NOVEL NEXT WORLD Chapter 13:
Chapter 13: The Final Burning:
“What does this have to do with you?”
“Haven’t you done enough for her?”
“Now that you can barely walk, how can you save anyone?”
“Give up. End the simulation here. There’s no need to fight so hard for a character that doesn’t even exist in reality.”
A torrent of thoughts surged in Xu Xi’s mind, each more convincing than the last. These voices tempted him to give in, to turn a blind eye to the raging battle between good and evil above him.
His body screamed in pain.
Mentally, he was drained.
Years of suffering had taken their toll—burning his spiritual roots, cultivation, and lifespan. For three relentless years, he endured this agony. On this last day, his body was so frail it was unrecognizable: pale, emaciated, lifeless. His lower body had lost all sensation.
The pain clawed through his bones, as though thousands of insects burrowed inside. His muscles felt as if razor-sharp blades were slicing them apart.
“This body… it really is in terrible shape,” Xu Xi thought, clenching his teeth.
He summoned every ounce of strength to move, trying to squeeze even the last vestiges of vitality from his exhausted body. But even the simple act of sitting up seemed impossible.
It hurt too much.
He wanted to give up.
His ears rang incessantly, warning him that his body had reached its breaking point.
His vision blurred. The world around him turned crimson as blood poured from his ears, nose, eyes, and mouth. He coughed violently, staining the sheets beneath him with crimson flowers of blood.
“Ah…”
A gurgling sound escaped his throat.
The pain had surpassed human limits. Xu Xi felt himself slipping. His rational mind teetered on the brink of collapse, tempted to surrender to the darkness.
But then, in the fading light of his consciousness, familiar images surfaced:
A baby girl growing into a spirited child, then a frail figure fighting for survival.
“Mo Li wants to help brother earn lots of money!”
“Mo Li likes brother the most!”
“Brother, will Mo Li die…”
These memories shattered the haze clouding Xu Xi’s vision.
“Mo Li is waiting for me to save her… I can’t die yet,” Xu Xi whispered hoarsely.
Summoning all his willpower, he struggled to sit upright. His face contorted in agony as beads of sweat trickled down his pale forehead.
He tried to stand but collapsed instead, tumbling off the bed and knocking over items scattered nearby.
The question lingered in his mind:
Can a body like this—barely functioning—truly help in a battle between cultivators?
Xu Xi didn’t have an answer.
He only knew one thing.
As her elder brother, he had made a promise. No matter what, he would save his sister.
It didn’t matter if it was impossible. It didn’t matter if this was all just a simulation.
A promise was a promise.
“Hahaha…”
He began laughing—a laugh filled with defiance, blood sputtering from his lips. Crawling on the ground, he groped around until his trembling hand grasped the wooden sword left by his master.
As he touched the hilt, the mana stored within surged. It forced its way into his broken body, threading through shattered meridians.
With newfound strength, Xu Xi rose unsteadily to his feet.
Each step was agony. His body began to break apart, spewing clouds of blood mist. He knew this borrowed strength would destroy him entirely, leaving nothing but dust behind.
But what did it matter?
“Brother is coming to save you…”
A dazzling sword light erupted, piercing the heavens.
Cultivators of both righteous and evil froze in shock as Xu Xi’s figure streaked through the sky, heading toward the Heavenly Sword Sect.
…
[You are dying. The prolonged torment has drained every ounce of life within you. Yet, against all odds, you create a miracle, transcending human limits to push your failing body forward.]
[Every movement amplifies your pain a thousandfold, but you press on without hesitation.]
[The sword light you control flies toward the Heavenly Sword Sect. Upon your arrival, you find the once-glorious sect reduced to ruins.]
[The protective formation has failed. Blood stains the ground. Broken limbs and shattered weapons litter the battlefield.]
[The scene is one of devastation, but the war continues. You feel a pang of despair for your sect and overwhelming worry for your sister and master.]
[Despite your frailty, you wield the wooden sword and charge into battle. Some recognize you with shock or fear.]
[You fight recklessly, ignoring the toll on your body.]
…
The Heavenly Sword Sect, once a proud Nascent Soul sect, now lay in ruin. Though not the pinnacle of the cultivation world, it had always stood as a bastion of righteousness. But in the face of the demonic onslaught, even its strength faltered.
Sword Peak had collapsed.
The main hall was split in two.
Disciples lay slain, their blood soaking the earth.
Even the mighty Nascent Soul Realm cultivators of the sect had fallen. The sheer scale of death and destruction turned the battlefield into a purgatory.
The demons had come prepared. Among their primary targets was Xu Moli.
The prodigious second disciple of Forest Sword Peak had drawn too much attention.
Completing Foundation Establishment in a single year and aiming to condense her Golden Core Realm in another, she was deemed a threat that could not be allowed to exist.
“Surrender, Fairy Mo Li!”
“If you join the Heavenly Demon Sect, the position of Saintess will be yours!”
“You’re surrounded like a caged bird. You cannot escape!”
Two late-stage Golden Core Realm cultivators.
Five mid-stage Golden Core Realm cultivators.
Nine early-stage Golden Core Realm cultivators.
These were the enemies encircling Xu Moli.
Even surrounded, she stood tall—a cold figure in white, her long sword gleaming with determination.
Though only in the Foundation Establishment Realm, Xu Moli had slain multiple Golden Core Realm cultivators, earning the reverence of the righteous and the fear of the demonic path.
But no matter how extraordinary she was, she remained outnumbered. Her power alone could not break through the encirclement of so many Golden Core Realm cultivators.