Senior sister, stop working and go home for dinner.

Chapter 105 Half-Demon Qi Lan

Chen Anran's eyes flashed with a sharp light. He didn't have time to fully appreciate the changes after the breakthrough. His survival instinct made him immediately use his biggest trump card!

Angry Vajra statue!

However, at this very moment...

"Ring... Ring..."

A clear, melodious sound, like the ringing of bells from a distant valley, rang out without warning, piercing the silence of the night and the murderous atmosphere of the scene.

The dark figure, which had been poised to pounce with overwhelming malice, suddenly froze! Its distorted outline trembled violently.

The next second, before Chen Anran and the other two could react, the black shadow was pulled by an invisible force, and suddenly turned into a wisp of black smoke, instantly disappearing into the ground without a trace.

All that remained at the scene was an overturned, smoking jeep, a mess of debris, and three surviving, bewildered figures.

"Gone...gone?" Shen Zui leaned against the tree trunk, struggling to stand up, his face full of disbelief.

The girl also withdrew her impending secret technique, her amber eyes fixed on the direction from which the bell rang, her brows furrowed.

Chen Anran slowly dissipated the power of the Arhat statue that was about to be activated. The spiritual power of his newly broken-through mid-stage Qi Refining cultivation surged within him, but his mind was not on the joy of his breakthrough at all. He cautiously looked around, fully activating his spiritual senses, but he could no longer perceive the presence of that dark figure, and even the mysterious bell sound seemed to have never appeared.

"What was that just now?" Chen Anran asked, looking at the two men from Maoshan.

Shen Zui shook his head, his face grave. "I don't know. I've never seen or heard of such a thing before. It's neither a demon nor a ghost, but it possesses immense strength and extremely high resistance to spiritual energy... If it weren't for that bell sound..." He glanced with lingering fear at the spot where the dark figure had disappeared.

The girl walked to the spot where the dark figure had stood, squatted down, picked up a small clump of soil with her fingertips, and sniffed it lightly. The pair of black beast ears twitched slightly.

After a while, the girl stood up, picked up the baseball cap that had fallen to the ground, and then came to Chen Anran.

"Let me formally introduce myself, Qi Lan from Maoshan."

"Yunyin Sect, Chen Anran," Chen Anran replied, but his attention was focused on her ear.

"No need to look anymore. Half-demon. There aren't many pure-blooded demons left in the demon race these days." With that, Qi Lan put her baseball cap back on.

Chen Anran suppressed her surprise and nodded in response to her introduction.

In the current cultivation world, demons are hard to find, no wonder Shen Zui is so respectful to her. Besides seniority, strength is probably also a key factor.

The night was deep, and the mountain breeze carried a chill.

"That ringing..." Shen Zui clutched his chest, coughed twice, and looked somewhat pale in the remaining light of the car headlights. "Uncle-Master, have you ever heard of anything similar or... offered assistance?"

"No. That aggregate of evil thoughts is already rare, and the bell that dispels it is even more peculiar. Whether it is friend or foe, and what its purpose is, remains unknown."

After saying that, Qi Lan instructed Shen Zui, "Notify the officials to clean up the scene and take you back."

Shen Zui paused, then asked, "And what about you, Martial Uncle?"

Qi Lan looked towards Yunyin Mountain. "Isn't there a tourist area they're going to develop there? I'm planning to open a shop there."

Not only was Shen Zui stunned, but Chen Anran was also dumbfounded.

"Oh, right, contact Maoshan again tomorrow and tell them I'm not going back for the time being."

"Master Uncle, can't you contact him yourself...?"

Qi Lan ignored Shen Zui's nagging, took off her hat and threw it to Chen Anran, then transformed into her true form.

A black panther without a tail.

"Come up," she said to Chen Anran.

Chen Anran stared blankly at the large black panther in front of him, which was entirely black, agile and sleek, except for the lack of a tail.

Qi Lan's amber-colored beastly eyes gleamed faintly in the darkness. "He's gone."

Without further hesitation, Chen Anran flipped over and mounted the leopard's back. The black leopard's fur felt cool and smooth to the touch, its muscles taut, brimming with explosive power.

"Hold on tight!" Qi Lan reminded him. The next moment, she pushed off with all fours, her figure leaping out like a black lightning bolt, speeding along the rugged mountain path towards the Cloud Hidden Sect.

The wind whistled past his ears, and the trees on either side blurred into indistinct afterimages. Chen Anran crouched low, gripping Qi Lan's neck fur tightly, feeling the speed far exceeding that of a car. After breaking through to the mid-stage of Qi Refining, his dynamic vision and balance had greatly improved, allowing him to barely adapt to this lightning-fast speed.

He looked back and saw Shen Zui leaning against a tree, taking out his phone to contact backup, before his figure quickly disappeared into the night.

"Qi... Fellow Daoist," Chen Anran said carefully, speaking through the howling wind, "aren't you a half-demon?"

Qi Lan ran with an elegant yet swift motion, without looking back. "Yes, that's why there's no tail."

"...You make a very good point."

After a moment, Chen Anran asked again, "Why doesn't Fellow Daoist Qi return to Maoshan?"

Without hesitation, Qi Lan said, "The danger hasn't been eliminated yet. With the incident at Qingya Cave, that evil man's next target might be the Yunyin Sect."

"So you stayed behind to protect us?"

"Those who follow the right path should help and support each other."

Chen Anran did not fully believe what he heard, but he did not ask any further questions.

After all, Qi Lan was right. As long as that powerful evil cultivator wasn't dealt with, their Yunyin Sect would never have peace.

Although this half-demon fellow from Maoshan didn't seem very strong, and both she and her junior disciple were slapped away when facing the dark figure, it's always good to have more people and more strength.

In the darkness of night, Qi Lan, transformed into a black panther, carried Chen Anran like a silent shadow, nimbly traversing the rugged mountains and forests at a speed far exceeding that of ordinary vehicles.

A moment later, the familiar outline of the Cloud Hidden Sect's mountain gate came into view. Qi Lan slowed her pace and stopped in front of the gate.

Chen Anran landed gracefully and handed the baseball cap back to Qi Lan, who had already returned to human form. "Thank you for your help, Fellow Daoist Qi."

Qi Lan took the hat and casually turned it on her back. The brim of the hat once again covered most of her face, revealing only her beautifully shaped jawline and her overly calm amber eyes.

"It's not a matter of helping each other; it's more accurate to say that we share the same enemy."

Chen Anran nodded, then asked, "Where does Fellow Daoist Qi plan to stay? Although the 'Hidden Immortal Traces in the Clouds' project at the foot of the mountain has been launched, suitable shops may not be available for the time being..."

"It's alright, I have my own way." Qi Lan interrupted him, her gaze sweeping over the tranquil gate of the Cloud Hidden Sect. "This place has a serene spiritual atmosphere; it's a good spot. Go back now, and I will show myself tomorrow."

After saying that, Qi Lan disappeared from the spot, blending into the dense shadows of the bamboo forest. Her aura instantly vanished, as if she had never been there.

Chen Anran stared blankly in the direction where Qi Lan had disappeared.

Is it planning to camp out in the wild? It truly lives up to its name as a little leopard.