The Record of Exterminating Evil from Ashes

The celestial gates descend, and all things return to white.

The third, ultimate celestial barrier fully unfolded, endless pure white divine light overwhelming the mortal realm, engulfing the Demon-Slaying Mountains, the sea of ​​clouds and demonic mist, and the cultivators halfway up the mountain. The previously shattered light barriers of the Heart Gate and Life Gate turned into specks of spiritual dust, completely merging into this final celestial barrier. All sounds in the world suddenly ceased, spiritual energy stagnated, the wind died down, and people's hearts fell silent. Everything in the world was locked within this vast, pure white illusionary prison.

Xuan Ye Zun descended through the mist, his figure hovering above the nine heavens, surrounded by ancient black mist, yet he did not rush to seize the seed. He calmly looked down at the pure white world below, his indifferent gaze piercing through layers of illusionary barriers, locking onto Cen Jin, who was at the core of the Heavenly Gate, a knowing smile playing on his lips.

"Break through obsessions in your heart, defy fate in your destiny."

"You think you've broken free from your shackles and defied the odds, but little do you know, all your struggles are within my calculated strategy."

A clear, cold voice echoed throughout the pure white illusion, devoid of any killing intent, yet exuding a chilling sense of control: "Your Dao is incomplete and cannot be perfected, therefore it cannot be used by me. Little do you know, this ultimate heavenly gate of mine was created precisely to mend the flaws in your Dao seed."

"Today, I use illusion to mend your cosmic cycle and use the past to perfect your foundation of cultivation. When your cultivation seed is flawless and reaches its peak, that will be the time for me to reap the eternal rewards."

As soon as he finished speaking, the entire pure white world suddenly trembled.

Boundless white light surged and reconstructed, layer upon layer of illusory patterns densely appearing and spreading in all directions according to the rules of heaven and earth. Time outside stagnated, while years flowed inside and outside, and the Heavenly Gate Illusion formed its own space-time, forcibly pulling Cen Jin's soul into it.

Halfway up the mountain, hundreds of new cultivators stood frozen in place, their eyes glazed over and their bodies stiff, all imprisoned by the power of the Heavenly Gate, unable to glimpse the situation within the illusion or offer any assistance. The elders of the main peak stood far away, their expressions complex and solemn, no one speaking, silently awaiting the end of this final trial, awaiting the young man's ultimate success or failure, life or death.

Only Cen Jin fell into the depths of the boundless illusion.

The blinding white light slowly faded away, replaced by a warm and verdant glow.

A gentle breeze caresses the face, the fragrance of bamboo permeates the air, and warm sunlight filters through layers of bamboo leaves, scattering dappled shadows across the ground. There is no roar of the heavens and earth, no scheming of chess, no struggle between good and evil, only the soft chirping of cicadas and the gentle sound of the wind, tranquil and peaceful, a picture of serene beauty.

The majestic Zhuxie Mountains, the dark and gloomy Nine Heavens Demon Mist, and the imposing mountain gates all vanished.

This place has no vast mountains and seas, no ravages of war, only a quiet and elegant bamboo courtyard.

The bamboo courtyard was neat and clean, paved with bluestone, surrounded by lush, verdant bamboo, with tiny, nameless wildflowers growing in the corners. On the stone table in the courtyard sat two cups of slightly cool tea and an open, simple Taoist book. Everything was so familiar, so deeply imprinted on Cen Jin's soul, never to be forgotten.

This is the old bamboo house where he and Wantang lived together during his youth.

It is the purest, most peaceful, and gentlest old times before all the strife, catastrophe, and chess games descend.

Cen Jin stood in the center of the bamboo courtyard, the taut Dao aura around him quietly relaxing, and the excruciating pain deep within his Qi Sea suddenly dissipating. The cracked Dao foundation, the peeling patterns, and the Dao power absorbed remotely by the Demon Realm all calmed down in this illusory world, as if all the dangers and crises had never happened.

Illusions are alluring not because they rely on violence and intimidation, but because they depend on people's obsessions, using the most beautiful old dreams to trap and suffocate the true nature of the present world.

"Brother!"

A clear, soft, childlike voice rang out from behind, lively and gentle, untouched by the dust of the world.

Young Cen Wantang, dressed in plain clothes and with her hair neatly styled in two buns, had clear, innocent eyes and a bright, warm smile. She carried a basket of washed mountain fruits and skipped and hopped over. She had no trace of scarlet demonic light or the origin of an ancient demon lord; she was just an ordinary, innocent, and carefree mortal child.

