After leaving the battlefield, Ju Hua had settled down to cultivate. After roughly half a day, the restrictions in the formation he had set up sensed something.
"Two Celestial Immortals?"
Ju Hua's thoughts stirred slightly. Without hesitation, he rose and walked outside.
A moment later, Ju Hua saw two Celestial Immortals waiting outside.
He knew them. One was Celestial Immortal Tongyou of the Tianhe Clan, and the other was Celestial Immortal Jiumiao of the Dongfu Clan. Among the armies sent on this expedition, the Tianhe and Dongfu Clans were both on the weaker side.
Of course, "weaker" was only in comparison to top-tier clans like the Zhuanshui and Heishen Clans. Across the Great Xia World as a whole, both clans were still formidable forces.
"Zhuanshui Juhua greets you, seniors!" Ju Hua said, his expression unchanged as he cupped his hands.
"Zhuanshui Juhua?" Celestial Immortal Tongyou, his face weathered with age, pondered for a moment, then asked, "You're the commander of the Zhuanshui Clan, aren't you? And one of the three armies sent to Autumn Mountain Great Marsh is under your command!"
"That's right." Ju Hua nodded.
"If you're the commander, why aren't you with your army?" asked Celestial Immortal Jiumiao, who looked like an old woman.
"Thanks to Ancestor Tianyang's favor, I came here to temper my Dao Heart," Ju Hua replied.
"You—"
Jiumiao was about to say more, but Tongyou stopped her.
"Daoist Tianyang is as devoted to looking after his own juniors as ever," Tongyou said with a smile.
"You're absolutely right, senior." Ju Hua nodded in full agreement. The first time they met, Ancestor Tianyang had given him an Immortal-ranked magic treasure. Later, he had even personally brought him the Mirror Stone from the Illusion Demon Realm. An elder like that was truly rare!
"I'm an old friend of Daoist Tianyang's. Zhuanshui Juhua, let me ask you: have you noticed anything unusual during your time in the Illusion Demon Realm?" Tongyou asked.
"I've been tempering my Dao Heart here for over ten years," Ju Hua replied. "For more than half of that time, I was immersed in illusions. During the times I was lucid, though, I didn't notice anything unusual."
"Are you certain?" Tongyou looked at Ju Hua, a faint glimmer passing through his eyes.
"I am."
Looking straight at him, Ju Hua shook his head without hesitation.
"What a pity." Tongyou sighed, then said, "Zhuanshui Juhua, I'll warn you: the Illusion Demon Realm isn't safe. You'd best leave as soon as possible."
"Could you tell me what exactly has happened in the Illusion Demon Realm, senior?" Ju Hua asked, cupping his hands.
"Heh. You can ask Daoist Tianyang about that. I won't say more." Tongyou smiled, then nodded to Jiumiao beside him.
In the next instant, the two vanished from before Ju Hua with a whoosh.
"..."
Ju Hua stared at the spot where they had disappeared for a moment. After giving it some thought, he turned and went back to the temporary cave abode he had carved out.
At the same time, Tongyou and Jiumiao appeared among the clouds.
"Daoist Tongyou, do you think there's something wrong with Zhuanshui Juhua?" Jiumiao asked.
"What? Do you think this Loose Immortal killed Daoist Qianming?" Tongyou asked with a knowing smile.
"Not at all. I just think it's a shame to let him go so easily." Jiumiao shook her head.
"This fellow's Dao Heart is exceptionally strong. Without using other methods, ordinary Soul-Bewitching Techniques likely won't work on him," Tongyou continued. "But Daoist Tianyang has always been extremely protective of his own. Zhuanshui Juhua was able to leave his army and come here to temper his Dao Heart, so he must have Daoist Tianyang's support! There's a very good chance this kid is a junior whom Daoist Tianyang values greatly. Is a dead Qianming worth offending Daoist Tianyang over? You know how powerful he is, don't you?"
"It's not about whether it's worth it. We've already searched most of the Illusion Demon Realm and haven't found the slightest clue. That's hard to explain," Jiumiao said.
"If Emperor Xia truly cared about this matter, he wouldn't have sent just the two of us," Tongyou said with a smile and a shake of his head. He continued, "Besides, I've heard of Daoist Qianming. They say he was narrow-minded, held grudges over the smallest slights, and bullied the weak while fearing the strong. It's hardly surprising that someone like him was killed by an enemy."
"..."
Jiumiao had nothing more to say. Whatever Qianming Celestial had been like, Emperor Xia clearly didn't seem to care much about the matter.
A Celestial Immortal might be a lofty existence in the eyes of mortals, but in Emperor Xia's eyes, an Immortal with no particular strength was utterly insignificant.
Ju Hua knew nothing about the two Celestial Immortals' conversation. By now, he had returned to his cave abode, gathered his things, and was flying swiftly toward the exit of the Illusion Demon Realm.
Earlier, he had left because he felt guilty, like a thief. But after Tongyou's warning, he was leaving openly and without shame.
Before long, Ju Hua had flown out of the Illusion Demon Realm and was heading straight for Liufeng Mountain, where the army was stationed.
As he flew, Ju Hua couldn't help but turn over everything that had happened that day in his mind.
He had simply been cultivating as usual when that old man showed up and attacked him with lethal intent. It had been a disaster out of nowhere!
With no other choice, he had unleashed his full strength and killed the old man.
But killing him had only kept the disaster at bay for the moment. Given enough time, who knew if the truth would come out?
It wasn't unheard of for a Loose Immortal to kill a Celestial Immortal. It had happened more than once over the endless ages of the Great Xia World, and some such events were even widely known!
But he had cultivated for only a little over three hundred years. For the first three hundred, he had been "utterly unremarkable," only to suddenly make astonishing progress over the past thirty. How could anyone not be curious about such a strange thing?
"This disaster fell from the heavens, and all I could do was endure it. In the end, it's because I'm not strong enough." Ju Hua shook his head to himself. "If I were a Sky God, or even a True God, what happened today would be nothing but a joke."
"Celestial Immortals may have escaped the Three Realms and the Five Elements, and their lifespans may be endless, but when disaster strikes, don't they still die? Only great strength lets you control your fate. Otherwise, no matter how endless your life may be, you're still just drifting with the current!"
"..."
Ju Hua kept turning it all over in his mind. Gradually, his goal became clear.
Before, he had sought only to survive the tribulation and gain an endless lifespan. Now, he wanted not only to survive the tribulation, but to grow ever stronger.
If what was described in Desolate Era was true, then becoming a Sky God would only be the beginning. There were True Gods, Ancestral Gods, and even World Gods beyond that.
As long as there was still a road ahead, he would keep walking it! No matter what trials and obstacles lay before him, he would sweep them all away!
Only then could he control his fate and truly protect those he wanted to protect!
Ju Hua's goal grew ever clearer and firmer, and his Dao Heart transformed with it. The gains he had accumulated in the Illusion Demon Realm erupted all at once. His Heartforce, long stuck at a bottleneck, crossed that threshold with unwavering strength.