Published at 5th of June 2026 5:42 am

Chapter 4314: Rampart Warden

This chapter is updated by JustRead.pl

Lu Yin recalled that, when he had fled from the Crimson Starshade Civilization, the moment he said Obscura, Hong Xias attack had indeed hesitated. It had been instinctive. Was it pure instinct?

Some fears are unchangeable, like the very essence of life, Jiang Feng said.

Lu Yins eyes flashed. Could his breakthrough be related to the essence of life?

He thought of the Immortal Lord, who had always wanted to break free of the Plume Immortal Civilization.

For Hong Xia, he was already strong enough, so to truly cast off the shadows of his past, he had to break free from the essence of life itself. Only then would his fear diminish.

The man had survived because he had knelt in submission, but that exact incident might also be why he had failed to advance even a single step ever since.

Did anyone truly think that surrendering their dignity would be easy?

Some peoples presence might cover the world, but as soon as they submitted to another, that presence would vanish.

Green Lotus frowned. If he breaks through and resonates with three cosmic laws, then even if we wear down his twelvefold Path of Dispassion, we will still be no match for him. We cannot wait.

Also, you are too young. Who knows when you might break through?

This revealed Green Lotus and Jiu Wens own helplessness. They had waited for far, far too long for a suitable candidate to appear. One had finally appeared, only to be too young. The advantage was that he could act freely and interrupt Hong Xias breakthrough, but the problem was that there was no guarantee that they could actually kill Hong Xia.

According to the original plan, Green Lotus and Jiu Wen would join forces against Hong Xia; once the mans twelvefold Path of Dispassion was destroyed, they were confident that they could kill him. Hong Xias mirebound artifact had also been accounted for.

But the worst case scenario was exactly what had played out: Hong Xia had used his mirebound artifact to prevent Jiu Wen from acting, and Green Lotus alone could not overpower Hong Xia. If he could, there would have been no need for so much plotting; the Greater Sancte would have simply taken open action.

To prevent Hong Xia from breaking through, they had been forced to act, even with the risk of realizing the worst case scenario.

If Hong Xia knows that we exist, why has he never moved against us? Jiang Feng was puzzled by this, but then he immediately thought of the reason: Obscura.

Each member of Obscura was given a unique mission, and other members were not allowed to interfere.

Hui had been almost certain that Mister Mu had escaped to the Three Megaverses, but it had not been able to do anything for that exact reason. It had waited, frustrated for so many years in the Ninth Rampart, never daring to risk violating Obscuras rules.

Hong Xia was also a member of Obscura, and likewise, he could not act against this human civilization.

Having Green Lotus serve as one of his twelve anchors of the Path of Dispassion was already the limit of what Hong Xia could do.

What is a Rampart Warden? Awe Gate asked.

Green Lotus explained, Each of the Nine Ramparts represented one of nine great human civilizations. A Rampart Warden was the ruler of one of those human civilizations, the strongest being of that civilization.

Every Rampart Warden, as he continued, the mans expression became utterly reverent, Was at least as strong as Hong Xia is right now.

Everyone was shocked. Nine individuals with Hong Xias current strength?

No one knew exactly how strong that man was, but at the very least, Jiu Wen and Green Lotus, both of whom were Immortals who resonated with two cosmic laws, had no confidence in facing the man directly. They needed to rely on plots that encompassed an immense span of time, and in the end, Jiu Wen had even schemed himself right into a trap. Even then, there had been no direct confrontation.

One could only imagine just how terrifyingly strong Hong Xia was, and yet each of the Rampart Wardens had been at least as strong as Hong Xia. On top of that, there had been nine Rampart Wardens.

Only then did people understand what it meant to say that the Nine Ramparts had stood supreme in the cosmos. Human civilization had been a true behemoth, capable of sweeping away every enemy within the Aevum Inch.

Lu Yin held Obscura in very high regards, but even so, he did not believe that Obscura could trade blows with the Nine Ramparts.

It was no wonder why the fall of the Nine Ramparts had required many civilizations to join hands. Several of those civilizations were already known to them, and every last one was a fishing civilization.

