Everyone was stunned. That had been Ji He's voice. Mr. Lu? Wait, could it that person be the Mr. Lu who beat Bing Xu into a miserable state?

The Ortuser’s back was instantly soaked through. He had actually made a move against Mr. Lu. Thankfully, that man had not taken offense.

But what was that man doing at Baiquan Mountain? Bing Xu and Ji He were very close.

It was rather barren below Baiquan Mountain. This was likely due to the fact people were there year round and that they had trampled the forest flat. However, the scenery at the top of the mountain was quite nice.

Ji He sat alone on the mountain’s peak, his expression calm. He looked quite different from how he had appeared before.

Lu Yin sat down across from him, and Ji He looked up. "Have you thought it through, Mr. Lu?"

Lu Yin nodded. "I do not want to end up like those disciples of his."

Ji He smiled. "Jiu Wen is absolutely not what you think you have seen. The Sect of Dispassion was founded by him. Those Dispassion Valleys, and the rule that everyone in each one must die for one to enter the Sect of Dispassion, also came from him. He is more ruthless than anyone else here. You would not even know when he killed you. I can even tell you with certainty that he resonates with two cosmic laws."

Lu Yin's eye twitched. "Two?"

Ji He nodded, extremely wary. "He is a terrifying powerhouse who has lived since the era of the Nine Ramparts. If not for Ancestor Hong Xia keeping him in check, Crimson Starshade would currently be far more brutal and blood-soaked than what you have seen so far.

"Bing Xu and the others cultivate the Path of Dispassion to erase their own humanity, but that does not affect the civilization as a whole. In contrast, every move that Jiu Wen makes affects our entire civilization."

"And Ancestor Hong Xia doesn’t intervene?" Lu Yin asked.

Ji He shook his head. "My master is Crimson Starshade's foundation. He cannot act lightly. Moreover, Jiu Wen is very powerful, so even if my master can suppress him, the price would not be small, and the one to ultimately pay would end up being Crimson Starshade."

Lu Yin gave a bitter smile. "I did not expect it to be like this."

From the start, he had despised Bing Xu and the others due to their lack of humanity. And yet, it turned out that Jiu Wen was the same.

Ji He, who might have been the one scheming against him from behind the scenes, was now sharing the truth with Lu Yin. Of course, Ji He was no different from the other Immortals.

Lu Yin stared at Ji He. "And you aren’t afraid that Jiu Wen will come after you?"

Ji He smiled. "Just like how my master refrains from causing trouble for Jiu Wen out of concern for his strength and the cost to himself, Jiu Wen likewise fears my strength and the cost to interfere. So, it is unlikely he will trouble me.

"In truth, I did not see through Jiu Wen at first, not until his disciples' clans were exterminated. Then, everyone finally saw him clearly," Ji He spoke with apprehension, "Jiu Wen is more ruthless than we ever imagined."

Lu Yin agreed. "He’s certainly ruthless enough."

Ji He stared at Lu Yin. "If you do not want your civilization to be controlled by Jiu Wen, help me. Help me reach Jiu Wen's level. I will ensure that your civilization remains yours and that they will never need to cultivate the Path of Dispassion. Do not forget—I still have my master, and I also have my junior disciple-brothers."

Lu Yin frowned but said nothing.

"Mr. Lu, didn’t you come here because you have thought things through?" Lu Yin’s stubborn silence somewhat irritated Ji He.

Of course Lu Yin wanted to take Ji He to the Human Trio, but once there, would Ji He still have any say in things?

Jiu Wen was ruthless, but Ji He was no good either.

But it was not yet time. Once Ji He was taken away, Jiu Wen would realize Lu Yin’s position, and it would no longer be easy for him to return to Crimson Starshade again. Not only that, but Lu Yin would also have to face that unfathomable Ancestor Hong Xia.

Frustration was plain in Lu Yin’s voice. "I am willing to take you to my civilization, but will Jiu Wen let you leave?"

Ji He sneered. "He cannot stop me."

"But then I will never be able to return to the Crimson Starshade Civilization again."

