Gods and Demons First Appear

Ju Hua's sudden movement made the hearts of every Loose Immortal present skip a beat. They had just been wondering if the gods and demons had fled, but seeing Ju Hua like this, it was certain that something unexpected had occurred.

"Fellow Daoist Ju Hua, has something happened?" Qing Muling asked hurriedly.

"Fuyun and Zhuanshui Pingqiu have discovered a troop of gods and demons ahead, about fifty Primordial Spirit gods and demons!" Ju Hua said with a frown.

"Fifty Primordial Spirit gods and demons?"

The Loose Immortals present exchanged glances, and at the same time, they felt a sense of relief.

For a smaller tribe, this troop of gods and demons might be a difficult challenge, but for the Zhuanshui Clan's grand army, a mere fifty Primordial Spirit gods and demons were nothing at all.

"We didn't find a single god or demon during our previous sweeps, yet so many have appeared suddenly this time. Could it be a trap?" Qing Muling asked.

"Fairy Ling is right. I don't believe those gods and demons would appear out of nowhere for no reason!" a white-haired Loose Immortal below nodded.

"But we can't just let those gods and demons go, can we?" another Loose Immortal offered a different opinion, continuing:

"We were summoned by the Xia Emperor and are acting under the orders of our clans to suppress the gods and demons; we cannot avoid battle!"

"..."

The man's words left the group of Loose Immortals in silence.

At this moment, Ju Hua suddenly said, "I have already instructed Fuyun and Zhuanshui Pingqiu to search the surrounding area carefully!"

Ju Hua's gaze swept across the room below, and he suddenly said, "Donghe, Changjing!"

"Here!"

Hearing Ju Hua call their names directly, the two Loose Immortals seemed to realize something instantly and quickly stood up from their positions.

"I order you two to lead three thousand troops and rush to rendezvous with Fuyun and Zhuanshui Pingqiu. If no anomalies are found, immediately pin down those fifty gods and demons and wait for the main army to arrive!"

Ju Hua issued the order directly, and the two Loose Immortals did not hesitate, cupping their hands in agreement.

The strength of an ordinary Primordial Spirit god or demon was at most comparable to an average Loose Immortal. Three thousand troops were equivalent to the combat power of thirty top-tier Loose Immortals; even if there were some formidable ones among those fifty, it was of no consequence.

Deploying three thousand troops was more than enough to not only pin down those fifty gods and demons but to crush them entirely.

Donghe and Changjing were the two Loose Immortals who had managed the grand formation when Ju Hua and Zhuanshui Pingqiu fought on the Jueshui Platform. While they were not quite top-tier Loose Immortals, they were quite formidable among the ordinary ones, which was why they were present at this meeting.

After receiving Ju Hua's order, Donghe and Changjing left the Shuixuan Warship immediately, leading three thousand troops straight toward the location reported by Fuyun and Zhuanshui Pingqiu.

As soon as Donghe and Changjing departed, Ju Hua instructed again, "You all should return and prepare as well. Stay vigilant and watch out for ambushes by the gods and demons!"

"Understood!"

The group of Loose Immortals cupped their hands in agreement and then left the meeting room one after another.

"Do you still have something to say?" Ju Hua turned to look at Qing Muling, who had yet to leave.

"Fellow Daoist Ju Hua, this Qingxuan Wine is a specialty of my Qingmu Clan. I noticed you enjoyed it, so I would like to gift these to you!" Qing Muling smiled and placed a palm-sized jade bottle on the table in front of Ju Hua.

This jade bottle was likely a storage magic treasure; it looked small on the surface, but it could hold a vast amount of wine.

"Very well, many thanks for Fairy Ling's kindness!" Ju Hua waved his hand and tucked the jade bottle away.

Seeing Ju Hua accept her gift, Qing Muling felt a surge of joy. After a slight bow, she continued, "In that case, I shall go and prepare!"

"..."

Ju Hua said nothing more, merely nodding.

A moment later, after Qing Muling had left, Ju Hua looked at the empty tabletop and shook his head slightly.

Ever since that jade pendant from before, Qing Muling had been gifting him things every few days—sometimes magic treasures, sometimes rare items. While none of these things were particularly precious, the sheer quantity was relentless!

According to Ju Hua's original temperament, accepting her first gift was already pushing it; he would not have accepted any subsequent ones.

However, the jade pendant Qing Muling had first given him held profound significance for him. Ju Hua felt that he had incurred a karmic debt to her in the unseen realm, which was why he had not refused her gifts since.

This way, when Qing Muling eventually came to him with trouble, he would have a reason to intervene!

Yes, Ju Hua accepted her gifts solely to help her once in the future, thereby settling the karma of that jade pendant!

No one gave gifts to another for no reason. Qing Muling's purpose was obvious; whether for the Qingmu Clan or herself, if she encountered trouble, she would surely try to ask Ju Hua for help.

In Qing Muling's eyes, Ju Hua was powerful, had great potential, and was from the Zhuanshui Clan. If she ever ran into trouble, he might just have a way to solve it!

These gifts were a worthwhile investment!

In truth, Ju Hua found Qing Muling's behavior quite incomprehensible. Cultivation was a personal journey; how could one rely on others?

Although Qing Muling was already a Loose Immortal, she had become a top-tier one at only ten thousand years of age, which was decent talent. But even if Ju Hua was stronger than her now, what did that matter?

But incomprehension aside, Ju Hua would not say anything about her actions.

Everyone had their own Dao and their own thoughts; one could not force these things. Perhaps Qing Muling acted this way because of her background in the Qingmu Clan, which had always been tightly attached to the Zhuanshui Clan, or perhaps it was related to the techniques she practiced and the Dao she followed.

There were many possibilities, and there was no need to dwell on it!

Qing Muling's affair was just a small interlude. Ju Hua didn't think too much about it. After preparing for a moment, he flashed and appeared above the Shuixuan Warship.

The Autumn Mountain Great Marsh was filled with thick fog, and powerful suction forces could erupt at any time, so the Shuixuan Warship was not moving very fast.

Ju Hua stood above the warship, gazing into the distant fog, contemplating the implications of these suddenly appearing gods and demons.

However, before Ju Hua could ponder for long, he suddenly felt the heaven and earth energy in the distance begin to churn. Needless to say, the three thousand troops he had dispatched had already engaged the fifty gods and demons!

No ambush? This thought flashed through Ju Hua's mind. He then sent a voice transmission to the Loose Immortal controlling the Shuixuan Warship.

Soon, a profound black shield appeared on the surface of the Shuixuan Warship, and the vessel's speed increased sharply.