Chapter 588: Yun Yang's Destiny

"Yun Yang, do you feel anything unusual? You can be honest about any anomaly, any discomfort or any weird sensation!" Ling Xiaozui was terribly anxious.

He could not afford not to be anxious. How could he be nonchalant about a strike that was considered certain to succeed, a strike dealt by someone like Mr. Nian?

In addition, the Cycle of Four Seasons Palm was a cyclical palm strike; Yun Yang had been struck four solid times and should have been on the brink of death. He should be in a state where death would appear at any time, without the help of a proficient cultivator to prolong his life. Otherwise, how could their combined forces be weakened?

Yun Yang was exceptionally muddled as well. How could he, as a think-tank of the Supremes, not think the same thoughts as Ling Xiaozui did? In spite of this, the reality was undeniable; after careful cultivation and repeated inspections, he was absolutely fine.

As the victim, Yun Yang had felt it the moment he was hit. There was a strange energy that forced itself into his body and Yun Yang was hopeless then, thinking to himself, 'There goes my life! Mr. Nian must have known my real identity!'

Yet, there was no other feeling after that moment of hopelessness. Not even a tiny inkling. The strange, toxic, force that was soft and vile had vanished completely.

What had just happened? Yun Yang could not figure it out.

Gu Chaliang tipped his head and drank a pot of wine, saying, "The heaven blesses the kind, who seems to have dodged a bullet! It looks like you good fellows need not hold me captive in exchange for the remedy... Reach the Spirit Breeze Mountain in three days? How scary that would be!"

Dugu Chou asked, "Are you certain he's fine? Will there be any hidden injuries?"

Ling Xiaozui and Feng Xiange looked at each other, momentarily speechless. What Dugu Chou had said was what they thought to be the worst case scenario.

After some time, Feng Xiange could not help scratching his head and commented, "This is the first time this old man has seen this in my life. How unbelievable!"

He continued with a frown, "Young Brother Yun doesn't seem to have been injured at all. It's unbelievable, but it's the best situation we could have hoped for. You may not know it, but this isn't the first time I've seen the Cycle of Four Seasons Palm. This strike can be said to be the martial world's most vicious art. I have personally met it's victim before. According to the victim, the first day after being struck, he was high in spirits, radiant. However, from the second day onwards, the signs of rapid aging presented themselves. When the victim came to me, it was already the third day. No matter what I did, I had no way to stop the process. In the end, I could only watch as the victim aged and wilted, perishing like rotten wood. The person's cultivation was still some distance away from ours, but he was already proficient in Dao realm, not just some ordinary practitioner."

"During the rescue, I inspected the victim's state multiple times. Where the victim was struck, something akin to a tree's annual ring will appear. In one day, only one day, it could reach fifty years of annual rings! Two days, two hundred annual rings. After the third day, it was utterly rotten."

"These signs have not appeared on Young Brother Yun at all..." Feng Xiange was deep in thought with a frown on his face.

"Does it mean that he's fine?" asked Ling Xiaozui.

"We can't be blindly optimistic." Feng Xiange continued, "Even if he looks fine now, it doesn't necessarily mean that is the case. The person I tried to save back then didn't come to me on the first day. The particular situation was narrated by the victim himself, so it's hard to be sure. I'm only afraid that if the annual ring shows itself on Yun Yang after dawn... it'd mean that he has been afflicted."

Once he finished, he glanced at Gu Chaliang who was casually drinking his wine.

If his worries came true and the worst case scenario happened, it would be the trickiest thing to decide if they wanted to exchange Gu Chaliang for the remedy!

"If this is being considered, why don't..." Dugu Chou suggested faintly, "Why don't we let Gu Chaliang look into Young Brother Yun's destiny? Even if he can't speak about it openly, it's still possible to see if his life is at stake."

Ling Xiaozui and Feng Xiange perked up once they heard him. Only the two of them actually understood how divine Gu Chaliang's calculation of fortune could be; he was an oracle, a skill that could see spiritual dynamics in motion!

However, rumor had it that the Heaven's Inquisition had almost never told of anyone's fortune or probed into one's destiny in his life.

A prophecy must not be revealed.

A person's fate and destiny belonged to prophecy. Insistence on trespassing would definitely be punished by heaven. Even if one were equipped with the capability of an oracle, he was to be constrained in the same manner - he could still be punished!

Gu Chaliang snorted, strolled over slowly, and said with a frown, "Nothing means nothing, why spend the effort to probe any further? Unnecessary, completely unnecessary!"

"You better do the unnecessary then. Otherwise, I'll tie you up to use in the exchange. I don't want to take the risk!" Ling Xiaozui quipped faintly.

Gu Chaliang hissed, gritting his teeth. He could ignore everyone else who said this, but it was not something to gloss over when it was Ling Xiaozui who said it. The latter would really do it. This young fellow before them was a fortuity of Ling Xiaozui; he would not risk it, be it for the sentiment or the rationality.

Gu Chaliang sighed and looked at Yun Yang helplessly.

He actually wanted very much to say, "This child's destiny needs not be observed at all! Nothing will happen to him! This is the fixed event of the universe! A fixed event, you understand?"

However, if he were to actually say that, he guessed he would be beaten up. "You didn't f*cking see anything, what are you anticipating, if not the chance to be beaten up? Why is it a fixed event? You're so half-hearted and careless, is it because you feel guilty? Is it because you treasure your life more than your face?"

"Young Master Yun's life, his dynamics... are very tough... hard, even..."

Gu Chaliang looked at Yun Yang's facial structure and sucked in a breath, saying, "Just like an eternal male virgin, strong unto his death! It's a secondary observation that he will turn stronger each time he meets a stronger enemy; he won't die, instead, he will see that each danger will dissolve with ease. There will be countless hazards and perils throughout his life, but he can overcome them each time. Every endangerment will turn out favorable... and he will even gain plenty of help in various circumstances... How can such a fortune be shaken if not for a force from beyond this universe?"

"Simply put, his future will be rugged and smooth, there's no need to mind these little bumps now! As for the recent fortuity, it's only a dragon temporarily contained and trapped; the time has come when nature will work together to help him from every angle, without a hitch... As long as he is careful, there is no need to worry!"

Ling Xiaozui fumed. "I think you don't wish to live anymore. Who are you trying to cheat with these clichés? You speak about the limitations of the universe, and then of things beyond it; can you exaggerate any more? Do you really think I dare not capture you?"

"Also, what do you mean rugged and smooth? Are you bullsh*tting?"

Gu Chaliang exploded in anger, "What else can I say at this juncture if not clichés? His face... You - you... what the f*ck do you know?"

He cursed aloud from impatience, completely differentiating himself from his former elegant self. Gu Chaliang felt maligned. How could he simply speak of Yun Yang's destiny?

'If I f*cking wanted to say it, there would be a lightning bolt from heaven that would turn me into ashes the moment I opened my mouth! Are you going to be responsible for it?'

'Forces beyond the universe? It's the truth! It's a fact that this child's destiny can only be altered by a force of the universe!