Lu Yin stared at Ji He with cold eyes, but the Immortal just sneered. "It’s no wonder how a mere piece of bait was able to survive and even inherit a legacy. You are not only inferior beings, but also despicable ones."

He met Lu Yin’s stare. "If you had not fled back then and had instead lured the enemy away, the Nine Ramparts might not have been destroyed. However, you inferior beings clearly chose to run.

"Jiu Wen, why wager with such inferior beings? Just capture him and force him to share the coordinates of his megaverse so we can bring that entire human civilization over. There will certainly be cultivators suitable for the Path of Dispassion. Even if their mastery cannot match our Crimson Starshade’s, it will still be better than doing nothing. They can also serve as training targets for our people."

Ba Yue looked at Ji He and then at Lu Yin. Were his people really bait that had fled? That did sound reasonable. Otherwise, when even the Nine Ramparts had been destroyed, how could mere bait have survived and even retained a legacy?

Jiu Wen said, "There is no need to dwell on matters of the distant past. Regardless of what has happened before, humanity should now unite."

As he spoke, he looked at Lu Yin. "Ji He’s words are unpleasant, but humanity truly should work together. What do you think, Mr. Lu?"

Turning to face Jiu Wen, Lu Yin found this entire conversation rather interesting. These people were making it sound as if his civilization owed the Crimson Starshade Civilization something. "Our wager isn’t over yet."

He had not forgotten that, when he had first met Jiu Wen, the old man had neither shown guilt, nor even acknowledged that Lu Yin’s civilization had been used as bait. Jiu Wen had acted as if the entire thing had been a routine matter, and he had even promised compensation. That indifferent attitude had been remarkably similar to Ji He’s.

All of these people cultivated the Path of Dispassion. There was no difference between them.

Jiu Wen remained calm. Ji He frowned, his tone icy. "There is no wager. Either you reveal the coordinates, or..." Killing intent flashed in his eyes. "I will force you to reveal them."

Lu Yin smiled. "Very well. Come try."

Ji He clenched a fist, and his bloodlust surged even though he was also highly wary. This young man was very strong. Ji He himself could not easily tear free of Bing Xu’s Umbrella Dominion.

Ba Yue glanced at Ji He. The fact that he had not attacked immediately was proof that even he lacked the confidence to deal with Mr. Lu. Anyone who knew Ji He also knew that, if he were confident, he would have struck long ago, not caring about Jiu Wen at all.

Ji He was one of Ancestor Hong Xia’s disciples, which meant that the other Immortals would always support him. Thus, his continued hesitation revealed his wariness.

"Enough, Ji He. Whatever you intend to do can wait until after our wager." Jiu Wen’s tone changed, becoming the same one that he had used to drive Bing Xu off. The old man was serious now.

Ji He was already wary of Lu Yin, so when Jiu Wen revealed his stance, the man retreated accordingly. "Fine. Since our sect master insists on honoring this wager, then I will not interfere. However, if the wager is lost, the sect master will also have to pay a price. I will report this matter to my master."

After speaking, the man turned and vanished.

Once Ji He was gone, Ba Yue let out a breath. This matter had finally come to an end. She had not expected things to escalate so far as to even draw out Ji He.

Wait, perhaps Ji He was also behind Bing Xu.

Ba Yue was not the only one to have that suspicion; Lu Yin naturally did as well. When Jiu Wen had taken him to meet Crimson Starshade’s various Immortals, only Ji He had been excluded, supposedly because he had been in seclusion. It was conveniently coincidental that he had appeared at this time, already fully informed about everything concerning Lu Yin.

Bing Xu was merely the blade, though Lu Yin intended to break that blade.

"There are eighty years left. You will lose this wager," Jiu Wen stated as he looked at Lu Yin. "One group has already been drawn into the Sect of Dispassion while another group has died. As long as we recruit about a thousand more, it will be enough."

Lu Yin replied confidently. "You will not be able to recruit those thousand."

