Chapter Two: The Chosen One of Great Destiny

After hanging up the phone, Black Feather wandered around the house. It was said that Uncle Liu had been found in the restroom on the third floor; by the time they discovered him, his entire body was charred beyond recognition. If it weren’t for those two dazzling gold teeth, no one would have been able to identify him.

Outside the restroom door, Black Feather pressed his palms together and softly recited the Rebirth Mantra: “Namo Amitabha, Tathagata, Ditya, Amitabha bipya, Amitabha, Siddhamba bipya, Amitabha, Vikarante, Amitabha, Vikaranta, Gamini, Gagana, Chitakalya, Svaha.”

He repeated the mantra twenty-one times, made a dedication, and bowed deeply three times.

Black Feather had once worked part-time at a funeral home, so he had learned something of such rites.

Just as he turned to leave, something flickered in the toilet, catching his eye. He picked up his phone and carefully entered the restroom.

Boom—

A deafening sound erupted from the toilet. In the next second, a streak of bright light shot straight toward Black Feather’s forehead. He collapsed to the ground, his once rosy complexion turning pale as death.

At that moment, a man in a black robe with a sharp, gaunt face flew out from the toilet. His body suddenly expanded to about one meter sixty-five and hovered in the air.

The man looked down at the fallen Black Feather, a sly, sinister smile curling his lips as he reached toward him.

But a radiant light burst forth from Black Feather’s heart, and the sinister man, like a noodle caught in a whirlpool, twisted and was absorbed entirely by the light.

“Dao Lord’s inheritance?” he exclaimed, horrified, yet he was helplessly drawn in and completely absorbed by the light.

[Energy acquisition successful, system initializing…]

[4%…]

[8%…]

[15%…]

…

[98%…]

[Initialization complete]

[Host’s body is severely damaged. Checking for necessity of repair.]

[No need]

[Proceeding directly to awakening]

Black Feather suddenly opened his eyes, a new interface appearing before him.

[Welcome to the World-Destroying System]

“What is this?” Black Feather rubbed his forehead, and a small razor blade fell off.

A warm sensation faintly surged within his heart.

In a blink, he found himself standing before the gates of a grand temple, inside which countless people floated through the sky.

Suspended overhead, a boy who looked no older than ten glanced his way and suddenly dove at him.

Black Feather stepped back alertly.

“Idiot! Master sent you to destroy Xia civilization, and you’ve been gone ten years, accomplishing nothing!” The boy’s attitude was lofty as he scolded Black Feather.

Black Feather had suffered plenty in his ten years of working odd jobs, but never before had he been so blatantly insulted by a child.

He lifted the boy by his collar, hoisting him up entirely.

“What are you doing?” The boy clearly hadn’t expected Black Feather to act so suddenly. Before he could resist, Black Feather yanked down his trousers, exposing his round little bottom.

“Let me down!” The boy pressed his index and middle fingers together and screamed, “Just wait, I’ll deal with you!”

Streams of energy gathered at his fingers, glowing faintly red.

Smack—

Ignoring him, Black Feather raised his hand and slapped the boy’s bottom.

“You brat, lacking discipline, how dare you show off in my dream? Let’s see if I don’t beat you senseless.”

“Ah—”

A pitiful cry pierced the sky.

Immediately a crowd gathered to watch.

Soon, men and women in traditional robes floated around him, laughing and whispering.

“Black Feather is finally standing up for himself?”

“Too ruthless! Just a mere gatekeeper at Peach Garden, yet he dares lay hands on an immortal.”

“I heard he just returned from Xia. The people there are fierce—seems he’s picked up their ways and now dares to challenge Tianhua’s chief disciple, Little Bei Ze.”

…

Black Feather heard their conversations but paid them no mind. After all, this was his dream. Once he dealt with this brat, he’d catch an adult next.

He continued spanking Bei Ze’s little bottom without pause.

