Chapter 32: Return

Before the main hall of the Rusanyi Sect, the square.

All disciples, except those dispatched on missions, had gathered here under Shi Chong's summons.

Lu Jin glanced at Li Ang, whose left arm was wrapped in bandages, and asked softly: "Brother Li, what happened?"

"Where are Yunsheng and Yunze?"

He naturally noticed the two newly initiated disciples were gone, coupled with the injured Li Ang before him.

All of this stirred a quiet unease in his heart.

In response to Lu Jin's question, Li Ang merely shook his head slightly, saying nothing more.

Seeing this, Lu Jin did not press further.

He looked instead with deep concern toward Shi Chong and Cheng Zhen at the front of the crowd, and the empty seat before the hall.

Soon, Zuo Ruotong took his seat in full view of everyone.

He looked down at the disciples with varied expressions, and gently closed his eyes.

Amid the tense, uneasy atmosphere, Zuo Ruotong spoke his first words: "I have decided to change the name of the Rusanyi Sect."

"Whether it be Reverse Birth Sect or Three Layers Sect—speak your own thoughts."

At these words, silence fell instantly before the hall.

"Master."

"Gate Chief."

At the front of the crowd, Shi Chong and Cheng Zhen hung their heads, their faces grim.

They already knew what had happened, and knew Zuo Ruotong had now broken through to the third layer of Reverse Birth: Three Layers.

It should have been a cause for joy—but alas, after Zuo Ruotong declared that the third layer could not reach the heavens, good fortune turned to misfortune.

The two had certainly tried to dissuade him, but to little effect.

'Wu Gensheng'

Shi Chong and Cheng Zhen's minds flashed with the name of the Xingzhang Sect's leader, their expressions darkening further.

Yet upon raising their heads and seeing Zuo Ruotong—though his face appeared youthful, his entire being exuded an aura of decay—they chose to obey his decision.

Do not seek out Wu Gensheng.

At this moment, Li Ang understood what Zuo Ruotong intended to do.

Since Reverse Birth: Three Layers cannot reach the heavens, the Rusanyi Sect as an Xuan Sect has no reason to exist; it will be reclaimed only when a disciple proves that Reverse Birth: Three Layers can achieve immortality.

Of course, the next Gate Chief might restore the name immediately—but by then, it would have nothing to do with Zuo Ruotong.

At least he had not deceived himself, nor deceived these disciples who had joined the Rusanyi Sect.

'How does it feel like I suddenly got the script: "Reforge the Glory of Sanyi, Our Duty Is Inescapable"?'

Thinking of this, Li Ang couldn't help internally scoffing.

If he truly had a game system, a legendary quest would probably pop up right now.

Seeing no one speak up below, Zuo Ruotong sighed deeply: "Enough, enough."

"Then I shall decide."

But by now, Li Ang had no interest in listening to his Master.

For new information had appeared on his profession panel before him.

【To follow the current is to avoid calamity; to reverse it is to attain Primordial Art.】

【Major Event: The Sanyi Tragedy has reached its conclusion.】

【You personally participated in this Major Event and altered its outcome, despite your extreme weakness.】

【You will return to your journey's origin point (23:59).】

Seeing the panel's message, Li Ang felt no joy.

This solo-world journey had left him utterly drained—he had only persuaded Zuo Ruotong through verbal manipulation, relying on prior knowledge of the plot; had he possessed sufficient strength, none of this would have been necessary.

He could have simply eliminated Wu Gensheng and Li Muxuan the moment they ascended the mountain.

After calming his emotions briefly, Li Ang turned his attention to the final message.

'Another day to prepare?'

Before entering this world, to escape the insect clan's attack, he had chosen to teleport the instant his next journey opened, without lingering at all.

But this time was different—he wasn't in a hurry to return; he'd rest properly first.

Moreover, he needed to test whether he could bring things back with him.

As Li Ang pondered matters of return, Zuo Ruotong had already announced the new name of the Rusanyi Sect: "It shall be called Reverse Birth Sect—Reverse Birth: Three Layers is, after all, the means by which our sect endures."

As he spoke, a self-deprecating smile appeared on his face.

Hearing this, even the slowest among the disciples now understood what had occurred.

"Master."

They knelt on the ground, choking back sobs, unsure what to say.

Seeing this, Zuo Ruotong rose, turned, and walked toward his residence.

Before leaving, he left only these final words:

"Prove it. Prove that I am wrong."

After Zuo Ruotong departed, the square fell into absolute silence.

Only after a moment did Shi Chong's voice reach everyone's ears: "Return to your quarters and rest. Do not speak of today's events to outsiders."

Hearing this, Li Ang turned toward the disciples' dormitory, but had not taken more than a few steps when Lu Jin caught up: "Brother Li, you knew Master intended to do this all along?"

Li Ang stopped and looked at Lu Jin beside him: "Brother Lu, those who understand, understand. Those who don't—I can't say more. This matter involves too much."

Saying this, he patted the shoulder of the white-haired youth: "If you truly have questions, ask Master yourself."

"?"

Lu Jin's face darkened. Damn riddler!

But what had just happened made him not dare to ask his Master, and he could only watch helplessly as Li Ang walked away.

Time thus drifted into the depths of night.

When everyone was fast asleep, Li Ang opened his eyes.

'Time to go back.'

Of course he couldn't just vanish in plain sight.

After folding his bedding, Li Ang took out a letter he had written in advance from his bosom and placed it on the bed. The letter's contents were nothing more than him going down the mountain to seek the Dao of Reverse Birth: Three Layers, telling his Master and senior brothers not to worry about him, and so on.

Walking out the door, he took one last look at the utterly silent Sanyi Sect under the night sky, and Li Ang chose to return.

Accompanied by a flash of white light before his eyes, he vanished from the spot just like that.

The next day.

Lu Jin, clutching the letter Li Ang had left, stumbled his way to Zuo Ruotong: "Master!"

"Junior Brother Li is gone!"

Elsewhere.

Suddenly going from brightness to darkness, Li Ang squinted slightly, feeling a bit uncomfortable.

Over half a month of life had already made him somewhat accustomed to life in the Republic era; suddenly returning to this interstellar age inevitably brought a sense of disconnect.

Thinking of how in those interdimensional-flow novels he had seen before his transmigration, some protagonists would spend hundreds or thousands of years in a single world, Li Ang had no idea how they managed to get used to it.

Taking a deep breath and briefly calming his mood, he glanced at the already broken-open Lao Sect gate and silently thought to himself:

'I wonder if, while I'm transmigrating to another world, time is still flowing on this side.'

But the smell of blood that shot straight up his nostrils reminded Li Ang that a gruesome incident had occurred here not long ago.

So he deduced that even if time was flowing, probably not much had passed since his disappearance.

Rustle, rustle—

At this moment, a faint crawling sound traveled from the corridor outside the cell into Li Ang's ears.

'Still bugs?'

Li Ang slightly lowered his eyelids, and his body began to gradually turn pale.

The Reverse Birth: Three Layers from the world of one person appeared for the first time in this interstellar age.

Hiss—!

A terrifying shriek suddenly rang out, and a giant bug with four pairs of crimson compound eyes burst into the cell and lunged at Li Ang.

Looking at the mouthparts dripping with fresh blood and the insect body that nearly covered his entire frame, Li Ang let out a light breath.

Then he stepped forward and threw a punch.