Early the next morning, Ju Hua led the army to a wide-open space not far from the central command tent. Before long, the armies of the various clans had gathered there.
As agreed the day before, the army was divided into three groups. In the middle stood the Yinglong Army, fifty thousand strong. On the left were the armies of the Heishen Clan, the Shaoyan Clan, and several others, numbering around seventy or eighty thousand. Naturally, Ju Hua commanded the army on the right, about the same size as the group on the left.
Not long after the army assembled, Immortal Jiuhua appeared in midair before the three groups. In an instant, the eyes of nearly two hundred thousand people turned toward him.
"Our Human Race rose from humble beginnings, battling Heaven and Earth, and fighting the God-Fiends born of them. After countless years, our race has cast off its weakness and become one of the foremost races in the Three Realms!" Immortal Jiuhua's voice boomed through the air. He continued:
"Today, I, Jiuhua, have come by the Emperor's command to campaign against the God-Fiends of the Autumn Mountain Great Marsh. It is my honor to gather here with all of you, fellow Daoists! I'll say no more. May your immortal fortunes flourish!"
The air fell briefly silent. Then Immortal Jiuhua's voice rang out again.
"Yinglong Army, march!"
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At Immortal Jiuhua's command, the fifty thousand soldiers of the Yinglong Army rose into the air as one. In the blink of an eye, Immortal Jiuhua and the army had left the camp behind and were flying deeper into the Autumn Mountain Great Marsh.
Before long, the army under the command of the Heishen Clan, the Shaoyan Clan, and the others also rose into the air and swiftly departed Zhuanshui Clan's camp.
"Daoist Bai Yun, Daoist Ku Xin, let's set out as well!" Ju Hua sent a message to the commanders of the various clans. Then he led the Zhuanshui Clan's army into the air.
The other clans quickly followed. Soon, the army under Ju Hua's command had left camp and was heading into the Autumn Mountain Great Marsh from another direction.
The Autumn Mountain Great Marsh was just as its name suggested: marshland stretched across the entire region. Ordinary marshes would have been bad enough, but for some unknown reason, the marshes here would suddenly unleash a fierce suction from beneath the ground, often before anyone could react. The suction covered a vast area and was terrifyingly powerful.
Even Loose Immortals passing overhead could be dragged down from the sky alive. And once they sank into the marshes of the Autumn Mountain Great Marsh, ordinary Loose Immortals were doomed.
A strange, dense fog hung over the marshes year-round. It not only blurred vision but also hindered spiritual sense. Even Celestial Immortals could not probe very far here. Loose Immortals and Primordial Spirit Daoists were practically ordinary people.
Setting aside the other dangers, the marshes and dense fog alone made the Autumn Mountain Great Marsh a place of certain death. The God-Fiends had lived here for ages and knew the region far better than the Human Race's army. They could even tell when and where the marshes' terrifying suction would erupt!
Of course, since the Human Race had entered the region, they had not come unprepared.
To deal with the dense fog, the various clans had sent Loose Immortals who had cultivated special arts and secret techniques. As for the terrifying suction of the marshes, although the Human Race could not predict it precisely, they could use various Deduction treasures to avoid many of its eruptions in advance.
After entering the Autumn Mountain Great Marsh, Ju Hua did not keep the various clans gathered together. Immortal Jiuhua's plan was to sweep the marshes from the outskirts inward, and the clans would not have the strength to sweep the entire region if they stayed together.
Naturally, Ju Hua did not let the clans spread too far apart, either. That would make it far too easy for the God-Fiends to seize the chance to pick them off one by one!
The clans were currently keeping out of one another's way, but if the God-Fiends attacked any one clan, the others could immediately rush to its aid.
Ju Hua had chosen a relatively safe route through the marshes for the Zhuanshui Clan. Although there were quite a few dangerous places along the way, none had a death rate so high as to be terrifying.
As long as they were careful, more than half of the Zhuanshui Clan's army ought to survive this campaign!
Because of the treacherous terrain, the army had traveled only a hundred miles on its first day in the Autumn Mountain Great Marsh. They had not seen a single God-Fiend along the way, though the army had casually crushed quite a few low-intelligence demon beasts that came to provoke them!
But that was hardly surprising. The God-Fiends had gone out to ambush the armies of the various clans, which meant they were fully prepared for war. Under the circumstances, why would they leave weaker God-Fiends outside to be slaughtered?
Moreover, after communicating remotely with the commanders of the other clans, Ju Hua learned that their situation was much the same as the Zhuanshui Clan's: none of them had seen a single God-Fiend along the way.
"Everyone, remember: don't let your guard down. Those God-Fiends may be watching us from somewhere nearby!" Ju Hua stood at the front of the army and issued a stern order.
"Yes!"
The sweep continued without pause. In the blink of an eye, three months had passed!
During that time, the campaign had advanced like a hot knife through butter, sweeping more than half of the Autumn Mountain Great Marsh.
Yet the God-Fiends hidden in the marshes seemed to have vanished. Despite the campaign army's massive sweep, they had not seen a single one.
After three months without a battle, the army's casualties were negligible. Aside from the occasional unlucky soul who died in a dangerous area or was dragged down by the marsh's suction, everyone was alive and well.
In such circumstances, many people gradually let down their guard, even though they knew something was amiss.
One day, three months later, while the Zhuanshui Clan's army rested aboard the Shuixuan Warship, Ju Hua gathered with several of the clan's more powerful Loose Immortals to discuss the current situation.
"Daoist Ju Hua, do you think the God-Fiends have fled somewhere else? Otherwise, we're almost at their lair. How come we still haven't seen a single one?" Qing Muling poured a glass of amber-colored wine for Ju Hua, who sat at the head of the table, and asked with a smile.
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Ju Hua said nothing. He simply picked up his cup and drained it without changing expression.
"Haha! If Fairy Ling is right, then this campaign against the God-Fiends will be a breeze!" one of the Loose Immortals below chimed in.
"I really hope those God-Fiends have run off!" another Loose Immortal said with a sigh.
"."
Ju Hua let the Loose Immortals talk for a while before finally speaking. "I hope so too. But whatever any of you may think, from now on, you must not slack off in the slightest. If anyone makes a mistake, don't blame me for showing no mercy!"
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Ju Hua's warning drew nods from the Loose Immortals. But just as they were about to say more, his expression changed slightly, and he sprang to his feet.