Ju Hua's sudden movement made every Loose Immortal present skip a beat. They had just been wondering whether the fiendgods had fled, but seeing Ju Hua's expression, something had clearly gone wrong.
"Fellow Daoist Ju Hua, has something happened?" Qing Muling hurriedly asked.
"Fuyun and Zhuanshui Pingqiu discovered a fiendgod force up ahead, about fifty Primordial Spirit Fiendgods!" Ju Hua said with a frown.
"Fifty Primordial Spirit Fiendgods?"
The Loose Immortals present exchanged glances. At the same time, they felt relieved.
For a smaller tribe, this fiendgod force might have been difficult to deal with, but against the Zhuanshui Clan's army, a mere fifty Primordial Spirit Fiendgods were nothing.
"We didn't find a single fiendgod during our earlier sweep, yet so many have suddenly appeared now. Could this be a trap?" Qing Muling asked.
"Fairy Ling is absolutely right. I don't believe those fiendgods appeared out of nowhere for no reason!" said a white-haired Loose Immortal below, nodding.
"But we can't just let those fiendgods go, can we?" another Loose Immortal argued. He continued:
"We were summoned by Emperor Xia and came to exterminate fiendgods on the orders of our clan. We can't avoid battle!"
"..."
The man's words left the Loose Immortals silent.
Just then, Ju Hua said, "I've already sent Fuyun and Zhuanshui Pingqiu to search the surrounding area carefully!"
Ju Hua swept his gaze across the people below, then suddenly called out, "Donghe, Changjing!"
"Here!"
Hearing Ju Hua call their names, the two Loose Immortals seemed to realize what was coming. They quickly rose from their seats.
"I order you two to lead three thousand troops and hurry to join Fuyun and Zhuanshui Pingqiu. If you find nothing unusual, immediately tie down those fifty fiendgods and wait for the main army to arrive!"
Ju Hua issued the order directly. The two Loose Immortals did not hesitate and promptly clasped their fists in acknowledgment.
An ordinary Primordial Spirit Fiendgod was at most about as strong as an average Loose Immortal. Three thousand troops were practically equivalent to the strength of thirty top Loose Immortals. Even if some of those fifty fiendgods were particularly powerful Primordial Spirit Fiendgods, they still posed no real threat.
With three thousand troops, holding off those fifty fiendgods would be easy, let alone routing them.
Donghe and Changjing were the two Loose Immortals who had presided over the formation when Ju Hua and Zhuanshui Pingqiu fought on Jueshui Platform. They weren't top Loose Immortals yet, but they were quite formidable among ordinary Loose Immortals. That was why they were both present at this meeting.
After receiving Ju Hua's order, Donghe and Changjing left the Shuixuan Warship and led three thousand troops straight toward the location reported by Fuyun and Zhuanshui Pingqiu.
As soon as Donghe and Changjing had left, Ju Hua gave another order. "The rest of you, hurry back and make preparations. Keep watch on your surroundings and beware of a fiendgod ambush!"
"Yes!"
The Loose Immortals clasped their fists in acknowledgment, then filed out of the meeting room.
"Do you still need something?" 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. Since you seem to like it, I'd like to give it to you." Smiling, Qing Muling placed a palm-sized jade bottle on the table in front of Ju Hua.
The bottle was probably a Storage Magic Treasure. It looked small, but it could hold an enormous amount of wine.
"Very well. Thank you for your kindness, Fairy Ling!" Ju Hua waved his hand, collecting the jade bottle from the table.
Seeing him accept her gift, Qing Muling felt a little pleased. She gave him a slight bow, then said, "In that case, I'll go make preparations."
"..."
Ju Hua said nothing more, only nodding.
A moment later, Qing Muling left. Ju Hua looked at the empty tabletop and gave a slight shake of his head.
Ever since the jade pendant she'd given him last time, Qing Muling had been sending him things every so often, whether magic treasures or unusual curios. None of them were particularly valuable, but there sure were a lot of them!
By Ju Hua's usual standards, accepting Qing Muling's first gift had already been generous. He wouldn't have accepted any of the gifts she'd sent afterward.
But that first jade pendant meant a great deal to him. Ju Hua felt that, somewhere beyond his awareness, he had incurred a debt of Causality to Qing Muling. That was why he'd never turned down her gifts since.
That way, if Qing Muling ever ran into trouble, he'd have a reason to step in and help her!
Yes, the only reason Ju Hua accepted Qing Muling's gifts was so he could help her one day and repay the debt of Causality tied to that jade pendant!
No one gave gifts to another person for no reason. Qing Muling's purpose was already obvious. Whether for the sake of the Qingmu Clan or herself, if she ran into trouble in the future, she would certainly try asking Ju Hua for help.
In Qing Muling's eyes, Ju Hua was powerful and full of potential, and he came from the Zhuanshui Clan. If she ever ran into trouble, he might have a way to solve it!
Those gifts were well worth it!
In truth, Ju Hua found Qing Muling's gift-giving very hard to understand. Cultivation was a personal matter. How could anyone count on someone else?
Qing Muling was already a Loose Immortal, and becoming a top Loose Immortal before the age of ten thousand was a fine achievement. Even if Ju Hua was stronger than her now, so what?
Though he didn't understand it, Ju Hua had no intention of commenting on Qing Muling's behavior!
Everyone had their own path and their own way of thinking. You couldn't force someone to change. Perhaps Qing Muling acted this way because her Qingmu Clan had always clung closely to the Zhuanshui Clan. Or perhaps it had something to do with her cultivation method or the Dao she followed.
There were all sorts of possibilities. There was no need to dwell on them!
Qing Muling's matter had been a minor interlude. Ju Hua didn't give it much thought. After making a few quick preparations, he flashed above the Shuixuan Warship.
Autumn Mountain Great Marsh was blanketed in dense fog, and powerful suction could erupt at any moment, so the Shuixuan Warship wasn't moving very fast.
Standing above the warship, Ju Hua gazed into the distant fog, pondering what these fiendgods who had suddenly appeared might signify.
But before he had much time to think, he abruptly sensed the surrounding elemental energy in the distance beginning to surge. There was no need to ask: the three thousand troops he'd sent out had already engaged the fifty fiendgods!
So there's no ambush? The thought flashed through Ju Hua's mind. He then sent a message to the Loose Immortal controlling the Shuixuan Warship.
Soon, a layer of dark, mysterious shield appeared across the warship's surface, and the Shuixuan Warship itself suddenly picked up speed.