Chapter 00175: Redemption, Death, and Stars
# Redemption, Death, and Stars
Chapter 175
Novel: Above Destiny
Chapter 175: Redemption, Death, and Stars
Crack!
The bone blade split once more, fragments falling away like unnecessary branches being pruned, refining the main shaft and making the clear, sharp edge even more elusive.
It was growing—no, it was more like it was being nurtured or forged.
From the invisible furnace woven together by supreme goodness, evil folly, life, death, hope, and despair, in the hands of the craftsman, the power of non-aggression flowed silently, reshaping the light of compassion!
Pop!
The sound of a bubble bursting echoed again, and amidst the intermittent cries of sorrow, a mangled corpse was pulled from the flesh and blood by Ji Jue's shouts.
Even now, the broken figure clutched a blood-soaked cloth in its hand, gripping it tightly, refusing to let go.
Dull eyes opened, as if shedding tears, and the lips moved silently for a moment.
Like a plea.
"I know," Ji Jue said.
"Leave it to me."
And so, the corpse shattered, turning to ash, the dim spiritual light scattering, but a single thread silently merged into the blade in Ji Jue's hand.
Causing the short blade to grow just a tiny bit more.
Patient No. 2, cured!
Then came the third, the fourth, the fifth...
Ji Jue panted, barely able to stand, half of his body already submerged in writhing flesh, but his speed only increased, becoming more and more skilled.
Tong Hua, on the other hand, was struggling to keep up, flustered and overwhelmed.
"Tissue scissors."
"Retractor, pull harder."
"Don't give up, try again."
"Wipe the sweat, my eyes."
"Hand me the pliers and bone plate..."
Tong Hua was dizzy, turning around in confusion, fumbling on the cart but finding nothing.
It wasn't until Ji Jue spoke again, panicking, that she noticed someone standing beside her.
It was Xie Lan.
He patted Tong Hua's shoulder, handed her the tools, and then took the retractor she was holding, pulling the incision open again.
Replacing her as the first assistant, fulfilling the duties of a doctor in this surgery.
"Scan," Ji Jue said without turning his head.
Tong Hua reached out again, transmitting everything she sensed into Ji Jue's vision.
The bone blade fell, moving swiftly, one cut after another, separating the tangled souls from the flesh under the illusory blade.
Removing corruption and pollution, cutting apart fusions and mutations.
Once more, pulling the dormant soul from the rotting tumor.
"Thank you... thank you..."
A face that could barely be made out twitched, as if crying, but soon it stiffened and shattered.
Turning to ash.
Death.
After so many years of delay, death, like redemption, arrived amidst the doctors' songs and tears, one after another!
One, then another...
The sound of cracking echoed endlessly, the cracks in the sky like a spider's web.
As the tumors withered and shattered, the projection of the White Hall quickly dissipated, but the gazes from within seemed to grow in number, mocking or disdainful, yet none looked away.
Following the etiquette passed down from an ancient oath, they watched intently, witnessing it all.
Witnessing the arrival of redemption and death.
---
At this moment, outside the Time Rift, chaos had already erupted.
The moment the aura of the Abyss appeared from the Time Rift, the alarms in Cliff City had been raised to the highest level.
But then, without warning, came the Ascension.
The mark of Supreme Goodness appeared in the vortex of the Time Rift, manifesting blessings and divine essence.
And then, the White Hall descended.
But not long after, the Ember's Flame ignited from the darkness, illuminating everything.
Outside, the search and rescue teams and emergency departments, which had just been mobilized, were thrown into complete chaos.
Everyone was baffled.
Tong Shan stood beneath the vortex, eyes wide, not missing a single detail.
"What's going on?"
Lu Shenzhou from the Southern District had just arrived, his bald head drenched in rain, completely bewildered by the situation.
"So many auras of Supreme Goodness and Evil Folly?"
"I suspect Supreme Goodness and the Nine Evils are having a meeting inside."
Tong Ting, standing nearby with an umbrella, cracked a joke, slightly easing the tense atmosphere.
But beside him, Wen Wen, who had been tapping her arm with her fingers, suddenly froze, as if remembering something, her expression one of disbelief.
"Good and Evil transforming?"
She instinctively lowered her voice.
"Wasn't it said that..."
"Shh!"
Tong Ting raised a finger to his lips.
Such topics were not to be discussed.
Finally, he just said softly, "In the present world, it's impossible. But the Time Rift and the Cracked Realm exist outside the present world. Who can say for sure? Maybe..."
