Garuda heartily agreed with this point, pondering the presence of another distinct force that needed addressing: "Besides that, we must also worry about the power of the Witch, and Yan Shangcheng who is by her side!"

"The Sect Master speaks of the fellow who possesses the Mad Vein Tianshu," the Birdman suffered a loss to Yan Shangcheng. At such a critical juncture, he shouldn't act against the Boundless Realm. "The Witch and Yan Shangcheng are, after all, from the Boundless Realm. There's no way they would obstruct us from dealing with Sha Jun Tianxia."

"The Witch is peculiar, and her identity remains a mystery." Ye Xiu knew of the connection between the Witch and the Myriad Demon Saint Empress, but the specifics of their relationship remained unclear to anyone.

"I merely brought it up to see if everyone has grasped their respective duties." Garuda swept his gaze across the assembly; no one voiced objection. "In that case, everyone is dismissed to rest. We advance upon Mount Sumeru in two days. I will thoroughly expel Sha Jun Tianxia from the Boundless Realm."

The assembly paid their respects to Garuda and returned to their designated quarters. These were the final two days of unrestrained pleasure in the Boundless Realm; who knew if the world would even exist after Sha Jun Tianxia revealed himself in two days.

Ye Xiu ignored the Insect Emperor and followed behind Garuda. He had another concern nagging at him: "The Sect Master seems to have forgotten one person: Jia Yunxin."

"You mean Yunxin might become an obstacle to us?" Garuda's eyes brightened with skeptical interest. "If Yunxin truly obtained the power of the Heavenly Emperor Evil Body, what do you think she would do?"

"Shouldn't the power of the Heavenly Emperor Evil Body encompass the Three Fiends of the Evil Body?" Ye Xiu voiced his suspicion. "The Sect Master saw that Ren Tianxing clearly harbors the Evil Word Covenant, and the Evil Eye is confirmed to be with the Drought Demon Insect Emperor. That means Yunxin must possess the Evil Hand."

Garuda stood with his hands clasped behind his back, troubled. "If Yunxin seeks to claim all the power of the Evil Body, she will certainly come for the Evil Word Covenant and the Evil Eye. Are you worried she will slay the two sect masters of the Demon Peak Sect and the Insect Sect?"

Ye Xiu confirmed his apprehension. "Since the Sect Master possesses the Heavenly Bone Testament, I only wish to know what it records about the power of the Heavenly Emperor Evil Body. What will happen if Yunxin synthesizes the Three Fiends of the Evil Body?"

"Hmm, follow me." Garuda led Ye Xiu and Jiu Liansheng toward the staircase tower beneath the Heavenly Steps. "It's been a long time since you've seen Fa Liangluo, too, hasn't it?"

"Sect Master, may I join you?" Old Liu also rushed over to tag along, dangling playfully from Ye Xiu's shoulder. "Senior Fa Liangluo knows me as well."

Garuda looked at Ye Xiu with suspicion.

Ye Xiu explained with a laugh, "Old Liu and I both came from the Mortal Realm. At the crucial moment when Fa Liangluo was forging the Profound Barrier of the Dao, he drew upon the power of the Dao Laws from Old Liu."

"I see. Let's go!" Garuda walked ahead with his hands behind his back, the other three following closely. What unknown secrets did the Heavenly Bone Testament truly hold?

Beneath the earth, in the cold gloom, Fa Liangluo sat alone in tattered clothes before a profound stone wall. Carved upon this wall were various patterns; this was the true manifestation of the Heavenly Bone Testament.

"This is the Heavenly Bone Testament!" Old Liu entered first, throwing his head back to stare at the massive stone slab, crying out in shock. "I always thought the Heavenly Bone Testament was just a book; I never realized it was actually..."

"Boy, so it is you." Fa Liangluo turned when he heard Old Liu's voice. A faint smile touched his aged face. "Eh? Where is the Wind Serpent I gifted you back then?"

Old Liu laughed heartily. "I left it in the Mortal Realm being fed. That thing doesn't seem to have much use."

Fa Liangluo shook his head and sighed. "You truly are a fool. That Wind Serpent can change according to its master's power; it would have been useful to you."

"Ah, it has such a capability!" Old Liu was instantly filled with regret. "I should have brought it. My power is far greater than it was back then."

Ye Xiu pushed Old Liu aside to pay his respects. "Senior Fa Liangluo, I never expected we would meet again."

"Heh heh, Death God!" Fa Liangluo looked at Ye Xiu with equal amazement. "To think a Death God would become a crucial force in saving the Boundless Realm—I truly don't know whether to feel joy or sorrow."

Garuda gently waved his hands, and a blue halo unfolded across the stone wall. "Having one more source of power against Sha Jun Tianxia is certainly joyous. My only current concern is Yunxin. I truly don't know what effect the successful fusion of the Three Fiends of the Evil Body will have on the entire realm."

"What?" Fa Liangluo focused his attention entirely on the Heavenly Bone Testament, querying, "You say Yunxin has become the physical vessel for the convergence of the Three Fiends of the Evil Body!"

"Physical vessel!" Ye Xiu and the others heard this term for the first time. He asked in detail, "Senior Fa Liangluo, what exactly is this 'physical vessel' you speak of?"

Garuda scanned the Heavenly Bone Testament, as if reading something previously unknown. "It is just like the Primordial Demon Embryo nurtured within Sha Jun Tianxia. The successor of the Heavenly Emperor Evil Power is merely a vessel for that evil power."

