The Record of Exterminating Evil from Ashes

The earth's veins roared, and the divine core seemed about to emerge.

The once pristine, miasma-ridden forest suddenly trembled violently. The soil churned, rocks crumbled, and countless deep cracks spread from the earth, crisscrossing and tearing apart the entire forest. A primordial aura, far more ancient, vast, and domineering than the demonic power emanating from Wan Tang's body, surged forth from the cracks in the earth's veins, soaring straight into the heavens.

That is the original divine core of the demon lord, sealed by heaven and earth for eternity and imprisoned by layers of chessboard. It is the root and core of the demon lineage and the ultimate vessel that carries the destiny of eternity.

What had been awakened before was merely the surface-level demonic nature and scattered origins hidden within Wan Tang. The divine core that was about to be unsealed was the ultimate trump card that Xuan Ye Zun truly feared and had been planning for countless ages.

The misty forest suddenly ceased its gentle breeze, and the clear sky and earth abruptly disappeared.

The mountains and forests, which had just been cleansed by lightning, were once again shrouded in the heavy and vast aura of demonic forces. Clouds gathered in the clear sky and quickly darkened, and the righteous yang spiritual energy that had just returned to the human world was instantly suppressed and dissipated.

Cen Wantang stood frozen in place, her whole body trembling slightly.

Her soul was forcibly drawn and resonated with by the vast divine will emanating from the earth. The dormant demon lord's essence within her surged wildly, echoing the power of the divine core along the earth's veins. Her once stable consciousness was once again invaded and torn apart by the cold will of ancient vicissitudes. The clear innocence in her eyes gradually faded, replaced by an indifference and alienation from the desolation of eternity.

"Brother...it's so noisy..."

Wan Tang's voice trembled, filled with unbearable exhaustion and pain. Her small hands clenched her clothes tightly, and a faint, blood-red nucleus pattern appeared between her brows. "There's something underground... calling me back."

Cen Jin's heart tightened, and he instantly realized the perilous situation.

The words of Venerable Xuan Ye, "The origin is difficult to reverse," are by no means empty words. The human heart can be saved, the game can be broken, and the trial can be won. The Demon Lord's Divine Core, which can be rooted in heaven and earth and imprinted on the bloodline, is the origin of the Dao that has existed since time immemorial, transcending the game of the human heart and the rules of the trial.

Once the divine core fully emerges from the earth, Wan Tang's soul will be completely assimilated, her innocent heart as a mortal girl will be annihilated, and the true eternal demon lord will return completely, leaving no room for maneuver.

At that time, without Xuan Ye Zun's intervention, the world of good and evil will be completely overthrown, and the ancient chess game will still come to a closed conclusion.

"Stay true to yourself and don't heed its call."

Cen Jin immediately raised his hand, and a gentle, pure, and balanced Daoist aura surged forth, softly enveloping Wan Tang's body. Black and white Daoist patterns coiled around her meridians and brow, layer by layer isolating her from the pull of the divine core beneath the earth, stabilizing her mortal soul that was on the verge of collapse.

His unhealed chest injury was aggravated again, causing his blood and qi to surge and ache slightly. His broken Zhou Tian Seed Pattern trembled slightly, but he still gritted his teeth to stabilize his Dao power, not daring to relax in the slightest.

Having overcome three trials and tribulations, he won over hearts, tribulations, and strategic games, yet he still struggled to move forward when faced with the innate shackles of destiny.

Deep within the black mist of the Nine Heavens, the Venerable Xuan Ye indifferently surveyed the mortal realm, his icy Daoist voice once again resounding throughout the mountains and rivers:

"With the third round of trials over, do you think the people's hearts are won over and the path to enlightenment is within reach?"

"Cen Jin, you can cross the filth of the human world, see through the illusions of all living beings, and integrate the hearts of the two paths, but you cannot cross the innate origin and change the foundation of destiny."

"Today, the divine core breaks free from its seal, marking the end of your new path and the return to the mortal realm."

The chilling pronouncement, imbued with supreme pressure, descended heavily upon the mortal realm. The black mist surged and sank once more, locking onto the core of the miasma forest, awaiting the birth of the divine core, the return of the demon lord, and the reaping of eternal rewards.

Throughout the Demon-Slaying Mountains, thousands of cultivators held their breath, their minds tense to the extreme.

The two cultivators, one old and one new, who had just put aside their differences and joined forces, were now filled with fear once again. The joy of successfully clearing away the miasma and breaking through the trial had vanished, replaced by a sense of powerlessness and despair in the face of innate destiny and the eternal origin.

