Thunderclap

The other books on the table had ignited the instant they touched the flames!

Zhang You was greatly alarmed. He hurriedly grabbed the tea and splashed it over them, trying to save the books, but the fire remained unaffected.

Quick as lightning, he snatched out Old Wang of Guangling's Mountain Climbing Record, which was farthest from the flames, threw it to the floor, and stomped on it several times.

In the end, he had to draw upon a thread of his blood qi to stamp out the flames, but only the latter half of the book remained.

All three books on the table had been burned to ash!

Strangely, the wooden table itself had not caught fire, leaving behind only a charred black patch.

Luckily, he had already memorized those three books by heart. Otherwise, he would have paid through the nose.

Things had come to this, and though he had no idea why, he still felt he should clean up the ashes on the table first.

"Hmm? This is..."

As he cleared away the ashes, he suddenly discovered an unfamiliar piece of Beast Hide among them.

The Beast Hide was completely blank, and he had no idea what it was.

Yet it was extraordinarily tough—impossible to tear apart, impervious to water and fire.

After putting it away, Zhang You recalled the several marks within his body.

If he wanted to, he could erase those marks with some effort.

But if he did that, he might alert the enemy and startle the snake in the grass. There was no telling whether they would act ahead of time.

On the contrary, he could lie low and build up his strength first.

Moreover, he could monitor those marks at any time, so he was not worried that anything uncontrollable would happen.

Thus, he decided to hold his troops and wait!

After another brief rest, Zhang You looked at the remaining half of Old Wang's Travelogue.

Because he had seen the words "cultivation of immortality" in the burned portion!

After flipping through it, he found that most of it was still travelogue material. It did mention immortal cultivation, but not much.

The book only mentioned two realms of immortal cultivation: the Qi Refining Realm and the Foundation Establishment Realm.

He also noticed the term "Spiritual Root."

Nothing else was mentioned. Perhaps it had been in the burned portion.

Immortal cultivation was still far too distant from him!

Sweeping the questions from his mind, Zhang You continued meditating as he familiarized himself with his sole move, Shatter the Void.

Within the Tang Family Grand Estate.

Shopkeeper Li, Pang Biao, Boss Ren, Tang Julou, the Tang family head, and city lord Qin Fengtian were holding a secret discussion in a hidden chamber.

These five were precisely the people who had fought fiercely in Zhang You's room two days earlier.

Pang Biao's mask had been torn off at the time, so Zhang You knew his identity.

As for the other three besides Shopkeeper Li, they had all worn masks, so Zhang You did not know exactly who they were.

"The grand formation is still being set up. It will be completed tomorrow!"

City lord Qin Fengtian was a middle-aged man with grizzled hair, a square face, and a stern, unsmiling expression. A scar ran across his right eye.

"The Qinhuayan has long been prepared. So long as he isn't in the Half-step Foundation Establishment Realm, I guarantee he'll be as obedient as a lamb!"

Boss Ren looked rather old. Like Shopkeeper Li, no one knew his name.

Though he normally wore a solemn expression, it was all an act. In truth, he was a bloodthirsty man who killed as easily as mowing grass.

"The evil entities within fifty kilometers outside the city have more or less been cleared out. As for that Wild Boar Demon, I'll deal with it as soon as possible!"

Pang Biao had kept his eyes closed to rest ever since arriving here. No one knew what he was thinking.

"I've noticed that little fellow has been acting somewhat strange lately. Though I don't know what methods he has, he seems capable of killing some low-level Yin Souls. But it's no great matter. The seed has already ripened and can be harvested at any time!"

Shopkeeper Li closed his eyes and sensed Zhang You's position. Finding that Zhang You was roughly still within the city, he did not give it much thought.

He had indeed placed a curse on Zhang You, but he could only sense his approximate location.

Furthermore, Qin Fengtian and the others had ways to monitor the situation both inside and outside the city. So long as Zhang You went too far from Xiaolin City, they would discover it in an instant!

"Three days from now happens to be the night of the full moon, which can enhance the formation's effects. As for the Wild Boar Demon, just drive it as far away as possible."

The person seated in the seat of honor was Tang Julou, the great philanthropist renowned throughout the surrounding villages.

He was a kindly-looking old man with grizzled hair, a small goatee, and two especially long eyebrows that nearly reached his chin. His face was covered in wrinkles, and he wore a faint, almost imperceptible smile.

They discussed matters until dawn was close before finally dispersing.

On Zhang You's side, although he had cultivated through the night, he was brimming with energy.

When happy events came, the spirit was refreshed!

"Three more days!"

Zhang You opened the teahouse early. Before long, more and more people began to fill it.

What people discussed most were still the headless corpse case and the dried corpse case. They said several more incidents had occurred last night.

Because the Wild Boar Demon was wreaking havoc outside the city, the Demon Suppression Division was already run ragged. Thus, the authorities had invited an Old Daoist from Qingshan Daoist Temple to assist with the investigation. He had already inspected the murder scenes, and it was said that he had found some clues.

Also, the authorities had captured several rebels, who were to be beheaded at the marketplace at noon today.

As noon drew near, the teahouse gradually emptied, everyone heading to the marketplace.

Over the course of the morning, Zhang You had gained some insight into the White Tiger Illusion's second move through visualization.

When it was time to eat, Delicious Restaurant delivered food, but only enough for one person.

"Damn it, I haven't eaten meat for days. I've lost several pounds already!"

Once again, he secretly poured out the food and filled his stomach with cornbread instead.

When he returned the bowls and chopsticks, he took the chance to visit the marketplace.

By then, the beheadings had already ended. Ten headless corpses hung from a pole beside the marketplace.

Though the ground had just been washed, the stench of blood still assaulted the nose.

Zhang You had killed some Yin Souls and evil entities, and he had seen the corpses of those harmed by such creatures.

But seeing these ten headless bodies now still made his stomach churn like rivers and seas. Fortunately, he had barely eaten lunch, or he might have made a fool of himself!

Watching the local residents point at the corpses all around him as if they had grown accustomed to everything, Zhang You could say nothing.

He only felt that in this place, human lives seemed to be the cheapest things of all!

Remembering that he could no longer sense the gateway between worlds, perhaps he would have to settle in this world from now on.

He needed to integrate into this world!

Half a day later, Zhang You finally recovered. He suddenly felt much lighter, and he had unexpectedly mastered the White Tiger's second form as naturally as water flowing into a channel.

He named it Thunderclap!

After giving the headless corpses hanging from the pole one last look, he shook his head and slowly made his way back to the teahouse.

His stomach growled with hunger halfway there, so he bought more than a dozen meat buns.

There were not many customers at the teahouse that afternoon. Zhang You was happy to have the leisure, using the time to familiarize himself with the White Tiger's second form. He also simulated it many times in his mind, planning to test it at Mass Grave Hill that night.

After cultivating for some time, Zhang You could now conceal his blood qi very well. Normally, he looked no different from an ordinary person.

Suddenly, Zhang You sensed movement within his Dantian!

He hurriedly looked inward and discovered that the strand of green energy he had seen last night had actually entered his Dantian!

Moreover, it was undergoing an enormous transformation!

Looking closely, he discovered that the green energy was not pure at all—there was something hidden beneath the surface!