The Record of Exterminating Evil from Ashes

A grand formation hangs in the sky, and all hearts are shaped by it.

The vast, suspended curtain of human hearts was completely overturned and rebuilt. Countless fragmented thoughts, good and evil obsessions, intertwined and transformed into a grand array of judgment covering thousands of miles of mountains and rivers. The invisible power of judgment pressed down heavily, locking onto Cen Jin in the center of the miasma forest, cold, domineering, and brooking no argument. This was not a magical battle between cultivators, but a collective judgment of the entire mortal world, an unsolvable killing trap forged by Xuan Ye Zun using the very hearts of all living beings.

The schemes and calculations in this game were so insidious and vicious.

Xuan Ye Zun never personally eliminates variables, but rather manipulates the will of the people, allowing the common people Cen Jin has dedicated his life to protecting and the human world to decide his fate. Victory means defying the will of the masses and bearing eternal infamy; defeat means the destruction of his Dao seed, the annihilation of his new path, and the closure of the game. Either way, it's a dead end.

The entire Zhuxie Mountain fell into a deathly silence in an instant.

The two opposing cultivators, one old and one new, stood frozen in place, their tense atmosphere completely crushed by the might of heaven. Countless thoughts and desires clashed, tumbled, and tugged wildly within the great formation; good intentions struggled and wavered, while evil thoughts ran rampant, bringing the entire human order to the brink of collapse.

On the main peak, atop the jade platform, Shen Qingyan's eyes flashed with ruthless malice. He stared intently at the thin, blood-stained figure in the miasma forest, his heart surging with wild joy. The Judgment Array of All Beings was complete. Without him lifting a finger, Cen Jin would be judged by all hearts, his Dao extinguished and his body perished. The new Dao would crumble without a fight, and his status as a prodigy and the orthodoxy of the old Dao would be completely preserved.

"Heaven's justice is impartial, and the people's hearts are clear; such heretical and wicked doctrines should have long ago been judged by the people!"

He hissed in a low voice, secretly urging his own obsession into the judgment array, attempting to amplify its killing power and completely annihilate Cen Jin. The group of blindly obedient old Dao disciples also wavered, driven by their own selfish desires, and urged their weak Dao power to echo the judgment of the array.

Hundreds of new cultivators on the mountainside, their eyes bloodshot with rage, stepped forward, their Daoist aura surging, as they attempted to use their bodies as shields to protect Cen Jin from this eternal impasse.

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"Protect the Dao Lord!"

"We will live and die with the new path; we swear to follow it to the death!"

A sincere cry echoed through the mountains, and hundreds of pure, unwavering protective thoughts surged against the tide, rushing into the vast, gray array, like sparks of fire, attempting to resist the freezing night. But before the might of heaven, constructed from the chaotic thoughts of countless beings, these sparks were far too weak, and were instantly suppressed and on the verge of being extinguished.

Inside the miasma forest, Cen Jin's old wound on his chest reopened, and blood seeped into his robes once more.

The invisible force of judgment from all living beings penetrated his protective Dao aura, crushing his broken Dao foundation layer by layer, and tearing apart his already incomplete celestial seed patterns. Countless cold hearts, suspicions, slanders, selfishness, and indifference transformed into fine blades, slowly torturing his Dao heart, attempting to force him to harbor resentment and betray his original intention of protecting it.

Wan Tang stood firmly in front of Cen Jin, her young body tense, the dormant demon lord within her stirring spontaneously, a faint crimson demonic light leaking out, wanting to withstand the heavenly punishment for her brother. However, she had just awakened her primordial essence and her soul was unstable. If she rashly confronted the Great Array of All Beings, she would only suffer damage to her soul and be completely devoured by her demonic nature.

"Don't act impulsively."

Cen Jin raised his hand and pressed it against her shoulder, forcefully suppressing the surging blood and qi within him. His eyes remained clear and bright, without a trace of resentment or coldness. Even though he had been abandoned by countless people and judged by the mortal world he had guarded all his life, his balanced Dao heart remained as firm as ever.

"Human hearts have selfishness, but also sincerity. Even if all hearts are corrupted, the world is not necessarily beyond redemption."

He saw clearly that this judgment array was not entirely unsolvable. The core of the array was formed from the chaotic thoughts of all living beings. It seemed domineering and unsolvable, but in reality, it was complex and chaotic, a mixture of good and evil, and not the true will of Heaven. Selfish thoughts can destroy a person, while sincerity can save the world. As long as a glimmer of hope is found, the entire dead end can be reversed.

Just as the great formation was about to crush him and his body was about to collapse, a powerful thunderclap suddenly exploded from the depths of the clouds in the nine heavens!

Boom—!

