Senior sister, stop working and go home for dinner.

Chapter 346 Suspicion in the Fog

Chen Anran stared expressionlessly at Han Bailian, who was kowtowing repeatedly, and then at He Qingyun, whose body was undergoing changes. He felt no pleasure, only the same confusion as them.

This sudden change in the blood droplets was clearly not his doing.

What exactly happened on the mountain of the Hidden Cloud Sect?

Senior Sister...

"Heh...heh..." He Qingyun suddenly laughed, at first a low chuckle, then a bitter laugh. His laughter echoed in the silent square and thick fog, sounding particularly desolate and eerie.

He looked down at his hands, which were gradually becoming transparent and churning with blood, then looked up at Chen Anran with a strange expression on his face, a mixture of resentment, mockery, and a kind of almost insane relief.

"Chen Anran...did you see that?" He Qingyun's voice became hoarse and ethereal. His body outline began to blur, and droplets of blood were seeping and condensing from his seven orifices and pores. "Cultivation...isn't this what cultivation is all about?"

"Seize the creation of heaven and earth, fight for a single opportunity. Slay gods if they stand in your way, slay Buddhas if they stand in your way... If your master blocks your path, kill your master; if a fellow practitioner obstructs your path, kill that practitioner. Furnaces, magic treasures, secret realms, inheritances... which one wasn't stolen? Which step wasn't taken by treading on corpses?"

His body had mostly turned into churning blood and light, with only his head still clearly visible. His eyes were fixed on Chen Anran, and the ambition and obsession within them burned like the last flames.

"I was wrong? Hahaha... It's all about the victor and the vanquished! Today I made a wrong move and became food for the enemy... But what about you? Chen Anran!" He Qingyun's voice suddenly became sharp, carrying a final curse and prophecy, "Today you stand here relying on the protection of the gods and a bit of luck... When he ascends to a higher place, facing greater opportunities and more difficult challenges, can you guarantee... that you won't become another me?"

"The path of cultivation... is inherently a... path of cannibalism..."

Before he could finish speaking, He Qingyun completely disintegrated, transforming into a massive blood bead, larger than the others and with a dark, almost purplish-black color. The blood bead paused slightly in mid-air, as if giving Chen Anran one last "look," before suddenly accelerating, tearing through the mist, and shooting towards the summit of Yunyin Sect, disappearing from everyone's sight.

In the square, only Han Bailian's intermittent sobs and pleas for mercy remained, along with the thick, impenetrable fog and deathly silence.

Chen Anran stood there, gazing in the direction where He Qingyun had disappeared, his last, tragic and frantic words still echoing in his ears.

Is the path of spiritual practice inherently a path of cannibalism?

He clenched his fist, then slowly relaxed it.

No.

At least his path shouldn't have been like that.

The sight of He Qingyun turning into blood and departing was like a final, heavy blow, striking everyone's hearts. The stench of blood had not yet dissipated, but fear and suspicion had already grown wildly like vines.

The thick fog still hung heavily over the square, blocking out the sunlight and spiritual energy. Everyone was like a trapped beast in the fog, having lost their cultivation, which they relied on, leaving only their most primal senses and heartbeats.

In the deathly silence, countless gazes, complex with surprise, doubt, fear, and wariness, all turned toward Chen Anran.

Feng Wenyuan's Adam's apple bobbed. He opened his mouth, clicked, and began the wondrous journey of "Senior Sister, Stop Working, Come Home for Dinner." But he found his voice dry: "Young friend Chen... this..." He wanted to ask if this was a method of the Cloud Hidden Sect, but found it hard to believe. If it was, then this method was far too cruel and evil, completely out of step with Chen Anran's usual behavior and the Cloud Hidden Sect's usual practices.

Moreover, if the Cloud Hidden Sect were truly an "evil path," it would be impossible for Feng Xiaolu to remain so "naive" after being with them for so many years.

Not far away, Jiang Yan pursed his lips tightly, glanced at the thick fog around him, and then focused his gaze on Chen Anran's pale face. His hand unconsciously tightened around the mechanism in his sleeve, the only thing he had left to rely on after losing his spiritual power.

Master Tianbao was in a similar situation, and Shen Zui even wanted to take out a gun, but when he touched his waist, he found it empty. After all, he had stopped using guns since the spiritual energy began to recover.

At this moment, Shen Zui regretted it and suddenly realized that the pistol was still useful.

"..."

Chen Anran could feel the weight of those gazes. He slowly turned around to face these comrades and seniors who had just fought side by side but now felt a growing distance between them.

His complexion remained grim, the exhaustion from the depletion of his spiritual energy and the mental shock were evident. But his back was ramrod straight, his gaze calmly meeting the crowd's, neither flinching nor rushing to defend himself.

He first glanced at Han Bailian, who was still kneeling on the ground, looking disheveled. There was no pleasure or pity in his eyes, only a cold indifference. Then, his gaze swept over Feng Wenyuan, Jiang Yan, Qi Lan, and Huiming, finally lingering on the worried faces of Wei Qingyi and Feng Xiaolu.

"Gentlemen," Chen Anran began, "this situation is neither what I did nor what I wanted to see."

He paused, his gaze fixed on the depths of the thick fog, towards the main peak of Cloud Hidden Mountain. That was the destination to which all the blood droplets had flown.

"He Qingyun's dying words, and Han Bailian's confession just now, although revealing his crimes, also pointed out a suspicious point—such a terrifying method of instantly draining spiritual energy and turning people into blood beads is definitely not something that people like He and Han can do, and even..." He withdrew his gaze and looked at everyone again, "It is far beyond what I currently know and can do."

That's very frank. It admits that you don't know, and that it's beyond your capabilities.

Feng Wenyuan frowned: "Young friend Chen, do you mean... there's been another incident on Cloud Hidden Mountain?"

Chen Anran did not reply immediately, a fleeting look of worry in his eyes.

At this moment, Daoist Tianbao spoke up, his voice carrying a hint of coldness: "So, what exactly is on the mountain? Chen Anran, don't tell me you know nothing about what 'thing' your sect is hiding that can instantly devour nearly a hundred cultivators."

This question was sharp, but it also voiced everyone's thoughts.

Chen Anran slowly shook his head, his tone sincere: "Seniors and fellow Daoists—I, Chen Anran, swear on my Dao heart that I was unaware of the anomalies that have occurred beforehand, and they were not the intention of either me or the Yunyin Sect. The foundation of the Yunyin Sect lies in protection and inheritance, not in plunder and devouring."

The vow made with a sincere heart is an extremely important promise for a practitioner. If one makes a false vow, it will easily breed inner demons in future practice, hindering the path to enlightenment.

Seeing his seriousness, the crowd's expressions softened slightly, but their doubts were not completely dispelled.

After all, the vow was real, but the unknown "things" on the mountain were also real.

Huiming recited a Buddhist chant, for he unconditionally believed in the "Buddha".

Although Qi Lan, the Feng brothers, and Jiang Yun and Asheng had their doubts, they were willing to believe Chen Anran after spending time together over this period of time.