I Transmigrated, But I'm About to Die

"I hereby implore the Pure Black Mother, the God who governs life, that your divine power may heal the curse within my bloodline..."

In the cramped secret chamber, lines as thick as fingers were etched into the hard granite floor, forming a pentagram array filled with fresh blood.

On either side of the array lay a man and a woman, their wrists cut open, their blood having jointly drawn the evil formation.

Between them, at the core of the array, a tall and portly figure knelt naked in the center, hands clasped over his chest, praying devoutly.

Just then, the lying man opened his eyes, stiffly turning his neck to look around before shutting them tightly.

"I woke up too early... Saw a pig talking... I'll sleep some more!"

More than ten seconds later, Gao Yang opened his eyes again, clearly seeing the curled white hairs on the fat man's big toe.

It was Donald's foot.

Wait, Donald? Who was that?

A flood of memories surged forth at that moment.

In this blood-scented environment, Gao Yang realized he had transmigrated and quickly sorted out his current situation.

This was a world of vibrant colors, with gods, dragons, elves, dwarves, and orcs. It had Battle Qi and magic, and naturally, all sorts of legendary items, divine artifacts, and miracles.

This truly was a good world—

If only he hadn't transmigrated into this fellow.

The owner of this body was named Raven. He was an orphan from Monen City, his parents having died when he was young. He grew up in an orphanage run by the Church of Light.

Relying on his naturally glib tongue, at the age of eight, Raven had charmed the only matron in the orphanage, ensuring he received an extra piece of black bread with every meal compared to the other children. He also frequently got milk and occasionally even some smoked meat.

These foods provided Raven with ample nutrition, giving him a physique that shouldn't have been found in an orphanage.

Raven was also someone who knew how to repay kindness.

Just after his fourteenth birthday, he climbed into the matron's bed.

He seemed to have a natural talent for crime, soon colluding with the matron to start selling off the orphanage's resources. Although these were only things like coarse flour and corn, worth mere coppers, their sheer quantity and steady flow made them profitable.

The children in the orphanage grew thinner day by day, while their wallets grew fatter.

Paper couldn't wrap fire. Although the two hid their activities well, rumors eventually reached the orphanage director. She tried to guide Raven, urging him to repent and return to the right path.

It had to be said, the sixty-seven-year-old woman was indeed very cultured. She only grabbed a broom when Raven attempted to flirt with her for the fifth time.

A broom was no match for the robust Raven, but when wielded by a Second-tier Divine Spellcaster, the situation was entirely different.

Raven was swept out of the orphanage, and everyone except the matron was happy.

This year, Raven was fifteen and already possessed a strong physique comparable to an adult's.

As the ancient imperial proverb stated: "Many idle people do evil."

Having left the orphanage, Raven was like a fish returned to the sea, squandering his talents to the fullest—

Theft, robbery, extortion, kidnapping, smuggling...

Relying on his petty cleverness and opportune greed, Raven thrived in the underworld of Monen City, gradually acquiring his own nickname.

"Little Bee."

Because he really didn't dislike women.

From eighty to eighteen, regardless of beauty, age, or build, he accepted all comers.

When Donald's personal guard found him, he was "diligently working" in a tavern.

After being forcefully pulled from the room, Raven received some very surprising news: he was actually a "Griffith" and the last heir to a baronial family.

A Baron!

Although it was the lowest of the five noble ranks—Duke, Marquis, Count, Viscount, Baron—it was still genuine nobility!

Nobility!

In the entire Cairns Empire, the number of newly elevated nobles in the past century could be counted on one hand.

After verifying the documents, Raven traveled for half a month, finally arriving at his future fief—Eagle Territory.

There was indeed a castle here!

The lord of the castle was his uncle, the current imperial baron, Donald Ota Griffith.

This uncle was obese and robust, yet also kind and hospitable.

Raven sincerely prayed in his heart that Donald would quickly return to the embrace of the benevolent Lord of Light, even planning to personally expedite that process.

