Great Upheaval in the City

Pfft!

Tang Julou had only just recovered a little when he spat out another mouthful of black blood!

"This..."

Shopkeeper Li and the others were startled at first, then exchanged glances, each harboring their own thoughts!

"This should be a curse someone placed on him!"

Boss Ren said after a moment of thought.

"Patriarch Tang has always kept a low profile and rarely showed his face. How could he have offended anyone?"

Qin Fengtian was greatly surprised as well!

"Enough! It's nothing!"

Tang Julou took out a miniature straw doll, with a talisman pasted onto it.

After biting his finger and drawing several strokes across the straw doll, a plume of black smoke suddenly rose from it.

Bang!

The straw doll burst into flames and quickly burned to ash!

"Business first!"

Tang Julou wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and spoke as though it did not matter.

After discussing a few more details, they all dispersed!

They agreed to gather at the City Lord's Manor shortly after midnight.

Shopkeeper Li's task was to bring Zhang Lin over, making him an important link in the chain!

Deep within the Gao Household estate in Liaoxiang City stood the ancestral residence.

"Hmph! He has some tricks!"

The Gao Family Ancestor, Gao Kuang, looked at the talisman burning on the table and snorted coldly.

The spirit body from before had already extracted a trace of Tang Julou's aura from Zhang Lin.

Combined with knowing the other party's location and name, he had cast a curse across the air and caught him off guard!

Though it had not taken the other party's life, it had at least eased the anger in his chest.

Before long, he recalled how Zhang Lin had fought!

It was a method he had never seen before!

He had not sensed any fluctuations of spiritual power from Zhang Lin, so he ruled out the Immortal Cultivation Path!

"What exactly is it?"

Gao Kuang sat in his chair and sank into thought!

It was not his fault. If Zhang Lin were still using blood qi, Gao Kuang would have recognized at a glance that he was using Martial Arts!

But Zhang Lin's blood qi had now transformed into qi, leaving Gao Kuang utterly bewildered for the moment!

He had no leads at all!

During the day, Zhang Lin had taken the time to visit the city gates, only to find Xiaolin City already surrounded by a formation!

The formation was exceptionally well concealed. Ordinary cultivators would truly fail to notice it unless they deliberately investigated!

The instant he approached, he felt as though someone had their eyes on him!

That completely cut off any thought of fleeing!

"I can only face it head-on!"

Zhang Lin emerged from meditation!

His internal injuries had originally recovered by a little over eighty percent, but his clash with the Gao Family Ancestor had worsened them again. Rather than advancing, he had retreated, losing another half percent or so.

Overall, his internal injuries had now recovered by only a little over seventy percent!

Just after midnight!

More than a hundred stone pillars suddenly rose outside Xiaolin City, each several zhang thick and a hundred zhang tall!

Blood-red patterns were carved upon them, and black qi was currently seeping from them.

Those stone pillars happened to encircle Xiaolin City!

Black mist linked them together, and with a sudden flash of black light, the pillars and Xiaolin City vanished from sight together.

Xiaolin City disappeared!

Meanwhile, pink mist began rapidly spreading through Xiaolin City, soon blanketing the entire city!

The Qinhuayan prepared by Boss Ren had begun to spread as well!

Those who had already fallen asleep sank into even deeper slumber.

Those still awake soon became bleary-eyed and drifted into dreams.

Even people who often suffered from insomnia felt an unprecedented sense of ease!

Though the cultivators in the city below the Half-step Foundation Establishment Realm noticed something was wrong, they still could not withstand the drowsiness and fell asleep one after another!

Those at the Half-step Foundation Establishment Realm could only endure bitterly, barely managing to resist!

But cultivators above the Foundation Establishment Realm remained unaffected!

They all appeared throughout the city, intending to investigate the source of the mist!

When the formation outside the city activated, Zhang You had already sensed it!

When Qinhuayan filled the city, he thought for a moment, then pretended to fall asleep!

Not long after, his room door was opened.

Shopkeeper Li entered, grabbed him, and rushed straight toward the City Lord's Manor!

At present, there were several cultivators in the city unaffected by Qinhuayan.

After investigating the city, they all eventually arrived outside the gates of the City Lord's Manor!

But only four of them revealed themselves!

One was an old man—the very person Zhang You had marked on his way back from the bookstore in the western part of the city.

This man was named Yuan Qiupeng, and he possessed the cultivation of the third level of the Foundation Establishment Realm.

He had previously come to Xiaolin City while fleeing the pursuit of his enemies.

By chance, he discovered that Zhang You was a great tonic.

After escaping his pursuers, he returned to Xiaolin City, only to discover that his sense of the mark had vanished!

He left the city once more.

Near dusk today, he had returned to Xiaolin City again as though guided by ghosts and spirits, only to find that the mark had reappeared!

He had planned to abduct Zhang You silently after midnight.

He had not expected to run into such a mess!

"Hm? The mark actually appeared at the City Lord's Manor! Could someone have discovered him and brought him here to enjoy?"

Yuan Qiupeng stared at the City Lord's Manor, making wild guesses in his heart.

Of the remaining three people outside the City Lord's Manor, there was one woman and two men, all Rogue Cultivators.

The woman was an auntie in her thirties or forties named Yi Hongxia, with the cultivation of the first level of the Foundation Establishment Realm.

The other two men were both middle-aged. They were the brothers Zhou Shanchuan and Zhou Shanshi, both possessing the cultivation of the second level of the Foundation Establishment Realm.

The two were of one mind, and their combined strength was not weak.

Creak!

At that moment, the gates opened!

"Would you all care to come in for a talk?"

Qin Fengtian's voice drifted out.

Yuan Qiupeng and the others exchanged glances, then entered one after another!

They had already searched for a way out, but the city gates had vanished, leaving no exit at all.

Thus, they had long realized that they were trapped here!

For now, they could only take one step at a time!

Once they entered the City Lord's Manor, the gates closed again, and Xiaolin City returned to silence!

Yuan Qiupeng and the others entered the main hall of the City Lord's Manor!

Two people sat in the center: Tang Julou, the Tang Household's patriarch, and Qin Fengtian, the city lord.

Three people sat on either side: Shopkeeper Li, Boss Ren, and Pang Biao.

A youth lay on the floor—Zhang You, pretending to sleep!

"Why did several more people show up?"

Zhang You complained inwardly!

"Please, have a seat!"

Qin Fengtian was very courteous.

These people had all seen Qin Fengtian before and knew that he was the city lord.

"May I ask why City Lord Qin summoned us here?"

Yuan Qiupeng possessed the highest cultivation, so he was not afraid in the least.

As he spoke, he glanced at Zhang You several times.

Though he was curious as to why the blood qi on Zhang You's body had disappeared, he had no intention of looking into it further.

"As you can see, something major is about to happen in the city. If you wish to leave, we can send you out!"

Qin Fengtian went straight to the point.

Seeing that they said nothing, he continued, "We have already sent several fellow cultivators out!"

"I, Yuan, enjoy joining in the excitement!"

Yuan Qiupeng's meaning was obvious!

There was no way he was leaving!

"Do you three share the same attitude?"

Qin Fengtian smiled without growing angry.

"It is too late, and it is unsafe outside. My brother and I plan to leave at daybreak tomorrow!"

Zhou Shanchuan closed his eyes as he spoke for both brothers.

"This humble woman is not in a hurry either!"

Yi Hongxia said in a coquettish voice!

"What a damn squeaky-voiced woman!"

Zhang You found that voice far too intoxicating, and it nearly made him blow his cover!