The Record of Exterminating Evil from Ashes

A mysterious mist blanketed the mountains, and a bleak, desolate wind blew.

The moment Xiao Yu's figure vanished, the entire Demon-Slaying Mountains seemed to instantly shed their three-hundred-year-old tranquility. The pitch-black demonic energy descending from the heavens still swirled in the sky, obscuring the sun and moon, and a layer of hazy gloom lingered between heaven and earth year-round. The once majestic and prosperous righteous sects, with their booming formations, were now devoid of spiritual energy, their grand formations silent, exuding a desolate and bleak atmosphere of impending doom.

On the high platform between good and evil, Cen Jin stood alone, motionless for a long time.

The evil-suppressing waist token in his palm was warm and hot. A faint scarlet wisp lay dormant among the originally pure and orderly righteous patterns, like fine poisonous threads entwining the sacred object, silently corroding the foundation of the righteous path that had existed for millennia. Xuan Ye Zun's whisper still echoed in his sea of ​​consciousness, cold, indifferent, and carrying a mocking view of eternity, each word piercing his heart.

The most perfect piece.

These seven words encapsulate the cruel truth. All the groundwork laid by Xiao Yu's resignation, his inheritance of the righteous path's authority, and his paving the way for a new life, ultimately fell into the Demon Lord's game. He broke free from the dilemma of choosing between good and evil, and escaped the preordained dead end, but little did he know that this very act of breaking free was the final move in the game.

Cen Jin lowered his eyes and looked at the half-broken, somber wooden box in his arms.

The wooden box was cracked and crisscrossed, the ancient seal of the Righteous Yang completely shattered, no longer able to contain even a trace of demonic power. Fortunately, the dark demonic patterns spreading around Cen Wantang's body had slowly receded, all lying dormant beneath her skin, and the scarlet light in her eyes had completely faded, returning her to her usual clear and innocent appearance. As if she had exhausted all her energy, she nestled peacefully in the wooden box, falling into a deep sleep, her breathing soft and long, without a trace of ferocity.

The strange balance between good and evil has been temporarily stabilized.

But Cen Jin knew perfectly well that this was only a temporary calm. The wooden box had exhausted its source and no longer had the power to suppress. The demon lord's source and human consciousness within Wan Tang's body were still intertwined and balanced, like a precarious rock hanging in the sky. It would collapse completely with just the slightest external disturbance.

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Now that the old path has been destroyed, Xiao Yu has gone into seclusion, and the righteous path is without a leader, Xuan Ye Zun's chess game is complete. He only needs one last move to reveal his true form and overturn the world. The time left for the brother and sister is running out.

"No matter how brilliant a chess game is, it still requires people to make the moves."

Cen Jin murmured to himself, his gaze losing its brief melancholy and returning to its firm and clear look, "You see me as a pawn, so I will use the pawn as a blade, using your game to break your eternal destiny."

He slowly closed his palm, carefully putting the evil-suppressing waist token, which was a mixture of good and evil, close to his body. Then he raised his hand to protect the wooden box in his arms, turned around and walked down the platform between good and evil.

The moment he stepped off the platform, the surrounding spiritual energy trembled violently.

The mental barrier that had previously isolated the inside from the outside completely dissipated, and all the chaos of the Demon-Slaying Mountains flooded into the senses. On the distant main peak of the mountain gate, countless righteous elders stood in mid-air, their gazes turning in this direction with complex emotions—warning, scrutiny, suspicion, and a hint of secret expectation.

The commotion caused by Xiao Yu's departure from the mountain and the change of leadership in the righteous path was so immense that it had already spread throughout the entire Exorcism Bureau. Everyone knew that the millennia-old rules had collapsed and the era had changed. This young man, burdened by demonic blood and having escaped the game of fate, had become the only variable in the righteous path of humanity.

Some fear his siblings' demonic power, worried that he might lose control and unleash a catastrophe upon the world; others admire his pure heart and the legacy he carries, placing all their hopes for breaking the deadlock on him.

With people's hearts in turmoil and factions emerging, the once vast sect of exorcising evil no longer had a unified will, and was left only with each person's own selfish motives and stance.

Cen Jin had no interest in getting involved in the conflicts between the righteous and the wicked.

Having endured the fierce battles in the desolate swamp, the trials of the cold abyss, and the crucial decisions on the high platform, he had long since seen through the vanity of worldly fame and factional entanglements. At present, there were only two urgent matters: first, to stabilize the restless demon lord bloodline within Wan Tang and maintain the balance between humans and demons; second, to cultivate his power, solidify his Dao heart, unravel the secrets of the waist token, and accumulate enough strength to face the impending eternal calamity.

