Chapter 342: Those Who Long for Light Become the Light Themselves

"Sevia, do you remember? Those words I once said…"

"It is easy to endure the darkness, but difficult to face the light again."

Walking upon the ruins of the plateau.

Xu Xi and Sevia walked forward hand in hand.

The Hero, her emotions crumbled, was no longer able to control her body to walk normally; she could only move forward by being led by Xu Xi's hand.

She did not understand why Xu Xi was asking.

Her eyes were dim and hollow, devoid of light. "I remember, Lord Wizard…"

Their steps paused briefly.

Xu Xi passed by the ruins of a Wizard Tower and used the Hand of the Wizard to clear and search through them, storing all the well-preserved items into his spatial ring.

Wind and sand blew, but were blocked by an invisible shield.

A cold, pitch-black sun hung high overhead.

It further accentuated the despair.

Compared to it, her dim, deep green eyes still held a slight ripple of emotion.

"You said," Sevia spoke in a raspy voice, "that those who stay in the darkness for a long time will be unable to adapt to the world under the sun."

Xu Xi nodded, confirming Sevia's answer.

"When the eyes have adapted to the darkness, they will sting because of the appearance of light. Therefore, facing the light again is a very difficult thing."

"Lord Wizard, I… I can do it."

The dim eyes showed a reaction.

Their owner wanted to prove herself.

Xu Xi smiled and continued to lead the armored skeletal hand with gentle strength, heading deeper into the plateau ruins.

"Sevia, having the courage to face the light is worth praising."

"But that is far from enough."

"At times, the darkness is too lonely and desolate; we can neither see the light nor find a way out."

His voice paused slightly.

Xu Xi looked back at Sevia and the deathly silent world behind her.

As if she had understood something.

Sevia looked toward Xu Xi.

"Lord Wizard, is there… no other way?"

The dark world was so filled with despair that even the Hero's hand, which held the sword, began to tremble.

Xu Xi led the Hero.

He passed the familiar warmth once again to the Hero's undead body. "Sevia, actually, sometimes there is no need to be obsessed with searching for the light."

"Those who long for light are themselves emitting light."

"Though it is faint, it truly exists."

"Sevia, I believe that one day, you will break through this deep darkness."

Xu Xi spoke softly.

His voice carried an unchanging trust.

Encouraging and affirming her, he helped the grieving Hero stand up again instead of being immersed in past sorrow.

The dead are gone.

The suffering that occurred cannot be undone.

But now, the Hero could try to save the future with her own hands and prevent more misfortune from happening.

"Lord Wizard, I—I can't do it…"

"But I believe in Sevia."

A person's voice truly seemed capable of granting strength.

Sevia, who had been suppressed by grief to the point of being unable to breathe, gradually saw a light rise in her eyes. It was a brilliant glow formed by vivid sorrow combined with a tiny bit of resilience.

Sevia did not believe in herself.

But she believed in the Lord Wizard who "believed in Sevia."

The Emerald of Claufeel radiated light once more because of the wizard's presence.

…

[The painful truth and the desperate world have dealt a heavy blow to the Hero.]

[But because you are by her side,]

[the Hero has regained her courage.]

[With Sevia's help, the speed at which you collect items from the ruins has greatly increased. Among them are many precious items, including high-level wizard manuscripts and usable transcendent Materials.]

[The carcass of a Bone Dragon that had lost its Soul Fire also became one of your stored items.]

[Half a month passed.]

[You have cleared all valuable items from all the Wizard Tower ruins on the Plateau of the Gods.]

[The Hero asked you where to go next.]

"Lord Wizard, what… should we do next?"

There were two main reasons why Xu Xi went to the Plateau of the Gods.

One was to find the Mastermind.

The second was to come into contact with more wizards.

After an on-site investigation,

Xu Xi concluded that the Mastermind, who had ascended to the Seventh-Ring, had long since left, and the high-level wizards had also fled en masse.

The current Wizard World was fragile and pathetic; the strongest living beings were only of the Third-Ring, and it could be swallowed by the Netherworld at any moment.

Therefore,

Xu Xi had to choose a path.

Either wait quietly for the world to perish and transform into an undead wizard,

or flee the Wizard World for a safe plane.

The two sides of a coin.

No matter how it was tossed, neither was the result Xu Xi wanted; he wanted to forge a third path.

On the simulator panel that only he could see, Xu Xi checked the effect of the Soul Collector trait once more.

Soul Collector (Gold): You are not a god of death, but you are more like one than the actual god of death. The deceased who perish by your hand will become the foundation for your progress.

Soul Collector can harvest Souls without limit.

Although the amount harvested each time is very small,

when the quantity accumulates, it can form a surging wave of Souls.

"Millions, tens of millions, hundreds of millions, billions…"

"Quantity leads to quality change. When the collected Souls reach a certain amount, a single spark can start a prairie fire."

On the Plateau of the Gods.

Xu Xi held his Magic Wand and tapped it lightly. Tens of thousands of essence Soul Fires traversed within, constantly moving to and from the gem at the tip of the wand.

This was Xu Xi's reliance and what he intended to do in the future.

Without a red trait, it would be difficult for Xu Xi to Cultivate to a profound Realm within the limited time before the world's end.

But by relying on the continuous collection of Soul Fire,

one day, a strike from Xu Xi with everything he had would be something that even the world could not ignore.

It might even threaten the seemingly immortal Seventh-Ring Wizards.

Before then,

Xu Xi needed to continue killing the undead and make arrangements for Sevia; the kind Hero needed a happy ending.

"Let's go, Sevia."

"We don't have much time left."

"I plan to build a Wizard Tower; that will be our base of operations from now on."

The Netherfire Crow arrived at his call.

Carrying Xu Xi and the Hero, it flew into the dark and gloomy sky.

The world was so silent.

But in Xu Xi's ears, the voices of the deceased echoed—supporting each other as they walked, faint and ordinary.

"Master Wizard, thank you."

"My old woman and I have lived long enough."

Smiling as they refused the suggestion to extend their lives.

Those two elderly figures radiated happiness amidst the turbidity.

They walked hand in hand, but under the erosion of Death Qi, they twisted and turned into painful, desecrated monsters.

Calling out Xu Xi's name.

Calling out Sevia's name.

Such memories were silent and unforgettable.

Xu Xi sat on the back of the Netherfire Crow, his eyes slightly closed. He really—

still wanted to strike that Seventh-Ring Wizard with his blade before the simulation ended.

(Taking a short break, one chapter today. Writing too many simulations has indeed reduced my inspiration, but fortunately, it's nearing the end.)