Ji He quietly walked forward, and Lu Yin followed in the same silence. He just listened to the voice as he moved along.

He looked ahead. At the end of the water prison, someone was bound by chains, sitting cross-legged. At times he laughed loudly, and at other times he cursed. He looked utterly deranged as he glanced around everywhere. He was able to see all that happened below Baiquan Mountain.

This sourcebox array essentially created another world layered over the real one. The people inside were able to see the outside clearly, but those outside could not see inside, or even hear it.

No one knew how long this man had been imprisoned here for. It seemed he had something to say about everyone who visited Baiquan Mountain. He talked about how many times each person had visited and why they could not succeed. Unfortunately, those who were outside could not hear the man.

But he also seemed to take pleasure in it.

Ji He led Lu Yin to stand in front of the man. The cage remained between them as they watched in silence.

The man continued to shout and yell at those beneath Baiquan Mountain, but no one heard him. Suddenly, he lifted his head to look at Ji He and lunged for the man, trying to grab him. Chains bound the prisoner’s limbs, and they jangled with a harsh, grating sound. "Lower the difficulty for me! Lower the difficulty!"

Ji He calmly looked at the man. "Why should it be lowered?"

"These idiots cannot do it."

"What does their failure have to do with me? When I accept a disciple, must I accept even idiots?"

"No... When they cannot do it, I feel awful. Look at that kid. He has come 172 times. How sincere. Even I am moved. Are you not moved?"

Ji He sneered. "Don’t say 172 times. Even if he comes 10,000 times, as long as he cannot do it, I will not accept him. Rang Yu, since when are you so easily moved?"

Lu Yin looked at him. So he’s Rang Yu?

Rang Yu stared at Ji He. "Fine, don’t accept him, but at least eliminate his enemies for him."

Ji He remained indifferent. "That has nothing to do with me."

"Help a little! Watching this makes me anxious."

"It has nothing to do with me."

Rang Yu raged. "You cultivators of the Path of Dispassion have no humanity at all."

Ji He smiled. "Are you also not a cultivator of the Path of Dispassion?"

Rang Yu froze. He blinked, confused. "Me, the Path of Dispassion?"

Ji He said nothing.

Rang Yu looked away. He looked down at his hands, muttering to himself, "Me, the Path of Dispassion? The Path of Dispassion... Am I also following the Path of Dispassion?

"Yes, I am following the Path of Dispassion. Yes! The Path of Dispassion! Why should I care about him? Die! Die! All of you die! What does it have to do with me? Hahahaha. It is good if they all die. This bunch of idiots are useless, hahahaha!"

Lu Yin watched quietly. This man was insane. He had been imprisoned for far too long, and his personality had most likely split.

Ji He flatly stated, "This man’s name is Rang Yu. He lived during the era of the Nine Ramparts."

Lu Yin trembled. "The era of the Nine Ramparts?"

Ji He looked at Lu Yin. "Do you not want to learn about Jiu Wen? You can ask him."

Lu Yin’s eyes narrowed as he looked back at Rang Yu. "When was he imprisoned?"

"Not long after the end of the Nine Ramparts era, after this megaverse grew calm."

Lu Yin's gaze tightened. That was an awfully long time. Had the man really been imprisoned since then?

"Why?"

"He committed a monstrous crime. Do not pity him, as he deserves to die. You do not have much time. Ask quickly."

"If I ask, will he respond?"

"As long as your question is about Jiu Wen."

Lu Yin stared at Ji He intensely for a moment, and then turned back to Rang Yu. He was about to speak, but then paused and looked over at Ji He. "Why are you still here?"

Ji He froze. "What do you mean?"

"Please step outside."

"Ask your questions."

"If you are here, it will be hard for me to ask."

Ji He gave Lu Yin a strange look. "Everything that you want to know, I already know. What is there to avoid? Not only that, but this concerns Jiu Wen. It is a matter of our Crimson Starshade. I have even less reason to leave."

Seeing that Ji He refused to leave, Lu Yin felt troubled. If Ji He did not go, how could he investigate this man with karma? Ji He could certainly sense karma.

