Chapter 135: Exposure
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“This is bad. More and more people are arriving.”
Xiaoyan’s brows drew together slightly. Then, struck by a sudden inspiration, she traced a ring of light through the void and slipped it around Qu Yiqiu.
“We can’t let them discover Master.”
After sealing Qu Yiqiu inside the ring of light, Yan Xi immediately isolated her from the surrounding spiritual senses as well.
Xiaoyan nodded in satisfaction. “At least this person is quick-witted.”
Yan Xi still knew nothing of Xiaoyan’s existence, but the faint fluctuation of spatial spiritual power just now had not escaped her notice.
She gazed at Qu Yiqiu in bewilderment, unable to understand how the woman could refine pills while simultaneously wielding spatial spiritual power.
Could this fairy also have cultivated some profound soul art?
Chi Yushu led the disciples of both sects, spending considerable time before finally escaping the Dead Spirit Locking Formation.
As fate would have it, the exit he found lay near the battlefield where Mu Yunjin was fighting Taotie.
“This is… the divine beast True Dragon, and the ancient ferocious beast Taotie!”
The two enormous bodies of the True Dragon and Taotie came into view from afar.
Qu Youyou and the others stared in shock, their mouths hanging open for a long while.
As he watched the True Dragon and Taotie battling with all their might, worry unconsciously surfaced between Chi Yushu’s brows.
“Junior Sister Youyou, do you have a voice-transmitting talisman for contacting Junior Sister Yiqiu?”
Qu Youyou froze for a moment. A flicker of annoyance swiftly crossed her face, but she forced herself to shake her head.
“Senior Brother, Junior Sister Yiqiu and I are always quarreling. We don’t usually keep in touch.”
Everyone knew this to be true.
Chi Yushu nodded, his gaze sweeping ceaselessly across their surroundings.
Luo Yingying said regretfully, “I should have brought Junior Sister Yiqiu with us back then. Now we don’t even know where she’s gone. So many murderous corpses have suddenly appeared in this secret realm—I don’t know whether she can defeat them!”
“Why is Qu Yiqiu the only person in your eyes? We were also separated from Xia Changhan, Mu Yunjin, and the others!” Qi Yongfeng’s booming voice carried through the surroundings.
Upon hearing this, He Yuman, You Ruoying, and the other disciples of the Profound Intent Sect looked at Chi Yushu with a peculiar significance in their eyes.
Bitterness surged through Qu Youyou’s heart. She turned and glared angrily at Qi Yongfeng.
“What exactly do you mean by that? Qu Yiqiu is my cousin. What’s wrong with my senior brother being concerned about her? Besides, Mu Yunjin is Qu Yiqiu’s junior fellow disciple. Finding Qu Yiqiu is equivalent to finding Mu Yunjin, isn’t it?”
“You’ve actually managed to turn this around to make it about yourself. Junior Sister Qu, do you truly believe Senior Brother Chi is concerned only for your cousin?”
Zou Peng wore an honest, simpleminded smile, yet his eyes held the mocking delight of a spectator enjoying a show.
Fury flared in Qu Youyou’s heart. She snapped, “Zou Peng, don’t forget what you are. This is a matter between my senior brother and me. It isn’t your place to meddle!”
Zou Peng’s face darkened at once. He lowered his expression and said nothing.
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Qi Yongfeng watched the two quarrel with amusement and asked curiously, “Where has Senior Brother Xia gone? With a battle as tremendous as this one between the True Dragon and Taotie, might it have drawn him here as well?”
“Why is someone from Ten-Thousand-Hectare Peak suddenly concerned about the chief disciple of Oriole-Flying Peak? Senior Brother Qi, are you worried that he’s alive—or that he’s dead?”
Qu Youyou’s tongue remained merciless.
Having suffered at Zou Peng’s hands, she directed another round of ridicule at Qi Yongfeng.
“Junior Sister Youyou, are you trying to provoke a conflict between the peaks in front of the other sects?” Qi Yongfeng asked coldly, his face gloomy.