Jiu Wen chuckled. "If more than half die, you will still lose."

Lu Yin’s gaze flickered. "You knew that people from Canglan Valley were being killed."

Jiu Wen took out his wine gourd. "Our wager only stipulates that members of the Sect of Dispassion cannot act. I never gave Bing Xu any instructions, so this matter has nothing to do with me."

"You simply did not help," Lu Yin said.

Jiu Wen smiled. "That is your matter."

Lu Yin looked deeply at Jiu Wen. "Ji He will still act against my people from Canglan Valley, won’t he?"

"That much is certain," Ba Yue interjected.

Lu Yin understood and also thought of what to do. "If Ji He had actually attacked me just now, what would have been the final results?"

Ba Yue looked at Lu Yin in surprise. What does he mean by that?

Jiu Wen took a sip of wine. "You would have faced a war between civilizations."

Lu Yin nodded and left.

Ba Yue said, "Sect Master, Ji He will not let him go, but relying on Ji He alone does not seem like enough to deal with Lu Yin."

Jiu Wen sighed. "Young people are becoming more and more impressive. Old things like us should have been eliminated long ago."

With that, he staggered off back towards the megaverse.

The battle had ended, but its impact was immense. Lu Yin had defeated Bing Xu, and not just barely. It had been a crushing defeat that had shattered the understanding of countless people within the Crimson Starshade Civilization. It was the first time that they had truly witnessed Lu Yin’s strength.

The fact that Lu Yin had both overwhelmed Bing Xu in sword mastery, which was the Immortal’s own forte, and torn open his Umbrella Dominion was absolutely unbelievable. Because of this battle, no one dared to provoke the people from Canglan Valley anymore.

The person that Bing Xu had sent to orchestrate the deaths of people from Canglan Valley had met a miserable end. As a result, no one else dared to act against them, not unless they had the backing of another Immortal who was even stronger than Bing Xu.

The people of Canglan Valley breathed a sigh of relief. They believed that they could rest easy now. Who would risk being killed by Mr. Lu just to deal with them?

However, they soon received notice that they were to return to Canglan Valley.

Everyone believed that this summons would cause Canglan Valley, as well as the Sect of Emotions, to transform and that the sect would hundreds of thousands of disciples overnight. It looked like it was on the verge of gaining the million cultivators that rumors claimed had been mentioned during the earlier gathering.

However, the entire group was immediately sent into the Sect of Dispassion by Lu Yin himself, leaving countless people dumbfounded.

Lu Yin’s reasoning was simple; Jiu Wen had made it very clear that the people of Canglan Valley would be targeted and even killed. That was far more efficient and faster than trying to lure them into cultivating the Path of Dispassion. If that did happen, then even his Dao Sword could not do anything.

After all, the Dao Sword could not revive the dead.

The only solution was to send everyone from Canglan Valley into the Sect of Dispassion. No one would dare to attack them there. As long as they stayed within the sect for the remaining eighty years, it would suffice.

Ba Yue gave Lu Yin a strange look. "Are you sure that you want to leave them all in the Sect of Dispassion?"

"If not there, where else could they be safe?" Lu Yin asked in return.

"This is the Sect of Dispassion, where the Path of Dispassion is cultivated. No matter how firm the beliefs of your Canglan Valley people might be, by coming here, then let alone eighty years, but just ten years will be enough for them to change."

Of course Lu Yin knew this. In fact, many of the people from Canglan Valley had not initially been lured in but had been deceived into entering the Sect of Dispassion. After staying there for just a few years, they had switched to cultivating the Path of Dispassion. This was the influence of the environment and the prevailing momentum of the civilization. Here, even in their dreams, one would be indoctrinated with the Path of Dispassion. Persistence was impossible.

"There is no choice. That old bastard Ji He will definitely find a way to kill my people from Canglan Valley."

Ba Yue asked, "Then why not gather them in Canglan Valley and protect them?"

