Apotheosis Begins with Tai Chi

CLANG—!

Metal struck metal, sending sparks flying.

The man with the murky eyes felt his arm go numb from the blow. The Fish Fin Cleaver was nearly knocked from his grasp.

BANG!

He lost his balance in mid-air and came crashing down into the alley. His back slammed against the bluestone slabs with a thunderous thud, sending shattered rock flying. It was as if the entire alley had trembled for a moment.

Terror predictably flooded his murky eyes.

’His opponent had the advantage of a surprise attack, but his actual strength is definitely greater than mine.’

’Run!’

Decisive to a fault, he scrambled to his feet without the slightest hesitation and broke into a mad dash.

At the same time, Chen Cheng leaped back onto the wall, standing shoulder to shoulder with the graceful, saber-wielding figure.

And this time, a Profound Iron Treasure Bow had appeared in Chen Cheng’s hands.

He raised the bow.

He hooked the string.

In an instant, it was drawn like a full moon.

He glanced sideways, his eyes meeting those of the graceful figure beside him.

No words were needed.

The graceful figure took half a step to the side, pressing herself almost against him. A delicate, jade-white hand rested lightly on the back of the hand that drew the bowstring. Her fingers were slender, her palm cool, yet it was as steady as a rock.

The next instant, Transforming Force flowed like a tide from her jade-white hand into Chen Cheng’s. He then guided it, completely infusing the Profound Iron Bullet.

The Profound Iron Bullet trembled, letting out a metallic hum.

It was like a ferocious beast awakened, quivering restlessly on the string.

Fingers released.

The string snapped back.

WHOOSH—!

The Profound Iron Bullet shot out. The sheer force of its passage made the tiles on the wall rattle and peeled away layers of plaster from the alley walls on both sides.

Just as the murky-eyed man was about to rush out of the alley, he clearly sensed the terrifying disturbance behind him.

His reaction was extremely fast. He instantly condensed his Transforming Force into a barrier behind him, holding nothing back.

It was the most effective way to respond.

He knew he wasn’t fast enough to dodge it; his only choice was to block it with all his might. If even his Transforming Force Barrier couldn’t stop it, then all his other defensive measures would be meaningless.

HISS—

The next instant, the thought of channeling his Transforming Force had just formed in his mind.

The Profound Iron Bullet had already pierced his Transforming Force Barrier and entered through his right shoulder from behind.

His shoulder blade was instantly pulverized, exploding forward in a spray of bloody mist and mangled flesh.

He let out a heart-wrenching scream as the impact sent him pitching forward.

His entire right arm, along with half his shoulder, had been violently torn off. It flew a short distance past him as he fell, landing with a heavy thud, its fingers still twitching faintly.

He twisted his head to look at his right shoulder. It was an empty, bloody mess, a gaping wound from which blood gushed like a spring.

BANG! BANG!

Before he could struggle to his feet, two more cannon-like booms echoed out.

Before the sounds faded, a Profound Iron Bullet precisely obliterated the back of his left knee.

Shattered bone and flesh flew in all directions. His lower leg was torn clean off at the knee joint, connected only by a few shreds of skin and muscle.

Almost simultaneously, a second Profound Iron Bullet pierced the center of his lower back. The Bullet easily tore through flesh and wedged into bone, its unreasonably savage force instantly shattering his spine.

The residual Transforming Force didn’t dissipate. Instead, it pushed further, striking straight into his Dantian and shredding the flesh and organs in that area to pieces.

The murky-eyed man’s body arched violently as he spewed a mouthful of blood.

His mouth gaped open, trying to scream, but no sound came out.

After struggling for less than two breaths, he collapsed unconscious into a pool of his own blood.

The alley fell silent once more.

The only sound was a soft, gentle sigh from the graceful figure atop the Chen Mansion’s wall.

”Junior Brother, your Archery has improved again.”

”It’s all thanks to your cooperation, Senior Sister.”

Chen Cheng smiled, handing the Profound Iron Treasure Bow to the woman beside him before leaping down into the alley.

That’s right. The woman was none other than Zhuang Zhen.

The Li Family had prepared a side room for her in the front courtyard long ago.

Although she usually stayed with her aunt, she would occasionally spend a night or two here.

’Have to give my aunt and uncle some private space, right?’

Tonight, she hadn’t gone to bed early. She was tempering her Four Gods Profound Body in her room when she heard a commotion in the inner courtyard. She had immediately grabbed her saber and rushed over, arriving just in time to join forces with Chen Cheng and defeat the Transforming Force master.

Now, as Chen Cheng jumped down to clean up the battlefield, she stood guard on the wall, her gaze scanning the surroundings for any further trouble.

But when her eyes inadvertently fell upon Chen Cheng, she suddenly realized that the silver, shell-like armor on his body had almost completely fallen off during the intense fight.

It’s unclear what she saw, but her gentle and beautiful face instantly turned so red it looked as if it might start bleeding.

She hurriedly leaped down from the wall, placing the Horizontal Saber and the Profound Iron Treasure Bow on the stone table.

She cupped her cheeks in her hands, her beautiful eyes staring blankly. Her body felt hot, and her breath was so rapid it felt like she might fly away. Her mind was buzzing, unable to think of anything else.

Meanwhile, Chen Cheng had quickly looted everything he considered valuable from the four men in black.

Then, he slowly turned and looked toward a corner at the other end of the alley.

”I did my best to suppress my aura. I didn’t expect you to discover me anyway.”

From the corner, Lin Fengxiao stepped out directly. He cupped his fist, bowed deeply, and said formally:

”Lin Fengxiao pays his respects to Senior Brother Chen.”

”Junior Brother, dispense with the formalities. There’s no need to be so formal in the future.”

Chen Cheng waved his hand and asked,

”What brings you here, Junior Brother?”

”I was just patrolling nearby and happened to notice the commotion here.”

Lin Fengxiao said,

”I heard that you live here, Senior Brother, so I had my escorting party halt while I came to investigate myself.”

”You saw everything?” Chen Cheng asked.

”I did.”

Lin Fengxiao nodded, his gaze then falling on the Fish Fin Cleaver lying in the pool of blood.