Hong Xia was not the only one wary of that individual; Lu Yin and the others were also worried. No one knew what that being’s purpose for exposing Hong Xia’s betrayal of the Second Rampart might be.

It was possible that they held a private grudge against Hong Xia, or perhaps they sought to weaken humanity as a whole.

The parts that were seen were not frightening; the terrifying part was what remained unseen.

Their opposition to Hong Xia seemed to stem from Jiu Wen and Green Lotus’s plotting, but the truth was that everything had been triggered by that hidden presence behind the scenes. But they also had no choice. Even if that being was scheming against humanity as a whole, they still had to act. Hong Xia could no longer be considered a part of human civilization’s strength; he did not care whether humanity lived or died, and he might even destroy a human civilization at any time. Such a traitor was far more terrifying than any external enemy.

Their actions were intended to lower Hong Xia’s overall strength and prevent a possible breakthrough. This was something that Jiu Wen and the others had no choice but to pursue, while it was also the visible goal of that hidden presence.

They had no choice, and neither did Hong Xia.

“Even if this wasn’t a test, we can’t let Hong Xia think that we’re afraid of him.” Lu Yin looked at Green Lotus and Old First. “We need to take a trip to Crimson Starshade.”

Old First raised a brow. “What do you mean? Are you going to provoke him again?”

“We’re just going to say hello. Since he’s already left, he won’t come back to attack us again.”

Green Lotus looked at Old First. “Actually, I think he’s rather wary of your presence.”

Every Seven-Treasure Anura had a flawed personality, and Old First was no exception. He initially seemed to be the most impressive of the Seven-Treasure Anuras. However, just like how Old Fourth, Old Fifth, Little Eighteen, and the others all had their own obsessions, Old First should have one too.

After their brief clash with Hong Xia before, Lu Yin had realized that Old First cared about face.

It wasn’t that he feared anyone, but rather a question of who feared him.

After hearing that, the thick black aura that covered Old First’s body started to slowly recede. “Wary of me?”

Green Lotus somberly explained, “I have fought him on several occasions, and he has wanted to kill me during every battle. However, the moment you appeared, he stopped attacking. Of course, this may be because he fears you and I joining forces or even that being who remains hidden behind the scenes. However, you can’t deny that the Seven-Treasure Anuras must have left their own legends in the Nine Ramparts era. It’s very possible that he fears you even more.”

Old First silently stared off into the distance. “Lu Yin, what do you think?”

“Last time, he clearly didn’t recognize you, but you must have left an impression on him. This time he recognized you, and he even immediately mentioned the Seven-Treasure Anuras. That means that he’s remembered your species from an old memory. My guess is that Ancestor Shan left a profound impression and legends of his own during the Nine Ramparts era, which is why he fears you,” Lu Yin said, “Also, don’t forget, Senior: Ancestor Shan went to Vestigium.”

Ancestor Shan had gone to Vestigium because of Old Second’s death. The ancient toad had wanted to destroy Vestigium, but he had not dared to enter and had instead remained outside.

Lu Yin knew this, but Old First and the others only knew that Ancestor Shan had caused trouble for Vestigium.

“Obscura fears Ancestor Shan. Since Hong Xia is a member of Obscura, as soon as he remembered who you are, he naturally thought of Ancestor Shan. It’s normal for him to be wary of you, especially due to how terrifying your strength is. You even broke free after being trapped by a Darksky Seal. The Blacklight Civilization was a fishing civilization, and yet they still couldn’t do anything to you. It’s only natural for Hong Xia to fear you.”

Old First gazed into the distance. After hearing everything that had been said, he finally spoke up. “Let’s go take a look. As if I’d be afraid of him.”

Lu Yin and Green Lotus exchanged looks. They had found the trick to communicating with Old First.

Hong Xia was in the process of returning to Crimson Starshade, but he could not move nearly as fast as teleportation.

Lu Yin took a slight detour, adding two extra teleports to avoid Hong Xia while still arriving at Crimson Starshade first. His gaze swept through the megaverse. Rang Yu was gone. What a pity. Lu Yin had wanted to take that man away.

