Chapter 336 - Overbearing and Domineering Attitude

One, two, three, four, five... a total of eleven acupoints lit up like brilliant stars, flickering across Cassius's body. If all the acupoints were connected, they would form a long snake coiled on the surface of his skin. The tail wound tightly around his strong waist, while the ferocious snake head bared its fangs on his hand.

Cassius extended his right hand forward in the air, his arm mimicking the arched posture of a snake preparing to strike.

Tap tap tap... Tap tap tap...

The Dead Blood charged forward like leopards, displaying supernatural speed far beyond human limits. Every assassin moved like a black shadow darting through the air. They seemed like fleeting afterimages to the members of the Ace of Spades.

"A group of sheep dares to hunt a lion? Ridiculous!"

Boom!

A thunderous explosion rang out in the street, sending tremors through the feet of onlookers. It was as if lightning had just struck the ground

The spot where Cassius had been standing exploded into a cloud of dust and shattered concrete. His powerful body compressed the air around him as he charged forward like a speeding train.

"!!!"

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Cassius barreled down the street, crushing the oncoming shadows. Some were flung backwards, while others spun through the air.

Whoosh!

Cassius's spine twitched, and his arm whipped out in a wide arc like the tail of a snake. The movement was fluid yet powerful, resembling a serpent striking with both grace and force.

The strike was so fast that it lashed a shadow mid-charge, halting its momentum in an instant. The figure froze briefly before being hurled backwards at breakneck speed. The skin, muscles, and bones of its torso and abdomen were shattered. Its internal organs were pulverized into blood mist and burst into the air like a red cloud.

The damage wasn't done yet. Reverberating Force detonated within its body, causing a second internal explosion that tore it apart. By the time the shadow hit the ground, there was nothing left but scattered limbs across the street. The muscles twitched convulsively, as if still reacting to the violent impact.

One of the arms flew to who knows where.

Not far away, Wealthy Heir stood frozen, trembling uncontrollably. His face had gone deathly pale. Reaching up with a shaking hand, he felt five wriggling fingers in his hair, still slick with warm liquid.

Wealthy Heir gritted his teeth and yanked them off, revealing a bloodied, severed hand. Its tendons and veins dangled, torn at the wrist. The five fingers twitched from muscle memory, trying to curl inward, as if still attempting to grasp something.

"Fuck!”

Horrified, he flung the hand away and staggered backward five or six steps. His once-rosy lips were now as pale as ash, and his expression was filled with terror. He looked more haggard than if he'd been awake for days.

Meanwhile, the one-sided slaughter continued unabated.

Cassius strode casually across the battlefield as if in slow motion, his expression cold and emotionless. He only demonstrated the basics of the Southern Dipper Sonic Snake Fist: the four forms of Dance, Entwine, Pierce, and Bite.

Every strike was precise, perfectly blocking the shadows' next move with flawless timing. It was as if the Dead Blood were voluntarily throwing themselves into his attacks, their vital points colliding with his strikes. They were unable to even brush the edge of Cassius's clothes.

Cassius mused, "It seems that Reverberating Force's secondary explosions are more effective against these undying creatures than Death's Fang Force..."

He launched three rapid punches that sent three shadows flying. The shadows pierced into the walls of the street like arrows. Before they could even struggle, the reverberating force exploded, painting the wall with blood and organs.

Cassius's hand pierced through one shadow with a squelching sound, emerging from its back clutching a still-beating heart. The heart burst into pieces with a slight squeeze.

Retracting his hand, Cassius shook off the blood with a flick, returning his skin to its clean and spotless state.

Thud.

The lifeless body of the Dead Blood fell to the ground.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Gunshots rang out behind him. It seemed a few stragglers had chosen to pick off weaker targets in desperation.

Whoosh!

Cassius reappeared dozens of meters away, standing behind two shadows charging toward the crowd. One Dead Blood, either sensing the danger or simply switching targets, veered left, snarling as it pounced toward the civilians.

But before it could reach them, a large hand emerged from its peripheral vision and grabbed its face with a vice-like grip. An overwhelming force yanked the shadow backward, slamming its head into the skull of another captured shadow.

