Chapter 145 Eaten Up

Mu Yunjin's figure stiffened slightly, a complex emotion flashing through his eyes before he simply nodded and said, "It is good that Senior Sister has a plan."

Qu Yiqiu withdrew her hand, turned to look at the black dots outside the formation, and smiled, "It's time for us to make a move."

Just as those words fell, the formation beneath their feet suddenly trembled violently.

Qu Yiqiu was startled inwardly, "Could Deng Jingyao really be acting now?"

Mu Yunjin lowered his gaze to survey the ground around them, squatted down to press his palms against the earth, and said solemnly, "Senior Sister, your guess was right. The formation is activating!"

Qu Yiqiu's expression was grave, "There is still time."

Not all the people of the Xuanyi Sect could die here!

Mu Yunjin stood up, but Qu Yiqiu had already swept past the formation and sprinted in the direction from which the Taotie was chasing.

He followed closely behind, his gaze shifting as he caught sight of Jiang Shuangyan and the others breaking into the formation.

Qu Yiqiu was slightly surprised, quickly bypassed them, and flew out of the formation.

Little Yan sat cross-legged within the sea of consciousness, his back facing Qu Yiqiu's face as he looked past the back of her head at Mu Yunjin's chest.

With a serious little face, he said in a deep voice, "Master, this junior brother of yours has some issues."

Qu Yiqiu was flying extremely fast. Hearing his voice, she paused for a fraction of a breath before reacting and continuing her swift flight while pretending nothing was amiss.

However, a hint of caution crept into her expression.

"Little Yan, what is wrong with Junior Brother? Why do you say that?"

Mu Yunjin followed behind without noticing anything unusual.

Little Yan's gaze pierced through Qu Yiqiu's body, staring intently at the blood-stained lapel of Mu Yunjin's chest, and said, "Master, have you ever heard of the Soul-Splitting Technique?"

"Soul-splitting? A spell that divides a complete soul into several parts?" Qu Yiqiu's flight did not pause for a single second as she intently pursued the Taotie's location, continuously communicating with Little Yan in her mind.

Little Yan nodded, his gaze lingering around Mu Yunjin as he said sternly, "Master's junior brother possesses the Soul-Splitting Great Technique. This technique is not something anyone can use; only those whose divine soul has reached the Nascent Soul stage or above can barely attempt such a maneuver!"

Qu Yiqiu suppressed the urge to turn her head and scrutinize Mu Yunjin, maintaining a calm expression as she asked, "Little Yan, how do you know this?"

Divine soul spells were the hardest to cultivate, and even Nascent Soul Lords would not dare to easily divide their souls into two.

One major reason for this was that the newly split soul was very likely to develop a completely independent personality to survive in the world, attempting to usurp the identity of the original soul!

Little Yan withdrew his gaze and closed his eyes, saying, "When Master was undergoing epiphany, he woke up, and I saw with my own eyes that there was a profound formation on his chest, set up using dragon scales as the core."

Qu Yiqiu believed he wouldn't lie to her.

Then, this meant that Mu Yunjin was merely an incomplete soul clone.

As for whether he was the main personality or a split-off personality, it was temporarily impossible to determine.

However, she was not as shocked as Little Yan had imagined.

Because, the first time she learned of Mu Yunjin's origins, she had already suspected there were issues with him.

As a dragon, yet as weak as a mortal, if he had used the Soul-Splitting Technique, it would explain all the strange things happening to him.

Qu Yiqiu gave him a nonchalant sideways glance and said to Little Yan, "Junior Brother seems very clear about what is happening to himself. I wonder when he found out about it. With his youthful appearance, he doesn't look like the main soul!"

While dividing his consciousness to perceive the changes in the Feiling Secret Realm, Little Yan replied, "I cannot tell either. He hides it very deeply!"

"Help, help!"

"Don't eat me, don't eat me!!"

"Will someone save us? Let's run quickly into the Necrotic Locking Formation!"

Frantic cries for help came from ahead, moving from afar to close range.

Qu Yiqiu cast Mu Yunjin's matter aside and flashed to hide behind a small hill.

Seeing this, Mu Yunjin followed and concealed himself as well.

"Senior Sister, what should we do?"

Qu Yiqiu looked at his profile, unable to imagine that this had once been a Nascent Soul Lord.

"Junior Brother, I will go out and draw the Taotie away. Next, you just need to lead the disciples of the Xuanyi Sect into the Necrotic Locking Formation!"

Mu Yunjin turned his head in surprise and said, "Senior Sister, let me go and draw away that fierce beast!"

Qu Yiqiu shook her head, "No, your identity cannot be exposed. If others notice the slightest clue, we will never be able to stay in the Tianyan Sect again!"

Furthermore, his fate would be far more miserable than it was now.

Everyone would want to control him.

Qu Yiqiu did not voice the rest of her thoughts; she merely looked at him with a solemn gaze, secretly observing his reaction.

Mu Yunjin lowered his head, pressed his lips together, and nodded helplessly, "Alright, I will definitely bring them all into the Necrotic Locking Formation!"

Looking at the worry evident in his eyes, Qu Yiqiu felt a slight stirring in her heart.

This seemed to be genuine.

Regardless of whether the junior brother before her was the true dragon's main soul, he ought to possess his own independent thoughts.

Qu Yiqiu concealed her speculations and shifted her gaze to the disciples of the two sects who were drawing closer and closer to this place.

"I'm going out!" she said in a condensed voice.

Mu Yunjin nodded solemnly.

Qu Yiqiu suddenly leaped out, instantly gliding past the panicked crowd. Floating high in mid-air, she suddenly became a prominent target, immediately drawing the Taotie's attention.

"Roar!"

The Taotie recognized her scent, kicked off the ground, instantly unfurled its massive wings, and flew toward her tiny body.

Amidst the panicked crowd, Chi Yushu, dressed in white, was rescuing a Tianyan Sect disciple who had fallen and injured himself.

"Senior Brother Chi, look, who is that?" The disciple, suffering from a painful shinbone, looked in astonishment at the place where Qu Yiqiu had appeared, clutching his painful broken bone and staring blankly in place.

Chi Yushu turned his gaze sideways, a ripple instantly stirring in his clear, water-like eyes, "Junior Sister Yiqiu!"

Why was she here?

Subconscious action moved faster than his brain could process.

Chi Yushu had no idea why he was doing this at that moment. Clearly knowing that facing the notorious Taotie head-on meant certain death, he still rushed forward recklessly.

Perhaps deep down, he always felt that Su Xichen had wronged the people of their Xiaoping Peak!

Therefore, he would not allow anyone from Xiaoping Peak to die here!

Out of the corner of her eye, Qu Yiqiu caught sight of Chi Yushu's rushing figure and was inwardly startled.

Was this guy insane?

Why was he charging over?

Before Qu Yiqiu could ponder further, the tired Taotie suddenly folded its wings, turned around, opened its bloody maw, and lunged to meet Chi Yushu at his incoming position.

Before Qu Yiqiu had run far, she saw the Taotie abruptly change its target of attack.

Clearly, Chi Yushu had not anticipated this turn of events either.

"Senior Brother Chi!!!"

Whether they were the Tianyan Sect disciples who had fled far away or the injured ones on the ground, all of them cried out in disbelief.

No one could believe that Chi Yushu had just been swallowed whole into the Taotie's belly like that.

Qu Yiqiu was left standing frozen in place.

Why did he do that just now?

Was he trying to save her?