At first, Raven was quite happy. Everywhere he went, people called him young master. Every meal consisted of fresh white bread and soup, and even homemade red wine!

But gradually, he began to sense something was amiss. The castle was eerily deserted, with only a butler, three guards, and a cook.

Not even a maid!

His movements were also strictly restricted. He was not allowed to leave the castle, and wherever he went, at least two guards would be with him.

He didn't look like an heir, but more like a prisoner.

Through his considerable social skills, he also learned about the Griffith family's past from the guards.

No male in this family had ever lived past forty, and Donald's two sons and one daughter had both died within seven years, along with their mother who also perished without explanation!

Donald's second wife, moreover, rarely returned to the castle.

Raven, sensing the scent of conspiracy, began planning his escape, setting the time for tonight.

This was because Laxus, the priestess and Second-tier Divine Spellcaster from the Church of Light stationed in Eagle Town, would be visiting the castle that day, which would be when Raven's watch would be the most lax.

But just as Raven was preparing to leave, Donald himself knocked on his door and brought him to this secret chamber.

Seeing the dried, rust-like bloodstains on the walls and floor, Raven decisively pulled out his personal hand crossbow for self-defense, but Donald slapped it away and then knocked him unconscious with a straight punch.

It's a long story, but it was only two minutes from when Gao Yang woke up.

Gao Yang, no, Raven now, sighed in his heart, "What a scumbag..."

He slowly turned his head and saw Donald still praying piously. The blood flowing in the magic circle on the ground became more and more lively, its texture becoming increasingly crystalline, just like red crystal.

Undoubtedly, this was a sacrificial ritual, and the sacrifices were the male and female, including Raven.

Soon, this ritual would be officially completed, and he would be deader than dead.

Given Raven's past crimes, in his previous life, being shot a dozen times over wouldn't have been an injustice; dying just once was letting him off easy.

"But I'm innocent!"

He had just transmigrated, freed from the 996 lifestyle. In his twenty-seven years of life, he hadn't even held a woman's hand, and his reward was to die again?

Damn it, what the hell!!!

Who did I offend?!

Calm down! Calm down!

Raven forced himself to calm down.

Such blood sacrifice rituals usually involved both body and soul. Since he had transmigrated, it meant the original owner's soul had likely already been sacrificed. As long as he held out until the ritual ended, he might not necessarily die.

But on the other hand, this kind of blood sacrifice, especially one involving the blood of church clergy, was always intolerable to the Church of Light. Donald would definitely not leave any witnesses alive!

To survive, he had to kill Donald.

The target immediately became clear.

But how to kill him?

Donald was over 1.8 meters tall and weighed over 250 jin, looking like a mountain of flesh.

Moreover, he was a Second-tier Bloody Knight!

Raven had seen Second-tier transcendent individuals in action once, during a gang war. "Rending Tiger" Honduras had activated his Second-tier flame Battle Qi and, with a single sword strike, had bisected three burly men!

The gap between them was like that of an elephant and an ant.

Raven felt his body start to become scorching hot, his blood accelerating its flow, his heart pounding.

The scarlet glow emanating from the magic circle on the ground had become as bright as the spotlights in a park square, clearly indicating it had reached the most critical moment!

At this point, Raven actually calmed down. His gaze swept around, then his eyes lit up, locking onto the hand crossbow in the corner.

It was about the length of a forearm, with a dark, steel-forged body; the grip was made of heavy, sturdy iron pear wood; the most valuable part was the bowstring, which, although containing less than two grams of [Star Iron], accounted for the majority of the hand crossbow's cost of eight gold coins.

At this moment, the bowstring was taut and ready, and a barbed, armor-piercing enchanted arrow lay on the bowrest, worth two gold coins. The arrowhead was coated with a layer of [Castor Bean Poison], reflecting a dark green light.

This was his only hope of survival.

He slightly turned his body and reached out to grope for the hand crossbow with difficulty. This body was already severely depleted from blood loss and so weak that he could go into shock at any moment.

