certain yet if this is purely about revenge. In the meantime, I must trouble you to help keep watch, Venerable."

"No problem at all," Venerable Kuang Lei readily agreed. "I want to find that troublemaking bastard myself!"

He Wuya let out a long sigh of relief. With Venerable Kuang Lei personally overseeing the situation, Lengqiu Palace was unlikely to fall into major chaos. While the Sect had many powerful experts in its background, not all of them would appear in public as readily as Venerable Kuang Lei.

It was normal for those renowned old masters to remain in seclusion for decades. Unless the sky itself was falling, they would rarely emerge. They dedicated nearly all their time to cultivation, completely ignoring worldly affairs.

He Wuya looked at the collapsed building before them, his brows knitted tightly as he sighed, "To have disturbed the ancestors’ tomb... what a terrible sin!"

Hearing this, even the perpetually arrogant Venerable Kuang Lei’s expression grew solemn, and he bowed toward the collapsed building. Then he snarled, "Don’t let me find the bastard who did this!"

...

A great door slammed shut, cutting off all connection to the outside world. Qin Li found his Divine Sense completely unable to penetrate the walls from any angle. He was totally cut off. A sense of unease crept into his heart. ’What exactly is this Earth Palace? Could it be a trap?’

’Then again,’ he thought, ’that seems unlikely. The people of Lengqiu Palace aren’t gods. How could they have predicted my arrival? And even if they did know I was coming, would they really need to go to such elaborate lengths? That would be giving me far too much credit!’

Lost in thought, Qin Li extended his Divine Sense downward again, but the result was the same. He couldn’t penetrate the tunnel walls. As for what lay ahead, he didn’t need his Divine Sense—his own eyes could see a long passageway stretching forward.

The passageway stretched on endlessly, seeming to lead deep into the heart of the giant mountain.

The passageway was pitch-black, with no light source to be seen. Qin Li proceeded slowly downward. Fortunately, there didn’t seem to be any traps.

The deeper he went, the more a bone-chilling cold permeated the air. Even Qin Li had to start cultivating to resist the frigid aura, which seemed to emanate from nowhere.

Qin Li was shocked. ’I’m already a Martial Artist at the Pill Nascent Soul Transformation realm! On the Celestial Essence Continent, that might not be the absolute peak, but it’s certainly nothing to scoff at.’

’If even I have to cultivate to resist this cold, wouldn’t an ordinary Martial Artist be frozen into an ice sculpture instantly? I’m afraid even a Martial Artist at the Venerable Realm wouldn’t be able to enter this place!’

With these thoughts in mind, he continued on his way down. After rounding a bend, he suddenly saw a dim, yellow Everlasting Lamp burning in the distance.