The pill's surface seemed to shimmer with bloodlight. The moment it appeared, it gave off a thick, sickly-sweet scent.
Li Cheng's expression changed sharply. His fingers flew through a series of gestures as he desperately urged on the Ghost-Faced Bat.
Red light blazed in the Ghost-Faced Bat's eyes. It shrieked and lunged at Zhou Fei, testing him no longer, its sharp claws aimed straight for his throat.
Zhou Fei did not even look at it. He opened his mouth and swallowed the red pill.
The moment it reached his stomach, his whole body jolted.
His deathly pale face flushed crimson. Veins swelled across his forehead, neck, and exposed hands, like countless red earthworms writhing beneath his skin.
The wound in his abdomen, which had been bleeding without pause, rapidly contracted. The blood stopped flowing.
The next instant, a surge of scorching Qi-Blood erupted from within him.
Zhou Fei's flagging aura climbed higher and higher. His eyes turned bloodred, and faint wisps of blood mist seemed to spill from his nostrils with every breath.
The Ghost-Faced Bat was already upon him.
Zhou Fei gave a savage grin and threw a punch.
Before his fist landed, a great cloud of blood mist burst from around his arm. Like a mass of scarlet flame, it swept toward the Ghost-Faced Bat.
Sizzle!
The Ghost-Faced Bat plunged into the blood mist, and wisps of black smoke rose at once from its gray-white wings.
It let out a piercing scream and tumbled through the air several times. No longer daring to approach Zhou Fei, it darted in panic toward the other side of the ravine.
Hidden behind the Thatch, Deng Qing watched the Ghost-Faced Bat fly straight toward him, his heart jolting.
Had that beast been knocked senseless?
The Ghost-Faced Bat was astonishingly fast. Its crimson eyes had already locked onto him through the grass, and he could clearly see its sharp fangs.
Deng Qing had no time to think. He drew the Blacksteel Soft Sword from his waist and lightly drew it across a fingertip. Blood welled out.
It was common knowledge that a Martial Artist's blood contained true yang power and could counter sinister things.
Imitating Zhou Fei's earlier movement, he flicked his finger forward.
Several drops of blood flew toward the Ghost-Faced Bat.
As if startled, the Ghost-Faced Bat spread its wings wide and stopped short, just a few feet from Deng Qing.
It circled halfway around the Thatch, giving agitated shrieks, but in the end it did not dare come closer. It turned into a black streak and zipped back into the Bamboo Tube at Li Cheng's waist.
Zhou Fei and Li Cheng turned at the same time toward Deng Qing's hiding place.
Li Cheng's face changed sharply, and he turned to flee.
He had thought Zhou Fei had swallowed a healing pill. He had not expected a wicked drug that stimulated Qi-Blood, and only now guessed it must be the legendary Blood-Stained Pill.
Zhou Fei's eyes glowed red. He grinned savagely. "Still think you can run?"
Like a savage beast loosed from its cage, he hurled himself after Li Cheng.
Li Cheng had covered only a few dozen feet when a gale rushed up behind him.
With several successive leaps, Zhou Fei closed in. The reek of blood he carried was almost brushing the back of Li Cheng's neck.
Terror seized Li Cheng.
Just then, the Thatch beside them exploded apart.
Deng Qing charged out of the grass with the Blacksteel Soft Sword in hand and shouted, "Don't be afraid, Li Cheng! We'll kill him together! Hold your ground!"
His shout rang with conviction.
Deng Qing had not gone mad, nor had he been seized by an overwhelming sense of justice.
From the moment the Ghost-Faced Bat had lunged at him, Deng Qing knew his hiding place had been exposed.
The stone cave ended in a dead end, while outside lay the open ground at the bottom of the ravine.
If he let Zhou Fei kill Li Cheng, Zhou Fei would never leave him alive either.
Rather than wait for Zhou Fei to pick them off one by one, he had to keep Li Cheng alive. Together, they might still have a slim chance.