Without reaching that level of strength, a civilization would not have been qualified to join the fight against the Nine Ramparts.

From Lu Yins point of view, Hong Xia felt close to Ancestor Shans level. If the man had possessed his Ramparts guardian mirebound artifact, he might even be capable of dueling Ancestor Shan. This was the kind of enemy that could force both Jiu Wen and Greater Sancte Green Lotus to plot against him.

Why were humanitys civilizations divided into the Nine Ramparts in the first place? Mister Mu did not understand. His own home megaverse had been the Ninth Rampart.

Green Lotus shook his head. Much of our past has already been lost. I asked Jiu Wen some of these questions, but during the Nine Ramparts era, he was only an ordinary young cultivator. He did not have any knowledge of the deeper matters. At present, there are only two people who have some knowledge of what happened during that era.

The first is Hong Xia. He was already a top expert during the Nine Ramparts era. It was precisely because he plotted against Hong Shuang, the Rampart Warden of the Second Rampart, and sold out his own civilization that a breach opened in the Nine Ramparts.

The second is Rang Yu.

Lu Yins eyes instantly sharpened. Rang Yu?

Green Lotus met Lu Yins gaze. You have met Rang Yu, and you should have seen quite a lot from his past through karma, but you did not have much time. If you could see Rang Yus entire life, then even if you could not see all of the Nine Ramparts, you would at least be able to see several clearly.

Rang Yu was Hong Xias greatest enemy in their youths, and he also became one of Hong Xias twelve anchors of his Path of Dispassion.

Lu Yin understood. Its no wonder why Rang Yu was imprisoned in such a miserable state. He suffered a torture worse than death until his mind split apart.

Green Lotus replied, The person that Hong Xia hated the most throughout his entire life is Rang Yu. Rang Yu was not especially powerful during the Nine Ramparts era, but he did clash with Hong Xia multiple times. The details of that conflict are known only to Jiu Wen, and even when Jiu Wen and I meet, we do not dare to say much about Hong Xia. A powerhouse of his level can sense things too easily.

In short, one of Hong Xias twelve anchors of his Path of Dispassion is forgiving Rang Yu.

Everyone was shaken. Forgiving?

Green Lotus nodded. To forgive Rang Yu is to abandon past hatred. Tell me, when a person truly forgives their greatest enemy, are they good or evil?

That question left everyone silent.

While people considered the act of letting go of the past to be virtuous, even if someone could set their resentment aside, could they truly clasp hands and laugh with a former enemy? Even ordinary gruges were hard enough to let go of, let alone a deep one.

If Rang Yu was Hong Xias most hated enemy, then one could only imagine what he had done.

If he had been forgiven, then Rang Yus imprisonment was not revenge; it was Hong Xia ensuring that one of his twelve anchors of his Path of Dispassion persisted. The man was being kept alive yet prevented from speaking with the outside world.

Lu Yin had seen Rang Yus past and knew exactly what kind of person he was. There was no need for Lu Yin to guess what the man had done; it must have been extremely cruel. If it had been done to Lu Yin, he would never be able to forgive the man. To forgive such a person would be to betray ones past self.

In doing so, Hong Xia had betrayed his former self and thus created one of the twelve anchors of his Path of Dispassion.

Green Lotuss voice dropped low. Over the years, Jiu Wen has long since discovered all twelve of Hong Xias anchors. It was only possible because Hong Xia trusted him and did not hide any of them.

The twelve anchors of Hong Xias Path of Dispassion are as follows: plotting against Rampart Warden Hong Shuang, remaining indifferent as the Crimson Starshade Civilization was massacred, kneeling before an enemy, abandoning his hatred toward Rang Yu, sacrificing the mirebound artifact, killing Hong Yao, Ji He, He Xiao, Xi Shangfeng, Bing Xu, Meiran Dan, and finally me.

This is Hong Xias twelvefold Path of Dispassion.

Just as how people can serve as anchors of the Path of Dispassion, so too can events.

Lu Yins eyes flickered. The Blood Tower mirebound artifact? Wasnt that made for him by Jiu Wen?

