Lin Ao looked utterly crazed as he grabbed Xiao Fan by the head and slammed it hard against the ground.
The impact split the ground open, sending dust and bits of stone flying.
"Weren't you so full of yourself? Weren't you the Dragon Gate Sect Master?"
"Hahahaha! You killed me so many times! Hahahahaha!"
Lin Ao's eyes were bloodshot. His killing intent toward Xiao Fan had nearly reached its peak.
The golden energy around Xiao Fan kept dissipating, continuously flowing into Lin Ao's body.
"Weren't you going to kill me? Come on! Hahahaha!"
Lin Ao poured out all the resentment he'd accumulated over so many times in one go.
Xiao Fan's head spun from the blows, his thoughts a tangled mess.
He was furious and tried to struggle to his feet.
Lin Ao wasn't about to give him the chance. He grabbed Xiao Fan by the head again, ready to slam it down once more.
"Enough!"
Just then, someone roared from behind. Elder Hong had appeared at Lin Ao's back, and a fierce punch shot toward his head.
Lin Ao picked Xiao Fan up off the ground and drove a punch into his back, using him as a human shield.
A mouthful of blood spurted from Xiao Fan's lips as he flew out of Lin Ao's grasp and toward Elder Hong.
Elder Hong withdrew his fist and caught Xiao Fan with a somewhat disgusted look.
He was just about to keep attacking Lin Ao.
Then he sensed several auras locking onto his body.
Without the slightest hesitation, Elder Hong turned around and ordered the others to retreat.
He carried Xiao Fan away, having realized that the owners of those auras were no weaker than him—and Xiao Fan was already gravely injured.
If they didn't leave now, it would be too late.
"Uncle Zhang, stop him!"
Father Lin and Mother Lin appeared in the distance. Uncle Zhang was already running toward them, chasing after Elder Hong.
Liu Menghan arrived at the scene just then. When she saw Liu Nian lying on the ground, anger burst in her heart.
"Don't let a single one of them get away!"
She was going to stop every last one of Xiao Fan's group!
Lin Ao had been about to pursue them, but then he realized the power within him had run out. A bitter smile tugged at his lips. That bastard was a cockroach—he'd slammed his head into the ground like that, and it still hadn't burst.
As the power faded, blood spurted from Lin Ao's mouth. His muscles throbbed with tearing pain, accompanied by an overwhelming sense of weakness.
Lin Ao collapsed helplessly to the ground.
"Lin Ao—!"
"Uncle Lin Ao—!"
"Son—!"
Gu Wanqing and Liu Nian rushed toward Lin Ao, their injured bodies barely able to carry them. They gathered him in their arms.
In her panic, Liu Nian had also cried out.
Father Lin and Mother Lin arrived too. Seeing Lin Ao unconscious, their faces turned ashen. Li Wanyu immediately pulled out her phone and dialed a number with a whole lot of stars.
Lin Ao could no longer sense what was happening outside.
He had arrived in a strange space.
[Wake up!]
[Wake up!]
[Xiao, Lin, Ye, and Chu are here!]
"Where? Where are they? I'll fight them to the death!!"
In the space, Lin Ao sprang awake when he heard those four names!
He looked up and saw nothing but endless white all around him.
"Where is this? Am I about to be reborn again?"
Lin Ao stared around in confusion. Sure enough, whenever something strange happened, there had to be a monster behind it. No wonder Gu Wanqing hadn't been willing to break off the engagement—and had even become so wild.
So this time, my story ended early.
[I almost didn't make it in time! If I hadn't, you really would've had to go through it all over again.]
"Who's there?"
The sudden voice startled Lin Ao.
A faint golden orb of light floated out.
[I am this world's Heavenly Mandate. I pulled you out.]
"What do you mean? What's the Heavenly Mandate?"
Lin Ao didn't understand what the little orb meant. Pulled me out? He pondered this.
[I was the one who told you that you were a major villain in this world. I helped you break free of your mental shackles.]
"Then we need to have a serious talk! So you're the reason all this happened?"
Lin Ao's face darkened. He swung a vicious punch at the orb.
The orb swiftly dodged.
[Hey, hey, let's talk this out! I'm here to help you! I'm a victim too!]
Lin Ao stopped and waited for the orb to explain.
[I was this world's Heavenly Mandate, but while I was asleep, Fate ambushed me and stole my power. Then it scattered some of that power among several of its Fate puppets, using them to build up their strength and accumulate more Heavenly Mandate energy.]
[And they are the ones the world calls the Children of Heavenly Mandate.]
[As for you, you were also Fate's puppet, specifically meant to serve as a stepping stone for the Children of Heavenly Mandate.]
[Across countless different timelines, it used you to provoke the Children of Heavenly Mandate, thereby drawing out even more Heavenly Mandate energy.]
"Who is Fate?! Isn't the Heavenly Mandate just Fate?"
[Heh. They're different. The Heavenly Mandate cannot be defied, but Fate can be changed.]
"By that logic, doesn't that mean the Heavenly Mandate is more powerful? How could Fate ambush you?"
The little orb paused, apparently pondering the question too.
[Ahem. People miss their mark, and horses stumble. Even Fate has its ups and downs. Ahem, back to the point.]
[Every time you had a brief moment of freedom to act, it was because I was testing Fate, trying to see whether it had fallen asleep while absorbing my power.]
[Once I confirmed it was asleep, this time I completely freed you from Fate. Every time you defy the destiny of a Child of Heavenly Mandate, you disperse the aura of Fate from yourself and absorb their Heavenly Mandate energy.]
[At last, I've absorbed enough energy to speak with you here. Now we can fight Fate together.]
[Once all my power returns, this farce will be over, and you won't have to live like a puppet anymore.]
"Why are you so sure I'll help you?"
[Heh. I think you've died enough times. You're the best person for the job.]
"Then what kind of help can you offer me?"
[I'll help you resist Fate's corrections at critical moments, just like I did this time.]
[Otherwise, how do you think you got that last burst of power? I'm still too weak right now; I can only help you maintain it for that long.]
[But I can't show up too often. If Fate senses me, it might wake up, and then everything we've done will be for nothing.]
"Then what am I supposed to do from now on?"
[Let things take their course. Fate will come looking for you on its own. If you deliberately seek them out, it will trigger an even stronger correction. You're not strong enough to resist it yet.]
Now Lin Ao finally understood everything. In this world, he was a puppet—a puppet of Fate, arranged to serve as a stepping stone for the Children of Heavenly Mandate time and again, helping Fate absorb the Heavenly Mandate's power.
"So it still comes down to me, huh?"
[Most of the time, yes. This is also your chance to break free of Fate, so make the most of it.]
Lin Ao fell into thought. The Heavenly Mandate was right. This was a chance for him too—a chance to escape Fate once and for all.
[All right, that's enough talking. I'll seal your memories of this place. I'm afraid Fate might notice.]
[Go ahead and give it your all. I believe you can do it.]
[Wake up!]
"Wait!"
There was one more thing Lin Ao wanted to figure out.
"By the way, when I cursed that damn heaven earlier, was I cursing the wrong person?"
[...]
[Yeah, you were cursing me!]
The golden orb somehow conjured a hand.
"Slap!"
Lin Ao flew out of the space of consciousness.
There was one other thing the Heavenly Mandate hadn't told him: it had also tinkered with his information panel.
It wanted to draw in more suitable people to help it change Fate.
Before you continue