Ba Yue said, “I can’t guarantee that you’ll come back alive if you go. He completely disregards me.”

The old man replied, “Thank you for the warning, Acting Sect Master. What I’ve pursued all my life is becoming a Sevenfold Crimson. The moment this man arrived, he became a Sevenfold Crimson despite not even cultivating the Path of Dispassion. This is unfair to people like us. Even if I die, I still want to see his true ability.” 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

“Xie Man and Chu Songyun aren’t in a hurry. Why are you?”

“One is a disciple of an Immortal, while the other is a genius who gathers fate aura from the entire civilization. Both of them have a great chance of stepping into the Immortal realm, while I do not.”

Seeing how resolute the old man was, Ba Yue stopped trying to stop him. “I can tell you, but it would be best to allow others to probe him first. I can give you a hint: his strength is likely no less than my own.”

The old man was surprised, though not overly so. After all, that was what it was to be an Aberrant.

If Ba Yue was certain that Lu Yin was inferior to her, then he might not actually be an Aberrant.

“I understand. Thank you, Acting Sect Master.”

In Canglan Valley, Lu Yin stared at a waterfall. His expression was calm. He had waited half a year, and yet there was still no movement. If there was still no movement, he would leave.

He was actually responsible for some of the news that had started to spread outside. His purpose was to lure people over. There was no ulterior motive beyond shortening the time before something happened.

He was a cultivator from another human civilization, which was certainly an eye-catching background. Not only that, but despite not cultivating the Path of Dispassion and not being an Immortal, he had also been given the status of Sevenfold Crimson upon arriving. The entire chain of events was far too attention-grabbing.

It was impossible to say that everyone in the Crimson Starshade Civilization accepted this outcome. There was no doubt that someone would eventually come looking to cause trouble.

First, Lu Yin needed to establish his own authority so that troublemakers would not dare to return again. If not, then when he left, some troublemaker might rashly barge into Canglan Valley and find him absent, causing a serious problem.

That would tell Jiu Wen and the others that Lu Yin could leave at any time, and they would instantly be on guard against such an ability.

While Lu Yin was confident in his own strength, he was not confident that he could safely escape from a powerhouse like Ancestor Shan. As for what level Ancestor Hong Xia might possess, Lu Yin would only feel confident after confirming it.

This was not the time for his fallback plan to be spoiled by some reckless fool.

So he waited. Someone would come looking for trouble sooner or later.

A few days later, someone finally arrived. Lu Yin’s eyes lit up as he looked outside.

This visitor was not weak, as he was a peak Dukkhan. He wore crimson robes, but his umbrella was not open, so it was impossible to count its ribs and see how many folds of crimson this man had earned. Still, the fact that he dared to come to Lu Yin’s door indicated that the man had to be a Sixfold Crimson.

Finally. The people of Crimson Starshade were far too patient.

“May I ask if this is where Mr. Lu, the Sevenfold Crimson, resides?” the newcomer called out in a loud voice. The sound waves could be seen rippling into Canglan Valley, disrupting the sourcebox array.

Lu Yin ignored the man. It was not yet time.

The man waited a moment. After seeing no response, he shouted again. This time, his voice was even louder, and the sound shook the sourcebox array and caused a number of the sourceboxes to release a surge of power through their danger zones.

Lu Yin still did not respond.

The man’s expression turned cold. “So Mr. Lu looks down on me. Fine, then there’s no need for me to introduce myself. In our civilization, slaughter needs no reason.”

With that, he stepped forward to confront the sourcebox array. He grabbed hold of his red umbrella, only to suddenly withdraw his right hand. The red umbrella remained in place, while the man’s hand now held a red sword that he slashed straight at the sourcebox array.

Within Canglan Valley, Lu Yin did not even look. He simply raised a hand and flicked a finger gently. As he did so, his terrifying force made the visitor feel as if he had fallen into ice water. His movement froze. Before he could even see what was happening, the finger-force pierced his shoulder, sending his body blasting away and smashing heavily against a cliff outside the valley.

The scene stunned all who witnessed it.

The man had not arrived alone outside of Canglan Valley. Others had already come close but had not entered the valley itself. They had been waiting for someone to issue the first challenge.

They had expected to witness a fierce battle, only for everything to end quickly and so easily.

Had Mr. Lu even attacked? No one had seen it. What had happened?

The challenger coughed up a mouthful of blood and stared at Canglan Valley in disbelief. Impossible. How could he have been defeated so easily? Even against Acting Sect Master Ba Yue or another Eightfold Crimson, he should not have lost so miserably. He had not even seen his opponent’s face, so how could he have already lost?

Cracks spread through the mountain. When the man fell, the entire mountain shattered. Only then did everyone see that a line of darkness had run through the entire mountain range. Some sort of power had passed through, completely piercing the void.

Such power was not particularly terrifying; the terrifying aspect was that it had been released in such a way that none of them had been able to see anything. This was a complete and total suppression.

Was the man really not an Immortal? Could the Sect of Dispassion have been playing with them?

The old man was also present, and he stared on in shock. He had trusted Ba Yue’s warning, so after learning about Canglan Valley, he had not rushed over to personally challenge Lu Yin. Instead, he had spread the news to the other Sixfold Crimson.

The most hot-tempered one had stepped forward, but his miserable outcome was hard to believe.

Was Ba Yue capable of unleashing such power?

The challenger left, clutching his shoulder, blood staining the corner of his mouth. He did not dare to say a single word and simply left at once. He had felt a gap that could not be bridged. It felt like he had just faced off against a monster.

The others glanced at one another, at the old man, and then at another middle-aged man. Both men were also Sixfold Crimson, but would either of them make a move?

After waiting another moment, the old man left.

