Guesses and Arrival

Ju Hua was not surprised that Qing Muling had suddenly presented him with a treasure.

For one, he was the commander-in-chief for this military expedition, and Qing Muling would have to take orders from him for the foreseeable future. Previously, she could have colluded with Fuyun and Zhuanshui Pingqiu to keep Ju Hua in check, but now that Fuyun and Zhuanshui Pingqiu had deserted their posts, they would be lucky to save their own skins upon their return, let alone worry about restraining Ju Hua.

Furthermore, given the strength Ju Hua had already revealed, coupled with his status as a direct descendant of the Zhuanshui Clan, he was certainly worth Qing Muling's efforts to cultivate a good relationship. Gifting a peculiar magic treasure was merely a trivial matter.

It was precisely because he understood this that Ju Hua accepted the treasure from Qing Muling without the slightest hesitation. Had he refused, Qing Muling would only have felt more uneasy.

However, Ju Hua had not expected that this treasure Qing Muling gave him would yield such an unexpected harvest!

After dismissing Qing Muling with a few words, Ju Hua took out the cyan jade and began to stroke it carefully. The jade emitted a soft, lustrous glow, and Ju Hua could indeed feel his soul being nourished by a faint warmth.

Yet, it was not this nourishing effect that had caused Ju Hua's expression to change earlier.

A short while ago, the moment Ju Hua made contact with the jade, a mysterious vortex had suddenly appeared within his otherwise calm soul. In an instant, seven or eight specks of light were drawn into his soul.

The same scene had occurred in the past, and Ju Hua had once suspected that his talent had become what it was today precisely because his soul had absorbed those mysterious specks of light.

Ju Hua was well aware of just how incredible his current talent was, and therefore, he dared not take anything related to it lightly.

Unfortunately, no matter how thoroughly Ju Hua examined the jade, he could find nothing unusual about it. It was nothing more than an ordinary magic treasure.

Then I shall try another method! Ju Hua thought to himself, a contemplative look in his eyes. The next moment, the divine power within his body surged.

Divine patterns appeared on Ju Hua's hands, and without hesitation, he gripped the jade with crushing force.

Ju Hua had cultivated the Crimsonbright Diagram of the Nine Heavens to the thirteenth level, equivalent to a Primal God-Devil, so his grip naturally possessed heaven-shaking power.

The jade was not of a high grade, nor was it a treasure specialized in defense; thus, as Ju Hua increased his strength, countless cracks quickly appeared on its surface.

Finally, with a soft sound, the jade shattered into pieces!

And it was at this very instant that a vortex appeared on Ju Hua's soul once more, drawing in over a dozen more specks of light.

"As I thought, these specks of light have nothing to do with the treasure itself; they originate from the materials used to refine it. I only wonder what those materials actually were!" Looking at the countless fragments of the treasure in his hand, many thoughts flashed through Ju Hua's mind.

"Qing Muling said this treasure came from a cultivator who had committed great sins, and these specks of light are related to the soul. Could it be..." As if realizing something, a strange look flashed in Ju Hua's eyes.

Many cultivators, in pursuit of faster cultivation or to refine more powerful treasures, would wantonly slaughter mortals. Such individuals often carried heavy sins upon them.

There were many reasons for cultivators to slaughter mortals on a large scale, but the primary motives were usually only two: either for the souls of the mortals, or for their vital essence!

These specks of light were clearly related to the soul, which forced Ju Hua to suspect that the material used to refine this jade was, in fact, the souls of a great number of mortals.

"If that is truly the case, then I can only let nature take its course." Standing on the Shuixuan Warship, Ju Hua shook his head slightly. He would not slaughter mortals based on a mere guess, and even if it were true, he would still refuse to do so; it would violate his Dao heart!

Lost in thought, Ju Hua watched as the Shuixuan Warship flew over a distance of tens of thousands of kilometers. When the warship reached the outskirts of the Autumn Mountain Great Marsh, Ju Hua ordered it to come to a halt.

He took out a communication talisman and injected a trace of magic power into it. Soon, a squad of soldiers clad in golden armor arrived in the vicinity.

"Are you friends from the Zhuanshui Clan ahead?" the leader of the golden-armored soldiers asked from a distance.

"My Zhuanshui Clan has come under the orders of the Xia Emperor to suppress the God-Devils. I am the commander-in-chief of this expedition, Zhuanshui Ju Hua. Who are you?" Ju Hua asked in a loud voice.

"I am Jia Mu of the Yinglong Army. Jiuhua Immortal has specifically ordered me to receive the members of the Zhuanshui Clan!" the golden-armored soldier replied from afar.

"Do you have proof?" Ju Hua asked.

"Naturally!" The golden-armored soldier threw a token over from a distance. Ju Hua reached out and caught it with a wave of his hand.

The surface of the token featured a relief carving of a mighty dragon with wings on its back. After a brief inspection, Ju Hua confirmed that the token was indeed genuine.

In the Desolate Era, the Great Xia World had the Yinglong Guards to deter all sides, but that was a development that occurred only after the Xia Emperor divided the world into three thousand six hundred commanderies and built cities.

The Yinglong Guards did not exist yet; instead, there was the Yinglong Army. The Yinglong Army was the strongest military force in the current Great Xia World, having fought for the Xia Emperor across the lands and achieved countless merits!

The backbone of the Yinglong Army was composed of descendants of the Xiamang Clan, though many from other clans had joined as well. The Yinglong Army had been established for countless years, and its scale had grown ever larger with the passage of time. It was no surprise that it would eventually grow into a behemoth like the Yinglong Guards!

After confirming the token was authentic, Ju Hua returned it to Jia Mu.

"Then I shall trouble Fellow Daoist Jia Mu to lead the way," Ju Hua said.

"Please, follow me!"

Jia Mu did not say more. With a wave of his hand, a small squad of the Yinglong Army flew off in a certain direction. Ju Hua immediately urged the Shuixuan Warship forward, swiftly following the squad.

After flying for a while, Ju Hua saw a vast expanse of encampments in the distance. Even before getting close, he could already feel the formations and restrictions covering the area around the camp.

Even a Celestial Immortal would likely suffer if they were to rashly break into this, the thought crossed Ju Hua's mind. Soon, the Shuixuan Warship approached the formations.

At Jia Mu's signal, Ju Hua presented his credentials to prove his identity. Upon learning that the Zhuanshui Clan had arrived, the Loose Immortal in charge of the restrictions readily let Ju Hua and his party through.

Soon, Jia Mu led them to a corner of the encampment.

"Fellow Daoist Ju Hua, the other clans have yet to arrive. For now, please have the members of the Zhuanshui Clan rest here for a few days. If you need anything, just come find me!" Jia Mu said to Ju Hua.

"The other clans have not arrived yet?" Ju Hua pondered for a moment, then said directly, "My Zhuanshui Clan encountered a large-scale attack by God-Devils at Qianfeng Valley, and there were even Void-Refining God-Devils among them."

Before Ju Hua could finish, Jia Mu asked with some astonishment, "Is this true?"

"Naturally, there is no falsehood in my words!" Ju Hua replied indifferently.