The Record of Exterminating Evil from Ashes

The old seal crumbles, and the tide rises again through the ages.

The ancient, shattering sound from the depths of the back mountain seemed to tear open the barriers of time. The shackles of the old era, sealed by countless cycles of chess games, crumbled completely, and countless thin, broken fragments of remnant souls, carrying an aura of deathly desolation, floated slowly upwards along the fissures in the earth's veins, lingering in the air throughout the entire back mountain of the Demon Extermination Sect.

These remnant souls do not belong to the game of this life, nor to the eternal cycle of reincarnation under the control of Xuan Ye Zun. They are the embers that failed to be completely annihilated after the end of the previous game, or even several rounds of the game. They are the old moves, old rules, and old destinies that have been buried.

The earth trembled slightly, and a faint aura of malevolence surged forth.

The once lifeless and stagnant airflow in the back mountain now flows slowly, but it contains no trace of vitality, only a heavy, ancient desolation that presses down on the void and stagnates the spiritual veins. On the mountaintop, Cen Jin stands quietly in white robes, his gaze as deep and still as water, silently watching the solitary figure in bone armor at the center of the baleful aura below.

The guardian still stood alone, the black and gold patterns on its gray bone armor flowing endlessly, serving as both the power to suppress the remnants of the old souls and the passage to guide the old order back to its rightful place. It did not move, yet it firmly controlled the situation in the entire back mountain, as if awaiting a reunion that was thousands of years overdue.

The shock in Cen Jin's heart lingered for a long time.

All his previous attempts to break the deadlock, establish his path, and defy fate were confined to the game of this lifetime, a game against Xuan Ye Zun alone, and a struggle against the destiny of this world. But the final verdict just now completely shattered his preconceived notions—this game was never a game that ended in one round, but rather a series of cycles, layer upon layer.

The sacrifice of the Twin Dao Lords was merely a false ending orchestrated by Xuan Ye Zun. The true ultimate goal was to use the opportunity of the Twin Dao Lords' perfect union and the return of people's hearts to their origins to completely unseal the ancient game and restart the cycle of the entire world's chessboard.

Once the old order is completely restored, the remnants of countless reincarnations, old rules, and old tribulations will all return to the mortal realm. The current order of mountains and rivers, the foundation of the new path, and the everyday life of humanity will all be completely crushed and washed away by the old cycle of reincarnation.

"You guarded the ancient seal, blocking countless cycles of reincarnation. Today you appear; will you help me break this impasse, or will you seize the opportunity to restart the cycle of reincarnation?"

Cen Jin spoke in a deep voice, his voice piercing through the murderous aura that filled the mountains, reaching the figure in the bone armor.

This is the most crucial choice. The Guardian has been dormant for countless ages, its mission unpredictable. If it shares the same goal as Xuan Ye Zun and seizes the opportunity to restart the old order, the human world will instantly fall into an abyss of no return. If it intends to maintain balance, it is the only external force that can stand against the one who holds the reins.

A faint, dark light flickered in the empty eye sockets of the solitary figure in bone armor. The black and gold patterns around its body suddenly surged, spreading out into a massive, ancient array that enveloped the entire back mountain. Within the array, countless blurry phantoms rose and fell, all remnants of fallen pieces from countless chess games throughout the ages, enduring for millennia, silently awaiting their resurrection.

He remained silent, yet a vast and boundless will once again entered Cen Jin's mind, each word heavy, settling the truth of eternity.

"Xuan Ye controls reincarnation, and with a single move, he annihilates all spirits."

"I brought this ancient ruin not to protect the game, but to preserve the embers of its end. Through countless cycles of reincarnation, all those who sought to break the game have fallen, leaving only their lingering souls, waiting for you to achieve perfect union and sever the root of reincarnation."

These few words dispelled most of Cen Jin's doubts.

  

This bone armor guardian is the aggregated vessel of the remnants of the will of those who broke the game throughout history. It is the only balancing force in the ancient game that does not belong to the player and is not bound by fate. It seals away old remnant souls not in accordance with the rules of the game, but to preserve the spark of will of each round of those who defied fate, awaiting the appearance of the twin Dao Lords who can truly end the cycle of reincarnation.

At the very moment when their minds and wills were in perfect harmony, the air currents in the void suddenly tore apart.

