Sorry for the Wait

Lin Ao watched Xiao Fan charge toward him.

He took a deep breath.

Lin Ao hadn't expected to cross paths with Xiao Fan so early, let alone get into a conflict like this.

It was much, much earlier than before.

So early that he hadn't had time to cultivate that technique.

In the previous timeline, as the great villain, Lin Ao had certainly possessed peerless techniques. He'd constantly collected different techniques from across the world, pushing himself to grow stronger at any cost as he sought to wipe out the protagonist's group.

He'd even cultivated to a realm none of them could hope to reach: the True Martial Realm.

In this world, the path went from Martial Artist to Post-Natal Realm, Pre-Natal Realm, Grandmaster, Great Grandmaster, Ninth-Rank Great Grandmaster, and finally the True Martial Realm.

Back then, "Lin Ao" had thought himself invincible. He'd kept the protagonist's group firmly under his thumb, yet no matter what he did, he couldn't kill them. Every time he was about to finish them off, something would turn the tables.

Then the protagonist's group grew stronger again and again, only to come back and cause him trouble. In the end, Xiao, Lin, Ye, and Chu joined forces, and the great villain "Lin Ao" died.

Lin Ao sighed.

It seemed heaven had really let him believe he was free, only to take his life here after barely a few days.

Now, Lin Ao could only rely on his experience and the instincts he'd retained to fight Xiao Fan. After all, he hadn't even cultivated any inner strength yet.

He dodged Xiao Fan's attacks with difficulty. He could predict where Xiao Fan's next strike would land, but without a technique to back him up, seeing everything clearly and predicting accurately were both useless.

His body kept taking the full force of Xiao Fan's punches.

"Ah—! Die, you ant!"

Xiao Fan had gone completely berserk. He kept taking his revenge on Lin Ao, determined to torture the man before him to death.

Lin Ao guarded his vital points, gritting his teeth as he waited for an opening. Even if I die, I'll land one punch on you.

Xiao Fan struck again. His eagerness to torment Lin Ao made him careless; he pulled back some of his strength and speed, giving Lin Ao an opening.

"I told you, even if I die, I'll land one punch on you!"

Lin Ao took Xiao Fan's punch head-on, clamping his left hand around Xiao Fan's arm and driving his right fist toward Xiao Fan's face.

His full-force punch slammed into Xiao Fan's face.

A vast amount of golden energy burst out of Xiao Fan's body from the blow, then surged all at once toward Lin Ao and merged into him.

Once Xiao Fan recovered, he kicked Lin Ao hard in the stomach, sending him flying to Gu Wanqing's feet.

"Lin Ao!"

Gu Wanqing and Liu Nian rushed over with red-rimmed eyes and threw themselves over Lin Ao.

Xiao Fan reached up and touched his nose.

Blood. Damn Lin Ao—he'd actually managed to hurt him!

His eyes brimmed with venom and cruelty. He rushed at Lin Ao, grabbed Gu Wanqing and Liu Nian from the ground, and hurled them violently aside.

"Damn you! Damn you! Damn you! What are you acting like such a big shot for? You called me a clown, and you hurt me! Do you even know who you're standing in front of? Me, Xiao Fan! The sect master of Dragon Gate!"

He kicked Lin Ao viciously where he lay, trying to kick him to death! He kept venting the fury in his heart.

With every kick Xiao Fan landed, the golden energy around him dissipated faster, surging all at once into Lin Ao. It was as if Lin Ao were frantically devouring the golden energy spilling from Xiao Fan.

As Xiao Fan's golden energy faded, his eyes grew more and more frenzied.

Red energy also began to seep from Lin Ao, attacking the golden layer around Xiao Fan and trying to invade his body.

"Gu Wanqing, take a good look! The man you chose is a loser! Hahahaha!"

Xiao Fan hadn't noticed that anything was wrong with him.

"Hahahaha! Die! Die!"

Gu Wanqing and Liu Nian scrambled to their feet and rushed forward. They wanted to stop Xiao Fan.

"Get out of my way!"

Xiao Fan had no interest in sparing the women now. His eyes held nothing but feverish madness, and he punched Gu Wanqing and Liu Nian away.

Xiao Fan turned back, ready to finish Lin Ao.

"Die!"

Xiao Fan gathered all his strength, preparing to land a fatal blow on Lin Ao.

But a hand stopped his charged-up kick in midair.

It was Lin Ao.

He had actually blocked Xiao Fan's full-force strike with one hand.

"Ahhh—!"

Lin Ao's fingers tightened around Xiao Fan's leg, and Xiao Fan let out a piercing scream!

"Heeheehee, hahahaha! Hahahahaha!"

With one hand gripping Xiao Fan's leg and the other covering his face, Lin Ao laughed with a manic, deranged air that sent chills down everyone's spine.

"Xiao Fan, Xiao Fan! Are you really that eager to see me dead?"

Lin Ao tightened his grip again, and Xiao Fan's screams grew even more agonized.

The screams drew everyone's attention.

Elder Hong, not far away, furrowed his brow. Why did the sect master seem so undignified?

He was the dignified sect master of Dragon Gate, yet someone had him in their grip?

Elder Hong struck Uncle Gu with a palm, sending him flying, then immediately rushed over to save Xiao Fan.

He arrived in front of Lin Ao and brought his palm down on Lin Ao's head. Lin Ao tossed Xiao Fan aside and met the strike with his own palm.

A Great Grandmaster's strength was indeed formidable. The clash sent a gale howling around them.

"Hm?"

The moment their palms met, Elder Hong sensed something was wrong. He hadn't sent Lin Ao flying with one strike. Lin Ao had actually held his ground.

Gu Wanqing and Liu Nian looked at Lin Ao's status panel at the same time. Their eyes widened: the original panel had disappeared, leaving only one line.

[One Minute Maniac!]

Lin Ao seemed to have become the ultimate boss again.

His eyes brimmed with unbridled violence and fury.

"Xiao Fan, sorry for the wait. Even if I only have one minute, it's more than enough to kill you!"

Lin Ao's eyes were filled with madness.

He threw a punch that sent Elder Hong, a Great Grandmaster, reeling.

Then he charged at Xiao Fan.