Apotheosis Begins with Tai Chi

Chapter 332: Chapter 165: Weak

Liu Yikai fled frantically ahead.

Using the Silent Thunder Treading Skill, Chen Cheng tailed him from a distance.

After a few moments, Chen Cheng realized Liu Yikai was heading for one of Qin Zhao’s private residences.

For the past seven days, Chen Cheng’s primary target had undoubtedly been Qin Zhao.

Unfortunately, aside from attending two banquets, Qin Zhao had remained completely secluded. Chen Cheng had no choice but to settle for the next best thing and start tailing Zhang Shan and Liu Yikai.

The two were Qin Zhao’s right-hand men.

If Chen Cheng were to go to war with Qin Zhao in the future, leaving these two alive would be like leaving two ticking time bombs.

Of course.

What truly made Chen Cheng decide to kill them was a conversation he had overheard while tailing them a few days prior.

Zhang Shan: ‘Let’s find a chance and go slaughter that Chen Cheng.’

Liu Yikai: ‘Didn’t Senior Brother Qin say we should give him a month to think it over?’

Zhang Shan: ‘Are you fucking stupid? Senior Brother Qin is relying heavily on us right now. If we let Chen Cheng get his foot in the door, what good will come of it besides him taking a cut of our resources?’

Liu Yikai: ‘…This man… must not be allowed to live!!’

The night grew deeper.

Decadent music from strings and flutes drifted from the windows of the brothels lining the long street. With every flap of a gambling den’s door curtain, the crisp clatter of dice on wooden trays spilled out. From the depths of an opium den, someone let out a low, dream-like moan.

However, it was as if Liu Yikai couldn’t hear any of it. The only sounds in his ears were his own, increasingly ragged breaths and a heartbeat pounding like a drum.

He clenched his jaw, pushing his speed to its absolute limit.

An unknown amount of time passed.

Suddenly, the feeling of being followed vanished.

‘The Pang Family’s assassin… Did I shake him off?’

He thought, finally able to breathe a sigh of relief.

But he never would have dreamed that at this very moment, Chen Cheng had appeared right behind him.

There were no footsteps, no rush of air, not even a breath or a hint of killing intent.

Wrapped in the night, the black-robed figure was like a shadow, devoid of weight and life.

BANG—!!

A kick came without warning, savagely tearing through the air—fast as a phantom, fierce as a thunderclap.

The kick landed squarely on the center of Liu Yikai’s back in the exact instant he was utterly defenseless—the very moment he had just begun to relax.

An immense force surged through his back, as if he’d been struck by a charging bull. He was launched into the air, flying forward before crashing down hard.

The street before him became a dizzying blur. Lanterns, window lattices, eaves—everything spun wildly.

CRASH—!

He slammed heavily into the ground.

The bluestone pavers cracked and splintered, sending shards of stone flying. A spiderweb of fissures spread out from where his body had hit.

The ground shuddered violently, as if an invisible giant had just stomped its foot.

A few men just leaving a nearby gambling den scrambled back in terror. A brothel attendant’s hand trembled, and he dropped a teapot on a customer.

Pedestrians shrieked and scattered. Frightened horses bolted, dragging their carriages wildly down the street.

The scene instantly devolved into chaos—a cacophony of shouts, collisions, and shattering objects.

“Who is it!?”

Liu Yikai scrambled to his feet. A trickle of blood ran from the corner of his mouth as his eyes frantically searched for his attacker.

Amid the chaos, he vaguely saw a black shadow flash past.

The next instant.

The sound of something slicing through the air reached his ears.

The sound wasn’t loud, but it pierced his eardrum like a needle, sharp enough to make his scalp tingle.

Chen Cheng’s right leg snapped up like a venomous snake striking from the grass, aimed straight at Liu Yikai’s ribs.

THUD—!

With another dull thud, Liu Yikai was kicked sideways. His body curled into a ball in mid-air before crashing heavily into a stone lion in front of a gambling den.

The stone lion shattered on impact, sending shrapnel-like debris flying and kicking up a cloud of gray-white dust.

Liu Yikai sat slumped amidst the rubble, vomiting a mouthful of blood.

His outer shirt had been shredded by the Transforming Force, revealing a silver-white, form-fitting suit of Soft Armor beneath.

The Soft Armor was clearly dented over the ribs and in the center of the back, its edges warped into fine wrinkles.

Clearly.

The reason Liu Yikai had managed to withstand two of Chen Cheng’s full-force attacks was not just his Transforming Force Barrier deflecting the blows; this suit of Soft Armor had been indispensable.

‘This guy really is a cautious one.’

‘Doesn’t touch a drop of alcohol, never takes off his Soft Armor, and always keeps his Transforming Force Barrier protecting his vitals.’

However, before he could even climb out of the rubble, Chen Cheng was upon him.

His black robes billowed, like a dark cloud about to smother the city.

Chen Cheng’s right leg scraped along the ground, carving a shallow groove as he aimed straight for the shin of the left leg Liu Yikai was using to prop himself up.

Liu Yikai’s pupils contracted. He desperately mobilized his Transforming Force Barrier to shield his leg bone while simultaneously sweeping his right leg out to block. But he had only lifted his leg halfway when the tip of Chen Cheng’s foot chiseled into the middle of his shin.

CRACK!

It was a sharp crack, like a dry twig being snapped in two.

Liu Yikai’s Transforming Force Barrier shattered instantly. His left leg bent in the middle at an impossible angle, and a gleaming white shard of bone tore through his pant leg, spraying blood as it jutted out.

He didn’t even have time to scream. His body slumped to one side, and he slammed a hand on the ground, trying to push himself into a roll.

But Chen Cheng gave him no such chance.

As his right foot touched down, his left was already springing up. With his knee slightly bent, his shin swung down like a battle-axe, chopping directly at the right leg Liu Yikai hadn’t had time to retract.

CRUNCH!

Unable to dodge, Liu Yikai could only watch as his right leg was brutally stomped onto the bluestone street.

The paver shattered. Between the stone and the sole of Chen Cheng’s shoe, his leg bone was crushed into several pieces. Flesh caved in, and blood gushed from the top of his boot.

“Mercy… Have mercy…”

Liu Yikai lay paralyzed on the ground, his legs splayed out limply. Escape was impossible.

SWISH—

The black robe billowed up. Its wide hem spread like a curtain in the night, blotting out the street’s dim, yellow lamplight, and with it, the last patch of open sky above Liu Yikai’s head.