Entering the Autumn Mountain Great Marsh

Early the next morning, Ju Hua led his massive army to a vast open space not far from the central command tent. Before long, the armies of the various major clans had all gathered there.

According to the plan discussed the previous day, the forces were divided into three sections. In the center stood the Yinglong Army, numbering fifty thousand strong. To the left were the armies of the Heishen Clan, the Shaoyan Clan, and others, totaling about seventy to eighty thousand. To the right was the force led by Ju Hua, which was similar in size, also consisting of seventy to eighty thousand soldiers.

Shortly after the armies had assembled, the figure of the Jiuhua Immortal appeared in the air before the three divisions. In an instant, the gazes of nearly two hundred thousand people were fixed upon him.

"Our human race rose from humble beginnings, battling the heavens, the earth, and the gods and demons birthed by the world. Through countless years, we have completely cast off our weakness to become a premier race within the Three Realms!" The voice of the Jiuhua Immortal rumbled through the air. He continued:

"Today, I, Jiuhua, acting under the orders of the Xia Emperor, have come to crusade against the gods and demons of the Autumn Mountain Great Marsh. It is my honor to be gathered here with all you fellow immortals! I shall say no more; I wish you all great fortune in your immortal endeavors!"

The air fell silent for a moment before the voice of the Jiuhua Immortal rang out once more.

"Yinglong Army, move out!"

As the Jiuhua Immortal's command fell, the fifty thousand soldiers of the Yinglong Army in the center took flight in unison. In the blink of an eye, the Jiuhua Immortal and the Yinglong Army departed the camp, flying toward the depths of the Autumn Mountain Great Marsh.

Not long after, the army consisting of the Heishen and Shaoyan clans also took to the skies, swiftly leaving the camp of the Zhuanshui Clan.

"Fellow Daoist Bai Yun, Fellow Daoist Ku Xin, let us also depart!" Ju Hua sent a voice transmission to the commanders of the various clans before taking the lead to lift the Zhuanshui Clan's army into the air.

The other clans followed suit immediately. Soon, the force under Ju Hua's command also left the camp, heading toward the interior of the Autumn Mountain Great Marsh from a different direction.

The Autumn Mountain Great Marsh lived up to its name, for its interior was blanketed in swamplands. If these were merely ordinary marshes, it would be one thing, but for some unknown reason, the marshes here would suddenly exert a violent suction force from beneath the ground when one least expected it. This suction covered a massive area and possessed terrifying power.

Even Loose Immortals passing through were highly likely to be dragged down from the sky, and once trapped within the mire of the Autumn Mountain Great Marsh, an ordinary Loose Immortal would undoubtedly perish.

A strange, dense fog hung over the marshes year-round. This fog not only blurred one's vision but also obstructed divine sense; even if a Celestial Immortal were to arrive, their divine sense could not probe very far. Once Loose Immortals and Primordial Spirit Daoists entered this place, they were reduced to little more than ordinary mortals.

Setting aside other dangers, these marshes and the fog alone made the Autumn Mountain Great Marsh a forbidden zone. The gods and demons who lived here year-round were naturally far more familiar with the terrain than the human armies; they could even discern when and where the terrifying swamp suction would erupt!

Of course, since the human race had entered, they were not without preparations.

To cope with the dense fog, the major clans had dispatched Loose Immortals who practiced special techniques and secret arts. As for the terrifying suction of the marshes, while the human side could not predict it with absolute accuracy, they could use various divination treasures to avoid many of the eruptions in advance.

After entering the Autumn Mountain Great Marsh, Ju Hua did not have the various clans cluster together. The Jiuhua Immortal's plan was to sweep the marsh starting from the outer perimeter, and the combined forces lacked the capacity to scour the entire expanse at once.

Naturally, Ju Hua did not let the clans stray too far apart, as that would make it far too easy for the gods and demons to seize the opportunity to pick them off one by one!

The current state of the major clans was essentially to operate independently, but should any one clan be attacked by gods and demons, the others could arrive immediately to provide support.

The sweeping route Ju Hua chose for the Zhuanshui Clan was relatively safe. While there were still many dangerous areas along this path, none possessed a mortality rate high enough to be truly terrifying.

As long as they remained cautious, the majority of the Zhuanshui army should survive by the time this campaign concluded!

Due to the treacherous environment of the Autumn Mountain Great Marsh, the army had only marched a hundred miles on their first day. They hadn't seen a single god or demon on the road, though they did casually crush a number of low-intelligence demonic beasts that came to provoke them.

This was not surprising. The fact that the gods and demons were out ambushing the armies of the major clans meant they were fully prepared for war. Under such circumstances, how could they possibly leave weak gods and demons out in the open to die?

Furthermore, through remote communication with the commanders of the other major clans, Ju Hua learned that their situations were much the same as the Zhuanshui Clan's—they hadn't seen a single god or demon along the way.

"Everyone, remember not to let your guard down. Those gods and demons might be watching us from the sidelines right now!" Ju Hua stood at the front of the army and commanded in a deep voice.

"Understood!"

The sweeping of the army continued, and in the blink of an eye, three months passed!

During this period, the crusade army advanced like a hot knife through butter, having already swept over half the area of the Autumn Mountain Great Marsh.

Yet, the gods and demons hidden within the marsh seemed to have vanished. Despite the scale of the crusade's sweep, they hadn't seen even half a god or demon.

After three months, because no battles had occurred, the army's casualties were negligible. Aside from the occasional unlucky soul who died in a dangerous area or was pulled down by the swamp's suction, everyone was doing just fine.

Under these circumstances, even though many knew something was wrong, they slowly began to relax their vigilance.

One day, three months later, while the Zhuanshui army was resting inside the Shuixuan Warship, Ju Hua gathered with several powerful Loose Immortals of the Zhuanshui Clan to discuss the current situation.

"Fellow Daoist Ju Hua, do you think those gods and demons have already fled elsewhere? Otherwise, we've almost swept our way to their lair; how could we not see a single one?" Qing Muling poured a cup of amber-colored fine wine for Ju Hua, who sat in the seat of honor, and asked with a smile.

Ju Hua said nothing. He simply picked up his wine cup and drained it in one go, his expression unchanged.

"Haha, if it is as Fairy Ling says, then our crusade against the gods and demons is quite easy!" a Loose Immortal below chimed in.

"I truly hope those gods and demons have really run away," another Loose Immortal sighed.

After letting the group of Loose Immortals talk for a moment, Ju Hua finally spoke slowly: "I hope so as well, but regardless of what you all think, you must not show the slightest bit of slackness from here on out. If anyone makes a mistake, do not blame me for being heartless!"

Ju Hua's warning caused the Loose Immortals to nod in succession. However, just as they were about to say something more, Ju Hua's expression shifted slightly, and he stood up abruptly from his seat.