At that moment, his words abruptly stopped.
The umbrella in his hand lowered slightly, as if trying to hide the shock in his eyes.
But no one paid attention to his words or expression anymore.
Everyone looked up in astonishment at the dark clouds and pouring rain...
And then, in the gloomy rain, a flash of light suddenly appeared.
Then a second, a third...
Tiny, dancing lights gathered from all directions, rushing like rivers, agile as leopards, steady as elephants, light as birds in flight, majestic as whales singing.
The countless rivers of light, each distinct, converged, the tributaries of life layering and overlapping, until they formed a magnificent, endless cycle.
From that dazzling, surging flow, billions of tributaries converged, revealing the outline of Supreme Goodness.
The master of life and death, the cycle of all spirits.
—Supreme Goodness: [Vortex]!
"What is this?"
Tong Shan looked up, exclaiming, "A summoning by Supreme Goodness?"
The form of Supreme Goodness now stood over Cliff City.
And unlike its usual hidden and elusive nature, it had appeared openly before everyone for the first time in months!
As if calling out to something!
But there was no response.
In the lonely rain, after a long while, the shining light dissipated, and the Supreme Goodness turned and left, never to appear again.
Only the shocked cries and panicked shouts erupted from the temporary camp, the noise deafening—because in the sky, the vortex on the verge of collapse shook violently once more.
Finally, it completely disintegrated!
Beams of intense light burst forth, but were blocked by the secret rituals and barriers set up around it.
The wind howled, the rain began to subside.
Everyone was on high alert.
But as the Time Rift shattered, there was no expected surge of evil pollution, not even a trace of malevolent aura.
Only the lingering echoes and the final, faint sound.
Like a satisfied, contented sigh.
It drifted away with the wind, never to be seen again.
Then, in the scattered light, a dozen figures emerged, some whole, some broken, some in disarray, others composed... the Chosen Ones had returned!
And all eyes were drawn to the figure at the front.
His blood-stained white robe fluttered in the wind.
His name tag swayed.
Carrying a heavily sealed iron box, Ji Jue walked through the light rain, straight toward Tong Shan, under everyone's gaze.
"The flesh infected with the immortal disease is all here. Hand it over to the Security Bureau."
Before Tong Shan could ask, Ji Jue continued, "After checking it, destroy it. It's not something good, so don't keep it."
Tong Shan was stunned for a moment, then looked to his side.
Immediately, people in full protective gear rushed forward, took the iron box, and hurried into the nearby isolation room.
Not long after, amidst the sound of alarms, a few more people rushed in.
Silence fell.
Finally, a figure appeared from behind the window, gesturing to Tong Shan.
[No leakage risk]
Tong Shan finally let out a sigh of relief.
He glared at Tong Hua, who was hiding behind Ji Jue, but didn't say anything in this situation.
Instead, he asked, "What exactly happened?"
"It's a long story of training, not a light comedy, nor a family-friendly tale, just a bloody, tearful hospital life."
Ji Jue shrugged, speaking bluntly.
"The mastermind is the Cult of Evil Transformation. What happened in Cliff City isn't an isolated incident. The real trouble is in Spring City. They've already infiltrated the Spring City Caverns, and there's definitely more than one person... I suspect there will be a large-scale action soon. I hope the Security Bureau prepares early."
Hearing this, Tong Shan's previously calm demeanor faltered, his eyes twitching violently, his expression growing darker.
"Are you sure?"
"Isn't there a historian right here?"
Ji Jue stepped aside, nodding toward Tong Hua, who had witnessed everything.
"Ask her."
Tong Hua was stunned, never expecting to be sold out by her teammate the moment they left the Time Rift.
But now, Officer Tong had no time for sibling affection.
He immediately waved his hand, and subordinates took Tong Hua away.
It looked like an arrest scene.
If not for the inappropriate setting, Tong Hua might have immediately reported: I'm just an accomplice, Ji Jue is the real mastermind!
He's the one who blew up the hospital!
Everything remotely intact in the Time Rift was blown up by him! Aside from these Chosen Ones, he killed everything that moved!
You should be arresting him!
After sending Tong Hua away, Tong Shan turned back, his expression now warm.
"How about resting at the Security Bureau tonight? If there are any injuries, we can treat them immediately. It's just procedure, don't worry, I promise there won't be any trouble."
"That's fine, thank you for your concern," Ji Jue nodded.
Then, he was dragged aside by Wen Wen, who was barely containing her anger.
