"Ice Curse, rise." Old Liu seized the moment, launching the frost spell forward. From beneath the river's surface, ice shards erupted, seeming to possess eyes as they drifted toward the Water Rakshasa's wounds. This instantly stripped the Water Rakshasa of its ability to regenerate. "Give him a few more strikes and slice him into pieces."

Ye Xiu heard the Azure Eyes of Brilliant Splendor flare again. In that instant, countless sword lights shimmered at the riverbed. Where the water-elemental runes passed, they utterly pulverized the Water Rakshasa into dust. "Things from the Fire Purgatory don't seem like much, do they?"

"Don't celebrate too soon. Look at the light below." Old Liu recalled the Ghost Executioner and pointed to the luminescence beneath their feet. There was still light at the bottom of this river of blood, glowing crimson. The outline of the light resembled an exit, beyond which seemed to float layers of fine gauze.

Ye Xiu darted forward, moving directly toward the shimmering light. The illumination suddenly vanished, and what appeared before them was no longer the riverbed but a hazy, unfamiliar realm. "The world beneath the water—is this the Desolate Abyss the Water Rakshasa spoke of?"

Old Liu swiftly followed Ye Xiu into the opening. He scrutinized the surrounding world, which was shrouded in mist, as if everything before him was illusion rather than reality. "Be careful. I sense an aura of malevolence here."

"Ye Xiu!" At that moment, a familiar voice drifted from beyond the fine gauze, and a beautiful figure flickered into view—a vision of pink attire and a proud bearing. Could it be anyone other than Jiayun Xin, the Princess of Desolate Bone City?

Ye Xiu realized the truth instantly. He was separated from Jiayun Xin by only a few strips of white veil, yet he knew Jiayun Xin should harbor resentment toward him. Why was her tone now so placid? "Princess, is that you? Princess?"

"How could the Princess of Desolate Bone City, the one named Jiayun Xin, possibly be in a place like this?" Old Liu stepped in front of Ye Xiu, halting his progress. He tried to use his dark glasses to pierce through the truth of the scene, but at this moment, Jiayun Xin’s figure stood undeniably before them. "How is she here?"

This place was indeed the Desolate Abyss, the resting place of the Female Infant Ghost Maiden. Jiayun Xin’s presence here was perfectly normal. However, the current Jiayun Xin had seen through the affections of mortal kinship; only despair and suspicion filled her eyes. "Ye Xiu, you never expected I was still alive, did you? Your conspiracy with the Insect Demon Sect is not yet successful! You, Second Brother, and Third Brother are all tarred with the same brush—you all deserve to die."

"Yun Xin, what's wrong? Yun Xin?" Ye Xiu stepped through the white veil, but Jiayun Xin’s figure shimmered and moved to another spot. Her movements were fluid, like light and shadow, entirely beyond Ye Xiu's control. "What are you saying? The Second and Third Sect Masters? What exactly happened to the Great Sect Master?"

Jiayun Xin gave a cold sneer and sent a palm strike toward Ye Xiu. The power of that strike was considerable, yet the Jiayun Xin of before was merely a simple-minded woman—how could she possess such advanced cultivation? "What Sect Masters? They are all selfish individuals!"

"Clang!" Ye Xiu brandished the Heaven’s Scorn to meet the burst of palm wind, but the force was so immense it blew apart all the surrounding white gauze. "Yun Xin, listen to me. Can you believe anything about my connection with the Insect Demon Sect?"

"Believe you?" Jiayun Xin spat contemptuously at the mere mention of trust. Her image flickered as if she were beginning to sob uncontrollably. "Do you know that Jianan killed my elder brother? Do you know he intends to kill me too!"

Ye Xiu had no knowledge of Jiaye's death. In his mind, when the Mad Pulse Heavenly Pivot ran rampant in Yan Shang City, Jiaye had certainly been severely wounded. "What did you say? The Great Sect Master... he... he died!"

"Hmph, hehe." Jiayun Xin gave a heavy snort, seemingly disdainful, her tone remaining condescending. "Jianan feared I would leak the news of his killing my elder brother, so he tried to silence me too. And Jianloura... he doubted my identity and refused to see me."

"Where is the Third Sect Master, Jianloura, now?" Ye Xiu's relationship with Jianloura was extraordinary, unconcerned with mere benefits; he only knew that Jianloura held the essence of all the Heaven’s Scorn sword techniques.

"Waa... all of this is your fault! Why did you come to Desolate Bone City? Why did you lead those fiends from the Insect Demon Sect here!" Jiayun Xin grew increasingly agitated, her emotions starting to spiral out of control. "After Elder Brother died, Jianan and Jianloura grew suspicious of each other while vying for the Sect Master's position. I tried to seek refuge with Second Brother, but he wanted to kill me. I went to Third Brother, but he thought I was a spy sent by Second Brother. Everything that has made me what I am today is because of you!"

"Hoo..." A fierce gale swept through, startling and scattering all the white gauze. Old Liu shielded himself with his hand from the icy wind. Standing before him was a woman dressed in pink, yet her face was wrapped in white bandages. He had seen the Princess Jiayun Xin before, but now, no matter how he looked, this woman appeared far more haggard.

"Yun Xin, it really is you." Ye Xiu's heart was tangled with complex emotions. He carefully put away his dual swords and focused his gaze. Jiayun Xin’s hair was disheveled, and her eyes lacked focus. "What have you been through all this time?"

Jiayun Xin slowly raised her right hand and drew away the white veil covering her face. Beneath the gauze was no longer the gentle, jade-like countenance she once possessed, but flesh marred by countless knife scars. "What I've been through? I will let you feel it slowly."

"Yun Xin..." Ye Xiu was deeply pained seeing the wounds on Yun Xin's face, but what use was sorrow now? He felt the despair churning in the depths of her heart. "Who turned you into this? Who exactly did this!"

Jiayun Xin curled her lips into a smile, the scars on her cheeks stretching and drawing bloodlight. "Who else? Jianan, Jianloura, and all those hypocrites. And, of course, you, Ye Xiu."

Old Liu felt troubled watching the emotional shift in the scene. He interrupted Jiayun Xin. "This is no ordinary place. Who brought you here?"

"Hahahaha, hahahaha!" The figure of the Female Infant Ghost Maiden drifted forth. This was the Desolate Abyss, the nexus point connecting the lower Fire Purgatory with the entirety of the Unbounded Realm, and naturally, her protected domain. "Who else could have turned Jiayun Xin into this but you? Next, the entire upper region of the Unbounded Realm will change because of her. All of you will die without a burial ground."

"Who are you!" Old Liu’s Ghost Executioner sword surged out, tracking the Ghost Maiden’s direction. However, this Ghost Maiden possessed extremely high cultivation and moved strangely, proving difficult to capture. "There is only one woman named the Female Infant Ghost Maiden in the Desolate Abyss. Are you her...?"

Jiayun Xin’s resolve hardened. She immediately formed her palm into a claw and lunged at Ye Xiu, her target the Soul Stone Jade Ring in his hand. "The beasts of the Fierce Beast Gate and the members of the Insect Demon Sect will all die a terrible death. But before that, you must pay the price."