Lin Ao’s face was twisted with madness as he grabbed Xiao Fan’s head and smashed it brutally against the ground. The impact split the surface open, and dust and shattered stones burst into the air.
Weren’t you arrogant? Weren’t you the Dragon Gate Leader? Lin Ao laughed wildly. “Hahaha! You’ve killed me so many times! Hahaha!”
His eyes were bloodshot, and his killing intent toward Xiao Fan had reached its peak. The golden energy around Xiao Fan continued to dissipate, constantly flowing into Lin Ao’s body.
“You wanted to kill me, didn’t you? Come on! Hahaha!”
Lin Ao vented all the resentment he had accumulated over countless timelines in one explosive release.
Xiao Fan’s head was spinning from the repeated blows. His thoughts were in chaos. Fury burned inside him as he struggled to get up.
Lin Ao gave him no chance. He grabbed Xiao Fan’s head again, ready to slam it down once more.
“Enough!”
A furious shout exploded behind him. Elder Hong had appeared at Lin Ao’s back and threw a fierce punch toward his head.
Lin Ao lifted Xiao Fan from the ground, drove a punch into Xiao Fan’s back, and used him as a human shield.
Xiao Fan spat out a mouthful of blood. His body broke free from Lin Ao’s grip and flew toward Elder Hong.
Elder Hong withdrew his fist and caught Xiao Fan with a hint of disgust. He was about to continue attacking Lin Ao when he felt several powerful auras locking onto him.
Without hesitation, Elder Hong turned around and issued a retreat command.
Carrying Xiao Fan, he left immediately. Those auras were no weaker than his own, and Xiao Fan was already severely injured. If they delayed any longer, it would be too late.
“Uncle Zhang, stop them!” Lin Ao’s father and mother appeared in the distance.
Uncle Zhang was already sprinting toward them, chasing after Elder Hong.
Liu Menghan also arrived at the scene. When she saw Liu Nian lying on the ground, rage erupted in her chest. “Leave none of them alive!”
She intended to intercept Xiao Fan’s group completely.
Lin Ao had originally wanted to pursue them, but he felt the power inside him run out. A bitter smile curved at his lips. This guy really is like a cockroach. Even after smashing his head like that, it still didn’t burst.
Once the strength dissipated, he spat out a mouthful of blood. Every muscle in his body felt as if it had been torn apart, accompanied by overwhelming weakness.
Lin Ao collapsed onto the ground.
“Lin Ao!”
“Uncle Lin Ao!”
“Son!”
Gu Wanqing and Liu Nian dragged their injured bodies toward him and held him tightly. In her panic, Liu Nian cried out loudly.
Lin Ao’s father and mother rushed over. Seeing him unconscious, their faces turned ashen. Li Wanyu immediately took out her phone and dialed a number filled with asterisks.
…
Lin Ao could no longer sense what was happening outside.
He found himself in a strange space.
[Wake up!]
[Wake up!]
[Xiao Fan, Lin, Ye, and Chu are here!]
“Where? Where are they? I’ll fight them to the death!”
The moment Lin Ao heard those four names, he jolted awake inside the space.
He looked up. Everything around him was a vast expanse of white.
“Where is this? Am I about to be reborn again?”
He looked around in confusion. So something was off after all. No wonder Gu Wanqing refused to break off the engagement and even became so wild. So this time they ended me ahead of schedule.
[You almost didn’t make it. If you had missed it, you would really have to go through it all again.]
“Who’s there?”
Lin Ao was startled by the sudden voice.
A faint golden orb floated out.
[I am the Heavenly Mandate of this world. I pulled you out.]
“What do you mean? What Heavenly Mandate?”
Lin Ao frowned. Pulled me out? He began to think.
[I was the one who told you that you were the great villain of this world. I was the one who unlocked your mental shackles.]
Lin Ao’s expression darkened as he punched toward the orb. “Then we need to have a serious talk. So all of this happened because of you?”
The orb quickly dodged.
[Hey! Hey! Let’s talk this through. I’m here to help you! I’m a victim too!]
Lin Ao stopped and waited for the explanation.
[I was originally the Heavenly Mandate of this world. While I was asleep, I was ambushed by Fate. My power was taken away and divided among several of its puppets to cultivate strength and gather more Heavenly Mandate energy.]
[Those puppets are what people call the Chosen Ones.]
[And you were originally one of Fate’s puppets, specifically designed to serve as a stepping stone for the Chosen Ones.]
[Across countless timelines, you were used to stimulate them. The more you struggled, the more Heavenly Mandate energy was triggered.]
“Who is Fate? Isn’t Heavenly Mandate the same as Fate?”
[Hehe, they’re different. Heavenly Mandate cannot be defied, but Fate can be changed.]
“By that logic, doesn’t that make Heavenly Mandate stronger? So how were you ambushed by Fate?”
The golden orb paused, seemingly thinking.
[Well… even the best can slip up. Every power has its ups and downs. Let’s get back to the point.]
[Every time you briefly gained freedom of action, it was me testing Fate to see if it had fallen asleep while absorbing my energy.]
[After confirming it was asleep, this time I completely freed you from Fate’s control. Each time you break the destiny of a Chosen One, you dispel your own fate aura and absorb their Heavenly Mandate energy.]
[This time you finally absorbed enough energy for me to communicate with you. Now we can fight Fate together.]
[When all my energy returns, this farce will end, and you won’t have to live as a puppet anymore.]
“Why are you so sure I’ll help you?”
[Hehe, because you’ve died enough. You’re the most suitable candidate.]
“What can you offer me?”
[I will help you resist Fate’s corrections at critical moments, like this time.]
[Otherwise, where do you think that final burst of power came from? I’m still too weak and can only sustain you for that long.]
[But I can’t appear too often. If Fate senses me and awakens, everything we’ve done will be wasted.]
“So what should I do next?”
[Go with the flow. Fate will naturally come to you. If you deliberately seek them out, it will trigger even stronger corrections. You’re not strong enough to resist that yet.]
Everything finally made sense to Lin Ao. In this world, he was nothing but a puppet, a puppet of Fate, arranged again and again to be the stepping stone for the Chosen Ones, helping Fate absorb Heavenly Mandate energy.
“So in the end, I still have to rely on myself?”
[In most situations, yes. But this is also your chance to break Fate completely. Cherish it.]
Lin Ao fell into deep thought. That was right. This was his opportunity to free himself from Fate forever.
[That’s enough for now. I will seal your memories of this place. I’m afraid Fate might notice.]
[Go boldly. I believe in you.]
[Wake up!]
“Wait!”
Lin Ao still had one question.
“By the way, when I cursed the damned heavens at the beginning, was I cursing the wrong one?”
[…]
[Yes. The one you cursed was me!]
The golden orb somehow formed a hand.
Smack.
Lin Ao was sent flying out of the consciousness space.
There was one more thing the Heavenly Mandate had not told him. His information panel was also created by it, in order to draw more suitable people in to help change Fate together.