Crossing into a Sacrificial Ritual

Li Ran vaguely remembered that he had already died.

The last thing he had seen in his previous life was a truck barreling straight at him.

Then there had been the clear, azure sky. His body and soul had risen together, as though merging with the thin clouds overhead, gradually fading away.

So what was going on now? Had I crossed over?

As his eyes moved, the surrounding scene came into view.

He seemed to be in a dim room. The doors and windows were tightly shut, the curtains heavy, and only a few candles barely gave off any light.

And what the candlelight illuminated was—

Li Ran's pupils suddenly contracted.

An ornate candlestick, a large cauldron burning with herbs, and surrounding it... a massive pile of bloody flesh.

He was lying right in that pile of flesh.

The choking herbal smoke and thick stench of blood violently assaulted his nostrils.

What the hell is this, an altar? Am I the sacrifice?

The thought came to him belatedly.

A strange, crazed chant reached his ears. Following the sound, Li Ran immediately spotted a fanatical, distorted face.

The owner of that face was an elderly man. His hair was sparse, his brows unkempt, and an eerie gleam flickered in his gray-blue eyes. He wildly waved a bloodstained dagger in his hand, looking utterly unhinged.

Li Ran stared at that face, unable to explain why it felt familiar.

Sirius Arapis.

That name automatically surfaced in his mind.

What was going on?

He had clearly never met this man before, so why did he know his name?

Familiarity and unfamiliarity flooded his heart at once, and the bizarre sense of confusion left Li Ran utterly perplexed.

The old man was immersed in his own world and did not notice Li Ran watching him. He prayed aloud, swaying back and forth as he used a language Li Ran could not understand at all, devoutly and madly calling upon some unknown thing.

Looking past his shoulder, Li Ran saw the depths of the room.

Farther back on the floor lay a beautiful, pitiable young girl. Her hands and feet were bound with rope, her mouth was gagged, and her eyes were tightly closed. Her delicate brows were faintly furrowed, as though she had fallen unconscious.

Seeing the girl's haggard face, Li Ran naturally felt a trace of pity and anger rise within him. Subconsciously, he called her name.

"Ceci... lia..."

Boom!

A deafening crash suddenly rang out in his mind. The girl's face was like a key, unlocking memories buried deep within his brain as countless images surged in.

"Big brother!"

A little girl smiled as she held his hand, walking down the street with him.

"Big brother..."

At a funeral, the girl threw herself into his arms and wept uncontrollably, her thin, frail shoulders trembling without end.

"Big brother."

Beside a hospital bed, the girl gently wiped his cheeks while he wore a straitjacket...

The flood of memories made Li Ran's head feel as though it were splitting apart, but it also let him understand his situation.

First of all, he really had crossed over. This world was roughly equivalent to eighteenth-century Europe, with numerous nations existing in opposition to one another. As for the Loen Kingdom, where he currently was, it resembled the Great Ying Empire of the Victorian Era.

Luther Rondal was the name of this body's original owner. He had just turned eighteen today and lived in Tingen City, Loen Kingdom.

Compared with ordinary citizens, Luther Rondal was slightly different.

How was he different?

He was sick.

That was right. Luther suffered from severe mental illness.

Since childhood, Luther had often experienced terrifying hallucinations and auditory hallucinations. He saw the Hanged Giant and heard mad ravings. Those hallucinations had constantly tormented him, driving him to mental collapse several times.

Fortunately, his family had not abandoned him. Instead, they had kept him by their side and cared for him attentively.

Unfortunately, two years ago, Luther's low-ranking clerk father died in a company accident. His mother became haggard from excessive grief and followed her husband a few months later, leaving only him and his sister, who was two years younger, to rely on each other.

—The girl lying on the floor right now, Cecilia Rondal.

So what was going on now?

After their parents died, his sister had cared for Luther alone. The siblings had barely survived for some time on the company's meager compensation.

Just as their savings ran out and life became increasingly difficult, Sirius Arapis came knocking.

—The old man going mad in front of him.

Sirius claimed to be an old friend of their father and said he wished to repay their father's past kindness by providing for them. However, for the sake of convenience, he needed the Rondal siblings to move in with him.

This was way too suspicious!

Li Ran thought.

But the two siblings were truly desperate. With no other choice, they could only agree.

Sure enough, after they had lived there for a while, the strange old man Sirius bared his fangs. On Luther's eighteenth birthday, he suddenly attacked the siblings, bound his sister, placed Luther Rondal on the altar, and stabbed a dagger through his heart...

At that point in the memories, Li Ran finally sensed something wrong with his chest.

Looking down, he saw that the collar of his shirt had been violently torn open, revealing a horrifying wound across his chest. Through it, he could even see his damaged heart deep inside.

Was I going to die again?

The moment that thought surfaced, Li Ran saw an unbelievable sight.

At the damaged part of his heart, muscle fibers began to writhe, reconnecting and fusing on their own. In the blink of an eye, his heart was fully repaired and began pumping powerfully. The shallower wound was also rapidly healing—muscles reconnecting, tissues closing together, skin drawing shut—until it became smooth and unblemished.

The fatal wound had healed just like that!

Li Ran was shocked beyond measure, but when he considered that even crossing over could happen, healing a wound no longer seemed quite so unbelievable.

His thoughts were in turmoil when the light before his eyes suddenly dimmed. Sirius had moved close to the altar!

Startled, he immediately held his breath.

Fortunately, Sirius was only changing his prayer posture. His attention was fixed on the empty space behind Li Ran, and he did not notice anything unusual. Only then did Li Ran let out a breath of relief, though he also became alert.

Forget all that pointless stuff. The most important thing now is taking down this crazy old man. If I don't put him down, nothing good will come of this!

His heart pounded powerfully in his chest, sending blood throughout his body as his previously weak body gradually regained sensation.

Li Ran knew that he had to act.

Taking a deep breath, he suddenly reached out and grabbed the metal candlestick in front of him.

Sirius Arapis was still praying fervently, calling upon his unknown god. At that moment, he suddenly heard a sharp rush of wind, followed by the base of a metal candlestick rapidly expanding before his eyes!

"Clang!"

The crisp impact echoed through the room. The vibration traveled through the candlestick into Li Ran's hand, nearly making him lose his grip. Having landed the blow, he hurriedly climbed off the altar, gripping the candlestick tightly as he watched Sirius vigilantly.

"Ugh..."

Sirius Arapis looked somewhat dazed, as though he had not yet figured out what had happened. He swayed but did not fall. Li Ran gritted his teeth, jumped down, and swung the candlestick again, smashing it hard against his head several more times!

"Clang!"

"Clang!"

His arm went numb from the impacts, and the edge of the candlestick was stained with blood. After taking blow after blow, Sirius finally fell backward.

Li Ran cautiously approached and kicked the dagger from his hand. After watching for more than ten seconds and confirming that Sirius was no longer moving, he picked up the dagger, walked over to Cecilia, crouched down, cut the ropes binding her, and removed the cloth from her mouth.

"Cecilia, Cecilia!"

He shook the beautiful girl's slender shoulders and called to her.

The girl woke from his shaking, opening her eyes in confusion. Her pupils slowly focused on him.

She suddenly became terrified.

"Watch out!"

Cecilia stared behind Li Ran and shouted.

Almost at the same moment, Li Ran heard heavy footsteps coming from behind him!