The suction from the magic circle was immense, as if Donald were stepping on him. With the two combined, every movement required all his strength!

As if opening a faucet, cold sweat broke out on Raven's forehead. Even so, he was desperately suppressing his breathing, not wanting Donald to detect anything unusual.

Finally, he shuffled his body, his fingers reaching the grip of the hand crossbow.

Clang—

The friction between the steel hand crossbow and the hard ground produced a sharp, grating sound, and Donald's tightly closed eyes snapped open!

Raven's scalp tightened. Without time to think, he held the hand crossbow in his hand, half-turned, aimed at Donald, and pulled the trigger with all his might!

The entire sequence of actions was fluid, a reflex of this body!

The bowstring made of Star Iron snapped taut, propelling the arrow forward and shooting towards Donald's throat!

They were less than two meters apart; even a child wouldn't miss!

"Raven—" Donald roared, his body enveloped in a thick, bloody glow, like a transparent diving suit.

This was the precursor to Battle Qi Armor, which, in addition to having some resistance to magic, offered physical defense no less than ordinary leather armor.

His obese body was incredibly agile, and his large, Battle Qi-covered palm was already blocking the arrow's path.

The fine magic patterns on the arrow lit up, and the attached [Minor Sharpness] enchantment activated, corroding the Battle Qi and piercing Donald's palm. The arrow continued its trajectory, and in a spray of blood, it fiercely plunged into his not-so-obvious throat!

Pfft—

Blood sprayed out, turning into a mist of blood that filled the air!

Donald clutched the wound on his neck, his eyes, filled with blood, stared fixedly at Raven, his face a mask of disbelief.

His lips trembled, trying to say something, but life was irreversibly draining from him.

After managing only one step, the imperial Baron crashed to the ground with a thud, his bulky body still quivering.

"Hoo... hoo..." Raven panted heavily, pushing himself up from the ground with his hands. "Damn... this world is too dangerous."

"...Good thing I'm the better man!"

A triumphant smile flickered across his pale face, but it didn't last long.

"No way, not again?"

He noticed that Donald's blood wasn't flowing out and scattering, but was being absorbed by the magic circle itself.

The light was gradually dimming, but the ritual seemed to have not stopped!

Raven didn't know the specific purpose of this ritual or magic circle, but it definitely wasn't anything good.

He looked around for something to destroy the formation, his gaze falling on a corner where Donald's clothes were piled, along with his personal rapier!

Raven strode towards the corner, but as soon as he took a step, a sharp pain and weakness spread through his legs. It felt just like his university physical fitness test after running five kilometers; his legs were no longer his own!

Just then, a "squish," "squish" sound arose, like village children kicking a water-filled pig bladder. Raven turned his head, his body stiffened abruptly, and he reached for his belt.

He saw Donald's body on the ground swelling violently. His already corpulent frame had doubled in size, with layers of pale, soft fat rippling and writhing, resembling a living maggot the size of a man!

With a pop, the living maggot on the ground exploded like a balloon, splattering sticky, snot-like green slime everywhere. A monster covered in slime crawled out from within.

It stood about two meters tall, with a robust build and no hair on its body. Its skin and muscles were almost transparent, allowing a clear view of the bones, blood vessels, and internal organs beneath, like a teaching prop from a medical school!

The difference was, Raven could actually see the flowing blood and the powerfully beating heart!

And its facial features were still clearly Donald's.

"Heh heh... Hahahaha!!!" Donald burst into laughter. "Raven, my good nephew, thank you so much!"

"Over the years, I sacrificed Ted, I sacrificed Monka, and my beloved little Lisa. For them, I even had to kill my lover, but I never succeeded."

"It turns out I was just missing this one step!"

"New life comes after death, transformation into a butterfly only after breaking free from the cocoon. I've never felt this good before!"

"As a reward for helping me complete the ritual."

Donald opened his mouth wide exaggeratedly, revealing two rows of bone-white teeth:

"I'll let you merge with me!"