This time, Ba Yue did not refuse Lu Yin. There was nothing in the forbidden region, only the Path of Dispassion everywhere.

The moment they entered the forbidden region, the Path of Dispassion rushed towards him and almost made Lu Yin feel suffocated. He could sense how formidable this power was. The stronger one was, the more clearly they would sense this, whereas someone like Ba Yue would not be able to feel nearly as much.

Lu Yin looked ahead. The sky above and the ground below were both entirely red. This red was different from the bloody red of the Dispassion Valleys. This was the true Path of Dispassion, which distinguished between right and wrong and possessed humanity. He had once considered cultivating the Path of Dispassion to perfect his own state of mind, but he had never had the chance.

Step by step, they walked through the forbidden region, with Ba Yue guiding their way. They followed the straight path and walked in one direction, but they eventually emerged from the forbidden region. Looking back, they saw nothing.

Lu Yin found this strange. He had clearly seen the red-clad woman enter this forbidden region. The Path of Dispassion still filled the area, so why could he not find her? This made Lu Yin think of Hui. That creature had searched the Ninth Rampart for so many years, but despite the cauldron mirebound artifact clearly being in that megaverse, Hui had never found it.

The karmic forbidden region was strange, so Lu Yin believed that this forbidden region could not be simple either. Despite that, it appeared to be eerily simple.

Was it possible that only those who cultivated the Path of Dispassion could attempt it?

Lu Yin brought Chu Songyun into the Mirari Realm. While the man did not want to cultivate the Path of Dispassion, he had always done so. He had been born a genius in regards to the Path of Dispassion.

Chu Songyun was very willing to comply with Lu Yin’s request, and he had no intention of refusing. He entered the forbidden region without hesitation. But after walking around once, there was still nothing. Unwilling to accept this result, Chu Songyun went in again and again, over and over, but the results were always the same.

Lu Yin sighed. "Perhaps she’s left, only leaving this power of the Path of Dispassion behind."

Ba Yue agreed. "The forbidden region is only so big, unless we cannot see the whole thing."

Lu Yin’s heart stirred. Cannot see the whole thing?

He opened Heaven's Sight and searched for a while, but aside from Ba Yue, Chu Songyun, and a small number of cultivators who took turns cultivating in the Mirari Realm, no one else looked at him. More specifically, no one looked at him from within the forbidden region.

If Hong Shuang were in the forbidden region and could see him, Heaven's Sight would definitely detect her gaze.

"Forget it. Let us go." Lu Yin left the Mirari Realm with Ba Yue and Chu Songyun.

The moment they exited the place, Chu Songyun knelt down, asking to become Lu Yin’s disciple.

"You want to take me as your master?" Lu Yin asked.

Chu Songyun respectfully replied, "I beg you, sir, please grant this request."

"I am much younger than you."

"Seniors are those with greater achievements and mastery. I beg you, sir, to grant this request. If I can become your disciple, I will surely become a blade for this civilization and tread the path of our forebears. Even if I die, I will have no regrets."

Lu Yin looked at Chu Songyun. He actually found the man fairly agreeable. When they had been in the Crimson Starshade Megaverse, Chu Songyun had obeyed Lu Yin’s every word, even before he witnessed Lu Yin’s true strength.

At that time, he had not even considered accepting the man as a disciple, but at this moment, it was not impossible.

Crimson Starshade needed to be inherited, and the truth was that Chu Songyun was the most qualified heir. The fact that he wanted to cultivate a path beyond just the Path of Dispassion did not mean that Chu Songyun had to step away from the Path of Dispassion. He had been born in Crimson Starshade with his heart naturally sealed off; he would never be able to completely escape from the Path of Dispassion.

Accepting Chu Songyun as a disciple would essentially be a means of soothing Crimson Starshade.

Even more exceptional was the fact that Chu Songyun’s gaze remained clear. In the current Crimson Starshade Civilization, the man might as well be someone who had risen from the mud without a single stain. Also, he did not shrink back even when facing the strong.

Lu Yin nodded. "Fine. I will accept you as my disciple."

Chu Songyun was overjoyed. "Thank you, Master."

Lu Yin’s voice carried across the Heavens Sect. "Pass down my order: in three months, I will hold a disciple-acceptance ceremony. I want Crimson Starshade to see this."