Free from the shackles of fate, free from the burdens of the common people, free from the opposition between good and evil.

This is Cen Jin's deepest desire, the perfect fulfillment he wants to protect with all his might.

Looking at his carefree younger sister, Cen Jin's coldness and determination faded slightly, leaving only a soft and gentle expression. Two years of seeking enlightenment on a lonely mountain, traversing thousands of miles of treacherous rivers and mountains, standing against each other at the mountain gate, and defying the heavens to break through the impasse—these layers of pressure had piled up in his heart, leaving him physically and mentally exhausted.

  

In the present world, Wan Tang bears the destiny of being the Demon Lord for all ages. She is constantly feared by the common people, hunted down by the sect, and caught in the game of chess. The two siblings face difficulties at every step and their lives are uncertain.

But in this illusion, all suffering vanishes, and all destiny ceases to exist.

"Wantang," Cen Jin called softly, his voice unconsciously softening.

The little girl rushed to him, tilting her innocent face upturned, her eyes crinkling with pure dependence: "Brother, aren't you going to meditate today? I just went to the back mountain and picked some sweet and delicious mountain fruits. Brother, would you like to rest with me for a while?"

Gentle sunlight, a soft breeze rustling through the bamboo, and peaceful days passing by.

There are no endless chess games, no scheming of fate, no sectarian conflicts, and no catastrophes for the land. Simply stay here, and you can enjoy peace and tranquility year after year, guarding your small courtyard, accompanied by your loved ones, living a peaceful life and cultivating your spiritual path in a simple way.

This was the ordinary yet fulfilling life that Cen Jin had secretly longed for countless days and nights.

He raised his hand, his fingertips almost touching the girl's delicate hair, replicating the countless gentle comforts he had given her in his youth.

But just as his fingertips were about to touch the warmth, Cen Jin's mind suddenly cleared.

The gentle bamboo shadows swayed slightly in my eyes, and the dappled sunlight cast a faint, pale white hue. The sweet bamboo scent in the air was mixed with a barely perceptible, ancient chill.

An illusion is just an illusion, and a beautiful dream is just a cage.

He instantly saw through the illusion.

This old dream amidst green bamboo, seemingly perfect and gentle, is in fact the most deadly trap set by Heaven. Xuan Ye Zun knew that his lifelong obsession was never about supreme cultivation, unparalleled power, or unifying the righteous path, but simply about protecting his little sister and bringing peace to the world.

The other party never intended to imprison him with killing or coercion, but rather to imprison his true heart for life with the perfection he most desired.

As long as he indulges in this world and craves a moment of peace, he will be completely lost in the illusion and sink into his old dreams. The Dao Seed of the Heavenly Cycle in his present body will be perfectly replenished and become flawless without anyone noticing, and then be completely harvested by Xuan Ye Zun. The eternal game will thus come to a perfect end, and all living beings in the world will become victims of the game.

The land of gentle pleasures is also a burial ground for the dead.

"It's fake."

The tenderness in Cen Jin's eyes vanished instantly, replaced by a clear and calm demeanor. His fingertips abruptly stopped, without the slightest hesitation.

The innocent and carefree Wan Tang before him was still bright and charming, but he had already seen through the cold killing intent beneath the illusion. The tranquility within the illusion was a false perfection achieved at the cost of erasing all resistance in the real world and abandoning all life in the human realm.

"What's wrong with my brother?"

Young Wan Tang stopped laughing, tilted her head to look at him, her eyes full of pure confusion, "Why isn't brother saying anything? Did Wan Tang upset you by bothering you with your cultivation?"

Their innocent and pure eyes were enough to shake even the most steadfast Daoist heart in the world.

Cen Jin's heart trembled slightly, but he said his heart was firm and as steady as a green mountain.

He spoke softly, each word clear and resonant throughout the entire illusory world: "The perfection I desire is for peace in this world, for the eternal safety of all living beings, and for my loved ones to be free from calamity, not for the illusions and self-deception of this realm."

"Though false dreams may be warm, they are not worth abandoning all living beings in this world. Though the old year was peaceful, it is not enough to stop me from reversing the game of chess."

As soon as he finished speaking, the black and white Dao aura around him suddenly lit up, and the gentle luster of the Great Dao of Balance penetrated through layers of illusionary mist, forcibly tearing apart the gentle illusion before him.

click-

A crisp cracking sound rang out, and the verdant bamboo courtyard began to crumble layer by layer, the light and shadow dissipating. The gentle sunlight, the swaying bamboo shadows, the sweet fragrance of flowers, and the tender figures all transformed into countless tiny white lights, slowly melting away completely.

