Heaven-Collapsing Start [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 25

Chapter 25

Ji Liang walked out of the manor, leaving the sounds of slaughter far behind him. His pace did not falter; he kept walking forward, seemingly without a destination.

Cough, cough.

He opened the palm that had been covering his lips. Unsurprisingly, he saw a streak of piercing red mixed with dark, dried blood, dripping through his fingers and onto the ground one drop at a time.

“Hey, you’re injured.”

A familiar, aged voice came from the side. Ji Liang turned his head and saw the old man he had met briefly before, approaching him with concern.

“I’ll take you to the medical hall.”

The old man felt that this young man must be a good person, so he had no fear. After hesitating for only a moment, he set down his straw pole, basket, and all his other burdens by the roadside, planning to take this injured youth to a doctor first.

However, just as he was about to move, Ji Liang waved his hand and said, “I am a healer myself. No need to trouble you.”

Yes, although Ji Liang didn’t consider himself one, the knowledge he had accumulated across the countless worlds he had been forced to experience was inexhaustible. Any single fragment of it would likely be something people would scramble for.

Thus, he clearly felt that he was about to die. No medical skill could cure him.

Perhaps, if he hadn’t forcibly activated that set of techniques that didn’t belong to this world, he could have lingered on for another year or two. But what would be the point?

There was no point at all.

Standing where he was, the old man could only watch blankly as that thin figure in green drifted further and further away…

…

At a street corner, Ji Liang came to a halt.

“The Demonic Sect Leader is dead, and the remaining members are of no concern. There is no longer any need for you to follow me, sir.”

He spoke as if to someone, yet the surroundings were empty; he was alone on the desolate bluestone path.

As his voice fell, another figure suddenly appeared not far away. It was the man from before.

The man looked at him with a complex gaze. Having witnessed the scene inside the manor, he also wanted to know if the Sect Leader was truly dead. Now that Ji Liang had spoken, he hesitated for a moment, gave Ji Liang one last look, then turned and sped back toward the manor.

Silence returned to the air.

As if finally unable to hold on, Ji Liang’s feet stumbled, but he quickly used his sword to prop himself against the ground, stabilizing his swaying body.

The clear sky began to be shrouded by dark clouds at some unknown point. A perfectly fine day had truly changed in an instant. Through the gaps in the alleyway, Ji Liang saw the bustling street at the other end of the bluestone path; pedestrians were picking up their pace, and street vendors were hurriedly packing their things.

The dark clouds overhead grew denser, and the sky turned dim. It was about to rain.

…

Gu Yun had quickly brought the Demonic Sect under control with the help of the Alliance members, leaving the aftermath to Elder Wang. Regardless of the injuries inflicted by the Sect Leader, he left the manor, intending to chase after his Eldest Brother.

He thought his brother might have returned to that safe small courtyard, but when he arrived swiftly using his movement techniques, he only saw the youth Ah Heng, whose acupoints had been struck, lying unconscious on the bed.

Where was his brother? Where had he gone?

Gu Yun’s heart was in a panic. He released the youth’s sleep point. Ah Heng woke up in a daze, only to see a face full of urgency before him, asking impatiently:

“Where is Elder Brother? Has he returned?”

The youth seemed a bit groggy but suddenly snapped awake, grabbing Gu Yun and asking in return: “Teacher was likely going to” He suddenly recognized Gu Yun’s face, and his voice came to a halt.

From the youth’s expression, Gu Yun got the answer he needed. His brother had indeed…

He smiled bitterly in his heart and looked around; there was no one else in the room besides the two of them.

“I know what you want to say. The Elder Brother did go to the manor. He personally killed the Sect Leader Yin Ren with his sword. Now, the Demonic Sect has been captured…”

As he spoke, he murmured: “…If the Elder Brother didn’t come back, where would he have gone…”

His mind was a mess of conflicting thoughts. Gu Yun clutched his head, but eventually forced himself to stay focused, thinking that perhaps he had simply returned too fast and his brother was still on his way…

“You stay here. I will go find him.”

Leaving those words, he ignored the youth and went straight out of the courtyard.

Outside the window, the sky turned dark, clouds gathered, and the rain was on the verge of falling.

Ah Heng held his sword and stood at the doorway, looking outside with concern, hoping that Gu Yun could find his teacher quickly, or that he would see his teacher’s silhouette returning…

…

A quarter of an hour later, the rain that had been brewing for a long time finally fell, striking the eaves and the ground, splashing up countless droplets. At this moment, the world seemed enveloped in a misty shroud.

Gu Yun was soaked through and in a wretched state, yet his pace never faltered as he wove through the streets and alleys leading to the manor, his voice never ceasing its call.

Suddenly, a blurry figure appeared ahead, strolling in the rain. Gu Yun’s expression tightened, and he used his lightness skills to rush over.

“Eldest Brother, you…”

When he got closer, he found it was just a stranger, not Ji Liang. The person looked at him strangely, not understanding his sudden dejection.

Gu Yun shook his head and asked the person loudly: “Have you seen a…” He described his brother’s appearance and clothing, but only received a shake of the head.

The heavy rain continued to fall. Gu Yun stood in the middle of the street, letting the downpour strike his body. He looked around in a daze, but he couldn’t find his brother anywhere.

“Le- Leader?”

Finally, a voice reached his ears. It was the Alliance disciple he had arranged to protect his brother.

Gu Yun snapped out of it and looked over urgently. However, in his field of vision, besides the falling rain, there was only the hesitant man. The man had left Ji Liang to check the manor, and after confirming the Sect Leader’s death and the capture of the remnants, he wanted to visit the small courtyard again. He hadn’t expected to see the Leader standing in the rain.