The Tianyuan Megaverse instantly erupted at the news that Lu Yin was accepting another disciple, and one from the Crimson Starshade Civilization at that. This announcement instantly sparked countless discussions.

The entire Heavens Sect grew busy. It would not be difficult for them to let the Crimson Starshade Civilization witness the ceremony; they merely needed to record it on a jade slip, which Lu Yin could then throw into the Crimson Starshade Megaverse. From there, it would be widely disseminated.

He wanted everyone in that civilization to know that, even if they were not in the same megaverse, they were still a part of humanity and that there were no differences between them. As one of the figures who stood at the peak of the Human Trio, accepting a Crimson Starshade cultivator as his disciple was a blunt statement of Lu Yin’s attitude.

Ku Wei, Hui Can, and Tuo Lin all received the news and immediately rushed back to the Heavens Sect.

Their master was accepting another disciple, so of course they could not miss it. Especially when they heard that the newest disciple was someone capable of fighting against even Immortals. Clearly, he was very strong, and they could not miss this event.

At the very least, in front of countless people, they had to let him know who his senior brothers were. They could not let him use his strength to bully his seniors who were younger than him.

On the other hand, Tuo Lin’s thoughts were quite simple: if his master accepted another disciple, then he had gained another family member.

Three months passed quickly. One day, the Heavens Sect was extremely busy. Countless cultivators gathered from all across the Tianyuan, and there were also many from the Nine Odysseys Megaverse and the Spirit Nidus, all of whom had cultivated in the Tianyuan for a long time. Everyone gathered in the Heavens Sect.

Ever since it had been reestablished, the Heavens Sect had faced countless major, history-changing events. They had seen war, executions, expeditions, and more.

Even if the current celebration was only Lu Yin accepting a disciple, it was not at all an insignificant event.

The Three Realms and Six Daos, the Three Suns and Six Rulers, and the Outer Eight Paths all arrived in the Heavens Sect. Outside of the sect, the Pridebeast and the Megalith took up a vast area, looking impressive and intimidating. Countless eyes watched from farther away, many of them old acquaintances of Lu Yin’s. 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

More and more people gathered, and their conversations grew animated.

Someone in the crowd calmly observed the scene. Long ago, he had also been dazzlingly impressive, to the point where people had not even been able to look at him directly. Yet that glory had been as fleeting as the bloom of an epiphyllum. No one mentioned him anymore, and even when they did, it was only in mocking regret.

But none of that mattered. He had changed. He knew how childish he had once been. No matter how far he had fallen, he was still a member of the Lu family, a genius who had awakened the innate gift of teleportation, unmatched by anyone. One day, he would stand before Lord Lu again and openly call him Seventh Bro.

A vast bell rang out. From the bottom of the Stairway to Heaven, Chu Songyun looked up at the figures standing on either side of the stairs.

He had been in the Trio for some time, and he had met multiple powerhouses. By this time, he had essentially met all of the Tianyuan’s most powerful individuals beneath the Immortal level.

Before coming to these megaverses, he had held certain expectations in regards to cultivation, but in his heart, he had never believed the Human Trio could surpass Crimson Starshade.

However, after arriving, he found reality to be completely different. Crimson Starshade only had the Path of Dispassion, while the Human Trio had more than one civilizational cultivation path.

They had spirit seeds, stellular energy, consciousness, and even Mr. Lu’s creation, the Nirvana Tree Path. It could allow cultivators to fight above their realm, almost elevating their strength by an entire tier.

All that Chu Songyun had learned completely upended his understanding of the Trio, and all of this was not even mentioning how many Immortals there were.

Additionally, they had more than just one or two cultivators who had reached the pinnacle of strength beneath the Immortal realm. While some would not have been able to reach that level of power in normal circumstances, the Nirvana Tree Path had allowed them to become peak powerhouses. Chu Songyun himself had fought a few such experts and been able to do nothing to them.

Compared to the Crimson Starshade Civilization, the Human Trio seemed more like the inheritor of the Nine Ramparts’ legacy. It appeared to be the true human civilization.

Finally, Chu Songyun was going to become one of Mr. Lu’s disciples. His new master was one of the most revered figures in the Trio. This day would change Chu Songyun’s entire life.

Lu Yin stepped out atop the Stairway to Heaven and looked down.