Li Cheng turned, saw who it was, and rejoiced. "Deng Qing!"
His courage surged. With a shout, Li Cheng spun around and snapped both sleeves.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Two sleeve darts, each about an inch long, shot out.
Zhou Fei twisted aside to avoid one, but the other skimmed past his sleeve.
The next instant, both darts burst into flame.
Boom!
Fire exploded outward. Flames swept across half of Zhou Fei's body and instantly set part of his sleeve alight.
Zhou Fei roared, tore off the burning sleeve, and stamped it out. "You sneaky little bastard! I'll kill you!"
Li Cheng turned and fled again. Zhou Fei blurred forward in a sweep of bloody afterimages, appeared before him, and struck with his palm. Li Cheng hastily raised his arms to block.
Thud!
As if struck by a heavy hammer, Li Cheng flew sideways and slammed into the cliff face. Blood sprayed from his mouth.
Zhou Fei was about to pursue him when Li Cheng, suppressing his pain, pulled a white porcelain bottle from his robes. He flicked out the stopper with his thumb and hurled the bottle to the ground.
The porcelain bottle shattered.
Thick white smoke billowed out, engulfing the ground for several yards around Li Cheng in the blink of an eye.
Zhou Fei had rushed in too fast. One breath of the smoke set his throat burning as though it were on fire, and his chest seized up.
"Cough! Cough, cough!"
He doubled over in a violent coughing fit and retreated beyond the smoke, the fury in his eyes burning hotter.
"Lung-Eroding Powder!"
Zhou Fei recognized the white smoke at a glance. His face darkened.
Once dispersed, the poison would not clear for some time.
Li Cheng was hidden in the smoke, and Zhou Fei could not get close to him for now.
Zhou Fei knew Li Cheng was injured and could not escape. "I'll deal with you later!" he cursed.
With that, he wheeled around and charged straight at Deng Qing.
From behind the white smoke, Li Cheng shouted, "Run, Deng Qing! That bastard Zhou took a Blood-Burning Pill and regained his strength at the fourth level of Skin Refinement! He can only keep it up for about a hundred breaths!"
Deng Qing's eyelid twitched. Why the hell didn't you say so sooner?
If I'd known that monster could only last a hundred breaths, I'd have slipped away long ago. Why jump out and play the hero?
Deng Qing sprinted for an escape route. One glance back from the corner of his eye made his scalp prickle.
Each time Zhou Fei leaped, he covered several yards. Within a few breaths, he was closing in.
Sweat beaded on Deng Qing's forehead, but his mind stayed clear.
He noticed that Zhou Fei had to stamp hard against the ground to launch himself with every leap.
Wherever his foot landed, it left a deep pit.
Deng Qing veered into a shallow stream nearby. The water barely covered his ankles, but the bed was all mud, sand, and gravel.
Zhou Fei followed close behind. The instant he stepped into the stream, his foot sank. When he wrenched it free, he had indeed lost a little speed.
Zhou Fei grinned savagely. "Think hiding in there will bog me down? Too clever for your own good!"
He closed the distance in a few strides and threw a punch.
Deng Qing knew that if he kept running, he would be offering Zhou Fei his back. That was a path to certain death.
He drew a deep breath, settled into the stance of the Tiger-Subduing Fist, and punched back.
Bang!
Their fists collided. Deng Qing felt as though an iron rod had smashed into his entire arm. The pain was unbearable.
He gritted his teeth and forced himself to hold steady.
Surprise flashed through Zhou Fei's eyes. Then he threw another punch.
His strikes shifted left and right, full of feints and variations. It was the famed Hundred-Blossom Bewildering Fist.
Deng Qing ignored the feints completely and kept his stance tight.
Zhou Fei tried several times to break through Deng Qing's guard, but failed each time. Secretly alarmed, he said coldly, "I never thought anyone could master the Tiger-Subduing Fist to this degree.
"All the more reason I can't let you live."