Heaven’s Wrath, A Choice of Form

Hearing this, the white-clad youth turned around and interrupted Steward Xu’s pessimistic words with a serious expression.

“Don’t say things like that.”

“You’ll definitely live a long life.”

“In Cheng’er’s eyes, you’re like a grandfather.”

“Saying things like that would only trouble me.”

“I’ll leave this restaurant to you for your retirement.”

“If anything troubles you in the future, just burn a couple sticks of incense to my brother.”

Steward Xu didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

“Offering incense to an immortal is fine, but the way you say it is rather inauspicious, young master.”

“Inauspicious words are meant to be said out loud.”

“When I was young, some old charlatan even said I’d ‘suffer endless torment, lose all four limbs, and meet a predetermined tragic end at the brink of death.’”

“But look at me now—I’m living just fine, and I’m about to ascend, aren’t I?”

“I’ve witnessed a few great cultivators ascend from afar in my earlier years…”

“But the clouds and atmosphere before your ascension, young master…”

Steward Xu gazed at the sky, his face filled with worry.

“Indeed.”

“It seems Heaven really wants to make things difficult for me.”

The white-clad youth also looked up at the sky.

“In that case, I’ll just change my form.”

“For example… become a real woman.”

“After all, the one who was prophesied to ‘suffer endlessly, lose all four limbs, and meet a tragic end’—was a boy.”

Steward Xu was so shocked by these words that, if not for his cane, he might have collapsed on the spot.

“Absurd!”

“There are distinctions between men and women—how could one transform from male to female?!”

“Uncle Xu, have you heard of the legendary ‘Formless Sea’?”

“Drink its waters, and I can naturally become a girl.”

Steward Xu fell silent for a long time.

Then he let out a deep sigh and turned to leave.

“Fate… what a tormenting fate…”

The white-clad youth gave a slight bow toward his departing figure.

It was his way of expressing gratitude to the old steward who had loyally served his family his entire life.

“Uncle Xu, the heavenly lightning of tribulation could strike at any moment.”

“You should take shelter quickly.”

“As for the wine you brewed… I’m afraid I won’t get to drink it again for a long time.”

“I’ll take a few jars with me to drink when I get tired during the tribulation.”

With that, the youth picked up a jar of wine from the corner and walked into the open courtyard.

There, he sat cross-legged.

While the white-clad youth sat in the courtyard drinking wine the black-clad youth, in his enemy’s residence, was already blinded by blood.

Most of that blood belonged to the people he had killed.

Because the oil-paper umbrella given to him by the white-clad youth was impervious to blades and weapons.

This indestructible umbrella had blocked countless attacks for him.

Without it, the black-clad youth would have died many times over.

Thunder roared across the sky as torrential rain poured down.

It washed over both the restaurant and the mansion, cleansing the ground of its disharmony.

If anyone dared to watch at either location they would see that wherever the rain fell, there was nothing but blood.

The heavenly lightning of tribulation and the merciless blades both left horrifying wounds upon the two youths.

The white-clad youth’s robes had been stained red with blood.

The relentless storm of lightning and rain struck him again and again—

he was beginning to reach his limit.

He could no longer leisurely sip wine between dodging lightning strikes as he had before.

At last, he made up his mind.

From his storage artifact, he took out a small gourd.

Inside the transparent gourd was a full container of boiling water.

Water that boiled without any source of heat was clearly no ordinary water.

After taking it out, the white-clad youth stared at the gourd for a long time.

His expression was complicated.

It was as if a fierce struggle was taking place within his heart.