Chapter 1015: Mutation

Chapter 1015: Sudden Mutation

Hearing that Qing Wanglai was in the kitchen, Li Huowang said nothing, merely shaking his head slowly.

Just then, the familiar roar of an engine echoed from afar, drawing rapidly closer, and Li Huowang immediately signaled Yang Na and Yi Donglai with a glance.

With a thunderous bang, the front door was kicked wide open, and a completely transformed Zhao Shuangdian strode in. "Where is Li Huowang!?"

Li Huowang’s pupils dilated as he stared at her; her once silky hair was now a greasy, tangled mess, as if unwashed for days. Her clothes were clearly a size too large, hanging loosely on her frame, and the subtle makeup he remembered had vanished, leaving her face stark and bare.

He recalled the Zhao Shuangdian of the past—an intellectual beauty—but the woman before him was a stranger, as if she had been replaced entirely.

As Li Huowang stared, Zhao Shuangdian caught his gaze, let out a sharp laugh, and marched toward him.

Yang Na moved to intercept her, but Zhao Shuangdian shoved her aside. "Li Huowang, why did you call me here? What could be so urgent that it had to be said in person?"

"W-what?!" Li Huowang’s mind reeled; her words had completely shattered his carefully laid plans.

No longer caring about his original strategy, Li Huowang grabbed Zhao Shuangdian and pulled her out of Qing Wanglai’s villa.

Beneath the bamboo grove, Li Huowang stared at her in disbelief. "Why are you like this? Why?"

"Like what? You’re acting like a lunatic." Zhao Shuangdian crossed her arms, looking at him with clear annoyance.

Connecting the dots to Yang Na’s earlier erratic behavior, Li Huowang suddenly understood the truth.

"Is it because I devoured your Heavenly Dao? I’ll give it back! I’ll return it to you right now!"

Just as Li Huowang drew his combat knife, preparing to carve the flesh from his own body for her to consume, Zhao Shuangdian forcibly pinned his shoulders down.

"Why? I already gave it back to you, why won't you take it? Why won't you take the Heavenly Dao back! I don't even know how to use your Heavenly Dao!" Li Huowang struggled desperately.

Yi Donglai rushed over, trying to mediate. "Xiao Li, if you say it like that, she won't understand what you mean."

Seeing the expression on Zhao Shuangdian’s face, Li Huowang took a deep breath. "Fine, let go of me. I’ll explain it to you from the beginning."

"Explain what?" a voice drifted over.

Zhao Shuangdian released him and waved toward the sound. "Qingzi, it’s nothing, Li Huowang said he had something to talk to me about." Li Huowang turned to see Qing Wanglai walking toward them with his signature smile.

"Let's go inside and sit." Hearing this, everyone turned and headed back into the house.

In the spacious living room, Zhao Shuangdian asked, "What is it? Tell me."

Li Huowang looked at her, then at Qing Wanglai, who was wiping his hands nearby. He opened his mouth, but found himself unable to speak.

The Three Pure Ones were far more vigilant than he had imagined; though Qing Wanglai didn't know exactly what had happened, he was watching them like a hawk.

Explaining now was impossible. To declare openly that Qing Wanglai intended to seize the Heavenly Dao of all the Fate-Masters would be to squander the advantage he had fought so hard to gain.

Furthermore, confronting him head-on would only alert the enemy, and more importantly, Zhao Shuangdian might not believe him—especially this version of her.

Just then, hearing the sound of the television, Li Huowang pointed toward it. "Look! The Fortune-Bearing Heaven!"

Everyone turned to the screen, where a news report showed a typhoon passing through. A pane of glass fell from a skyscraper, shattering on the ground and startling the reporter.

As the others turned back to him, Li Huowang said with intense gravity, "The Fortune-Bearing Heaven has made its move! It is closing in on us. We must find a way to resolve this catastrophe."

Qing Wanglai blinked and adjusted his glasses. "Is this the big news you were talking about?"

"Is this not a big deal? The Fortune-Bearing Heaven will be here in eight days! This is information I obtained at great cost! If we don't find a solution before it arrives, we are all going to die!"

"Six days," a voice interrupted him.

"Hm?" Li Huowang turned his gaze to Chen Hongyu, who was watching the TV.

"Not eight days. Six," Chen Hongyu said, pressing the remote to turn up the volume. "According to the meteorological bureau, Typhoon Jade will reach Tai City in five days..."

Li Huowang’s face turned deathly pale. The Fortune-Bearing Heaven had not been affected by the time loop; it was still closing in!

What Qing Wanglai had claimed was eight days away was now only six!

"Wait! That means—" A terrifying thought struck Li Huowang, and he reached for his phone with trembling hands.

Fear gripped him as he dialed Sun Xiaoqin’s number, but the automated voice responded: "The number you have dialed is not in service. Please check and dial again."

With bloodshot eyes, Li Huowang desperately dialed Li Jiancheng’s number, but the same cold, empty response plunged him into absolute despair.

"How... how is this possible? How..." Weeping, Li Huowang dialed the familiar numbers over and over, but no one ever answered.

Not only had the Fortune-Bearing Heaven been unaffected by the time loop, but the changes it had wrought in the past remained as well.

The past had been altered; Sun Xiaoqin had hanged herself, and Li Jiancheng was already dead.

"Why! Why! Why involve them! If you have the guts, come for me!" Veins bulging on his forehead, Li Huowang hurled his phone against the floor.

The outburst startled everyone, causing them to recoil.

Ba Nanxu, looking uneasy, walked over to Zhao Shuangdian and whispered, "Um... maybe we should just send him back."

Yi Donglai rushed over, gripping Li Huowang’s clenched fist tightly, and leaned in to hiss into his ear, "Xiao Li! Calm down! Don't forget our plan—it’s not over yet!"

Hearing this, Li Huowang took several deep, ragged breaths, and with Yi Donglai’s support, he sank slowly onto the sofa.

Once he had calmed down, he looked toward the others and saw them gathered at the dining table, whispering among themselves and glancing back at him from time to time.