Lu Yin could not force Ji He to leave. The more that he insisted, the less willing Ji He would be to leave. Helpless, he looked at Rang Yu. "Some questions require technique. With you here, I cannot perform it, but that doesn’t matter. Stay if you want."

After speaking, Lu Yin took two steps forward and stared at Rang Yu. "Hey, do you remember me?"

Ji He's eye twitched. Has this man met Rang Yu before?

Rang Yu lifted his head to look at Lu Yin. The man’s stare was intense.

Lu Yin met that gaze.

"I've seen you," Rangyu mentioned.

Ji He frowned. Has he truly met Rang Yu? How is that possible? Has he lived since the Nine Ramparts era to the present?

Lu Yin's expression grew solemn. "I succeeded. I am not an idiot."

Rang Yu grinned. "Indeed, you are not an idiot. You are much better than that idiot beside you."

Ji He exhaled. So that’s it. Right, Rang Yu saw Lu Yin when he was down below Baiquan Mountain, when he threw a punch.

Lu Yin spoke slowly, "Since I am not an idiot, can I ask you something?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"I don’t remember."

"It’s about Jiu Wen."

Rang Yu's gaze tightened as he stared at Lu Yin. "Jiu Wen?"

Lu Yin nodded. "Jiu Wen."

"Hahahaha. Jiu Wen! I almost forgot that name. I am Rang Yu. You want to ask about Jiu Wen? Hahahaha! Fine, ask."

"What kind of person is Jiu Wen?" Lu Yin asked.

Rang Yu's eyes suddenly flared. "He is the most ruthless and cruel person in the entire cosmos!"

Lu Yin looked at Rang Yu. "How ruthless, and how cruel?"

Rang Yu sneered before he started to slowly share details of the past. Just as Ji He said, as long as it concerned Jiu Wen, Rang Yu would hold nothing back.

The Jiu Wen that Rang Yu described completely stunned Lu Yin. He finally understood what the old man’s Path of Dispassion truly meant.

At this same time, a figure appeared near Baiquan Mountain. It was none other than Jiu Wen himself. He looked at Baiquan Mountain, and a cold glint flashed across his eyes. He took a sip of wine and then slowly moved closer.

Inside the water prison, Ji He's expression changed. "This is bad! Jiu Wen is here."

Lu Yin did not react, and Rang Yu kept talking.

Ji He glanced at Lu Yin and then at Rang Yu. After hesitating for a moment, he turned and left.

Lu Yin silently listened. Only after Ji He left the sourcebox array did his expression ease. A spiral of karma coiled around his fingertips before shooting at Rang Yu, startling the man. "Karma?"

The spiral of karma pierced him, and Lu Yin started seeing Rang Yu's past.

The man had mentioned various things about Jiu Wen, and Lu Yin had also heard those accounts. Now, he wanted to see what had truly happened during the Nine Ramparts era. Jiu Wen, Rang Yu, and Crimson Starshade—there was just too much that Lu Yin wanted to understand.

There was no more suitable target than Rang Yu.

Upon being pierced by karma, Rang Yu's expression grew strange as he carefully observed Lu Yin. "No wonder you tried to send that idiot away; he doesn’t know that you’ve comprehended karma, does he? Interesting... Kid, help me leave, and I will keep this a secret for you."

Lu Yin agreed. "Fine. I’ll help you leave, because I also need to see the past through you."

"Hahahaha. Finally, someone who’s not stupid!"

***

Jiu Wen arrived on Baiquan Mountain at the same time that Ji He emerged. "Why are you here?"

Jiu Wen looked at Ji He. "Where is Lu Yin?"

"Why are you asking me?" Ji He shot back.

Jiu Wen stared at him. "He came here."

Ji He's eyes grew cold. "Are you monitoring me?"

Jiu Wen remained unfazed. "Where is he?"

"He left."

Jiu Wen frowned. "Left?"

"He left. If you want him, go look for him yourself."

"When did he leave?"

