Only I am Venerable

Han Mei walked out of the gates of Moon Shaking Immortal Palace. She stood there, glanced back, and suddenly, tears streamed down her face. This was the place where she had grown up. Here, she had received countless honors and endless praise. At a very young age, she had become the Saintess of Moon Shaking Immortal Palace, and there could only ever be one Saintess! Moreover, if nothing went wrong, the Saintess was destined to become the next Palace Master.

From Ancient Times to the present, only three Saintesses had failed to become the Palace Master of Moon Shaking Immortal Palace for various reasons. And now, she had become the fourth.

And she had been expelled from the Moon Shaking Immortal Palace Sect in the most disgraceful and shameful way possible.

This made Han Mei’s feelings toward Moon Shaking Immortal Palace extremely complicated. On one hand, this was her home, the place where she had grown up. She loved it here and cherished her days in the Moon Shaking Immortal Palace. On the other hand, she detested this place. She detested Qin Li, detested Yongchun, detested Elder Hu and Elder Mo, and even resented her own master, Mingyue Ascendant, for her heartlessness.

’If she had just spoken up for me, I wouldn’t have been cast out. At worst, they would have just revoked my status as Saintess.’

"You just wait! One day, I’ll make you realize how grave a mistake you’ve made today! I’ll make every single one of you regret the words you said and the things you did today!"

Han Mei muttered to herself, her face a mask of resentment. Beside her, her two maids, Gu Yu and Fang Xiang, were also in tears, silent and crestfallen.

With that, Han Mei turned around and strode away without looking back.

She had only walked a few miles, still within the sphere of influence of the Moon Shaking Immortal Palace, when she suddenly frowned and stopped. Unsure what was happening, Fang Xiang and Gu Yu stopped as well.

Han Mei said coolly, "Who’s there? Show yourself!"

"Heh heh, Miss Han Mei, the Moon Shaking Immortal Palace is blind. Why not come to my Hai Family?" A dashing young man in his twenties appeared before Han Mei.

This was one of the disciples the Hai Family had brought with them. When Han Mei left, he had been instructed by the Hai Family’s upper echelon to follow her secretly.

One had to understand that while Han Mei’s power might not seem particularly formidable, her greatest advantage was her youth.

Han Mei was an absolute peerless genius, the kind that appeared once in a thousand years. Such a person would be a coveted prize anywhere. Now that the Hai Family had come across her, how could they possibly let her go?

Han Mei was momentarily stunned, but then an even greater wave of resentment surged through her. ’Do you see this? Do you all see this? I, Han Mei, am not unwanted! The moment I leave, someone is already begging for me to join them! Master, we will meet again one day. When we do, I will show you whether I am truly inferior to that Qin Li!’

Thinking this, Han Mei said coolly, "Can you speak for the Hai Family?" Her tone carried a faint trace of contempt. Although the Hai Family was powerful, it didn’t mean that all its members held high status.

At the very least, with her status, Han Mei was qualified to speak directly with the Hai Family Patriarch!

The young man didn’t seem annoyed, as if he understood Han Mei’s temperament well. He said with a smile, "Naturally, I am not the one who can make the decision."

"If you can’t make the decision, then why are you following me? Stop following me, or I won’t be so polite!" Han Mei said icily, showing the young man no courtesy whatsoever.

"Miss Han, could you please hear me out?" The young man’s expression didn’t change as he continued, "I have just been instructed by the Hai Family’s upper echelon. If Miss Han is willing to join our Hai Family, an Elder position is guaranteed. Other details are negotiable! Miss Han, an Elder position in the Hai Family is in no way inferior to your status as Saintess. Besides..."

The young man stopped there, closing his mouth and saying no more. But Han Mei knew perfectly well what he was going to say. ’Besides what? Besides the fact that you’re not the Saintess anymore!’

Though the sentence was left unfinished, it still infuriated Han Mei. So she said coldly, "Thank you for the Hai Family’s kind offer, but I think I’ll pass."

With that, she turned to leave.

The young man, seeming to curse himself for his slip of the tongue, hurriedly called out from behind, "Wait, Miss Han! I... I will take the liberty of telling you something."

Han Mei stopped but didn’t turn around. She said flatly, "Speak."

"Um, Miss Han, you know of a person named Li Qing, right?" As the young man spoke, he deliberately glanced left and right.

Han Mei trembled slightly. Li Qing. A name both familiar and distant. How could she possibly forget it? Ordinarily, Han Mei considered this name taboo. If anyone dared mention it in front of her, she would certainly fly into a rage.

Because this person was from the same generation as Han Mei’s master, Mingyue Ascendant. And what’s more, her identity had been the Saintess of Moon Shaking Immortal Palace back then!

But during the struggle for the position of Palace Master, she made many mistakes, was attacked and impeached, and ultimately lost to Mingyue Ascendant, whose reputation and status at the time were second only to her own.

After losing the position of Palace Master, Li Qing vanished from Moon Shaking Immortal Palace without a trace. Hearing this member of the Hai family rashly bring her up today, Han Mei suddenly thought of a possibility. ’Could it be that the Hai Family was the reason Li Qing lost the position of Palace Master back then?’ Many people were unclear about what had really happened in the past, just as countless Low Level disciples would have no idea what truly transpired today when she lost her status as Saintess and was expelled from the palace.

