Apotheosis Begins with Tai Chi

It swam with deceptive ease. With a gentle flick of its massive tail, its entire body surged forward like an iron-gray torrent, kicking up an undercurrent that roiled the surrounding water.

It was wary at first, approaching the three corpses tentatively.

Once it confirmed they were well and truly dead, it sped up and charged.

A vicious gleam appeared in its eyes as it gathered its strength and slammed into the three corpses again and again.

The sickening sounds of shattering bones and rupturing organs echoed through the water.

In the distance.

Hidden amongst the waterweeds, Chen Cheng took in the entire scene of the Iron-Bone Crocodile Eel’s frenzied desecration of the bodies.

He also noticed a sunken wound on the left side of the Iron-Bone Crocodile Eel’s back.

Its armored plates were shattered and the flesh was peeled back. With every frantic movement, a large amount of blood gushed from the injury.

However, against its enormous body, the wound looked rather small—not nearly enough to hinder its normal movements.

The force of its current impacts was no less than when it had struck the large ship; if anything, it was even more powerful.

It was just as Wu Ziyu had casually mentioned.

These Iron-Bone Crocodile Eels were incredibly vicious and, more importantly, held grudges. Right now, it was focusing its fury on Ruan Jinzhong, the one who had injured it, as if determined to smash the old man’s corpse to a pulp.

Wu Ziyu had also mentioned the specific value of an Iron-Bone Crocodile Eel.

First, once an Iron-Bone Crocodile Eel reached a certain age, its meat was comparable to Exotic Tiger Essence Meat. Its restorative properties were excellent, and it was so rare you couldn’t buy it even if you had the money.

Second, the Iron-Bone Crocodile Eel itself was highly resistant to poison. Long-term consumption of its essence meat could, to some extent, enhance a Martial Artist’s own poison resistance.

Furthermore, its ”iron bones” could be used in medicine to concoct antidotes for many potent poisons. The largest apothecaries in the city were all willing to pay a high price for them.

Lastly, Wu Ziyu had specifically mentioned that if the iron bones were ground into a powder and combined with various precious herbs to create a topical paste, it could not only enhance a Martial Artist’s poison resistance but also strengthen their physique.

And as it happened, the Wu Family possessed just such a formula, a gift from a Nanyue merchant years ago. But since they had never managed to catch an Iron-Bone Crocodile Eel, the recipe had been gathering dust ever since.

Chen Cheng had originally listened to this information as little more than an interesting story, never imagining he’d have the chance to capture an Iron-Bone Crocodile Eel himself.

But now, this precious opportunity was laid right before him.

It was practically within his grasp.

He had already silently drawn his two Profound Iron Daggers.

But just before he could act, the Iron-Bone Crocodile Eel suddenly began to behave in a bizarre, hair-raising manner.

Its massive body contorted violently. Its tail thrashed wildly, churning up mud and sand, and the water for yards around became a turbulent, murky mess.

At the same time, it thrashed its head back and forth, its large, flat mouth snapping open and shut. The bony plates of its jaw produced a rapid series of sharp cracks.

Then, it violently arched its back, its entire body convulsing several times.

Its mouth gaped open, as if it were about to dislocate its own jaw.

The next moment.

It violently vomited out the two corpses it had swallowed earlier.

Its digestive system was incredibly powerful. It had swallowed the two bodies when it sank the ship, and now their flesh was already rotting away, revealing glimpses of the white bone beneath.

The corpses, coated in viscous stomach fluids and bits of flesh, tumbled through the water, spreading a foul stench.

In the distance.

Chen Cheng’s brow furrowed. He froze, halting his impending attack.

Just as he was trying to make sense of it...

The Iron-Bone Crocodile Eel shook its head, its flat mouth gaped open, and it swallowed Ruan Jinzhong’s corpse whole.

A large bulge formed in its throat, slowly working its way down as it swallowed.

Then came Wang Han, followed by Qi Yan.

One after another.

Chen Cheng could see clearly that the look in the Iron-Bone Crocodile Eel’s eyes wasn’t just greed. It was mostly the excitement and satisfaction of vengeance fulfilled.

’This thing really holds a grudge!’

’And it’s truly developing sentience!’

’If it lives for a few more decades, it might just become a Great Demon capable of plunging the world into chaos.’

As Chen Cheng thought this, he tightened his grip on the daggers.

With three corpses now in its belly, the Iron-Bone Crocodile Eel’s stomach was stretched taut. Its iron-gray armored plates were forced outward from within, revealing the pale membrane underneath. A web of stretched lines spread across its skin, looking as if it might burst at any moment.

And just then, a figure shot out silently from the depths of the dark green waterweeds.

Chen Cheng pushed off lightly from the bottom, gliding forward like a phantom. The water parted around him, barely creating a ripple.

He held the daggers in a reverse grip, pressed tightly against the back of his forearms and completely hidden from the front.

The Iron-Bone Crocodile Eel seemed to sense something. Its head whipped around, instantly locking onto the rapidly approaching Chen Cheng.

Its enormous pupils contracted slightly, and an almost human-like expression flickered in their depths.

It could see that Chen Cheng was young, with a slender build and no visible weapons. Aside from his speed, he posed almost no threat.

For an instant, a look of clear disdain flashed in its enormous eyes.

WHOOSH—

Its massive tail whipped once, and its huge body shot forward, tearing through the water like a cannonball as it charged straight at Chen Cheng.

Its ferocious, tyrannical aura surged, as if to completely annihilate the arrogant youth before it.