During the long campaign, the first five years saw the fiercest fighting between the two sides. Throughout that period, the Human Race army could be attacked by the fiends at any moment. Threatened by both large numbers of fiends and the dangers of Autumn Mountain Great Marsh itself, the army advanced rather slowly.
Starting in the sixth year, the fiends' attacks began to ease.
There were many fiends hidden in Autumn Mountain Great Marsh, but they were not inexhaustible. After five years of attrition, even they were struggling to hold on.
Under these circumstances, the Human Race army's advance sped up considerably. The vast Autumn Mountain Great Marsh was rapidly devoured from the outside in, and the fiends' room to maneuver grew smaller and smaller.
In the blink of an eye, another ten years passed.
After five years of fighting followed by ten more, a total of fifteen years had passed, and the fiends were finally driven to their last refuge!
All the fiends still alive in Autumn Mountain Great Marsh had gathered in a perilous region at its center, while the Human Race army converged from three directions and surrounded the entire region.
Immortal Jiuhua's original strategy had now been fully realized!
With the three armies united, the fiends had nowhere left to go. They could only cling to that final perilous refuge and eke out their existence. The moment they dared to leave it, the Human Race army would ruthlessly wipe them out!
At the heart of Autumn Mountain Great Marsh, the commanders of the various clans gathered once more in the Yinglong Army's camp, fifteen years after their last meeting.
"Fellow Daoists, please!" Immortal Jiuhua, seated at the head of the table, raised his cup and cheerfully drained the wine.
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The commanders below did not hesitate. Smiling, they too drained their cups.
"Our army has fought for fifteen years, and more than a hundred thousand soldiers have died! Though our losses have been grievous, our gains have been incomparably glorious!" Immortal Jiuhua declared loudly.
"The fiends of Autumn Mountain Great Marsh have been trapped within Liufeng Mountain. They are cornered beasts now. The outcome of this war has already been decided!"
"Hahaha! Wonderful, wonderful!" God Mountain, whose body was covered in countless images of mountains, could not help laughing heartily.
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The other commanders were not as exuberant as God Mountain, but Immortal Jiuhua's words still lifted their spirits.
As everyone chatted in small groups, a calm voice suddenly rang out.
"Daoist Jiuhua, when do you plan to launch the final assault?" the voice asked.
"So it's Daoist Ju Hua!"
Immortal Jiuhua turned to look at the figure seated on his left. A thoughtful look flickered through his mind.
Fifteen years had passed since they last met, and Zhuanshui Juhua's aura had grown even sharper. Perhaps it was his imagination, but at times he even sensed a hint of menace from the other man.
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Ju Hua cupped his hands toward Immortal Jiuhua without saying anything more.
The commanders of the other clans also turned their gazes toward Immortal Jiuhua. In truth, this was something they were all concerned about. Although the situation was excellent and one could even say victory was certain, they would feel more at ease if the war were settled sooner rather than later.
"Fellow Daoists, there's no need to rush," Immortal Jiuhua said with a smile. "I've discussed it with the Celestial Immortals. This time, we'll surround them without attacking and wait for the fiends to come out on their own."
"The fiends born of heaven and earth have lifespans that are practically endless. Will they really give up their geographical advantage and come out to fight us?" asked the commander of the Heishen Clan, who looked like a Young Girl.
"They have no choice but to come out," Immortal Jiuhua said unhurriedly. "You may not know this, fellow Daoists, but the chilling winds blow everywhere within Liufeng Mountain. The Void-Return Fiendgods may be able to endure them, but the Primordial Spirit Fiendgods and even the Wanxiang Fiendgods could never withstand those winds blowing on them every moment. At most, twenty years from now, the fiends will inevitably show themselves."
"So that's how it is!" The commanders below nodded one after another.
"If that's the case, why did the fiends choose to hide there in the end?" another commander asked.
"Because they had no other choice," Immortal Jiuhua replied with a smile.
"If they chose some other place for the final battle, our Human Race army would simply charge in. We wouldn't fear them in the slightest! But those chilling winds in Liufeng Mountain are something the fiends can't withstand. We Loose Immortals would fare a hundred times worse than they would!"
"Are those chilling winds in Liufeng Mountain the kind of strange wind that specifically harms the soul?" someone asked.
"Exactly. The chilling winds in Liufeng Mountain not only target the soul, but are impossible to evade. Those with weak souls could have their souls scattered on the spot," Immortal Jiuhua said with a nod.
"If the winds are that strange, then we'll wait here for twenty years!"
"Twenty years is nothing; it'll pass in the blink of an eye. There's no need to risk entering Liufeng Mountain just to save that little time."
"Those two Daoists are right!"
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Immortal Jiuhua's explanation left none of the commanders with any objections. To cultivators like them, twenty years would pass in the blink of an eye. Compared to that, risking a venture into Liufeng Mountain would be utterly foolish.
The Loose Immortals all felt this way, and even Ju Hua, the youngest among them, agreed. His strength had advanced greatly over the years, but there was no need to risk himself just to save a little time.
"The only problem is that I've been away for a long time. I wonder how my younger sister is doing." The thought crossed Ju Hua's mind, and he slowly shook his head.
When he left, his younger sister had been ready to break through to become a Primordial Spirit Daoist. Now, fifteen years had passed, and she was very likely already one.
For a Primordial Spirit Daoist, that stretch of time was not all that long.
"Once I've taken care of things here, I'll head straight back!" Ju Hua did not dwell on it. He turned his attention back to the meeting and victory celebration taking place before him.
By evening, the meeting had ended. The commanders of the various clans took their leave of Immortal Jiuhua and returned to their respective camps. Ju Hua was no exception.
However, just as Ju Hua was taking his leave of Immortal Jiuhua, the latter suddenly sent him a few words through a voice transmission.
Ju Hua was somewhat surprised by Immortal Jiuhua's message, but he showed no sign of it. He merely nodded slightly.
After all the clan commanders had gone, Ju Hua returned to the main tent and found Immortal Jiuhua seated there, waiting for him.