A sea of flame ripped from north to south, punctuated by endless caverns carved into sheer abyssal cliffs—this was the entrance to the Fire Diagram Purgatory, and indeed, its entire vista.

Countless humanoid monstrosities crawled from the crevices in the mountain walls, some wailing, others weeping, but most merely opening their gaping maws; they yearned to escape, only to plunge into the endless sea of fire that would burn them to ash.

Jia Yunxin channeled the Heavenly Emperor’s Evil Power to forge a protective barrier, allowing her to tread steadily through the fiery expanse. The writhing masses of heads surrounding her were terrifying; the former her would surely have fainted from fright. "This is the Fire Diagram Purgatory. The power of the Heavenly Emperor's Evil Body must reside within this sea of fire."

Flames roared high, licking at the surrounding monstrous forms. This was but a purgatory, yet it rivaled the depths of hell itself. Cries of ghosts and howls of wolves emanated from the ocean, and grotesque faces swirled around Jia Yunxin.

"Do not fret, I will soon release you all." Jia Yunxin glared, revealing sharp teeth, and let out a mighty roar. Opening her arms wide, a beam of dark brilliance surged from her palms, directly piercing the sea of flames. The flames, violently swayed by the immense force, naturally parted to the mountain walls on either side. "What exactly is the Heavenly Emperor's Evil Body? Emerge and let me see!"

"Roooar..." A violent wind tore at the monstrosities on both sides, the flames scorching their skin. At this moment, the entire Fire Diagram Purgatory shook. Beneath the sea of fire, a vortex spun furiously, revealing a ring of sharp teeth at its center. Endless wails drifted from within, "Waa... Hahaha... Yaay..."

"Evil Body, surrender your power to me!" Jia Yunxin increased her might. Countless black arms extended from the back of her hands, firmly grasping the surrounding monstrous forms and drawing them into Yunxin's body. "Hahaha, Wujian Realm! I shall flatten the entirety of the Wujian Realm."

"Whooo..." A mournful cry scattered from the vortex. Three plumes of black smoke shot up from beneath the sea of fire. They deliberately skirted Jia Yunxin’s body, intent on sprinting toward the exit of the Fire Diagram Purgatory.

"Trying to run!" Jia Yunxin cried sharply and gave chase. She reached out to seize the three black mists, but the moment her hand touched one, the other two spun and shot directly toward the exit, vanishing without a trace. "Hmph... The Evil Body’s power doesn't wish to be obtained by me?"

"Ohoho!" A laugh emanated from the black mist clutched in Jia Yunxin’s hand. As the mist dissipated, what appeared before her was a decaying arm. The arm was stripped of flesh but resembled a sharp talon. "The Evil Body’s power... The Three Fiends of the Evil Body!"

"What!" Jia Yunxin was severely startled by the words of the arm. She tried to fling it away, but at some point, the arm had completely merged into her hand. She felt a piercing, agonizing pain course through her, and just as quickly, her slender, jade-like fingers turned to black charcoal. "What is this thing... My hand... My hand!"

The arm, now inside Jia Yunxin’s body, seemed not entirely subservient to her will. It slowly raised itself and caressed Jia Yunxin’s cheek: "The Heavenly Emperor's Evil Body has birthed the Three Fiends of the Evil Body: the Evil Hand, the Evil Eye, and the Evil Spoken Promise. Only when all three are gathered in one life can the power of the Heavenly Emperor's Evil Body truly be attained!"

"Evil Hand, Evil Eye, Evil Spoken Promise?" Jia Yunxin felt her evil power cultivation increase, but to gain more strength, she had to heed the Evil Hand’s instructions. "How can I find the other two artifacts?"

"The Evil Eye and the Evil Spoken Promise would not flee easily; there must be some wicked power in the upper levels of the Wujian Realm attracting them," the Evil Hand directed after shaking for a long moment. "As long as the Three Fiends of the Evil Body approach certain locations, they can be sensed. Rest assured, I will guide you to them. You can only inherit their power by slaying their hosts, or..."

"Or?"

The Evil Hand spoke sinisterly, "Or by being found and killed by their hosts. Then they will inherit your power!"

...

Beneath Tianyun Jiqian Island, the Liuli Mountain Range was a place of lush abundance. Unfortunately, divine beasts from the Wujian Realm had intruded. Some monstrous wolves and skeleton soldiers, deeply attracted by the serene environment, wandered into this misty region, losing their way.

"Life-Ending Heavenly Needle!" Yan Shangcheng’s body was already utterly exhausted, but the Kuangmai Tianshu sustained his powerful physique as he advanced step by step toward the summit of Liuli Mountain.

"Roar!" At that moment, a blue skeleton dragging a long saber blocked Yan Shangcheng’s path. Its eyes flashed crimson, and it attacked Yan Shangcheng with the long saber.

"Pffft..." Yan Shangcheng did not dodge, taking the blow on his shoulder. Yet, this strike only drew some blood and caused no significant injury to him. "Aoo... Ahhh..."

"Those who block me die!" Yan Shangcheng didn't even spare the blue skeleton a second glance. He merely teleported his body, and when he reappeared behind the large skeleton, it was already shattered into pieces. "Life-Ending Heavenly Needle, hand over the Life-Ending Heavenly Needle."

The guardians of Tianyun Jiqian Island had already witnessed the scene below Liuli Mountain. Both the divine beasts and the mysterious Yan Shangcheng were objects of their scrutiny. "The changes in the Liuli Mountain Range are happening too quickly. Go inform Elder Tianyuan immediately."

The other person was also flustered, stunned by the savage actions of the purple-haired youth. "That fellow looks like the one from the Tian Gu Jian Bing Terrace in Huang Gu City that day. How did he get to Tianyun Ji!"

"Life-Ending Heavenly Needle!" Suddenly, Yan Shangcheng’s figure appeared atop the island's summit. The person speaking hadn't even clearly seen Yan Shangcheng's appearance before his life was ended by a single sword stroke. "Tell me where the Life-Ending Heavenly Needle is, or I will make the entire Sun-Blind Clan pay for this."

"Preposterous talk!" The guardian protecting Feiyue Jiutian attacked Yan Shangcheng with an endless array of feather blades. However, the moment his figure leaped into the air, Yan Shangcheng followed him upward. Before the guardian could fully launch his feather blades, he was sliced in half by a single sword strike. "Yaah!"

Yan Shangcheng landed coolly upon the island. He observed the beautiful domain above the clouds but felt no interest. These continuous floating islands were nothing more than ruins to him; what he intended to do was far more than just destroy this place.

"Intercept the intruder!" The Sun-Blind clansmen, arriving upon hearing the alarm, descended from the heavens and surrounded Yan Shangcheng on the island. Their swords were drawn, their ultimate skills displayed. "Feather Blade ready! Fire!"

"Clang clang!" Yan Shangcheng's swordsmanship flowed smoothly, but too many feather blades made it impossible to avoid them entirely; some pierced his marrow, yet such minor injuries caused him no pain. He spun around, preparing to unleash the Heavenly Bone Sword Art. "Heavenly Bone Sword Art, Eighth Level!"