"The Demon Lord's Divine Core... that's the legendary source of demonic cultivation, sealed away for eternity!"

"No wonder young friend Wan Tang was born with the destiny of a demon lord; it turns out there's such an ultimate seal underground!"

"Though the trials are over, fate is ultimately inescapable. Is a catastrophe for humanity ultimately unavoidable?"

Whispers rose and fell, and just as people's hearts had begun to settle down, they began to waver and drift again, with fear and distracting thoughts quietly arising.

  

On the main peak's jade platform, Shen Qingyan, lying on the ground severely injured, struggled to raise his eyes, a crazed sneer tugging at his pale face. His own Dao heart was shattered, his cultivation greatly diminished, and he had become a complete outcast of the sect, so he wished for the world to be overthrown, the Great Dao to be destroyed, and everyone to sink into calamity together.

"The new path is illusory... ultimately unable to defy destiny..."

"Cen Jin, the human realm you risked everything to protect will ultimately be destroyed by the demon lord you yourself protected!"

His whispers were weak yet piercing, like poisonous thorns piercing the hearts of the crowd, making their already fearful hearts even more turbulent.

In the center of the miasma forest, Cen Jin ignored the surrounding chaos, focusing all his attention on the girl in front of him and the strange movements underground.

He knew perfectly well that he must not panic or lose his composure at this moment. The divine core had not yet been fully revealed, and destiny had not yet been settled; the game was not truly over, and there was always a chance for things to turn around.

He glanced up and swept his eyes across the cleared malarial forest, a glint of light flashing in his eyes, and made a decision in an instant.

Although the turbid air of the thousand-mile-long miasma forest has been completely dispelled and the area has returned to clarity, the entire forest is still the testing barrier for the second trial of the game. The earth veins still contain a massive amount of testing rules and the original power of the clear miasma and lightning of heaven and earth.

This is a desperate situation, but also an opportunity.

The trial has not yet completely ended, the barrier has not yet collapsed, and the pure power of heaven and earth still exists. He can borrow the power of the barrier of the entire miasma forest, the sincere Daoist charm of the unity of all people, and the pure origin of the lightning of heaven and earth to temporarily seal the earth veins and prevent the birth of the divine core!

"Fellow comrades, heed my command!"

Cen Jin suddenly spoke, his voice clear and steady, piercing through the rumbling of the earth's veins and the clamor of people's hearts, resounding across thousands of miles of mountains and rivers, "The divine core has not yet emerged, the calamity is not yet over! At this moment, the barrier of the miasma forest still exists, and the pure power of heaven and earth remains. Let us join forces to lock the veins, conclude the trial, and temporarily postpone our destiny!"

As soon as he finished speaking, he activated all the power within his body.

The incomplete Zhou Tian Seed Pattern operated at full power, its black and white balanced Daoist rhyme, imbued with rich heaven and earth merit and pure lightning, surging into the earth beneath its feet. The gentle yet resilient Daoist power rapidly spread along the earth's vein patterns, sealing the cracks in the ground layer by layer, and firmly suppressing the restless and boiling aura of the divine core.

"Join forces to lock the meridians, and return to the mountain for the trial!"

The thousands of cultivators were invigorated, abandoning all distracting thoughts and fears, and the old and new forces merged once again. The vast and sincere power of humanity followed closely behind, flowing into the earth veins of the miasma forest, merging with the lightning of heaven and earth and the balancing Dao rhythm, transforming into a thick and boundless sealing light curtain that enveloped the entire thousand-mile-long miasma forest.

With the combined strength of a thousand people and the blessing of heaven and earth.

The earth, which had been trembling violently, gradually slowed down, the spreading cracks slowly closed, and the surging demonic core energy receded and gradually subsided. The vast and domineering demonic source underground was firmly imprisoned by countless forces of purity and righteousness, its momentum of emergence being held back.

The blood-red nucleus pattern between Wan Tang's brows slowly faded away, her restless demonic nature was completely calmed, her chaotic soul returned to stability, and the clear innocence in her eyes slowly returned.

She breathed a long sigh of relief, looked up at Cen Jin, her face still showing lingering fear, and gently tugged at his sleeve: "Brother, stop making noise, it won't call me anymore."

Cen Jin nodded slightly, a huge weight lifted from his heart. He gently stroked the top of her head and whispered, "With me here, no one can force you to accept your destiny, and no core can disturb your true nature."

After stabilizing the earth vein core and calming the demonic agitation, Cen Jin's gaze swept across the entire miasma forest, and he began to completely conclude the second trial.

