Chapter 1236: Manifestation

Inside the Extinction Stone Coffin, Yan Buji's consciousness was like a deity beyond the world, calmly reflecting the ripples in the outside world caused by him. Han Wuxian's resolute and vigilant 'Pure Dust' will, like warm sunlight trying to dispel the cold, swept over the Dao Corrosion network he had quietly laid. Wherever it passed, those barely detectable catalysts that drive all things toward Silence were temporarily suppressed and purified.

"Heh… the response is acceptable." In his thoughts there was neither joy nor anger, only pure assessment. Han Wuxian could so swiftly detect Dao Corrosion and make targeted countermeasures, even at the cost of expending his primal source to launch large‑scale purification; this sharpness and decisiveness truly deserved the title 'Lord of the Return to the Void Dao.' It proved that the whetstone he had chosen was hard enough.

But, that is all.

Yan Buji could 'see' that the purification force, though effective, was like wiping a wall that constantly exudes moisture—a superficial fix, not a cure. As long as the foundational 'formation‑stasis‑decay‑emptiness' law of this world continues to operate, and as long as sentient beings still harbor fear of loss and annihilation, his Dao Corrosion will sprout again like wild grass in the spring wind. Han Wuxian's purification is more akin to a continual energy consumption, while his erosion is almost a natural phenomenon.

"Struggle, resist. Each of your efforts serves to verify the universality and resilience of the Great Dao for me." He was like a meticulous scientist, recording the performance data of Dao Corrosion under different environments and varying intensities of purification, constantly fine‑tuning its infiltration and persistence patterns to make it more covert and more rooted in the underlying laws.

What intrigued him further was Han Wuxian's 'reverse tracking' using that strand of sealed primal source. That faint yet steadfast probing will, along the invisible threads of the Dao Corrosion network, cautiously spread toward his location.

"Finally… have you felt the threshold?" Yan Buji not only did not block it, but like a guide for a lost traveler, deliberately left some processed, more clearly directed 'traces' at certain nodes of the network. He even simulated several energy fluctuations of varying intensities and spatial distortion effects, scattering them along the path to Forgotten Sand, to see how Han Wuxian would interpret these 'clues'.

"Will they be misled, wasting effort in the wrong area? Or will they discern truth and point straight to the core?" For him, this was an amusing test that could help him more accurately assess Han Wuxian's current true realm and inferential ability.

Meanwhile, the 'ears and eyes' he had spread throughout the cultivation world—individuals and events indirectly affected by residual demonic thoughts—also transmitted new streams of information.

He 'saw' the headquarters of the Heavenly Craft Sect, where a group of formation masters were researching the ancient runes that had been reproduced, working sleeplessly. They attempted to decipher their structure and grasp their meaning, yet were oblivious that as they fully extrapolated, their spiritual power, their desire for knowledge, and even the emotional fluctuations arising from confusion or breakthroughs were like trickling streams, silently drawn by the runes and, through some mysterious connection, fed back to Yan Buji. He did not need to research personally; these top formation masters had already become his free 'analysis tools'.

"The desire for knowledge is also a kind of desire. The more one clings, the deeper the sinking." He calmly absorbed these analytical results, deepening his understanding of the ancient runes' nature. Indeed, they were a 'lock' sealing a forgotten fragment of an ancient battlefield saturated with the utmost sense of eternal Silence. The death law contained there held incalculable value for perfecting a side of Silence Extinction for him.

He also 'heard' that near the Eye of the Return to the Void in the South Sea, the number of gathered cultivators was increasing. Some attempted to go deeper and were torn apart by raging energy; others lingered on the outskirts, picking up thrown fragments that contained strange energy. Their greed, their fear, their opportunistic mindset all invisibly heightened the instability of that region, and also seemed to stir a hint of the 'anomalous object' aura that was gestating deep within.

"Chaos is a ladder, desire is fuel." Yan Buji observed silently. He did not intend to personally obtain that 'anomalous object' or open the 'lock' in the far north for now, letting the bullet fly a while longer, allowing these 'variables' to ferment on their own, which often yields greater gains.

He even split off a strand of thought to monitor the small town of Liu Yun Alliance whose ley lines he had subtly adjusted. Under amplified negative emotions, the residents began to exhibit extreme behaviors: some committed suicide from excessive sorrow, some attacked others out of fear, and some, driven by a craving for power, turned to a wicked path… The occurrence of these tragedies further bred more despair and dead Silence, causing the concentration of Dao Corrosion there, despite Han Wuxian's purification, not to decrease but to rise, becoming even more entrenched.

"See, I need not act personally; life will inevitably reach its end on its own. My deeds are merely to slightly accelerate that process and guide it toward my Dao." Yan Buji's consciousness was as cold as ancient black ice. The myriad forms of sentient beings were, in his eyes, merely experimental samples for verifying the Great Dao.

He incorporated all the gathered information—Han Wuxian's counterattack, the Heavenly Craft Sect's research, the South Sea's chaos, the town's tragedy—into the core of his Dao Calculation. Countless law runes were born, died, combined, and extrapolated within his inner lake, continuously refining the details of the Silence Extinction Desire Dao.

He felt that his own power had not diminished at all due to Han Wuxian's purification; rather, because of this confrontation and the ongoing 'observation experiment,' it became more condensed and more in tune with the laws of Heaven and Earth. He seemed to be weaving himself into the world's 'background program,' becoming an objective 'law' of existence.

"Han Wuxian, you guard the apparent 'Life,' while opposing the manifested 'Extinction.'" Yan Buji's thought echoed in absolute darkness, bearing a hint of transcendent indifference. "And I, I am becoming the invisible hand that drives 'Extinction,' an extension of the very concept of 'Death.' How do you fight a 'concept'?"

He no longer regarded Han Wuxian as an equal opponent, but as an important 'reference frame' and 'catalyst.' Han Wuxian's existence and resistance precisely accelerated the maturation and fulfillment of his own Dao.

Inside the Extinction Stone Coffin, Yan Buji's aura grew ever more profound and inscrutable. He was like a spider coiled at the center of the web, patiently awaiting prey to exhaust itself in struggle, and also waiting for other startled 'flying insects' to fall into the net.

The game board has been set, the variables are fermenting. He need only wait quietly, awaiting the moment of final harvest. When that time comes, whether it be the Return to the Void Dao, the sealed ancient power, or the myriad sentient beings, all will, under his Silence Extinction Desire, find their ultimate… destination.