Apotheosis Begins with Tai Chi

”I’ve indeed formed the Sixth Pillar of Blood Qi.”

Chen Cheng paused for a moment, then lifted the wooden box in his hands slightly and said,

”Inside is a Profound Iron Treasure Bow forged by a master craftsman from the Prefecture City, along with some Profound Iron Bullets... Frankly, I didn’t expect it to have such power...”

”A Profound Iron Treasure Bow?”

Zhuang Zhen was stunned, a look of lingering surprise deep in her eyes.

”But that’s impossible... Yes, a Treasure Bow can significantly enhance one’s lethality. But no matter the enhancement, it shouldn’t be enough to match an attack from a Transforming Force Martial Artist...”

Chen Cheng didn’t respond.

Even he was a little surprised.

’According to Zhuang Zhen, did the Profound Bullet I just fired really have lethality comparable to the Transforming Force?’

The boost from the Treasure Bow was one factor.

But the intensely twisting Power, amplified by his Entwining Trait, seemed to have played an even greater role.

”Senior Sister Zhuang.”

Chen Cheng lowered his voice and asked,

”With this much force, could I kill a Transforming Force expert?”

”No.”

Zhuang Zhen shook her head.

”Transforming Force can be projected outward, creating an impenetrable defense. Unless you can channel Transforming Force into your projectile, no amount of Bright or Dark Force can break through that invisible barrier.”

”Of course, there is one other method, in theory. If your stamina is great enough, you could use nonstop attacks to exhaust a Transforming Force master. Once they are depleted and their Transforming Force Barrier collapses on its own, you can kill them.”

Seeing that Chen Cheng seemed to be seriously considering it, Zhuang Zhen quickly added a warning,

”That method is purely theoretical. In reality, a Transforming Force expert’s stamina far exceeds that of a Lower Rank Martial Artist. The only way to exhaust them is with overwhelming numbers.”

”...I understand.”

Chen Cheng replied thoughtfully.

”Junior Brother.”

Zhuang Zhen spoke again, changing the subject.

”Since you killed a Blood Robe, you can claim a reward from the Evil Extermination Bureau. You have two choices: either a record of Military Merit or three Three Treasures Nourishing Essence Pills.”

”Oh, really?”

A perfectly timed look of pleasant surprise appeared on Chen Cheng’s face.

But in truth, this was exactly what he had expected; it was the whole reason he’d stayed behind.

”Senior Sister, I’ll take the Three Treasures Nourishing Essence Pills. But I don’t want to reveal my identity. I’m afraid of retaliation from the Red Moon Demon People...”

”That’s simple enough.”

Zhuang Zhen said without a moment’s hesitation,

”I’ll claim the reward for you. I’ll just say I killed the Blood Robe. I’m an official Evil Slayer Guard anyway, so I’m not afraid of their retaliation.”

”Thank you so much, Senior Sister!”

Chen Cheng cupped his fist in a salute, his smile widening.

This was exactly the outcome he had hoped for.

The Three Treasures Nourishing Essence Pill was an official Auxiliary Cultivation Pill, and its effects were even better than the Red Jade Blood-Nourishing Pills from the Dragon Mountain Upper Courtyard.

Killing one Blood Robe for three pills meant Chen Cheng would have a supply for nine days.

If he could kill a few more, he could go back into secluded cultivation with peace of mind.

”Senior Sister.”

Naturally, Chen Cheng wasn’t going to let an opportunity like this slip by.

”A lot of Blood Robes have shown up tonight. You can’t possibly handle them all alone. Take me with you. I can be your support.”

”Support? You...”

Zhuang Zhen smiled, but her expression quickly turned serious.

”More than half of the Evil Slayer Guards went to Seven Miles Slope tonight, so the city’s defenses are indeed weak. Including myself, there are only three of us stationed here... If you want to help, fine. But you have to stick close to me. Don’t leave my line of sight.”

”Understood.”

All at once, Chen Cheng was wide awake.

Afterwards, Zhuang Zhen carefully altered the scene. She ”modified” the corpse’s fatal wound to make it look like her own work, which would make her report the next day more believable.

Despite her usual gentle demeanor, she was ruthless in action. With a few flashes of her sword, the corpse was hacked into several pieces, beyond any hope of being reassembled.

Finally, from the top of the blood-red cloak’s hood, she sliced off a patch of fabric from the very center and tucked it into a pouch at her waist.

It was like a soldier on the battlefield cutting off an enemy’s left ear. When it came to tallying military merit, it was equivalent to a beheading and prevented anyone else from falsely claiming the kill.

Chen Cheng watched in silence, and an idea began to form in his mind.

’I have another one of those blood-red cloaks at home. If I get really desperate for resources, maybe I could cut off a patch like that and trade it for a reward.’

’As for the body, any old corpse will do.’

’Then I could just patch up the hole, and the cloak would still be usable.’

Of course.

’For now, at least, the fastest way to get resources is still looting corpses.’

’Killing a few more Blood Robes is better than anything.’

”Junior Brother, this is for you.”

Zhuang Zhen stood up and handed a money bag to Chen Cheng.

She had just taken it from the corpse. It wasn’t very large, so there probably wasn’t much of value inside.

”You should keep it, Senior Sister. I can’t let you go to all this trouble for nothing.”

Chen Cheng said casually.

But Zhuang Zhen gave him a mock-reproachful look and stuffed the money bag into his hand, leaving no room for argument.

Chen Cheng didn’t stand on ceremony, tucking it inside his robes before asking another question.

”Senior Sister, if you were to kill a Cloth-Wrapped Demon, how many Three Treasures Nourishing Essence Pills could you exchange it for?”

”You know about Cloth-Wrapped Demons?”

Zhuang Zhen was slightly surprised. She composed herself and then said,

”A Six Blood-Clad Demon can be exchanged for five Three Treasures Nourishing Essence Pills. A Seven Blood one gets you ten. We haven’t seen an Eight Blood or higher yet, but the reward would certainly double, no question.”

’Dammit!’

’I lost out!’

A flicker of imperceptible regret flashed in Chen Cheng’s eyes before he spoke again.

”Senior Sister, why don’t we head over to Seven Miles Slope and take a look? We can split the reward fifty-fifty!”

”...You kid, don’t get too greedy!”

Zhuang Zhen said in a low, serious voice,

”Cloth-Wrapped Demons are terrifyingly strong. If we run into a Seven Blood one, even I wouldn’t be a match for it...”

”The squads that went to Seven Miles Slope tonight each have at least one Secret Martial Artist leading them, just to ensure their safety.”