Chapter 21: Another Freebie...(Please Collect! Please Vote!)
What answered him was a slightly illusory blade of qi. Though Miao Chengan was at Qi Refining Layer 5, after using blade after blade of qi, his spiritual energy was nearly depleted.
"Hold them off!" Miao Chengan shouted hurriedly. "I'll go pick up the saber and hack him to death!"
As he spoke, he ran toward the Aversion to Life Saber lying on the ground.
Pei Ling's gaze turned cold, and he lunged for the Aversion to Life Saber too. But just as he landed a short distance from it, Miao Chengan suddenly gave a strange smile. Another blade of qi appeared at his fingertips, slashing viciously toward the back of Pei Ling's head.
At the critical moment, Pei Ling planted his left hand on the ground and threw himself forward with all his might. His right hand seized the Aversion to Life Saber's hilt, and he swung it behind him!
Clang!
The blade struck the blade of qi. Pei Ling's right hand went numb, and the web between his thumb and forefinger split from the impact. But with his life hanging in the balance, he had no time to worry about that. He scrambled to his feet and charged at the three of them, saber in hand.
...After a long while, the room was a complete wreck. Li Siguan, Zhou Yi, and Pei Ling were all covered in blood, their flesh torn and bruised. Li Siguan was in the worst shape: during the struggle, Pei Ling had kicked his right leg until it broke, and a length of stark-white bone had pierced right through his flesh, jutting out at a grotesque angle.
Of course, Pei Ling hadn't come away unscathed. His chest wound had been jolted open, making the blood flow faster, and the wound on his back was also torn wide. Pain drilled through him.
The only one in somewhat better shape was Miao Chengan. He was mostly unharmed, with just a smear of blood beneath his nose.
But Miao Chengan's face was livid!
He was at Qi Refining Layer 5, yet he hadn't managed to kill a mere new disciple at Qi Refining Layer 4. Worse, the other fellow had just punched him in the nose. If word got out, wouldn't he become a laughingstock?!
More importantly, he had two companions at Qi Refining Layer 4 fighting alongside him!
By now, Pei Ling was at the end of his strength. He was leaning on the Aversion to Life Saber just to stay upright, panting heavily as he warily faced off against the three of them.
After a moment, Li Siguan coughed a few times and said, "You might dodge the first day, but you won't dodge the fifteenth. You think this ends tonight just because we're all wounded? As long as you're still in the Outer Sect and don't hand over the Aversion to Life Saber, you'll never know a day's peace! If you know what's good for you..."
"Then I just have to kill all three of you!" Pei Ling shot back. His voice wasn't loud, but it carried a chilling edge. "Kill you to silence you, then change the Aversion to Life Saber's appearance. Who would know I did it?"
As he spoke, Pei Ling snatched up the Aversion to Life Saber and charged at the three of them again!
Zhou Yi and Li Siguan's expressions changed, and they hurriedly took defensive stances. Miao Chengan instinctively pulled out a talisman and activated it... But before he could throw it, Pei Ling suddenly changed direction halfway through his charge. He raced toward the nearby gate even faster and disappeared outside in the blink of an eye.
Pei Ling ran out of the courtyard. Though he heard no one chasing after him, he didn't dare linger for even a moment. Recalling the rough terrain he'd seen on the sand table, he briefly considered going to find Pei Hong Nian, but quickly dismissed the idea and headed instead for the back mountain, where there were fewer people and more trees.
After all, from the way Li Siguan and the others had talked, they didn't seem to have much respect for Zheng Jingshan, let alone Pei Hong Nian.
And if Sun Yinglan was still with Pei Hong Nian... it was safer to go somewhere no one was around.
About half an hour later, Pei Ling stopped in a dense forest, panting.
He'd been in and out of Yuan Lao Mountain since he was a child and was quite used to spending the night in the forest. He walked around, confirmed that no one was there and that there were no dangerous beasts about—just some mountain birds and insects—and finally let out a breath of relief.
