In his tenth year in the Illusion Demon Realm, Ju Hua had reached its core. The Mirror Stones had been born there, and it was also easy to leave the Illusion Demon Realm from that location.
However, Ju Hua had no intention of leaving just yet.
The core of the Illusion Demon Realm spanned a hundred li. The illusions on its outermost edges were not as powerful as those at its very center. Celestial Immortals could withstand the outermost illusions with some effort, but the innermost illusions could make even Celestial Immortals blanch.
Ju Hua's Heartforce had reached the threshold of the third stage. He vaguely hoped to break through that barrier by relying on the illusions at the very center. However, the Mirror Stone's effectiveness against the illusions in the outer reaches of the core had already diminished somewhat, and it was hard to say whether it would work at all against those at the center. So Ju Hua wasn't in a hurry to venture into the innermost part of the core. He planned to spend more time getting used to the outer reaches first.
Perhaps because everything in the Illusion Demon Realm had gone too smoothly, the protective formations Ju Hua had set up outside his cave abode in the core were rather crude. One day, as he was immersed in an illusion, the formations outside were suddenly smashed apart by brute force.
The commotion outside immediately stirred the puppet that had been standing guard beside Ju Hua. Without the slightest hesitation, it placed the Mirror Stone in his hand.
The Mirror Stone's ability to counter the illusions in the core had diminished considerably, so it took quite a while for Ju Hua to awaken from the illusion.
By then, the protective formations outside had already been completely destroyed.
Ju Hua stood up with a frown. Soon, an old man with snow-white hair and beard strolled in. The man made no attempt to conceal his aura. He was a Celestial Immortal.
"Boy, from this moment on, the Illusion Demon Realm belongs to Emperor Xia. You can leave now," the old man said coolly.
"Emperor Xia owns it?"
Ju Hua furrowed his brow slightly, then understood. This old man was the Celestial Immortal Ancestor Tianyang had mentioned—the one Emperor Xia had sent to investigate the Illusion Demon Realm.
"Do you have a problem with that?" the old man asked coolly.
"How would I dare? I'll gather my things, then leave at once," Ju Hua replied.
He wasn't afraid of this Celestial Immortal, but there was no need to start a conflict with him.
He had been a Loose Immortal for barely thirty years. If he'd possessed the strength he had before, that would have been one thing. But if he openly defeated a Celestial Immortal today, his previous explanations would seem utterly unconvincing.
Ju Hua hadn't been born with such extraordinary talent. Anyone who cared to investigate could learn what he'd been through over the past three hundred years. How could they not suspect him when his talent had changed so drastically after his failed tribulation?
To put it bluntly, Ju Hua had no way to protect himself right now. If this matter came to light, all he could do would be to flee the Great Xia World. Otherwise, even Emperor Xia would likely take an interest in him!
But Ju Hua had no desire to become a stray dog for no reason. Not for any other reason—only because his younger sister was still waiting for him to return to the clan!
As for the old man's overbearing attitude, Ju Hua didn't care in the slightest.
If he'd cared about something so trivial, then all those years tempering his Dao Heart in the Illusion Demon Realm would have been wasted! He treated the old man like thin air. No matter what the man said, what could he do to Ju Hua?
As for the Illusion Demon Realm, he could always return another day!
Emperor Xia had claimed the Illusion Demon Realm to let his subordinates use it for cultivation. If Ju Hua paid a suitable price, it wouldn't be difficult to get back in!
Seeing how sensible Ju Hua was, the old man nodded in satisfaction.
However, as Ju Hua was gathering his things, the old man seemed to think of something and suddenly asked, "You came to the Illusion Demon Realm to temper your Dao Heart, didn't you?"
"You're right, Senior. I came here to temper my Dao Heart under the guidance of my clan's ancestor," Ju Hua replied.
"Mm." The old man nodded slowly, then asked, "Which clan are you from?"
"This junior is Zhuanshui Juhua, a disciple of the Zhuanshui Clan," Ju Hua said directly.
"A disciple of the Zhuanshui Clan..." The old man narrowed his eyes slightly, as if he'd thought of something. Then he said, "If I remember correctly, the Celestial Immortal your Zhuanshui Clan sent to Autumn Mountain Great Marsh this time was Daoist friend Tianyang. That means you're a junior he values highly, doesn't it?"
"You jest, Senior. I'm just a Loose Immortal. How could Ancestor Tianyang value me?" Ju Hua replied without betraying his thoughts. For some reason, he sensed that something was wrong.
At Ju Hua's words, the Celestial Immortal suddenly burst into laughter.
"Why are you laughing, Senior?" Ju Hua asked.
"I'm laughing at Tianyang Old Ghost's stupidity. He knew I was coming here and still dared to send a junior over!" Before the Celestial Immortal had even finished speaking, Ju Hua suddenly felt a gust of force howl toward him from behind.
The Qiuhua Sword appeared in Ju Hua's hand in an instant. Divine runes lit up across his body as he turned and thrust his sword behind him.
That thrust was like the Milky Way plunging from the ninth heaven—swift and peerless!
Boom!
A black spike suddenly materialized out of thin air and was sent flying by Ju Hua's blow.
The spike slammed into the mountainside at tremendous speed. In an instant, the mountain collapsed and the earth caved in, while Ju Hua's cave abode was blasted to dust at once.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Ju Hua and the old man shot up from below at nearly the same time. Ju Hua watched his opponent expressionlessly, while a trace of astonishment appeared on the old man's face.
"You actually blocked it? Since when did the Zhuanshui Clan have a Loose Immortal as powerful as you?" the old man asked.
"When the Zhuanshui Clan gained someone like me is none of your concern, Senior. You'd better start worrying about your own life!" As Ju Hua spoke, he suddenly grew into a hundred-zhang giant and simultaneously used Three Heads and Six Arms. Six enormous swords appeared in his hands.
"Hahaha! Arrogant brat! You blocked one of my attacks and now you dare to boast? Today, I'll teach you what a true Celestial Immortal is!" the old man roared with laughter. Then a great many black spikes appeared around him.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!
Flames blazed across the surfaces of the black spikes.
"Go!"
At a thought from the old man, countless spikes suddenly streaked across the sky, surging toward Ju Hua in a storm.
"."
Faced with such an attack, Ju Hua advanced instead of retreating. He strode forward, rapidly closing in on the old man.
In an instant, the countless spikes reached Ju Hua. His six arms moved with blinding speed, and the six enormous swords in his hands unleashed one exquisite sword technique after another. Spikes hurtling toward him from every direction were blocked without the slightest difficulty.
The old man watched from afar, his eyes widening. Ju Hua had blocked every single one of his attacks just like that. His swordsmanship was simply unbelievable.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!
Ju Hua swept countless black spikes away with ease. By now, he had drawn close to the old man. Without hesitation, he thrust his sword at him.
Boom!
A turtle-shell-shaped magic treasure suddenly appeared. Its surface trembled, then firmly blocked Ju Hua's sword.
The old man let out a sigh of relief and quickly retreated.
At the same time, the countless black spikes that Ju Hua had just swept aside regrouped and came surging toward him in a sky-filling wave...