Sacrificing Life, Snow Falling on the Desert?

[A violent fluctuation struck you, almost knocking you over.]

[Fortunately, your Grandfather was fast enough. Otherwise, the shockwave from the explosion alone could have severely injured someone.]

[You saw a black cloud ahead, followed by bursts of thunder.]

[A moment later, the thunderclouds dissipated. You were anticipating the fate of the old man, the Fire Cloud Evil God, but the next moment, a bloody palm struck directly at you!]

[You were shocked: This didn't kill him? Is this even human?]

[Your Father first pulled you out of the bloody palm's range, then immediately drew his sword, intending to block it.]

["No! Dad!" you shouted, but it was already too late. Your Father's sword was directly shattered by the bloody palm, and its momentum unabated, it pierced straight through your Father's body!]

[You fell heavily to the ground, only able to watch as your Father's body was ruthlessly crushed by the bloody palm!]

[Your Grandfather glanced at you and said resolutely, "Good grandson! He's in a very weak state now! Your Grandfather and the Zhang Family Ancestor will hold him off! You act according to the situation!"]

[Your Grandfather strode forward, a Water Dragon Fist striking directly at the old man, the Fire Cloud Evil God. The Zhang Family Ancestor raised his palm, also attacking with palm techniques.]

[Only then did you see clearly that the old man resembling the Fire Cloud Evil God was now completely unclothed. His entire body was charred black from the explosion, and even the two tufts of hair on the sides of his head had been blown off, leaving him bald.]

["Hmph, hmph, hmph! Very good! Excellent! You actually still have a Thunder Pearl! You have successfully ignited my wrath!" he said through gritted teeth, his face contorted in a ferocious grin. His tone was vicious, but his charred face made his expression unreadable, only revealing a row of bright white teeth, making him look like the little black man on a toothpaste advertisement from your past life.]

[Your expression sank. You knew you couldn't let your Father sacrifice himself in vain. You secretly clenched the Thunder Pearl in your hand, preparing to act according to the situation and deliver a fatal blow!]

[Even with the combined efforts of your Grandfather and the Zhang Family Ancestor, two Foundation Establishment Realm powerhouses, they couldn't gain an advantage against the heavily injured Fire Cloud Evil God.]

[After several exchanges, the Zhang Family Ancestor was sent flying and collapsed on the ground, unable to get up.]

[Your Grandfather fought with all his might, forcibly burning his Spiritual Root to block a strike from the Fire Cloud Evil God.]

[You seized the opportunity and threw the Thunder Pearl.]

[But after you threw the Thunder Pearl, your Grandfather didn't immediately retreat. He actually intended to forcibly hold back the Fire Cloud Evil God!]

[The Fire Cloud Evil God also didn't expect you to have a second Thunder Pearl. Just as he was preparing to retreat, he was forcibly held back by your Grandfather!]

["Madman!" the Fire Cloud Evil God cursed loudly and immediately used his spiritual power to pierce your Grandfather's heart. Yet, your Grandfather still hadn't let go, clinging to him like a piece of rubber.]

[The Fire Cloud Evil God trembled again, finally shattering your Grandfather into pieces. However, by this time, the Thunder Pearl had already reached him.]

[Boom!]

[A loud explosion followed, and thunderclouds gathered. A powerful thunderous blast illuminated the area like a flashbang!]

[As the thunderclouds dissipated, you discovered that the Fire Cloud Evil God was still not dead!]

[But at this point, he was clearly just propping up his broken body. You saw that both his arms were gone, having been shattered in his attempt to block the blast. There was also a large hole in his abdomen, and his thighbone was exposed!]

[Yet, you felt no pity. You drew your sword and severed his legs, pointing your sword at his face, and roared, "Why did you target our Mu Family! Our Mu Family has no enmity with you!"]

