Chapter 1231: Strength Through Non‑Desire, Desire Arises from Silence Extinction

The voice was hoarse and low, reverberating inside the absolutely silent Extinction Stone Coffin, bearing an indifferent air of rebirth and… a hint of the world‑weariness after the Silence Extinction baptism.

He felt the power flowing within his body, no longer the previously raging, greedy demonic core, but a more refined, deeper force that perfectly merged with the "Degenerate Law" aura of the Forgotten Sand as the "Silence Extinction Desire Power". His realm seemed to have fallen considerably, yet the foundation of the Dao grew sturdier and more incalculable.

He lifted his head, his gaze seeming to pierce through a thousand meters of rock, seeing the barren desert, and farther still… the faintly sensed aura belonging to Han Wuxian, and that sealed thread of primordial source sharing his origin.

A faint, yet extremely cold curve lifted at the corner of his mouth.

"Han Wuxian… thank you for your 'Returning to Void', which let me break and then reestablish, glimpsing a deeper layer of desire."

"Now I am no longer the me of former days."

"This game… has only just begun."

He slowly closed his eyes, not rushing to break through. This Extinction Stone Coffin, this Forgotten Sand, were his finest sanctuary and training ground. He needed time to fully solidify this newly reborn Dao and to prepare… a weighty gift capable of overturning everything.

Inside the Extinction Stone Coffin, absolute darkness was like a warm womb, enveloping Yan Buji's newly reborn shell. His bottomless eyes slowly opened, containing no hint of newborn confusion, only a cold, insightful wisdom that saw all and commanded the whole.

He slightly raised the palm formed of pure Silence Extinction Desire Power, feeling the flow within—a power far purer and deeper than before—and a meaningful curve lifted at the corner of his mouth.

"Han Wuxian… 'Original Self Returning to Void', truly has not disappointed me."

The low self‑talk echoed inside the coffin, bearing a calm that everything was under control. If an outsider heard it, they would be shocked to see this demon lord had already foreseen his own 'defeat'!

The fragments of memory did not revive passively; he actively retrieved and examined them, as if leafing through a script already written.

The scene froze at the moment of the final showdown when Han Wuxian turned his body into the Void, a single finger point imbued with pure will. To onlookers, it was a death‑determining, world‑reversing killing blow. Yet from Yan Buji's perspective now, it was a… pre‑set critical point.

"In the Great Vehicle realm, the path of 'I Desire' seems complete, mastering all beings' cravings, omnipotent. Yet I know deeply that this road's end is already near," Yan Buji's consciousness analyzed calmly, "Overreliance on external desire instead makes one easily swept by the tide of desire, obscuring the view of the Dao's true primordial source beyond it."

He needed a catalyst, a sufficiently powerful, sufficiently lethal opponent and force that could drive him into a true 'desperate situation', to break his own shackles and achieve Nirvana rebirth.

"The Returning to Void Dao, the end of all things… is the perfect 'catalyst'," Yan Buji's gaze pierced time and space, as if seeing again Han Wuxian's steadfast chaotic eyes. "This one bears the Core of the Source Star, destiny's favor, a steadfast Dao Heart, and has forged a unique Returning to Void path. He is the sole candidate with the potential and ability to deliver the 'lethal strike' I require."

The entire Demon‑slaying War, from the Desire Puppet's probing, to the swamp giant's territorial pressure, to the ambush depletion in Crying Demon Gorge, and finally the showdown with the Desire Demon Kingdom… all of this, in Yan Buji's scheme, was a meticulously designed stress test and tempering ritual!

"I offer the entire Nether Sect and the painstakingly cultivated Desire Demon Kingdom as sacrifices, and trade the complete Silence Extinction of my Old Self, to obtain that sliver of life that breaks and then reestablishes, to personally experience the mystery of the Returning to Void power touching the essence of Existence!"

He 'allowed' Han Wuxian to grow, even at certain pivotal moments 'pushed' them to comprehend deeper layers of the Returning to Void power. In the final battle, he seemed to exert all his strength, yet he always retained the core strand of 'Desire for Survival' and the Extinction Stone Coffin's backup. He needed Han Wuxian's power to be strong enough to destroy his Old Self, yet remain undetected for this final secrecy.

Han Wuxian's 'Original Self Returning to Void One Finger' perfectly fulfilled his demand. It utterly annihilated Yan Buji's former path of 'I Desire' that relied on controlling external cravings, turning the shell and will bearing the old laws into pure void. This ultimate destruction, this touch of the primordial 'Nothing', became the ideal breeding ground for 'new life'.

"Only by experiencing complete 'Nothing' can one truly comprehend what 'Being' is," Yan Buji felt the new desire power flowing within, co‑arising with Silence Extinction, "Shedding attachment to external cravings, returning to the most primordial 'Desire for Survival' and 'Desire for Existence', one can reach deeper layers of the Desire Dao: strength through non‑desire, and desire born of Silence Extinction."

His current state is not a simple recovery, but an elevation. His power tier may not yet have fully returned to the Great Vehicle pinnacle, yet its essence is purer, closer to the law's primordial source, with potential far surpassing before. He no longer needs to deliberately provoke or control others' desires; his very existence embodies the contradictory unity of 'desire' and 'Silence Extinction', subtly influencing everything around him.

"Han Wuxian, you are not only the whetstone I selected, but also the 'messenger' delivering the mysteries of the Returning to Void to me," Yan Buji's gaze seemed to pierce the endless void, landing on the secluded figure deep within the Ten Thousand Souls Mountain Range, "You wield the Returning to Void with will, forging your own path. And I, by your power, cut away the Old Self, seeing the true truth."

"Now, I have been reborn within Silence Extinction, and my understanding of 'Desire' and 'Void' surpasses yours."

He slowly closed his eyes, no longer watching the outside. Han Wuxian's potential had been fully stimulated and tested, and his 'Original Self Returning to Void' path had been observed and analyzed. Next, he needed time to thoroughly consolidate this brand‑new 'Silence Extinction Desire Dao' and bring it to perfection.

"When I have completed my work and emerged from the sect, that will be the time this world truly experiences the might of non‑desire. Han Wuxian, then, I hope your Returning to Void can still bring me some… new amusement."