Apotheosis Begins with Tai Chi

The Cloth-Wrapped Demon had just steadied itself, without a moment’s pause to adjust or catch its breath.

It slammed both palms to the ground, its ten thick fingers digging into the frozen earth. With a sudden backward scrabble and a push from its hind claws, its massive body shot straight toward Chen Cheng.

The momentum of its charge this time was even more ferocious and violent than before.

The frozen soil behind it exploded and flew, as if a deep chasm was being ripped open in the earth.

”HISS—”

Shen Chun gasped, snapping back to reality from her dazed state. Her pupils constricted sharply as she cried out in desperation:

”Dodge! Hurry up and dodge!”

’We’re screwed...’

Wang Peng was also fraught with anxiety. The bright surprise in his eyes from seeing Chen Cheng appear had vanished in an instant, replaced by utter gloom. He was so tense his pupils were trembling.

Wang Peng didn’t know that Chen Cheng had already condensed the Sixth Pillar of Blood Qi.

Even if he had known, he wouldn’t have been able to relax.

Weren’t Zhang Wen and Shen Chun both at Six Pillars? Besides, they had achieved that level long ago, their Blood Qi more solid and abundant.

But in the end, hadn’t the monster beaten them as easily as an adult swatting an infant, leaving them completely powerless to resist?

It was true that just a moment ago, Chen Cheng had managed to knock the monster back.

But that didn’t prove anything.

After all, in that instant, the monster’s force had been directed at Shen Chun, not Chen Cheng. These were two completely different situations.

And now, the monster’s target was locked onto Chen Cheng. All its power was aimed directly at him, and the momentum of its explosive assault was far more ferocious than before.

How could Wang Peng not be worried?

”It’s over, it’s over, it’s over... The monster’s been pissed off...”

This time, even Du Wenshun could feel it.

His head was still buried behind Wang Peng’s back, not even daring to look, yet he could clearly sense that the monster’s aura, might, and presence had more than doubled.

On the other side, Chen Cheng had no intention of dodging.

He reached back, hooked his fingertips under the strap of the wooden box, and gave it a light tug.

The long, flat wooden box slid from his back. He caught it with one hand and planted it upright in the snow beside him, like a silent boundary stone.

He opened his hands—as fair and smooth as a baby’s—and slowly unfurled his fingers. It was as if something extraordinary was hidden within his long, flexible knuckles.

In the blink of an eye, the monster was upon him.

Chen Cheng pushed off the ground and charged straight into it.

He was now nearly six feet tall, as in his previous life. His frame had filled out, and with his lean, powerful muscles, he would be considered tall and well-built by any normal person.

But at this moment, compared to the monster, his figure seemed frail and small.

Never mind anything else; the monster’s fist alone was bigger than his head.

The next instant, the two starkly contrasting figures collided thunderously under the moonlight.

Wang Peng couldn’t bear to watch.

Shen Chun’s face was ashen, her eyes filled with despair.

She had experienced the terrifying power of the Cloth-Wrapped Demon firsthand.

She knew better than anyone that the main reason she had survived was because she was wearing the blood-red Leather Armor supplied by the Evil Extermination Bureau, which had been treated with a special Secret Technique.

But even with this Leather Armor absorbing most of the impact, she was still gravely injured, unable to even crawl.

In contrast, the masked man—whose silhouette reminded her somewhat of her late father—

...not only lacked the protection of an Evil-slaying Red Armor, but he didn’t even have a single piece of decent Armor. The clothes he wore were like the tattered rags of a low-class peasant.

’Under these circumstances, what’s the difference between clashing head-on with that monster and committing suicide?’

The more Shen Chun thought, the more despair she felt, and tears streamed from the corners of her eyes.

”BANG!!”

With a muffled thud, the monster was suddenly knocked backward.

But this time, it only retreated two or three steps before completely steadying itself.

In contrast, Chen Cheng was sent flying even farther. He twisted and flipped through the air with fluid grace, landing beside the wooden box before he could fully disperse the residual force.

”He... He’s actually okay!?”

Shen Chun’s eyes flew wide open. Tears still stained her face, but the despair from moments ago had greatly diminished. A spark of life finally returned to the depths of her once-dull eyes.

’Brother Chen...’

’He did it again!?’

Wang Peng was equally dumbfounded, the expression in his eyes shifting again and again.

He was certain now that Chen Cheng had indeed condensed the Sixth Pillar of Blood Qi. More importantly, Chen Cheng’s strength far surpassed that of Zhang Wen and Shen Chun, who were of the Same Tier.

No!

To be precise, it wasn’t just that he ”far surpassed” them.

He stood on a completely different level, one that towered above them.

’Within the same Realm, I’m afraid only the experts from the great clans, those who have cultivated Secret Techniques, could possibly be a match for Chen Cheng.’

’Could it be...’

’...that Brother Chen has cultivated Secret Techniques as well?’

Wang Peng’s eyes widened even further.

’If that’s true, then Brother Chen’s lightning-fast progress and his vast superiority over others of the Same Tier would all make perfect sense.’

’Yes!’

’That has to be it!’

Wang Peng’s eyes lit up completely. His earlier worry and despair were swept away, replaced by surprise and anticipation.

Meanwhile, the monster, despite having clearly gained the upper hand in the collision, had huge, crimson eyes that now reflected an undercurrent of shock and unease.

Chen Cheng, in contrast, showed not a single ripple of emotion in the pitch-black eyes visible beneath his cloth mask. His calm, steady gaze seemed to clearly spell out two words...

’That’s it?’

”Heavens... He’s really completely fine?!”

Shen Chun exclaimed.

”His physical body is even more durable than me and Zhang Wen were while wearing our Evil-slaying Red Armor!?”

As she spoke, her gaze involuntarily fell upon her own priceless Refined Iron Saber, now lying chipped and bent in the distance.