Two completely different auras, one pure and one secluded, one ethereal and one cold, simultaneously pierced through the barrier of heaven and earth and landed on the summit of the back mountain of the Demon Extermination Sect.

Three first encounters, a meeting of the ancient and the modern.

The first figure, still dressed in green, accompanied by a gentle breeze, arrived stepping through the void. His posture was calm and graceful, untouched by any murderous intent. He stood to the side of the void, his gaze gently fixed on the two figures facing each other below, his eyes holding a sense of helplessness and acceptance accumulated over countless ages.

He is a detached observer of the game, witnessing countless cycles of rise and fall, coldly observing the ebb and flow of history. He never enters the game, never interferes, but only appears quietly when the end game is about to begin, waiting for the outcome.

A second figure slowly emerged from the deepest part of the underground black mist in the back mountain.

He was a young man who looked no more than twenty years old, dressed in rough and worn-out dark brown clothes. The fabric was covered in dust and had a menacing aura, with worn and tattered edges, as if he had trekked thousands of miles through endless wilderness and thorns. He was slender yet upright, with a straight back like a pine tree. His black hair was casually tied up, and his face was handsome and cold, with a ruggedness and stubbornness honed by the mountains and fields between his brows.

Unlike Shen Yanqiu's detachment and indifference, and Cen Jin's gentle and upright manner, this young man was surrounded by a wild and untamed spirit, with a proud and unyielding spirit, lacking any of the disciplined demeanor of a sect cultivator, yet possessing an indomitable and tenacious resilience that grows against all odds.

His footsteps shattered the lingering mist beneath the ground. With each step, the malevolent energy spreading across the ground dissipated on its own, the cracks in the shattered earth veins stabilized, and countless floating old remnants of souls bowed their heads and lay dormant, not daring to stir even slightly.

The boy raised his eyes, his dark eyes clear yet cold, staring directly at Cen Jin on the mountaintop. He was neither humble nor arrogant, nor fearless. His voice was hoarse yet powerful, piercing through the deathly silence of the mountain.

My name is Jingye.

As the three words were spoken, the wind on the back mountain stopped, the malevolent aura dissipated, and the lingering soul returned to silence.

Jingye.

Thorns grow on barren land, and wild bones float against the current.

This name, without sectarian origins, without family background, without the imprint of the chess game, carries the stubbornness of the desolate mountains and the tenacity of defying fate, and crashes headlong into the final battlefield of this ancient chess game.

Cen Jin's eyes narrowed slightly, and he instantly realized the identity of the newcomer.

Shen Yanqiu is the observer of the game, Gu Jia is the guardian of the game, and Jing Ye before them is the **remnant of reincarnation born from the remnant soul of the old game**. He carries the obsessions and wills of all those who failed to defy fate in several rounds of the game. Born in the ancient times, raised in the seal, and immersed in reincarnation, he is the only living person in the old game and the key piece to balance the destiny of the new game.

Jing Ye stood in the center of the murderous aura, turned to look at the solitary figure in bone armor standing silently beside him, a faint warmth flashing in his eyes, and his tone softened: "Old Bone, it's been a long time."

A simple greeting reveals the origin of the two.

For countless ages, the solitary figure of Bone Armor has guarded the seal, protecting the lingering souls beneath the earth and the still-naive and nascent Jingye, accompanying him as he hibernates and grows in endless darkness and desolation, enduring round after round of chess games ending and cycles of reincarnation restarting. The two are guardian and protected, symbiotic and co-existing, the last two sparks of the old game.

The solitary figure in the bone armor nodded slightly, its black and gold patterns trembling gently as if in response, softening its ancient and lonely aura.

Above the void, Shen Yanqiu sighed softly, "Three sides gather, ancient and modern meet. Observers, defenders, rebels, and twin masters all appear in the world. This round of chess has finally taken on the appearance of breaking the cycle of reincarnation."

At this point, the summit of the back mountain is clearly defined by the four directions facing each other.

Cen Jin, the Twin Dao Master, defies fate in the present world, wielding a new path for humanity, bearing the karma of all people, and holding the initiative to break the deadlock; Jing Ye, a remnant of the old game, carries the obsession of defying defeat for eternity, born in thorns and growing in desolation, bearing the primal will to destroy reincarnation; Gu Ying, the guardian of eternity, suppresses the body and seals the soul, preserving the spark to break the deadlock; Shen Yanqiu, an observer of the world, sees through the illusion of reincarnation, and waits for the final curtain to fall.

