The Record of Exterminating Evil from Ashes

The snowfall abruptly stopped, and all was silent.

The entire desolate mountain was instantly locked in place by a supreme extraterrestrial aura. The swirling snowflakes hovered in mid-air, each ice crystal frozen in place, the gentle breeze that swept through the mountains in all four seasons suddenly vanished, the branches and leaves of the grass and trees all stiffened, and there was no longer any trace of natural life in the world.

Only the vast and boundless righteous and evil energies converged wildly from the eight wastelands, the sea of ​​clouds, the mountains and rivers, and the borders of the demon realm, like thousands of surging black and white torrents, layer upon layer, crushing onto the blue stone platform at the mountain peak, pouring into Cen Jin's entire body.

The talisman he kept close to his body was now completely crimson.

The righteous patterns that had remained pure for a thousand years were completely covered and swallowed up. The scalding pain pierced through the fabric and flesh, stabbing straight into the meridians and dantian. The waist token floated up and hung steadily on Cen Jin's chest, flowing with the unique dark luster of the demon lord's origin. Every inch of the pattern pulsed, echoing the ethereal figure deep in the Nine Heavens Demon Realm.

Xuan Ye Zun's cold divine thought still lingered in Cen Jin's sea of ​​consciousness, each word clear and piercing to the bone.

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

cornerstone.

Those two simple words shattered all of Cen Jin's forbearance and perseverance during his arduous cultivation over the past three months.

He secluded himself on a solitary mountain, observing the cycle of seasons, comprehending the Great Dao of Balance, abandoning killing and strife, guarding his true self, and breaking free from the millennia-old shackles of good versus evil. He thought he had broken free from the constraints of the game and embarked on a new path of his own. But in the end, the balanced Dao fruit he had honed day and night, the perfect Dao heart he had painstakingly cultivated, and the unique Dao of coexistence with his siblings were all nourishment that Xuan Ye Zun had carefully awaited and deliberately nurtured.

For a thousand years, the righteous path has been obsessed with killing and slaughter, which can only breed calamities and evil, and cannot support his supreme vision of reshaping the world. Only Cen Jin, this unique variable, can integrate good and evil with human hearts, replace opposition with balance, and cultivate the only balanced foundation of the Dao throughout the ages, which perfectly matches his ultimate goal of repairing the Heavenly Dao and restoring order to the universe.

It turns out that from the moment Xiao Yu left the mountain and the righteous path changed hands, every enlightenment he gained, every improvement he made, and every transformation he underwent were all moving towards the destination set by the Demon Lord.

The depth of the game and the far-reaching calculations sent chills down one's spine.

A surging, chaotic mix of righteous and evil energies rushed wildly into his body, the two opposing and mutually destructive forces clashing, tearing, and crushing within his meridians. Cen Jin's clothes billowed without wind, his veins trembled beneath his skin, and his dantian was instantly filled with an endless torrent, teetering on the brink of collapse from overload.

Ordinary cultivators can only contain pure spiritual energy. Once they are tainted by even a trace of demonic energy, their Dao heart will be damaged, their cultivation will be ruined, and they will fall into evil. But at this moment, the two extreme forces of good and evil are simultaneously washing over the body. Ice and fire intertwine, yin and yang clash, enough to instantly tear apart the physical body and Dao foundation of any Foundation Establishment cultivator.

Anyone else would have already suffered broken pulses and a broken soul, reduced to ashes in the game of chess.

But Cen Jin sat upright like a mountain, his eyes closed, his back straight without bending in the slightest.

The excruciating pain ravaged his body, disrupted his vital energy, and shook his sea of ​​consciousness, yet he felt no panic or fear. Having endured countless trials—life and death in the desolate swamp, the trials of the icy abyss, and the trials of the high platform—his Dao heart was already flawless and perfect, as steadfast as an ancient mountain. No matter how the world turned upside down or how the game of chess crushed him, his heart remained steadfast and undisturbed by external things.

"You wish to borrow my Dao fruit to mend the deficiencies in your world."

Cen Jin parted his lips slightly, his voice steady and cold, piercing through the roaring heavenly energy and echoing clearly in the desolate mountains, "You see me as the cornerstone, wanting to use my hand and my way to reshape the order of good and evil and take control of the eternal universe."

"But you've forgotten that the Way arises from the heart, not from Heaven's will, nor from the game of chess."

The moment the words left his mouth, Cen Jin's mind became completely unified, abandoning all distracting thoughts, resentment, and anger, leaving only his pure and true self.

