Female Protagonist Assistance System

Chapter 50 : . Heaven's Mandate

The sudden voice in his mind startled Xiao Yan greatly. He swallowed hard, frozen in place. After a long moment, he stammered, "Who are you? Why are you in my mind?"

As he asked this, Xiao Yan suddenly seemed to remember something. He quickly used his soul power to look inward, searching for a while before finally finding a wisp of pitch-black smoke in some corner of his mind.

This smoke had no shape, quietly coiled in his mind, allowing Xiao Yan's probing.

"What is this thing?" Xiao Yan's lips twitched slightly, cold sweat beading on his forehead. "And what did you call me earlier?"

The voice suddenly sounded: "Child of Destiny."

Xiao Yan's temple throbbed, his anger rising: "To hell with Child of Destiny, have you ever seen a Child of Destiny more miserable than me?! Who the hell are you?"

Hearing his angry curses, the voice remained unperturbed, its tone unchanged: "You may call me... Heaven's Mandate."

"Heaven's Mandate?" Xiao Yan froze on the spot.

"Yes, I am Heaven's Mandate."

Xiao Yan was stunned for two seconds, then suddenly exploded in rage: "Damn it! What do you mean?! You're Heaven's Mandate, and you say I'm the Child of Destiny?! So you're saying all my misfortune is your doing?! Is this how you treat a Child of Destiny?!"

Heaven's Mandate spoke calmly: "Please calm down, Child of Destiny. Your current miserable state is not due to my actions. According to my calculations, you should have had smooth sailing all the way to your coronation as king."

"Then what the hell is going on?!"

"Please wait a moment."

As soon as the voice fell silent, Xiao Yan felt his vision blur. The next second, he found himself in the forest outside the Cloud Mist Sect.

Nearby, Yao Lao was kneeling on one knee in a sorry state, with black chains piercing his limbs. Behind him stood two tall, thin figures shrouded in black robes, holding the other ends of the chains restraining Yao Lao.

Inside the Cloud Mist Sect, Xiao Han, who had been sitting cross-legged on the bed meditating, suddenly opened her eyes. The next moment, she disappeared from her spot.

Just now, she had sensed a very faint yet strange energy flash by, and this fluctuation gave rise to an uneasy feeling in her heart.

The fluctuation had last disappeared at a relatively secluded guest room. She pushed the door open without knocking, only to see a room in complete disarray.

"System, what's going on?" Xiao Han's pupils contracted slightly. Cultivators value their intuition the most, as it has saved their lives countless times. Thus, Xiao Han dared not ignore the unease in her heart.

[Host, your permission level is insufficient.] The system's mechanical voice sounded in her mind. After a pause, it continued: [However, Host, some trouble is coming.]

Xiao Han's eyes flashed slightly. She pondered for a moment, then found a Cloud Mist Sect disciple who was closest to this place.

"That room? Oh, it's where that person called Xiao Yan stayed for a while," the disciple scratched his head and said. "Wasn't he unconscious from severe injuries? The elder told us to arrange a room for him, so we placed him here."

Xiao Yan...

Xiao Han's expression grew solemn for a moment as she slowly exhaled.

The Child of Destiny favored by Heaven's Mandate...

⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱

"What?! An accident?!"

In the forest, an angry young voice rang out. In a clearing, a handsome youth in black tight-fitting clothes, his expression distorted, stomped his foot and shouted at the air.

"I've suffered so much, endured so much, and you write it off with just one word—accident?!"

Xiao Yan truly wanted to kill this Heaven's Mandate. All the grievances and hardships he had endured over these years, and this guy dismissed it all with just one word—accident?!

Even jokes should have limits!

"Calm down," Heaven's Mandate said coldly. "Do you think I wanted this?"

Xiao Yan viciously kicked away a nearby pebble and plopped down on the ground petulantly: "Then tell me, what exactly is going on?"

