Xie Man hurriedly knelt down. “Of course I respect you, Master. Without you, there would be no me today.”
Meiran Dan looked down at her. “You cultivate the Path of Dispassion, and yet you still speak of respect?”
Xie Man trembled and did not dare to speak further.
“That Elder Qiu understands how to respect his master better than you do. At the very least, he knows what amuses me.”
Xie Man’s eyes tightened. “This disciple understands. Your disciple will go right away.”
Meiran Dan smiled. She reached out with a foot, hooking it on Xie Man’s chin and pulling her face upwards while smiling down at her. “The more I look, the more captivating you are. Remember, you belong to me.”
With that, the woman vanished.
Xie Man panted hard as sweat dripped from her forehead. Her expression slowly transformed into a ferocious one. Her rage was directed not at Meiran Dan, but rather at Elder Qiu. If that old thing hadn’t said those words, Master would not have appeared!
Sooner or later, she would kill him.
She took a deep breath, stood up, and stared into the distance. Lu Yin? Let’s see how capable you really are.
Elsewhere, Elder Qiu sought out Chu Songyun. Chu Songyun was also a Sixfold Crimson, but despite being an independent cultivator, he was easy to find.
“You are the child blessed by our civilization. The Path of Dispassion values ruthlessness, and you were born with your heart closed off, making you both dispassionate and loveless. You have cultivated smoothly until now, but before you could break into the Immortal realm, you have been surpassed by someone from another civilization. Do you not want to force him down?”
“Not interested.” Chu Songyun was a young man. His indifferent expression and ordinary features belied his extraordinary bearing.
Since his sudden rise, countless people had wanted to take him as their disciple. Even the Sect of Dispassion had tried to recruit him, only to be refused.
The man had never participated in the slaughter of the Dispassion Valleys, nor had he ever accepted any master. He roamed the land alone. The methods of the Path of Dispassion were known throughout all of Crimson Starshade. When one’s mind was able to separate from all emotions, it meant that they had stepped onto the Path of Dispassion. Realistically, whether one joined the Sect of Dispassion meant little.
Chu Songyun enjoyed wandering around their civilization, getting involved in nothing, but he was impossible for anyone to ignore.
Elder Qiu had gone to Xie Man first and then Chu Songyun because he knew that, compared to Xie Man, Chu Songyun was even less likely to act without someone taking the initiative against him.
“He is also a Sixfold Crimson, and yet he was heavily injured by a single strike of that Mr. Lu, and it was impossible to even see how he attacked. Are you not curious about what his true level of strength might be?” Elder Qiu was unwilling to let things go. He did not know why he was so fixated on this matter. Even if Chu Songyun and the others defeated Lu Yin, what benefit would it bring the old man?
Perhaps he simply wanted to see how strong Lu Yin truly was. Perhaps it was an obsession, but more likely, it was resentment that had gathered after so many years of failing to become a Sevenfold Crimson.
The old man did not need to know his own reasons. At the moment, he only wanted to drag that Mr. Lu down.
But Chu Songyun did not care.
Elder Qiu looked at the young man’s back. “He comes from another human civilization, one that walks a different path of cultivation. Do you truly not care?”
Chu Songyun paused and turned to look back at Elder Qiu. “A civilization that walks a different path of cultivation?”
Elder Qiu nodded. “He does not cultivate the Path of Dispassion, and yet he possesses such strength. It is even said their civilization has Immortals. That means that his civilization must have another cultivation path.”
Chu Songyun pondered for a moment. “Lead the way.”
Elder Qiu let out a breath. No one truly cared about nothing. Chu Songyun had refused to join the Sect of Dispassion because he did not want to walk the Path of Dispassion, which was his civilization’s cultivation path. Even so, the man had been born with his heart tightly sealed off. Even if he did not cultivate the Path of Dispassion, his mastery of it would only continue to deepen. He wanted to break free, but he could never break free in this place.
Lu Yin’s arrival had offered Chu Songyun a glimpse of hope.
Many people could see what Chu Songyun was thinking, but no one would help him. He had been born perfectly suited for the Path of Dispassion, and he was forced to cultivate it.
Even though Ba Yue did not cultivate the Path of Dispassion, she could not possibly help Chu Songyun.
Elder Qiu led Chu Songyun to the outside of Canglan Valley. At this moment, many people had gathered nearby, either watching openly or from the shadows. What surprised Elder Qiu was that Xie Man had also arrived. She stood beneath the shattered mountain range and was staring forward blankly.
“City Lord Xie, why are you here?” Elder Qiu asked.
She turned to look at the old man, not concealing the killing intent in her eyes. Elder Qiu was confused, not knowing what had happened.
Xie Man looked at Chu Songyun again and raised an eyebrow. “Are you going to act?”
Chu Songyun looked towards Canglan Valley. “We will see.”
Xie Man sneered. “For so many years, you have only acted when forced. It’s unusual for you to take the initiative. Should I let you go first?”
Chu Songyun fell silent, staring at the sourcebox array outside Canglan Valley. Did this sourcebox array also come from another human civilization? He hoped that it would not disappoint him.
“City Lord Xie, why have you come here?” Elder Qiu asked, curious.
Xie Man shot Elder Qiu a cold glance. “Old thing, you go first.”
Elder Qiu froze. “Me?”
“Did you not bring us here? What? You want to hide behind others?” Xie Man’s gaze grew even colder.
Elder Qiu shook his head. “I am old. I no longer have the ability to act. You should do it.”
“Nonsense. You have done so many filthy things, but now you want to step back and push others forward. Do you think we are idiots?” With that, Xie Man raised her red umbrella and held it horizontally between Elder Qiu and herself. “Today, you will act, whether you want to or not.”
Elder Qiu’s expression turned ugly. What was this supposed to mean? If he wanted to take action, he would have done so long ago. He knew that he could not block Lu Yin’s strike, so how could he act? Would that not be seeking death?
Recalling the previous strike and seeing the shattered mountain range, the old man grew more determined. “If you do not want to act, then just leave on your own, City Lord Xie. I did not force you, and regardless, I will not step forward.”
“You!” Xie Man was enraged. Her eyes grew icy as she glared at Elder Qiu.
This old man was determined not to act.
Helpless, she turned to Chu Songyun, suppressed her anger, and put on a sweet smile. “Brother Chu, will you act?”
Chu Songyun remained silent.
Xie Man maintained the smile while leaning in. “Brother Chu, this little sister admits that her strength is inferior to yours. If you won’t make a move, then your little sister has even less of a right to make a move, doesn’t she?”
After saying that, she even blew a breath at Chu Songyun. He finally looked at her. “Men and women should not touch each other. Show some restraint.”