A thunderous roar that shook the entire world tore through the dark sky and pierced through the thick miasma of human hearts. A clear and sharp silver-white bolt of lightning fell from the heavens, striking precisely into the core of the miasma forest, landing three feet away from Cen Jin.

The lightning was neither fierce nor violent, lacking the power to kill or destroy. Instead, it carried the ultimate pure and purifying power of the primordial essence of heaven and earth. The moment it landed, it spread out layer by layer, transforming into a circle of pure white light, steadily isolating the overwhelming power of judgment and protecting Cen Jin's Dao body, which was on the verge of collapse.

Even more strangely, after the lightning struck the ground, it did not dissipate. Instead, it transformed into countless tiny electric threads, like guiding fireflies, weaving through the vast expanse of miasma-ridden forest and the boundless mountains and rivers. Wherever it passed, the turbid miasma receded, the murky thoughts dissolved, and the disordered order of things was restored.

Lightning illuminated the way, and the sky and earth became clear and bright.

Everyone stared in disbelief at the strange change in the sky, their minds reeling.

"It's the purifying lightning of heaven and earth!" The Grand Elder's voice trembled with disbelief. "It cleanses only the miasma, without harming any living beings. It specifically breaks the turbidity of the game and the evil in people's hearts. It's the righteous purifying power that has been derived from heaven and earth for countless ages!"

The turbid energy of the chessboard, controlled by Xuan Ye Zun, can reverse good and evil and bewitch people's hearts. Ultimately, it is an ancient and treacherous path, not the orthodox way of heaven and earth. This mortal world, unwilling to be completely imprisoned by the chessboard, spontaneously sent down lightning at the end of the game to guide and clear the way for those who can break the game.

Within the black mist and void, Xuan Ye Zun's aura suddenly deepened, and his anger intensified.

He schemed against people's hearts and laid out plans for eternity, calculating the coldness of all living beings and the treachery of his fellow disciples, but he could not have foreseen that Heaven and Earth themselves would generate a rebellious intent, personally stepping in to protect the variables and cleanse the turbid miasma.

"The heavens and earth are biased; it is utterly ridiculous."

A chilling mockery resounded throughout the heavens and earth, and the black mist churned violently, attempting to devour the scattered guiding lightning. However, the lightning was pure and righteous, shining brightly when it encountered turbidity and clearing away evil, and the black mist could not taint it in the slightest.

Cen Jin gazed at the clear lightning flowing around him, his mind suddenly cleared, and he instantly discerned the key to breaking the deadlock.

The ultimate test of the third trial was not to let him face the judgment of all hearts alone, but to let him lead the integration of sincerity in the world in a desperate situation where people's hearts are corrupted and the world is shrouded in dust, and to use the power of righteousness to sweep away the ancient miasma and reshape the order of the world.

Previously, he had single-handedly traversed the evil realm and coldly observed the malevolent forces, always prioritizing his own well-being. But today, guided by the lightning, it is a clear sign from heaven and earth—the new path is not the path of one person, but the path of coexistence for all!

"Lightning guides the way, cleanses the miasma, restores righteousness to people's hearts, and revives the Great Way!"

Cen Jin raised his eyes, his voice clear and resonant, piercing through the thunder and distracting thoughts, echoing across the vast land: "All those who hold sincere hearts and refuse to be enslaved by the game of chess, follow me to cleanse the world of its miasma and restore order to humanity!"

His words, spoken with a start, were a wake-up call.

The guiding lightning around him suddenly blazed brightly, transforming into countless strands of light that weaved among every cultivator in the Demon-Slaying Mountains. It discerned good from evil, distinguished right from wrong, and ignited the Dao hearts of all those who still retained sincerity and were not completely corrupted by selfishness.

The first to respond were the hundreds of new Daoist cultivators on the mountainside.

With resolute eyes and unleashed Daoist energy, everyone stepped out of the formation, their clear Daoist power merging into the guiding lightning. The power of one person was insignificant, but the power of a hundred people combined, instantly condensing into a vast and pure torrent of cleansing miasma, washing away the dark and gloomy Judgment Array.

Immediately afterwards, many hesitant and then enlightened disciples of the old ways stepped forward.

Witnessing Cen Jin's selfless act of protecting the people, seeing through Shen Qingyan's hypocrisy and selfishness, and experiencing firsthand the righteous and awe-inspiring power of the heavens and earth, their narrow-minded obsessions with good and evil were completely shattered, and their remaining pure hearts were fully awakened. No longer blindly following factions or adhering to old rules, they resolutely joined the ranks of those who cleansed the world of its miasma.

Even the elderly elders on the main peak slowly closed their eyes, sighed, and stepped out.

