Chapter 558: Wuman Yue's Fox Tail

Qiu Shengnan, who was ahead, turned back in surprise."Why do you ask?""Didn't you get this information from the Golden-Claw Iron Wolf's mouth?"

The Golden-Claw Iron Wolf, running below them, howled upward, grumbling."Not from my mouth, but from my heart!""Outwardly, I am still a loyal wolf of the demon race; I live as a demon wolf and die as a demon ghost.""I was merely deceived; my heart was..."

Jiang Fan raised his fist and smacked its back, silencing it.Staring at the jade box, Jiang Fan mused,"There are a full two hundred drops of Demon Emperor's essence blood in here.""But so far, the beast kings attacking Boundary Mountain probably don't even add up to two hundred, do they?""Among them, I've only seen a few who have used the Demon Emperor's essence blood.""So, is such a large quantity of Demon Emperor's essence blood really meant for the battlefield?"

Uh—Everyone had been solely focused on executing the mission.Upon closer thought, there truly was a problem.If the essence blood was meant for the impending great decisive battle,then the timing, location, or even whether it would erupt at all, were all unknowns.For Concubine Yunxia to be waiting in the Gorge of Departed Souls with a large box of Demon Emperor's essence bloodseemed quite unreasonable.Unless, this Demon Emperor's essence blood had another purpose.

Many pairs of eyes turned towards her, and Concubine Yunxia calmly stated,"Don't look at me; I won't speak.""I don't fear torture either."She was as calm as she had been when facing death before.On matters of crucial importance to the demon race, she was uncompromising.

Jiang Fan's gaze shifted, and he said, "Then you can at least tell me what the difference is between these two types of Demon Emperor's blood, right?"The Demon Emperor's essence blood in the amber was clearly purer.For some unknown reason, the blood in the jade box was slightly inferior.

Concubine Yunxia closed her eyes without a word.She refused to say anything more.Jiang Fan nodded, and a wisp of poisonous mist rose from his palm.

As if sensing something, Concubine Yunxia scoffed, "Torture?""Right, what aren't you capable of?""Do as you please."She closed her eyes again but immediately opened them.

"You misunderstand. I'm just regularly maintaining your injuries."Jiang Fan calmly stated, "The demon race's regenerative ability is surprisingly strong, beyond what we humans expect.""Moreover, as the Demon Emperor's concubine, your recovery speed is faster than that of ordinary demonic beasts, not slower.""Before we return to Boundary Mountain, I will injure you periodically to ensure you don't have the ability to retaliate."

Qiu Shengnan nodded subtly.Jiang Fan was truly meticulous.None of the other disciples had considered this point.Only Jiang Fan thought of everything.She retracted a rhomboid dagger hidden in her sleeve.She had been prepared to stab Concubine Yunxia later.Now she was relieved.Stretching her body, she settled down to meditate with peace of mind.The task of guarding Concubine Yunxia had been fully entrusted to Jiang Fan.

"You're too ruthless, aren't you?"Concubine Yunxia angrily opened her eyes. "Aren't you afraid I'll settle the score with you if I escape?"Jiang Fan replied, "Precisely because I'm afraid, I cannot give you a chance to escape.""Come on, be a good girl.""Do you want to be injured by my poisonous palm, more gracefully?""Or would you prefer me to stab you quickly with a sword?"

Concubine Yunxia gnashed her silver teeth.She grabbed Jiang Fan's hand and slapped it onto her own shoulder. "I'll do it myself!"Jiang Fan, however, waved his hand. "No, no, no.""With a sword, you can do it yourself.""If you want a more elegant approach, it'll cost extra, like answering me why the two types of Demon Emperor's essence blood are different.""Could it be that there are two Demon Emperors?"

So, that's what he was waiting for!Concubine Yunxia laughed in exasperation; that scoundrel must have eight hundred tricks up his sleeve!After a brief deliberation, she took a deep breath, trying to calm herself as much as possible."It's not really a secret.""The one in the amber is pure Demon Emperor's essence blood.""The one in the jade box was found in a human's cave dwelling; the person had likely been dead for decades.""They were holding this jade box in their hand.""And that animal hide."

Jiang Fan was surprised.No wonder the Demon Emperor's essence blood in the jade box wasn't as potent as the one in the amber.It turned out it had been stored for decades.That human martial artist must have been to some place to obtain a jade box of essence blood and a mysterious animal hide.But for some unknown reason, they eventually died in a cave dwelling within the demon territory.Having understood the situation,he put both types of essence blood into the Sky Thunder Stone.At this point, their mission was considered complete.They only needed to return to Boundary Mountain and hand over Concubine Yunxia and the Demon Emperor's essence blood.

