The Record of Exterminating Evil from Ashes

Dark clouds loomed over the world, and all spirits fell silent.

The black mist that swept down from the Nine Heavens Demon Realm was no longer the thin, swirling fog of the past, but had transformed into a tangible, heavy, turbid wave that stretched across the thousand-mile-long sky. The pitch-black miasma obscured the sun and moon, swallowing up the light of day, and shrouded the entire Demon-Slaying Mountains and the surrounding ten thousand miles of rivers and mountains. In an instant, heaven and earth darkened, and the last ray of sunlight vanished from the human world, leaving only a desolate, deathly darkness.

The overwhelming pressure from Xuan Ye Zun's fury crushed the entire world, locking away all spiritual energy.

Hundreds of newly initiated cultivators on the mountainside paled in unison, their bodies stiffening and their Dao hearts trembling violently. This supreme pressure, spanning heaven and earth, had long surpassed the limits that mortal cultivators could withstand. It was the unique authority of heaven and earth held by the player of the eternal chess game, carrying an absolute domineering power that could crush everything and overturn the universe.

On the Jade Platform atop the main peak, the elders who clung to the old ways were deathly pale, the last trace of stubbornness and arrogance in their eyes completely vanished. They had spent their lives slaying evil and exorcising demons, and revering the Heavenly Dao, only to truly see now that the demons and monsters they had fought against for half their lives were nothing more than dust on the edge of a chessboard. The true beings who transcended good and evil and held the power of life and death had always been hidden in the ancient mists, overlooking the rise and fall of humankind.

"Overturn the world and forcibly seize power."

The cold, eight-character proverb has transformed into the laws of heaven and earth, pressing heavily on the hearts of everyone.

Cen Jin stood atop the sea of ​​clouds, his back straight, undaunted by the oppressive black mist that blanketed the sky. The black and white light of the evil-suppressing token in his palm surged, intertwined with blood-red symbiotic patterns. The power of the old and new energies merged and flowed, steadily supporting a clear barrier that completely isolated the deadly miasma surrounding him.

Deep within the Qi Sea, the self-destructed, flawed Zhou Tian Dao Seed lay dormant. Though lacking the perfect Dao luster, it had completely broken free from the constraints of the game's rules. Every wisp of Dao power was controlled by its own heart, unaffected by the Xuan Ye Venerable's Qi, and for the first time in all eternity, it truly belonged to itself.

But the shattered wooden box in his arms was scalding hot, and the crisis was not over.

The cracks on the surface of the wooden box spread rapidly, exploding layer by layer. Fine, scarlet demonic light surged out along the cracks, and the fiery and domineering essence of the ancient demon lord flowed freely. Wan Tang's bloodline destiny, dormant for many years, was completely awakened by the chaotic energy of heaven and earth, and she was on the verge of breaking out of the box and appearing in the world.

The karmic bond between the siblings was stretched to its limit at this moment. On one side was the Dao Seed that was breaking free from the game, and on the other side was the ancient demonic source that was about to revive. The two forces were mutually generated and integrated, yet also mutually restrained each other, causing the energy of the entire world to fall into extreme chaos.

Cen Jin lowered his eyes, his fingertips gently touching the scorching wooden box, and a warm, balanced Daoist energy slowly flowed into it.

He did not intend to forcibly suppress Wan Tang's awakening of her original essence, but rather to use his own Dao heart to stabilize the bond, protect her divine soul essence, and prevent her from being completely devoured by the ancient demonic nature and becoming a tool in the game of chess.

"Don't be afraid."

He spoke softly, his voice steady and firm, piercing through the wind and black mist, "With me here, fate will not invade, and demonic nature will not devour."

The restless crimson demonic power within the box paused slightly, as if it had understood his words. The raging source gradually restrained its ferocity, but it still did not lose its awakening momentum, quietly lying dormant, waiting for an opportunity to break the deadlock.

Just as heaven and earth were locked in a life-or-death struggle, the falling black mist suddenly changed.

The miasma that had previously raged and wreaked havoc on the world no longer rampaged through mountains and rivers. Instead, it followed some ancient and obscure rules of chess, rapidly gathering, reorganizing, and condensing. The pitch-black miasma swirled and intertwined, taking root wherever it landed, causing mountains to tremble, the land to crack, spiritual herbs to wither, and all life to be extinguished.