Lu Yin took a deep breath and spoke with a voice that echoed across the universe. “People of this civilization, listen: I am Lu Yin of human civilization. You should all know who I am.”

Throughout Crimson Starshade, countless people looked up. Mr. Lu?

From within the Sect of Dispassion, Ba Yue stared into the distance. Lu Yin?

Chu Songyun was standing outside the Sect of Dispassion’s main hall, and he also peered into the distance.

In Floral City, Xie Man had been in a panic ever since Mei Ren Dan had been captured. Hearing Lu Yin’s voice, she instantly lifted her head.

Elder Qiu, the Lian family, and countless others all turned their eyes to the sky.

At this moment, Crimson Starshade fell utterly silent. Only Lu Yin’s voice remained. “Hong Xia betrayed the Second Rampart. He is the greatest traitor in human history. He does not care whether humanity lives or dies, and neither does he care about your lives. He even tried to use the lives of everyone here in Crimson Starshade to force Senior Jiu Wen to die. Senior Jiu Wen is now sitting inside the Blood Tower, but whether he can ultimately save you... no one knows.”

Countless expressions grew complicated. Even those who cultivated the Path of Dispassion still cared about whether they lived or died, and they had heard the earlier exchanges. They knew that Ancestor Hong Xia did not care about their lives at all.

“If you want to live, come with me. I cannot take all of you away at once, but if you stay in contact with one another, I will continue to return to take batches of you away, again and again, in order to preserve as much of Crimson Starshade’s inheritance as possible.

“Your inheritance will develop within our megaverse in the future. There, Hong Xia will no longer be able to influence you. I, Lu Yin, guarantee equal treatment for all.”

In outer space, within the Blood Tower, Jiu Wen showed a smile of relief. He could hear the sincerity in Lu Yin’s words. He had badly feared this young man would be biased against them because of the Path of Dispassion.

The Path of Dispassion distinguished between right and wrong; that was the true Path of Dispassion. The current Path of Dispassion had only been led astray in order to cater to Hong Xia.

Jiu Wen had sinned against the current era of Crimson Starshade. His death was warranted, but Crimson Starshade itself was not guilty. They should not be dragged to death with him.

Greater Sancte Green Lotus appeared in front of the Blood Tower and looked at Jiu Wen.

Jiu Wen met the other man’s gaze. “You’ve fought him?”

Green Lotus nodded. “Unfathomable.”

Jiu Wen chuckled helplessly. “He’s too cautious. If not, I would have been one of the ones to face him.

“Tell that child everything we’ve inferred. Human civilizations may look like they are advancing, but in truth, we are all treading on thin ice. One wrong step will send us straight into the abyss. We cannot afford that.”

Green Lotus nodded.

Lu Yin then appeared along with Old First. He looked at Jiu Wen and slowly bowed. “I was disrespectful to you before, Senior. I ask for your forgiveness.”

Jiu Wen replied, “You cannot be blamed for what you did. What crime could there be? Instead, this old man has brought trouble to you. Hong Xia can only be left for you to deal with.”

Lu Yin gave a bitter smile. “Senior, you think far too highly of me.”

Jiu Wen smiled. “When Green Lotus first mentioned you, I already knew that you were the most suitable candidate. In fact, you are even more outstanding than we expected. You only lack time. If you had enough time to cultivate, all of us would be nothing but ants.”

“Senior, you flatter me.”

“Mr. Lu, do you still remember what this old man said when you first joined Crimson Starshade?”

Lu Yin grew puzzled. “Senior, you mean...?”

Jiu Wen’s expression turned solemn. “You accepted the Sevenfold Crimson robes, which means that you are of Crimson Starshade. If you one day betray Crimson Starshade, Crimson Starshade will fight you to the death. It does not matter if you flee beyond the megaverse or to the very edge of the cosmos itself. No matter how much time may pass, even if all living creatures perish, Crimson Starshade will hunt you for eternity and use your corpse as tribute to our forebears.

