Ju Hua's Heartforce had been stuck at a bottleneck, and its breakthrough to the Third Level was actually thanks to his falling into a state much like sudden enlightenment. He only emerged from it after unknowingly making his way to Liufeng Mountain.
By then, Ju Hua had also realized that his Heartforce had reached the Third Level.
"Looks like I don't need to go to the Illusion Demon Realm anymore!" Ju Hua smiled. His mood had improved considerably.
With his Heartforce at the Third Level, he no longer needed to find a way to reach the Illusion Demon Realm. Ju Hua knew very well that with his Dao Heart as it was now, even if he went to the very heart of the Illusion Demon Realm's core region, the illusions would probably be unable to affect him in the slightest!
His strength had also increased considerably.
Third Level Heartforce not only greatly increased the might of his moves, but also allowed him to swing his sword more times.
When his Heartforce was at the Second Level, an attack powerful enough to instantly kill an ordinary Celestial Immortal consumed a third of his Heartforce with each use. He could use it at most three times.
Now, he could probably unleash attacks of even greater might more than ten times!
"Unfortunately, I'm still not strong enough. I have to get stronger!" With that thought, Ju Hua flew into the Zhuanshui Clan's military camp.
Ju Hua first went to see Qing Muling. After learning about the army's recent situation, he said his farewells and left.
For cultivators, ten years was a short time. What's more, the army had been stationed beneath Liufeng Mountain the whole time, without making any major moves, so nothing significant had happened in the camp.
This was just as Ju Hua had expected. Otherwise, he would never have been able to go to the Illusion Demon Realm so easily in the first place!
After that, Ju Hua contacted Ancestor Tianyang. When he learned that Ancestor Tianyang had been cultivating in seclusion not far from the camp, Ju Hua flew straight over.
When Ju Hua found Ancestor Tianyang, the latter was tending to a medicinal herb.
"Ancestor!" Ju Hua clasped his hands in greeting.
"You've come back. Did you hear something?" Ancestor Tianyang asked.
"Celestial Immortal Tongyou of the Tianhe Clan and Celestial Immortal Jiumiao of the Donghe Clan seem to be investigating something. Celestial Immortal Tongyou also warned me that the Illusion Demon Realm was unsafe!" Ju Hua said.
"That's why I came back!"
"Yes, it's unsafe." Ancestor Tianyang nodded and spoke plainly. "A Celestial Immortal perished inside."
"So that's what happened?"
"We avoided the traps the God-Fiends set in the Illusion Demon Realm. I never thought a Celestial Immortal would still end up trapped there in the end!" Ancestor Tianyang sighed.
Watching Ancestor Tianyang sigh, Ju Hua seemed to realize something. "Ancestor, were you friends with the Celestial Immortal who died?"
"Friends? I'd only met him once!" Ancestor Tianyang laughed. "I didn't like the fellow, so I couldn't be bothered with him!"
"..."
Ju Hua fell silent. The old man had wanted to kill him because he'd heard Ju Hua was from the Zhuanshui Clan and had deduced that he was a junior whom Ancestor Tianyang valued.
Yet Ancestor Tianyang said he barely knew the dead Celestial Immortal?
That meant Ancestor Tianyang probably had no idea when he'd offended the man, who had then held a grudge against him all this time. What an undeserved calamity!
"How much did you gain from your time in the Illusion Demon Realm?" Ancestor Tianyang asked.
"A great deal!" Ju Hua replied without hesitation.
"I thought ten or twenty years would be too short. Since you say you gained a great deal, I'm relieved." Ancestor Tianyang waved a hand with a smile.
"Go on!"
"..."
Ju Hua said nothing more. After clasping his hands in farewell, he turned and left.
After returning from Ancestor Tianyang's place, Ju Hua went straight to his own tent. He set up an array restriction and then began considering his current situation.
There was no doubt that he wasn't completely safe yet. His actions could be discovered at any moment, and when that happened, he would have to flee!
If he stayed, Emperor Xia might not kill him, but Ju Hua would never entrust his fate to someone else. That would be the act of a fool!
If I have to flee, then naturally, the stronger I am, the better. I've just comprehended the eighth stance of the Great Sorrow Sword Art, and it'll probably be difficult to make another major breakthrough in a short time. For now, my only option is to work on the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth! The thought crossed Ju Hua's mind.
Studying the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth alone wouldn't greatly increase Ju Hua's strength right now. But if he could further merge the Dao of the Sword with the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth, his strength might surge once more.
The first time he merged two Daos, he hadn't merged them very deeply. Even so, the fifth stance of the Great Sorrow Sword Art had possessed power comparable to the sixth stance!
However, as his swordsmanship grew stronger, the boost he gained from merging the Dao of the Sword with the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth had gradually diminished.
Now, even with the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth added in, the power unleashed by the eighth stance of the Great Sorrow Sword Art was still nowhere near the level of the ninth stance!
This was probably because he had merged too little of the two Daos. If he could merge them more deeply, it might not be impossible for the eighth stance of the Great Sorrow Sword Art to reach the power of the ninth.
It's time to visit the Star Hall again! Ju Hua decided.
He had spent all these years fighting alongside the army and hadn't visited the Star Hall once. He had made tremendous progress in both the Dao of the Sword and the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth, and his foundation was now exceptionally solid. With the Star Hall's help, he had a chance to merge the two Daos further.
Once he'd made up his mind, Ju Hua went straight to the Immortal Abode left behind by Daoist Sanshou. After greeting the Yellow-Haired Great Bear, he entered the Star Hall.
The Yellow-Haired Great Bear watched from afar. Suddenly, a Red-Haired Figure appeared beside him.
"You're here?" the Yellow-Haired Great Bear asked.
"So this is the current Palace Master, the one suspected of being a reincarnation of a True God Dao Ancestor?" The Red-Haired Figure also watched Ju Hua comprehending inside the Star Hall.
"Thirty years ago, he was a top Loose Immortal. Thirty years later, he's killed a Celestial Immortal!" the Yellow-Haired Great Bear said.
"An ordinary Celestial Immortal?" the Red-Haired Figure asked.
"No. That Celestial Immortal was of average strength, but still far stronger than the most ordinary Celestial Immortal!" the Yellow-Haired Great Bear said.
"..."
After a moment of silence, the Red-Haired Figure spoke slowly. "Exceptional talent doesn't necessarily mean he's a reincarnation of a True God Dao Ancestor!"
"But his talent before was merely decent," the Yellow-Haired Great Bear continued. "I know some people can undergo a massive transformation under certain circumstances and then make rapid progress! But Ju Hua's situation couldn't be that kind of transformation. He's improved too quickly!"
"Perhaps he had some special encounter," the Red-Haired Figure said. "Let's wait and see."
"Mm!"