Chapter 204: Chapter 202: Venerable
Likewise, Qin Li didn’t dare to recklessly use a Spiritual Attack. After all, the old crone was a Martial Artist at the Celestial Embracing Realm, not the Celestial Shattering or Celestial Integration Realms.
’If I use a Spiritual Attack and it fails, I’ll be in truly grave danger!’
In the sky, sword light flashed as the Blood-Drinking Divine Sword constantly let out shrill whooshes, forcing the gray-clothed crone to remain completely focused.
To think she had to go all-out against a mere brat whose strength was leagues below her own... The gray-clothed crone’s heart seethed with an extreme level of resentment.
Catching sight of the stunningly beautiful girl standing to the side, her face etched with deep concern, the gray-clothed crone let out a sinister chuckle. ’Hmph, you little beast,’ she thought. ’If I can’t handle you, you think I can’t handle this little bitch?’
As she and Qin Li crossed paths, the gray-clothed crone suddenly lunged toward Shangguan Shiyu, screaming madly, "You traitorous wretch! I will cleanse the Sect of its filth on its behalf today. I’ll start by killing you, you little slut!"
"You old hag, you dare!"
With a furious roar, Qin Li seemingly stepped on air, flashing like lightning to block Shangguan Shiyu. He then poured every ounce of his strength into his blade, and an earth-shattering surge of purple Sword Qi hissed from the Blood-Drinking Divine Sword!
The gray-clothed crone, who had thought her scheme had succeeded and she could kill the boy with her palm strike, suddenly sensed immense danger. Her expression changed in an instant. However, her palm was already descending; trying to retreat now would undoubtedly result in severe internal injuries.
BOOM!
A massive shockwave of energy erupted from the point of impact between the sword and the palm!
The crone’s quacking voice suddenly turned into a wretched scream. A spray of crimson blood arced through the sky, followed by four fingers that looked like withered twigs!
Meanwhile, Qin Li was thrown backward. He flew a good seventy or eighty meters before stopping, his face ashen pale. With a retch, he spat out a mouthful of blood. His body swayed, on the verge of collapse, but he forced himself to stand straight, refusing to fall! He didn’t even let out a single grunt of pain, merely fixing a crazed, cold smile on his face as his flickering gaze locked onto the gray-clothed crone.
"So this is the Celestial Embracing Realm? Nothing special!"
As soon as he spoke, Qin Li felt an excruciating pain wrack his entire body, as if he were about to fall apart.
Shangguan Shiyu rushed to his side and held him steady, her beautiful eyes glistening with tears.
"Qin Li, are... are you alright?"
"Hehe, my darling, I’m just fine! GAH..." As Qin Li spoke, he coughed up another mouthful of blood and cursed, "Damn it, that Celestial Embracing Realm Ancient Demon really is something else!"
"Don’t talk! Where’s your Elixir? Take it, quickly!" Shangguan Shiyu’s tears finally broke free, streaming down her cheeks, her heart aching with such helplessness.
Qin Li squeezed Shangguan Shiyu’s delicate hand, then plunged the Blood-Drinking Sword into the ground. He took out a Golden Wind Pill and swallowed it, immediately feeling a cooling sensation spread down his throat.
The searing fire in his internal organs instantly subsided, and the tearing pain also began to fade.
"This is some amazing medicine!" Qin Li exclaimed in admiration.
Across from him, the gray-clothed crone stared at her hand. Four of her fingers had been lopped off by the Blood-Drinking Divine Sword, and blood was gushing from the wound.
The pain was so excruciating it nearly made her faint.
At the same time, her hatred for Qin Li had driven her beyond reason. Her voice rose in a piercing shriek, like a night owl’s cry, "Boy! You and that little bitch are both going to die!"
"You old bitch, if you’ve still got a problem, then come and get me!" Qin Li shouted from a distance, baring his teeth in a grin. "Your claws are already bare, yet you still talk so big. Believe it or not, I can make your other hand look just like that!"
"ARGH!"
The gray-clothed crone roared and, ignoring the intense pain, started to lunge at Qin Li again.
Just then, a calm, indifferent voice echoed from the sky. "Stand down."
The voice seemed to possess a magical quality. The gray-clothed crone’s body froze as if struck by a Body Fixation Technique. The furious expression remained on her ugly, aged face, but her body was completely still.
"Sect Leader, I demand an explanation!"
The crone’s voice was filled with grief and indignation as she held up her left hand. "That little beast cut off four of my fingers! No matter what, I will not let him go today!"
"I am aware. Stand down and tend to your wounds for now."
The woman’s voice was detached, yet cold and crisp. It was impossible to discern her age from it, but the sound was exceedingly pleasant.
"Qin Li," the voice continued, "you come to our Four Seasons Valley and try to take away our most outstanding and talented disciple. Don’t you find your actions a tad excessive?"
Only her voice was heard; its owner remained unseen.
