Chapter 1232: Drawing

Inside the Extinction Stone Coffin, time seemed to lose the notion of flow. Yan Buji's newly reborn body was like the finest jade carved, silently suspended at the core of absolute darkness. He did not rush to restore his strength, but instead immersed all his mind and spirit into his inner vision, like a master craftsman at the peak of skill, meticulously carving and examining his brand-new Dao Foundation.

"Silence Extinction Desire Great Dao…" Deep in his consciousness, he repeatedly deduced this new path, born from his own breaking and then standing, merging the true meaning of Return to the Void with the origin of desire. The former overbearing "I-desire" path was like a bustling market, centered on controlling and plundering external desires; though grand in momentum, it was inevitably mixed. Now, his inner self is like an infinite void, with only the most fundamental "desire for existence" unmoving, like the sole indestructible star in the void. This star does not seek light outward; it itself is the light source—gloomy, icy, yet containing the essence of devouring all and transforming it for his own use.

He could clearly feel that he had formed a deep resonance with this "Forgotten Sand". The land's desolation, decay, and the "end-times" atmosphere of being forgotten by all things were no longer a hostile environment he needed to resist; instead, they became the finest nourishment and cover for his Great Dao. He drew upon this power, like a desert drawing night dew, slowly but firmly strengthening the seed of "Silence Extinction Desire".

Who knows how long passed—perhaps months, perhaps years. His sealed perception, like mercury, extended outward extremely cautiously, thread by thread, piercing the isolation of the Extinction Stone Coffin, sweeping past thousand-zhang rock layers, and finally, like an intangible tendril, lightly rested upon the vast wilderness beyond.

He did not seek to probe the distant Myriad Souls Mountain Range, nor attempt to contact that sealed strand of origin—too adventurous, likely to alert the enemy. His target was the remnant demonic thoughts that had gradually become active due to the Netherworld Sect's collapse and the Demon Lord's "fall", scattered throughout the cultivation world, as well as the subtle ripples in the Great Dao aroused by Han Wuxian's "True Self Return to the Void" path, which had become prominent in the world.

Information trickled in like a thin stream, gathering into his tranquil heart-lake.

He "saw" some remote corners where the Netherworld Sect had hidden outposts; those lurking demonic cultivators, after confirming his "death", either established their own sects or were wiped out by other forces, their scattered souls and resentments like ownerless ghosts drifting between heaven and earth. He also "heard" some secret rumors: that the Return to the Void Dao Lord Han Wuxian remained in seclusion, his profound and unfathomable Dao arts led various powers to speculate—and even… covet.

What intrigued him further was that he had detected an extremely subtle celestial tremor, faintly related to his newly born Great Dao.

"Indeed…" Yan Buji's consciousness flickered with a hint of realization: "The Return to the Void has manifested, the power of termination revealed, breaking the previous balance of power. Heaven and earth's laws possess their own regulating ability; when yin reaches extremes and yang arises, the utmost Silence Extinction often foretells… the sprouting of some 'vitality' or 'mutation'."

This was not a concrete prophecy, but an intuition based on the level of the Great Dao—like the oppressive stillness before a storm, or animals' agitation before an earthquake. Han Wuxian's rise and his "Silence Extinction" are like casting a huge stone onto a calm lake; beneath the ripples, the sleeping silt at the bottom must inevitably be stirred.

"Interesting." A pure, almost researcher-like interest flickered in Yan Buji's thought: "Han Wuxian, you lit the torch of 'Return to the Void', illuminating the road ahead, yet also stirring more beings lurking in the darkness. Do you know that the hidden undercurrents beneath the world you guard are far deeper than you know?"

He no longer paid attention to those scattered demonic thoughts; instead, he concentrated most of his perception, like a finely tuned compass set in place, beginning to continuously monitor the myriad subtle changes in law and energy fluctuations in this world that might arise from the prominence of the Return to the Void Dao. He even actively guided and amplified certain regions where the dissipation of demonic thoughts produced "void" zones, observing how the laws of heaven and earth fill these "blanks".

For him, this was an unprecedented observational experiment. Taking himself as reference and heaven and earth as crucible, he observed the interaction of the two great opposing yet potentially unifying forces—Return to the Void and Desire—on the macroscopic level. Each minute ripple of law could provide precious inspiration and data for him to perfect his own "Silence Extinction Desire Great Dao".

"My Dao is not limited to myself. All things in heaven and earth, every thought of all beings, even each breath of this law, can serve as my Dao Foundation." He understood this more deeply. Previously, he was the plunderer and master of desire; now he tends to become an observer, guide, and even… a symbiont of desire and Silence Extinction.

He "saw" that deep in the Extreme North Ice Plains, a ten‑thousand‑year profound ice inexplicably accelerated its melting, revealing ancient runes never seen before beneath. He "felt" that the suction of the South Sea Return to the Void Eye seemed to have strengthened by a faint trace. He even faintly detected that, within some hidden sects or ancient clans, weak fluctuations were being emitted from perusing forbidden classics and activating dust‑sealed formations.

All of these were like links in a chain reaction, and the initial driving force was precisely his and Han Wuxian's "Dao contest".

"The game board is broader than I anticipated." Yan Buji withdrew most of his perception, again sinking his mind and spirit into the deepest level of enlightenment. To him, external turmoil and potential risks were merely messages carried on the wind, references for perfecting his Great Dao.

He no longer hurried to seek revenge on Han Wuxian—that would be too narrow. What he must do is fully master this newly born "Silence Extinction Desire Great Dao" and push it to unprecedented heights. Then, no matter what anomalies the world stirs from Return to the Void, what monsters and freaks emerge, he will be the one seated steadily at the fishing terrace, overlooking the winds and clouds, and ultimately turning every variable into his own nourishment—the chess player.

Inside the Extinction Stone Coffin, the darkness grew ever denser and purer. Yan Buji's aura merged completely with this Forgotten Sand, as if he were inherently part of this barren, lifeless expanse. He waited, and also created—awaiting the moment his Great Dao reached perfection, while also crafting his own, more grandiose rules of the game.

Han Wuxian, perhaps you think the story has ended. But for you, the true test may have only just begun. And I, I would gladly remain behind the scenes, silently watching you… and the ultimate course of this era.