Apotheosis Begins with Tai Chi

The Blood Robe Believer, who had gone limp and slumped against the wall like a pile of mud, suddenly shot back to his feet.

It was unclear if he feared that crying out would tear at his wounded organs, or that opening his mouth would release the last breath he was desperately clinging to.

He didn’t cry for help, nor did he even howl in agony from his injuries.

In the complete silence, a bizarre sound emanated from his collapsed chest cavity instead—a noise like countless maggots squirming through crushed bones and rotten flesh.

’An Evil Technique!?’

Chen Cheng’s heart tightened. He stomped his foot and shot forward, his fist flying straight for the Blood Robe Believer’s face.

The latter raised his left arm, steadily parrying Chen Cheng’s punch. He tried to swing his saber with his right arm, but it merely twitched a few times, seemingly due to broken bones and torn tendons, and ultimately failed to lift.

And in that brief moment of closeness, Chen Cheng clearly heard, from deep within the man’s chest, not only the strange, maggot-squirming sound, but also a distinct heartbeat and the movement of lungs expanding and contracting like a broken bellows.

’How could this be?’

Chen Cheng was stunned again, a look of astonishment in his eyes.

The opponent’s strength was roughly at the Peak of Five Pillars of Blood Qi. He was very strong; under normal circumstances, Chen Cheng would be no match for him.

But just now, Chen Cheng’s stealthy ambush had succeeded.

That all-out punch, followed by a knee strike, had channeled the maximum amount of Dark Force. The two successive internal implosions, like a Thunder Burst, should have been enough to blast his heart and lungs into pulp.

Yet, the man’s heart was still beating, and his lungs were still contracting.

’Is it because he trained in some Martial Arts that specifically tempers the heart and lungs? Has he trained these vital organs to be abnormally tough?’

’Or perhaps...’

Chen Cheng’s gaze fell upon the man’s blood-colored Cloak, a strange glint flashing in his eyes.

In the moment his fist had landed, he hadn’t given it much thought.

Recalling it now, the sensation of the Cloak had indeed been very strange.

It was like some kind of beast hide tanned with a Secret Technique. When his fist struck, it felt as if he had plunged it into a pool of thick paste.

At the same time, with the point of impact as the center, a circle of fine ripples instantly spread across the Cloak’s surface, like a stone tossed into a pond.

’If I’m not mistaken, it was this blood-colored Cloak that had, to some extent, neutralized those two fatal blasts of Dark Force.’

SWISH SWISH SWISH—

As the thoughts flashed through his mind, Chen Cheng had already launched his second wave of attacks.

Fists, elbows, knees, shoulders—every part of his body that could be used to kill transformed into a deadly weapon. He fully channeled his Four Pillars of Blood Qi, infusing the Dark Force to the very tips of each limb.

In between, he would mix in an instantaneous burst or two of Tai Chi Force.

In an instant, each move was faster than the last, each strike fiercer than the one before. A storm of afterimages rained down upon the Blood Robe Believer as Chen Cheng sought to end the fight quickly.

However, the Blood Robe Believer’s seemingly exhausted body could still erupt with considerable combat power.

His right arm, the one that held the saber, still hung limply at his side like a dead snake.

But his left arm was extremely agile. Whether parrying, blocking, deflecting, or warding, every movement was perfectly timed, neutralizing each of Chen Cheng’s attacks aimed at his upper body.

At the same time, his stance was also solid. One leg stood firm as support while the other hooked, lifted, swept, or kicked, his defense just as watertight.

He could even occasionally counterattack with his knee or the tip of his foot. Although the speed and power were not at their normal level, it was not something Chen Cheng could take lightly. Each time, it forced Chen Cheng to retreat and temporarily avoid the brunt of the attack.

The more Chen Cheng fought, the more alarmed he became.

’This Blood Robe Believer is at the Peak of Five Pillars of Blood Qi. He should be able to soundly suppress any opponent of the Same Tier.’

’And eight of these powerful individuals appeared earlier.’

’No wonder even someone as strong as Tang Yunlong met such a miserable and tragic end.’

Luckily, Chen Cheng had been cautious enough not to engage in a direct confrontation. Instead, he had only revealed himself and attacked after finding a good opportunity for an ambush.

If not for that punch and the follow-up knee strike that had severely damaged the man’s heart and lungs, shattered his right shoulder blade and humerus, and rendered his right arm useless, Chen Cheng feared he would already be a corpse.

Chen Cheng’s gaze darkened.

’From now on, in situations where the enemy’s strength is unclear, I must be even more cautious.’

BANG BANG BANG—

After a brief retreat to regulate his breathing, Chen Cheng immediately launched an even fiercer assault.

This time, however, Chen Cheng changed his strategy. He was no longer focused on a head-on assault, but switched to a hit-and-run style of fighting.

His Step Technique carried him left and right, sometimes lunging forward, sometimes retreating. His punches and kicks no longer aimed for a full-power impact; he only sought to force his opponent into hasty responses. Once that objective was met, he would instantly withdraw his power and change his move, never lingering in the fight, like a slippery loach that couldn’t be caught.

During this process, the opponent was forced to speed up his footwork, and the range of his movements when blocking and dodging was also forced to increase.

After just a dozen or so exchanges, the effect Chen Cheng wanted began to show.

The Blood Robe Believer’s injuries were torn open by his increasingly large movements. The wound on his collapsed chest ripped wider and wider, and a mixture of blood and shredded flesh began to pour out.

Beneath the skin, his already severely damaged heart and lungs could not bear the strain. The more frantic and expansive his movements became, the worse his injuries grew.

His blood flow and breathing suddenly fell into disarray. Blood uncontrollably surged up from his mouth and nose, choking him.

Under these conditions, his movements grew slower and stiffer, and he even began to experience brief moments of torso rigidity.

His once-impenetrable defense gradually became riddled with openings.

However, Chen Cheng ignored all of these openings.

He was still waiting.

Waiting for an opportunity to deliver a single, fatal blow.