Only I am Venerable

No one had expected this woman to be so formidable. And with just a single move!

Those were two Celestial Venerable realm Spirit Beasts, not two Celestial Level Spirit Beasts!

Moreover, the Jade Blood Sword that had pierced the heart of the Wolf Guard to the side was gradually disappearing... An attack using this kind of Magic was completely beyond their imagination!

CLAP! CLAP! CLAP!

Qin Li clapped his hands lightly, looking at Shangguan Shiyu with approval. He chuckled and said, "Shiyu, you’ve finally become a true master!"

Shiyu’s pretty face flushed slightly. Although she still appeared to be a young matron in her thirties, her shy expression made Qin Li stare blankly for a moment. He couldn’t help but think, ’This girl would probably be just as captivating even if she were dressed as an old woman in her eighties, wouldn’t she?’

At that moment, Sun Sea’s heart was completely filled with immense joy. He even felt like he was dreaming. Looking at the others, he saw they were all standing there dumbfounded, seemingly yet to recover from the shock.

Everyone felt as if they were in a dream, right up until Sun Sea pushed open the door they had never dared to approach and walked into the enormous house that had been a forbidden land to them.

Only then did the people suddenly realize... this was not a dream!

This was reality!

No one cheered, but excitement washed over everyone’s faces, and most had tears welling in their eyes. They had truly, finally seen the dawn of victory!

Sun Sea led Qin Li and Shangguan Shiyu to the middle of the house. There, a spring bubbled up, its water crystal clear. Even from a dozen meters away, they could feel the frigid aura it emanated.

If not for the circumstances, people would probably have mistaken it for an ordinary spring and, if thirsty, would have knelt beside it to take a few refreshing gulps.

Yet the water produced by this very spring was what the Great Witch Master called the Divine Water. Qin Li and Shangguan Shiyu looked at each other. If Leng Yao were here, she could probably explain its mysteries. As it was, neither Qin Li nor Shiyu had any answers. Although Qin Li’s Divine Sense was powerful, he couldn’t analyze the water to determine its specific effects.

"This is the Divine Water!" Sun Sea said in admiration as he walked up to the spring. "This water looks ordinary—at most, you could call it a cold spring. But in reality, it has miraculous effects. As long as you’re not dead, no matter how severe your injuries, drinking this water will lead to a rapid recovery. It might not be an instant cure, but it’s close!"

"Is it really that miraculous?" Shangguan Shiyu was somewhat skeptical. She walked over and reached out a hand, intending to test the spring water, but Sun Sea immediately stopped her.

"Don’t touch it!" Sun Sea’s voice was so loud it startled Shiyu, who looked at him in confusion.

Sun Sea explained, a bit sheepishly, "Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you. You can’t touch this water! Have you noticed how incredibly ugly the Spirit Beasts here become after their Transformation?"

Shiyu and Qin Li nodded in unison. In truth, they had also been a little puzzled. It wasn’t that Spirit Beasts had to become beautiful after their Transformation, but at the very least... they shouldn’t have been *that* ugly, right?

Sun Sea gave a bitter smile. "At first, no one knew that besides saving lives, the water also had this side effect. No matter who drinks it, their appearance will become ugly. Drink it enough times, and you’ll become hideous! Look at the Great Witch Master. The Divine Water, combined with the Divine Grass, not only heals but also rapidly increases one’s power. That’s why he and the others consume it daily, and as a result, every single one of them is grotesquely ugly!"

Hearing this, Shiyu felt a lingering fear and took two steps back. Qin Li didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. He had thought this was some kind of treasure, but he never expected the side effect to be so severe. Forget Shiyu; even he had no desire to go near it after hearing that.

However, Qin Li believed that if he could get a sample back to Leng Yao, she could probably remove this side effect and might even discover other miraculous uses for it.

As long as he took care of the Great Witch Master, this Mysterious Land and its cluster of castles would naturally fall into his hands. Once his family relocated here, it wouldn’t be too late to conduct research then.

"And the Divine Grass, where is that?" Qin Li asked.

"In the backyard!" Sun Sea said, pointing to the house’s back door.

When Qin Li and Shangguan Shiyu finally saw the Divine Grass, they were startled by the Spiritual Qi it emanated. The Spiritual Qi was so dense that it almost felt like it was about to condense into a solid form!

The plant that had borne the Vermilion Fruit Qin Li obtained back then was only on this level! Yet here, there was a massive patch of it—a quick glance suggested it covered at least several acres!

Moreover, according to Sun Sea, this Divine Grass grew incredibly fast. Like chives, you could harvest a batch, and a new one would grow right back.

This left both Qin Li and Shiyu amazed. ’If we could get rid of the side effects,’ they thought, ’the disciples of the Qin Family would be able to improve countless times faster than before!’