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In just a few breaths, the thousand-mile-long wasteland on the west side of the Zhuxie Mountains was completely swallowed by the black mist, turning into an endless, pitch-black miasma forest.

The ancient trees were twisted and gnarled, their branches as black as ink. Thick, black miasma seeped from their bark, dripping onto the ground and corroding it into wisps of black smoke. The forest stirred without wind, the black mist churning and billowing, the miasma corrosive to the bone. Countless tiny, eerie shadows darted and roamed through the forest, flickering with ghostly green flames, filling the air with an apocalyptic atmosphere of death, violence, and desolation.

The emergence of miasma forests has locked away the vitality of thousands of miles of western Xinjiang.

Everyone's pupils contracted sharply, and they were utterly shocked.

"This isn't just ordinary black mist from the demon realm..." a conservative elder murmured, his eyes filled with horror, "It's a trial barrier born from the chess game!"

These words immediately jolted everyone awake.

The Three Heavenly Gates have just concluded, seemingly a failed endgame and a broken eternal cycle, but the player has never truly given up. Xuan Ye Zun abandoned the gentle scheme of perfectly reaping the Dao Seeds, instead initiating the most cruel and direct eternal trial, using the mortal realm as the chessboard, the common cultivators as the pieces, and the perilous miasma forest as the testing ground, restarting the game.

High above the nine heavens, at the center of the black mist, Xuan Ye Zun slowly raised his hand, his indifferent gaze overlooking the newly formed dark miasma forest below, his icy voice resounding throughout the heavens and earth:

"Through the three trials of heaven, you broke through illusions with your true heart, and destroyed perfection with imperfection, thus ruining my age-old schemes."

"Since you disdain the flawless Dao Fruit and do not believe in the game of destiny, then I will abolish the Gentle Game and begin the second trial of all time—the Trial of the Mortal World."

With a single word, the world was at peace, and the trial began.

Compared to the first level of illusion and the three trials of the heart, this second trial is devoid of any subtle calculations or deceptive illusions; it is only an extremely cruel test of life and death. The first trial is to refine the Dao heart and see through the self; the second trial is to refine the Dao practice and polish the Great Dao, using boundless miasma to erode the Dao, using the chaotic world to refine the heart, and using countless demons to refine the body.

"This realm is a miasma forest of chess games, containing the turbidity of eternity, gathering human evil thoughts, and hiding the causes of world's downfall."

"Those who enter the forest will have their Daoist heart eroded, their Daoist foundation worn down, their good and evil reversed, and their right and wrong confused."

"Cen Jin, you uphold the balance of Dao and tolerate both light and darkness in your heart. Then I will place you in the most turbid and evil place to see if your Dao of Balance can withstand the erosion of the ancient miasma; to see if your pure heart can withstand the erosion of the myriad evils of the mortal world."

Xuan Ye Zun's voice was icy and chilling, carrying the extreme ruthlessness of someone who had failed to break the deadlock: "If you survive, then the world will be at peace for now, and the new path will continue. If you don't survive, then the seed of the path will decay, the bonds will be severed, and you and everything you protected will turn into nourishment for the miasma forest."

There is no compromise, no way out; it remains a dead end.

Halfway up the mountain, hundreds of new Dao cultivators were on edge, gripping their magical artifacts tightly, their bodies radiating Daoist energy, ready to follow Cen Jin into the forest and face the trial together. They followed the new Dao and believed in their own hearts, having already bound their own destinies firmly to the new Dao in the mortal realm, unwilling to let Cen Jin face the danger alone.

Cen Jin raised his hand, gently stopping everyone in their tracks.

He turned to look at the hundreds of sincere gazes behind him, at this group of people who had broken free from old rules and were pursuing their true selves. His eyes were warm and firm, and his voice was clear and steady: "The miasma forest erodes the path, and all evils invade the heart. This test is a trial in my own game, unpredictable and fraught with danger, where good and evil are indistinguishable. Your Dao hearts are newly formed and your foundation is not yet stable. If you rashly enter the forest, you will surely be corrupted by the miasma, your minds will be confused, and you will fall into the demonic path."

"I will enter the forest to test the Dao, while you remain to guard the mountain gate, stabilize the foundation of the new Dao, protect all living beings, and maintain order in the human world."

In short, he protected all living beings and single-handedly took control of the crisis.

