Yeah, You're Scolding Me

Lin Ao looked completely deranged as he grabbed Xiao Fan by the head and slammed it violently into the ground.

The ground cracked from the impact, sending dust and gravel flying into the air.

"Not so arrogant now, are you? Aren't you the leader of the Dragon Gate?"

"Hahahaha, you killed me so many times! Hahahaha!"

Lin Ao's eyes were bloodshot, and his murderous intent toward Xiao Fan had reached its absolute peak.

The golden energy on Xiao Fan's body was constantly dissipating, flowing steadily into Lin Ao's body.

"Didn't you want to kill me? Come on then! Hahahaha!"

Lin Ao was venting all the resentment he had accumulated over so many lifetimes in one go.

Xiao Fan was dizzy from the slamming, his mind a chaotic mess.

He was filled with fury and tried to struggle to his feet.

Lin Ao would never give him the chance; he grabbed Xiao Fan's head once more, preparing to smash it down again.

"Enough!"

At that moment, someone shouted from behind. Elder Hong had appeared at Lin Ao's back, launching a fierce punch toward Lin Ao's skull.

Lin Ao hoisted the Xiao Fan on the ground up and punched him in the back, using him as a human shield.

Xiao Fan spat out a mouthful of blood, his body flying toward Elder Hong as it slipped from Lin Ao's grip.

Elder Hong retracted his fist, catching Xiao Fan with a look of disgust.

He was just about to continue his attack on Lin Ao.

He realized his body had been locked onto by several auras.

Without a moment's hesitation, Elder Hong turned around and issued a retreat order to the others.

He carried Xiao Fan away, realizing that those auras were no weaker than his own, and with Xiao Fan already severely injured.

If they didn't leave now, it would be too late.

"Uncle Zhang, stop him for me!"

Father Lin and Mother Lin appeared not far away, and Uncle Zhang was already sprinting toward them, giving chase.

Liu Menghan arrived at the scene at this moment and, seeing Liu Nian lying on the ground, felt a surge of fury.

"Leave none of them alive!"

She was determined to intercept Xiao Fan and his group!

Lin Ao had wanted to pursue them, but he realized the power in his body had been exhausted. A bitter smile curled his lips; this guy was a cockroach, his head hadn't even exploded after being slammed like that.

Once the power dissipated, he spat out a mouthful of blood. His entire body felt as if the muscles were tearing, accompanied by an intense sense of weakness.

Lin Ao collapsed powerlessly to the ground.

"Lin Ao—!"

"Uncle Lin Ao—!"

"Son—!"

Gu Wanqing and Liu Nian rushed toward Lin Ao, dragging their injured bodies, and pulled him into their arms.

In her desperation, Liu Nian had also cried out.

Father Lin and Mother Lin arrived as well. Seeing the unconscious Lin Ao, their faces turned livid, and Li Wanyu immediately pulled out her phone to dial a number filled with asterisks.

Lin Ao could no longer sense what was happening in the outside world.

He had arrived in a strange space.

[Wake up!]

[Wake up!]

[Xiao, Lin, Ye, and Chu are coming!]

"Where? Where are they? I'll fight them to the death!!"

In the space, Lin Ao jolted awake upon hearing those four names!

He looked up to see nothing but a vast expanse of white.

"Where is this? Am I about to be reborn again?"

Lin Ao looked around in confusion. Indeed, whenever something unusual happens, there must be a demon at work. No wonder Gu Wanqing refused to break off the engagement and even... became so wild.

So, this time it ended early for me.

[It was almost too late! If it had been, you would have really had to do it all over again.]

"Who's there?"

Lin Ao was startled by the sudden voice.

A faint golden orb of light flew out.

[I am the Heavenly Mandate of this world, and you are the one I fished out.]

"What do you mean? What Heavenly Mandate?"

Lin Ao did not understand what this little orb meant. Fished me out? Lin Ao fell into deep thought.

[I am telling you that you are a major villain in this world, and it was I who helped you break free from your mental shackles.]

"Then we need to have a good talk! Does that mean everything that happened was because of you?"

Lin Ao's expression turned grim as he viciously threw a punch toward the orb.

The orb dodged quickly.

[Hey, hey, hey! Let's talk this out! I'm here to help you! I'm a victim too!]

Lin Ao stopped, waiting for the orb's explanation.

[I was originally the Heavenly Mandate of this world, but while I was in a deep slumber, I was ambushed by Fate. It stole my power and then distributed parts of it among its several puppets of Fate to cultivate strength and accumulate more energy of the Heavenly Mandate.]

[And they are what the world calls the Child of Heavenly Mandate.]

[As for you, you were originally a puppet of Fate as well, specifically used as a stepping stone for the Child of Heavenly Mandate.]

[Across various timelines, it used you to provoke the Child of Heavenly Mandate so that more energy of the Heavenly Mandate would be stimulated and released.]

"Who is Fate?! Isn't the Heavenly Mandate the same thing as fate?"

[Heh, they are different. The Heavenly Mandate is hard to defy, while fate can be changed.]

"According to that logic, isn't the Heavenly Mandate more powerful? How could it be ambushed by fate?"

The little orb paused, seemingly pondering this question as well.

[Ahem, well, even the best make mistakes, right? Every life has its ups and downs. Ahem, back to the main point.]

[Every time you had a brief moment of freedom of action, it was me testing Fate to see if it was already asleep while absorbing my energy.]

[After confirming it was in a deep slumber, I finally liberated you from Fate this time. Every time you break the destiny of a Child of Heavenly Mandate, you can dispel the aura of fate from yourself and simultaneously absorb their energy of the Heavenly Mandate.]

[This time, I finally absorbed enough energy to communicate with you here. This way, we can fight against Fate together.]

[Once all my energy returns, this farce will come to an end, and you won't have to live the life of a puppet anymore.]

"Why are you so certain that I will help you?"

[Heh, I think you've died enough times. You are the most suitable candidate.]

"Then what kind of help can you provide me?"

[I will help you resist the corrections of Fate at critical moments, just like this time.]

[Otherwise, how do you think you got that final burst of power? I am still too weak right now; I could only help you maintain it for that long.]

[However, I cannot appear frequently. If Fate senses me and is stimulated into waking up, then everything we've done will be in vain.]

"Then what should I do from now on?"

[Let nature take its course; Fate will naturally come looking for you. If you deliberately seek them out, it will trigger even more intense corrections, and you are not yet strong enough to resist them.]

Now, everything made sense to Lin Ao. He was nothing but a puppet in this world—a puppet of Fate—arranged time and time again to serve as a stepping stone for those Children of Heavenly Mandate, helping Fate absorb the energy of the Heavenly Mandate.

"So that means I still have to rely on myself?"

[In most cases, you have to rely on yourself, because this is also your chance to break free from Fate. Seize it well.]

Lin Ao was deep in thought. The Heavenly Mandate was right; this was also an opportunity for him to completely shake off Fate.

[Alright, we've talked enough. I will seal your memories of this place, as I fear Fate might notice.]

[Go forth and act boldly; I believe you can do it.]

[Wake up!]

"Wait!"

Lin Ao still had one more question he wanted to clear up.

"By the way, does that mean the 'damn heavens' I cursed at the beginning was the wrong person?"

[...]

[Yes, you were cursing at me!]

The golden orb of light somehow manifested a palm.

"Smack!"

Lin Ao flew out of the consciousness space.

There was one more thing the Heavenly Mandate did not tell him: his information panel was also something it had tinkered with.

It was all to lure more suitable people in to help it change Fate.