Battle Arrangements

Ju Hua waited for about a quarter of an hour before the commanders of the major clans finally arrived at the central command tent.

"Everyone!"

Jiuhua Immortal spoke up suddenly, and in an instant, all eyes turned toward him. Ju Hua also quickly gathered his focus, looking toward Jiuhua Immortal in the main seat.

"This time, the God-Demons of the Autumn Mountain Great Marsh set an ambush on the only path for our various clans outside the marsh, causing us heavy losses. A rough estimate suggests our army has lost at least thirty percent of its strength!"

As Jiuhua Immortal's voice fell, the expressions of many clan commanders shifted. Attacking the Autumn Mountain Great Marsh was already fraught with danger, and losing nearly thirty percent of their force in one go was undoubtedly adding insult to injury.

"Furthermore, according to the intelligence I have gathered, among the God-Demons who set this ambush, a total of thirteen different Void-Returning God-Demons appeared!" Jiuhua Immortal revealed another piece of news that caused everyone's faces to change.

Originally, the eight Void-Returning God-Demons known to be within the Autumn Mountain Great Marsh were intimidating enough; no one expected five more to suddenly appear!

One had to realize that a single Void-Returning God-Demon was nearly equivalent to a Celestial Immortal-level combatant. Each additional one was lethal, let alone five!

What was even more dire was that they didn't even know if this was the full extent of the Autumn Mountain Great Marsh's power.

"Fellow Daoist Jiuhua, in that case, how should we proceed with the attack?" asked an elder with a slightly hoarse voice.

"The fact that the God-Demons within the Autumn Mountain Great Marsh dared to leave their familiar environment to ambush us outside is indeed unexpected!" Jiuhua Immortal remarked, then added with a faint smile:

"However, you need not worry. Although our army has suffered heavy casualties, in terms of overall strength, we still far exceed those God-Demons! While there are many Void-Returning God-Demons, there are even more Celestial Immortals among our clans! I have discussed this with the other Celestial Immortals; they will follow the army closely from now on. If those God-Demons dare to leave the Autumn Mountain Great Marsh again, we will ensure they never return!"

"If that is the case, then I am relieved." The elder nodded slowly and fell silent.

"Then please issue your orders, Jiuhua Immortal. This Autumn Mountain Great Marsh has existed for long enough!" suddenly said a muscular man with patterns of towering mountains tattooed on his body, his tone cold.

"Fellow Daoist God Mountain is absolutely right. Those God-Demons made us suffer such a great loss not long ago; if we don't get our revenge soon, they might think we are afraid of them!" a young woman from the Heishen Clan nearby said in a flat tone.

"Haha, very well. Then everyone, listen to my plan." Jiuhua Immortal clapped his hands and began to slowly lay out his strategy.

Jiuhua Immortal had clearly not lived for over 1.5 million years in vain; he was well-versed in the art of war. For this campaign, he divided the army into three parts, advancing into the Autumn Mountain Great Marsh from three different directions.

Given the strength gathered for this campaign, even divided into three, each force remained formidable. If the God-Demons in the marsh dared to commit their full strength against one route, that force could pin them down while the other two rushed to reinforce, surrounding and annihilating all the God-Demons in one fell swoop.

If the God-Demons chose to hold their ground, the three armies could advance from the outside in, creating a pincer movement to systematically dismantle the dangerous terrain the God-Demons relied upon. Like boiling a frog in water, they would eventually cut off all escape routes and force a decisive battle.

The overall strength of the three armies far exceeded that of the God-Demons in the Autumn Mountain Great Marsh; in a head-on confrontation, the God-Demons would undoubtedly be defeated.

"Do any fellow Daoists have any questions?" Jiuhua Immortal asked.

"Fellow Daoist Jiuhua, how will the three armies be distributed?" the commander from the Quge Clan asked, cupping his hands.

"I will lead the Yinglong Army on one route. The Zhuanshui Clan, Baiji Clan, and Quge Clan will take the second. The Heishen Clan, Shaoyan Clan, and the remaining clans will take the final route. What does everyone think?" Jiuhua Immortal stated his arrangement without hesitation.

"The Zhuanshui Clan has no objections!" Ju Hua said directly.

Jiuhua Immortal's arrangement was quite sensible. The major clans with deep grudges against his Zhuanshui Clan were mostly assigned to the other route. It was especially wonderful that the Shaoyan Clan would not be on the same path as them!

Otherwise, he would have to worry every day about how to restrain the Zhuanshui army to prevent them from clashing with the Shaoyan forces.

"The Shaoyan Clan has no objections either!" the red-robed elder from the Shaoyan Clan said, refusing to be outdone.

As Ju Hua and the red-robed elder expressed their agreement, the commanders of the other clans nodded in succession.

Jiuhua Immortal's arrangement was clearly well-thought-out, taking the needs of the top clans into account.

As for the clans whose needs weren't considered, their strength was far inferior to these top clans, and they had little say in such a meeting.

Suddenly, the young woman from the Heishen Clan spoke up: "Fellow Daoist Jiuhua, the Yinglong Army route will naturally follow your orders, but what about the other two? We can't just fight our own separate battles, can we?"

"There is no need for a single commander; it is enough to have someone capable of coordinating the forces!" Jiuhua Immortal said calmly. "We are all cultivators, and naturally, we respect strength! Whoever is strongest shall coordinate the army. Does anyone have an objection?"

"That is only natural." Everyone nodded. This was the rule of the cultivation world, and it held true even within an army.

"Very well. I have here a peculiar log obtained from the 'Northern Underworld Space'!" A pitch-black tree stump appeared in Jiuhua Immortal's hand. He continued:

"It has no other merit than being incredibly hard and capable of self-repair. You may all attack this log as you please. Whoever leaves the deepest mark on it shall serve as the commander for the other two routes. What do you think?"

"This method is excellent!" The muscular man covered in mountain tattoos laughed heartily.

"A fine method indeed!" The others nodded in agreement.

"Is the 'Northern Underworld Space' that Fellow Daoist Jiuhua mentioned the peculiar space located above the Northern Underworld Sea?" someone suddenly asked.

"Indeed. Does this fellow Daoist have any insights?" Jiuhua Immortal asked calmly.

"Hehe, how could I have any insights? I have only heard that the space is filled with danger everywhere and that none but Celestial Immortals dare enter. Fellow Daoist Jiuhua's strength is truly unfathomable; I am filled with admiration!" The man cupped his hands and showered Jiuhua Immortal with praise.

"You are too kind, Fellow Daoist!"

Jiuhua Immortal shook his head, then walked slowly out of the central command tent. Without hesitation, the others followed him out.