The Demon Extermination Mountain Sect is prosperous and thriving, but it is also a place of conflict and strife, unsuitable for quiet cultivation and ascetic practice.

With his mind made up, Cen Jin turned around and avoided the crowds and strife at the main peak of the mountain gate, heading straight for Luochen Lonely Mountain, the most remote and desolate place in the Exorcising Evil Division.

This mountain is located on the edge of the mountain gate, where spiritual energy is scarce and people rarely visit. Without the support of array power or the comings and goings of cultivators, it is always quiet and secluded, with distinct seasons. It is the only pure place in the mountain gate that is not tainted by the conflicts between good and evil, nor by the hustle and bustle of the secular world. In the past, before Xiao Yu went into seclusion, he often sat quietly on this mountain to contemplate his mind and cultivate his Dao heart for a hundred years.

Today, he has chosen this place as his place of ascetic practice, spending his days and nights with the mountain, seeking enlightenment in all four seasons.

The moment you step into the territory of Lonely Mountain, the hustle and bustle, suspicion, and strife of the mountain gate behind you are completely shut out. A cool breeze blows through the mountains, and the vegetation flourishes and withers in an orderly fashion. Spring brings life, summer brings growth, autumn brings decay, and winter brings stillness. The four seasons cycle without bias, perfectly in line with the true nature of heaven and earth and the ultimate truth.

Cen Jin found a sheltered stone platform and sat down cross-legged.

He gently placed the shattered, dark wooden box on his lap, his fingertips tracing the crisscrossing cracks, and slowly infused it with a wisp of gentle, pure yang spiritual energy. The energy was soft and restrained, neither suppressing nor clashing, but simply enveloping the girl within the box with its inherent warmth, stabilizing the balance of her soul and bloodline.

After doing all this, he closed his eyes, focused his mind, and began to meditate in tranquility, circulating the Azure Wave Heart Technique.

Through repeated life-or-death battles, tempering of inner demons, and strategic maneuvering, his cultivation had quietly improved in numerous desperate situations. His foundation, now at the peak of Foundation Establishment, was incredibly solid, and his Dao heart, refined through countless trials, was flawless and pure. Yet, he knew all too well that such cultivation was still insignificant, like a firefly reflecting the moon, before the ancient demon lord and the eternal calamity.

He needs a stronger force, not brute force for killing and violence, but the power of the Great Dao that can maintain the balance between good and evil, withstand the ancient chess game, and protect his loved ones and all living beings.

Time seems to stand still on Lonely Mountain, as dawn and dusk cycle endlessly.

From then on, Cen Jin isolated himself from the outside world, devoted himself to arduous cultivation, and paid no attention to the disputes within the sect or the chaos of the world.

As spring arrives and buds sprout in the mountains, a gentle breeze caresses his face. He sits quietly, observing life, comprehending the endless cycle of all things. His Dao heart grows ever more gentle and clear, shedding the impetuousness of youth and gaining a more steadfast and all-encompassing nature. In the quiet of summer, cicadas sing in the still forest, the heat scorching. He sits cross-legged, letting the heat wash over him, tempering his body and bones, refining the purity of his spiritual energy, and shedding the impurities and restlessness from his cultivation.

In autumn, leaves fall across the mountains, and all things wither. He observes the cycle of life and death in stillness, seeing through the illusions of prosperity and decline. His heart is no longer attached to gain or loss, and his understanding of good and evil, destiny, success and failure becomes increasingly profound. In winter, wind and snow cover the mountains, and all things are silent. He faces the endless snow alone, his body and mind cold, yet his Daoist heart burns brightly. He guards his true self in the silence and sees light in the desolation.

Seasons change, dawn and dusk alternate, day and night never cease.

In just three short months, the outside world has become chaotic.

The black mist in the Nine Heavens Demon Realm grew thicker day by day, slowly pressing down on the borders of the human world. Strange phenomena such as demonic disturbances and rampant yin energy frequently appeared in various prefectures and counties. The internal factions of the Exorcism Bureau were completely divided. The pro-war faction wanted to forcibly kill Cen Wantang and sever the root of the calamity, while the conservative faction secretly observed and supported Cen Jin to maintain balance. The two factions were secretly vying for power, and undercurrents were surging in the mountain gates. The conflict was intensifying.

Only this desolate mountain, covered in dust, remains as serene as ever, isolated from all the turmoil of the world.

Cen Jin's arduous cultivation never ceased for even a moment.

He not only honed his cultivation and tempered his physical body, but also studied the demon-suppressing token in his palm day and night. As his meditation and enlightenment deepened, the secrets sealed within the token for thousands of years were continuously unlocked, and countless ancient demon-sealing formations, demon-suppressing techniques, and hidden chessboard secrets all flooded into his sea of ​​consciousness.

