Venti Reincarnated, City of Freedom!

Outside Godwind City, green grass stretched to the horizon.

A paper airplane rode the breeze, wobbling as it climbed high into the sky before fading into a tiny white speck, vanishing deep within the clouds.

Venti lay sprawled on the soft grass, hands pillowed behind his head, his emerald green cape spread out like a giant lotus leaf.

A gentle breeze swept past, rustling the Cecilia Flower on the brim of his hat and tousling the hair across his forehead.

Even after transmigrating to this Douluo Continent and becoming the City Lord of Godwind City, he still couldn't change his carefree nature.

Godwind City was now renowned across the continent, bustling and incredibly prosperous.

Outsiders whispered that the City Lord was unfathomable, a man with heaven-reaching means.

Only Venti knew just how "unprofessional" he was as a ruler.

He didn't concern himself with the city's affairs at all.

He had dumped everything onto his few clever and capable disciples.

Shui Bing'er was steady, Shui Yue'er was lively, Bai Chenxiang possessed peerless speed, and Dugu Yan wielded poison with godlike mastery.

These four girls had been trained by him to be formidable and efficient, which was the only reason he had the leisure to sunbathe on the suburban grass and listen to the wind sing.

As for strength?

Venti squinted, watching the drifting wisps of cloud in the sky.

The so-called God Kings were, in his eyes, nothing more than slightly larger ants in the wind.

If he wanted to, the landscape of this continent would have been rewritten long ago.

But what would be the point of that?

It was better to drink wine, better to play the lyre, better to watch the clouds roll and unfurl.

A series of light, crisp footsteps approached, crushing the dew on the grass blades and shattering the tranquility.

"..."

Venti did not open his eyes, yet his nose caught a scent—a sacred and cold aura.

It was the smell of sunlight, and the smell of an angel.

A slender figure stopped by his side.

Qian Renxue wore a golden palace gown, the hem swaying gently in the breeze to reveal a glimpse of a calf as white as jade, its lines exquisitely beautiful.

Having only recently inherited the Angel God position, her divine power surged, and her noble temperament made one afraid to look directly at her.

Those golden eyes, usually filled with the majesty of one who looks down upon the world, now held a rare touch of softness and complexity as she gazed at the youth on the grass.

Her acquaintance with Venti had been purely accidental.

It was during a trip to clear her mind that she had stumbled upon this youth, who sat beneath a tree playing his lyre.

The pure, free aura emanating from Venti was like a gust of fresh wind blowing into a heart long filled with hatred and duty.

She often came to Godwind City for short stays, using it as an escape from the suffocating atmosphere of Martial Soul Hall.

The relationship between the two had become somewhat subtle and ambiguous through these repeated encounters.

But now, the dream had to end.

Qian Renxue took a deep breath, her chest rising and falling slightly as she suppressed the reluctance in her heart.

The Spirit Hall Empire had officially launched the war.

She was the Angel God, the pillar of the Spirit Hall Empire, and she had to return.

Even if she did not want the flames of war to touch this pure land, nor did she want Venti, who was as pure as a boy, to be dragged into the strife.

"I am leaving."

Qian Renxue's voice was somewhat dry.

Venti remained with his eyes closed, a foxtail grass dangling from his mouth, and he responded vaguely:

"Mm."

Qian Renxue looked at his nonchalant appearance, feeling a slight ache in her heart, yet also a sense of relief.

This was right.

He was the free wind; he should not be bound by the wars of mortals.

"The Spirit Hall Empire has gone to war with the two great empires."

Qian Renxue cast her gaze into the distance, her eyes gradually turning firm:

"I am the Angel God; I must return to oversee the situation."

"No matter what, I must participate in this war."

She paused, turned her head, and stared fixedly at Venti's profile, as if trying to carve his image into the depths of her soul:

"Once I leave, I may not return for a very long time."

Countless emotions surged within her.

Having just ascended to godhood, she could have forcibly taken Venti away or confessed her feelings to him directly.

But looking into Venti's eyes, so clear and unstained by even a speck of dust, she found she could not bring herself to speak.

As she was now, she reeked of the gunpowder of the battlefield she was about to enter, her hands destined to be stained with blood.

She felt she was unworthy of the Venti standing before her.

She had to quell this war as quickly as possible, sweep away all obstacles, and bring the entire continent back under one rule.

When that time came, she would wash away the stench of blood and return here, to Godwind City, in her most perfect form.

Then, she would solemnly confess her love to him.

She wanted to be with the person who brought such peace to her soul forever!

At this thought, the light in Qian Renxue's eyes grew even more fervent; it was the confidence of a god and the persistence of a woman.

"I am leaving now. Do you have nothing to say to me?"

Qian Renxue could not hold back in the end, asking softly with a trace of imperceptible anticipation in her tone.

Venti finally opened his eyes.

Those green orbs were like the most transparent gemstones, reflecting the blue sky and white clouds, as well as Qian Renxue's stunningly beautiful face.

He sat up and casually brushed the grass clippings from his cape. The wind blew his bangs aside, revealing a face so exquisite it invited envy.

Venti chuckled, a smile like a spring breeze, so clean it made one's heart tremble.

"Then... I wish you safety?"

His tone was natural and casual, as if he were seeing off an old friend heading out to buy groceries, devoid of any heaviness or sorrow of parting.

Qian Renxue froze for a moment.

Immediately, a flicker of obvious disappointment flashed in the depths of her eyes.

Is it just a wish for my safety?

Could it be that all this time, she had been reading too much into things?

In his heart, was she perhaps just an ordinary passerby?

Qian Renxue bit her lower lip, the disappointment in her heart quickly replaced by an even stronger fighting spirit.

No.

That is just his personality—free-spirited and unconstrained.

That is exactly what she liked about him.

When I return in triumph, I will make you put away this casual attitude and look at me with all your heart!

"Good."

Qian Renxue nodded heavily, no longer hesitating.

"I will take your words to heart."

"Wait for my return."

She said the last four words very softly, yet they carried immense weight.

As her voice faded, six massive golden wings unfurled from Qian Renxue's back, the holy radiance instantly illuminating half the sky.

She did not look back, her figure transforming into a streak of golden light as she shot into the sky, vanishing into the horizon in the blink of an eye.

Venti watched the direction she had departed, his fingers lightly plucking the harp in his hands, producing a crisp "twang."

"The wind will guide your path forward."

He whispered softly, then lay back down on the grass.

The very moment Qian Renxue left.

The previously clear sky suddenly changed!

Rumble--!

A deafening peal of thunder resounded across the entire Douluo Continent.

It was not dark clouds, but a sky filled with golden light!

Above the firmament, the clouds churned as a massive golden rift slowly tore open, like an eye of heaven suddenly opening to look down upon all living things.

Endless golden light poured down from the rift, dyeing the entire world in a brilliant gold.