Chapter 1235: Dao Corrosion

Myriad Soul Mountain Range, Returning to Void Grotto.

Han Wuxian snapped his eyes open, the hint of chaos color in his pupils churning violently, as if a storm were brewing within. He slowly spread his palm, a wisp of extremely thin, almost air‑integrated gray‑black airflow being forcibly confined by his own Returning to Void Will to the space of his palm's center. This airflow is not substantive energy; it is more like a solidified piece of abnormal information, containing a sense that makes him extremely uncomfortable—cold, viscous, carrying an "appetite" that draws all things toward stillness and decay.

This was not long ago, during an extremely covert divine‑sense scan, from the edge of a remote town that had just experienced a beast tide, belonging to the Flowing Cloud Alliance, he barely managed to peel away and capture it. Had he not possessed an extraordinarily keen sensitivity to his own Great Dao and to the subtle connection with that wisp of origin linked to Yan Buji, he would hardly have noticed this wisp, which diffused through the air like a pathogen, an "aberration".

"Dao Corrosion……" Han Wuxian whispered the term he had coined for this power. It is absolutely not a naturally arising resentment or demonic qi; its nature is even more bizarre. It does not actively attack, nor does it manifest a form, but rather acts like a catalyst at the level of rules, quietly amplifying the world's inherent "termination" tendency and guiding it toward a…… carefully designed trajectory.

He tried to annihilate this wisp of "Dao Corrosion" with Returning to Void Power, but the process was unusually sluggish. It did not dissipate like ordinary energy; instead, it seemed to possess a kind of "resistance," requiring him to expend several times the mental energy to wear it down bit by bit. What startled him further was that, during the wearing‑down, he faintly felt that this "Dao Corrosion" was intertwined with the background laws of heaven and earth in countless threads, as if it were a moss parasitizing the rules.

"Yan Buji…… just how far have you gone?" Han Wuxian's face grew grave. This is far more than simple resurrection. Such a method has already surpassed the traditional scope of demonic arts, reaching into the application of the Great Dao's origin. Yan Buji seems to have found a way to inoculate his own power into the world's fundamental rules in a manner almost like the "Heavenly Dao", silently and without a sound.

He could no longer sit and wait for death.

"Issue the order!" Han Wuxian's voice, transmitted through a special talisman, instantly reached the ears of core members Wang Tie, Xiao Ran, and Qing Lin: "Launch the 'Purify Dust' plan, scope…… covering all allied forces' territories, especially regions that have recently suffered disasters or where morale is unstable. Using the 'Ice Heart Pure Spirit Array' as a foundation, infused with a wisp of my Returning to Void Will, focus on detecting this 'abnormal stillness' aura."

He transmitted the information about the traits of "Dao Corrosion" onward. This is the only countermeasure he could think of at present: using his own purer, more "active" Returning to Void Will to cleanse and neutralize that lifeless "Dao Corrosion". But this is undoubtedly a massive, passive undertaking, like trying to filter an entire ocean with a sieve.

At the same time, he again turned his gaze to the wisp of "Desire Origin" sealed at his fingertip. Previously, it was merely a spoil of war and an early‑warning device. Now, it might become…… a beacon for reverse tracking.

A flash of resolve crossed Han Wuxian's eyes. He split off an extremely minute wisp of origin soul power, carefully probing into the seal, no longer merely monitoring but attempting to activate it, using it as a springboard to sense and capture the most core fluctuation source within the "Dao Corrosion" network spreading through heaven and earth.

This is an extremely dangerous move, like lighting a torch in a dark forest—it easily reveals one's position and may even invite backlash. But he has no alternative. He must discover where Yan Buji's core is hidden and must sever this silent erosion.

Forgotten Sand, deep underground.

Inside the Extinction Stone Coffin, Yan Buji's eyes, as still as an ancient well, suddenly twitched slightly. He "felt" it.

It was not Han Wuxian's pervasive "Purify Dust" scan, which he had anticipated as a natural immune response to a virus. What he sensed was that wisp of sealed origin transmitting a faint but purposeful pull, and a more concealed will attempting to trace back along the "Dao Corrosion" network in reverse.

"Oh? Finally couldn't hold back?" In Yan Buji's thoughts there was no anger, only a hint of satisfied fulfillment. "Trying to probe the depths of the dark night with the flame of a dying candle? Commendable courage."

He did not immediately sever the connection or launch a counterattack. That would be too dull and would waste this excellent observation opportunity. Instead, he actively relaxed the isolation of that wisp of origin, even "generously" allowing a trace of his own "Silence Extinction Desire Great Dao" true meaning to seep through the fragile link Han Wuxian had established, like ink diffusing in clear water.

He wanted to see how Han Wuxian would react when confronting the essence of this entirely new Great Dao of his. Would his Dao Heart collapse? Or could he gain insight from it, thereby accelerating his own transformation? Either result would be precious data for him.

At the same time, he also noticed Han Wuxian's "Purify Dust" operation. The purifying force fused with Returning to Void Power did indeed cause some interference to his "Dao Corrosion" network, like sunlight shining on a shadow, slowing or even temporarily halting the erosion process in certain areas.

"Futile struggle." Yan Buji commented. His "Dao Corrosion" is rooted in the laws of heaven and earth; as long as the world's cycle of formation, endurance, decline, and emptiness continues, and as long as sentient beings' desires and fear of annihilation persist, his power source is nearly inexhaustible. Han Wuxian's purification is like trying to bail out the sea—it will eventually exhaust him.

Moreover, this very confrontation is also within his calculations. The clash of positive and negative, the battle of life and death, itself generates tremendous energy and rule ripples…… which are likewise nourishment for him to perfect his Great Dao.

He diverted part of his attention to the extreme northern ice fields. The exploration team of the Heavenly Craft Sect seemed to have triggered some mechanism of those ancient runes, causing a small‑scale ice explosion that killed and wounded a few, yet they also managed to imprint part of a complete rune structure. Related information is being urgently sent back to the Heavenly Craft Sect headquarters.

"The outline of the key is becoming ever clearer." Yan Buji silently recorded all of this. He temporarily refrained from intervening, letting these "pieces" act on their own, which often brings unexpected surprises.

On the intangible battlefield, the clash has already escalated.

Han Wuxian, in the open, uses himself as a beacon, illuminating and cleansing the areas shrouded in the shadow of "Dao Corrosion", while venturing deep into the tiger's den, aiming to strike straight at the yellow dragon.

Yan Buji, in the shadows, responds with composure, even turning the opponent's counterattacks into stepping stones for his own progress, continuing to weave his world‑enshrouding dark net, and coldly observing the various anomalies arising from him, awaiting the moment of the final net‑draw.

The activated wisp of "Desire Origin" trembled faintly in Han Wuxian's sea of consciousness, transmitting waves of icy yet alluring Great Dao truth, attempting to erode his will, yet also bringing a hint…… of vague direction.

Han Wuxian firmly guarded his spiritual platform, enduring the impact at the level of the Great Dao, the fire of unyielding resolve burning in his chaotic eyes. He knew: Yan Buji was in the west, in that tract of wasteland forgotten by mankind.

But he also understood that locating the position was merely the beginning. How to defeat an opponent who seems to have merged with part of the laws of heaven and earth—that is the true challenge.

The storm was no longer confined to the darkness; it began to spread along those invisible threads, extending simultaneously toward both ends. The fated showdown, after three years of silence, finally unfolded once more into a more perilous and inscrutable prologue.