Chapter 143: The Dragons Are Gone
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“Ah!”
Sharp claws pierced his fair skin and plunged into his chest. In an instant, the front of his robes was stained crimson, blood streaming freely.
Mu Yunjin’s face contorted in pain.
Yet after the dragon claws slowly withdrew, the fiery-red mark scorching his chest remained unchanged.
“Who am I, after all...?”
His low, anguished voice rolled from his throat.
Mu Yunjin bowed his head heavily, a shadow obscuring his exquisite features.
Little Yan silently watched his every movement. Beneath Mu Yunjin’s flawless jaw, a crystal-clear droplet fell to the ground.
Qu Yiqiu was lost within her own world.
Countless stars glittered, while the Milky Way, like a band of light, wound through the boundless void with no end in sight.
She stood upon a brilliant star, as insignificant as a speck of dust, as tiny as an ant—so small that no one would ever notice her.
And yet she felt that with the slightest turn of her hand, she could control those immense stars.
Suddenly, she noticed a star teetering on the verge of collapse. With a graceful leap, she crossed the countless stars in her way, vaulted over the luminous river of the Milky Way, and arrived above the tottering star.
The instant her toes touched down, a sensation of weightlessness surged through her entire body.
Her pupils contracted sharply as she plunged with the star into an endless abyss of darkness.
Upon a treetop—
Qu Yiqiu murmured softly.
Beneath the strange stone, Mu Yunjin abruptly raised his head. “Who’s there?”
Even as he spoke, he had already flashed to Qu Yiqiu’s side. A pair of bloodstained, razor-sharp dragon claws hovered mere inches from piercing her skull.
Little Yan’s brow twitched, but he restrained himself from rushing out.
“Senior Sister?” Mu Yunjin called in bewilderment.
He looked utterly helpless.
The lethal weapons in his hands suddenly transformed into long, pale fingers, which gently caressed Qu Yiqiu’s face.
“Senior Sister, was it you who saved me?”
“But the dragon clan is already gone...”
A smile of utmost tenderness touched his lips. His movements were delicate and light, as though he were stroking the rarest treasure in existence.
Yet his crimson eyes held an unbearable, desolate sorrow.
“Senior Sister... Senior Sister...”
Helplessly, he lowered his head. His hands slipped behind her beautiful face and around the back of her head, drawing Qu Yiqiu’s body gently against his chest.
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Holding her in this way, he buried his face against her pale neck, touching her pleasantly warm skin as he softly exhaled a breath of heat.
“Senior Sister, you’re the only one still by my side...”
Qu Yiqiu awoke from the darkness. Instinctively, she touched the back of her neck, where she felt a faint tickle.
“Where is this? Why is everything so hazy?”
She had yet to leave the world of her consciousness.
She did not know how long she had wandered there. She only knew that she was utterly exhausted.
She needed to rest.
Qu Yiqiu sat within the mist and spread her hands, studying the haze in her palms. Spiritual energy so dense it seemed almost viscous emanated from the fog, instantly reminding her of the age before heaven and earth had separated, when spiritual energy was at its most abundant.
She rose abruptly and surveyed her surroundings once more.
“Could this be the beginning of primordial chaos?”
Heaven and earth merged into one, and nothing existed within it.
Amazed by the thought, she excitedly began searching the surrounding expanse.
“There’s nothing here—truly nothing at all... Ah, there’s a cloud of purple energy over there!”
Just as Qu Yiqiu began to rejoice, she saw a mass of purple vapor slowly rising in the east. Without hesitation, she chased after it, running through the chaotic world for what seemed like an eternity.
...
Mu Yunjin’s lashes fluttered, concealing the depths of his sorrow and revealing a profile both exquisite and endearing.
From the shadows, Chi Yushu, who had hurried there without rest, witnessed this scene of profound affection between senior sister and junior brother.
“What exactly are those two trying to do?” Little Yan muttered from within the sea of consciousness.
“Squeak!”
The snow-white little beast perched on his shoulder had not even managed to make its successful plea before an unfeeling hand pressed it back into the darkness of the spirit-beast pouch.
Chi Yushu’s expression was cold. He stared fixedly at Qu Yiqiu’s back, no one knowing what thoughts occupied his mind.
“A dragon... So it was him.”
Chi Yushu turned and left.
A withered leaf that brushed against the hem of his robe instantly turned a vivid green.
Mu Yunjin suddenly opened his eyes and looked up at the green leaf drifting down from the shadows. A murderous glint flashed across his eyes.
“You again!”
Qu Yiqiu finally caught up with the purple energy and trapped it within her palm.
She had intended to investigate its origins carefully, but before she could do so, it transformed into a tiny purple dragon. It burrowed into the skin of her palm, shot into her meridians and energy passages, and began rampaging through them.
Qu Yiqiu was so startled that she immediately opened her eyes.
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“What are you doing?”
Qu Yiqiu widened her eyes and stared at Mu Yunjin’s handsome face, so close to hers, completely baffled.
“Senior Sister, I’m protecting you while you cultivate!” Mu Yunjin blinked and revealed an innocent, guileless smile.
Qu Yiqiu let out a sigh of relief and patted her chest. “Thank goodness. It was only a dream.”
“Did Senior Sister have a nightmare?” Mu Yunjin asked with concern.
Qu Yiqiu shook her head. “I wouldn’t call it a nightmare.”
“That’s good.” Where she could not see, Mu Yunjin quietly breathed a sigh of relief as well.
“Senior Sister, we have to leave this place at once!”
As he gazed at the red sunset spreading across the horizon, Mu Yunjin’s expression grew solemn.
Qu Yiqiu came back to herself and followed his gaze. Her face grew grave. “We can’t stay in this secret realm any longer.”
“Senior Sister, I know a way out!” Mu Yunjin rose to his feet, his tall shadow enveloping Qu Yiqiu’s petite figure.
Qu Yiqiu stood somewhat dazedly and asked in confusion, “What happened when you entered the Feiling Secret Realm?”
Mu Yunjin turned his head slightly, avoiding her gaze, and smiled faintly. “I felt a little dizzy at the time. When I woke up, I had become like this. Fortunately, you were here, Senior Sister!”
Qu Yiqiu’s brows drew together slightly. She withdrew her gaze and said, “Let’s go. This place is no longer safe.”
Mu Yunjin nodded, then leaped into the air and headed southwest.
Qu Yiqiu followed behind him, secretly astonished by his skill.
Since when had her junior brother become so powerful?
Mu Yunjin did not notice her covert scrutiny. He led Qu Yiqiu through the woods and into a barren wasteland.
“There is a formation ahead. It is both a place of death and a place of life.”
His voice was somewhat low, lending him an air of maturity.
A strange feeling stirred in Qu Yiqiu’s heart. She gazed at his profile but said nothing.
“Junior Brother, is the formation you mentioned the Death-Spirit Locking Formation?”
A trace of surprise passed through Mu Yunjin’s eyes. He nodded. “That’s right. Senior Sister, you know of this place?”
“Yes. Before I rescued you, I met the spirit of the Feiling Secret Realm. She told me about this place.” A flicker of remembrance crossed Qu Yiqiu’s eyes.
Yan Xi had tried to stop her back then, yet had sent her to the Death-Spirit Locking Formation. She must have intended to save her.
“The secret realm’s spirit?” Mu Yunjin looked startled. “Is the spirit still here?”
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