Chapter 559: Devious Plot Succeeds

Oh no!

Liang Feiyan, Xia Chaoge, and others familiar with Wu Manyue felt their hearts suddenly skip a beat. They were about to immediately discard the spatial artifacts in their hands.

As Wu Manyue snapped her fingers, a ripple of spatial fluctuation suddenly flashed across the surface of the spatial artifacts in everyone's hands, before they could even throw them away. In an instant, everyone was spatially confined. Liang Feiyan remained in the motion of discarding his spatial artifact, while Xia Chaoge calmly held his sword, ready to flick away his. The others also remained in states of surprise or in the act of pulling out their spatial artifacts. They all froze, like statues.

Wu Manyue crossed her arms over her chest, giggling uncontrollably, her body shaking as ripples spread across her chest. "Hehehe," she purred. "Did you really believe that I, Wu Manyue, would kindly give you things? I don't even have enough of these for myself; why would I have extras to give to you?"

She strode with her long legs and came before Liang Feiyan, snatching the spatial artifact from his hand and stuffing it back into her own pocket. Then she took those from Xia Chaoge and the others. Next, she approached Zhao Wuji and Qiu Shengnan. Facing their slightly angered, frozen expressions, she said with a beaming smile, "My apologies, esteemed elders. This junior did not mean to trick you. But without doing so, Jiang Fan, that sly fox, would never have fallen for it."

She smiled as she retrieved their spatial artifacts. Then she turned her head, sneered as she looked at Jiang Fan, and burst into a triumphant laugh. "Junior Brother Jiang, you little rascal, you sly one, you scoundrel... Aren't you supposed to be cunning?" She walked forward, pinching his handsome face, her eyes sparkling with fury. "Speak up! Don't you like to scheme against me? Why aren't you moving now? Where was your swagger when you snatched my beast king's demonic core in Heaven's Divide Canyon? Where was your cleverness when you tricked me into luring away the Demon Moon Priestess, using me as a target to draw fire? Where was your smugness when you coaxed me into opening the hidden space and tricked me into giving you my jade figure? Hehehe! When have I, Wu Manyue, ever suffered so many losses? And from the same person, no less! Do you know how much I want to tear you limb from limb?"

Gritting her teeth, her eyes blazing with fury, she vented all the resentment accumulated over the past month. "To get revenge for this, I didn't hesitate to volunteer for this mission. And I went to great lengths to invite you in. To lower your guard, I've been perfectly well-behaved and dutiful. All for this very moment! Do you know how hard I had to endure? Hehehe!"

She was happier now than she had ever been, happier than discovering that ancient ruin and acquiring countless treasures. A feeling of vindication lifted her as if she were soaring to the heavens.

Concubine Yunxia was the only one who hadn't received a spatial artifact and thus wasn't tricked. Her eyes flashed, and she said, "So you have a grudge against this little rascal too! Hand him over to me, I'll deal with him!" Concubine Yunxia's eyes were also spitting flames.

Wu Manyue giggled sweetly, "Did you hear that, Jiang Fan? There are quite a few people who want to tear you limb from limb. Fine, let Concubine Yunxia do it then."

She swayed her hips and came before Qiu Shengnan. She fumbled around in her embrace and found the key to the Dragon-Binding Lock. Concubine Yunxia's eyes lit up with joy, saying, "Thank you! This concubine will reward you handsomely afterward." She coldly looked at Jiang Fan and scoffed, "A just cause enjoys abundant support, while an unjust cause finds little. Jiang Fan, you never dreamed retribution would come so swiftly, did you?" In her mind, the image of torturing Jiang Fan mercilessly until he cried and begged for mercy had already appeared!

Wu Manyue walked over, holding the key. Just as Concubine Yunxia eagerly reached out with both hands to take it, Wu Manyue, however, pulled open Jiang Fan's trousers and dropped the key inside. Concubine Yunxia was stunned, frowning and glaring at Wu Manyue. "What do you mean?" Wu Manyue said playfully, "Giving you a chance for revenge, aren't I? Jiang Fan touched you, so why don't you touch him back? Hehehe." Concubine Yunxia then realized she had been played and snapped, "You lunatic!"

