Fierce Battle

The pill's surface seemed to ripple with a bloody glow. The moment it appeared, it gave off an intense, fishy-sweet stench.

Li Cheng's expression changed drastically. His fingers formed seals in rapid succession as he desperately drove the Ghost-Faced Bat.

The Ghost-Faced Bat's eyes blazed crimson as it shrieked and pounced at Zhou Fei. No longer probing him, its sharp claws went straight for his throat.

Yet Zhou Fei did not even look at it. He opened his mouth and swallowed the red pill.

The pill entered his stomach, and his entire body jolted violently.

His previously deathly pale face flushed red in an instant. Veins rapidly bulged across his forehead, neck, and the backs of his exposed hands, like countless scarlet earthworms writhing beneath his skin.

The wound in his abdomen, which had been bleeding without stop, rapidly contracted, and the blood flow ceased.

The next instant, a scorching surge of blood energy erupted from within him.

Zhou Fei's previously weakened aura rose steadily. His eyes were completely bloodshot, and each breath from his nostrils carried a faint haze of blood mist.

The Ghost-Faced Bat had already reached him.

Zhou Fei gave a savage grin and threw a punch.

Before his fist even landed, a vast cloud of blood mist burst from around his arm like a mass of scarlet flames, sweeping straight toward the Ghost-Faced Bat.

Sizzle!

The Ghost-Faced Bat plunged headfirst into the blood mist, and wisps of black smoke immediately rose from its gray-white wings.

It let out a shrill, miserable scream and rolled through the air several times. No longer daring to approach Zhou Fei, it fled in panic toward the other side of the ravine.

Hidden behind the reeds, Deng Qing watched helplessly as the Ghost-Faced Bat flew toward him, and his heart skipped a beat.

Had this beast been beaten senseless?

The Ghost-Faced Bat was incredibly fast. Its scarlet eyes had already locked onto him through the blades of grass, and its sharp fangs were clearly visible.

Deng Qing had no time to think. He immediately drew the Blacksteel Soft Sword from his waist and lightly cut his fingertip, drawing blood.

A martial artist's blood contained the power of true yang. That it could restrain yin and evil things was common knowledge.

Imitating Zhou Fei's earlier movements, he flicked his finger forward.

Several droplets of blood scattered toward the Ghost-Faced Bat.

As though startled, the Ghost-Faced Bat spread its wings wide and came to an abrupt halt several feet in front of Deng Qing.

It circled the reeds halfway, letting out agitated shrieks. In the end, it still did not dare draw near. Turning into a black blur, it shot back into the bamboo tube at Li Cheng's waist.

Zhou Fei and Li Cheng turned at the same time, looking toward where Deng Qing was hiding.

Li Cheng's expression changed sharply, and he turned to flee.

He had thought Zhou Fei had swallowed a healing pill. He had never expected it to be an evil medicine that stimulated his blood energy, and only then did he realize it was likely the legendary Blood-Stained Pill.

Zhou Fei's eyes were crimson as he grinned viciously. "Still trying to run?"

Like a savage beast released from its cage, he pounced toward Li Cheng.

Li Cheng had only run several yards when a gale howled up behind him.

After several successive lunges, Zhou Fei had closed in behind him. The bloody stench he carried nearly washed over the back of Li Cheng's neck.

Li Cheng was scared out of his wits.

Just then, the reeds beside them exploded.

Holding the Blacksteel Soft Sword, Deng Qing charged out of the grass and shouted, "Li Cheng, don't be afraid! Let's join forces and take him down! Hold him off!"

That shout was brimming with momentum.

Naturally, Deng Qing was not insane, much less overflowing with justice.

From the moment the Ghost-Faced Bat had flown at him, Deng Qing had known that he had been exposed.

The end of the stone cave was a dead end, while outside lay the open ground at the bottom of the ravine.

If he allowed Zhou Fei to kill Li Cheng, Zhou Fei certainly would not leave him alive either.

Rather than sit and wait for Zhou Fei to pick them off one by one, he might as well save Li Cheng first. If the two of them joined forces, perhaps there would still be a sliver of hope.

Li Cheng turned and recognized him, and delight filled his heart. "Deng Qing!"

