Only I am Venerable

Chapter 288: Chapter 286: A Self-Inflicted Disgrace

As the magnificent Golden Palace slowly descended to the ground, everyone felt their hearts ignite with fiery excitement.

"Gods, is that the Golden Palace? It’s gorgeous!"

"Is it really made of solid gold? Not just stone painted with gold dust?"

"If a man owned a palace like this, I’d marry him in a heartbeat! I wouldn’t even mind being a concubine!" a smitten woman said dreamily, her eyes gleaming as she gazed at the magnificent palace.

"I doubt even the Seven Great Superpowers could possess this much gold. And even if they did, no one would dare forge it into such a palace!"

"It’s just too beautiful. I can’t imagine who could have built such a massive palace, or how!"

The crowd buzzed with discussion, nearly everyone staring, utterly mesmerized, at the enormous Golden Palace.

Qin Li quietly asked Shangguan Shiyu, who was beside him, "Darling, what do you think of this palace? Beautiful, isn’t it?"

Shangguan Shiyu nodded earnestly. "It is truly beautiful. I don’t think anyone in the world could say no to it."

"Hehe, then I’m giving it to you. From now on, you’re the mistress of this Golden Palace!" Qin Li said with a grin. He had completely glossed over his recent experiences. It was simple: with so many people around, gossip spreads easily, and for a family like the Qin Family, knowing about this would be a massive burden.

’I’ll find the right time to tell her about the spoils I acquired inside the Golden Palace after we get back,’ he thought.

Shangguan Shiyu rolled her eyes. Her rosy lips pursed as she gave Qin Li a sidelong glance and muttered, "You’re just a smooth-talker."

Qin Li gave a wry smile. ’It’s funny,’ he thought, ’how nobody believes you when you tell the truth.’

Just then, Cui Leng led a group from the Cui Family and slowly walked toward the Qin Family. Instantly, many people in the crowd grew excited.

"What’s the Cui Family up to? Trying to put the Qin Family in their place at a time like this?"

"I think so. But with the Thousand Mechanism Sect and the Lin Family protecting the Qin Family, the Cui Family won’t dare to do too much."

"Eh, that Venerable Realm genius from the Cui Family doesn’t seem so tough. He fought Qin Li on the way here, right? A mighty Venerable Realm expert couldn’t even take down someone in the Celestial Integration Realm?"

"He probably wasn’t going all out, was he?"

"Bullshit he wasn’t going all out! He was spitting up blood..."

Cui Leng remained expressionless, turning a deaf ear to their chatter. At his level, it was beneath him to stoop to their level. ’Besides,’ he thought, ’I’ll use my actions to deliver a resounding slap to the faces of those who dare look down on me!’

"Qin Li. I didn’t think you’d be so hard to kill. Congratulations," Cui Leng said with a faint smile as he walked up to Qin Li.

"That’s right. I’m tough to kill. No one can take my life—especially not you."

’Since we’re already enemies, there’s no need to show him any respect. Feign civility? No, that’s pointless. When the time comes to put him in his place, I won’t hesitate. I’ll just hit him where it hurts.’

The Cui Family’s young miss, standing beside Cui Leng, said coldly, "Big words. Be careful you don’t bite your tongue."

"Someone like you? I could finish you in a single move. So you should just shut your mouth," Shangguan Shiyu said, standing beside Qin Li and looking at the Cui Family’s young miss with a deadpan expression.

The onlookers couldn’t help but gasp in surprise. They never imagined that the peerless beauty beside Qin Li, a woman who looked as if she had stepped out of a painting, could utter such arrogant words.

It was utterly unexpected, but the feeling was... really refreshing. And incredibly satisfying!

The Cui Family’s young miss’s face turned icy. "What do you think you are? How dare you speak to me like that! I can’t be bothered with you. You are not worthy of speaking to me!"

"Respect is something others give you, but dignity is something you lose on your own. If you can’t win a fight, just admit it. Why make excuses? What’s so noble about you? I don’t see it. All I see right now is a flustered little girl." Shangguan Shiyu’s stunning eyes remained as placid as a tranquil well, but her words made the surrounding crowd burst into derisive laughter.

She hadn’t used a single curse word, yet she had insulted the great young miss of the Cui Family to the point of utter humiliation.

The Cui Family’s young miss’s face flushed crimson. Just as she was about to retort, Cui Leng gently took his sister’s hand and said softly, "My dear sister, don’t stoop to her level. In time, your brother will capture her for you. She can be your handmaiden, to beat and scold as you please. How does that sound?"

The Cui Family’s young miss grew visibly excited. She nodded vigorously, then looked at Shangguan Shiyu and said coldly, "You wretched servant, did you hear that? From now on, you’re my—"

As she spoke, she couldn’t resist taking two steps forward until she was right in front of Shangguan Shiyu, her expression full of arrogance. She refused to believe that with so many people watching, and with several Cui Family Venerables standing behind her, Qin Li would dare to do anything to her. ’Besides,’ she thought, ’there’s nothing the Cui Family says that it can’t do!’

For a moment, she was completely carried away by her own arrogance.

SLAP!

A crisp, loud sound echoed. A bright red handprint appeared on the Cui Family’s young miss’s face, which immediately began to swell.

