Chapter 789: Another Hidden Truth

Wu Manyue looked puzzled. "Humans and demons are at war. You've killed so many demons; they'd hate you too much. Why would they give you information?"

Jiang Fan took out the parchment scroll, scanned its contents, and then asked Wu Manyue, "Let's hear yours first."

Wu Manyue openly shared her intelligence, unfolding a piece of paper. It contained a line of vigorous handwriting: "Two hours ago, the whereabouts of the Infernal Wasteland Beast were discovered on Mount Chongcui."

Jiang Fan raised an eyebrow slightly. He had to admit, Wu Manyue truly had connections within the demon race, and quite significant ones at that. News from two hours ago might have just been passed on by the Sea Charm. This was likely the most up-to-date intelligence humans could obtain from the demons.

"What about you?" Wu Manyue asked, glancing at the parchment scroll in Jiang Fan's hand.

"An hour ago," Jiang Fan replied.

Ren Guhong's pupils constricted in surprise. "An hour ago? That information was probably still with the leading demons, awaiting verification. It might not have even left their tents yet. Junior Brother Jiang, your connections are... quite astounding."

Wu Manyue looked at her paper, then at Jiang Fan's parchment. She couldn't remain calm. "How did you get it? Such precise information must have come at a considerable cost, right?"

To get this firsthand intelligence, she had exhausted every flattering word and offered numerous rare treasures. The worst part was that the other party had even tried to take advantage of her. She had used every trick in the book to force them to back down. In the end, the other party had given her many cold looks before reluctantly providing the information.

Now, Jiang Fan had also obtained information, and it was even more precise than hers. Who could stand that? However, for such confidential intelligence, Jiang Fan must have paid a heavy price — definitely more, not less, than what she had given. Perhaps he had even sacrificed his personal appearance. Thinking this, her mind found some balance.

Jiang Fan slowly unrolled the parchment scroll and said, "It was fine; they were quite polite. When they heard I wanted information, they just gave it to me directly. What's wrong, Senior Sister Wu? Did you have to pay a price to get your information?"

Wu Manyue stiffened. She stammered, "Of-of course not. I'm so beautiful; they offered it with smiles just by me asking. How could there be any price?"

Jiang Fan nodded slightly. "That's good. It would be a huge loss if your useless information cost too much."

"No, no, absolutely not," Wu Manyue said with a forced smile, her right hand crushing the paper until it almost smoked.

Ren Guhong caught a glimpse of it from the corner of his eye and couldn't help but twitch slightly. How much had Wu Manyue paid to be so furious? He cleared his throat. "Without further delay, let's set off quickly and verify the authenticity of this latest intelligence."

The few of them jumped onto the flying beast and immediately headed east.

An hour later, at Buqun Mountain, while still in the air, they witnessed the gruesome scene below. Amidst the white snow, there were splashes of bright red. Several enormous demon beasts, dozens of feet long, had been torn to shreds by something terrifying, their remains scattered across an area spanning a thousand feet.

"The news is true!" Wu Manyue exclaimed, angrily pounding the hawk's back. She had paid such a huge price, almost losing her virtue, only for her intelligence to be inferior to what Jiang Fan had seemingly picked up for free! How infuriating!

She glared at Jiang Fan, green with envy. "Junior Brother Jiang, you're quite popular with the demon race, aren't you? Could it be that you've secured a good position among them?"

Jiang Fan nodded slightly, not concealing anything. "It's not much of a position, just the title of 'Prince Consort'."

"Alright, let's go down and investigate." He leaped down, flying on his sword to the ground. The two remaining on the hawk's back froze in place, as if struck by lightning.

Prince Consort? The demon race's Prince Consort? Both were utterly dumbfounded.

Jiang Fan landed on the ground. He meticulously examined the corpses, and after a moment, his brow slightly rose.

It took Ren Guhong and Wu Manyue a while to accept the fact of Jiang Fan's astonishing identity. They slowly descended on their flying beast.

Wu Manyue said, a hint of bitterness in her voice, "I heard the Demon Emperor's daughter is named Liuli, and she's a true beauty, isn't she?"