"Do you care about this civilization? If you do not cultivate the Path of Dispassion, this civilization will never interact with your own."

Lu Yin rubbed his forehead, still hesitating, thinking about how to pull more information about Jiu Wen out of Ji He.

The sect master’s actions were too strange, and there was no reasonable explanation for them. He would not take such actions on his own without a reason.

Ji He said in a low voice, "It seems that you still do not understand Jiu Wen's ruthlessness. You already know that he exterminated his own disciples' clans. Jiu Wen's attitude toward you will be completely different from before. What sort of contact do you plan to still have with him?"

Lu Yin said, "Perhaps there is a misunderstanding." 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

Ji He raised an eyebrow. "There is no misunderstanding."

"I still don’t quite believe that."

"You..." Ji He did not even know what to say. "Think this through. Only I can take you back to your civilization. Otherwise, you should not ever think of leaving."

"I will lose the wager."

"That still means revealing the coordinates to your megaverse. You will not be able to leave."

Lu Yin met Ji He's gaze. "I can leave."

Ji He’s voice grew heavy. "You absolutely cannot leave. Jiu Wen will not let you leave this place. When your own civilization is certain to come into contact with Crimson Starshade, that will be when he forces your civilization to cultivate the Path of Dispassion. At that point, countless Dispassion Valleys will sprout up in your homeland."

"Didn’t you say that he doesn’t care?"

Ji He sneered. "He does not care, but we will force him into contact with your civilization."

Lu Yin's eyes turned cold. "You will force him?"

"There’s no need to be angry. Each takes what they need."

"So you remain the root of it all." Lu Yin's fingers moved slightly.

Ji He's gaze grew sharper. "This is the Path of Dispassion."

The sky above Baiquan Mountain grew dark. An invisible pressure left the people down below unable to speak. Although nothing had visibly changed, they instinctively felt fear.

"Mr. Lu, you are not thinking about making a move, are you?" Ji He spoke slowly, completely unconcerned. "The fact that you were able to defeat Bing Xu exceeded my expectations, but the gap between Immortals can be immense."

Lu Yin took a deep breath, as if suppressing his irritation, and glanced into the distance. "You are convinced that you have me cornered."

"Do not put it so harshly. I am also helping you. I said it the first time we met, the one when I saved was you. This is the third time."

Lu Yin nodded. "I believe you. Fine, I will take you to our civilization."

Ji He let out a breath. "When do we depart?"

"After I break through to the Immortal realm."

Ji He stared at Lu Yin blankly. "When?"

Lu Yin was very serious. "After I break through to the Immortal realm."

"You are joking with me, right?"

"Do I look like I’m joking?"

Ji He's gaze turned heavy. "How long will it take you to break through to the Immortal realm? It is not even guaranteed for you to complete that breakthrough."

"Are you really that impatient?"

"Aren't you afraid that Jiu Wen will suddenly butcher you?"

Lu Yin said, "That won’t happen. You won’t let him kill me."

Ji He wanted to say something, but nothing came out.

This was a correct deduction. Ji He was forcing Jiu Wen to find Lu Yin’s civilization, which was in turn forcing Lu Yin to make a choice; this was using Jiu Wen to pressure Lu Yin. But now, Lu Yin was using Ji He to restrain Jiu Wen. Even if Jiu Wen wanted to kill Lu Yin, Ji He would not agree because he wanted to go to Lu Yin’s civilization.

Ji He could threaten Lu Yin, believing that he had caught Lu Yin, and Lu Yin could likewise use the situation in reverse against Ji He to keep the Immortal trapped in his hand.

At that moment, Ji He felt as if he had lifted a stone only to smash his own foot.

His voice dropped low. "Time waits for no one. Once Jiu Wen uses an entire civilization that cultivates the Path of Dispassion to break through and reach the same level as my master, no one will be able to help you."

Lu Yin was puzzled. "Who says that Jiu Wen will definitely kill me?"

Ji He said, "I told you, you do not understand Jiu Wen at all."

