Chapter 565: Impersonating the Messenger

Jiang Fan had an urge to curse.

In an area a hundred miles wide, of all places, why did he have to be teleported straight into a demon beast camp? The probability was like a needle falling into a swarm of a hundred thousand ants, and Jiang Fan was precisely the one who got pricked. "Unlucky" didn't even begin to cover it.

Even the evil spirit of the black mirror was dumbfounded. "Seriously, kid, are you the god of misfortune's own son? How can something like this even happen?"

Jiang Fan's heart sank. He'd rather be hunted by Concubine Yunxia; at least then he'd have some chance of escape. However, Jiang Fan wasn't one to resign himself to fate. He wouldn't give up until the very last moment. His mind raced.

Finally, before the Lizard War King could notice anything amiss, an idea flashed in his mind. He immediately covered his face with his sleeve, then quickly took out the Illusory Mirage Demon Core he had seized from Liuli and placed it in his mouth. A powerful surge of demonic energy then erupted from his body.

The Lizard War King was startled, confusion in his eyes. He had sensed a fleeting human aura from Jiang Fan. He immediately shouted, "Be on guard!"

Twenty to thirty ape-like beast kings immediately picked up ice cones, ready to strike. At the same time, beast kings continuously poured out of the ice cave in droves. In the blink of an eye, about two hundred had emerged, and they were still streaming out non-stop.

Jiang Fan secretly took a sharp breath. They were all at the Beast King level. With such a massive army of demon beasts, the one in charge surely wasn't an ordinary Beast King; it was very likely a Demon King. His heart solemn, he said, "Activate the Ancient Heart-Illuminating Realm, capture the thoughts of those around us, and gather as much information as possible about this camp."

The evil spirit replied, "You should use it yourself; it'll be more direct."

"But I don't know how to use this mirror!" Jiang Fan anxiously said.

"Haven't learned yet?" the evil spirit questioned. He nodded thoughtfully, then proactively activated the black mirror to probe the thoughts of the surrounding beast kings. Soon, key information was gathered for Jiang Fan.

"This is the Demon Clan's Southwest Military Camp. The previous commander was Liuli, the Demon Emperor's daughter. It's now commanded by Jueying, one of the Demon Kings. He specializes in shadow manipulation and is cunning and vigilant. It will likely be difficult to fool them by pretending to be a demon. Be prepared to fight for your life."

The evil spirit secretly sighed. From his perspective, Jiang Fan's current predicament was anything but minor. His only life-saving item was the Nascent Soul Jade Talisman. If he could use it to kill the Demon King here, he'd be fine; the leaderless Beast King army would then be too busy to pursue Jiang Fan. But if he couldn't kill him, he was in trouble. There were no fewer than ten demon beasts similar to the Lizard War King here. For Jiang Fan, without the Nascent Soul Jade Talisman, it would be almost impossible to escape their pursuit.

Having received the information, Jiang Fan remained calm and composed. With his hands behind his back, he assumed a dignified posture and said indifferently: "Where is Jueying? Why haven't you come out to greet this envoy?"

What sent chills down Jiang Fan's spine was this: the shadow he cast on the ground ahead began to writhe eerily, and a humanoid shadow, as black as ink except for its blood-red eyes, emerged from it. It looked like a melted wax figure, its jet-black skin sagging and drooping. Its drooping scalp covered half of its eyes, its long nose drooped to its mouth, and its chin and ears were likewise distorted. The skin on its body was layered, like fine ripples, giving a severe feeling of physiological discomfort. And the aura it emanated was terrifying beyond compare. Ninth-level Core Formation!

Jiang Fan was wary; this Demon King's talent seemed to be the ability to secretly lurk within living beings' shadows. If such a bizarre method were used for escape, the Nascent Soul Jade Talisman might not be able to kill him.

"Who are you?" Jueying's half-exposed red eyes rolled as he scrutinized Jiang Fan. Deep suspicion was visible in his eyes, because he had never seen Jiang Fan among the demon race.

Sensing the other party's suspicion, Jiang Fan, without a word and already prepared, took out the bone butterfly hairpin from his sleeve. "By order of the Old High Priest, I am here to collect the skeletal remains left behind by the Undead Army. You all must assist me!"