He spent his life adhering to the old ways and relentlessly fighting, only to realize in the end that the true righteous path is not about being closed-minded and forming cliques, but about protecting all living beings, cleansing away filth, and conforming to the will of Heaven.

The old and new paths, setting aside their disputes and abandoning their differences, stand side by side like never before.

With the combined efforts of a thousand people and the sincere hearts of ten thousand, we can achieve great things.

The pure and sincere power of humanity merged perfectly with the guiding lightning of heaven and earth, transforming into a clear light curtain that covered the thousand-mile-long miasma forest and enveloped the entire mountain and river. Wherever the light curtain passed, the miasma of the ancient chess game dissipated layer by layer, the corrupting and turbid thoughts that tempted people's hearts were completely purified, and the dark power of the judgment array was suppressed step by step and continuously collapsed.

What was originally an unsolvable trap of human conflict was forcibly torn open by the combined efforts of the masses, creating a path to survival.

Within the miasma forest, the remaining dark miasma rapidly dissipated, the distorted and malevolent phantoms vanished completely, and the chaotic rules of heaven and earth, disrupted by the turbid energy, were restored to normal. Pure yang energy returned to the mortal realm, withered vegetation regained its vitality, and the silent mountains and forests once again echoed with the sound of wind.

With concerted efforts, the miasma was cleared away, and dawn finally broke.

Shen Qingyan stood on the jade platform, alone outside the crowd, her face pale and contorted, her eyes filled with disbelief and despair.

His meticulously crafted public opinion, factional antagonism, and attempts to sow discord among the people crumbled before the thunderous light of heaven and earth and the sincerity of the masses. Everyone else awoke to the truth, but he remained deeply entrenched in selfishness and cunning, unable to shake off his obsessions, becoming the only one among the mountains swept away by the corrupting influence and betrayed by his own conscience.

He was surrounded by a thick cloud of dark thoughts, which the lightning avoided and the hearts of the people rejected, making him the only filth in the otherwise clear world.

"Impossible...this shouldn't be happening..."

He muttered to himself in a low, frenzied voice, unwilling to accept that all his lifelong pursuits and schemes had come to naught. The remaining evil thoughts in his heart surged wildly, attempting to disrupt the great formation and drag down the entire operation.

But the die was cast, and the Qingming Festival was already set.

The combined power of the masses swept over him, instantly cleansing his selfish desires and shattering all his vain schemes. Shen Qingyan's spiritual energy collapsed, his Dao heart cracked, and he staggered to the ground, completely losing all his competitive edge.

Above the nine heavens, the Great Array of Judgment over all living beings, guided by the lightning of heaven and earth and swept away by the combined power of the hearts of all people returning to sincerity, shattered layer by layer and slowly dissipated.

The third test: judging all beings, barely managed to break through.

The miasma forest has been completely cleared, and the world has returned to its former clarity.

Cen Jin stood amidst the gentle breeze, his heart wound slowly healing. His damaged Dao foundation gradually stabilized under the nourishment of the heavenly lightning and human merit. He raised his eyes to look at the dark Nine Heavens Demon Realm, his gaze calm and sharp, staring directly at the chess player hidden in the black mist.

He failed all three attempts and suffered consecutive defeats in the game.

Xuan Ye Zun's ancient schemes—a gentle calculation, a deadly trap of human nature, and the shackles of destiny—were all shattered by him with his true heart, his sincerity, and the combined strength of the masses. The new path of humanity took root and deeply penetrated people's hearts, truly breaking free from the absolute control of the ancient game.

But the end of a desperate situation is not the end of the game.

Deep within the black mist and void, the figure of Xuan Ye Zun solidified completely, unleashing an ancient, dormant killing intent that enveloped the mortal realm for thousands of miles. He no longer held back, no longer plotted or schemed; all patience had vanished. The game of strategy was now obsolete, leaving only crushing slaughter.

"Having passed all three tests and won the hearts of the people, you have indeed won the game of chess."

His voice was icy cold, carrying an unprecedented chilling killing intent that resounded throughout heaven and earth: "But I will tell you today—the game can be broken, but destiny cannot be changed; people's hearts can be swayed, but the origin cannot be reversed."

As soon as he finished speaking, the entire earth, which had just been cleansed of its miasma, suddenly trembled violently.

Cen Wantang's body stiffened abruptly, the clarity in her eyes vanished instantly, and the dormant ancient demon lord's essence within her body boiled uncontrollably and surged wildly, unleashing an unparalleled demonic might that swept across the mountains and rivers.

An even more terrifying scene suddenly unfolded—deep within the earth, the original divine core of the demon lord, sealed for eternity, was breaking free from the earth's ley lines and was about to appear in the world!