’I lost my position as Saintess today because the Hai Family unhesitatingly sold me out for passing them information. If the Hai Family hadn’t revealed it, why would I have needed to admit anything?’

’If I hadn’t said anything, how could Elder Yongchun have gotten any leverage over me?’

So, it would have been better if the young man from the Hai Family hadn’t brought this up. Now that he had, Han Mei felt a genuine rage, and a hint of killing intent rose in her heart. She barely suppressed it and asked coolly, "What does this have to do with you?"

"Heh heh, it doesn’t have much to do with us, but after Li Qing left Moon Shaking Immortal Palace, she chose to join the Hai Family. Today, she has become a high-ranking and powerful Elder in the Hai Family. She also married the current Patriarch, becoming his seventeenth wife." The young man from the Hai Family said, "If Miss Han is willing to join the Hai Family, I believe Elder Li Qing would be very happy as well!"

SHHNK!

A faint sound of something slicing through the air was heard. The next moment, a silver longsword was embedded in the chest of the Hai Family youth, its hilt gripped in Han Mei’s hand.

Fang Xiang and Gu Yu stood frozen, staring at the scene in disbelief. They didn’t understand why their young mistress would suddenly draw her sword and kill someone.

The youth from the Hai Family also stared fixedly at Han Mei, his eyes wide with incomprehension and rage. He opened his mouth, and a stream of blood spilled out.

"Why?"

Han Mei’s face was calm, as cold as ten-thousand-year-old ice. She said flatly, "Because you have a cheap mouth." With that, she ripped the sword out. The young man from the Hai Family crumpled to the ground, dead. His eyes were wide open, not resting in peace. He died without ever knowing how his mouth had been so "cheap."

Han Mei glanced at the silver Treasure Sword in her hand. Not a single drop of blood remained on the blade. She sheathed it and said, as if explaining to Fang Xiang and Gu Yu, but also as if talking to herself, "Did he not know that when Li Qing competed with Master for the position of Palace Master, she nearly killed me? Did he really think I would care about becoming a wife in the Hai Family? What a joke!"

CLAP! CLAP! CLAP!

From the nearby woods, the sound of applause suddenly rang out. A deep, aged voice slowly spoke, "Little girl, what a ruthless heart, what a swift sword, and what outstanding talent! Not bad, not bad at all!"

Han Mei’s breath hitched. She stared coldly at the woods opposite her and snorted, "Who’s there? Come out, stop playing games!"

"Heh heh."

With a soft chuckle, an old man with a full head of silver hair and wearing Xuan-colored robes slowly walked out of the woods. His pupils glowed with a faint purple light, and on his back was a pair of massive, folded wings!

The wings were pitch-black, and the feathers on them were like iron, sharp as knives!

Purple Eyes!

The Emperor of the Purple Eyes!

According to legend, only those with the purest bloodline, specifically of the Purple-eyed Royal Family, could grow wings on their backs! Such a person was known as an Emperor among the Purple Eyes!

To think that an Emperor Ancestor of the Purple Eyes would appear here! Han Mei’s heart sank to rock bottom. In the presence of an old monster of this realm, she couldn’t even entertain the thought of escaping.

’How could I be so unlucky?’ For a moment, an immense resentment welled up in Han Mei’s heart—a resentment for everyone. She looked coldly at the Purple-eyed Emperor opposite her and said, "Are you here to kill me?"

The old man gave a strange laugh and said, "Kill you? Why would I kill a little girl like you? Do you think all Purple Eyes are cruel, bloodthirsty monsters? Don’t be afraid. The Purple Eyes aren’t as terrifying as you think. I did indeed come here to kill someone, but it’s not you. It’s a brat named Qin Li. Little girl, do you know him?"

"Him? Of course, I know him!" Han Mei’s face was an open book of resentment. She gritted her teeth and said, "I’d recognize him even if he were turned to ash!"

"Oh? Little girl, you have a grudge against him?" the Elder with Purple Eyes asked, looking at Han Mei with some surprise.

"My hatred for him... is as deep as the sea!" Han Mei said.

"Then tell me where he is, and I’ll help you kill him!" the old man said with a sinister, terrifying chuckle.

"He’s inside Moon Shaking Immortal Palace. I advise you not to charge in. There are many old ancestors at the Thunder Tribulation Realm within Moon Shaking Immortal Palace. If you go in alone, you won’t be able to kill him, and you’ll end up getting yourself killed there." Han Mei said flatly.

The old man nodded, then looked Han Mei up and down a few times. "Your talent is exceptional. I overheard your conversation just now. You were expelled from Moon Shaking Immortal Palace? Was it because of that Qin Li?"

Han Mei nodded without speaking, but the hatred in her eyes said it all.

"Heh heh, that’s great. Why don’t you come with me? Take me as your master, and I can make you a peerless expert in a very short time! Then you can go find that Qin Li and get your revenge by killing him yourself!" the old man said with a grin.