The tolling of a bell rang throughout the Tianyuan. Beneath countless fervent, envious gazes, Chu Songyun stepped onto the Stairway to Heaven and climbed up, step by step. He passed one cultivator after another. Among them were Ku Wei, Hui Can, Tuo Lin, and Yan Ruyu. Despite being Lu Yin’s disciples, they could only stand at the very bottom of the Stairway to Heaven, as their seniority was too low.

Chu Songyun walked up the stairs, meeting the scrutiny of countless eyes from both sides with a calm expression. "Disciple Chu Songyun pays his respects to his master."

Lu Yin looked down. "Chu Songyun, from this day onward, you are my disciple. As your master, I will not demand that you be invincible under heaven, nor that you be the strongest throughout history. I merely hope that, on the day our human civilization encounters danger, you can serve as a blade of our civilization and charge to the front. In doing so, you will not betray my expectations."

Chu Songyun excitedly replied, "Your disciple will engrave these words in my heart!"

"Rise."

"Thank you, Master."

Lu Yin reached out a hand. From his fingertips, specks of green light fell towards Chu Songyun. "Today, I will pass to you the Nirvana Tree Path, the branches of which blossom into myriad forms."

Chu Songyun’s eyes blazed. This was another cultivation path. He had waited a long, long time for this moment.

As the green lights entered his body, he trembled, and changes took place within him. A great tree took root. It sprouted, and its rising branches blossomed into myriad forms. The Nirvana Tree Path was a path of fusion that did not conflict with what one had cultivated before. However, as the Nirvana Tree Path appeared within Chu Songyun, confusion appeared in his eyes.

Scenes from the past flashed before his eyes. He saw his birth and how his heart had been naturally sealed even then. He saw his hatred for the Path of Dispassion. His hatred of everyone’s coldness, their selfishness, and of those Dispassion Valleys. He had longed to leave that megaverse, longed to walk a different path of cultivation.

The Nirvana Tree Path took root, and another cultivation path appeared within Chu Songyun. However, what was this sudden sense of reluctance? Was it his own reluctance, or was it his body’s reluctance?

Why would he have such emotions? He clearly hated the Path of Dispassion. So why? Why?

Everyone nearby noticed that something was wrong with the man.

Lu Yin stared at him and saw the confusion in the man’s eyes as all kinds of different emotions flashed through them. Lu Yin’s hand rose, and he pointed forward. Chu Songyun’s body shook, and the great tree that had sprouted within him abruptly froze. He heard Lu Yin’s voice in his ears. "Everyone has a path they should walk. Chu Songyun, see your heart clearly. See yourself clearly."

Chu Songyun blankly stared at Lu Yin atop the Stairway to Heaven. He was so towering, so immense. The Nirvana Tree Path that his master had created was the best cultivation path; many people had already cultivated it. It should be the best, so why was he so reluctant to step away from the Path of Dispassion?

The Path of Dispassion had not disappeared but merely merely merged into the Nirvana Tree Path, so why was there this reaction?

Lu Yin studied Chu Songyun. What a domineering Path of Dispassion! As expected of the Second Rampart’s legacy; it refused to be placed beneath any other power.

The Nirvana Tree Path was capable of fusing all powers, but when it met the Path of Dispassion, it encountered resistance. That was because the Path of Dispassion refused to fuse. The Path of Dispassion was the Path of Dispassion. Regardless of right or wrong, the Path of Dispassion could only be the Path of Dispassion.

This was the pride of the Second Rampart.

If Chu Songyun insisted on cultivating the Nirvana Tree Path, his Path of Dispassion would disappear. He would not be able to retain the Path of Dispassion that he had cultivated so far, even though it was not what he wanted.

It all came down to what he chose.

In truth, Chu Songyun hated the Path of Dispassion, so he should choose the Nirvana Tree Path without hesitation. But if things were that simple, Immortals would have filled the cosmos long ago.

A person’s true heart was the hardest thing to settle. The Path of Dispassion was not wrong in and of itself; it was only that, by the time it had been passed down to the current generation, it had gone astray and led its cultivators down the wrong path. However, the Path of Dispassion that Chu Songyun cultivated had always followed its true nature. He was not wrong.

Even though he had not cultivated during the era of the Second Rampart, he was still walking the correct path.