Before he could express his surprise, Gu Yun asked anxiously: “Where is my brother? He wasn’t in the courtyard. He didn’t go back. You were supposed to stay by his side. Where is he?”

He didn’t go back? The man had thought the same as Gu Yun that Ji Liang would return to the courtyard. Hearing this, he fell silent for a moment and said with some hesitation:

“I separated from him two quarters of an hour ago, in an alleyway. Now, I don’t know where he is…”

“Take me there.”

Gu Yun wouldn’t miss any clues, and now was not the time to pursue the responsibility of the man leaving without permission. The two of them immediately set off through the pouring rain.

About five or six minutes later, they finally reached the alley. The bluestone path was lined with green moss at the corners, and weeds sprouted from the stone cracks, looking even more resilient under the rain’s washing.

From a distance, Gu Yun saw a thin figure sitting with his back against a wall. The protruding eaves overhead shielded him from some of the rain. The sharp sword that had taken the Sect Leader’s life was thrust into the ground beside him.

His head was bowed, his eyes closed, motionless as if he were already dead.

“Eldest Brother…”

Gu Yun’s heart was filled with dread, and even his voice was trembling. He rushed over, seemingly wanting to help the figure up, but he saw Ji Liang slowly open his eyes. The depths of his pupils were pitch black, reflecting no light.

Ji Liang propped himself up against the wall and stood up. Looking at the panicked Gu Yun, the corner of his mouth twitched slightly.

“You’ve finally come.”

He spoke extremely slowly, as if not to Gu Yun. His voice was ethereal, eventually muffled by the rain, making it hard to hear clearly. The rain washed the blood from his body, leaving him in a state of pale whiteness.

“Elder Brother, don’t speak yet. I’ll take you back. We’ll find Dr. Dong…”

Gu Yun saw that his brother’s state was wrong, as if he were experiencing a final burst of lucidity. His face was as pale as someone who wasn’t alive, and having been in the rain for an unknown amount of time, his body surely couldn’t take it.

However, Ji Liang didn’t respond. He reached out his fingers, gripped the sword thrust into the ground, and with a surge of strength, pulled it out.

Then, the sword tip pointed at Gu Yun.

The rain suddenly intensified. The man not far away watched blankly, not understanding why Ji Liang would suddenly point a sword at Leader Gu. Gu Yun was likely just as shocked and confused, so he asked:

“Eldest Brother, why is this—”

A brilliant sword strike sliced through the rain, cutting off his words in an instant.

Fate…

Ji Liang’s sword strikes grew increasingly fierce and sharp, as if he were venting something.

Gu Yun didn’t dare fight back, and he was worried about his brother’s body. He could only parry hastily, his heart growing more anxious, yet he couldn’t bring himself to restrain his brother’s sword.

Finally, after an unknown amount of time, Ji Liang’s body suddenly stiffened. He could no longer hold the sword; it fell and struck the bluestone pavement with a crisp sound.

Before Gu Yun could react, he saw his brother’s silhouette suddenly collapse in his misty field of vision… his pupils contracted sharply.

…

Body moving faster than thought, Gu Yun caught the falling figure instantly. What he felt was a scalding heat, in stark contrast to the icy rain.

His fingers reached out tremblingly to grip that burning wrist. Feeling a slight, weak pulse, Gu Yun finally let out a long sigh of relief as if all his strength had left him.

Right, a doctor. He had to find a doctor immediately

Gu Yun picked up the nearly unconscious Ji Liang and walked quickly out of the alley. The man on the scene hesitated for a moment and followed.

Gu Yun didn’t understand why his brother had suddenly attacked him, just as he didn’t understand how his brother with a body that had lost its martial arts and internal energy had suddenly killed Yin Ren in the manor.

But he had already explained to the Alliance brothers that everything Yin Ren and Xu Wei said about his brother was nonsense. The fact that his brother appeared and delivered the fatal blow to the Sect Leader had left everyone shaken.

If the Sect Leader’s words were true, why would Ji Liang kill him?

Compared to Yin Ren, the hearts of the crowd leaned toward Gu Yun. Thus, Ji Liang had not colluded with the Demonic Sect again, nor had he designed any plan within a plan. With the death of the Sect Leader, the truth was out. Those whose hearts had wavered felt ashamed and no longer hated Ji Liang as they once had.

However, at this moment, Gu Yun was still rushing through the pouring rain. The droplets striking him felt as cold as knife cuts, and the heat in his arms seemed to be gradually disappearing.

“Eldest Brother, hold on. We’re almost there. Don’t fall asleep…”

His voice was hoarse, and by the end, it was almost a plea.

He didn’t see that within his arms, Ji Liang slightly opened his closed eyes.

It’s over, he thought. Finally over.

However, there was no lightness in Ji Liang’s heart; it remained heavy, as if pressed by a thousand-pound stone.

Because, for him, death was not the end of everything.

Next time, what would be waiting for him? It would be nothing but another prison called “Fate” that he couldn’t escape. Others said fate was fickle and unpredictable, changing in an instant; however, he couldn’t feel that at all. He felt that fate was nearly strangling him.

All around was a thick, viscous darkness. No matter how you struggled, you couldn’t break free, nor could you see a speck of light. Ji Liang felt himself sinking, sinking, as if toward a bottomless place.

Silence surrounded him. The sound of the wind, the rain, and all the sounds of heaven and earth gradually faded in his ears, returning to the most primal tranquility.

Ji Liang’s half-open, lifeless eyes finally closed slowly.

His palm slid down, silently and without a trace.