Everyone looked anxious, wanting to speak, but ultimately remained silent and bowed their heads. They knew that what Cen Jin said was true; the targeted trials of the Eternal Chess Game had always been opened only for Cen Jin. Others would not only be useless if they entered the game, but would also become a burden and a bargaining chip in the game.

The elders of the main peak watched the young man's solitary figure heading into danger, their hearts filled with complex and indescribable emotions. They had clung to the old ways and fought for half their lives, yet in the end, they were not even half as capable as a young man in terms of responsibility and vision. The old ways were decaying, and the new ways were rising; the tide had already turned irreversibly.

Cen Jin said no more, turned around and stepped into the air, flying steadily alone towards the thousand-mile-long miasma forest.

The closer one gets to the miasma forest, the more violent and turbid the energy of heaven and earth becomes. The dense, dark miasma, carrying a bone-chilling cold, frantically washes over the surrounding barrier, and countless twisted fragments of evil thoughts collide with the mind. Anger, resentment, despair, violence—all the negative and turbid energy accumulated by the human world throughout the ages converges here.

This is the true nature of the mortal world: where there is light and clarity, there is also darkness and filth; where there is a heart that inclines towards goodness, there is also the breeding of all kinds of evil.

His path of balance encompasses both light and darkness, yet facing the extreme darkness at this moment is also a great test.

The moment he stepped into the edge of the miasma forest, the warm, black-and-white Dao aura surrounding him was instantly suppressed by the black mist, dimming by more than half. The outer layer of the barrier corroded rapidly, hissing and crackling, as countless fine miasma threads pierced through the Dao aura protection, attempting to penetrate his meridians and dantian, pollute his Dao seed, and invert his original mind.

A chilling wind howled through the forest, and distorted, demonic phantoms swirled and peered around. Countless malevolent thoughts, fueled by the miasma, took on different forms, staring intently at him, the only balanced seed of Dao in the world, greedily stirring and waiting for an opportunity to devour him.

Cen Jin remained calm and composed, his Daoist heart as clear as ever.

He did not deliberately expel the miasma or forcibly purify the filth, but remained steadfast in his original intention of balance. The black and white Daoist aura slowly unfolded, actively confronting and merging with the surrounding miasma, taming the turbidity with a clear Daoist heart, and embracing light and darkness with the balanced Dao.

"Light and darkness coexist, that is the universe. Good and evil depend on each other, that is the mortal world."

He chanted in a low voice, his Daoist aura flowing, gradually resisting the erosion of the miasma and refining his own Dao foundation.

What appears to outsiders as an extremely dangerous and perilous wilderness is, for him, the best trial in the mortal world to temper the path of balance. In the past, his path of balance was mostly a clear understanding of concepts, but now, being in this place of all evil and turbidity, he can truly achieve unity of knowledge and action, embracing both light and darkness.

But the dangers of the game go far beyond that.

Deeper into the miasma forest, the distorted demonic shadows around them grew increasingly dense, and the concentration of miasma in the forest increased several times over. Even more terrifying was that the rules of good and evil in the world were completely reversed here—positive yang spiritual energy was devoured and purified by the miasma, while yin and evil turbid energy could instead grow and thrive. Cultivators' righteous cultivation would be continuously depleted, while the power of demons and evil could rise steadily.

The evil-suppressing waist token in Cen Jin's palm began to flicker, the golden light fading and the scarlet light intensifying, the patterns of good and evil completely out of balance in this strange place.

The most deadly anomaly has quietly arrived.

The shattered wooden box in his arms, the once stable source of the demon lord, suddenly and completely revived under the nourishment of this ancient miasma forest. The cracks in the box exploded with a roar, sending fine wood chips flying, and the shackles that had imprisoned him for eternity were shattered completely.

A ray of extremely vast, domineering, and ancient scarlet demonic light broke through the wooden box's restraints and shot straight into the sky above the miasma forest.

The vast black mist of the miasma forest instantly boiled and surged, all converging and paying homage to the scarlet demonic light. The entire trial zone instantly transformed from a purgatory of erosion into an altar for the awakening of the ancient demon lord.

High above, Xuan Ye Zun's eyes suddenly lit up, carrying a cold smile that seemed to know the end of the matter:

"The trials of the mortal world are meant to temper your Dao heart..."

"But I want to see if the awakened Demon Lord's closest relative will personally kill the only one who can break the deadlock."

Deep within the miasma forest, amidst a sky filled with crimson demonic light, the figure of a young girl, both innocent and anciently weathered, is slowly taking shape.