"Then let me understand."

"Why must you break through to the Immortal realm?"

"How can I know whether you’ll attack me after taking me into the Aevum Inch? At least here I remain safe. Did you not say that the gap between Immortals can be enormous?"

"You..."

Lu Yin did not even look at Ji He. He wanted to negotiate? How many times had he already conducted such negotiations?

Taking a deep breath, Ji He suppressed his irritation and stared at Lu Yin. "Do you truly want to understand Jiu Wen?"

"Don’t be ridiculous."

Ji He said, "Fine. I will let you understand him. Come with me."

With that, the man started walking in a certain direction. Lu Yin's eyes flashed. He would finally learn something.

Baiquan Mountain was not as ordinary as it appeared to be. There was a sourcebox array present, and it was no ordinary sourcebox array.

Lu Yin had never seen a sourcebox array with such a miniscule aura. At first glance, even he had nearly been fooled by Baiquan Mountain.

Ji He led Lu Yin to the summit of Baiquan Mountain, and then he slowly, solemnly, raised his hand.

The void opened like a gate, layer upon layer peeling back, only to vanish an instant later. It was like a breeze passing by, leaving behind barely any evidence that quickly dispersed.

Ji He did not turn around as he spoke in a somber tone, "Do not tell anyone that you have been here."

He then looked back at Lu Yin, his eyes more serious than ever. "Remember, not anyone."

Lu Yin was puzzled. "What is here?"

"You will know when you see it. Let me remind you again: do not tell anyone that you have been here, or both you and I will be in trouble," Ji He reiterated.

Lu Yin's eyes flickered. This likely had to do with Ancestor Hong Xia. After all, not even Jiu Wen could make Ji He this wary and even a bit fearful.

He followed Ji He in silence. The two of them descended straight into the void, leaving no trace behind at all.

Lu Yin arrived in another space. It was not a parallel universe or a place outside of the current universe, but rather a strange space created by a sourcebox array.

He looked around. He saw Baiquan Mountain, as well as the many people striking the mountainside, punch after punch. He saw flowers, birds, fish, and insects, as if separated from them by nothing more than a thin curtain of light. Then, his perspective shifted, and he also saw a dark, profound water prison that stretched far into the distance.

One moment, he was looking outside, and the next, he looked deeper inside. Two completely different spatial layers overlapped, yet they remained distinct and separate. This was the effect of the sourcebox array.

Lu Yin's expression grew heavier. This sourcebox array was quite impressive.

"Who built this place?" Lu Yin asked curiously.

Ji He said, "Ancestor Hong Xia."

Lu Yin was not surprised. The only one who could make Ji He so wary had to be Ancestor Hong Xia. This ancestor actually turned out to be a master of sourcebox arrays.

Looking closely, Lu Yin quickly became certain that Ancestor Hong Xia's mastery of sourcebox arrays surpassed his own, and not by a small margin at that. Still, the gap was not so vast that Lu Yin did not know what he was looking at.

He was very curious about this sourcebox array and wanted to understand it, but every sourcebox array was a secret of the Array Grandmaster who created it. Unless the Array Grandmaster taught it, it was impossible to learn how to arrange a sourcebox array just by looking at it, unless the gap between the observer and the arranger was enormous.

There was a gap, but Ancestor Hong Xia was the one who surpassed Lu Yin. There was absolutely no chance that Lu Yin could learn this sourcebox array by merely studying it.

Suddenly, a wild laugh rang out. "Hahahaha! Idiot! You throw out ten parts of force while keeping nine—of course you would injure yourself. Each and every one of you is so stupid! How could you possibly do it? Hahahaha!

"Eh? This kid has some substance. Kid, hold back a bit more and then erupt at the end. Yes, like that! Slowly, be patient. Do not rush. Do not rush... You idiot! You failed again! You have tried sixteen times, have you not? How are you still so stupid?

"And you. You have come 172 times, yet you fail every time. What are you still trying for? Run away first. Run away and then talk. Do you not see that your enemies have already locked onto you? Run, quickly..."

...