Wu Manyue's smile vanished, replaced by a sudden chill on her face. Her fingers curled into a claw, and she grabbed Concubine Yunxia's neck, saying coldly, "What are you? You dare to snatch the man I, Wu Manyue, want to play with? Get lost!" With a flick of her hand, she threw Concubine Yunxia off the demonic wolf.

Then she squatted in front of Jiang Fan, a smiling expression on her face. Slowly and methodically, she reached into Jiang Fan's embrace and retrieved the jade figure. "Tsk, tsk, tsk, my things aren't easy to take, are they?" Immediately after, she reached in again and pulled out a jade box. It was covered in seals, undoubtedly the last Nascent Soul Jade Talisman. A brilliant smile appeared on her face. "I originally wanted to get all three of your Nascent Soul Jade Talismans. Too bad there's only one left. I'll just politely accept it then." Afterward, she slowly fumbled around in his embrace with a half-smile, her eyes full of mischief. "Little rascal, you're quite lucky with women. After touching Concubine Yunxia, a senior sister gets to touch you. All the blessings in the world seem to be yours alone."

As she fumbled, she quickly pulled out the Sky Thunder Stone, and the smile on her face deepened. "Hehehe, this must be your spatial storage device, right? And it's a natural spatial storage device, no incantations needed to open it. Hehehe, your senior sister will take it all." Jiang Fan had no less valuable items on him than Wu Manyue did. This discovery surprised and delighted Wu Manyue immensely. Yet, she still wasn't satisfied. Her fair, jade-like hand fumbled downwards from his chest.

Suddenly, she touched something furry and warm. She couldn't help but freeze. "What is this?" She grabbed the fur, trying to pull it out, but suddenly, a sharp, piercing pain shot through her finger; something had bitten her. She quickly recoiled her hand and hastily retreated. How was that possible? The spatial fluctuation from Jiang Fan's artifact had sealed him and his surroundings. How could there be a living creature in his embrace unaffected, even biting her? She looked down at her finger. Her index finger had been bitten through the skin and flesh, and blood was gushing out. If it had bitten a little harder, her finger would be gone. Both shocked and enraged, she drew her sword, intending to force it out and see what it was.

But just then, Qiu Shengnan and Zhao Wuji's bodies swayed. They were faintly about to break free from the spatial confinement. Wu Manyue's expression changed. The spatial freeze effect was about to end. If she didn't leave now, she wouldn't be able to. Unwillingly, she sheathed her sword and glared fiercely at Jiang Fan. "You stinker, I wanted to play with you a bit longer! Consider yourself lucky this time!" She immediately took out a spirit boat from her spatial storage device, jumped on it, and sped off into the distance.

The others also successively broke free from the spatial freeze. In the frozen state, only their bodies were immobilized; their minds remained unaffected. Therefore, they could perceive everything happening around them. Qiu Shengnan leaped up in exasperation, exclaiming, "You audacious junior!" Zhao Wuji also broke free, drew his sword, and jumped off the demonic wolf to chase after her, shouting, "Junior, stop right there!" Xia Chaoge and the others also broke free one by one, their faces showing annoyance. It wasn't that they regretted the loss of their spatial artifacts, but rather that they had been tricked in such a manner.

Jiang Fan was the last to break free. Seeing him get up, Wu Manyue, while steering the spirit boat away, giggled and shook the spatial jade talisman in her hand. "Junior Brother Jiang, I've taken your jade talisman! Your Senior Sister will always love you!" From a hundred zhang away, she blew Jiang Fan a distant kiss.

"Shameless!" Qiu Shengnan was furious. As an elder, she had actually been played by a junior! She made to chase after her, but then she heard Jiang Fan behind her, speaking with a faint smile. "I won't allow you to speak of my goddess like that." Everyone turned their heads to look. They saw Jiang Fan holding a small bag. It was none other than the small cloth bag Wu Manyue had worn at her waist, filled with spatial artifacts!