"You mean Yunxin is no longer herself?" Ye Xiu found this hard to believe, as he had met Jia Yunxin previously. She recognized him and remembered the grievances he had suffered. "The last time I saw her, her consciousness was perfectly intact. How can this be?"

Garuda continued interpreting the contents of the Heavenly Bone Testament. "The current Yunxin is merely an emptied vessel. Once she gathers the power of the Three Fiends of the Evil Body, she will possess all the might of the Heavenly Emperor Evil Body. At that point, she will transform into another person—a specter named Di Xietian."

"Di Xietian!" Old Liu was already halfway terrified by the name and pressed, "How does Di Xietian's cultivation compare to Sha Jun Tianxia's?"

Garuda shook his head, looking extremely grim. "Di Xietian is merely the evil incarnation of the Heavenly Emperor. Within the Heavenly Emperor's Cycle exists the spiritual body of the Heavenly Emperor—the incarnation of justice. What will happen when these two collide, the Heavenly Bone Testament does not even record!"

Jiu Liansheng looked at everyone with concern; an idea dawned on him. "Sect Master, can we prevent Princess Yunxin from coming into contact with the other two? As long as she hasn't obtained the power of the Three Fiends of the Evil Body, she won't fall to become Di Xietian."

"How do we do that? Hide the Drought Demon Insect Emperor and Ren Tianxing?" Old Liu thought it impossible. "From what I saw earlier, Ren Tianxing's command over the language of the tongue makes even killing him somewhat difficult. How could we possibly hold him in soft captivity?"

"Impossible," Garuda immediately rejected that notion. "If those two are killed, the Three Fiends of the Evil Body will instead parasite themselves into the killer. Since the Three Fiends of the Evil Body naturally attract each other, Yunxin, driven by the evil impulse, will eventually obtain them. No one can stop it."

"What if..." Ye Xiu seemed to have thought of another method. "If we take Yunxin back to the Mortal Realm, will the power that crosses the boundaries weaken her desire to synthesize the Three Fiends of the Evil Body?"

Garuda sighed. "Haven't you already seen? The Dark Death God can already enter and leave the Mortal Realm and the Boundless Realm freely. Since you shattered the Red Cliff Cemetery, the boundary between these two realms no longer exists."

"That means the Mortal Realm is now overrun by demons and monsters!" Old Liu sucked in a sharp breath, a sense of duty for the Daoist suddenly surging within him.

"There is one last, most direct method!" Fa Liangluo's voice was cold and emotionless. "Before she synthesizes the Three Fiends of the Evil Body, find her—and kill her!"

"Kill... her..." Ye Xiu knew this was an option, but even he couldn't bring himself to do such a thing, let alone Garuda.

"If that day ever comes, I suppose I will do just that!" Garuda nodded, his expression infinitely sorrowful. He slowly walked out of the underground cavern and left alone.

"Let's go too. We still have these few days to see if there's anything fun to check out in Desolate Bone City," Old Liu immediately broke free from the somber atmosphere, as he didn't share a deep connection with Jia Yunxin.

Ye Xiu felt helpless as well, being pulled out of there by Old Liu.

"Want a drink?" Jiu Liansheng still held the personal desire to finish sampling all his wine within these few days.

The night was silent, and Desolate Bone City enjoyed a rare stretch of beautiful scenery—a beauty that would not last long.

The Drought Demon Insect Emperor secretly commanded the Insect Sect members to monitor Ren Tianxing's every move. He had found his target: Ren Tianxing's Evil Word Covenant. "Where is Ye Xiu?"

A flying insect approached the Insect Emperor. "He seems to be drinking and enjoying himself with a few friends in Desolate Bone City. Should we summon Hall Master Ye back?"

"It seems unlikely to kill Ren Tianxing within Desolate Bone City," the Insect Emperor mused over the deployment. "Go back and tell the Insect Sect disciples that when the battle at Mount Sumeru begins, pay attention to ambushing the Demon Peak Sect members. If you can't kill them, heavily injure them."

"What does the Insect Emperor mean?" The flying insect was puzzled; they had agreed upon an alliance in the daytime, yet just a few hours later, they were planning slaughter.

The Insect Emperor's tone was resolute. "I will personally take Ren Tianxing's life. Tell them the purpose of the Insect Sect's participation at Sumeru is to secure Ren Tianxing's head!"

"Yes!" The flying insect fluttered away lightly, drifting unsteadily out of Desolate Bone City.

In the bustling marketplace, illuminated by brilliant lights, Old Liu and Ye Xiu wandered carefree. Prosperity always held a certain appeal, no matter the location.

"Wow, I didn't realize Bone Sect had so many beauties." Old Liu leered at the passing women, slyly teasing them as he asked Ye Xiu, "Hey Death God, you've lived so long, you still don't know what a woman is, do you?"

Ye Xiu knew what Old Liu was leading up to. He let out a soft sigh and turned his head away. The women within the cultivation realm held little meaning for a Death God. If there was a Mei Yi in the Mortal Realm who treated him kindly, then what he sought to pursue remained a mysterious woman like the Myriad Demon Saint Empress—or perhaps, that was the Death God's understanding of women.

"Hey, are you angry?" Old Liu grabbed Ye Xiu, a mischievous smile on his face. "How about we look for a foot bath or a place to bathe here? Let's see what women from another realm are like."