Splat!

A burst of red splattered across Cassius's chest. The two skulls caved in as they were crushed together under immense pressure. Their heads fused into one indistinguishable mass of bone and flesh. When Cassius released them, the grotesque form of two bodies sharing a single head collapsed onto the ground.

Without missing a beat, Cassius's right leg vanished, as it whipped into the last terrified shadow. The Dead Blood flew backward and smashed into a Black Cloud sedan, denting the car's frame. The wheels wobbled, nearly tipping over from the impact.

Hiss...

Cassius exhaled two streams of hot air through his nostrils, turning slightly.

"Ambushed, huh? Looks like the situation at the Fengnan City branch is worse than expected.” He stepped over the corpse of a fallen shadow, walking calmly toward the stunned group.

The entire fight had only lasted about ten seconds.

The members of the Ace of Spades watched in disbelief. The battle had unfolded so quickly that it almost seemed unreal. The process was simple: hordes of enemies charged forward, only to be obliterated one by one as if they hit a speeding train. Any stragglers that escaped Cassius's immediate attacks were crushed seconds later.

Some people hadn't even had time to register the battle. They still had an expression of terror on their faces before they could fully process the scene. It left them in an odd state of emotional limbo. Others, however, were visibly shaken by Cassius's terrifying display.

They had never seen such overwhelming, unstoppable strength. It was like a tyrannosaurus hunting prey. It charged, struck, and killed in just two steps. Any resistance or escape was utterly futile.

He was so fast they couldn't even track his movements. White Bird and the others had no idea how Cassius had appeared behind those two Shadow Demons. His strength was so immense that it had nearly flipped a car. One shadow was kicked so hard that it nearly smashed a Black Cloud sedan to pieces.

"Is this the power of the Covert Martial Arts seed after cultivation? It's practically superhuman!

“If I train diligently, could I reach this level too?

“If I could master this strength...

“If I could run faster than a train...

“If I could smash a car with a single punch..."

All the top executives of Ace of Spades were lost in thought as they contemplated the possibilities brought on by Cassius' terrifying display of power. Hearing about such events and seeing them with their own eyes were completely different experiences. Now, everyone was deeply shaken.

In their minds, they replayed the brutal scene where Cassius crushed two heads together like a toy. Immediately, a fervent gleam rose in the eyes of every top executive, without exception. Even Wealthy Heir, who had already adjusted his mindset, was no different.

"Lord... Lord Cassius is as powerful as a superhuman!"

"He eliminated all the enemies in mere seconds..."

"So terrifying, like a monster..."

A few of the top executives muttered to themselves, some trembling with excitement, while others seemed dazed. Cassius’s ear twitched as he caught the last sentence. His sharp gaze immediately locked onto Purple.

His face was as cold and hard as steel and his eyes deep and unreadable. A dark expression clouded his brow as he slowly walked toward her, his face still speckled with the blood of his enemies, giving him a grim and ominous appearance. The smell of blood was intense.

"L-Lord... What... what is it?"

The beautiful girl in a purple dress felt scared as Cassius approached her. She unconsciously took two steps backward. She felt like she was being stared down by a beast. Her hair stood on end, and cold sweat ran down her back.

Cassius, seeing her fear, reached out to wipe the blood from his face. "Remember, this is not the power of a monster. This isn't the strength of some inhuman creature; it's the strength of a human. The power of a practitioner of Covert Martial Arts! We develop our bodies, push past our limits, temper every muscle, and strengthen every bone in our constitution. We are humans among humans. How could we be mistaken for non-human monsters?

"If you cultivate the Covert Martial Arts seed in the future and your body evolves into something grotesquely exaggerated, don't think you're no longer human. On the contrary, it's precisely because you are human that you've evolved to such a state. In fact, the real monsters are the ones I just killed—those dark creatures, parasitic entities hiding in the shadows of human society. Since you've chosen to follow me, sooner or later, you'll also face these creatures in battle...

