Chapter 345 - Black Demon's Hand

Blood gushed from the bullet hole, pooling into a red stain on the grass before slowly being absorbed by the soil. The man with glasses was frozen in terror, his face etched with fear, while the blood spurting from his forehead dyed his lenses a crimson red.

Cassius had already started investigating the ruins incident in the Camorra Mountains from the day he returned to Fengnan City. It was clearly not simple—there was the sudden betrayal of the Huolu Antiques Company, who had been a collaborator, and a certain organization codenamed "Hunter."

Then there was the matter of the explosives planted by some unknown powerhouse.

At that time, Cassius hadn’t been particularly strong, and it was one of the most dangerous incidents he had ever encountered. After barely escaping with his life, he had decisively left Fengnan City and gone into hiding to avoid being dragged into any possible dangerous aftermath.

Now, Cassius's strength was incomparable to back then. When he returned to Fengnan City, he intervened in the incident with overwhelming force.

Huolu Antiques Company was the first to be targeted. He assigned one of the top executives from the Ace of Spades to handle it, and in less than two days, the Huolu Antiques Company was destroyed and taken over. After all, even though the Ace of Spades was weak compared to other supernatural powerhouses, it still wielded violence as a black organization.

Taking control of a mid-sized antique company operating in just a few cities didn't take much time at all. Once the executive had gathered all the necessary information, he brought the director of Huolu Antiques Company, who had been leading the operation, to Cassius for him to deal with. Thus, Cassius executed the man right in front of his own grave.

It was a final, decisive farewell to the past. A blood-soaked line drawn to separate it all.

As for the mentor and senior brothers who died in the ruins, Cassius had already planned to excavate the ruins of the Camorra Mountains to retrieve their remains for a proper burial. He would also provide financial support to the families of his fallen comrades. After all, they had once shared a bond as teacher and students. This went doubly for the senior brother who had given him the Wind Elephant Tusk Pendant. If it hadn't been for him, Cassius might never have realized he had supernatural abilities until it was too late.

Though it was an unintentional act, Cassius still wanted to repay that debt in some way.

Additionally, the University of Jersey and the Fengnan City government had been involved in the incident as well. The Ace of Spades had already used its connections to investigate them, though it was uncertain whether anything valuable would be uncovered. In reality, Cassius believed the most useful clue came from what he saw when he crawled out of the ruins' soil: a few corpses and some relics.

One of the relics had been a shield-shaped white emblem with golden wheat patterns along the edges. The emblem depicted a black cross sword impaled between the horns of a demon's head, with small letters that spelled out: "Hunter."

Another was a large, ebony-black pistol, nearly the length of half a forearm, with flowing silver script engraved on it: "Ebony."

These two items pointed toward a powerhouse, possibly one at odds with the Shadow Demons. It seemed that the clash between these two supernatural powers had stirred the whirlpool of events that followed.

Cassius had once considered whether this Hunter organization might be connected to the Shadowless Clan, but he quickly dismissed the idea. If he wanted to uncover more information, either the two powerhouses would have to reveal themselves, or he would have to wait until the Shadow Demons were fully tamed and refined.

Cassius decided not to dwell too much on it for now, preferring to let things take their course. His focus was mainly on Jilan, the core member of the Gate Organization, at the moment.

Ever since he had obtained intel from Adam, he had mobilized his forces to track Jilan's presence in the city. They had found their target last night, and were just waiting for Cassius to take the next step.

At noon, after finishing lunch at Shuiyun Hall, Cassius stood in the living room, gazing at his reflection in the mirror. He was dressed in a black robe, complete with a cloak, which concealed his figure. Underneath, he wore a tight-fitting combat suit made of durable fabric, with special reinforcements at the joints. Unless he engaged in extremely intense combat, the suit would remain intact.

He stretched his limbs and nodded in satisfaction. Though he knew that the suit would surely tear apart if he exerted his full strength, it was enough for most battles.

Cassius removed the black robe, revealing his solid, muscular shoulders. Bruises and twisted veins intertwined on the streamlined muscles of his arms, forming a mark beneath the skin.

It looked like the eye of a demon.

A compass suddenly appeared in his hand. A gemstone, as blue as a pearl, was pinched between his thumb and forefinger.

He stared at his cold, stoic reflection in the mirror, murmuring to himself, "Now, I am a core member of the Gate Organization, Peacock..."

He felt he had disguised himself well.

He glanced at the time before turning to slowly slowly descend the stairs.

***

When the sun set and the moon rose, the dark night sky was adorned with a bright silver disk. A soft white glow gently bathed the entire plain like a veil of frost, covering the buildings of Fengnan City in its embrace.

