Apotheosis Begins with Tai Chi

WHOOSH—

In a flash, Chen Cheng halted his attack. His Step Technique suddenly changed as he spun and shifted, instantly closing in on the Blood Robe Believer’s right side.

The latter’s right arm was already useless, and his left was now a great deal slower than before.

His right flank was completely exposed.

Even though he still reacted quickly, his combat instincts drove him to swing his left arm across his body to block.

But against an opponent of Chen Cheng’s caliber, one slow step meant every step would be slow.

’Now’s my chance!’

Chen Cheng’s gaze sharpened.

He drew back his right arm, building power, then hooked it up from his waist.

With the force of a Thunder Burst, his fist concentrated all its Power into a single point and plunged straight into the shadows beneath the Cloak’s large hood.

CRACK—CRUNCH!

The instant his fist landed true, the sound of a face caving in echoed from the shadows.

Chen Cheng could clearly feel the man’s head collapsing inward like a clay pot smashed by a hammer, cracking and crumbling.

The next moment, his fist punched straight through the middle of this "clay pot."

Beneath the shadow of the large hood, bits of flesh, blood, brain matter, and bone fragments clung sparsely to his fist, dripping down slowly with lingering warmth.

The Blood Robe Believer’s body stiffened for a moment.

Then, his entire body went limp, as if his spine had been ripped out.

His legs gave out first, his knees buckling and hitting the ground. Then his waist went slack, and his upper body pitched forward.

Finally, only the shapeless ruin of his head remained, hanging from Chen Cheng’s fist by the toughness of its skin.

WHOOSH—

Chen Cheng exhaled a turbid breath and abruptly yanked his fist back.

Only then did the corpse collapse completely to the ground, blood rapidly pooling around it.

Without hesitation, Chen Cheng bent down and stripped the Blood Robe from the corpse.

The corpse was still warm. The inside of the Robe was coated in blood and brain matter, slick and greasy to the touch.

He swiftly undid the ties, held the entire Robe up before him, and shook it out completely. Then, he focused his attention and examined it closely.

Judging by its material, it was indeed some kind of unknown animal hide.

The surface of the hide was smooth and fine, slightly cool to the touch, like holding a piece of satin just pulled from a well.

He pulled at it with both hands, but the Robe didn’t budge. It was astonishingly resilient.

He calmed himself, then activated his Blood Qi, channeling his Power into the hide.

As he did so, he could clearly feel an extremely viscous, sluggish resistance, as if mired in a swamp. This was true for both Bright Force and Dark Force.

The resistance from that sluggishness was no less than what he felt when channeling Power through the Celestial God Hidden Dragon Painting.

He steadied his mind and immediately increased the force.

Silently, ripples spread out rapidly in concentric circles from the point where he channeled his Power.

’Twenty percent!’

’Whether it’s Bright Force or Dark Force, any attack that hits this Robe will have roughly twenty percent of its power negated.’

’I’ve really found a treasure!’

A glint appeared in Chen Cheng’s eyes. He immediately composed his Heart Spirit and prepared to fold the Robe and take it with him.

But just then, he suddenly noticed that the blood, brain matter, and other stains from before on the inside of the Robe were sliding off at a visible rate.

The viscous stains, like water droplets on oiled paper, simply couldn’t stick. They trickled inch by inch down the surface of the hide, finally gathering at the Robe’s hem, where they hung precariously.

Chen Cheng stood up, held the Robe by its hood, and gave it two hard shakes.

WHOOSH—

All the stains flew off, and the Robe itself was instantly spotless, not a speck of dust remaining.

’Kill without getting stained by blood! Not a single leaf clings to the body!’

Seeing this, the glint in Chen Cheng’s eyes shone with a new, different kind of light.

Afterward, Chen Cheng wiped his blood-smeared hand on a clean part of the corpse’s pant leg.

Next, he reached down and pulled a shriveled Money Bag from the corpse’s waist.

He undid the drawstring and shook it out over the ground. In total, only a few dozen copper plates tumbled out. There was nothing else.

He picked up the copper plates, cupped them in one hand, and turned back toward an alley he had passed earlier.

He walked up to a small, adobe-walled courtyard.

He tossed the copper plates into the yard, then tore down a clothesline hanging on the wall, taking it along with two tattered pieces of cloth that were drying on it.

Returning to the corpse’s side, he folded the Blood Robe, wrapped it tightly in one of the ragged cloths, and took the Short Saber with the wavy, distorted edge from the corpse’s right hand, wrapping it in the other cloth.

Finally, he placed the two bundles together and used the clothesline to tie them securely in a cross-hatch pattern.

Carried in his hand, it just looked like two bundles of old clothes, completely inconspicuous.

After taking care of everything, he once again focused his Heart Spirit and carefully scanned his surroundings.

After confirming he had left no trace of himself behind, he departed swiftly, disappearing into the depths of the alleyway.

「Some time later.」

Two Martial Artists on assignment with the Patrol Guard Bureau, wearing armor and carrying sabers, followed the scent of blood to the scene.

Close behind them, a squad of elite Armored Warriors from the Captain’s Mansion marched up in formation, clad in Heavy Armor and wielding Large Halberds. The clang of their metal Armor could be heard two alleys away.

One of the two assigned Martial Artists had a palm-sized, blue-green birthmark on his face that stretched from his left forehead down to his cheekbone.

He kept one hand on his saber, his gaze sweeping warily over the surroundings. Every step he took was steady and firm.

The other’s chest was full and round, pushing their breastplate out into a strikingly curved arc. Their face was fair and delicate, and although their hair was tied in a man’s topknot, anyone with discerning eyes could tell this was a beautiful young woman.

Her brow was tightly furrowed as she stared at the corpse before them—its head smashed and its chest caved in. Her expression grew increasingly grim and cold.

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