Li Cheng's courage immediately swelled. With a shout, he spun around and flicked both sleeves at once.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

Two sleeve arrows, each barely an inch long, shot out.

Zhou Fei twisted aside and evaded one of them, but the other grazed past his cuff.

The next moment, both sleeve arrows burst into flames.

Boom!

Firelight exploded without warning. Blazing flames swept over half of Zhou Fei's body, instantly setting one section of his sleeve alight.

Zhou Fei roared in fury, tore off the burning sleeve, and stamped it out viciously. "You despicable brat, I'll butcher you!"

Li Cheng turned and fled again. Zhou Fei blurred, trailing a blood-red afterimage as he rushed in front of Li Cheng. He raised his palm and struck, while Li Cheng hastily blocked.

Bang!

As though struck by a massive hammer, Li Cheng was sent flying sideways. He crashed heavily into the mountain wall and spat out a mouthful of blood.

Just as Zhou Fei was about to pursue him, Li Cheng endured the agonizing pain and pulled a white porcelain bottle from his robes. With a flick of his thumb, he popped out the stopper and smashed it against the ground.

The porcelain bottle shattered.

A dense white smoke swiftly billowed out, shrouding several yards around Li Cheng in the blink of an eye.

Zhou Fei had charged too quickly. After taking only one breath of it, he felt as though his throat had been set ablaze, and his chest suddenly tightened.

"Cough! Cough, cough!"

He bent over in a violent coughing fit, retreating again and again from the range of the white smoke. The fury in his eyes only grew fiercer.

"Lung-Eroding Powder!"

Zhou Fei recognized the source of the white smoke at a glance, and his face turned extremely ugly.

Once this poison dispersed, it would not dissipate in a short time.

Li Cheng was hiding within the smoke, making it difficult for Zhou Fei to approach him for the moment.

Zhou Fei knew Li Cheng was already injured and could not escape. He cursed, "I'll deal with you later!"

As soon as the words fell, he abruptly turned and pounced at Deng Qing.

Li Cheng shouted from beyond the white smoke, "Deng Qing, run! That bastard Zhou took a Blood-Burning Pill and has recovered the strength of the fourth stage of Skin Refinement. At most, he can keep it up for around a hundred breaths!"

Deng Qing's eyelid twitched, and he cursed inwardly at once, Why the hell didn't you say so earlier?!

Had he known this bastard could only last a hundred breaths, he would have slipped away quietly long ago. Why would he have needed to jump out and pretend to be some hero standing up against injustice?

Deng Qing fled at top speed. Glancing back from the corner of his eye, his scalp immediately went numb.

Every time Zhou Fei rose and fell, he covered several yards. Within only a few breaths, he had already closed in.

Sweat beaded on Deng Qing's forehead, but his mind remained clear.

He noticed that every time Zhou Fei lunged, he had to stomp heavily on the ground to borrow force.

Whenever his foot came down, it left a deep pit in the ground.

Deng Qing turned and charged into the shallow stream beside them. The water barely covered his ankles, but the streambed was full of mud, sand, and broken stones.

Zhou Fei pursued closely and stepped into the stream. His foot immediately sank, and when he pulled it free, his speed indeed slowed by a notch.

Zhou Fei grinned viciously. "You think hiding here can trap me? You're trying to be clever and only making a fool of yourself!"

He closed the distance in two or three steps and threw a punch.

Deng Qing knew that if he kept running, he would only be offering his back to Zhou Fei. That was courting death.

He drew a deep breath, assumed the stance of the Tiger-Subduing Fist, and threw a punch as well.

Bang!

Their fists collided. Deng Qing felt as though his entire arm had been struck by an iron rod, the pain unbearable.

He gritted his teeth and forcibly steadied himself.

A flicker of surprise passed through Zhou Fei's eyes, followed immediately by another punch.

His fist techniques shifted left and right, full of countless changes. It was the famous Hundred-Blossom Bewildering Fist.

Yet Deng Qing ignored all those feints entirely, maintaining the tight structure of his stance.

Zhou Fei tried several times in succession to smash open Deng Qing's guard, but failed every time. Secretly alarmed, he said coldly, "I never thought there would be someone in this world who had trained the Tiger-Subduing Fist to such a level.

"The more so, the less I can spare you."