“Hong Xia has betrayed Crimson Starshade. As a part of Crimson Starshade, this old man will exhaust every method possible to hunt him down.”

The old man then bowed low to Lu Yin. “Unfortunately, this old man’s strength is insufficient. I ask you, Mr. Lu, to eradicate the traitor and obtain justice for Crimson Starshade. Get justice for the Nine Ramparts.”

Lu Yin stared at Jiu Wen in a daze. The words that had been spoken that day had never been intended for Lu Yin. At that moment, Jiu Wen had been making his resolve clear.

This was the will of Crimson Starshade.

The cosmos shook. Hong Xia was approaching. Jiu Wen’s face grew solemn. “Go, quickly.”

Lu Yin nodded. He took a long look at Jiu Wen, but just as he was about to leave, Ba Yue arrived behind him. “Take me with you.” 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

Lu Yin did not hesitate. He left with Ba Yue, also taking Chu Songyun and those from Canglan Valley who had remained in the Sect of Dispassion away.

Ba Yue was one of the rare people in Crimson Starshade who did not pursue the Path of Dispassion. The fact that she had managed to become an Immortal without cultivating that path was exceedingly rare. Leaving her behind would only allow Hong Xia to use her.

After all, Ji He could not be harmed, which meant that the only Immortal that Hong Xia could use was Ba Yue. By taking her away, there were no longer any Immortals in Crimson Starshade that Hong Xia could use.

Additionally, Chu Songyun’s natural talent was truly exceptional. Lu Yin feared that the man might become another anchor for Hong Xia’s Path of Dispassion. Not only that, but Chu Songyun also yearned to go to the Human Trio and carried deep respect for Lu Yin. There was no reason not to take him.

No sooner had Lu Yin left than Hong Xia arrived. He first glanced at Jiu Wen and Xi Shangfeng, and then at the Sect of Dispassion. ...Where is Ba Yue?

In the past, the woman had not been important. In Hong Xia’s eyes, she was just another Immortal, and her only use had been to push He Xiao into the Immortal realm.

However, with not a single Immortal under his command, Ba Yue had become crucial to Hong Xia. He could not do everything personally. Without Ba Yue, all of those below him, even the Sixfold Crimsons, possessed little value.

“Where is Ba Yue?” Hong Xia stared at Jiu Wen.

The old man said nothing, so Hong Xia looked at Xi Shangfeng.

Xi Shangfeng rarely spoke. He had pursued the method of extreme pain when cultivating the Path of Dispassion, focusing his dispassion internally to the extreme. That was why he had been chosen to serve as the master of the Blood Tower. Confronted with Hong Xia at this moment, while Xi Shangfeng could not resist his fate of being connected to the Blood Tower, he could still choose not to speak.

The man did not feel any sort of hatred or reverence towards Hong Xia. Xi Shangfeng was simply dispassionate. That extended to others, just as it did to himself. He was like a piece of cold iron.

Even if these two refused to speak, Hong Xia could simply ask others.

He soon understood what had happened, and his gaze swept through the megaverse. He saw that countless people were touching one another, hoping to be taken away by Lu Yin.

Given the innumerable population of an entire megaverse, the chances of any individual being taken away was vanishingly small, but people still hoped to leave this megaverse. Hong Xia had said that he would destroy it, and people did not doubt his resolve.

His expression turned ice-cold, and his voice reached every corner of the megaverse. “You want to leave? Fine. However many people Lu Yin takes away, I will choose the same number from those remaining behind and are touching each other to kill.”

His words sent terror through countless people. Many instinctively let go of the hands that they had been holding.

However many were taken away, just as many would be killed! They could not be certain that they would be taken away, but they also could not be certain that they would not be killed. This had become a gamble with their lives.

Many continued to hold firm, determined to leave, but even more gave up. They would not leave. If they stayed, they might die or live, but the odds of being taken away were too low. And if someone else left and they became a scapegoat, it would be beyond tragic. As long as there was uncertainty, they would not dare to take such a risk.

Hong Xia understood human nature all too well. Not even the Path of Dispassion could change human nature.