["Hahaha!" the Fire Cloud Evil God laughed maniacally, then coughed up a mouthful of dark blood. "I never expected that I, a dignified Golden Core True Person, would be so severely injured by a mere Foundation Establishment family! Damn Liu Cheng! If I hadn't been gravely wounded by him and reduced to this state, with all my Spirit Treasures destroyed, how could I have been so heavily injured by two Thunder Pearls!"]

[You brandished your sword fiercely, "Stop with the nonsense! You haven't answered my question yet!"]

["There's no why! This world is ruled by the law of the jungle. I merely heard from the Wang Family that the Mu Family of Jinzhou County didn't want to become my Blood Food. So, after I recovered, the first thing I would do is make your entire Mu Family my Blood Food! Hahaha, what a shame. One misstep, and you lose everything," the Fire Cloud Evil God said wildly.]

[Your expression grew cold. You hadn't expected the reason for his desire to destroy your Mu Family to be so simple, or rather, it wasn't a reason at all. It was merely a whim of his, and your Mu Family had to die.]

[You raised your Rusty Sword, preparing to strike him down!]

[But just then, the Fire Cloud Evil God's face contorted, his eyes fixed on you, "Little fellow, you talk too much!"]

[Immediately, a powerful energy enveloped you. You felt as if you had fallen into the sun, a burning sensation so fast that you couldn't even feel pain, instantly melting you!]

[Only then did you realize that the Fire Cloud Evil God had been stalling for time. He had known all along that you might spare him, so he had been gathering power to self-detonate his Golden Core!]

[As expected, the villain died because they talked too much.]

[You died!]

[Courage is the battle song of humanity. Your Father and Grandfather both chose to use their lives to buy you a moment of opportunity. Upon learning the fate of the Mu Family, you chose to confront him head-on, all proving the bravery in your hearts. To be able to force a Golden Core True Person to self-detonate in the end is something you can be proud of.]

"Damn! So passionate!"

"What a shame, it didn't have a good ending. It's like snow falling in the desert; that wasn't its intended fate," Mu Xingqi said with a bitter expression.

In this simulation, he had made arrangements early on. Even if it meant using crude marketing tactics to scam all the Rogue Cultivators in Jinzhou County, and even being hired to assassinate someone, earning a bad reputation, he still had to earn Spirit Stones to fight for a sliver of hope for his family.

Unfortunately, after exhausting all his methods, and with his Father and Grandfather both perishing, he still couldn't personally kill the Fire Cloud Evil God. Instead, because he talked too much, he was killed by the Fire Cloud Evil God's Golden Core self-detonation.

However, thinking that this wasn't the real ending, but just a simulation, he still had a chance to turn the tables against fate!

"Let's check the rewards!"

[Simulation end. You may choose one of the following rewards.]

[Qi Cultivation Level 9 Cultivation (All spiritual power in your body has liquefied, Spirit Platform condensed to ninety percent): You earned a large amount of Spirit Stones for your family through Healing Powder and Mi San, etc. This allowed you to enjoy many high-quality spiritual pills and elixirs, laying a good foundation for your Spirit Platform. Unfortunately, just as you were about to successfully condense your Spirit Platform, you were forcibly interrupted by an assassin from the Shadow Kill Pavilion, causing cracks to appear in your nearly formed Spirit Platform. Although it was repaired with numerous spiritual pills and elixirs afterward, it caused your Spirit Platform to regress by forty percent. Even before you were killed by the Fire Cloud Evil God's Golden Core self-detonation, your Spirit Platform had not fully recovered, only reaching ninety percent. You are still one step away from true Foundation Establishment Realm.]

[Thunder Pearl (One): Mysterious Tier Low-grade offensive Spirit Treasure. Refined from the bones of a Golden Core stage Thunder Tiger Yao, it can pose a threat to early Golden Core cultivators. Its power can even rival ordinary Mysterious Tier Mid-grade Spirit Treasures. Its only drawback is that it can only be used once. The usage method is similar to a grenade; activate it with spiritual power and throw it to produce a violent thunderous explosion.]

[...]