Smack, smack, smack—

The crisp, sharp sounds mingled with Bei Ze’s sobs, creating an oddly surreal scene.

By now, Bei Ze’s tears and snot flowed freely, his former bravado gone.

“Stop!” a deep voice commanded.

A handsome man with long hair and beard, dressed in white Daoist robes, descended from the sky and stood before Black Feather, his expression cold.

“Greetings, Tianhua Immortal.”

“Greetings, Immortal…”

The crowd respectfully saluted the man.

He ignored them, glaring fiercely at Black Feather.

Black Feather studied him for a moment, feeling a strange familiarity. Goosebumps rose on his skin, and he instinctively released the child.

Bei Ze, now free, quickly hid behind his master.

“Who are you?” Tianhua asked Black Feather.

“Isn’t he that idiot Black Feather? Master, banish him to the animal realm and let’s see what he can do!” Bei Ze’s face was full of contempt.

“See if I don’t beat you!” Black Feather lunged at Bei Ze.

Bei Ze scrambled behind Tianhua, who stepped in front of Black Feather. Unable to stop in time, Black Feather collided into Tianhua, sending him sprawling.

Just as Tianhua’s face was about to hit the ground, Black Feather grabbed him and pulled him upright.

The crowd was dumbfounded.

Tianhua Immortal ranked among the top three in all the realms, yet the gatekeeper Black Feather had not only knocked him down but had hauled him up with ease.

Could this really be the same gatekeeper dog who was once bullied by all?

“How dare you collide with Master, you lowly gatekeeper. Looks like you’ll really be reborn as an actual guard dog this time,” Bei Ze sneered.

“Enough discourtesy,” Tianhua said.

“Did you hear that, idiot?” Bei Ze taunted, making faces at Black Feather.

“Bei Ze, I’m speaking to you. You provoked this gentleman just now, and now, seeing your Master, you remain insolent. Do you wish to temper your Dao heart in the animal realm?” Tianhua’s voice was stern.

“Huh?” Bei Ze’s face went pale. He whispered, “I wouldn’t dare.”

“Go apologize to the gentleman.”

“Apologize to this idiot? But Master, he’s only the gatekeeper at Peach Garden and failed the task you gave him.”

“Silence! Apologize at once, or I’ll send you to the animal realm for five hundred lifetimes, barred from human rebirth,” Tianhua thundered.

Bei Ze dropped to his knees and kowtowed to Black Feather.

“I’m sorry, sir. It was my fault.”

“Let’s leave it at that,” Black Feather said. He had only wanted to discipline the unruly child—since this was his dream, he’d acted without restraint. Though he knew it was a dream, he disliked the feeling of bullying the weak.

He helped Bei Ze to his feet, who quickly retreated behind his master, afraid to approach Black Feather again.

“Sir, please don’t hold it against my child,” Tianhua said, smiling apologetically.

Black Feather spoke gravely, “A child’s upbringing must not be neglected. One careless moment could lead him astray, causing great harm. As his teacher, you would bear responsibility.”

“Your teaching is wise,” Tianhua replied respectfully.

Black Feather felt a surge of pride. Though it was only a dream, to teach someone a lesson and have a once lofty master apologize to him was immensely satisfying.

Tianhua studied Black Feather’s enigmatic smile, feeling uneasy. Unsure of Black Feather’s strength, he asked deferentially, “May I ask your esteemed name and which school you hail from?”

“I never change my name or surname. Black Feather.” He was puzzled—didn’t they just say his name over and over? Why act as if they didn’t know him now?

“Black Feather?” Tianhua mused, “You do resemble my beloved disciple, also named Black Feather. Yet, in my eyes, you are fundamentally different—entirely separate people.”

Suddenly, two beams of light appeared behind Black Feather, locking his arms.

He struggled, but his body could not move.

Tianhua approached, pressing his fingers together and pointing them at Black Feather’s temples.

A flood of information entered his mind.

