Enlightenment

At this moment, Ju Hua could not help but feel a myriad of emotions.

The clan leader's attitude was clearly much friendlier than before, and the banquet tonight was likely held for his sake; there was no need to even mention the purpose behind inviting the two guest Loose Immortals.

After all, under normal circumstances, as the leader of the Zhuanshui Clan, Zhuanshui Qing would have no reason to concern himself with two Loose Immortals from outside the clan.

The reason for such a change was likely because Zhuanshui Qing believed he had the potential to become a million-year Loose Immortal. A million-year Loose Immortal possessed strength comparable to an ordinary Celestial Immortal, so their status was naturally different.

The Zhuanshui Clan likely already had such figures within its ranks, but they were completely beyond Zhuanshui Qing's reach; even the average Celestial Immortal ancestor would not easily be able to command such individuals.

In truth, Ju Hua was entirely capable of becoming a million-year Loose Immortal.

Setting aside his currently abnormal talent, his displayed potential alone made it highly promising for him to reach that level. Those who could live for a hundred thousand years were generally considered top-tier Loose Immortals, and with Ju Hua's current strength, living another four or five hundred thousand years would be no issue. If he could achieve another major breakthrough, he might completely transcend the limits of a top-tier Loose Immortal and reach the level of a million-year Loose Immortal.

Whether an ordinary Loose Immortal could achieve a major breakthrough was hard to say, but in Zhuanshui Qing's eyes, Ju Hua was a genius who had attained such strength after only three hundred years of cultivation; it would be no surprise if he achieved another breakthrough one day.

It was likely that not only Zhuanshui Qing thought this way; the defeated Zhuanshui Pingqiu who had already left, and the two guest Loose Immortals who were currently flying over, probably held the same thoughts.

Under the invitation of Zhuanshui Qing, the several Loose Immortals on the Jueshui Platform soon flew away together, and the Zhuanshui clansmen surrounding the area also dispersed on their own.

To some, this battle was too distant, and they had only come to watch the spectacle, but in the eyes of others, this battle was not as simple as it appeared on the surface.

"Zhuanshui Ju Hua and Zhuanshui Pingqiu fought on the Jueshui Platform; neither side could best the other, yet Zhuanshui Pingqiu voluntarily conceded. There must be a hidden reason for this; it must be reported to the family immediately." This thought surfaced simultaneously in the minds of many spies from rival clans of the Zhuanshui.

Zhuanshui Qing was, after all, the leader of the Zhuanshui Clan; the banquet he prepared was very lavish. Not to mention the fine wine and food, the batches of beauties brought in to perform left Ju Hua feeling dazzled.

Before his tribulation, he had been single-mindedly focused on the Dao, and to ensure he could undergo the tribulation in peace, no one in the clan had dared to disturb him, so he had truly seen very little of such scenes.

As the banquet neared its end, Zhuanshui Qing smiled and said, "These are all beauties offered by small tribes; they are of no use to me! If you or the two fellow Daoists have taken a fancy to any of them, feel free to take them away!"

"Since the clan leader is so generous, then I shall not stand on ceremony!" The elderly-looking Daoist Duohe waved his hand, and in an instant, a woman in a purple dress fell into his arms.

Ju Hua did not see any dejection on the woman's face; instead, she wore an expression of surprise, as if she had won a grand prize.

Perhaps, to this woman, being able to follow a Loose Immortal was a more joyous thing than remaining here as a dancing girl for Zhuanshui Qing.

After Daoist Duohe made his choice, the other, Daoist Changjing, did not stand on ceremony either; he waved his hand and selected a young girl in white.

"What about you, clansman?" Zhuanshui Qing turned and asked.

"Many thanks for your kindness, Clan Leader!" Ju Hua cupped his hands and said, "However, I am single-mindedly focused on the Dao, and I fear there is no place in my heart for these women."

"Why be so serious? They are merely playthings," Zhuanshui Qing said with a shake of his head and a smile.

"..."

Ju Hua frowned slightly, but he said nothing more.