Lu Yin sighed. "Doing that would remove all meaning from the wager. Do you think that I alone can withstand the pressure of the entire Crimson Starshade Civilization? No matter how strong I might be, I can’t do that. I can only use this wager to force the Crimson Starshade Civilization to stay silent. If I truly lose this wager, then it means that the Path of Dispassion is the way forward for everyone."

He looked at Ba Yue. "My purpose was never to reject the Path of Dispassion without reason. I simply believe that the Path of Dispassion is not suitable for everyone."

Ba Yue stared at Lu Yin, understanding his meaning. The wager was secondary, and his attempt was the greater purpose. The true goal of the wager was not to completely separate his own civilization from Crimson Starshade, but rather to find a way for them to coexist.

The way she looked at Lu Yin changed. This was someone worthy of respect.

Lu Yin left. Ba Yue truly believed him. No matter how long those people stayed in the Sect of Dispassion, he had already planted the Dao Sword within them. For the youths who had only cultivated for twenty years, the karmic cost of planting the Dao Sword in them was minimal. Once the wager period ended, the Dao Sword would activate, completely severing the Crimson Starshade Civilization from his own civilization and preventing the spread of the Path of Dispassion.

That was the ideal outcome, but would Crimson Starshade truly honor the wager? At the very least, Ji He would not acknowledge it, and not even Jiu Wen could represent the entire Crimson Starshade civilization. Would the old man himself even abide by the wager?

Lu Yin’s excuse could deceive Ba Yue, but not Jiu Wen. However, the century-long wager was merely a way for Lu Yin to buy himself more time. Within these hundred years, he intended to understand Crimson Starshade on a deep level, as well as gain a clear picture of the relationship between Jiu Wen and Greater Sancte Green Lotus.

No one knew that Jiu Wen had long since known of Lu Yin’s civilization.

Upon returning to Canglan Valley, Lu Yin slowly sat down. "Please sit."

Across from him, someone appeared and slowly took a seat. It was Ji He.

When Lu Yin had taken the people of Canglan Valley to the Sect of Dispassion, Ji He had already been present. That was why Lu Yin had returned to Canglan Valley; Ji He was waiting for him.

"Clever, but this is nothing but a waste of time. Your people cannot endure the Path of Dispassion. That is the Sect of Dispassion," Ji He said, his voice filled with a subtle mockery.

Lu Yin looked at the man. "There is no choice, since someone is breaking the rules. Here, the rules will not support me at all."

Ji He looked at Lu Yin. "It’s good that you know that. Some words are unpleasant, but remain true. Do you prefer unpleasant truths or pleasant falsehoods?"

"Both."

"Hm?"

Lu Yin calmly explained, "When I’m in a good mood, I like to hear pleasant lies to make things even better. When I’m in a bad mood, I like to hear unpleasant truths."

His eyes suddenly locked onto Ji He. "Then I find someone to vent on."

Ji He laughed. "You harbor deep hostility toward me."

"My people of Canglan Valley cannot die for nothing."

"This matter has nothing to do with me. It was that idiot Bing Xu who did it."

"Only him?" Lu Yin stared at Ji He.

Ji He nodded solemnly. "Only him."

Lu Yin met the man’s gaze for a moment, and then looked away. "Why are you here to see me?"

Ji He said, "You are a smart person. You are guaranteed to lose this wager. Here, you will never win. That means that, sooner or later, the human civilization that you come from will inevitably converge with ours. If you do not wish to see your civilization inundated by the Path of Dispassion, you can make some preparations."

Lu Yin was stunned by these words, and he looked back at Ji He. "You want to help me?"

"I told you the first time we met that I was saving you."

Lu Yin found this amusing. "And your reason?"

"Let me go to your civilization."

"You want to control my civilization." Lu Yin’s eyes instantly grew sharp.

Seeing this reaction, Ji He felt reassured that the civilization this man came from was certainly not strong. While Ji He did not believe that there was truly only one Immortal, Lu Yin’s reaction proved that, even if there were more, his civilization was absolutely not powerful.