The tiles of the pointed and domed structures shimmered faintly in the gentle white light.

On the outskirts of the city, a brass spiral staircase wound its way upward from the ground in an abandoned church until it reached a height of several meters.

On the second floor, a black-robed figure sat cross-legged in silence beneath a stained glass window near the stairway platform.

Moonlight streamed through the multicolored window, casting an elongated, kaleidoscopic reflection. The irregular patches of color, pieced together like ripples beneath the water, gave off a dreamy, illusionary feeling.

"Huff..."

A breath of warm air escaped from beneath the shadow of the cloak. The figure, who had been as still as a statue, suddenly moved. He pulled down his hood, revealing a cold, narrow face.

His features were thin and sharp, with short, fine eyebrows. The corners of his mouth and eyes gave off a disagreeable, harsh vibe. A thorn-shaped scar, as long as a finger, ran down his left cheek, close to his sideburns.

The man slowly extended his hand. A white mist seemed to rise from his skin, gradually draining the color from his flesh until what was once a rosy palm turned iron-blue.

It looked as if his entire body had been frozen like a corpse.

"The Black Demon's Hand... but why only a fragment!"

He clenched his fist, gnashing his teeth in frustration.

Jilan was not naturally talented in martial arts. If he had followed a conventional path, he would have long since faded into obscurity. But fortune had smiled upon him; he had stumbled upon a strange Covert Martial Arts called the Black Demon's Hand. As the name suggested, the art focused on cultivating one's hands, granting them immense destructive force.

Jilan could drain his opponent’s life force by merely touching them. It was a sinister yet powerful technique. Jilan's rapid rise was thanks to the Black Demon's Hand, since it granted him strength he had never imagined and allowed him to step into the level of combat artists. However, after reaching that level, he realized the hidden danger within this technique. The Black Demon's Hand not only consumed his opponent's life force, but also continuously drained his own.

The higher his mastery of the Black Demon's Hand, the greater the destruction in battle—and the shorter his own lifespan!

Jilan had already lost many years of his life along the way. After reaching the level of a combat artist, he had less than five years to live. His life had only been extended because of the breakthrough to a higher level. Otherwise, he wouldn't have lasted more than a year or two.

Although he had gained tremendous power, he had only a few years left to live. This filled Jilan with both rage and fear. In his desperation to find a way to extend his life, he eventually turned to the Gate Organization, a mysterious powerhouse with influence across the globe.

It was rumored that once someone became a core member, they could gradually regain their youth, and even forcibly continue their martial path. Jilan had joined without hesitation. He quickly gained recognition by relying on his formidable skills as a combat artist. He drifted across various nations for three years, constantly facing dangers and engaging in battles.

Finally, a month ago, he had obtained a Gate Fragment. One could say it was luck within luck. The high-intensity and frequent battles had caused Jilan's vitality to drain even faster. He now had at most only two or three months left.

However, it was all worth it. Half a month ago, Jilan successfully became a core member of the Gate Organization. Moreover, he had learned the correct method to use the fragment. Of course, he also took on a debt: he had to find another Gate Fragment and hand it over to the leader, Xiadu, within five years. Otherwise, the Gate Organization would stop providing him with the necessary tools to use the fragment regularly.

Lost in thought, Jilan slowly placed his hand on his knee.

He could feel the warm blood in his body continuously flowing toward his arm, only to be devoured and consumed by his palm. The Black Demon's Hand was like a bottomless pit, accepting everything greedily.

Jilan knew that the Covert Martial Arts he practiced was incomplete and carried hidden risks. If he had the complete version, there might still be side effects, but they certainly wouldn't be as severe as they were now. He had once tried to find the complete version of the Black Demon's Hand technique.

But, to no avail. The origin of the Black Demon's Hand seemed to be ancient, and possibly even predated the Federal and Imperial eras. Perhaps it had been lost for millennia...

Since it was buried in the annals of time, coupled with the fact that this Covert Martial Arts was already lost, Jilan found it nearly impossible to find it. Thus, he had no choice but to abandon the idea of solving the problem at its root.

Instead, he shifted his focus to the Gate Fragments. In fact, long ago, there had been another way to solve the problem—one even more fundamental. He could abandon the Black Demon's Hand and return to being an ordinary person.

But how could Jilan easily give such powerful skills up after mastering them? Even though the path ahead was dark, he had no choice but to continue walking it. He couldn’t discard the Black Demon's Hand, which he had poured half his life into. On the contrary, he yearned to progress even further. If the effects of the Gate Fragment were as miraculous as the Gate Organization claimed, it would undoubtedly be possible!

