Apotheosis Begins with Tai Chi

Every time Xing Xiong exerted his full strength, the fluctuations in his Blood Qi became exceptionally intense. Chen Cheng had sensed it earlier from outside the courtyard, but at that distance, the feeling wasn’t as distinct as it was now.

More importantly, the long-term nourishment of his Divine Marrow by his Health-Preserving Traits had long since heightened Chen Cheng’s senses to a level far beyond that of an ordinary person.

At this extremely close range, Chen Cheng could perfectly perceive the path of Xing Xiong’s Blood Qi, as well as the exact locations where its flow was clearly stagnating.

WHOOSH—

Chen Cheng reacted with lightning speed, also pushing his own Blood Qi to its absolute limit. However, under the dual enhancement of his Endless Moon Breath and Hidden Mechanism Attribute, Xing Xiong didn’t notice a thing.

No matter how keen Xing Xiong’s senses were on the verge of life and death, or how swift his reactions, they were all rendered useless in this moment.

The instant the fierce wind howled, Chen Cheng used Tai Chi Force to accelerate. His body shifted with fluid Harmony, moving behind and to the left of Xing Xiong. He immediately followed with a Dragon-Splitting Drill, infused with his full Power, striking directly at a spot on Xing Xiong’s spine—two inches to the left of the fourth vertebra.

Xing Xiong was large and sturdy, with thick skin and tough flesh. Under normal circumstances, even a hundred of Chen Cheng’s punches might not have compared to this single blow!

BAM!!!

The blow landed solid. The flesh at that spot instantly ruptured as the Power penetrated deep within, reaching the hidden injury left on Xing Xiong’s body by that Dark Force expert from the previous night.

Chen Cheng’s Bright Force pierced from the outside in, while Xing Xiong’s rotten flesh and purulent blood swelled outward from the ruptured skin... and then, as if bursting through a membrane, it sprayed out.

CRACK, CRACKLE...

Almost simultaneously, a series of sickening cracks echoed from Xing Xiong’s fourth vertebra as the bone shattered.

His upper body bent at an extremely bizarre angle. His lower body went numb in an instant, his knees buckled, and his tall, burly frame crashed to the ground.

He tried to push himself up with his hands, but he collapsed completely in less than half a breath. His arms trembled as his fingers dug into the dirt, gouging out several deep marks before he went completely limp.

His face was completely contorted, his expression a mask of a silent scream and a plea for mercy. Unfortunately, with blood constantly gushing from his mouth and nose, he could only let out a weak, gurgling cry.

Chen Cheng didn’t rush to deliver the finishing blow. Instead, he continued to focus his Heart Spirit, observing the state of Xing Xiong’s chaotic Blood Qi.

This kind of firsthand experience was a rare opportunity.

Soon, blood began to trickle from Xing Xiong’s nose and ears. It was a dark, viscous, blackish-red.

Finally, black blood seeped from his eye sockets, quickly forming into beads that rolled down from the corners of his eyes.

He lay paralyzed on the ground, his body still twitching. Once, twice, three times. The convulsions grew slower, the movements smaller.

Finally, he stopped moving altogether.

Only then did Chen Cheng walk over.

He lifted his foot.

Taking aim at Xing Xiong’s neck, he stomped down hard.

The moment his foot landed, he could clearly feel the windpipe collapsing and the cartilage shattering. Finally, under the immense pressure, the cervical spine snapped clean in two.

He withdrew his foot.

Chen Cheng immediately crouched down and retrieved the wooden box and two Money Bags from the corpse, tucking them all inside his robes.

As for the Poisonous Thorn, Chen Cheng didn’t pull it out.

If Xing Xiong could recognize that thing, then his accomplices certainly could too.

Chen Cheng didn’t want to take that risk, nor was there any need to.

To be blunt, he found the weapon’s poison pathetic. It wasn’t even mediocre; it was completely useless.

’Even if I were to use a similar poisoned weapon in the future,’ he mused to himself, ’I’d first have to find a way to obtain a sufficiently potent toxin. Otherwise, it would be more practical to just carry a sharp dagger.’

Then again, there might have been other reasons why Xing Xiong was completely unaffected by the Poisonous Thorn.

Perhaps the man regularly chewed detoxifying medicinal herbs or soaked in poison-resisting baths.

Or perhaps the Cultivation Technique he practiced granted some degree of poison resistance. The blood-colored, mercury-like sheen that emanated from his fingers certainly didn’t look like it came from an orthodox path.

Chen Cheng silently considered it. He certainly couldn’t rule out these possibilities.

However, he lacked the relevant knowledge and experience. He would have to spend time inquiring, researching, and putting it into practice.

’If there really is a way to cultivate and improve my own poison resistance...’

Chen Cheng pulled his gaze away from Xing Xiong’s body, a clear flicker of anticipation in his eyes.

’If I can actually find a method, it would be another trump card to save my life. At a critical moment, it could mean the difference between life and death!’

Chen Cheng composed himself.

He stood up and carefully scanned his surroundings.

After confirming he had left no trace of himself behind, he continued to maintain his Endless Moon Breath. Like silence itself, he vanished into the thick darkness.

In truth, many people nearby had been startled by the commotion.

However, this area was inhabited by the poor. Their first reaction upon hearing a disturbance was to bolt their doors and cover the mouths of their crying children... No one would dare come out and get involved.

Especially with the remnants of the Red Moon Nunnery recently throwing the Outer City into turmoil, the poorest of the poor were afraid to even spare a glance if something major happened, fearing they might bring trouble upon themselves.

...

By the time Chen Cheng changed back into his normal clothes and returned to the Dragon Mountain Middle Courtyard, it was around 9:00 PM. In the Outer Hall, many White-Plaque Disciples were still practicing.

Over in the Inner Hall, Zhuang Zhen was gone, and the other disciples had all gone out to a celebratory banquet. Only Ye Yang’s meditation chamber, deep within, showed the faint glow of a lamp.

Chen Cheng returned to his own room and first took stock of the silver coins he had gained that night.

He had already discarded the two empty Money Bags. The money from inside totaled four Golden Blade Coins, plus four or five taels of broken silver.

After putting it all into his own Money Bag, the total wealth he had on hand was nearly five hundred taels of silver.