Chapter 240: We Have the Right to Know!

The spread of the video far exceeded everyone's expectations, even beginning to affect normal social order. Some spontaneously organized "exploration groups" began to flock to Baiyun Guan, causing the surrounding traffic to become nearly paralyzed.

In the office of the president of the Na Du Tong Company, Zhao Fangxu stared at the constantly jumping data on the screen, his brows tightly locked. In just a few short hours, the view count for the relevant video had broken through ten million, and it was still growing at a geometric rate.

"Contact the technical department immediately," he issued instructions to his secretary, his voice carrying a trace of anxiety, "Ensure you control the spread of these videos. The current situation has already exceeded our expectations; we must minimize the impact before the situation expands further."

The secretary hesitated for a moment: "But the video has already spread too widely; even if we delete it..."

"Then keep deleting!" Zhao Fangxu raised his voice, a rare occurrence, "Additionally, prepare a car immediately. I want to go to Baiyun Guan myself to see the situation."

"Chairman, should we notify..."

"No need," Zhao Fangxu waved his hand to interrupt, "Some things must be confirmed with my own eyes. The current situation is no longer something that can be explained clearly through simple file reports."

The technical department immediately took action, beginning to clear relevant content on major platforms. But the speed of information spread was truly too fast, like a wildfire on the plains; extinguish it in one place, and it would ignite in another.

Meanwhile, in a secret stronghold of Quanxing, Gong Qing and several core members were also paying attention to this abnormal phenomenon.

"What kind of act is Baiyun Guan putting on?" Xia He looked at the video playing on loop on her phone, her expression grave, "An anomaly of this scale—even if the Ten Elders took action, it would be nothing more than this, right?"

"Could it be that Lin Xuan?" Shen Chong was lost in thought.

Gong Qing stood before the window, gazing in the direction of Baiyun Guan, deep in thought. A moment later, he spoke slowly: "It is very possible. But the problem now is that we cannot enter Baiyun Guan at all. Even if we wanted to investigate, it would be futile."

Xia He still wanted to say something, but she also knew that Gong Qing was right. The losses from the last siege of Baiyun Guan were still fresh in their memories; acting rashly would only invite trouble. Moreover, the depth of that Lin Xuan remained impossible to fathom even now.

At the same time, in that luxurious villa hidden in the suburbs, Qu Tong was intently watching the video on her phone. On the screen, seven-colored light intertwined in the sky, forming a scene that transcended reality.

"Truly interesting," she whispered to herself, a dangerous glint flashing in her eyes, "Has that guy's Qi already become powerful to this extent? If this power could be used to nourish the Core of the Cultivation Furnace..." Her voice grew softer, "Would it be possible to create a monster just like him?"

This thought took root and sprouted in her mind, gradually forming a bold plan. Just as she was thinking, Ma Xianhong pushed the door open and entered, holding a stack of brand-new blueprints in his hands.

"Sister, what do you think of this design?" Ma Xianhong carefully unfolded the blueprints and said full of anticipation, "I made many improvements based on the last experience, especially the energy conduction part; it should be able to solve the problems that existed before."

Qu Tong put away her phone and carefully examined the blueprints. The more she looked, the more obvious her smile became: "Not bad, it is much more complete than the previous design. Especially this design for the energy Core—it is very creative."

"Really?" Ma Xianhong's eyes lit up, "Then I'll go prepare the materials now! This time, I must make a perfect piece of work!"

Watching Ma Xianhong's back as he left in high spirits, Qu Tong's gaze became profound. She picked up her phone again, looking at the video of the anomaly, and the plan in her heart became increasingly clear. Lin Xuan's existence might bring a brand-new breakthrough for the Cultivation Furnace.

And at this moment on the internet, the discussion regarding the Baiyun Guan anomaly had completely spiraled out of control. Although Na Du Tong was sparing no effort to delete the videos, countless people had already saved backups. All kinds of speculation and conspiracy theories were popping up like bamboo shoots after a spring rain.

"Inside information: this is the Taoists refining an Immortal Pill! My cousin's neighbor lives near Baiyun Guan and saw the whole process with their own eyes!"

"Look closely at the details of the video; the arrangement of those light pillars is definitely some kind of ancient Array! I have studied Taoist methods for many years; a grand array of this scale hasn't appeared for at least several hundred years!"

"Why won't the government come out to explain? There must be some earth-shattering secret they are hiding from us! This might even involve the fate of all humanity!"

These remarks rolled larger and larger like a snowball, even beginning to affect the normal operation of society. More and more people were heading to Baiyun Guan to "explore," as no one wanted to give up the heaven-breaking traffic, which led to the surrounding roads being jammed solid.

Zhao Fangxu's car was unable to move an inch on the congested road. Looking at the dense crowds on both sides of the road, his expression became increasingly grave.

"The situation is even more complex than imagined," he took out his phone and dialed a special number, "It's me. The situation has become somewhat uncontrollable; I need you to intervene immediately to assist in maintaining order. Yes, execute it according to the plan discussed previously."

At the same time, some "experts" began to appear on major media platforms to give their own accounts, attempting to explain this anomaly using science.

"This is a rare atmospheric optical phenomenon, mainly caused by special cloud structures and the refraction of light..."

"According to our research, similar records of this phenomenon have appeared in history..."

But these explanations clearly could not convince everyone, especially those who had witnessed the anomaly with their own eyes. That scene which transcended common sense, that oppressive feeling that rushed toward them, that mysterious and unfathomable aura—it was definitely not something that could be explained by a simple natural phenomenon.

Inside Baiyun Guan, Luo Daming stood on the high ground of the back mountain, looking at the crowds swarming toward the foot of the mountain, and could not help but let out a long sigh. He knew that this incident was destined to stir up monstrous waves in both the Outsider world and the world of ordinary people.

"It seems we need to make some preparations in advance," he turned and said to Huang Ming, his tone grave, "Go notify the other disciples; from now on, decline all interviews and visits. Just say that the temple is currently in closed-door cultivation and will not be receiving anyone."

The gates of Baiyun Guan were tightly shut, the vermilion gates glowing with a solemn luster under the sunlight. In the open space in front of the gates, heads were moving, and the noise rose one after another. A group of explorers and curious onlookers had surrounded this once-quiet Taoist temple until it was impenetrable. Some young people had even set up tents, clearly prepared to camp out for the long haul.

"Look! Someone is climbing the wall over there!" someone in the crowd suddenly shouted. Two young men wearing sportswear were seen using tree branches to climb up the perimeter wall.

"Stop!" a young Taoist from the temple immediately ran over to stop them, "This benefactor, please show some self-respect! The temple is currently in closed-door cultivation; please, everyone, understand."

"What closed-door cultivation? You're clearly covering something up!" one of the young men climbing the wall shouted defiantly, "We have the right to know the truth!"