"You are indeed the Child of Destiny," Heaven's Mandate said unhurriedly. "According to my plan, you should have helped Xiao Xun'er nurture her meridians when you were young, thus gaining her affection. Then you would have experienced a three-year period of decline, after which you would have become Yao Chen's disciple, becoming his direct disciple. Afterwards, you should have gone out to gain experience, obtaining the affection and help of various women, collecting Heterogeneous Flames, and finally becoming a Dou God amid the admiration of the world, ascending to the throne."

"But now, due to some accidents, you have lost everything I had prepared for you, and even your greatest trump card—Yao Chen—has chosen to betray you."

Xiao Yan's fist slammed into the ground. Wasn't this the life he had imagined for himself before?

"What exactly was the accident? I've fucking gone from protagonist to cannon fodder!"

"This accident is Xiao Han."

At the mention of Xiao Han's name, Xiao Yan instantly fell silent.

After a long while, he finally said in a low, vicious tone: "So it was indeed that bitch..."

"Originally, in my plan, there was no such person as Xiao Han in this world. You didn't have a twin sister either. Xiao Han is a bug from another world. Her existence is meant to disrupt the order of Heaven's Mandate, ultimately obtain the essence of heaven and earth, and destroy this world."

"I originally thought that with my protection, you could easily resolve that bug. But who knew that this bug would be stronger than I imagined? The virus she carries can even affect me, so I had no choice but to personally intervene."

Hearing this, Xiao Yan ground his back teeth fiercely: "A bug? No wonder... So my task is to eliminate Xiao Han?"

"Theoretically, yes, but the virus Xiao Han carries is too powerful. You'd better not confront her directly," Heaven's Mandate said flatly.

Xiao Yan irritably ruffled his hair and sneered: "Confront her directly? Even if I wanted to, is it realistic? I'm still only a nine-star Dou Master, and my technique is only mid-grade Yellow rank. If there's anything that makes me stand out, it's just this Beast Flame, right? How could I confront others with just this?"

Heaven's Mandate heard Xiao Yan's meaning and pondered for a moment before slowly saying: "Don't worry. Since Xiao Han has almost completely disrupted the world's trajectory, I can't let you continue on your original path. Yao Chen has been infected by the virus and chosen to deviate from Heaven's Mandate. You need a backing that can rival Yao Chen as a trump card."

"Have you heard of the Soul Hall?"

Xiao Yan frowned slightly: "Soul Hall...? Never heard of it."

"Indeed, originally you weren't supposed to encounter the Soul Hall for several years. It's normal that you don't know about it now."

Heaven's Mandate continued: "The Soul Hall is extremely powerful and mysterious, ranking among the top three organizations on the entire continent. They generally don't target normal people; their targets are those who have died unnaturally but whose souls are unusually strong—living souls."

"As an alchemist, you should know that when soul power becomes strong enough to reach a certain threshold, even if the body is destroyed, the soul can still remain, seeking a chance to be reborn. Such souls are called living souls."

"Soul power is mysterious. People die and turn to dust, reincarnating to become human again—this is the law of heaven and earth. Living souls retain their strength from their previous life, seeking chances for rebirth, disrupting the order of heaven and earth."

"The Soul Hall is the organization closest to the laws of heaven and earth, always clearing those living souls for the law, maintaining peace on the continent."

"I have issued a heavenly decree to the Master of the Soul Hall. He will assist you with all his might. From now on, you are the Young Master of the Soul Hall."

Xiao Yan's eyes lit up: "Young Master of the Soul Hall? Does that mean I can freely command the people of the Soul Hall to do things for me?"

Heaven's Mandate's voice remained flat: "Theoretically, yes, but if you go too far, your identity as the Child of Destiny will be questioned."

Xiao Yan pouted and said: "Fine then. What about Heterogeneous Flames? Since you're Heaven's Mandate, you should know where the Heterogeneous Flames are, right? I need Heterogeneous Flames to upgrade my technique. Otherwise, mid-grade Yellow rank... tsk tsk, embarrassing."

