Heading to the Illusion Demon Realm

Lost in thought, Ju Hua returned to his tent. Without hesitation, he summoned the loose immortals of the army and informed them that the forces would be laying siege to Liufeng Mountain for the next twenty years.

None of the loose immortals had any objections to this, and Ju Hua proceeded to assign patrol duties to each of them individually.

The meeting lasted until midnight. Shortly after the loose immortals departed, Ju Hua began practicing the Crimsonbright Diagram of the Nine Heavens inside his tent.

Ten years ago, Ju Hua had reached the fourteenth level of the Crimsonbright Diagram of the Nine Heavens. A decade later, he had long since broken through to the fifteenth level, and today, he was nearing its perfection.

However, the Crimsonbright Diagram of the Nine Heavens was a top-tier Godfiend body-refining technique. Advancing from the fifteenth to the sixteenth level was equivalent to the transformation from a Primordial Spirit Godfiend to a Void-Refining Godfiend; it was unlikely that Ju Hua would be able to break through so easily again.

Of course, Ju Hua was not overly worried.

Cultivating the Crimsonbright Diagram of the Nine Heavens relied primarily on insight, and insight was the one thing he did not lack. When the opportunity arrived, he would naturally break through.

Ju Hua practiced for the rest of the night. As the sky began to brighten, he suddenly opened his eyes as if he had sensed something.

Without hesitation, Ju Hua rose swiftly and walked out of his tent.

Just as Ju Hua left the tent, a rather elegant figure approached.

The visitor was none other than Tianyang Ancestor.

"Why have you come, Ancestor?" Ju Hua asked, cupping his hands in salute.

"Good news!" Tianyang Ancestor smiled, then tossed a hexagonal stone to Ju Hua.

"This is..."

Ju Hua was slightly stunned for a moment before asking, "Ancestor, is this a Mirror Stone?"

"Indeed, it is a Mirror Stone!" Tianyang Ancestor laughed. "I had intended to wait until the war ended to give it to you, but the situation has changed, so I am giving it to you now."

"Does the Ancestor mean for me to go to the Illusion Demon Realm now?" Ju Hua asked.

"You have nothing to do for the moment, and the war won't be breaking out anytime soon. As for the army, you can hand it over to someone trustworthy to manage in your stead," Tianyang Ancestor continued. "In that case, why not go?"

"I am worried that the Godfiends might suddenly launch an attack. It wouldn't be too late to go after the war ends," Ju Hua said with some hesitation.

"It doesn't matter. If the Godfiends attack, your absence won't change the overall situation," Tianyang Ancestor waved his hand. "Besides, as far as I know, the Xia Emperor has already dispatched Celestial Immortals to carefully scout the Illusion Demon Realm. If you don't go now, it might not be so simple once they finish their investigation!"

"Is the Xia Emperor interested in this dangerous place?" Ju Hua asked, somewhat puzzled.

"The Illusion Demon Realm has an extraordinary effect on tempering one's Dao heart. The Xia Emperor has countless cultivators under his command, and many need this realm to temper their hearts. How could he ignore it?" Tianyang Ancestor shook his head and said no more.

"I understand!" Ju Hua bowed. Since Tianyang Ancestor had put it this way, he would make the trip. In truth, he was also very much looking forward to this journey to the Illusion Demon Realm.

Tianyang Ancestor had come specifically to deliver the Mirror Stone, so he departed shortly after Ju Hua accepted it.

Once Tianyang Ancestor was gone, Ju Hua did not hesitate to summon Qing Muling.

"Fairy Ling, I may need to leave the army for twenty years. I must trouble you to handle all matters within the camp!" As he spoke, Ju Hua took out his commander's token and placed it in Qing Muling's hands.

However, Qing Muling did not take it.

"Fellow Daoist Ju Hua, are you joking?" Qing Muling looked at Ju Hua with a puzzled expression. The war had not yet ended; how could the commander leave the army?

"Rest assured, Fairy Ling. My departure has been sanctioned by Tianyang Ancestor himself!" Ju Hua explained.

"Sanctioned by Tianyang Ancestor..."

Qing Muling was slightly startled. She subconsciously took the token Ju Hua offered, but after a moment of thought, she hurriedly returned it to him.

"Fellow Daoist Ju Hua, this is the commander's token for the Zhuanshui Clan's army; I cannot accept it!" Qing Muling continued, "Why don't you give it to Fellow Daoist Pingqiu?"

"Zhuanshui Pingqiu has been severely wounded over the past fifteen years, and his strength has likely been greatly affected. Giving this token to him would hardly convince the troops," Ju Hua said calmly.

During the fifteen years of war, Fuyun Immortal had died early on during the most intense period. Although Zhuanshui Pingqiu had survived, he had suffered heavy injuries. Later, bound by his Heavenly Dao oath, he was forced to charge at the vanguard, which only caused his condition to worsen.

Ju Hua estimated that Zhuanshui Pingqiu's current cultivation base had regressed to that of a newly ascended Earth Immortal. With his foundation significantly weakened, his strength had naturally declined; he barely possessed the power of a top-tier loose immortal now.

Of course, Ju Hua's refusal to give the token to Zhuanshui Pingqiu wasn't entirely due to his weakened strength; in truth, he simply did not trust him.

"No, I cannot accept this!" Qing Muling was very cautious; she had no intention of taking the Zhuanshui Clan's command token.

Since Qing Muling refused, Ju Hua could not force her, so he had no choice but to take the token back.

"Then, Fairy Ling, you shall manage the army in my stead. If anyone refuses to obey, just contact me!" Ju Hua said.

"Very well!"

This time, Qing Muling did not refuse. Although she did not want to take on this trouble, she agreed, considering that Ju Hua was asking for her help.

For the past fifteen years, she had been sending gifts to Zhuanshui Ju Hua every few days precisely to cultivate his favor. If she refused now, the efforts of the last fifteen years would be largely wasted.

On the contrary, if she handled this well, Zhuanshui Ju Hua's trust and favor toward her would surely reach a new level.

Should she ever need to ask him for a favor in the future, she believed he would be more willing to help.

Ju Hua was naturally unaware of Qing Muling's thoughts, and he did not dwell on them. After settling the affairs of the army, he set off for the Illusion Demon Realm with great anticipation.

Unburdened by the army and without the interference of Godfiends, Ju Hua traveled at great speed. A few days later, he crossed the better part of the Autumn Mountain Great Marsh and arrived outside the Illusion Demon Realm.

Looking at the Illusion Demon Realm, which appeared no different from the outside world, Ju Hua gripped the Mirror Stone tightly. After taking a deep breath, he resolutely stepped into the realm.