“This body only has one year left to live.”
“Let the simulation naturally come to an end.”
Xu Xi said.
With great effort, he moved his stiff legs, heading back home.
【Knowing that your sister is doing well, you feel very relaxed, but you still can't let go of her. You decide to continue quietly watching over her growth within the limited time you have left.】
【Your body is in terrible shape. To create an external spiritual root, you burned everything you had.】
【Your life has begun its countdown.】
【For many, life is extremely limited and precious. When nearing the end, they can't help but feel fear and dread.】
【But you are different. You clearly know that death is just your return.】
【Compared to the dwindling time left, you are more troubled by the increasing pain from your deteriorating body and the numerous inconveniences in daily life.】
【In the first month of the last year, you wake up one morning to find that your left leg has completely lost sensation. No matter what method you use, it won't allow you to walk properly.】
【You find solace in the fact that you still have one leg left, which is better than nothing in the real world.】
【You take out the wooden sword gifted by your master, Li Wanshou, and use it as a cane. From then on, you become a strange and crippled figure in others' eyes, making walking even more difficult.】
【You don't mind. In ancient times, there was Iron Cane Li, one of the Eight Immortals. Now, there is Cane Sword Immortal Xu Xi. Thinking of this, you can't help but laugh.】
【In the third month of the last year, you realize you laughed too soon.】
【A torrential downpour rages, with fierce winds and rain. As you steadily head home, you suddenly lose sensation in half of your body. Before you can react, you fall headfirst into a puddle of mud.】
【The puddle formed by the rain is small. Not even a normal adult, let alone a child, would have trouble stepping over it. But for someone with half their body paralyzed and weak, it feels like an uncrossable abyss.】
【You struggle, propping yourself up with one hand, only to slip and fall again.】
【You repeat this process over and over, falling until your clothes are completely soaked. Finally, with great difficulty, you manage to stand up again. You decide never to laugh again, because the pain makes it impossible for you to do so.】
【In the fifth month of the last year, you rarely go out, coughing more frequently. Each cough brings up large amounts of black blood. The people nearby shake their heads and sigh.】
【In the eighth month of the last year, your body worsens even more. You can no longer taste food, and your vision becomes blurry. Apart from your clear consciousness, you are worse off than even the oldest of elders.】
【A group of rogue thugs, seeing your weak condition, attempt to break into your home at night to rob you.】
【You wield your wooden sword. Even though you can't see, hear, or move your legs and hands properly, you still effortlessly slay them and hang their bodies at your doorstep to deter others with malicious intent.】
【Time continues to flow. By the last month, your life is like a flickering candle in the wind.】
【It is the time of the year when autumn transitions to winter. With great difficulty, you spend three hours, enduring the tearing pain in your chest and lungs, to barely drag yourself to the doorstep to bask in the sun.】
【An unexpected figure appears before you.】
【It is your master, Nascent Soul Realm cultivator Li Wanshou.】
“...” The old man gazes at his long-lost disciple in silence, his eyes filled with regret and a fleeting sadness.
Finally, Li Wanshou asks, “Do you regret it?”
Xu Xi shakes his head, just as he always has: “No regrets.”
Li Wanshou continues, “How do you feel?”
Xu Xi answers honestly, “Painful.”
The Nascent Soul elder laughs, an angry laugh brought on by Xu Xi. He casts multiple healing spells, knowing they would be useless, to treat Xu Xi's body.
Then, master and disciple sit on the doorstep, chatting.
Both know this will be their final conversation. The atmosphere is heavy with silence and sadness. The old man talks about Xu Moli's progress, while Xu Xi recounts his life in Blackstone City.
Li Wanshou: “That child, Moli, is already preparing to break through to the Golden Core Realm.”
Xu Xi: “That fast? I remember she only broke through to the Foundation Building Realm less than a year ago.”
Li Wanshou nods: “Her talent is even more astonishing than we imagined. Given time, she might truly ascend to the Immortal Realm.”
Xu Xi smiles, though the pain in his body makes the smile look strained: “That's wonderful.”
As the sunset fades.
The old man rides his sword and leaves, disappearing into the horizon in the blink of an eye.
Xu Xi drags himself to the right side of the doorframe, leaning against it as he watches the breathtaking sunset.
At this moment.
His life is like this sunset.
It is visibly nearing its end.
However, there is nothing left to be nostalgic about. Knowing his sister's recent situation from Li Wanshou during the last moments of his life, Xu Xi is already very satisfied.
This way, he can end this simulation and return to the real world without any worries.
【Three days before the end of life】
【You have almost completely lost the ability to move. You lie paralyzed on the bed, staring blankly at the ceiling. You can no longer cook, but luckily, your mind is connected to the storage pouch, allowing you to take out pills to stave off hunger.】
【You don't want to die of starvation.】
【Two days before the end of life】
【You cough violently, and what comes out isn't just blood but also some unknown body parts. You have a realization: you are going to die.】
【The last day of life】
You lie quietly in bed, reminiscing about everything you and your sister experienced together from the first year of your transmigration to now, as well as all the adventures in the cultivation world.
You feel regretful. The world of cultivation is full of wonders, but you never had the chance to explore them or witness the splendor of the Immortal Realm.
【You have no regrets. To trade your life for your sister Xu Moli's survival, you believe it is a very worthwhile deal.】
【You close your eyes】
【Feeling the weakness of your spirit and soul】
【Waiting for death to come】
【But unexpectedly, on this final day, a fierce battle erupts above Blackstone City. The city collapses, and countless mortals are caught in the crossfire and killed.】
【Your wooden house's roof is also damaged. Thanks to this, you can see through the broken roof as numerous cultivators fight in the sky.】
“Boom! Boom! Boom!”
Various spells clash in the sky, with flying swords breaking and spiritual beasts being cut in half from time to time.
Righteous Path.
Demonic Path.
Sect cultivators.
Numerous rogue cultivators.
An unbelievable and incomprehensible scene unfolds before Xu Xi.
“This... Could it be that the Righteous Path and Demonic Path are at war?” Xu Xi is uncertain, never expecting to witness such a spectacular and grand scene in the final moments of his life.
Back when he was still at the Heavenly Sword Sect, he sensed the growing friction between the Righteous Path and Demonic Path.
He never thought it would escalate into a full-blown war.
Suddenly, Xu Xi thinks of Moli, who is preparing to break through to the Golden Core Realm.
If this is indeed a war between the Righteous Path and the Demonic Path, then as a righteous path genius with the potential to ascend to the Immortal Realm, Xu Moli would undoubtedly become the primary target of the Demonic Path cultivators.