I Only Wanted to Stay Unseen, Until...

Pay Ling's firm hold on the hilt was the only thing keeping the Blade of Life Hater from being ripped away.

Seeing this, Miu Toanh's spirits soared. "Aim for his hand! There's no way he can hold on after a few more strikes."

"You're not someone deserve to wield the Blade of Life Hater," Lee Sagwon sneered. While Chou Ease and Miu Toanh kept Pay Ling busy, he swiftly chanted a lengthy incantation. Two translucent phantoms materialized at his side.

The moment they appeared, the room grew noticeably colder.

Well, these phantoms weren't as imposing as the giant guardians at the Affairs Hall entrance, nor as lifelike as Joanie or Willow. They were half the size of a normal person, their lower halves dissolving into a swirl of black mist. Their faces were stiff and blurry, and the chill they brought was mild—just enough to cause slight discomfort.

Lee Sagwon smirked coldly. "Hand it over nicely, and we might leave you a complete corpse! Otherwise—"

Before he finished, the two phantoms tilted their heads back and unleashed a silent, piercing wail at Pay Ling.

It felt like a hammer slammed into Pay Ling's skull. Dizziness blurred his vision, his limbs turned to jelly. Biting his tongue hard, he forced himself back to clarity—only to find Blade of Life Hater clattering to the floor. Chou Ease seized the moment, charging in and throwing a fist into his chest.

Bang!

Pay Ling couldn't dodge in time. The blow landed squarely, a massive force slamming into him and sending him staggering back five or six steps. Furniture toppled in his wake, but aside from a dull ache in his chest, there was none of the expected carnage—no broken ribs, no shredded organs, no collapse into a lifeless heap.

In the heat of danger, he had no time to ponder the anomaly. With a quick stomp, he steadied himself, lunged forward, and smashed a fist into Chou Ease's face.

Chou Ease, more stunned than Pay Ling, faltered briefly as he saw the attack coming. He barely managed to raise an arm to block.

Clang!

Fist met arm with a sharp, metallic ring.

"What insane defense! What monstrous strength!" Chou Ease's arms tingled with numbness. His face twisted as he shouted to his allies, "He might already be at high-grade Iron Bone!"

"High-grade?" A glint of realization flashed in Lee Sagwon's eyes. "No wonder Kinson Zheng took a shine to him—he's even more worth killing now!"

As he spoke, Miu Toanh's air-blade streaked in again, while the two phantoms lunged at Pay Ling, passing through his body.

The phantoms were intangible and lightning-fast—Pay Ling couldn't guard against them, only feeling a deepening chill with each pass.

His heart sank. He moved to dodge the air-blade, but Chou Ease pounced, fingers spearing toward his eyes like daggers.

In this dire moment, Pay Ling forced himself to stay calm. Ducking his head, he rammed it upward into Chou Ease's jaw, forcing him to let go. But the air-blade was already upon him—

Whoosh!

The thin black blade, deceptively delicate, sliced effortlessly into Pay Ling's arm, sending a spray of blood into the air.

Before Pay Ling could catch his breath, Chou Ease charged again—

"There's something strange about this brat!" Lee Sagwon's eyes flickered, his voice low and urgent. "The phantoms have passed through him three times! A normal person would be frozen stiff by now—but look at him!"

The trio turned their attention to Pay Ling. Though he appeared battered, his movements remained sharp and unhindered, showing no signs of slowing down.

Miu Toanh's expression hardened as realization dawned on him. He wiped a hand across his eyes, and a pale white glow bloomed in his pupils. After staring intently at Pay Ling for a moment, he sucked in a sharp breath. "Recall your phantoms! Don't let them near him again!"

Through his enhanced vision, Pay Ling seemed draped in a faint gray cloak. Each time a phantom passed through him, the cloak rippled, siphoning off wisps of black mist from the phantoms. With every clash, the cloak grew darker and more agile.

Miu Toanh wasn't a phantom-tamer himself, but living alongside Lee Sagwon, he knew enough: the black mist was the essence of the phantoms.

A few more clashes, and Pay Ling might emerge unscathed—but Lee Sagwon's painstakingly nurtured phantoms? They'd be the ones suffering a devastating loss!

Without hesitation, Lee Sagwon recalled the phantoms to his side, his gaze fixed on Pay Ling with wary suspicion.

Things had gone too far. What started as a simple attempt to rob the blade had now escalated, with Lee Sagwon consumed by true murderous intent.

Pay Ling, a newbie causing this much trouble? This is the kind of person you should avoid crossing—or if you must, ensure they're completely eliminated.

With that thought, he discreetly signaled his companions and produced an octagonal palace lantern. Its flame flickered with an eerie, ghostly green light.

The lantern's appearance deepened the room's chill. The phantoms' inky eyes glinted with the flame's hue, locking onto Pay Ling before unleashing another silent, piercing shriek.

Pay Ling's head throbbed as if struck by a bell, but this time, he clenched his teeth and pushed through the pain. As Chou Ease lunged with a kick, Pay Ling sidestepped and countered with a crushing punch to the right side of Chou Ease's face.

Bang!

Chou Ease staggered, losing his balance, and crashed to the ground. His cheek swelled instantly, and confusion clouded his mind. They were both at the fourth layer of Qi Refinement—so how was Pay Ling's strength so overwhelming?

Pay Ling moved to seize the advantage, but another air-blade sliced through the air. He rolled to the side, narrowly dodging the attack.

Chou Ease scrambled to his feet just as Pay Ling hit the floor. Sneering, Chou Ease drove his fists down toward Pay Ling's head.

They were too close—Pay Ling couldn't dodge. As Chou Ease closed in, Pay Ling twisted his waist, his legs snapping up to lock around Chou Ease's torso and yank him down. Rolling them both to the side, Pay Ling narrowly avoided an air-blade aimed at his throat.

The two grappled fiercely, but Chou Ease's strength was no match for Pay Ling's. After taking several brutal punches, blood sprayed from Chou Ease's mouth, yet he couldn't break free. Miu Toanh and Lee Sagwon hesitated, unwilling to risk hitting Chou Ease by mistake.

If this continued, Chou Ease was done for. Lee Sagwon rushed forward, his fist aimed squarely at Pay Ling's back.

Spotting Lee Sagwon in his peripheral vision, Pay Ling wrenched Chou Ease around, using him as a human shield.

Lee Sagwon, unwilling to harm his ally, pulled back. But in the next instant, Pay Ling planted his feet and shoved with full force, sending Chou Ease stumbling straight into Lee Sagwon.

Chou Ease's Green Ghost Battle Body was no match for Pay Ling's relentless blows—and Lee Sagwon, a soul-tamer, had an even frailer physique. He'd barely managed to retreat two steps when Pay Ling's push sent Chou Ease crashing into him—

Bang!

Pay Ling toppled them both. Without hesitation, he surged forward, fists raining down on the pair in a furious barrage!

But then, two air-blades—one from the left, one from the right—sliced through the air behind him! Exhausted from the fight, Pay Ling's stamina was nearly spent. He dodged sideways, but the blades still carved deep gashes into his flesh, blood streaming from the wounds.

With Miu Toanh's timely intervention, Chou Ease and Lee Sagwon managed to catch their breath. Scrambling to their feet, battered and seething with rage, Chou Ease spat, "Kill him! We'll split the fine!"