Only that middle-aged man remained where he was.

Inside Canglan Valley, Lu Yin watched as fish swam past his feet. Smiling, he sprinkled in some food. His one move had been shocking enough. He wanted to see if any other Sixfold Crimson would dare to approach. The news should spread quickly.

Inside the Sect of Dispassion, Ba Yue averted her eyes, shock still lingering in her gaze.

One finger. He had just flicked his finger without any other power, and that had severely injured a Sixfold Crimson.

Battle techniques, abilities, innate gifts—everything had been rendered powerless before that single flick of a finger.

She stared intently in the direction of Canglan Valley. Even she could not have done that so easily.

This man was absolutely no weaker than her. He was undoubtedly an Aberrant.

Given Lu Yin’s strength, those other Sixfold Crimson might not dare to act. The only ones who were truly qualified to move were those two.

***

In a city filled with blooming flowers, music was the only other theme. Everyone sang and danced. It was a lively place.

Such liveliness was striking in the Crimson Starshade Civilization that cultivated the Path of Dispassion, but no one dared to act against this city. That was because it was ruled by Xie Man, the sole disciple of the Eightfold Crimson, Immortal Meiran Dan. Xie Man was also a Sixfold Crimson himself, someone who had reached the pinnacle of strength beneath the Immortal realm.

When walking the Path of Dispassion, some directed their dispassion towards themselves, while others directed it outwards.

Xie Man’s dispassion was directed at this city of flowers, at those who sang and danced.

One day, the old man arrived outside the city. He warily looked ahead, and spoke slowly. “Qiu Hui calls upon City Lord Xie.”

Music filled the city. As Qiu Hui’s voice drifted in, a woman opened her eyes and sat up from another woman’s lap. She peered into the distance, a smile tugging at the corner of her mouth. “Old thing, why are you here?”

Qiu Hui’s gaze crossed the city to meet her eyes. “City Lord Xie, it has been a thousand years since our last parting. How have you been lately?”

“I was fine, but with you here, I might not be anymore.” The woman sneered and waved casually. “Welcome our guest in.”

Her words prompted the music to grow louder. One woman after another walked out through the city gate, carpeting the ground with flowers as more petals drifted from the sky to welcome Elder Qiu inside.

Elder Qiu was not pleased by his reception at all. As he looked at those welcoming him, his expression grew even heavier.

This was a terrifying city, one that made all Crimson Starshades shudder.

He would not be fooled by the flowers and music. He looked to both sides of the road. The singers had empty eyes devoid of any sort of life. Those scattering the petals repeated a single motion, showing an equal lifelessness. They all shared one thing in common: deafness.

Yes. In this city, aside from City Lord Xie Man herself, everyone else was deaf. Their eardrums had been torn, not by Xie Man, but by themselves.

Anyone who was forced to listen to the same song day after day for centuries would eventually go numb. If one repeated the same action long enough, they were as good as dead.

That was precisely these people’s existences.

From the moment they entered the city, throughout their short, 100-year lives, the only sound that they ever heard was that one song. No one could endure it, and they would rather destroy their own eardrums and become deaf than listen any longer.

The entire city was a hell disguised with flowers. Aside from Xie Man, no one was truly happy.

Elder Qiu slowly walked over to Xie Man. She offered a faint smile as she sized him up. “Old thing, you’ve been living comfortably in the Sect of Dispassion, haven’t you? You saved Senior Ba Yue once long ago, and since then, you’ve had no worries for the rest of your life.”

Elder Qiu calmly looked at Xie Man. “Have you heard of what’s happened recently?”

Xie Man sneered. “What? Do you want to use me to test that Mr. Lu? Get lost. I’m not going.”

Elder Qiu frowned. “He’s from another human civilization, does not cultivate the Path of Dispassion, and yet was instantly granted the rank of Sevenfold Crimson. Are you really willing to accept that?”

Xie Man snorted. “Whether I accept it or not is the Sect of Dispassion’s business. What does it have to do with me? Old thing, I really admire how you came all the way just to sow discord. Your skin is truly thick.”

“This old man simply doesn’t want to see an outsider stepping over our heads.”

Xie Man shrugged. “No one can step over my head.”

Elder Qiu was about to retort, but he suddenly felt that something was off.

“Hahaha. Stop treating others like idiots. If you have time, go find Chu Songyun. That guy’s an idiot, so he matches you well. Go fool him instead. Get lost.” Xie Man contemptuously shooed the old man away.

His voice dropped. “Back then, your revered master slaughtered everyone in the Dispassion Valleys to become the strongest of her generation, eradicating an entire generation of our civilization. Now, this Lu Yin is clearly not an Immortal, and yet he’s a Sevenfold Crimson that’s set above your head. You can endure this, but your master surely cannot.”

Xie Man’s eyes snapped open. “Get lost!”

Helpless, Elder Qiu left the city and headed in another direction.

Xie Man watched him leave with a sneer. If not for Ba Yue, that old thing would have died long ago. How dare he try to trick her?

She raised her wine cup, but just as she was about to take a drink, a graceful figure stepped in front of her. Smiling, the figure walked closer, her smile almost identical to Xie Man’s.

Seeing who had arrived, Xie Man’s face turned pale. She quickly rose and offered a respectful bow. “Master.”

Everyone nearby retreated, but after only a few steps, they were all turned into bloody mist, and the air filled with blood qi.

Meiran Dan had arrived. Smiling, she walked up to Xie Man, reached out, lifted the woman’s chin, and took a light sniff. “A wonderful scent.”

Xie Man did not dare to resist at all. She would not be fooled by Meiran Dan’s smile; this woman’s viciousness was enough to give anyone nightmares.

“Xie Man, do you respect your master?”