Apotheosis Begins with Tai Chi

A figure in a blood-red Cloak slowly strode out from the open gates of a residence. Its boot soles left a damp footprint on the threshold, faint wisps of white steam rising from it.

A fair hand extended from the Cloak, its long nails stained red with blood. Bits of flesh and brain matter clung between the fingers. With her every step, drops fell onto the snow, melting little black holes into its surface.

As she walked, she nonchalantly scanned the streets and alleys, searching for her next target like an unsated beast.

Her gaze swept over a shadow up ahead, yet she failed to notice the killing intent concealed within the darkness.

She continued forward.

One step.

Two steps.

Closer and closer.

In the darkness, Chen Cheng had already drawn the Profound Iron Treasure Bow from his wooden box to its full extent.

The bow’s body was jet-black, covered in a fine, dark pattern that resembled tree rings or scales. It reflected no light whatsoever.

It was completely hidden in the darkness, like an ancient serpent sealed in an abyss, all signs of life withdrawn as it awaited its master’s call.

In the middle of the bowstring, nestled in a hard, knuckle-sized pouch, Chen Cheng’s thumb held an equally jet-black Profound Iron Bullet.

This Profound Bullet also reflected no light, and its surface was covered in a specially designed dark pattern. Its destructive power far surpassed Chen Cheng’s previous Silver Bullets.

The bowstring was already drawn taut.

Still, Chen Cheng felt it wasn’t enough. The muscles of his entire body engaged, Entwining Power and channeling it to his fingers. He slowly twisted the hard pouch, stretching the bowstring even tighter, far beyond its designed limit.

The Profound Iron bow emitted a low hum—not a cry of protest, but one of excitement. The slumbering beast had finally caught the scent of flesh and blood.

”Who’s there?!”

The figure in the Blood Robe finally noticed the disturbance ahead. She let out a cry of alarm, her voice surprisingly clear and pleasant, like that of a Singer.

”VMMMM—!!”

The next instant, a dull roar erupted, like a thunder dragon rolling through the heart of a mountain. The soundwave alone was enough to make the snow on the eaves tremble and shake.

The Profound Bullet shot out, imbued with a terrifying spin. It was as if countless muscle fibers in Chen Cheng’s body, having reached a state of Loose Transparency, all snapped back at once, Entwining and delivering his Power to its absolute peak.

”...Ugh?!”

The figure in the Blood Robe had just begun to dodge when an excruciating pain shot through her chest—the sensation of tearing flesh and crushing bone.

She remained standing in place, slowly lowering her head to look at her chest.

Between the two full curves of her chest, something had pierced a black hole the size of a copper plate through her blood-red Cloak.

But what it took with it when it burst from her back was far more than a copper plate.

Flesh, shattered bone, and fragments of organs, all twisted together by the rotational force, exploded from her back.

Her back, along with the impressively durable blood-red Cloak, now had a gaping, bowl-sized hole torn through it.

The edges of the hole looked as if they had been ripped apart inch by inch. Severed tendons and mangled skin, shredded by the twisting force, curled outward. The snapped ends of her ribs were arranged in a macabre, circular pattern, each one jutting out from the wound.

If one were to look through the large hole in her back, they would see that everything inside her chest cavity had been pulverized, leaving nothing but an empty chamber.

One breath.

Two breaths.

Chen Cheng had already returned his Treasure Bow to its wooden box and stepped out from the darkness. Only then did the knees of the figure in the Blood Robe give way. She collapsed into the snow, her life completely extinguished.

「Under the moonlight.」

A red shadow came leaping through the air.

The figure was incredibly nimble, moving between rooftops and walls with swift rises and falls. It was so fast it looked like a smear of cinnabar carried on the wind.

Chen Cheng’s first reaction was to hide.

His body had already turned slightly, one foot stepping back into the shadows.

But in the instant he saw the newcomer’s face, he changed his mind. A bold idea surfaced.

He simply stood his ground, waiting for the red shadow to approach.

Soon, the red shadow was before him.

The tall, graceful figure was dressed in a suit of Red Martial Attire. Her torso was covered by Crimson Half Armor, its breastplates rounded and prominent. Beneath them, a lifelike Dark Gold Suanni Pattern was faintly visible.

Her waist was tightly cinched, creating a clean curve that further accentuated its slenderness, making it look as though it could be held in a single grasp.

She landed with extreme lightness, the tips of her boots touching the snow and leaving only a shallow mark.

The moonlight fell steadily upon her.

Shoulders narrow and straight, waist slender and strong, legs long and powerful.

Grace was in her bones, as was a sharp efficiency. It was a marvel that the two could coexist so harmoniously in one person.

”Junior Brother Chen?”

Her beautiful eyes first glanced at the corpse on the ground before lifting to look at the youth in front of her, the one dressed in a dark fur coat and carrying a black wooden box.

As she looked up, the moonlight struck her face perfectly.

Her face was exquisitely beautiful, a stark contrast to the Armor and martial attire she wore.

This was especially true of her eyes, which were fixed upon the youth. They were like autumn waters reflecting the moon—the contrast between the dark pupils and white sclera so distinct they seemed unnaturally bright.

Her nose was elegant and straight, and her lips held a natural, faint crimson hue. When pressed together, they resembled a begonia blossom yet to fully open.

Her chin was delicate, her neck long and slender. The line from her jaw to her collarbone was as clean and perfect as a single brushstroke in a fine-line painting.

The night wind passed, stirring a few strands of dark hair at her temples.

The moonlight was like frost, her red armor like fire, and her face like still water. For a fleeting moment, she looked like a Martial Goddess who had stepped out of an ancient painting.

”Senior Sister Zhuang, what a coincidence.”

Chen Cheng smiled and said in a calm tone:

”I killed a Blood Robe. That’s not against the law, is it?”

”You... you killed her?”

Zhuang Zhen’s beautiful eyes went wide. She looked back at the corpse on the ground in disbelief.

”These Blood Robes can easily kill a Martial Artist with Six Pillars of Blood Qi! What’s more, the Blood Robes they wear are made from Exotic Beast Hides tanned using a Secret Technique from the Red Moon Nunnery... It’s impossible to break through them unless you’re a Transforming Force Martial Artist!”