This discovery was a pleasant surprise for Qin Li. He turned his head, looked at Sun Sea beside him, and asked with a smile, "The Great Witch Master has fled, and even if he returns, his forces have been crippled. What are your plans?"

"Plans..." Sun Sea glanced at the other stronger Martial Artists. They all had blank looks on their faces. They had been captured and brought here as slaves to the Spirit Beasts for many years. Before this, they had even grown numb, accustomed to being ordered around by beasts.

Now that their way of life had been so abruptly changed, they truly felt a bit lost about what to do next.

Just then, Sun Sea bowed to Qin Li and said, "Senior, if I may ask, what was your purpose in coming here?"

Qin Li thought to himself, ’This Sun Sea is a promising talent. He thinks on his feet and is very clever!’

Qin Li didn’t lie, stating directly, "I’m looking for a place for my family to settle."

Sun Sea was silent for a moment. But this sort of thing was quite normal. Their ancestors had also found this place by accident. It was only natural that a stranger would eventually break in. Besides, this land currently belonged to the Great Witch Master, not to their two-thousand-odd group of the old, weak, sick, and disabled.

"Then, I wonder if it would be possible for us to remain here and share this Mysterious Land with your family, Senior? Of course, we won’t occupy the castle complex. For us, this place holds only memories of humiliation," Sun Sea said after some thought.

The others showed no signs of opposition. It was clear that Sun Sea held a great deal of prestige among this group.

Qin Li smiled. "Of course, you can. We are all human. This Mysterious Land originally belonged to no one; it isn’t the property of a single family. If you are willing, you could even merge into my family and become a branch clan. If not, then we can coexist peacefully!"

He called it peaceful coexistence, but Qin Li knew very well that Sun Sea and his people would have no impact on the Qin Family whatsoever. Once the Qin Family moved in, however, the impact on them would be immense!

Even if they didn’t agree to be absorbed now, he believed it wouldn’t be long before they were slowly encroached upon by the Qin Family.

The strong prey on the weak. That is the law of survival.

If it weren’t so, humanity would probably have gone extinct long ago!

Sun Sea thought for a moment, then said, "We’ll need to discuss this. For now, however, you must be wary of the Great Witch Master’s revenge, Senior. Although there aren’t many Spirit Beasts living here, the Great Witch Master can actually summon all the Spirit Beasts in the entire Mysterious Land! While their individual strength might not be great, they would be a terrifying force when united!"

Qin Li nodded. "I understand."

Sun Sea added, "However, the Great Witch Master might not do that. The amount of Divine Water is limited, and if he did, he would have to give a portion of the Divine Water and Divine Grass to those Spirit Beasts. The Great Witch Master wouldn’t be willing to do that. Therefore, my guess is that he is most likely to lead his remaining forces in a sneak attack against us!"

Qin Li nodded. Then the group left, and Sun Sea personally locked the main door. Once that door was locked, unless it was destroyed by brute force, no one would be able to access the Divine Water or Divine Grass.

Sun Sea arranged for Qin Li and Shangguan Shiyu to stay in a guest room. In his eyes, since they were of such an age, they must have long been husband and wife. He never would have guessed that they were actually in their twenties and still unmarried.

However, it wasn’t the first time the two of them had shared a room, so they were both quite composed about it.

After everyone had left, sometime in the latter half of the night, Shangguan Shiyu asked softly, "How strong is that Great Witch Master?"

Qin Li thought for a moment and said, "Very strong. I suspect it... has already reached the Pill Nascent Soul Transformation realm!"

"What? That’s impossible, isn’t it? Pill Nascent Soul Transformation... There are probably very few experts of that realm even in the Land of the Far West. How could one possibly appear here?" Shangguan Shiyu said, covering her mouth in shock.

"Heh, what’s so impossible about it? They are Ancient Demons who have lived for tens of thousands of years. I estimate that in just a few more years, the Old Ape Bai Zhongshan could also reach this realm!" Qin Li said slowly, a thoughtful expression on his face. "Besides, with this strange Divine Water and Divine Grass, it’s not at all impossible for them to reach such a level!"

"If that old and ugly Great Witch Master really is an expert at the Pill Nascent Soul Transformation realm, then killing it won’t be easy at all!" Shangguan Shiyu said softly. "Also, do you think Sun Sea and the others will willingly let our family move in here? Won’t they think it’s like escaping the wolf’s den only to enter the tiger’s maw?"

Qin Li gave a faint smile. "Even setting aside the fact that we saved them, what if they do think that? So what? Shiyu, remember this: never give anyone the chance to take advantage of your kindness. It’s fine to be kind, but it is absolutely not okay to let people think your kindness is a weakness to be bullied!"

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