C213 Chen Qingyan

"Who is she?"

Yu Yuan was brimming with suspicion as he stared at the mysterious woman wearing a green veil. He murmured, "Zanas of the Binders of Shadows is willing to strike down even the heir of the King of Wraiths, yet he hesitates to confront her. Why is that?"

It was not Liu Zaihe who had shattered the Ghoul Glyph, but the veiled woman herself.

Zanas didn't lash out at her; instead, he redirected his fury towards Liu Zaihe, which was quite perplexing.

Bai Shenshen and the six surviving young herbalists looked upon her as if she were their savior, making it seem as though their own contributions to their survival had been erased.

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

He subtly engaged his heaven soul, causing a slight tremor in his form.

The veiled woman, who also appeared quite young, possessed the cultivation level of Subtlety.

At the movement of his heaven soul, she responded with acute awareness, her eyes reflecting astonishment as she returned his gaze.

Her sense of wonder matched his own.

"Who is that person?"

Chen Qingyan's eyes sparkled with curiosity as she fixed her gaze on Yu Yuan and inquired of Liu Zaihe.

Liu Zaihe appeared utterly bewildered.

Meanwhile, Zanas, who had been poised to strike at Liu Zaihe, suddenly grunted, blood trickling from his nose and ears.

Fear engulfed Zanas as he examined the flags and conducted a covert inspection, only to realize that his connection to the various creatures and venomous insects had been swiftly severed.

"My life-bound artifact!"

Zanas let out a wail of despair and collapsed to the ground, no longer concerned with Liu Zaihe.

One by one, a menagerie of venomous insects, alien beasts, and spells emerged from his neck, sleeves, and midsection.

In a flash, dozens of eerie spells materialized into tangible forms around him.

A horde of venomous insects and nameless entities perched on his shoulders, wrapped around his waist like serpents, or hovered above his head, all screeching towards the nine flags.

The flags billowed and drifted towards him as if magnetically drawn.

"I'm not acquainted with him."

Liu Zaihe gazed intently at Yu Yuan, then shook his head and said, "That man seems familiar with Bai Shenshen of the Sacred Hands. He carries a Psicrystal, which likely originates from the Silvermoon Empire."

"Silvermoon Empire, someone from the Su family?" Chen Qingyan furrowed her brow.

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

"He's quite the odd one," Chen Qingyan said with a light chuckle, gently touching her translucent earlobe. "He's merely at the Soul Awakening Realm and hasn't even advanced to the Veil Breaking Realm, yet his remnant soul is incredibly turbulent. Moreover, the vitality at his level is alarmingly robust."

"What?" Liu Zaihe exclaimed in surprise.

"Despite being at the Soul Awakening Realm, the vitality he possesses is so potent that it could rival someone at the Veil Breaking Realm," Chen Qingyan marveled, clicking her tongue in amazement. "Without having reached the Veil Breaking Realm, his middle elixir field hasn't opened, and the eight extra-channels are not flowing freely. Normally, the vitality of the internal organs can't be activated to such an extent."

"But he, he's an anomaly..."

It's not just in Aetherius; even among the three upper sects and seven lower sects of Euwrea, one would be hard-pressed to find an anomaly like the young man before us.

Liu Zaihe, fully aware of her unique identity and the profound nature of her cultivated spells, trusted her judgment.

Thus, when Liu Zaihe looked at Yu Yuan again, his gaze was filled with a newfound gravity.

He wasn't concerned about how Yu Yuan came to possess the Psicrystal, for as a descendant of the King of Wraiths, such a treasure wasn't particularly rare.

Yet, someone who has caught Chen Qingyan's eye must certainly be exceptional!

"Huff! Huff! Huff!"

The nine flags wobbled as they made their way toward Zanas.

The rings of spiritual energy that formed the barrier dissolved in an instant.

The miasma clouds that had seeped into the flags did not simply dissipate; they continued to gnaw and tear within, as venomous insects and alien beasts inflicted ongoing damage on Zanas.

Upon witnessing this, Bai Shenshen breathed another sigh of relief before asking, "What did you say?"

Only then did she have a moment to attend to Yu Yuan.

"Who is she?" Yu Yuan gestured toward the woman accompanying Liu Zaihe. "Why did you all feel safe once she showed up? And why would Zanas of the Binders of Shadows rather provoke Liu Zaihe than dare to cross her?"

"She's Chen Qingyan, a member of the royal family of the Songbird Empire," Bai Shenshen informed.

"The Songbird Empire," Yu Yuan mused, stroking his chin. "It's the mightiest empire on the Aetherius Continent, and the Songbird Queen is hailed as the strongest cultivator there. But even so, should the Binders of Shadows be so fearful?"

The Aetherius Continent is home to six great empires: the Crimson Sun Empire, the Stormcrown Empire, the Silvermoon Empire, the Empire of Dawn, and the Songbird Empire, which has been the most powerful for over a century.

The Songbird Queen surpasses even Zhou Cangmin, the state preceptor of the Crimson Sun Empire, having already cultivated her Solar Spirit.

Rumors say that the Songbird Queen was invited by the three great upper sects of Euwrea to form her Solar Spirit there. However, she chose not to join any of the upper sects. After achieving her Solar Spirit, it roamed beyond the Star River for an extended period.

Her real body, along with her Lunar Spirit and Dominant Soul, remained seated in the Songbird Empire. Legend has it that the Songbird Queen's Solar Spirit, alongside the cultivators from the upper sects, battled and vanquished Sky Fiends in the extraterrestrial realms, earning the deep respect and trust of Euwrea's elder cultivators.

This is why the Songbird Empire has cemented its unparalleled status on the Aetherius Continent. As long as the Songbird Queen lives and her Solar Spirit doesn't fall in the extraterrestrial wars, the empire will stand unshakable.

Chen Qingyan may be of royal blood, but she is still a junior within the Songbird Empire. Why would Zanas fear her?

"Chen Qingyan's master is a formidable figure from the Sword Sect in Euwrea, in the late stages of the Unbound," Bai Shenshen continued, taking a deep breath. "He's an enigmatic figure within the sect, known for his wanderlust and rumored to have murky ties with both the Devil Palace and Shadow's Keep."

After a brief hesitation, Bai Shenshen added, "There's a rumor that he has some ties to the Binders of Shadows."

Yu Yuan was taken aback. "How could a master from the Sword Sect be so deeply entangled with the Devil Palace and Shadow's Keep? And to have an inexplicable relationship with the Binders of Shadows?"

Bai Shenshen murmured, "That's what the stories suggest, but I don't know the details."

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

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

"Ji!"

Yu Yuan was visibly shaken.

A Ji from the Sword Sect, connected to the Devil Palace, Shadow's Keep, and the Binders of Shadows, couldn't be wrong.

"But to be at the Unbound Stage already? In just three hundred years, you've grown so powerful? To such an unreachable extent?"

​