The remaining traces of the trial barrier, the fragmented thoughts of human nature, and the lingering rules of the game were all dissolved and returned to the world under the cleansing force of the combined power of everyone. The second trial shackles that had shrouded the human world were completely shattered.

The thousand-mile-long miasma forest has completely shed its malevolent nature as a trial's perilous realm, transforming back into an ordinary green mountain forest, brimming with spiritual energy, lush with vegetation, and filled with the gentle sound of the wind and vibrant life.

From the ancient, turbid hell to the clear and sacred mountain of the mortal world, the trial of the mortal world, which lasted for several days, has now truly come to a successful conclusion.

The vast and magnificent sound of the Dao resounded once more between heaven and earth, echoing throughout the eight directions and six realms, and being etched into the human world for eternity.

[The Second Trial – The Trial of the Mortal World's Miasma – has come to a complete end.]

[Trial Assessment: Dispelling illusions, guiding people's hearts, purifying the miasma, uniting the two paths, stabilizing the earth's veins, and ensuring the well-being of all people.]

[All the merits from the trials have been realized, the foundation of the new path is completely solidified, and the rules of the game are permanently balanced.]

The sound of the Dao echoed, and golden light fell.

The golden light of merit poured down once more, even more abundant and pure than before, completely enveloping Cen Jin and frantically nourishing his damaged Dao foundation and repairing the cracked patterns in his celestial seed. Although it could not completely eliminate the flaws in his Dao seed, it made his balanced Dao more refined and pure, and his original Dao fruit completely stable, unaffected by any chess game, destiny, or human emotions.

At the same time, wisps of merit scattered around each cultivator who offered assistance, soothing their minds and stabilizing their Dao hearts, allowing the belief in the unity of the old and new paths to take deep root in everyone's hearts.

From then on, the Exorcising Evil Sect was free from the struggle between old and new factions, and from the debate between good and evil. All people were of one mind, together upholding the new path and protecting humanity.

The trial has ended, and the miasma forest has returned to its peaceful state.

Cen Jin no longer lingered in the mountains and forests. Holding Wan Tang's small hand, he turned around and stepped into the air, carrying the expectations of thousands of cultivators, and slowly returned to the main peak of the Demon Extermination Peak.

A gentle breeze brushed against his clothes, the bloodstains still visible, his figure as upright as a mountain. Having endured three trials of despair, the coldness of human hearts, the betrayal of his closest relatives, and the crushing weight of fate, he remained true to his original aspirations and pure of heart, able to protect the common people, safeguard his loved ones, and withstand the weight of an eternal game.

Thousands of cultivators stood silently on both sides of the mountain path, bowing deeply, their eyes filled with awe and sincerity.

No one regarded him as a heretic anymore, and no one slandered him for being unable to distinguish between right and wrong. With his broken body, he shouldered all the calamities of the world, and with a clear and pure heart, he restored the clear and orderly world.

As Cen Jin's figure returned to the main peak platform, the mountains fell silent, and all hearts returned to sincerity.

The Grand Elder bowed first, his aged voice filled with heartfelt admiration: "May the new path endure forever, and may the Dao Master live a thousand years."

Thousands of cultivators bowed in unison, their shouts, like a mountain collapsing and a tsunami crashing, reverberating through the mountains and clouds: "May the new path endure forever, may the Dao Master live a thousand years!"

The shouts were deafening, soaring straight to the heavens.

Yet, deep within the black mist of the Nine Heavens, the chill of Xuan Ye Zun never faded in the slightest.

He silently looked down upon the people worshipping below the mountain, and the world returning to peace. He watched the new order of the Dao fully take shape, and there was no anxiety or anger in his eyes, only a deep and unfathomable cold indifference.

"Having passed all three tests and won the hearts of the people, you have indeed won in this moment."

The cold, ethereal Daoist voice echoed, carrying an unwavering certainty and calculation that seemed to transcend eternity: "But the divine core remains undestroyed, and destiny is not yet severed. Your forced locking of your meridians and postponement of your birth today is nothing but self-deception."

"The game is well-ordered, the third test is the prelude, and the fourth test, the return of heaven and earth to their rightful place, has been quietly brewing for some time."

Before the words were even finished, deep within the forcibly sealed miasma forest's ley lines, a faint yet incredibly resilient crimson light was slowly pulsating in the darkness. Unnoticed at the very bottom of the ley lines, the Eternal Demon Lord's divine core had not fallen silent; instead, it had quietly completed its final transformation and power accumulation, thanks to the purifying power sealed by everyone.

A deadly impasse, far more terrifying than the judgment of human hearts or the perilous malarial forest, has quietly taken shape, awaiting its final moment.