Every human skin was added to it under Hong Xias gaze. He did not act solely to avoid increasing his karmic chain, but his state of mind was the anchor of the Path of Dispassion, and it was anchored to the Blood Tower Grove.

Then why was the Blood Tower connected to Xi Shangfeng?

That is likely one of Hong Xias tricks to protect himself against Jiu Wen, but Jiu Wen saw through it long ago. It was precisely because the Blood Tower was with Xi Shangfeng that Jiu Wen came up with the idea of sitting inside it. That was also his resolve.

Greater Sancte Blood Tower felt vexed. Blood Tower, Blood Towerit sounded just like his name, which felt all wrong.

Jiang Feng asked, Who is Hong Yao?

Green Lotus replied, Hong Xias favorite disciple. One could even say that he is the person that Hong Xia favored the most, much like the relationship he once had with Hong Shuang.

Everyone was horrified. He had that kind of relationship with Hong Shuang?

Green Lotus sighed. If not, how could he have plotted against the Second Ramparts Rampart Warden? Jiu Wen and I spent so much time plotting against Hong Xia, and yet we still were unable to truly crush him. Back then, it was no easier for him to plot against Hong Shuang than for us to plot against him. However, Hong Xia saw things more clearly than we did. He knew that, to plot against Hong Shuang, only Hong Shuang herself could do so.

Emotions are what cut the deepest.

Werent they cultivators of the Path of Dispassion? Mister Mu did not understand.

Green Lotuss gaze grew complicated. In the past, the Path of Dispassion was not the same as it is now. Lu Yin, you cannot accept the Path of Dispassion that people like Bing Xu cultivate. Do you think that the other human civilizations of the Nine Ramparts could have accepted it?

Lu Yin understood. The true Path of Dispassion distinguishes between right and wrong.

Greater Sancte Green Lotus nodded. Correct. The Path of Dispassion distinguishes between right and wrong. That was the true Path of Dispassion of the past. The current Path of Dispassion had been led astray by Hong Xia. To win his trust, Jiu Wen simply went all the way into the darkness. In truth, while Bing Xu and the others acted cruelly, they were merely born to the Path of Dispassion of the current age. In that environment, they had no other choice.

I am not saying this to excuse them. Some peoples evil is in their very bones. One can only say that the current Path of Dispassion has released that evil.

Everyone listened in silence. The more they learned, the more they were amazed by the Nine Ramparts era. It was no wonder why Ancestor Shans tone had changed whenever he mentioned it.

He had not dared to provoke Obscura, let alone the Nine Ramparts of the past.

There was once a saying in Crimson Starshade, Green Lotus recalled, Crimson Starshade follows the Path of Dispassion, yet Hong Shuang alone was the most compassionate!

Hong Shuangs compassion and Crimson Starshades dispassion were, in Jiu Wens words, the hallmark of that era. But in the end, Hong Shuang was betrayed, and by the person she loved most.

Her life and death remain a mystery. She also took the Ramparts guardian artifact away, which was the start of Hong Xias destruction of the Second Rampart.

Lu Yin fell silent. Hong Shuang? If this was accurate, then she truly had not been qualified to be a Rampart Warden. However, he did not know the details of the situation back then. It was possible that her compassion had left her wounded and unable to deal with Hong Xia. After all, Lu Yin did not truly understand the Path of Dispassion.

Suddenly, he remembered a scene that he had witnessed when seeing memories in the Willbound Spire. He had seen a woman in red turning her back to everything to disappear into the depths of the Mirari Realm.

A woman in red a woman in red Could that be Hong Shuang?

Lu Yin looked towards the Tianyuan. The Mirari Realm was still there. Had it been her or not?

Countless heroes once rose from Crimson Starshade. Us moving against Hong Xia now is something born of necessity, as we fear that he may break through. According to Jiu Wens speculation, its possible that, when many civilizations allied to destroy the Nine Ramparts, their reasoning was the same as ours for striking at Hong Xia.

Lu Yin was surprised. They feared that the Nine Ramparts would grow even stronger?

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