He finally understood the true meaning of Xiao Yu's words, "If the old way does not perish, the new way will not be born."

For millennia, the Exorcising Bureau has rigidly adhered to the rules of good versus evil, viewing everything as either right or wrong, black or white, with the sole righteous path of killing and suppressing evil, thus forcibly severing the balance of heaven and earth. The reason why Xuan Ye Zun's chess game has lasted for eternity and remains unbreakable is precisely because it is born from the obsession and ruthlessness of the righteous path.

People strive to slay evil and attain enlightenment, unaware that the more they fight and oppose each other, the greater the imbalance between good and evil becomes, and the more it nourishes the demon lord's essence, leading them into a pre-ordained trap.

Cen Jin's path is exactly the opposite.

He embraced evil with righteousness, transformed violence with warmth, and replaced opposition with balance, thus breaking free from the millennia-old shackles of either/or thinking. His cultivation was no longer simply about accumulating righteous energy and vanquishing demons, but about harmonizing his own righteous and evil energies, embodying the great principle of balance in the universe.

He cultivated diligently day and night for three months, and although his cultivation level seemed not to have broken through to a higher realm, his foundation had actually undergone a complete transformation.

The spiritual energy of a fully established foundation becomes increasingly pure and refined, balanced and harmonious, neither too strong nor too weak. It can suppress evil, protect life, maintain balance, and break through impasses. The Dao heart is completely perfect and transparent, free from attachment, confusion, and violence. Regardless of external storms and the vicissitudes of human hearts, it remains as steadfast as a rock from beginning to end.

Meanwhile, Cen Wantang, nestled in his arms, was quietly changing amidst the tranquility of dawn and dusk throughout the four seasons.

She no longer experienced frequent bloodline turmoil and demonic backlash. She gradually became calm and peaceful. Occasionally, when she woke up, she would gently lift the broken wooden box and quietly look at her brother who was meditating in asceticism. Her eyes were clear and pure, without a trace of demonic ferocity.

What alarmed Cen Jin even more was that she began to unconsciously absorb the wandering demonic energy in the world, but she was not corrupted by the demonic energy. Instead, she was able to harmonize the righteous and evil energies on her own and achieve a perfect balance.

She is no longer a catastrophic threat that needs to be sealed and protected at all times, but has slowly awakened a unique ability—to harmonize good and evil and balance the energy of heaven and earth.

The brother and sister, one upholding their original intentions and adhering to the new path, and the other adjusting right and wrong and establishing balance, quietly formed a symbiotic path unprecedented in history.

On this deep winter day, snow fell on Lonely Mountain, covering the mountains and fields in pure white, and all things were silent.

Cen Jin slowly opened his eyes, his gaze clear and pure, his spiritual energy deep and abundant, and his entire being exuding a harmonious and transparent Daoist aura. After three months of arduous cultivation and four seasons of enlightenment, he had completely shed his youthful naiveté and the fierceness of adversity. His posture was upright and steady, his temperament gentle yet sharp, and he already possessed the demeanor of a grandmaster who wielded the power of the Dao.

"The time is coming."

Cen Jin spoke softly, his gaze fixed on the chaotic world beyond the mountains. His three months of seclusion and arduous cultivation were not out of cowardice or escapism, but rather a period of preparation and preparation. Now, with a stable Dao heart, profound foundation, and a balanced relationship with his siblings, he possessed the resources to enter the fray and contend with the world.

But just as he was about to get up and go down the mountain to face the conflict between the mountain gates and the catastrophe of heaven and earth, the evil-suppressing token he had kept close to his body suddenly became scalding hot.

The originally subtle, dormant scarlet patterns instantly spread across the entire waist tag, completely covering the ancient righteous path patterns!

Meanwhile, deep within the Nine Heavens Demon Realm, the silent, three-month-old figure of the void awakened once more.

A detached divine thought, spanning heaven and earth, silently enveloped Luochen Lonely Mountain, its clear echo resounding throughout Cen Jin's sea of ​​consciousness.

"Enlighten yourself through the four seasons, and nurture yourself through the morning and evening."

"You cultivate the way of balance and nurture the foundation of symbiosis... very good."

"What I lack has never been calamity and slaughter, but the Dao fruit that can restore the balance of heaven and earth."

"Cen Jin, after three months of arduous cultivation, you have finally... become the cornerstone of my efforts to mend the heavens."

As soon as he finished speaking, the falling snow suddenly stopped, and the righteous and evil energies of the entire human world were instantly drawn together from afar, converging towards Luochen Lonely Mountain!