However,although they had captured Concubine Yunxia and neutralized the threat of the Demon Emperor's essence blood,the losses were immense.Seven elders, along with Fang Taiji, one of the top five human cultivators, had all perished.This blow to the human side was not to be underestimated.Jiang Fan personally lost two Nascent Soul jade talismans.Of the three he had just acquired, two were gone before he even had a chance to properly hold them.It pained him greatly.Even more frustrating was that he had searched Concubine Yunxia's entire body but found nothing valuable.This trip was a significant loss for him.

At this moment,Wu Manyue suddenly turned her head and clasped her fists towards everyone."This mission has been successfully completed. Thank you all for your hard work.""I intend to return to the Heavenly Secret Pavilion from here and part ways with you all."

Boundary Mountain was directly to the south.The Heavenly Secret Pavilion, however, was to the southeast.If Wu Manyue wished to return to the Heavenly Secret Pavilion, crossing part of the demon territory from their current location was the shortest route.Returning to Boundary Mountain would add an extra day's journey.Jiang Fan was eager for Wu Manyue to leave quickly; the longer she stayed, the longer he had to remain on guard.

"Have a good journey! No need to see you off!"Jiang Fan waved his hand impatiently.Wu Manyue gave him a dismissive look. "Heartless fellow!""If you're so capable, why don't you return my chance to cultivate at the Pavilion Master's tribulation site?"

The reward for the disciples on this mission was to go to the Heavenly Secret Pavilion and gain this valuable cultivation opportunity.Jiang Fan, who lacked tribulation lightning, might be able to greatly replenish it there."Alright, alright, thank you, Senior Sister Wu, for this time," Jiang Fan said, lazily cupping his hands.

Wu Manyue scoffed lightly, her delicate nose twitching. "Such insincere thanks are unnecessary."She glanced at the bodies of the seven elders.A hint of sadness in her eyes, she said, "I am truly ashamed that I am returning to the Heavenly Secret Pavilion now.""While you all must continue to fight on the battlefield, where life and death are unpredictable.""After we part today, it might be forever.""Manyue has nothing else to offer, so I will distribute these life-saving items among you.""If any of you can survive because of them, it will be a great merit for Manyue."

She took out a pouch fastened at her waist.Opening it, she placed it before everyone and said, "Each of you pick one.""Consider it Manyue's goodwill; don't be shy with me."

Everyone looked, and gasps of surprise rose."Spatial artifacts?""What? There are spatial scrolls too?"Jiang Fan even saw a life-saving jade figure, like ones he had used before.This was a treasure!He asked, somewhat disbelievingly, "Are you really giving these to us?"

Wu Manyue shot him a sidelong glance, lifted her long, fair neck, and snorted,"Except for you!""You heartless thing, everyone else gets one, but not you!"

*Whoosh—*Jiang Fan, however, was quick-witted.He snatched the jade figure out and tucked it into his clothes.Wu Manyue laughed in exasperation. "You shameless fellow!"Jiang Fan, without a blush or a racing heart, replied, "I'm just setting an example.""Otherwise, everyone would be too embarrassed to take one."

Indeed.With Jiang Fan leading the way, the others felt comfortable choosing their own treasures.Everyone who held one felt a sense of wonder.Spatial-attribute treasures were extremely rare.Thinking of how generous Wu Manyue was, giving one to each person.Wu Manyue packed the remaining items that hadn't been chosen.She sighed in relief and said, "Since everyone has made their choice,""Then, Manyue will take her leave.""Until we meet again, everyone!"She cupped her hands towards the group.

Liang Feiyan showed a trace of apology and cupped his hands, saying, "Senior Sister Wu, have a safe journey.""I had some misunderstandings about you before; please bear with me."Last time, Wu Manyue had not hesitated to deplete her spatial artifact to send a message for Sunset City.Now, she was giving such generous gifts.He couldn't help but look at Wu Manyue in a new light.

Wu Manyue looked at him and suddenly revealed a strange smile."Junior Brother Liang, your words are very gratifying to me, Senior Sister.""But, I'm afraid I'm going to disappoint Senior Brother Liang."Her eyes narrowed into slits as she smiled.She looked like a little fox whose cunning plan had succeeded.