"Jiu Wen, I am not your subordinate, and neither am I your junior. I have no obligation to watch people for you."

Jiu Wen's gaze passed by Ji He to look at the back of Baiquan Mountain.

Ji He's heart sank. "Jiu Wen, leave my Baiquan Mountain."

Jiu Wen continued to stare into the distance. "He did not go there, did he? Ji He, I am warning you—that is the place that Ancestor Hong Xia cares about the most! If you allow someone to go in without permission, especially someone from another human civilization, you know what the consequences will be!"

Ji He's face fell. "I know. No one can get in. Leave."

Jiu Wen stared at Ji He intently. It appeared that the sect master had no intention of leaving. Ji He met the old man’s gaze for a while and then suddenly stepped aside. "Then go see for yourself."

Jiu Wen's expression shifted. He picked up a foot and stepped forward.

Inside the water prison, Lu Yin turned his head to look outside Baiquan Mountain. He could see the outside, but no one outside could see him. Even as an Array Grandmaster with his current strength, Lu Yin had not even been able to do anything more than sense the existence of a sourcebox array from outside. This sourcebox array was extremely formidable.

Jiu Wen was also unable to see the inside of the sourcebox array from outside.

Lu Yin stared at Jiu Wen as the old man’s eyes stared at the sourcebox array, as if piercing it to meet Lu Yin’s gaze.

Lu Yin clenched a fist. If he was discovered by Jiu Wen, what would the consequences be?

What Rang Yu had described left Lu Yin uneasy. Perhaps he would have no choice but to flee from Crimson Starshade entirely.

"Don’t panic. He doesn’t dare come in," Rang Yu said with a laugh.

Lu Yin looked at him. "He doesn’t dare?"

Rang Yu sneered. "This is Hong Xia's place, and he is Hong Xia's dog. He doesn’t dare to come in, hahahaha!

"Just keep watching. Karma is really interesting. You can see whatever you want. Human history exceeds anything you can imagine, hahahaha!"

With just a short bit of time, Lu Yin could not see much. By using karma to examine Rang Yu's past, it was indeed possible to see the splendor of the Nine Ramparts at their prime, but Lu Yin could not see everything. After all, Rang Yu had not been a top powerhouse during that era, so what Lu Yin could see was limited to Rang Yu's own affairs.

The more that Lu Yin saw, the more he was forced to suppress his rising bloodlust.

That was because Rang Yu, as Ji He said, was someone who deserved to die.

It could be said that this man had committed every possible sort of evil. Far too many innocents had died to his hand. On the other hand, when Lu Yin deliberately searched the man’s past for information about the great war that had destroyed the Nine Ramparts, there was surprisingly little: this man had stayed hidden.

He had avoided the war, clinging to life while hiding within Crimson Starshade. When the Nine Ramparts fell to ruin, he had launched a sneak attack, trying to kill an expert who had been preserving Crimson Starshade’s inheritance, just to ensure his own survival. Rang Yu did indeed deserve to die.

Even if he had stayed hidden, he had still experienced some of the war. At the very least, Lu Yin saw one of the strange Plume Immortal birds circling above Crimson Starshade during the Nine Ramparts era. He had seen a powerful expert soar into the sky to charge at the bird.

Jiu Wen left Baiquan Mountain. He really did not dare to enter the sourcebox array.

Ji He let out a breath, but he did not immediately enter the sourcebox array himself. He stayed outside, waiting to make sure that Jiu Wen was not watching. Only after that would he go back in, because Jiu Wen's gaze still occasionally swept over the area.

Far below, in the water prison, Lu Yin peered into Rang Yu's past. As he watched scene after scene of the distant past play out in karma, his expression kept changing.

He saw one of the massive Nine Ramparts, he saw Crimson Starshade collapse in defeat, he watched as some were thrown out to serve as bait, and he saw Rang Yu exhausting every possible means to escape. Lu Yin was able to recognize some of the enemies, but not all.

Karma kept piercing the man. Lu Yin did not know how long he could keep watching for. Suddenly, he stared hard at a scene from the past. Karma had revealed something unbelievable.