Chapter 364 - Golem Covert Martial Arts? Golem Covert Martial Inheritance!

Clang!

The door slammed shut, and the illusory archway shattered into a mist of light. The Eye Devil was swallowed into the void, vanishing without a trace.

In the suburbs of Mia City, near a forest lake...

Buzz!

A portal suddenly appeared in the sky, and a figure fell from within, splashing into the lake.

Ripples spread across the moonlit water, as a trail of faint red blood led towards the shore. A tired figure leaned against a tree trunk, his face twisted in agony—not only from the bloody wounds on his back but also from the heartache. He had lost a Gate Fragment and a Spiral-Eye Sword.

For decades, he had never paid such a heavy price. Losing a Gate Fragment was expected, as the Eye Devil had prepared for the possibility. Escaping from the onslaught of two top-tier martial artists would always require some sacrifice. But the loss of the Spiral-Eye Sword was an unforeseen disaster.

The Eye Devil never imagined his sword could be taken!

It was like spending years nurturing a plump, tender cabbage, only to have it snatched by a wild boar. The frustration was maddening.

What made things worse was that the Spiral-Eye Sword wasn't just any ordinary sword. Normal swords could be replaced if lost or broken, but there was only one Spiral-Eye Sword, an ancient martial treasure. It was crucial to the Eye Devil's combat abilities.

While it didn't weaken him to the point of falling below top-tier martial artists, it was still a significant loss. After all, during the earlier battle, the sword's power had been clearly displayed, and at critical moments, it could even activate the strange power of the Eye Domain.

Furthermore, the Spiral-Eye Sword was one of the Eye Devil's eyes.

His eyes had suffered from a peculiar ailment for years; they could not open or bear light. He relied on other senses to detect his enemies.

Through the connection between his Heart Eye and the Sword Eye, he could perceive the world as clearly as with normal sight, and even more sharply at times.

Now, with only the Heart Eye left, the loss of the sword diminished his sensitivity and awareness, especially during evenly matched battles.

In short, the Spiral-Eye Sword was indispensable to the Eye Devil. He had to retrieve it from Cassius!

As for the Gate Fragment, though valuable, it was not irreplaceable. With the Black Rain Manor soon to open, if the Eye Devil could regain his sword, he would still have full strength to retrieve another fragment.

"The Black Ops Agency! They've grown bolder in the past few years, daring to challenge our Gate Organization. They're overreaching; their reach will get cut off soon enough! Once the leader awakens, let's see if they still dare to act so arrogantly..."

A trace of hatred flashed across the Eye Devil's face, quickly followed by hesitation and fear. He was both excited by the thought of vengeance and terrified of the Gate Organization's leader awakening. Deep within, he feared that mysterious man.

"Bullying me just because I'm out numbered?"

The Eye Devil, having recovered some strength, slowly stood up. "Fine. There's news about Black Rain Manor recently. Members of organizations from across Hongli Federation, even core members from abroad, are gathering in the Six Eastern Counties. While I recover, I'll gather my allies too. Then you'll know what it feels like to be surrounded and beaten by a mob!" He took a deep breath, the metallic taste of blood filling his mouth.

"Ah! Damn it! My sword!!"

Frustrated again by the loss of his sword, the Eye Devil punched a tree in anger and disappeared into the forest's darkness.

Crack!

𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

A large, old tree by the lake, big enough for a man to wrap his arms around, trembled and fell, crashing into the lake with a splash.

At the same time, on a cracked road in Saka Park...

A tall, muscular figure stood motionless. The wind from the earlier intense battle surged around him, hitting his body like waves crashing against a rock, but he remained still.

Cassius slowly lowered his head, opening his left hand under the moonlight.

In his palm was a glowing fragment.

It was a Gate Fragment left behind by the Eye Devil, likely from the shattered illusory portal that had teleported him away.

Clearly, this was the price the Eye Devil paid for using his Secret Technique.

A Gate Fragment for an escape—quite extravagant.

But compared to his life, it was worth it.

Cassius gently squeezed the crystalline fragment between his fingers, but no matter how much force he applied, he couldn't damage it. This was the first time he'd had a chance to carefully examine a Gate Fragment. Previously, he had been forced to immediately absorb the fragments due to circumstances. Now, with this new one, he planned to study it first.

"Hey, you better hurry up and use it. If a Gate Fragment isn't attached to an antique or has no owner, it'll soon dissipate and merge back with the world, reappearing somewhere else." A haughty yet pleasant voice rang out.

Amos walked over, pulling threads of silk in his hands. His white gloves were lightly stained with blood, a sign that he had slightly overexerted himself. Still, Amos appeared in good shape overall, as he had only been in the third stage for a short while.

Besides, in that brief time, he hadn't used any high-consumption techniques or ultimate skills. He had merely used his silk threads to entangle and restrict the Eye Devil from escaping, minimizing the side effects.

"Thanks," Cassius said, acknowledging Amos's reminder. Without delay, he began absorbing the third Gate Fragment. The process was easy, but once the absorption was complete, something unexpected occurred.

This fragment didn't merge with the previous two.

It was a Qi fragment.

Now, Cassius possessed three fragments: one of Physique, one of Qi, and one of Mind. In an instant, a mysterious resonance occurred, melding the three together.

Gradually, an illusory portal formed in Cassius's mind, resembling the one the Eye Devil had used to escape.

However, this portal appeared more refined.

