Chapter 65: The Beginning and the End

[Your plan was a success.]

[The arrangements to conceal your presence prevented the gods from pinpointing your location immediately.]

[The chaos across the world successfully distracted the gods' attention.]

[By the time the gods determined that the power of the Domain was in Lavush City, you had already taken the Witch far away, completely vanishing from their search range.]

[You were cautious and alert; you hid with the Witch for a long time, only emerging from your hiding spot a month later.]

[You looked up at the sky and realized the gods' blockade of the Laws had become even tighter. Even with Elemental Perception, it was difficult to glimpse the true essence of the elements.]

[You felt regretful; this meant the already slim possibility of attaining godhood had now effectively dropped to zero.]

[Your only consolation was that the Witch's Power of Balance was clearly superior to that of the gods. Her cultivation was not significantly affected, and she progressed at a speed you could not comprehend.]

[Leaving the hiding spot, you entered the nearest city.]

[You discovered that all the Church of the Gods had begun to mobilize. It seemed to be a divine decree from the gods themselves; they were searching for the existence of all Elemental Mages.]

[You realized that your journey with Klisa had to end here.]

[If you continued to wander the world as recklessly as before, you would eventually draw the attention of the Faith Mages and the gods.]

[Year 39 of the simulation: you are 53 years old, and Klisa is 45.]

[Holding Klisa's hand, you returned to Alenson City in the north. After decades of reconstruction, the former ruins had once again been built into a prosperous city.]

[Although the city's appearance was different from before, and the people you knew were no longer the same…]

[…you still held a fondness for this place.]

[You decided to live in seclusion to avoid the gods' relentless search and spend the rest of your life here.]

Decades of wandering and stopping.

Decades of drifting from place to place.

After promoting to Sanctuary Archmage, his life finally settled down.

Alenson City, the place where it all began, was chosen by Xu Xi as the site for his final chapter.

He took Klisa and forged ordinary identities for them. They settled in a house near the city center, which, like before, had its own private courtyard.

The Witch's eternal youth was no longer a concern for being seen through.

The power of the Domain was incredibly potent. Now, Xu Xi could use the life and death attributes of his Domain to create a facade of normal aging and a corresponding aura for Klisa.

This trick couldn't fool the gods, but it was more than enough to block the Mental Energy perception of ordinary mages.

“Klisa, we will be living here from now on.”

“Yes, Mentor.”

“It might be a bit boring. Will that be okay?”

“No, Mentor.”

“Then let’s go inside.”

“Okay, Mentor.”

Klisa's expression was meticulous as she followed closely behind Xu Xi and stepped into their new home.

The Witch was still young, and Alenson was still Alenson, but the courtyard rebuilt from ruins was not the original one after all, and the exhaustion of the sun was inevitable.

The warm sunlight was gradually finding it difficult to even maintain its own temperature.

…

[Year 41 of the simulation: you are 55 years old, and Klisa is 47.]

[Two years have passed since you settled in Alenson City. During this time, the Church of the Gods continued their frantic search for traces of Elemental Mages.]

[You are calm and composed, not panicking in the slightest.]

[What does the search for Elemental Mages have to do with you, a Sanctuary Archmage?]

[Is there a connection? Obviously, there is none.]

[This year, under your careful guidance, Klisa also mastered the essence of the Domain. The Power of Balance came into play once again, allowing the Witch to break through the gods' blockade and promote to Sanctuary Archmage without causing any ripples.]

[You once again marveled: My disciple, Klisa, has the potential to transcend the gods.]

…

[Year 46 of the simulation: you are 60 years old, and Klisa is 52.]

[The signs of aging on your face have become more pronounced, but your mental state is good. Your excessively powerful Mental Energy often makes people forget your old age.]

[You have continued to use Mortals Wisdom every year, thus acquiring a vast amount of new knowledge. You self-taught yourself to create a Compendium of Forbidden Curses.]

[Your Earth-attribute Forbidden Curse has improved…]

[Your Wind-attribute Forbidden Curse has improved…]

[Your Lightning-attribute Forbidden Curse has improved…]

[You passed the Compendium of Forbidden Curses to Klisa. She took it seriously and, under your tutelage, began learning powerful Forbidden Curses she had never encountered before.]

…

[Year 48 of the simulation: you are 62 years old, and Klisa is 54.]

[Your plan to nurture the Witch seems to have failed.]

[Decades of trying to complete her have still not restored the Witch's emotions. To this day, you have never seen her smile or her tears.]

[You remained silent alone for a long time and finally gave up on emotional restoration.]

[The Witch has her own life. Perhaps for her, having no emotions is a good thing.]

[The long life of seclusion has made you feel a bit bored. You tried to comprehend the Laws and walk the path to godhood, but unfortunately, you failed.]

[The blockade is too tight, preventing you from glimpsing the fundamental workings of the world. This means you cannot acquire more knowledge or the Truths required for godhood; you cannot see the path ahead.]

“In the end…”

“It still won't work.”

In the study of the new courtyard in Alenson City.

The 62-year-old Xu Xi leaned back. When he closed his eyes, one could see deep wrinkles and a profound sense of weariness.

The erosion from time had increased.

The current Xu Xi.

Even without looking through Klisa's eyes, he could clearly feel the decay and weakness inside his body, slowly spreading throughout his being.

This was why Xu Xi had tried to break through to the Demigod realm.

Regrettably, the road ahead was severed; he had no feasible way to ascend to godhood.

On the other hand, for Klisa, thanks to the wondrous balance between chaos and order, her strength was still increasing, as if the world's elements were actively seeking her out.

“Forget it, this outcome was expected anyway.”

“Instead of complaining about the gods' heartless methods, I might as well spend this final time teaching Klisa more.”

Xu Xi covered his mouth and coughed a few times.

The sound was heavy and muffled.

His body was still relatively healthy, but due to the limitations of Mortals Wisdom, his organs had begun to age to varying degrees.

Exactly how much longer he could live, Xu Xi couldn't say for sure.

[Year 49 of the simulation: you are 63 years old, and Klisa is 55.]

[You discovered an abnormality in the Witch.]

[Originally, the Witch only maintained her aged disguise when going out. But for some reason, lately she refused to drop the disguise even at home.]

[You looked into Klisa's eyes and understood something in the silence.]

[You smiled helplessly, reaching out with your rough, aged palm to stroke the Witch's head as you did before, claiming you liked the 17-year-old Witch because she looked beautiful that way.]

[The Witch's body trembled slightly, her vacant eyes reflecting your aged form. Finally, she changed back to the original appearance you liked.]