"July 30th, just four more days..." Jilan murmured to himself. Even though he had long grown accustomed to this premonition, there was still a trace of amazement in his eyes. The Gate Fragment was like an alarm clock, constantly reminding him of the time in his mind.

It always conveyed the correct time. As for the correct location...

Jilan pulled out a stack of population density maps of Beiliu County from his chest. The maps were covered in circles and markings, clearly the result of long study. There were also annotations written in pencil on the side.

In fact, Beiliu County was the correct location. However, the coverage of a single Gate Fragment was limited, so he had to maximize its benefits. Even Jilan, when faced with such a precious opportunity, became as calculating as a mother-in-law.

He calculated the vague range of the fragment's coverage and overlaid it on the population density map, repeatedly drawing circles and performing calculations.

He was trying to pinpoint the optimal location. During this process, Jilan also had to consider the commuting times and the flow of people in the area during different time periods. One could say he had never worked so hard at math in his entire life.

But, hard work paid off. After two days and two nights of calculations, Jilan had found the location: Fania Avenue in the Eastern District of Beiliu City, Beiliu County.

Tomorrow, he would depart and take the train to Beiliu City.

𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

"Push open that Gate and enjoy the divine nectar..." Jilan slowly stood up, recalling what the other core members of the Gate Organization had told him half a month ago. He took a deep breath.

"I hope that feeling is as wonderful as they say."

He glanced at the eerie, abandoned church, then slowly descended the stairs. Each of his footsteps echoed clearly.

At the level of a combat artist, the daily practice of the Black Demon's Hand affected the surrounding environment, automatically draining the vitality of living things.

This was why he had chosen such a remote location. It wasn't out of conscience, but because he didn't want to cause unnecessary trouble. If the people nearby were affected and the Black Ops Agency detected the supernatural event, it would be a big hassle.

Since the right time was fast approaching, he didn't want any distractions.

Thud...

The sound of his shoes stepping on dry leaves was soft. Jilan, cloaked in a black robe, slowly walked out of the main door.

"I never expected your guard to be this low..."

Suddenly, a man's voice came from a corner.

"Who's there?!"

Jilan spun around, his muscles tensing like drawn bowstrings. His hands inside his sleeves formed claws, as purple veins started to bulge.

A chill ran through his heart. Someone had gotten so close to him without him noticing. It was incredibly dangerous.

"Peacock. You can call me Peacock. No need to be so tense, we're on the same side..."

Opposite him, another man in a black robe was leaning against the wall. He lazily tossed something resembling a glass bead in his right hand. It glimmered faintly blue under the moonlight.

"Blue Tear Eye? You're treating such a precious item like a toy. Be careful not to break it and regret it later..."

Jilan raised an eyebrow, relaxing. He immediately exposed the Devil's Eye mark on his shoulder. The man across from him mirrored the gesture. The mark was somewhat obscured under the hazy moonlight.

Normally, core members of the Gate Organization would be more cautious, verifying identities through touch to sense the unique energy. However, Jilan practiced the Black Demon's Hand, and touching any living creature would inevitably drain their vitality, so he skipped that step.

Besides, there was no mistaking the man's identity with the Blue Tear Eye.

Wait... That Blue Tear Eye showed traces of Secret Technique usage. Could it be that this core member named Peacock, like him, had just obtained a Gate Fragment and was awaiting the opportunity?

Jilan narrowed his eyes slightly as he looked at Cassius. The dim surroundings made his face appear dark and cold.

A few meters away, Cassius wore a faint, indifferent smile, his posture casual. However, his right hand, now hidden behind him, had already clenched into a fist, veins bulging. Twenty-three acupoints on his chest were glowing, though they were hidden beneath his clothes.

If Jilan showed even a hint of suspicion...

Cassius was prepared to turn him into a pile of mush in the next second! The entire archway of the tall wall behind him would also be obliterated by the terrifying eruption of Qi.

"Peacock, you've just received a Gate Fragment and are waiting for the opportunity in Beiliu County as well... It seems we both have the same location. So, what's your correct time? I think we should have a little chat to avoid accidentally crossing paths when the time comes, don't you think?"

Jilan spoke, completely unaware of the tense situation.

"Heh, of course..."

Cassius let out a couple of good-natured chuckles, the glowing acupoints dimming as he forcibly suppressed the boiling Qi within him. The muscles in his right arm, which had swelled to nearly twice the size of his left, quickly returned to their normal size.