The four individuals, each with their own stance and obsessions, all point to the same ultimate goal—to break free from the eternal cycle of reincarnation imposed by Xuan Ye Zun.

Jing Ye turned to look at Cen Jin again, his eyes cold and resolute, without a trace of politeness: "I was born in the old city and grew up in the cycle of reincarnation. I have seen countless game-changers like you, who reached the top, achieved perfection, and ultimately became nourishment for the cycle of reincarnation."

"You are the only person in all eternity to achieve perfect twin birth. I will not ask about your origins or your true nature, but only one question—do you dare to completely sever the roots of reincarnation, gamble with the fate of all living beings and your own destiny, and forever eliminate any future troubles in this game?"

His words were blunt and sharp, without any euphemisms, hitting the core of the final outcome.

Countless predecessors who sought to break the deadlock ultimately failed, becoming victims of the cycle of reincarnation, due to their concerns, reluctance to bear the suffering of the people, and inability to give their all. Jingye, having lain dormant for millennia, has witnessed far too much hesitation and compromise, and has long seen through the essence of the game: only extreme decisiveness offers a glimmer of hope.

Cen Jin stood atop the mountain, dressed in white against the wind, his eyes clear and bright, without the slightest hesitation.

"I established the path of humanity, uphold the hearts of all people, and safeguard the livelihood of the common folk. I was born to break the cycle of reincarnation, shatter destiny, and end the game of chess."

"I will protect all living beings in the world; I will eradicate the chaos of reincarnation. Even if it costs me my own destiny and the karma of countless lifetimes, I will have no regrets."

Each word was powerful and resounding, fully expressing the defiant nature of the twin Dao Lords.

Jing Ye's tense brows relaxed slightly, and a rare glimmer of light flashed in his eyes. His long-dormant obsession finally found a place to rest.

"it is good."

"Then I will lend you all the obsessions against fate, the remnants of the old order, and the sparks that ignite a new one throughout the ages."

As soon as he finished speaking, Jing Ye raised his hand and gestured in the air, causing the entire underground area of ​​the back mountain to suddenly blaze with light. Countless old and remnant souls that had been floating and sinking all merged into one, transforming into a vast and magnificent gray-brown torrent, carrying with them the will to resist through countless cycles of reincarnation, the blood and tears of defeat, and the undying original aspirations, all of which poured into Cen Jin.

Bone Armor Lone Shadow simultaneously activated the black and gold array around his body, layer upon layer of ancient sealing power and the power of suppressing the skeleton to protect Cen Jin's divine soul foundation and help him bear this enormous power that spans countless ages.

Shen Yanqiu stood in the void, gazing silently, and sighed softly: "The eternal sparks have returned to one, the twin Dao Lords have received eternal assistance, the final chapter of reincarnation begins here."

The moment the vast torrent flowed into his body, Cen Jin's Qi Sea trembled violently. The black and white Dao patterns and the blood-red dark seeds rotated rapidly, and the old and new Dao forces, the ancient and modern obsessions, and the light and dark origins completely merged into one. At this moment, his Dao foundation was once again perfectly sublimated, and the shackles deep within his Dao heart loosened slightly. For the first time, the previously unsolvable chains of twin sacrifice showed a chance for reversal.

Just as all the ancient help returned to him and the momentum to break the deadlock was established, the demon lord's divine core above the thousand-mile miasma forest suddenly surged with blood color. In the crimson radiance that covered the heavens and the earth, a black shadow with the same origin as Jing Ye's aura, but extremely evil and corrupt, slowly condensed and took shape.

The dark figure stood atop the divine core, overlooking the mountains and rivers, and let out a low, eerie laugh that echoed throughout the heavens and earth:

"The legacy of the old regime has been passed down through generations, and the eternal obsession has been unified, saving me the trouble of restarting the cycle of reincarnation."

"You think you can break the deadlock by gathering the sparks? Little do you know—Jingye is the final sacrifice of reincarnation. All the old deadlocks and rebellious thoughts are the nourishment for me to nurture the cycle for eternity."

Before he could finish speaking, the ancient remnant power that had just merged into Cen Jin's body suddenly backfired. Jing Ye's aura instantly became chaotic and dissipated. He spat out a mouthful of blood and staggered to the ground. The ultimate trap set up by the ancients was completely exposed to everyone at this moment.