Black Feather finally recalled the memories he had lost.

On Tianhua Immortal’s command, he had leapt into the Heaven-Extinguishing Lava. His half-immortal body, painstakingly cultivated in his previous life, was completely melted and devoured. Only a single consciousness remained.

Tianhua took his consciousness and cast it into the Azure Star—commonly known as Earth—with orders to destroy Xia civilization.

He had been on Earth for some time, around ten years. He descended into the body of a host, who couldn’t withstand the impact and perished. It took a tremendous amount of energy to repair the host’s body.

He inherited the host’s memories and wandered this world.

He had come at Tianhua’s command, to destroy Xia civilization. At that time, the host had just won the Most Valuable Player award in a basketball tournament. Of all those present, his body was the strongest—not particularly tall or muscular, but structurally the most balanced. Though not up to Black Feather’s ideal standards, he’d hoped for an air force pilot, but the military base was protected by some kind of formation that interfered with him.

Unable to enter, he settled for the nearby basketball court two kilometers away and quickly locked onto Black Feather.

He quickly reviewed Black Feather’s information, thinking at least he was a campus celebrity—decent grades, good luck, and acceptable overall qualities.

But upon entering the body, the shock destroyed Black Feather’s soul, making him the sole master of the body. Lacking energy, he couldn’t access his own memories and ended up, by accident, inhabiting Black Feather, forced to endure the hardships of ordinary life.

“Damn!”

Black Feather snapped back to reality.

Tianhua withdrew his hand, staring at Black Feather in disbelief.

He had given him a self-destruct talisman—upon reaching the Azure Star and possessing any body, it would automatically explode, obliterating Xia civilization. Yet, somehow, Black Feather had encountered a child of destiny; not only was the soul not destroyed, but the two souls had fused, interfering with the immortal realm. Over the years, before his return, everyone had forgotten Black Feather’s existence and the plan to annihilate Xia civilization.

Only upon his return did they suddenly remember.

Just now, he had even been knocked over by Black Feather.

He could sense that something was being absorbed by Black Feather—luck.

Could he be turning his sights on the immortal realm now?

Better send him back to Xia quickly.

Troublesome.

“Black Feather, you’ve worked hard these years,” Tianhua said, feigning concern.

A wave of bitterness welled up in Black Feather’s heart. The hardships he had endured were unbearable, but at last, he had returned to the immortal realm.

Still, he wondered about Uncle Liu’s death.

“Master, I have witnessed the dangers of Xia civilization, but also its goodness and beauty, such as the humanity of Uncle Liu.”

“I saw him in your memories just now. Do you wish to return and investigate his death?”

“Yes, Master.”

“Very well. I will spend a century’s lifespan to send you back to the Azure Star. No need to rush back. As for whether to destroy Xia civilization, we’ll decide later.” Tianhua produced a smartphone, handing it to Black Feather.

“Boy, this time, use this phone to keep in touch. If you need anything, let me know—I’ll do my best to help,” Tianhua’s expression was kind and gentle.

But inwardly, he thought, best if the self-destruct is triggered upon your return and you never come back. If not, there’s a talisman in this phone to blow you up anyway.

Black Feather gratefully slipped the phone into his pocket, but before he could say anything, his vision blurred.

He was back in the restroom of his rented apartment.

…

Meanwhile, in the immortal realm, the celestial immortals remembered nothing of the events just passed, nor did they recall Black Feather at all.

Little Bei Ze rubbed his sore bottom—why did it hurt so much? Who had ambushed him? He glanced suspiciously at his master.

Tianhua Immortal patted his pocket. The phone he’d won from Zhong Kui in a bet yesterday—where had it gone? Strange!

He reached into his pocket and produced another phone. On the screen appeared the character “explode.”

“Self-destruct talisman?” Tianhua stared blankly at the phone. “What is this?”

“Countdown: three…”

“Two…”

“Damn!”

Boom—