C211 Standing out like a Crane among Chickens

Jin Fann sensed something off about Yu Yuan, but it didn't particularly concern him.

Whatever hidden meanings lurked in Yu Yuan's words, they held little significance for Jin Fann.

After all, he was aware that Yu Yuan's demise was imminent.

Not just Yu Yuan, but also Bai Shenshen and the rest of the young alchemists gathered there were doomed to a similar fate.

"A promising prospect, indeed. A shame about the ill-timed emergence and only average talent," Jin Fann mused to himself.

Soon after, he witnessed the slow but inevitable approach of the miasma cloud.

"Puchi!"

The spiritual energy barrier created by the Heaven Banners, hanging in the air, reacted with the miasma cloud as if it were being eaten away by potent acid.

Far from alarmed, Jin Fann was actually pleased. Chuckling, he bid them, "Farewell, everyone."

With those words, he transformed into a streak of light, instantly escaping the confines of the Heaven Banners.

The miasma cloud, having eaten through the barrier, began to drift inside.

To everyone's astonishment, the cloud split and dispersed upon entry, wafting in different directions.

A glob of dark green miasma, thick as a viscous fluid, latched onto a tall, young alchemist.

The alchemist, at the Spirit Accumulating Stage with seven pill flame insignias on his chest, let out a frenzy of screams, pleading for salvation.

Green flames burst forth from within the miasma, engulfing and furiously consuming him.

After a few cries for help, silence fell, and his body was left charred.

"Ah!"

A young woman in a red dress was next, enveloped by a cluster of blue miasma. She barely managed a scream before abruptly falling silent.

A dense, blood-curdling stench emanated from the blue miasma, nauseating to those who smelled it.

More miasma clouds seeped through the corroded openings, spreading out as if they could sense and hunt down the life force and blood of their prey, targeting the trapped alchemists from various empires.

One by one, young alchemists of varying ranks and skills fell victim to the assault.

Even Bai Shenshen of the Medicine Sect couldn't dodge her fate. In the midst of the Heaven Banners, she moved like a wisp of smoke, constantly shifting her position in a desperate attempt to evade the deadly clouds.

The miasma cloud layer was gradually enveloping the space under the Heaven Banners, and soon, Bai Shenshen would find herself with no avenue for escape.

"Senior Jin!" Bai Shenshen's voice pierced the air, "Even as a practitioner of the Ghoul Glyph Sect, how can you justify such reckless behavior within the Jade Peak Mountain Range and against the Medicine Sect?"

"The Medicine God Sect's Supervisor is en route to the Jade Peak as we speak. Your actions against us will not go unpunished by the Medicine God Sect!"

It was common knowledge that while the Ghoul Glyph Sect might not fear the Medicine Sect, they would still need to show due respect to the Medicine God Sect, an entity held in high esteem across all three continents.

Bai Shenshen was aware that the Ghoul Glyph Sect's rise to power owed much to the Medicine God Sect.

"Medicine God Sect?" Jin Fann's laugh was tinged with ice. "My mentor once served the previous Sect Master of the Medicine God Sect. Our Ghoul Glyph Sect's current standing is largely thanks to that very Sect. The current Sect Master and our sect do not see eye to eye. Since you've never set foot on the Quietus Continent, you're unaware that we've long since severed ties with the current Medicine God Sect."

His tone carried a mix of awe and trepidation when he spoke of the former Sect Master of the Medicine God Sect. His master held that individual in the highest regard, often saying that despite not pursuing the path of cultivation, their conduct, methods, and innate gift for alchemy were exceptionally remarkable.

Influenced by his master's veneration and the tales he'd heard, Jin Fann held deep admiration and reverence for that Sect Master.

Inside the Nine Heaven Banners, Yu Yuan watched Jin Fann boast and a peculiar smile played on his lips. He mused, "I never imagined he was that man's disciple. It explains why, after three hundred years, he would covertly visit the Jade Peak. His methods are as ruthless and merciless as his master's."

Indeed, the adage held true: the nature of the master shapes the disciple.

Reflecting on the individual from the Ghoul Glyph Sect three centuries prior, Yu Yuan found himself enveloped in a wave of nostalgia.

"You..."

Jin Fann's brow furrowed, his sneer fading as he fixed a piercing stare on Yu Yuan. "Why are you unscathed?"

Bai Shenshen was quick on the uptake. She gazed at Yu Yuan as though he were some sort of anomaly, "Exactly, Yu Yuan, how come you're untouched?"

The rest of the group turned their attention to him, each with a more vivid expression than the last.

The miasma clouds that had infiltrated the area were relentlessly pursuing their peers, yet none dared approach Yu Yuan.

Some clouds, mere meters from Yu Yuan, would inexplicably veer away.

It was as though an invisible shield hovered over Yu Yuan's head, a talisman that the miasma clouds seemed to recognize and respect, deliberately avoiding him.

This oddity left everyone both stunned and baffled.

"I've always been extraordinarily lucky," Yu Yuan remarked nonchalantly.

Needless to say, no one was convinced.

After a moment's hesitation, Bai Shenshen, who had been nimbly evading the miasma clouds, had a stroke of insight and made her way toward Yu Yuan. She closed the distance swiftly, stopping just a meter from his left shoulder.

A cluster of miasma cloud that had been doggedly following her drifted closer.

Yet, when it came within seven meters of Yu Yuan, it halted abruptly.

It was as if an unseen eye within the cloud was cautiously observing Yu Yuan, assessing him, as if uncertain.

Then, the acidic miasma cloud that had been in pursuit of Bai Shenshen did something astonishing—it circled around her and selected a new target, a different young alchemist.

"Stay close to him!"

Another astute youngster caught on after Bai Shenshen's move.

He was the second alchemist to throw caution to the wind and gravitate toward Yu Yuan.

Upon entering the seven to eight-meter radius, a dark miasma cloud, just like the one before, came to an immediate standstill.

Seconds later, this dark miasma cloud, too, appeared to pick a new target, shifting its position.

One miasma cloud could be a fluke, but two couldn't be dismissed as mere chance.

Suddenly, it dawned on everyone—the surviving young alchemists still under threat from the miasma clouds began to call out, frantically scrambling to get closer to Yu Yuan.

Before long, six young men, hearts pounding and breaths ragged with fear, stood huddled around Yu Yuan.

Among the Heaven Banners, there were a few who attempted to approach, only to be ensnared by the deadly miasma cloud. By now, they had either perished or were emitting ghastly screams of agony.

The alchemists in the vicinity of Yu Yuan instinctively drew nearer to him, as if proximity could somehow grant them peace of mind.

The miasma cloud, drawn by Jin Fann, drifted over from afar and poured through the eroded opening.

The space at the heart of the Heaven Banners was slowly engulfed by the miasma clouds, yet the area around Yu Yuan remained eerily clear, forming a small pocket of safety untouched by the toxic haze.

"Kid?" Jin Fann sensed the anomaly, squinting his eyes with a chilling demeanor, "Where do you hail from? Are you in possession of some rare artifact? Why haven't the poison clouds enveloped you?"

"I'm clueless," Yu Yuan replied, casually touching his nose, "Perhaps you should be more concerned with your own situation."

"What?" Jin Fann was taken aback.

In the next instant, an unexpected turn of events unfolded!

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