Apotheosis Begins with Tai Chi

Chapter 334: Chapter 166: Bizarre

Qin Zhao reacted with lightning speed. Stomping his left foot, he launched himself into the air, his right leg kicking upward toward Chen Cheng’s midsection.

This move, known as the Fuyao Soar, was a kicking technique from the Secret Cloud Peng Leg Technique designed to strike up from below. Its essence lay in speed, ferocity, and cunning angles; it was nearly impossible for an airborne opponent to evade.

Crucially, under the effects of that blood-red Pill, Qin Zhao’s power was now a cut above his normal state.

Any other Seven Blood Martial Artist would have surely suffered a heavy blow from this kick.

But Chen Cheng was different.

The moment Qin Zhao’s legs moved, Chen Cheng had already seen through the technique he was about to use.

He knew its essence, its variations, its weaknesses, its fatal flaws… Chen Cheng knew them all like the back of his hand.

His seemingly all-out kick was, in truth, just a feint.

He pushed the Blood Qi throughout his body to its limit, stacking layer upon layer of his Transforming Force Barrier around his midsection—or more precisely, at the exact spot where Qin Zhao’s Fuyao Soar was guaranteed to land.

“Hn!?”

The instant the edge of his kick slammed into Chen Cheng’s midsection like a battle-ax, it was Qin Zhao whose expression twisted in shock.

He clearly felt the deliberately reinforced, heavy barrier.

At the same time, he felt an abnormal rebound force emanating from that heavy barrier—one far stronger than usual.

This rebound force wasn’t just stronger than others of the Same Tier; it also had penetrating and implosive properties.

Qin Zhao felt a throbbing pain shoot through his right leg, his joints turning sore, numb, and stiff.

His own Transforming Force Barrier had nullified most of the power, so his right leg wasn’t injured. But in a battle of this caliber, that momentary stiffness was a fatal opening.

WHOOSH!

Chen Cheng used the momentum to spin, his entire body rising a full three feet. His skin, tendons, muscles, and bones all coiled to their absolute limit with the motion.

Mid-spin, the edge of his leg abruptly whipped out.

All the power accumulated in that extreme coiling was unleashed in a single instant. It surged through him, amplifying with each joint, each layer of muscle, until it was all concentrated along the blade-like edge of his kick.

He abruptly activated his Tai Chi Force. The power, once gathered into a line, suddenly began to coil rapidly in a figure-eight pattern, contracting and then collapsing into a single, tiny point.

This was an upgrade to his Force Manipulation, developed from his daily insights into Tai Chi Qi.

Instantly.

Chen Cheng’s body rotated to a precise angle, and the edge of his leg chopped straight down toward the top of Qin Zhao’s head.

This kick was no feint. It was an all-or-nothing, ultimate strike. It was no exaggeration to say that if this kick didn’t secure a swift victory, Chen Cheng would have no choice but to retreat.

However, Qin Zhao was simply too strong. Furthermore, the medicinal power of the blood-red Pill seemed to be unlocking even more of his potential.

In that moment, his right leg was still rigid. Worse, in that same brief instant, Chen Cheng’s killing blow was already descending upon his head.

An ordinary person wouldn’t even be able to process what was happening, let alone react. Their Heart Spirit would be too slow.

But not only did Qin Zhao’s mind keep pace, his body instantly executed a near-perfect counter.

He threw his upper body back, stomped his left foot hard against the ground, and used the momentum to whip out a bicycle kick.

Faced with Chen Cheng’s all-or-nothing killing blow, Qin Zhao chose not to dodge or defend, but to counterattack directly.

The Cloud-Hanging Hook—another technique from the Secret Cloud Peng Leg Technique.

His upper body inverted in mid-air, the tip of his left foot traced a bizarre arc, striking toward the back of Chen Cheng’s head from an angle so awkward it seemed to defy logic.

In that instant.

All of Chen Cheng’s Transforming Force was already condensed by his Tai Chi Force into that single point, ready for an Instant Burst. He couldn’t spare a single shred to protect the back of his head.

If Qin Zhao’s toe connected solidly, Chen Cheng’s head would instantly explode.

There was no doubt about it!

But just then, Chen Cheng’s entire body instantly shifted downward by ten centimeters, his head narrowly avoiding the tip of Qin Zhao’s hooking kick.

Inconstant Moon Step!

The next instant.

Chen Cheng’s entire body shifted again, this time ten centimeters down and to the left.

Trait: Instant Shift!

BANG—!!

As Qin Zhao’s pupils constricted in shock, a thunderous crack exploded from the left side of his neck.

The blade-like edge of Chen Cheng’s all-or-nothing kick had landed squarely on target.

The Tai Chi Force detonated in an Instant Burst.

At that moment, Qin Zhao’s Transforming Force was focused entirely at the tip of his left foot. His neck was completely undefended.

Who could have possibly predicted that Chen Cheng could shift his position in an instant—not once, but twice?

“Lord Moon Envoy, spare me…”

Qin Zhao’s lips parted, as if mistaking Chen Cheng for someone else.

But before the words could escape his throat, the immense force of the blow had already bent his entire neck sideways at a sickening, unnatural angle.

The next instant.

Flesh and muscle were churned into a bloody pulp; his cervical vertebrae were ground to dust.

As a mist of blood exploded outward, a head—its face twisted into a demonic grimace—was sent flying sideways.

It landed with a heavy thud over a hundred meters away.

Its eerie red eyes were bulging, about to burst. The two serpentine, vertical pupils at their centers dilated violently before fading to a dull, vacant stare.

‘It’s done!’

A flicker of immense relief crossed Chen Cheng’s eyes.

He immediately bent down to loot the corpse.

…

「Some time later.」

The men from the Captain’s Mansion were the first to arrive.

Due to the gravity of the situation, Captain Xu Linyuan himself was leading the group.

The Evil Extermination Bureau was not far behind, arriving just a moment later. They too were led by their highest-ranking officer, General Thousand Guard Li Zhenyue.

“Who’s there!?”

Just as Xu Linyuan arrived in the vicinity, he spotted a strange figure wearing a conical hat and wrapped in black cloth. The person was carrying something as they leaped across the rooftops with incredible agility, moving as if in flight.

Xu Linyuan immediately gave chase.

Under the moonlight.

He could vaguely make out what the figure was carrying: a human head.

Meanwhile, Li Zhenyue, who had arrived a moment later, also witnessed the scene and joined the pursuit without a word of hesitation.