If Pei Ling hadn't been prepared, gripping the hilt tightly, the Aversion to Life Saber would almost have flown out of his hand.
Seeing this, Miao Chengan's spirits soared. "Hit the hand he's holding the saber with! I refuse to believe he can keep catching it every time!"
"The Aversion to Life Saber isn't something the likes of you can use." While Zhou Yi and Miao Chengan kept Pei Ling tied up, Li Siguan quickly recited a long incantation. Two translucent Specters appeared at his sides.
The moment they appeared, the room grew distinctly colder.
Fortunately, the two Specters he'd summoned were neither as tall as the ones at the entrance to the General Affairs Hall nor as lifelike as Jiao Ni and Wu Liu. They were only half the size of an ordinary person, with Black Mist in place of their lower bodies. Their faces were stiff and blurry, and the chill they brought was limited, enough to cause no more than a little discomfort.
Li Siguan merely gave a cold laugh and said ominously, "Hand it over nicely, and I'll leave your corpse in one piece! Otherwise..."
Before he could finish, the two Specters suddenly threw back their heads and let out a silent, anguished shriek at Pei Ling!
Pei Ling felt as though a massive hammer had slammed into his head. Dazed and dizzy, his limbs went weak. By the time he bit his tongue hard and forced himself back to his senses, the Aversion to Life Saber had already fallen to the ground. Zhou Yi seized the opening, charged up to him, and slammed a palm into his chest.
Bang!
Pei Ling had no time to dodge. The palm struck him squarely, and a tremendous force sent him staggering backward, out of control. He crashed into several pieces of furniture and ornaments. Yet all he felt was a brief discomfort in his chest. His ribs hadn't broken, his internal organs hadn't been severely injured, and he hadn't collapsed on the spot to die at their hands, as he'd expected.
Though he was puzzled in the face of danger, he had no time to think. He immediately planted a foot to steady himself, then charged forward and punched Zhou Yi.
Zhou Yi was even more surprised than he was. When Pei Ling charged at him, Zhou Yi even lost focus for a moment before raising his arm to block.
Clang!
Their fists and arms collided with a clear, metallic ring.
"What incredible defense! What a powerful punch!" Zhou Yi's arms went numb. His expression changed, and he called out a warning to his companions. "He may have top-grade Iron Bone!"
"Top-grade Iron Bone?" Understanding flashed in Li Siguan's eyes. He snorted. "No wonder Zheng Jingshan took a liking to him... That makes him all the more deserving of death!"
As he spoke, Miao Chengan's blade of qi flew in again, while the two Specters lunged forward and passed straight through Pei Ling's body.
The Specters were formless and incredibly fast. Pei Ling couldn't defend against them at all; he could only feel the deepening chill every time they passed through him.
His heart sank. He was about to evade the blade of qi, but Zhou Yi took the opportunity to lunge at him, fingers together like a spear as he jabbed for Pei Ling's eyes.
With danger closing in, Pei Ling quickly regained his composure. He ducked, then slammed his head into Zhou Yi's chin, forcing him to let go. But the blade of qi had already arrived. Whoosh!
The black blade of qi looked thin, but it was razor-sharp. With a casual sweep, it sliced Pei Ling's upper arm, scattering a string of blood droplets.
Zhou Yi gave Pei Ling no time to catch his breath and lunged at him again—
"This kid's not right!" At that moment, Li Siguan's eyes flashed, and he barked, "The Specters have passed through his body three times! An ordinary person would already be stiff and unable to move by now. Look at him!"
The three of them looked at Pei Ling. Though he was in a sorry state, his hands and feet moved nimbly, and he showed no sign of being affected.
Miao Chengan's expression tightened as something occurred to him. He swept a hand over his eyes, and a pale glow immediately appeared in them. After watching Pei Ling for a moment, he sucked in a sharp breath. "Call the Specters back! Don't let them near him again!"
From where he stood, Pei Ling seemed to be wearing a pale gray gauze robe. Each time a Specter passed through him, the "robe" swayed gently and absorbed some of the Black Mist. Afterward, its color seemed to deepen, and it grew more vivid.
Although Miao Chengan didn't cultivate the art of spirit control, he spent every day with Li Siguan. How could he not know that the Black Mist was the Specters' very source?
In other words, a few more passes might not hurt Pei Ling at all, while the two Specters Li Siguan had painstakingly raised would definitely suffer!
Li Siguan had no time to ask questions. He called the Specters back to his side and eyed Pei Ling with wary suspicion.
Things had reached this point. He'd only wanted to steal the saber at first, but now he truly wanted Pei Ling dead!
After all, Pei Ling had been this difficult to handle right after joining the sect. It was better not to make enemies of someone like him—but now that they had, they might as well pull him up by the roots.
Thinking this, he quietly signaled to his two companions and suddenly produced an octagonal palace lantern. The flame inside was an eerie green.
The moment the lantern appeared, the chill in the room grew heavier. The two Specters' originally pitch-black eyes took on the color of the flame. They both looked at Pei Ling, threw back their heads, and let out another anguished shriek.
Pei Ling's head felt as though it had been struck by a heavy hammer. This time, however, he gritted his teeth through the pain. Seeing Zhou Yi kick toward him, he dodged to the side and punched him in the right cheek.
Bang!
Zhou Yi immediately lost his balance and fell to the ground. His right cheek swelled high, and his mind was filled with confusion. They were both at Qi Refining Layer 4—how could his opponent be so strong?
After landing a hit, Pei Ling was about to press his advantage when another blade of qi shot at him. He hurriedly rolled across the ground and narrowly avoided it.
By then, Zhou Yi had gotten back to his feet, while Pei Ling was still on the ground. Zhou Yi sneered and immediately brought both fists down toward Pei Ling's head.
They were too close for Pei Ling to dodge. The instant Zhou Yi charged within reach, Pei Ling tensed his waist and snapped both legs upward, hooking Zhou Yi and wrenching him to the ground. He pounced on him and clung to him as they rolled aside, narrowly evading the blade of qi that came for his throat again.
The two immediately grappled. Zhou Yi was weaker than Pei Ling, and after several punches, he was spitting blood, yet he still couldn't break free. Miao Chengan and Li Siguan, afraid of accidentally hitting Zhou Yi, didn't dare attack carelessly.
Seeing that Zhou Yi might not survive if things went on like this, Li Siguan hurried over and punched straight for Pei Ling's back.
Pei Ling caught sight of Li Siguan from the corner of his eye. He quickly twisted Zhou Yi around, putting him between himself and the incoming punch.
Worried about hitting Zhou Yi, Li Siguan hastily pulled back his fist. But in the next instant, Pei Ling drove forward with his legs and shoved Zhou Yi backward, sending him stumbling into Li Siguan.
Zhou Yi had cultivated the Azure Ghost Battle Body, yet he still couldn't withstand Pei Ling's blows. Li Siguan followed the path of spirit control, and his body was even weaker than Zhou Yi's. He'd barely managed to take two steps back when Pei Ling shoved Zhou Yi into him...
Bang...
Pei Ling knocked the two of them to the ground. Without a second thought, he charged in and rained punches down on them!
But just then, two blades of qi shot in from behind, one on either side! After fighting continuously, Pei Ling had used up too much of his strength. He hurriedly dodged, but the blades still carved two bloody gashes into him!
Thanks to Miao Chengan's timely intervention, Zhou Yi and Li Siguan finally got a moment to catch their breath. They climbed to their feet in a sorry state. Zhou Yi glared coldly at Pei Ling and said through gritted teeth, "Kill him! We'll all split the fine!"
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