Everyone else stood as if petrified, staring dumbfounded at the scene before them.

Cui Leng was stunned. The Cui Family Venerables were stunned. The Cui Family’s young miss stood there, mouth agape, completely stunned. After a long moment, an irrepressible gasp rippled through the crowd.

The eyes of the Cui Family’s young miss quickly filled with tears. Pointing a trembling finger at Shangguan Shiyu, she stammered, "You wretched servant... You... you dare to hit me?"

SLAP!

With a flash of light, another crisp crack echoed!

Another bright red handprint appeared on the other side of the Cui Family’s young miss’s face!

"You and your filthy mouth deserve to be hit!" Shangguan Shiyu said, raising her head with a look of cold arrogance and staring disdainfully at the Cui Family’s young miss. "Just who do you think you are!"

Just then, a Venerable Realm Martial Artist from the Cui Family finally snapped out of his shock. With a roar, he lunged toward Shangguan Shiyu. "You little bitch, you’re dead!"

BOOM!

A beam of golden light suddenly shot out from the Golden Palace. The Cui Family’s Supreme Powerhouse was blasted into dust before he could even let out a scream.

WHOOSH!

The crowd scattered in an instant, then stared in utter shock at the towering, magnificent Golden Palace in the distance. Nothing like this had ever happened before. Who could have imagined the Golden Palace would suddenly unleash a beam of light and obliterate a Cui Family Venerable!

Everyone from the Cui Family panicked. Cui Leng forgot all about getting revenge for his sister. He just pulled her back as they all stared at the Golden Palace in terror.

Only Qin Li closed his eyes, his mind a chaotic mess. He couldn’t help but give a bitter smile inwardly. ’If I wasn’t so afraid of exposing my full strength, I would have just killed that Cui Family Venerable myself!’

He hadn’t expected that controlling the Golden Palace to launch a single attack would consume all his Spiritual Power. Fortunately, Qin Li’s Spiritual Power was abnormally strong; otherwise, that one blast would have probably left him collapsed on the ground.

Only Shangguan Shiyu sensed that something was wrong with Qin Li. "Husband, what’s the matter?" she asked softly.

Qin Li smiled. "It’s nothing. My darling wife is just too impressive!"

Shangguan Shiyu smiled gently. "Well, she was the one who stuck her face out, basically asking me to hit it."

"Exactly. People like that deserve a good slap," Qin Li said with a smile, focusing on recovering his Spiritual Power.

The members of the Cui Family were suffering a grievance they couldn’t possibly voice. It was just so damn frustrating. Suffering a setback wasn’t the issue—who doesn’t take a loss now and then? The problem was that they had suffered a massive loss but had no one to blame for it.

Blame the Golden Palace? Everyone knew it was empty, that everything about it was like a divine miracle. Besides, a single, silent beam of light had utterly erased a Venerable Realm expert, leaving not even dust behind. Who would dare go looking for trouble with that?

Their towering hatred was simply beyond words. When had the Cui Family of Profound Island ever suffered such a devastating loss? Even for the Cui Family, every Venerable Realm Martial Artist was an irreplaceable asset! Seeing the gloating expressions on the faces of the other superpowers—the Thousand Mechanism Sect, the Lin Family, even the Wang and Xiao Families and the Sword Concealment Manor—the members of the Cui Family wished they could annihilate the Qin Family right then and there.

They had only come over to intimidate Qin Li, to play some mind games. No one had expected this kind of disaster. His sister had been slapped twice, hard, and one of their own Venerable ancestors was dead.

Cui Leng’s eyes glinted with venomous hatred. He glared at Qin Li. "Qin Li, you’d better pray you don’t run into me in the Venerable tournament!"

"Get lost."

Qin Li didn’t even look up. His head was throbbing, and he had no energy to waste on Cui Leng’s provocations.

However, those two disdainful words only deepened Cui Leng’s hatred for Qin Li. Gently stroking his sister’s face and using his energy to reduce the swelling, Cui Leng slowly let out a breath.

"Fine, Qin Li. I, Cui Leng, swear it here today: My Cui Family will annihilate your Qin Family!"

The moment he spoke, the area fell deathly silent. Everyone stared at Cui Leng in disbelief. ’Even if everyone knows that’s the intention,’ they thought, ’you can’t just say something like that out loud!’

Never mind that there were seven superpowers on Profound Island; even if the Cui Family were the sole dominant force, rashly making such a declaration was bound to incite public outrage.

Sure enough, no sooner had Cui Leng spoken than someone from the Thousand Mechanism Sect sneered, "The Cui Family certainly has a high opinion of itself!"

Someone from the Lin Family added coolly, "It seems the Cui Family is tired of being one of the Seven Great Superpowers. They want to be the one power ruling over all the others!"

Many in the crowd voiced their agreement with the Lin Family and the Thousand Mechanism Sect. Of course, there were also others who fanned the flames in support of the Cui Family, and the scene immediately descended into chaos.

"Think whatever you want!" Cui Leng declared, his attitude unyielding. He turned to leave, his chilling voice hanging in the air. "Believe me, it won’t be long before you see the outcome!"(To be continued. If you wish to know what happens next, please visit www.qidian.com. More Chapters, support the author, and support legitimate reading!)