She gave him and Xiao An a thorough check, making sure there were no injuries or lingering issues, before finally relaxing.
Taking the opportunity to smoke and chat alone, she suddenly asked, "Are you sure there's nothing wrong?"
"Nothing, everything's fine."
Ji Jue nodded, understanding Wen Wen's concern.
He hadn't left any traceable clues.
Don't ask, just say it's the teacher's cheat! Say the Soul Bell is amazing! Hey, how did you know I summoned the Sage's shadow? I survived the Time Rift through my own skills and effort!
After Wen Wen patted his shoulder and left, he turned back, searching the crowd.
Finally, his gaze landed on a corner.
A bald, skinny old man in a tank top and slippers, hands in his pockets, lazily chatting with a younger colleague.
On a few stretchers nearby, the barely alive experimental Chosen Ones were wiping away tears, glaring at Xie Lan, shouting about filing complaints, but no one paid them any attention.
Noticing Ji Jue's gaze, Xie Lan gave a slight nod, then bid farewell to Old Zhang.
"You guys talk, I'll head out. I still have rounds to make at the sanatorium today."
"Go ahead."
Old Zhang waved dismissively, signaling for the barriers to be lifted, letting Xie Lan leave.
When he turned back, Ji Jue handed him a record book and a small box containing a bone fragment that had fallen off the surgical blade.
"What's this?"
Old Zhang took it curiously, flipping through the record book.
His expression changed slightly.
"This is outrageous. Are you sure?"
"Theoretically possible, and practically proven, reproducible."
Ji Jue nodded.
"By merging Evil Transformation and Supreme Goodness, we can excise the immortal disease, separating the patient's soul... It's not a cure, just an effective way to kill the patient. If a rookie like me can do it, others should be able to with practice. But after thinking it over, I couldn't find anyone else suitable... So, I'll have to trouble you to hand this over to someone truly reliable."
Old Zhang pondered for a long time, then pulled out his reading glasses, carefully examining the record book Tong Hua had made.
After a while, he sighed softly.
"Who came up with this?"
"Of course, it was the doctors."
Ji Jue answered firmly.
"The best doctors in the world."
Old Zhang fell silent, putting away the record book and the box, carefully placing them in his pocket.
"Leave it to me," he promised.
"I'll have a good talk with a few lunatics I know."
Ji Jue nodded, saying nothing more.
In the long, endless night, he leaned against the wall, quietly feeling the cold wind from afar, squinting his eyes.
On his chest, the blood-stained name tag swayed in the wind.
Like a dance.
After a long while, the wind stopped, the sparse rain following the clouds away.
Under the glow of distant neon lights, the stars shone brightly.
He looked up at the sky.
It seemed as if tiny points of light rose from the night sky, merging into the dazzling sea of stars, becoming one.
Looking back at the mortal world, seeing Ji Jue looking up at them, they shone even brighter.
As if winking.
Ji Jue raised his hand, waving at them.
And smiled.
---
By Apollo the physician, and Asclepius, and Health, and All-heal, and all the gods and goddesses, that, according to my ability and judgment, I will keep this Oath and this stipulation—to reckon him who taught me this Art equally dear to me as my parents, to share my substance with him, and relieve his necessities if required; to look upon his offspring in the same footing as my own brothers, and to teach them this art, if they shall wish to learn it, without fee or stipulation; and that by precept, lecture, and every other mode of instruction, I will impart a knowledge of the Art to my own sons, and those of my teachers, and to disciples bound by a stipulation and oath according to the law of medicine, but to none others.
I will follow that system of regimen which, according to my ability and judgment, I consider for the benefit of my patients, and abstain from whatever is deleterious and mischievous.
I will give no deadly medicine to any one if asked, nor suggest any such counsel; and in like manner I will not give to a woman a pessary to produce abortion.
With purity and with holiness I will pass my life and practice my Art.
I will not cut persons laboring under the stone, but will leave this to be done by men who are practitioners of this work.
Into whatever houses I enter, I will go into them for the benefit of the sick, and will abstain from every voluntary act of mischief and corruption; and, further, from the seduction of females or males, of freemen and slaves.
Whatever, in connection with my professional practice or not, in connection with it, I see or hear, in the life of men, which ought not to be spoken of abroad, I will not divulge, as reckoning that all such should be kept secret.
While I continue to keep this Oath unviolated, may it be granted to me to enjoy life and the practice of the art, respected by all men, in all times! But should I trespass and violate this Oath, may the reverse be my lot!
—The Hippocratic Oath
(End of Chapter)