Upon seeing the bone butterfly hairpin, Jueying's red eyes showed a hint of surprise. He clearly recognized it as a sacred artifact of the Demon Race's priestly lineage, used to control corpse puppets. Only the priestly lineage possessed this item. No one else was allowed to touch it. The person before him was from the priestly lineage? But the current priestly lineage only consisted of Lingyin and Yaoyue; he hadn't heard of a third person. His gaze flickered, and he said, "Your subordinate, Jueying, welcomes the emissary of the High Priest. May I ask who the emissary is from the priestly lineage, and why this king has never seen you before?"

Jiang Fan's heart rate subtly quickened. As expected, it wasn't easy to bluff his way through; he knew too little about the demon race, making it very easy to expose himself. Fortunately, he had a trump card. He immediately narrowed his eyes and said, "You'd better not know. Otherwise, I fear the Old High Priest will take your life."

Jueying chuckled, growing even more suspicious of Jiang Fan. The priestly lineage had always been independent of the demon race, rarely interfering in their affairs. Even if they were displeased with a demon, they would only communicate with the Demon Emperor and let the Emperor resolve it. To openly state that the Old High Priest would take a demon's life clearly showed a lack of understanding of the demon race's internal rules. His aura began to boil, and points of cold light flickered in his eyes. He said in an unconcerned tone, "I am rather curious. What identity is it that this king cannot know, and knowing it would lead to the Old High Priest claiming my life?"

Jiang Fan said coolly, "Since you wish to die, I shall grant your wish." He pointed a finger at his glabella, revealing a flicker of spiritual light. Through this wisp, a trace of soul aura, hidden deep within Jiang Fan's body, emanated outwards.

Jueying initially didn't feel anything. Then, a unique aura mixed with that of a Linked Heart Spirit Worm wafted out along with it. As a Demon King, how could he not know about the Linked Heart Spirit Worm? And how could he not know what a Linked Heart Spirit Worm signified? The human-like demon before him was none other than the man of the current Young High Priest, Yaoyue!

He subconsciously exclaimed, "Linked Heart..." Fortunately, he reacted and promptly shut his mouth. The succession of the Demon Race's priestly lineage had always been a taboo, not to be spoken of by outsiders. If it were to spread from his mouth, the Old High Priest would indeed bypass the Demon Emperor and directly kill him. This emissary was right; his identity truly was not something he should know.

"Why are you silent now?" Jiang Fan said coldly. From the descriptions of Jian Linyuan and others, the priestly lineage seeking out a man was their top priority. Revealing this identity should be very effective.

Jueying took a sharp breath, no longer daring to doubt Jiang Fan's identity. He quickly cupped his hands and said respectfully, "Jueying failed to meet you properly and offended the emissary. The aura just now, I must have sensed it incorrectly, and I will not mention it to anyone. Please rest assured, Emissary." He secretly broke into a cold sweat; his loose tongue had truly caused trouble. If this person's identity were to be revealed in the future, the Old High Priest would surely suspect him. And the consequences...

"Hmph! You refused the Old High Priest's order for assistance and questioned my identity. Jueying, you have quite some nerve! Just wait for the Old High Priest to come for you!" With that, he took a step and began to leave.

A show of "the fox lending the tiger its might" had temporarily subdued them. If not now, when else could he leave? How could Jueying dare to let Jiang Fan leave in anger? "Emissary, please stay, please stay."

Jueying forced an awkward smile: "I have a small token of my regard I'd like to present for your esteemed viewing, Emissary."

Jiang Fan only wanted to leave now, and he refused without hesitation: "Keep it for yourself!"

Jueying gritted his teeth and said, "To be frank, the reason this place was chosen as a military camp is because I accidentally discovered a human relic site beneath this ice cave, dating back five hundred years. Although it has been excavated, some things were still left behind." He pulled out a thumb-sized, five-colored small stone. He held it in his palm with considerable effort and said, "It is this object. I don't know what its wondrous use is, but this stone is incredibly heavy. Even this tiny piece is difficult for me to hold. It must not be an ordinary item."

Jiang Fan's pupils constricted with just one glance. How was this a stone? It was clearly a Five-Magnet Elemental Mountain!