The illusion collapsed, and the old dream came to an end.

But just as the illusion dissipated, an incredibly real, clear, and piercing memory forcefully flooded into Cen Jin's mind. It was not his past experience, but a hidden truth that had been sealed away by the game of chess for countless ages.

In the same bamboo courtyard, amidst the same peaceful years, stood an ancient brother and sister whose features bore a striking resemblance to his and Wan Tang's. The elder brother possessed a balanced Daoist aura, while the younger sister carried the essence of the demonic path. The two coexisted and cultivated together, attempting to break the biases of heaven and earth. However, just as they were about to succeed, their Daoist seed was taken away, and they perished, becoming the first sacrifice in the eternal game of chess.

It turns out that he was not the only variable throughout history.

A thousand years ago, someone had already walked the exact same path as him, tried the exact same way to break the deadlock, and ultimately failed and died, laying the foundation for Xuan Ye Zun's game.

Every step he takes in his struggle, every breakthrough he makes, is a repetition of the old path he took a thousand years ago.

"The cycle of reincarnation continues endlessly, life goes on and on."

The indifferent Daoist voice resounded once more through the illusion. Xuan Ye Zun's figure pierced through the dissipating bamboo shadows and slowly manifested in the center of the pure white world. His gaze was cold and clear as he looked down at Cen Jin, whose mind was trembling. "You think you are breaking the deadlock, but in reality you are just walking the path that predecessors did not finish."

"Throughout the ages, countless variables have risen and fallen, each believing they could defy fate and change their destiny, only to ultimately become nourishment for me to complete my Dao Seed. Today, you have broken through the illusion and escaped the old dream, seemingly making unwavering progress, but in reality, you have completely filled the last gap in your Dao Heart, allowing your Dao Seed to truly reach the state of flawless perfection."

Cen Jin suddenly looked up, a sharp pain shooting through the depths of his dantian.

In the instant the illusion collapsed and his obsession was severed, his Dao heart was completely flawless and his original mind was absolutely stable. The originally incomplete and cracked Zhou Tian actually repaired all the cracks silently!

The black and white energy flowed perfectly, and the cyclical movement of the universe reached its ultimate perfection. That unique Dao Seed of the Unique Universe completely shed all its flaws and transformed into a perfect Dao Fruit that was unparalleled throughout the ages.

The perfection he so desperately sought was ultimately forced into shape during a trial in dire circumstances.

"Look."

Xuan Ye Zun slowly raised his hand, and a wisp of flawless black and white spiritual light condensed at his fingertips, reflecting Cen Jin's perfect and ultimate Dao foundation at this moment. "Without perfection, there is no Dao. Without experiencing the illusion, there is no proof of flawlessness. All your struggles, perseverance, breaking the deadlock, and sacrifices, in the end, are still just to make wedding clothes for me."

The Heavenly Gate, a pure white expanse, was now completely enveloped by the ultimate light of the Dao Seed.

Outside, hundreds of cultivators on the mountainside suddenly discovered that the Heavenly Gate Light Curtain that enveloped the heavens and earth was no longer suppressing spiritual energy. Instead, it began to frantically absorb the balancing Dao essence around Cen Jin. The Zhou Tian Dao Seed, which had undergone two years of arduous cultivation and transformation in dire circumstances, was slowly detaching from his Qi Sea Dantian and was about to be extracted and completely stripped away by the Nine Heavens Demon Domain from a distance.

When the seed of the Dao leaves the body, the body dies and the Dao vanishes, never to be recovered.

But the most chilling scene was just beginning to unfold.

Before Cen Jin could make any move to resist, the shattered wooden box in his arms suddenly erupted with a terrifying crimson demonic light, and Cen Wantang's primordial power was uncontrollably and completely awakened. This time, it was no longer a restless outburst, but transformed into a resolute protective force, forcefully binding the Zhou Tian Dao Seed that was about to leave her body.

At the same time, for the first time, Xuan Ye Zun's indifferent voice carried a hint of surprise and solemnity:

"A symbiotic bond, locking the seed with life..."

"So the symbiotic path you two siblings share hides the **final trump card for reversing reincarnation**."

Before the words were finished, the perfected Dao Seed that was about to be harvested suddenly lit up with a layer of blood-red patterns, firmly rooted in Cen Jin's Qi Sea, and the eternal cycle of reincarnation flowing between heaven and earth began to rotate in reverse at this moment!