Qin Li chuckled. "I’ve never been fond of people who like to play mysterious games. But I can tell you this definitively—excessive? No, not at all! Your Four Seasons Sect is the one forcing someone against their will, keeping my fiancée here to cultivate. You don’t think *that’s* excessive? So what’s so excessive about me wanting to take her back?"
"Qin Li, you are too insolent! Do you have any idea who you’re speaking to?" Ye Qianyu’s voice, just as cold, now rang out from the sky, though it lacked the pleasant quality of the first.
"It’s fine," the first voice said. "What an interesting little fellow. So young, yet so powerful... and so bold. Since you think I’m playing mysterious games, I shall grant you an audience."
As the words fell, Qin Li felt the air before him twist. Suddenly, a woman in courtly robes materialized. Her hair was swept up in a high bun, and she exuded an overwhelmingly noble aura. While not conventionally beautiful, she possessed a natural, pure quality. Her eyes, in particular, were unlike any Qin Li had ever seen.
One might call her eyes pure, yet they clearly held an endless, ancient wisdom. One might think her cunning and worldly, yet her gaze was as clear as autumn waters.
Furthermore, the woman’s age was impossible to pin down. At first glance, she seemed to be in her twenties. A second look suggested her thirties. But upon closer inspection, she looked to be in her twenties once more.
It was simply impossible to tell how old she truly was!
"Sect Leader!" Shangguan Shiyu gasped softly, then bowed slightly. "Shiyu... greets the Sect Leader!"
The robed woman gave a faint nod, then turned to Qin Li with an unreadable smile. "Now you have seen me," she said softly. "So, shall we talk?"
’This woman is incredibly powerful!’ Qin Li exclaimed internally. She was, without a doubt, the strongest person he had met since arriving in this world. He couldn’t see through her at all. She seemed to lack any trace of a mortal aura, like a celestial Fairy, and didn’t emit the slightest fluctuation of energy, even when she had appeared so abruptly before him.
Qin Li glanced at Ye Qianyu, who had just arrived. Unconvinced, he released his Innate Purple Qi and sent it probing toward the robed woman. But his never-failing Innate Purple Qi, upon reaching her, met an invisible barrier and was gently repelled.
Shocked, Qin Li stubbornly tried again, but the result was the same.
The barrier felt incredibly soft, yet his Innate Purple Qi could not penetrate it at all. ’Could it be...?’ Qin Li wondered. ’Has this woman truly reached the legendary Venerable Realm?’
"Little fellow, you certainly have... quite a few tricks up your sleeve."
A flicker of surprise crossed the robed woman’s calm face. At her level of power, she had no need to conceal her emotions; surprise was surprise. Although she had blocked the youth’s probing energy, she knew perfectly well that if she hadn’t been on guard, he might have actually been able to see through to her true strength.
Moreover, the energy she sent to probe Qin Li was... also blocked! In other words, she, a peerless expert who had reached the Venerable Realm, was likewise unable to see through this young man’s true strength!
If someone had told her such a thing was possible, she would never have believed it. She appeared perfectly calm on the surface, but waves of shock were already rippling through the Four Seasons Sect Master’s heart.
"Hehe, right back at you," Qin Li said with a laugh, masking his own shock. "So, what is it you wanted to discuss with me?"
The robed woman smiled faintly, her voice cool and clear. "Become my disciple and join the Four Seasons Sect. I will permit you to marry Shangguan Shiyu, and in the future, the position of Four Seasons Sect Master will be yours. What do you say?"
The moment the robed woman spoke, everyone present was left utterly stunned. The gray-clothed crone’s face turned ashen, and it seemed as if every wrinkle on her old face was etched with boundless fury. "Sect Leader, this... this is absurd! I object!"
The other members of the Four Seasons Sect stared, dumbfounded, their hearts filled with disbelief. ’The Sect Leader wants to take this kid as her disciple and even give him the Four Seasons Sect?’
’Gods, did I hear that right?’ Many of them now looked at Qin Li with eyes full of envy and jealousy.
Qin Li was just as shocked. He looked at the Four Seasons Sect Master in disbelief and asked, "Why?"
"Hehe, a peerless genius such as yourself... Forget my Four Seasons Sect; any Super Family or Sect on this entire Profound Island would be fighting to recruit you. Little fellow, I mean you no harm."
The robed woman smiled, speaking in a completely natural tone. "Look, you injured disciples of my Four Seasons Sect and even severed several fingers of our Grand Elder, yet I can forgive all of it. As long as you agree to join the Four Seasons Sect and become my disciple, all your wishes can be granted. Furthermore, you will have an incredibly powerful Sect as your backing. Rest assured, once you become the Sect Leader of the Four Seasons Sect, your command will be the will of the entire Sect. Everyone will obey your orders. What do you say? Think it over."
’Gods... does he even need to think about it?’ Ye Qianyu stared at Qin Li in utter disbelief, a storm raging in her heart. ’Our Sect Leader is just too unconventional. Is this boldness, or is it recklessness?’
But what made Ye Qianyu so shocked her jaw nearly hit the floor was that Qin Li... actually refused!
"I’m sorry, but I cannot accept your offer."