At that moment, Pei Ling was utterly exhausted. Still, he forced himself to use the Aversion to Life Saber to clear a patch of ground, then slowly sank down and wiped the cold sweat from his brow, his heart still pounding.
But his palm was sticky. When he lowered it and looked by starlight, he saw it was covered in blood.
"Idiot System... Underworld Sect..." Pei Ling's expression first turned furious, then helpless. "What terrible luck... If it weren't for that ten-day deadline, I wouldn't be dealing with all this!"
He panted for a while, finally recovering a little strength. "System, I want to cultivate! Select [Blood Fiend Saber Technique], [Temporary Cultivation · Intelligent Duration], [One-Click Auto-Management]."
System: "Ding-dong! The Intelligent Cultivation System is at your service!"
He immediately lost control of his body. The system directed him to raise the Aversion to Life Saber and slowly assume a starting stance. Then it shifted into position and began practicing with measured precision.
At first, the movements were a little awkward, but after two rounds, Pei Ling's body had clearly become more fluid.
As he darted, leaped, and ran, the Aversion to Life Saber went from following the manual by rote to flowing with practiced ease. Beneath the bleak starlight, blade light filled the air, its chill so fierce that not even water could seep through!
Pei Ling's body was also becoming familiar with the saber technique at an astonishing pace.
But before long, the system suddenly spoke again: "Ding-dong! The host is injured. Continuing to practice the Blood Fiend Saber Technique will cause irreversible harm..."
"?!"
Pei Ling's heart leaped into his throat.
He was horrified that the system was about to give him something again—no, steal something from someone—when it continued: "Ding-dong! Nourishing Origin Pill detected..."
Then the system took the pill of breath-stealing origins from his pocket and swallowed it. "Ding-dong! The Nourishing Origin Pill has been consumed. The system will continue cultivating for you..."
As the Nourishing Origin Pill entered his stomach, Pei Ling immediately felt a warm current rise from his dantian. As the system continued practicing, the warmth quickly spread through his limbs and bones. His exhausted, battered body recovered at a speed he could feel.
At the same time, he sensed the condensed essence blood within him undergoing a wondrous transformation as he practiced the Blood Fiend Saber Technique...
Before he knew it, Pei Ling had forgotten his pain, forgotten his grudge against Li Siguan and the others, and even forgotten Fairy Li's ten-day deadline. He was completely immersed in the exhilaration of cultivation and the satisfaction of steadily growing stronger.
Then the system reminded him once more: "Ding-dong! Insufficient cultivation materials: essence blood from Qi Refining Stage cultivators..."
Pei Ling's eyes flew wide open.
The next moment, the system calmly continued: "Ding-dong! The host lacks essence blood from Qi Refining Stage cultivators. The system will give you three Qi Refining Stage cultivators for free!"
??? Pei Ling was so terrified he nearly died on the spot. According to the Chongming Sect's Rules, three Qi Refining Stage cultivators cost at least thirty thousand spirit stones, with ninety thousand as the upper limit! And he didn't have a single spirit stone on him!
"Stop! Stop!"
"Cancel the auto-management! I want to cancel the auto-management!"
As he roared inside his head, the system had already taken control of his body and sent him racing out of the dense forest at incredible speed, straight toward the area where many disciples lived.
At first, Pei Ling was terrified by the enormous fine he was about to incur. But soon, he had no time to worry about the fine.
Because the system was heading straight for Li Siguan and the others' residence.
Pei Ling: "...F*ck!"
The Idiot System wouldn't listen to him at all now. All he could do was quickly think through what he should do once they got there.
Although Li Siguan and the others had taken a beating too, there were three of them, while he was alone. And that talisman Miao Chengan had pulled out before Pei Ling fled had given him an overwhelming sense of danger. People like that, second-generation disciples with powerful backers, surely all had their own trump cards!
Even if his injuries had healed a little, going back now would be like delivering himself on a platter!
In the space of a few thoughts, Pei Ling's figure came to an abrupt stop at the courtyard gate. The system swiftly took out his Nameplate to open the ward, entered the courtyard, then immediately strode forward and kicked the door open!
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