He no longer passively endured the surging, complex energy, nor resisted the clash and tearing between the forces of good and evil. The Canglan Heart Method was running at full speed, no longer adhering to the single righteous path, but completely opening up the meridians of the body, using the perfect Dao Heart as the hub and his own body as the furnace, forcibly accommodating, harmonizing, and sorting out the two extremely contradictory energies of heaven and earth.

Under his subjective guidance, the rampant and clashing black and white energies gradually shed their violent and aggressive nature, becoming gentle and mellow. The violent tearing force was dissolved layer by layer, and the opposing righteous and evil origins began to slowly merge, flow, and balance each other.

One righteousness nourishes the heart of the Way, stabilizes the foundation, and protects human warmth and the greater good of all living beings.

One evil path broadens the way, breaks the shackles, and tears apart millennia of stereotypes and the chains of fate.

The two are mutually reinforcing and mutually restraining, each representing yin and yang, forming a self-sustaining cycle.

In the past, cultivators followed strict rules and regulations, accumulating spiritual energy inch by inch, resulting in a single and rigid cycle of spiritual energy, making it difficult to break through the shackles of their cultivation realm throughout their lives. But Cen Jin at this moment, by borrowing the energy of heaven and earth stirred up by the Demon Lord and the ultimate torrent gifted by the chess game, forcefully broke through all the frameworks of traditional cultivation.

The black and white energies circulated around his body, slowly traveling along his meridians, from his head to his limbs, from his skin and flesh to his bones, from his dantian to his sea of ​​consciousness, endlessly cycling and regenerating. A brand new spiritual energy system, spanning good and evil, connecting heaven and earth, and encompassing all things, slowly took shape within his body.

  

hum-

A deep and resonant Daoist chant erupted from his body, echoing throughout the entire Luochen Lonely Mountain, piercing through the vast torrent of energy gathering in the sky, and remotely resisting the supreme pressure of the Nine Heavens Demon Realm.

The new cycle of the universe is no longer biased towards the positive yang and rejects evil, nor does it succumb to darkness and abandon all living beings. It is balanced and peaceful, encompassing all things and accommodating all the energy of heaven and earth, yet it is not swayed or eroded by any one side.

This is a cultivation cycle never before seen in eternity, a new path to transcend the game of chess and break free from destiny.

On the green stone atop the mountain, a soft halo of black and white light appeared around Cen Jin. The righteous energy was clear and gentle, while the evil energy was dark and deep. The two layers of light surrounded each other, flowing alternately without interfering with each other, perfectly balancing each other.

His physical body and bones were tempered layer by layer under the impact of the extreme energy, impurities were removed, and he became more and more resilient and translucent.

His dantian was no longer a single abode of positive yang spiritual energy; it transformed into a vast star sea where yin and yang merged, encompassing all kinds of righteous and evil energies, boundless and limitless, its foundation increasing several times over.

The most crucial thing is his Daoist heart.

After three months of arduous cultivation, his Dao heart was already flawless and perfect, but there were still traces of human adherence to it, requiring him to actively restrain his obsessions and resist chaos. But now, after being thoroughly cleansed by the cycle of righteousness and evil, his Dao heart has truly achieved a state of not clinging to righteousness, not avoiding evil, not fearing heaven, and not being afraid of the game.

External disturbances cannot sway him. The grand schemes of heaven and earth cannot confine him. The calculations of eternity cannot foresee him.

When the mind is steadfast in its Dao, it is impervious to all laws.

The shattered, dark wooden box before her knees trembled slightly, enveloped in the pure and balanced Daoist aura. Cen Wantang, sleeping peacefully within the box, slowly opened her eyes, her clear gaze meeting the black and white halo flowing around her. There was no fear in her eyes, but rather a deep sense of closeness.

The dormant demonic essence within her body ceased its restlessness and backlash. Instead, it flowed gently and settled peacefully, following the formation of her brother's spiritual energy. Her innate power to harmonize good and evil perfectly aligned with Cen Jin's Dao of Balance. The siblings' auras resonated completely and became tightly connected, forming an unbreakable symbiotic bond.

The previously precarious balance of bloodlines was completely stabilized at this moment, far exceeding the stable state provided by the seal.

Deep within the Nine Heavens Demon Realm, the ethereal and indifferent figure seemed to sense the change. His supreme divine sense paused slightly, revealing a hint of barely perceptible surprise.