"You don't need Heterogeneous Flames anymore," Heaven's Mandate said. "The 'Flame Mantra' was originally incomplete. Although this incomplete Flame Mantra could make you a Dou God, now is a special time. You need a more powerful technique to cultivate."

Hearing this, Xiao Yan's heart leaped with joy: "What?"

"Since you've already become the Young Master of the Soul Hall, you should cultivate a technique closely related to the Soul Hall. But you're inherently fire-attributed... Do you know about the 'Soul Refining Mantra'?"

Xiao Yan shook his head. Although he didn't know what this Soul Refining Mantra was, the name alone sounded more imposing than that so-called Flame Mantra.

"In this world, there are not only Heterogeneous Flames as powerful heavenly fires, but also another type called Soul Flames."

"Soul Flames..." Xiao Yan murmured, repeating it.

"I've said before, souls are the most mysterious energy in the world, containing power far beyond Heterogeneous Flames. After cultivating the 'Soul Refining Mantra', you can pull out people's souls, refine them into Soul Flames. The more souls incorporated, the more powerful the Soul Flame becomes," Heaven's Mandate said. "I will teach you the specific cultivation method."

Xiao Yan licked his lips, his cold gaze shifting to Yao Lao: "Can I refine his soul?"

"You can," Heaven's Mandate's voice was flat: "But Yao Chen was a Half-Saint in life. Even as a living soul now, he still has the strength of a Dou Ancestor. If you want to refine his soul, you must at least have the strength of a Dou Ancestor."

Xiao Yan's lips curled into a cold smile: "Dou Ancestor it is then, as long as I can refine him."

"Dare to betray me, you must pay the price!"

Facing Xiao Yan's cold, vicious gaze like that of a snake, Yao Lao shuddered violently, and at the same time, a sense of despair welled up in his heart.

This person... actually has a connection with the Soul Hall... that infamous organization...

"Oh right, Heaven's Mandate, do you know who my wife would have been if I had followed the original path?" Suddenly remembering something, Xiao Yan chuckled and rubbed his nose.

Heaven's Mandate paused for a moment, then said: "Xiao Xun'er, Medusa."

Xiao Yan's eyes widened suddenly, his emotions surging: "Medusa?! You mean that extremely beautiful Snake People Queen?! Damn, she was supposed to be my wife?! Where is she now?"

"Cloud Mist Sect."

Xiao Yan was stunned, somewhat confused: "Cloud Mist Sect? Why would she be in the Cloud Mist Sect? Isn't she the Queen of the Snake People? Logically, shouldn't she be at odds with humans?"

"Due to the bug, she is now with Yun Yun, the Sect Master of the Cloud Mist Sect."

Hearing this, Xiao Yan's face instantly turned green, a surge of resentment welling up.

"With a woman..." After a long while, Xiao Yan's features twisted as he gritted his teeth, "You're saying my wife is with a woman?"

After receiving Heaven's Mandate's affirmative reply, Xiao Yan spat viciously: "Fuck! That's fucking disgusting!"

While cursing, he angrily unbuttoned two buttons of his clothes, revealing his muscular chest: "Being with a woman, tsk, she must not have tasted the goodness of a man! I don't believe that after tasting a man's flavor, she would still degrade herself by being with a woman."

Heaven's Mandate showed a hint of surprise: "I thought you would give up on her after hearing about Medusa's betrayal."

Xiao Yan revealed a vicious smile: "How could I let her go? However, being my wife is impossible now. There are many women in this world more beautiful than her, why should I compromise myself by marrying a whore who's been slept with by a woman? Heh, being a plaything isn't bad either. I'd like to taste what kind of flavor a body that even women are fascinated by has."

"Heh, Yun Yun..."

"The dignified Sect Master of the Cloud Mist Sect, actually getting involved with the Snake People Queen... I wonder if those powerful figures in the Gamma Empire who have grudges against the Snake People would approve."