“After all, we’ve reached the end of the line.”
A calm voice resonated across the battlefield.
At twenty years old, Xu Moli stood tall, her gaze deep like a serene pool, her cold and peerless beauty enhanced by her flowing robes. She looked like a celestial being descending from heaven.
Her black hair, as smooth as a waterfall, was pinned back with a jade hairpin. Her slender fingers gripped a sword, exuding an aura of strength and sharpness.
No one knew the trials she had endured, but her every move radiated a terrifying power that sent chills through the demonic cultivators.
Yet, mortal strength had its limits.
As the demonic cultivators set up their formation, Xu Moli, still only in the Foundation Establishment Realm, found herself trapped, surrounded by layers of enemies.
Is this where it ends?
Her magic power was nearly depleted, her sword on the verge of breaking, and the enemy’s formation was as impenetrable as a cage.
“Devil rats, come and fight!”
Ignoring their futile attempts to persuade her to surrender, she unleashed one final, dazzling sword strike. The heavens seemed to tremble as she cut down two early-stage Golden Core cultivators.
But the backlash came swiftly. A barrage of magical attacks struck her, sending her plummeting from the sky.
She knew.
No reinforcements would come. No savior would appear. But there was no fear or regret in her heart.
Long ago, she had resigned herself to death. After all, she was someone who had already walked through hell.
And yet…
As her consciousness began to fade, she felt a flicker of reluctance. Memories of Heavenly Sword Sect, her master Li Wanshou, Black Rock City—and him—flooded her mind.
The man who had been her constant companion for nearly her entire life. The one who had warmed her heart and made her feel safe.
He was gone now.
For the past three years, Xu Moli had seen many things, traveled to countless places. But no matter how breathtaking the scenery, none of it could fill the void left by his absence.
What did she feel for him?
Was it hate? Perhaps, for abandoning her without a word.
Was it love? Maybe, but it wasn’t the kind of love people often spoke of. It was something deeper, an unexplainable longing to always be by his side.
But it didn’t matter anymore.
She was about to die.
Strangely, as death loomed closer, a single thought of gratitude crossed her mind:
Thank goodness he wasn’t here.
If he had stayed, he would’ve been in danger too.
That was a fate she couldn’t bear to imagine.
But just as her thoughts were settling, a sharp sound, like the tearing of fabric, ripped through the air.
Xu Moli’s eyes widened.
A blinding sword light pierced the sky, cleaving through the despair hanging over the battlefield.
And within that radiant light, a figure emerged.
Bloodied, battered, and barely standing, yet unmistakable.
It was him.
Her brother.
Her hero.
Her entire world.
“No! Stop! Please, stop coming here!”
Panic and fear distorted Xu Moli’s previously calm demeanor. She could feel it—an ominous, unbearable truth.
But Xu Xi kept moving forward.
As always, he came to her side when she needed him most.
[It hurts. It hurts so much.]
[Your consciousness wavers under the overwhelming pain, but you cling to one thought: protect your sister.]
[You return to the Heavenly Sword Sect, now a shattered battlefield. You see blood, broken bodies, and the ruins of your once-proud sect.]
[You see her, surrounded and outnumbered.]
[Without hesitation, you grip your wooden sword and charge into battle.]
The battlefield was chaos.
Xu Xi’s body, already on the brink of collapse, was drenched in blood. His flesh was torn, his bones shattered, yet he pressed on, swinging his sword with relentless determination.
The Nascent Soul mana within the wooden sword surged with power, allowing him to bisect a late-stage Golden Core Realm cultivator in a single strike.
But the retaliation came swiftly. A demonic cultivator severed one of Xu Xi’s feet.
“He’s Xu Xi, the number one true disciple of Heavenly Sword Sect! Everyone, kill him together!”
Terrified, the demonic cultivators banded together, their combined attacks raining down on Xu Xi.
“Brother!”
Xu Moli screamed, her voice breaking with desperation. She attacked the formation around her, but her power wasn’t enough.
All she could do was watch as Xu Xi fell again and again, only to rise each time with a stubborn resolve.
“No, please stop…!”
Another flash of sword light tore through the air.
Four more Golden Core cultivators fell, but Xu Xi paid the price—his legs were now completely gone.
Unable to stand, he crawled forward with his remaining arm, leaving a trail of blood-soaked earth behind him.
The sight was monstrous. Even the demonic cultivators hesitated, unsure whether they were fighting a man or a ghost.
But their fear wasn’t enough to stop them.
They attacked again. This time, Xu Xi’s body was burned black, and he lost his left arm entirely.
Yet he continued.
“No… don’t do this… I’m just a burden… why?”
Xu Moli collapsed, tears streaming down her face.
She watched helplessly as her brother, his body broken beyond recognition, dragged himself forward with one remaining arm.
Finally, he reached the formation that trapped her.
With the last ounce of his strength, with the final trace of mana left in his body, Xu Xi raised his wooden sword and shattered the formation.
His charred lips moved silently, but Xu Moli understood.
“Brother is here to save you, Mo Li.”
“Brother never lied to you.”
With that, Xu Xi’s body crumbled into ash, dissolving into the wind.
There was no time to save him.
There was no chance to say goodbye.
Xu Moli could only kneel there, her mouth open in a silent scream, her soul drowning in despair.
[You are dead.]
[End of simulation.]