Punishment of Annihilation of Body and Soul

Jia Mu also believed that Ju Hua would not joke about such a major matter without reason. Therefore, after confirming the details, he did not hesitate to relay the news to the commander-in-chief of the army, the Jiuhua Immortal.

Compared to the elusive Celestial Immortals, the reputation of this Jiuhua Immortal was even more thunderous, for he was a Loose Immortal of a million years with a formidable name!

What was even more terrifying was that the Jiuhua Immortal was already over 1.5 million years old!

Despite being over 1.5 million years old, the Jiuhua Immortal was still living quite comfortably, which meant he was no ordinary million-year Loose Immortal; his strength was even greater than that of an average Celestial Immortal!

In this expedition, the Celestial Immortals were all hidden behind the scenes, and the Jiuhua Immortal was the most powerful figure openly leading the army. Naturally, there was a reason why the Xia Emperor had specifically chosen him to command the forces!

After Jia Mu used a communication artifact to inform the Jiuhua Immortal of the situation, it was not long before a Daoist wearing black and white robes, with a faint, elusive smile on his face, appeared within the temporary camp of the Zhuanshui Clan.

"This must be Fellow Daoist Ju Hua, correct?" The Daoist looked at Ju Hua and asked.

"Zhuanshui Ju Hua greets Fellow Daoist Jiuhua!" Ju Hua said with a cupped-hand salute.

Ju Hua felt a faint, lingering sense of danger from the Daoist before him. In this entire camp, the only person capable of making him feel such danger was likely the Jiuhua Immortal himself, so there was no need to question the newcomer's identity.

"Fellow Daoist Ju Hua, I had originally intended to wait until all the clans had arrived before meeting with everyone, but I did not expect such an unexpected event to occur!" The Jiuhua Immortal offered an explanation before continuing, "Let us skip the pleasantries; tell me about the attack by the God-Devils, Fellow Daoist Ju Hua!"

"Very well!"

Ju Hua nodded. He did not hesitate, and aside from omitting the matters concerning Fuyun and Zhuanshui Pingqiu, he recounted everything else in meticulous detail.

"So that is how it was!" The Jiuhua Immortal nodded, casting a thoughtful glance at Ju Hua.

As the commander-in-chief of this expedition, the Jiuhua Immortal was quite familiar with the forces sent by each major clan. If he remembered correctly, this Zhuanshui Ju Hua before him had only become a Loose Immortal less than four years ago, right?

To reach a level where he could hold off a Void-Return God-Devil with the support of a single army formation in such a short time—with such talent, how on earth had he failed his tribulation?

The Jiuhua Immortal was naturally quite puzzled, but the current situation did not allow him to investigate the matter. If the Void-Return God-Devils of the Autumn Mountain Great Marsh could ambush the Zhuanshui Clan, they could just as easily ambush other clans. He had to deal with this matter as quickly as possible.

"Fellow Daoist Ju Hua, please keep the Zhuanshui Clan's army in check; a great battle could break out at any moment!" the Jiuhua Immortal said with a solemn expression.

"The Zhuanshui Clan is ready to enter battle at any time!" Ju Hua assured him.

"Good. With your word, Fellow Daoist Ju Hua, I can rest easy!" The Jiuhua Immortal nodded, and without further hesitation, he left the Zhuanshui Clan's camp.

Watching the spot where the Jiuhua Immortal had departed, Ju Hua pondered for a moment before slowly letting out a sigh of relief.

This Jiuhua Immortal did not seem to be the arrogant or overbearing type. Judging by their brief exchange, the man appeared quite reasonable. With such a commander leading the campaign, the days of this expedition should not be too difficult to endure.

Not long after the Jiuhua Immortal left, Ju Hua dismissed Jia Mu with a few words. However, just as he was about to rest for a moment, a Loose Immortal from the Zhuanshui Clan walked in.

The Loose Immortal whispered a few words to Ju Hua via voice transmission. After hearing them, Ju Hua merely nodded, his expression blank.

After a moment of thought, he said, "Bring them both to see me!"

"Yes!"

The Loose Immortal nodded and left.

A moment later, two figures looking somewhat disheveled walked in. Undoubtedly, these two were none other than the Fuyun Immortal and Zhuanshui Pingqiu, who had fled the battlefield not long ago.

Ju Hua sat on the main seat within the tent, looking at the two men—whose faces were twisted in bitterness—with a calm expression, remaining silent for a long time.

Finally, Zhuanshui Pingqiu could no longer hold back. "Clan Brother Ju Hua."

However, the moment Zhuanshui Pingqiu spoke, Ju Hua interrupted him without ceremony.

"Zhuanshui Pingqiu, this is a military camp, and I am the commander-in-chief of the Zhuanshui Clan's expeditionary force. Mind your status!" Ju Hua said coldly.

"...Yes!"

Zhuanshui Pingqiu replied with a gloomy expression, but he fell silent afterward, saying nothing more.

After leaving the two to stew for a while, Ju Hua suddenly spoke:

"Whether by the rules of our Zhuanshui Clan or the military laws of Great Xia, those who flee in the face of battle are to be punished with the total destruction of their soul. You both know this, don't you?"

"..."

The moment Ju Hua's words fell, the faces of the Fuyun Immortal and Zhuanshui Pingqiu changed instantly!

Total destruction of the soul meant they would not even have the right to reincarnate. As Loose Immortals, reincarnation was their only hope of becoming Celestial Immortals. This punishment was infinitely more severe than simply killing them.

Yet, Zhuanshui Pingqiu and Fuyun said nothing, for they knew that what Ju Hua said was the truth!

When they had fled, they had naturally considered these consequences. However, at the time, they believed that they were no match for the Void-Return God-Devils and that the Zhuanshui army could not withstand the prepared God-Devils either. Rather than risking their lives in a hopeless fight, it was better to just run!

If the Zhuanshui army was routed, they wouldn't be deserters; they would simply be part of the rout! If everyone was running, the only difference was who ran early and who ran late!

The only thing the two had not anticipated was that Ju Hua had been hiding his strength. He had relied on the Zhuanshui Clan's formation to hold off the Void-Return God-Devil single-handedly, single-handedly turning the tide!

When Fuyun and Zhuanshui Pingqiu learned of this from the Loose Immortal who retrieved them, they were filled with disbelief and despair!

Having suddenly become deserters, they had of course considered not returning to the Zhuanshui army and simply fleeing, but that was only a thought, for the consequences of doing so would be even worse!

The Zhuanshui Clan would not hesitate to send an army to hunt down traitors!

Once captured by the Zhuanshui Clan, even total destruction of the soul would be a luxury. The clan would prepare a "hell" specifically for them, designed to torture them for endless years until they could no longer bear it and their souls were ground to dust!

Zhuanshui Pingqiu and Fuyun returned obediently not only out of fear of the consequences of desertion but also because they held a sliver of hope that Ju Hua would not pursue the matter too harshly. After all, with the great war at hand, they believed that as top-tier Loose Immortals, they could still play a significant role in the conflict!

But now, the moment Ju Hua mentioned the "punishment of total soul destruction," both men realized that this matter would likely not end well!