The Reason

The loose immortals willing to let their spirit beasts take the risk did not hesitate, ordering them to continue forward, while those who were unwilling wanted their beasts to retreat.

However, the expressions of several loose immortals changed quickly.

Ju Hua did not miss these shifts in expression and asked, "What is it?"

"They can't come back!" one loose immortal said.

"My spirit beast tells me there seems to be an invisible barrier blocking it!"

"In but not out?" Ju Hua nodded. This danger zone functioned similarly to certain grand formations, designed specifically for one-way entry.

It made sense; the gods and demons had gone to great lengths to lure them here, so it was clear this trap would not be easy to handle.

While Ju Hua pondered, some of the more temperamental spirit beasts in the distance revealed their true forms and began to attack the invisible barrier frantically, but no matter how they struck, the barrier remained unmoved.

It was much like an ant trying to shake a giant tree.

"Since you cannot return, send your spirit beasts forward as well," Ju Hua commanded.

"Understood!" The loose immortals had no choice but to nod.

Though reluctant, they had no other options at the moment.

The figures of the spirit beasts soon vanished from the sight of the loose immortals, and Ju Hua did not remain idle; he ordered several loose immortals to lead teams to scout the surroundings and determine the scale of this unknown danger zone.

A quarter of an hour passed quickly, and the spirit beasts that had entered the danger zone lost contact with the loose immortals outside one after another, yet not a single one was able to send back any information.

As things reached this point, the faces of the loose immortals outside turned slightly pale.

The spirit beasts that had entered were not exceptionally powerful, but they were not weak either; the fact that they could not even send a message back suggested that the danger within this zone was beyond imagination.

And just moments ago, they had nearly walked in themselves!

A few more quarters of an hour passed, and the loose immortals Ju Hua had sent to scout the perimeter returned to the Shuixuan Warship.

"Well?" Ju Hua asked.

"We could not find the edge," one loose immortal replied. Seeing Ju Hua's darkening expression, he dared not hesitate further and added:

"However, about a hundred miles from here, I encountered loose immortals from the Baiji Clan. According to them, they were also lured by a group of gods and demons, and over a thousand of their people have already fallen into this trap."

"The Baiji Clan?"

Hearing this, Ju Hua frowned.

He then took out his communication artifact to contact the Baiji Clan's commander, the Baiyun Immortal.

The situation was exactly as the loose immortal had described; the Baiji Clan's army had also been lured by gods and demons, with over a thousand of their men trapped in the danger zone.

Ju Hua felt a sense of unease and simultaneously contacted the loose immortals of other major clans. The results of these inquiries made him sigh inwardly.

Indeed, other clans had been lured by gods and demons just like the Zhuanshui Clan and the Baiji Clan. While many clans had seen through the scheme, quite a few had fallen for it.

Their army was originally over seventy thousand strong; if those trapped in the danger zone could not make it out alive, the army would likely be reduced to at most fifty thousand.

"However, the sacrifice of the gods and demons is even greater!" Ju Hua found it hard to understand. Had the gods and demons endured for three months and designed this plan just to inflict these losses?

True, the gods and demons had achieved their goal, but their own sacrifices were not necessarily smaller than those of the human race.

Setting aside the situation with other clans, fifty primordial gods and demons had acted as bait for the Zhuanshui Clan alone. Forty-nine of them had died just to guide them to the edge of this danger zone, and the Zhuanshui Clan hadn't even fallen in.

It could be said that those forty-nine primordial gods and demons had been thrown away entirely! If the gods and demons luring the Zhuanshui Clan fared this way, surely those luring the other clans were no better off?

As Ju Hua pondered, the voice of the Tianyang Ancestor suddenly rang in his ears.

"Ju Hua, this is the Phantom Demon Realm. Those who enter will soon fall into endless illusions. Unless guided by a Celestial Immortal like us, it is difficult for them to survive. You should take a detour for now!"

The Tianyang Ancestor's voice vanished as quickly as it had appeared. Although Ju Hua had a mountain of questions, the Ancestor had departed so decisively that he had to suppress his doubts for the time being.

With the warning from the Tianyang Ancestor, Ju Hua did not hesitate. After communicating with the commanders of the other major clans, he led the Zhuanshui Clan's army to detour in another direction.

This danger zone, known as the "Phantom Demon Realm," was surprisingly vast. Coupled with the slow movement of the army through the Autumn Mountain Great Marsh, the detour took nearly a month.

On the night the Zhuanshui Clan's army bypassed the Phantom Demon Realm, the figure of the Tianyang Ancestor appeared in Ju Hua's room aboard the Shuixuan Warship.

"Ancestor!" Ju Hua bowed in salute.

"Ju Hua, do you have many questions in your heart?" the Tianyang Ancestor asked.

"Not exactly questions."

Ju Hua pondered for a moment before continuing: "I am merely confused. Since a Celestial Immortal can walk out of the Phantom Demon Realm, why do the Celestial Ancestors of the other clans not go in to retrieve their clansmen?"

"Because it is not worth it!" the Tianyang Ancestor said without hesitation.

"Not worth it?"

"In the center of every Phantom Demon Realm lies a strange stone called a Mirror Stone! Ordinary beings who enter are pulled into endless illusions and struggle to escape, but those holding a Mirror Stone are immune to the vast majority of illusions within the realm!" The Tianyang Ancestor continued:

"These gods and demons have lived in the Autumn Mountain Great Marsh for countless years; they must possess Mirror Stones. Do you understand now?"

"Does the Ancestor mean that there might be gods and demons lying in ambush within the Phantom Demon Realm holding these stones, and their targets are the Celestial Immortals of the major clans?" Ju Hua asked, startled.

"It is very likely!" The Tianyang Ancestor nodded.

"While we Celestial Immortals can resist the illusions with our Dao hearts, doing so requires a great deal of mental focus, which would significantly diminish our combat prowess. To engage in battle with gods and demons under such conditions would make the outcome unpredictable!"

"So that is how it is!"

Ju Hua nodded. The Tianyang Ancestor's meaning was clear.

The lives of some loose immortals and primordial Daoists were not worth the risk to the Celestial Immortals of the major clans. After all, even for a Celestial Immortal, being cornered in the Phantom Demon Realm by a Void-Returning god or demon holding a Mirror Stone would be an extremely dangerous situation!