He had thought that Cen Jin's foundation would crumble under the clash between righteous and evil energies, or that he would completely accept the demonic path, become his own tool, and obediently become a cornerstone for mending the heavens. But he never expected that this pawn, whom he had schemed against for countless ages, would, in a desperate situation, borrow his energy, break his game, and create a completely new path.

"Strengthen your resolve for the Dao, and you will achieve your own cycle of Qi..."

The indifferent divine thought descended once more, its mocking gaze replaced by a chilling seriousness. "Interesting."

The torrent drawn by the demon lord's aura continued unabated, but the originally domineering and corrosive power gradually became more probing and wary. The gathering aura of heaven and earth no longer simply crushed and plundered, but began to cautiously confront and pull against the black and white aura surrounding Cen Jin.

Thousands of miles beyond the mountains, the main peak of the mountains is dedicated to vanquishing evil.

Countless righteous elders and deacons who were watching from the air were now all looking in horror, gazing into the direction of Luochen Lonely Mountain.

They could clearly sense that an unprecedented and eerie Daoist aura had been born on that desolate, lonely mountain. It was neither righteous nor evil, yet transcended the rules of the righteous path for thousands of years and surpassed the ancient system of demons and monsters. However, it was also righteous and peaceful, exuding an aura of authority without anger, and faintly possessed the supreme power to suppress heaven and earth and balance all Daos.

"What kind of Daoist aura is that?" an elder murmured in disbelief.

"Neither the righteous path of humanity, nor the evil path of the demon realm... a great path never before seen in all of history!"

Within the mountain gate, the factional strife abruptly ceased. The pro-war faction, their faces ashen with fear, finally understood that Cen Jin was no longer bound by the rules of the righteous path, and could no longer be swayed or manipulated by the mountain gate's regulations or personal sentiments. The members of the conservative faction, their eyes gleaming, their deep-seated anticipation growing stronger, had made the right bet; a new beginning had truly been born in the world.

At the summit of Lonely Mountain, the wind and snow gradually subsided.

The spiritual energy around Cen Jin was completely stabilized. The black and white energies circulated endlessly, autonomously absorbing the free energy of heaven and earth. Without deliberately circulating the mental techniques, it could flow and nourish itself for a long time.

The scarlet waist token floating above his heart was still burning hot, but it could no longer penetrate even a trace of demonic power or shake his Dao heart. The righteous Dao mark, which had been completely covered by the demon lord's patterns, faintly shone with golden light under the nourishment of the new cycle of Qi. The black and white patterns on the waist token coexisted in opposition, perfectly echoing his own Dao.

He completely took control of this heirloom, a symbol of both good and evil, and was no longer bound by the game of chess. Instead, he used the power of the token to make up for his shortcomings in the path of cultivation.

Cen Jin slowly opened his eyes.

His eyes were no longer pure and clear, but a deep interplay of black and white, containing the gentle warmth of the righteous path and the chilling aura of the demon realm. One glance could see through both good and evil, and a single thought could encompass the entire world.

Three months of arduous training led to a breakthrough in one day.

He was still at the peak of Foundation Establishment, without having broken through to a higher realm. However, his foundation, Dao heart, vision, and combat power had already undergone a complete transformation, far surpassing all other cultivators in the world. He truly possessed the capital to face the ancient demon lord and contend with the chessboard of heaven and earth.

"If you want to borrow my help to mend the sky, then I will borrow your heaven and earth to establish my new path."

Cen Jin raised his eyes, staring directly into the endless darkness of the Nine Heavens Demon Realm. His voice was not loud, but it was powerful and resounding throughout the heavens and earth: "Your chess game cannot trap me. Your schemes will ultimately fail."

As soon as he finished speaking, the power of his entire being erupted, and a black and white halo swept across the entire Lonely Mountain, forcefully dispersing the torrent of demonic energy that had gathered in the sky.

Just as the energy dissipated and the strange phenomena gradually disappeared, and everyone thought the situation was temporarily stable, a completely different, childlike female voice suddenly rang out from the depths of Cen Jin's sea of ​​consciousness. It was soft and ethereal, yet it carried an ancient vicissitude that had pierced through the ages.

"Brother, don't believe in him..."

"What He wants is never the foundation stone for mending the sky, but your seed of the Dao of the Heavenly Cycle."

Before he could finish speaking, fine cracks suddenly appeared in Cen Jin's newly stabilized spiritual energy circulation!