Jiang Fan nodded. "She is indeed quite beautiful. Why do you ask?"

*Creak* — Wu Manyue clenched her fist. "How come all the good things happen to you?"

Ren Guhong was also envious for a moment, then, curious, he asked, "I heard the Demon Emperor has a concubine named Yunxia. They say she's as beautiful as a celestial fairy, renowned for her divine looks. Have you ever seen her? Is she as beautiful as the rumors say?"

Jiang Fan nodded without hesitation. "She's even more beautiful than the rumors describe. She's also gentle, kind, considerate, and thoughtful – truly a man's dream woman. No description could do her justice."

Wu Manyue scoffed. "Gentle, kind, considerate, and thoughtful? You talk as if you know her very well."

Jiang Fan replied, "Yes, quite well. Extremely well, in fact." Before they could fully grasp what he meant, Jiang Fan pointed to the corpses before them, his expression quite serious. "I think everyone has been deceived. What's plaguing the demon race isn't the Infernal Wasteland Beast."

Wu Manyue was still trying to figure out what "extremely well" meant when Jiang Fan's astonishing revelation startled her. "It's not the Infernal Wasteland Beast? How do you know?"

Ren Guhong also looked completely incredulous. Could the terrifying Infernal Wasteland Beast attacks, which had spread so much panic, actually be a hoax? "Junior Brother Jiang, do you have concrete evidence? Such claims carry significant weight; please speak carefully."

At a time when the entire continent was uniting to fight the Infernal Wasteland Beast, Jiang Fan claimed it wasn't. If Jiang Fan's judgment was wrong, he might be accused of disrupting the greater situation, with consequences that would be anything but trivial.

Jiang Fan gazed at the claw marks on the corpses and said in a deep voice, "Count the number of claw marks on the bodies."

The two of them looked at the corpse in front of them, then at the one in the distance. They said in unison, "Five. Whether from the left or right paw, there are five claw marks."

Jiang Fan narrowed his eyes slightly and said, "What if I told you... I once severed one of the Infernal Wasteland Beast's claws?"

Ren Guhong and Wu Manyue both gasped. They were shocked, first, that Jiang Fan had actually fought such a terrifying Infernal Wasteland Beast, and second, that an unknown group was impersonating the Infernal Wasteland Beast to massacre the demon race within their territory!

Wu Manyue said, startled, "Could it be that the Infernal Wasteland Beast regenerated its limb?"

Ren Guhong stated emphatically, "Impossible! Whether it's the demon race or the Infernal Wasteland Beast, their recovery abilities are only slightly better than humans'. They are nowhere near the heaven-defying level of limb regeneration. Unless someone provided them with our human race's high-grade healing elixirs to aid their recovery. Such elixirs are exceedingly rare on our continent; only the rumored Rejuvenation Pill has such miraculous effects. How could this Infernal Wasteland Beast have obtained it?" He paused, then his expression turned frosty. "So, there's no doubt. Someone is impersonating the Infernal Wasteland Beast and massacring the demon race!"

Wu Manyue's face also darkened. When she had previously sought information from that demon, she had heard about the horrific state of the attacked tribes. It was said that even newborn demon beasts were not spared, torn to shreds. Now, it dawned on her. The reason no one, old or young, was spared was to eliminate witnesses, wasn't it? As this thought crossed her mind, a cold glint appeared in her eyes. "We'll inform our elders immediately. We won't let this group escape!"

Jiang Fan, however, shook his head. Killing intent surged in his eyes. "They dare to commit such massacres on the continent; they must not be from this continent. If our elders truly knew, they would weigh the pros and cons and wouldn't easily deliver a killing blow. Wouldn't that let these beasts off too easily?"

A glint flashed in Ren Guhong's eyes. "Junior Brother Jiang, are you suggesting...?"

Jiang Fan took out the Sky-Monitoring Mirror and said coldly, "We don't know anything. We merely happened to accidentally kill a few outsiders while searching for the Infernal Wasteland Beast."

Wu Manyue's delicate body trembled. Was Jiang Fan preparing for a full-scale slaughter?