Feeling guilty, Qu Youyou glanced at the secretly snickering disciples of the Profound Intent Sect. When she caught Chi Yushu’s warning gaze, she immediately fell silent.
“Whether they are alive or dead, as fellow disciples, we should find them,” Chi Yushu said calmly.
Under the circumstances, none of the disciples from either sect objected. It was plain that they had already taken him as their leader.
Even if Qi Yongfeng felt somewhat dissatisfied, he could find no fault with Chi Yushu.
Behind a boulder, Xia Changhan slipped a strange bamboo scroll into his storage pouch, then tucked the pouch securely inside his robe. After tidying his clothes, he looked toward Chi Yushu and the others and was just about to step out.
Watching the scene from within an ancient tree, Yan Xi played a small trick and drew Xia Changhan’s gaze toward the place where Huo Tangsheng was concealed.
“What is going on? Why is he here?”
Because Yan Xi had deliberately opened the mist veil formation Huo Tangsheng had established, Xia Changhan was able to see Huo Tangsheng’s position with ease.
At the same time, Huo Tangsheng seemed to sense something and opened his eyes.
Yet he did not look toward Xia Changhan. Instead, he gazed toward the layers of withered ancient branches tangled together.
Yan Xi’s pupils contracted slightly, but she remained standing perfectly still. inwardly, she marveled at the power of his soul. His cultivation was certainly above the Foundation Establishment realm.
Still, the Feiling Secret Realm was a space under her control, so she was not worried that he could accurately locate her.
Sure enough, Huo Tangsheng merely glanced in that direction before withdrawing his gaze.
Suspicion had arisen in his heart, but because of the secret realm’s restrictions, he could not resolve it immediately.
For now, the most conspicuous presence was Xia Changhan.
His sharp gaze swept over him in an instant.
Xia Changhan felt as though blades were scraping across his entire body. He shuddered from the cold.
This man was extremely dangerous.
That was his first reaction.
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His footsteps faltered. Then, without warning, he turned sideways and hurried toward the place where Chi Yushu and the others stood.
With calm leisure, Huo Tangsheng released a silver-skinned puppet, which instantly cleared away the disordered battlefield.
He then sauntered toward the gathering of disciples from the two sects.
“Daoist Friend Xia, you’ve finally appeared. While you were gone, your fellow disciples were worried sick!” You Ruoying called out to him with a smile that was not quite a smile.
Xia Changhan found this somewhat strange.
Qi Yongfeng’s face turned extremely dark, and he cast You Ruoying a covert glance.
Zou Peng smiled. “Senior Brother Xia, it’s good that you’re safe. By any chance, did you encounter Junior Sister Yiqiu and Junior Brother Yunjin?”
Xia Changhan’s expression froze. He suddenly asked, “Junior Sister Yiqiu and Junior Brother Yunjin aren’t here?”
Chi Yushu’s lowered eyes flashed with anxiety. He secretly tightened his grip on the magical artifact hidden within his sleeve, remaining silent.
Delight bloomed in Qu Youyou’s heart. Pretending to be concerned, she said, “No one has seen either of them since they entered the Feiling Secret Realm. I wonder whether perhaps…”
“Do not speak nonsense!” Chi Yushu suddenly barked in a deep voice.
Everyone’s eyes immediately turned toward him.
A look of sudden understanding passed across He Yuman’s face.
Qu Youyou bit her lower lip and said aggrievedly, “So many murderous corpses suddenly appeared in the secret realm. I was only worried about Junior Sister Yiqiu…”
“I know what you mean. The most important thing now is to find them. Whatever conclusions we reach by speculating here will only be useless,” Chi Yushu said, his thick lashes concealing the anxiety in his eyes as he deliberately lowered his voice and forced himself to speak slowly.
Qu Youyou’s eyes reddened slightly. She secretly clenched her teeth, then forced a smile.
“Senior Brother is right. Junior Sister Yiqiu must still be alive and well!”
She would make certain that Qu Yiqiu died by her own hand.
Qu Youyou lowered her head slightly, concealing the fleeting hatred in her eyes.