"Haha, since you are unwilling, then I shall not force you!" Zhuanshui Qing waved his hand, signaling for the remaining beauties to withdraw.

Zhuanshui Qing did not take the matter to heart; in his view, Ju Hua was just a newly ascended Loose Immortal who had yet to face reality. After a few tens of thousands of years, he would come around.

He remembered that when he had first failed his tribulation, he had been in a similar state, but later...

Zhuanshui Qing did not dwell on it, and soon, he was once again smiling and exchanging cups with the Loose Immortals present.

After the banquet ended, Ju Hua bid farewell to Zhuanshui Qing and the other two Loose Immortals, then headed straight for his residence without a moment's delay.

When Ju Hua returned to his dwelling, his younger sister, Zhuanshui Qiu, was sitting on the threshold waiting for him.

"Big Brother, you're finally back!" Seeing Ju Hua, Zhuanshui Qiu ran over impatiently.

"Little sister, how old are you now? Why are you still so restless?" Ju Hua smiled and ruffled Zhuanshui Qiu's hair.

"I was worried about you!" Zhuanshui Qiu pouted. "I heard you dueled with Immortal Pingqiu on the Jueshui Platform today. Were you hurt?"

"Of course not!" Ju Hua laughed. "How could I possibly be hurt?"

"Why not?" Zhuanshui Qiu retorted. "Big Brother, you just woke up from a coma!"

"..."

Ju Hua was speechless; he had no answer for that.

"Can't say anything now, can you?" Zhuanshui Qiu made a face, then continued, "Does Big Brother want to eat something? I made a lot for you!"

Without waiting for an answer, she pulled Ju Hua toward the courtyard.

Ju Hua had no choice but to follow, but looking at his sister's back, he could not help but think of the large group of women from other small tribes he had seen at the clan leader's place earlier.

Those small tribes were weak and could only rely on the Zhuanshui Clan; the women in their tribes could only be sent over to be played with.

He and his sister were lucky to be born into a great clan like the Zhuanshui, but the Zhuanshui Clan was only notable within the Great Xia World; what if they were within the Three Realms?

"I cultivate the immortal path; in the past, it was only for longevity and the Dao! Now I understand, is the purpose of my cultivation really as simple as just longevity?" This thought could not help but surface in Ju Hua's heart.

However, Ju Hua did not notice that, silently and imperceptibly, the heart-force that had only recently been born within him began to grow.

After eating the food his sister had prepared and chatting with her for a while, Ju Hua returned to his room.

Once inside, he did not do anything else; he sat cross-legged and began to cultivate.

Unable to become a Celestial Immortal, he had reached the end of the path of Qi refinement. At this moment, Ju Hua was naturally not practicing Qi refinement; he was actually cultivating the Crimsonbright Diagram of the Nine Heavens!

When Earth Immortals undergo their tribulation, those who sense they cannot survive can preserve their lives by fleeing in time. Some Earth Immortals are more fanatical, preferring death and the annihilation of their souls over retreat, while others, unwilling to risk a desperate struggle, will immediately flee with their primordial spirits the moment their physical bodies are destroyed by the heavenly tribulation. There is also a tiny minority of Earth Immortals who manage to keep their physical bodies intact.

Ju Hua belonged to this third category. During his tribulation, the moment he realized he could not overcome this heavenly trial, he began making plans for the future.

If the physical body remains, one can still follow the path of Fiendgods to transcend and become a Celestial God; once the physical body is destroyed, the path of the Fiendgod becomes a pipe dream! At that time, he thought that with the aid of the Immortal Mansion left behind by the Sanshou Daoist, he had a hope of becoming a Celestial God, and thus he fought desperately to preserve his physical body!

Since his physical body was not destroyed, he could naturally continue to follow the path of the Fiendgods!

PS: Some people mentioned earlier that the physical body is lost upon failing the tribulation. It seems there is such a setting in the original work, though I am not entirely certain and could not find it later. Regardless, this explanation in the current chapter should serve to fill that plot hole, right? After all, this is fan fiction; making minor changes to settings that don't affect the fundamentals shouldn't be a problem, should it?