CHAPTER 51: BENEATH THE HEAVENS, A PUPPET STILL

"Codex...when you first awakened... you told me I would be placed beyond the reach of the Grand Dao. Isn’t that right?"

[Correct.]

The response rang out clearly in his mind, emotionless like always.

He stared ahead, but his eyes saw nothing. His thoughts had already turned inward.

"Then explain something to me, why am I still being pulled into other people’s schemes? "

[This scheme did not originate after the Codex’s activation.

It was laid long before that.

A contingency—an embedded trap meant to trigger if you survived death.]

[And you did.]

[Therefore, you were already caught in it before I came into being.]

Xiao Ning didn’t speak for a while and his gaze didn’t waver, but in his heart, something became clear.

"...So that’s how it is."

It wasn’t that the Codex had betrayed him. It simply hadn’t been there soon enough.

The trap had been waiting since before he ever took his second breath. It wasn’t a matter of choice anymore. From the moment he lived again, he’d already been walking someone else’s path.

He let out a quiet breath and asked again.

"Then why didn’t you warn me? Before I cultivated the Asura Scripture, before I refined the Bone Scripture... why didn’t you say anything?"

[The Codex is not omniscient. I do not see the future.

I analyze information as it becomes available.

Until recently, the complete pattern was unclear.]

He nodded faintly, there was no anger in his expression—only understanding.

"...I suppose I already knew that."

The Codex had always answered his questions with cold precision. It had never once claimed to be able to predict what was to come.

Still, a flicker of doubt stirred in his chest.

"Codex... what is your purpose? Why do you oppose the Grand Dao?"

This time, there was no immediate reply.

Seconds passed. Then longer.

But Xiao Ning didn’t press it. He simply waited.

When the silence stretched too long, he asked something else.

"Then who created you? And how did he die?"

The silence deepened... then at last, the voice returned.

[...Dead. Killed by the Grand Dao.]

Xiao Ning’s eyes dimmed.

So that was it.

Even the one who had forged the Codex—who had dared to defy the heavens—had fallen, crushed beneath the same force that ruled all of existence.

He didn’t know why, but hearing it confirmed left a bitter taste in his mouth.

"...So even your creator couldn’t escape."

Xiao Ning’s expression didn’t change. But inside, his thoughts churned.

"Even your creator was helpless before the schemes of the Grand Dao. What can a mere artifact like you possibly do?"

He closed his eyes.

That so-called second chance... had it ever really been a choice?

The Codex—an ancient tool forged to fight back against the heavens—was simply using him to continue its war.

No different from how the Ninth Asura Paragon had used him.

He smiled bitterly.

"So that’s all this is," he muttered. "I was never outside their reach. Just dragged into someone else’s revenge."

And then another thought rose in his mind.

What if I had refused the Codex’s offer?

Back then, when he stood between death and reincarnation... he’d been given a choice. The Codex had offered to preserve him, to let him live again.

But what if he had declined?

What if he had truly passed on, been reborn in the natural cycle, and awakened his memories slowly over time?

Would it have made any difference?

Would he have walked a different path?

But as he thought about it, the answer became clear.

"...Even if I had declined your offer, I still would’ve cultivated the same techniques."

Wouldn’t he still have cultivated the Ninefold Paragon’s Asura Scripture?

Still have refined his body with the Annihilation Bone Scripture?

Still walked the very same path?

Still would’ve prepared his soul and body... for someone else’s resurrection.

Whether guided by fate or false freedom, he had never truly stepped off the board.

The scheme had been too thorough. The pieces had been scattered, but they were always meant to find him.

Whether chosen or ’randomly’ encountered, the outcome would have been the same.

He would’ve taken the same path.

The difference was only how much of the truth he knew... and when.

[SPIRITUAL PALACE PURGE PROTOCOL IS SUGGESTED]

Seeing the alert appear once more, Xiao Ning remained silent for a while.

After some thought, he asked calmly, "What are the consequences of this purge?"

[Severe and irreparable damage to the divine sense.]

His expression didn’t change, but his heart sank slightly.

"Can you fix it?" he asked.

[With my current capabilities, that is not possible.]

Xiao Ning fell into deep thought.

Damage to the divine sense was no small matter. Once harmed, it could not be healed by ordinary means. He did know of a few obscure methods that might restore it, but they were far beyond his reach at the moment.

Even so, the idea of leaving that sliver of foreign will inside him was worse.

After a moment of silence, a faint smile appeared on his lips.

"Codex, analyze my Yin Yang Mirror Scripture."

[Analyzing...]

[The Yin Yang Mirror Scripture is a rare and profound dual-cultivation technique. It reflects all spiritual forces through reversed polarity, restoring them to their primal origin within the balance of Yin and Yang. Through it, the user can reverse, deflect, or unravel spiritual energies—revealing the hidden truths buried within their dual nature.]

[However, its requirements are extremely demanding.]

[To cultivate it properly, one must possess a Yin-Yang Innate Physique and a Yin-Yang Spiritual Root. Alternatively, a dual-element constitution—such as Light and Darkness, or Fire and Water—may suffice.]

[Based on current assessments, the host’s body and Quantum Nascent Soul can barely meet the threshold.]

[Nonetheless, continued cultivation is not recommended.]

Xiao Ning raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Why not?"

A brief pause followed, then:

[The Yin Yang Mirror Dao is a severed branch of the Great Yin Yang Dao.]

[Unlike other branches, this one was forcibly sealed during a past Heavenly Cycle. It is now a dead end.]

[No matter how far the host advances, it will be impossible to reach the Immortal Crossing Stage through this path.]

[Without crossing that threshold, the host remains bound within the Grand Dao’s framework—no different from any other pawn.]

Xiao Ning wasn’t surprised by this. In truth, he had suspected something for a long time.

Back then, when he lost to the young cultivator Meng Qingxuan—who had managed to take half a step into the Immortal Crossing Realm while he couldn’t—he had already begun to question the foundation of his path.

At the time, he had simply thought the technique flawed.

Now, it was clear.

It hadn’t been a flaw. It had been a scheme.

A scheme of the Grand Dao itself.

The Codex’s next message appeared soon after.

[Suggestion: Purge the current cultivation techniques—both body and soul. Purge the Spiritual Palace entirely.]

[Then, select a new path.]

Xiao Ning read the suggestion without much reaction. "Can I still use the Paradox Meridians, like before?"

[No. Although the structure of the Paradox Meridians will remain dormant within your soul, the purge will remove all cultivation imprints from the quantum level upward.

It will be a complete reset.]

"I see..." he murmured. "So I’ll have to start over. Truly as a mortal."

[Yes. This time, the host will return to the state of a true mortal—no Nascent Soul, no spiritual roots, no refined body.]

Xiao Ning gave a short laugh."...So that’s what it means to be free."

Then, as if something occurred to him, his eyes narrowed slightly.

"Codex. With your current capabilities—and using my past comprehension as a foundation—can you reconstruct the core of the Yin Yang Mirror Scripture? Keep the essence, but cut away what’s been locked off by the Dao?"

The Codex didn’t respond immediately.

A full minute passed in silence.

Finally, a reply came.

[It is possible. The core structure of the Yin Yang Mirror Scripture can be redesigned to preserve its essence while severing the connection to the Great Dao.]

[However, this will require extensive time and resources.]

[Estimated time: 100 years.]

[Lifespan cost: 550 years.]

Xiao Ning’s gaze flickered slightly.

"Five hundred and fifty years..." he murmured. "That’s not cheap."