"I'll explain all this to you more clearly in due time,” Cassius said no more as he turned away. He was completely correct in saying that he wasn't a monster. He was simply a pure human who had walked down the path of physical cultivation through Covert Martial Arts.

Sometimes, when his explosive form exceeded the bounds of human understanding, others might mistake him for a monster in the heat of battle. As for those dark creatures who had called him a monster in their final moments, it was obvious they weren't telling the truth. Most likely, they had been mentally broken from the beating, and they deliberately slandered and insulted Cassius.

It was an extremely venomous attempt to shake Cassius's resolve. But whether they succeeded was clear—they had no chance. Cassius's willpower was as firm as iron. No matter what his body might look like, as long as he considered himself human, he would remain human.

Moreover, his speech also served as preparation for those who would later cultivate the Covert Martial Arts seed. The Golem Seed, derived from Golem Covert Martial Arts, could potentially alter the practitioner's body due to the Golem's life magnetic field. It was a small but inevitable side effect.

What Cassius wanted to express was that, even if a future Golem Seed cultivator ended up developing a combat form that barely resembled a human and looked even more monstrous than the dark creatures themselves, they must still confidently crush their enemies' heads and proudly shout, "I am human!"

That proud attitude, Cassius believed, would be a true sign of sanity.

Many top executives of Ace of Spades watched Cassius intently. They nodded in a somewhat bewildered manner, unconditionally agreeing with him. They didn't fully understand everything, but they were willing to learn.

From now on, whatever the lord did, they would follow.

Only by doing so could they become truly strong and truly human!

"Let's go to the branch office in Fengnan City. The Blood Spirit Society behind Duststorm has made a move, and they might act today," Cassius said after a brief moment of thought.

Immediately, all the top executives and gunmen from the two departments boarded the Black Cloud sedans. The convoy headed toward the branch office.

Meanwhile, an assassination squad had already set off from the Ace of Spades branch in Fengnan City toward Shuiyun Hall several minutes earlier.

Ace of Spades and King of Spades had originally intended to wait for personnel from the antiques and assassination departments to arrive at the branch before launching their counterattack. But the three reinforcements had declared that they didn't want to waste time, saying the three of them alone were enough. The so-called reinforcements were unnecessary. As long as they were on the battlefield, any troublesome enemies would naturally be defeated.

Although King of Spades had initially wanted to object, he realized they were right. These three experts wielded mysterious competencies, which would likely play a pivotal role in the battle.

Moreover, Deputy Leader Black Joker had previously stated in a phone call that they should obey these three. So, King of Spades ultimately did not argue.

***

At 8:15 in the morning, in the city center, Shuiyun Hall...

Members of the Blood Spirit Society were gathered in the pavilion. They were fully prepared to drench themselves in their enemies' blood.

Several captains, dressed differently from ordinary Blood Spirit Society members, stood at the front, glancing at the time from time to time. A burly man with lips painted a deep purple said, "It seems the vice president has some visitors. The next operation will be carried out by us alone..."

"Let's proceed according to the original plan," he added.

The other captains nodded and announced the operation to their respective subordinates. The numerous members of the Blood Spirit Society quickly divided themselves into small teams and left in batches. The purple-lipped man led the group at the forefront. Just as they left the hall and reached the main road, they heard footsteps from the crossroads ahead.

The purple-lipped man raised his hand, signaling his team to halt.

The next moment, three powerful figures with strong auras emerged around the corner. They were all wearing black brass fingerless gloves on their right hands.

Both sides faced each other, standing off at the crossroads.

"Incompetent mortals, trying to go on the offensive—who gave you the courage? You came out to die instead of hiding in your little turtle shells?" The curly-haired man, exuding an air of laziness, slowly raised his right hand. His eyes were filled with arrogance and contempt.

"Haha, hahaha!" The purple-lipped burly man was instantly amused. His grin widened and his blood-red pupils almost seemed to drip liquid. "It's been a long, long time since any human dared speak to me like this... It's almost nostalgic..."

"Inferior humans!

"Pathetic mortals!"

The two sides hurled insults at each other almost simultaneously, their gazes locking, with murderous intent burning like wildfire.

"Die!"