C213 Chen Qingyan

"Who is she?"

Yu Yuan was brimming with curiosity, his gaze fixed on the mysterious woman shrouded in a green veil. He murmured incredulously, "Jin Fann from the Ghoul Glyph Sect wouldn't hesitate to slay the Mighty Spirit King's descendants, so why does he hold back with her?"

It wasn't Lau Zaihe who had shattered Jin Fann's ghoul glyph; it was the veiled woman.

Jin Fann held back his fury from her, inexplicably redirecting it towards Lau Zaihe.

Bai Shenshen and the six surviving young alchemists looked upon her as if she were their messiah, their own contributions to their survival seemingly erased.

Yu Yuan couldn't discern the woman's true face with the naked eye, but he sensed her extraordinary beauty.

Activating his Heavenly Soul caused him a slight tremor.

Despite her youth, the veiled stranger was at the Penetrating Stage.

At the stir of his Heavenly Soul, she responded with sharp alertness, her eyes wide with astonishment as they met his.

Her surprise mirrored his own.

"Who is that person?"

Chen Qingyan's eyes danced with curiosity as she fixed her gaze on Yu Yuan, turning to Lau Zaihe for answers.

Lau Zaihe appeared utterly confused.

In the midst of this, Jin Fann, poised to strike at Lau Zaihe, let out a muffled groan as blood trickled from his nose and ears.

Fear engulfed Jin Fann's heart. Glancing at the banners and conducting a stealthy inspection, he realized he had abruptly lost connection with the bizarre creatures and venomous insects.

"My life-bound artifact!"

With a wail of despair, Jin Fann collapsed to the ground, Lau Zaihe forgotten.

One by one, a horde of venomous insects, alien beasts, and strange talismans burst forth from his neck, sleeves, and waist.

In a flash, dozens of eerie talismans materialized into solid forms around him.

A multitude of insects and unidentifiable creatures perched on his shoulders, slithered around his waist, or hovered over his head, all shrieking towards the Heaven Banners.

The banners, as if drawn by a magnet, fluttered and drifted towards him.

"I don't recognize him."

Lau Zaihe peered intently at Yu Yuan, then shook his head, saying, "That man seems familiar with Bai Shenshen of the Medicine Sect. He carries Spirit Crystals, and it appears he hails from the Silvermoon Empire."

"Silvermoon Empire, someone from the Su family?" Chen Qingyan's brow furrowed in thought.

"I'm not sure," Lau Zaihe stated.

"What an odd fellow," Chen Qingyan said with a light laugh, her delicate fingers brushing her translucent earlobe. "He's merely at the Spirit Accumulating Stage and hasn't even advanced to the Profound Break Stage, yet his soul force is incredibly turbulent. And the vitality of his Qi and blood at the Spirit Accumulating Stage is alarmingly vigorous."

"What?" Lau Zaihe exclaimed in surprise.

"Don't be fooled by his current stage; the Qi and blood within him are so potent they could rival someone at the Profound Break Stage," Chen Qingyan remarked with amazement. "He hasn't reached the Profound Break Stage, so the Profound Gate in his central dantian remains closed, and his eight extraordinary meridians are not flowing freely. Normally, the Qi and blood shouldn't be able to circulate through his organs."

"Yet, he's an exception..."

It's not just on the Profound Sky Continent—such an exceptional individual is unheard of even among the seven lower sects and three upper sects of the Heavenly Source Continent.

Lau Zaihe, aware of her unique identity and the profound mysteries of the Spiritual Spell she practiced, trusted her assessment.

This was why Lau Zaihe's gaze upon Yu Yuan became much more intense.

He wasn't concerned about how Yu Yuan came to possess the Spirit Crystal; as a descendant of the Mighty Spirit King, Spirit Crystals weren't particularly rare for him.

But someone who caught Chen Qingyan's eye must undoubtedly be extraordinary!

"Huff! Huff! Huff!"

The Nine Heavenly Banners wobbled as they moved toward Jin Fann.

The layers of Spiritual Energy barriers dissolved in a flash.

The miasma cloud, having seeped into the banners, didn't just dissipate; it continued to gnaw and inflict damage on Jin Fann.

Seeing this turn of events, Bai Shenshen let out another sigh of relief, then asked, "What were you saying?"

Only then did she have a chance to turn her attention to Yu Yuan.

"Who is she?" Yu Yuan gestured toward the woman accompanying Lau Zaihe. "Why did you all feel secure once she showed up? And why does Jin Fann from the Ghoul Glyph Sect dare to confront Lau Zaihe but not her?"

"Her name is Chen Qingyan, a member of the royal family from the Luan Bird Empire," Bai Shenshen explained.

"The Luan Bird Empire," Yu Yuan mused, stroking his chin. "Despite being the mightiest empire on the Profound Sky Continent, and the Luan Bird Empress renowned as the continent's most powerful cultivator, surely the Ghoul Glyph Sect isn't that intimidated by them, right?"

The Profound Sky Continent was home to six great empires: the Luan Bird Empire, the Divine Might Empire, the Rainier Empire, the Kingdom of Driliwyr, the Kingdom of Brilliance, and the Kingdom of Shaking Heaven. For nearly a century, the Luan Bird Empire had been the dominant force.

The Luan Bird Empress was hailed as the most formidable cultivator across the continent, surpassing even Zhou Cangmin, the Imperial Advisor of the Rainier Empire, having long ago refined her Yang God.

Rumors swirled that the upper sects of the Heavenly Source Continent had invited the Luan Bird Empress to refine her Yang God. Yet, she chose not to align with any of the three major upper sects. After achieving her Yang God, it roamed beyond the stars for an extended period.

Meanwhile, her true form, along with her Yin God and primary soul, continued to preside over the Luan Bird Empire. Legend had it that the Luan Bird Empress's Yang God joined forces with the upper sects' cultivators to vanquish Heavenly Devils and deter otherworldly entities, earning the deep respect and trust of the elder cultivators from the Heavenly Source Continent.

Such feats cemented the Luan Bird Empire's unparalleled status on the Profound Sky Continent. The consensus was clear: as long as the Luan Bird Empress lived, and her Yang God remained unscathed in extraterrestrial conflicts, the empire would stand unshakable.

Chen Qingyan, despite her royal lineage within the Luan Bird Empire, was but a younger member of the family. Why would Jin Fann fear her?

"Chen Qingyan's mentor is a formidable figure from the Sword Sect on the Heavenly Source Continent, in the late Unrestrained Stage," Bai Shenshen said, taking a deep breath. "He's an enigma within the sect, straddling the line between orthodox and unorthodox, with a penchant for wandering. Rumor has it, he shares an inexplicable connection with both the Demon Palace and the Devil Palace."

After a brief pause, Bai Shenshen added, "There's talk that this individual has some connections with the Ghoul Glyph Sect."

Yu Yuan was taken aback. "How could a master of the Sword Sect be deeply entangled with both the Devil Palace and the Demon Palace? And to have such an inexplicable link with the Ghoul Glyph Sect?"

In a hushed tone, Bai Shenshen replied, "That's the rumor, but I don't know the details."

"What's his surname, his name?" Yu Yuan pressed.

"His surname is Ji," Bai Shenshen responded with reverence.

"Ji!"

Yu Yuan was visibly shaken.

It seemed clear that the Sword Sect, bearing the surname Ji, was indeed deeply connected with the Devil Palace, the Demon Palace, and the Ghoul Glyph Sect.

"Has he truly reached the Unrestrained Stage already? In a mere three hundred years, you've become this powerful? Are you truly so far beyond reach?"

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