Focusing his mind, he could even see intricate, religious-like patterns on the door: flowers, birds, fish, mountains, rivers, and more. Winged creatures, ripples of water, scales of animals—an overwhelming amount of information was embedded in these designs.

The complexity was astounding, containing a universe of details.

Cassius hesitated briefly, then tried to push the door open but failed. Instead, he received some information from the portal. This was the result of the resonance of the three fragments—a new outcome.

The Gate of Heaven, the Root Gate, the Sacred Gate... It could even be called the World Gate. The name didn't matter; what mattered was that this illusory portal's ability was an enhanced version of the fragments.

With this portal in his mind, the constraint of the correct location was removed, leaving only the requirement of the right time. This meant that in the future, when the correct time arrived, Cassius could choose any bustling city.

He could directly perform a Gate-opening ritual.

Moreover, the different fragments originally required different correct times, but now, fused into one portal, they shared the same time. Opening this gate once would equate to activating all three fragments simultaneously—Physique, Qi, and Mind.

It would grant him a powerful, comprehensive boost.

The most critical point is this: the illusory gate can convert the body's three attributes. Cassius doesn't need to follow the conventional path of balanced enhancement. Instead, he can focus entirely on one aspect to the extreme.

For example, during a Gate-opening ritual, if he chooses to focus all on physique, it would be equivalent to opening the Gate of Physique three times, pushing his physical body to its utmost limits. The same logic applies if he chooses Qi or mind.

Additionally, it's important to note that Cassius' next Gate-opening will only provide two layers of enhancement: Qi and mind, because the physique fragment was just used a few days ago. It will take until the next time to fully open all three attributes again.

"A slight piercing pain in my head, a feeling of swelling..."

Cassius awakened from the information provided by the illusory gate, frowning slightly as he pressed hard on his temples.

"You... you have three fragments!"

Amos, standing nearby, spoke in surprise.

"That's right, but how did you know?"

Cassius openly admitted.

"Your forehead. You have a triangular mark."

Amos pushed up his reflective glasses as he explained.

Cassius checked himself for a moment and indeed found a triangular mark on his forehead. Or rather, three smaller marks forming a black triangle, arranged in a pin-shape pattern. It wasn't very obvious, resembling birthmarks.

"The fact that your soul can bear three fragments is extremely rare, even within the Gate organization," Amos said, staring at him.

"Oh? So there's a limit to how many Gate Fragments one can absorb?" Cassius showed interest, prompting Amos to explain.

Gate Fragments aren't something one can absorb infinitely. There's a limit based on the strength of the soul. For someone at the combat artist level, typically only one fragment can be absorbed. For top-tier combat artists, perhaps two fragments. This depends on the soul's strength and quality, some of which is innate, but most of it is developed.

Therefore, exceptions do exist. Carrying three fragments in one's mind signifies an extraordinary talent.

Another important point: those below the level of combat artist cannot bear any Gate Fragments. Souls that haven't undergone Qi refinement are too fragile, and forced absorption would only lead to harm.

"I see. So three fragments is my limit?"

Cassius looked slightly disappointed. He had hoped to collect a large number of Gate Fragments to significantly boost his power.

But it made sense; if fragments could be absorbed without limit, the Gate organization would have already become invincible. If core members could wield ten or more fragments, they could crush Cassius with a single punch. If such combat power existed, the Black Ops Agency wouldn't dare to oppose the Gate organization; they'd have been destroyed long ago, with no room for resistance.

"Being able to hold three fragments is likely because of my time-travelling abilities..." Cassius thought to himself, refusing to indulge in the delusion that his soul was inherently superior or of higher quality.

"Wait a minute. Fragmented mind, fragmented personality—does that count as a fragmented soul?"

A realization struck him.

With his eyelids slightly lowered, Cassius immediately switched to his Killer Persona.

Instantly, the swelling sensation in his mind disappeared, as though a layer of water separated him from it. He could see it distantly, but it no longer affected him.

Switching again, to the Cold Persona, produced the same result.

"This Golem Covert Martial Arts Secret Technique is way too broken..."

Even Cassius couldn't help but internally complain. The three core principles split not only the personality but also the soul, and it seemed that each portion of his soul retained the same quality. What kind of monstrous cultivation technique had he created during his transformation into a dark creature through the blood of the mind?

Cassius felt that if he fully delved into the potential of the Golem Covert Martial Arts, its abilities wouldn't be any less than the entire Southern Dipper Martial Inheritance!

This referred to all the techniques of the Southern Dipper Fist combined.

Perhaps the Golem Covert Martial Arts should be renamed the Golem Covert Martial Inheritance.

"So, three fragments aren't my limit. My true limit is nine!"

Cassius' expression shifted rapidly, and a smile broke across his face.

"Hey, do you have some kind of mental illness? If you can't control yourself, let me know in advance so I can run..."

Amos, in his youthful form, had been watching Cassius' rapid series of expressions—from calm to wild, from wild to indifferent. The subtle changes in his gaze and expression weren't something a normal person could make in an instant.

Amos looked at Cassius' current smile and couldn't help but feel a chill.

"No worries. It's just a small side effect of the technique," Cassius replied casually while switching personalities again.

Repeating the experiment, he confirmed his theory was correct.

Hearing the overlapping three voices in the air, Amos' eyelid twitched.

"I think you've got a split personality disorder."

"Hahaha, you've found me out," Cassius said, grinning broadly, before his expression turned dark in an instant.

"Heh, since you've discovered it, I guess I'll have to..."

With a flick of his wrist, Cassius threw the Spiral-Eye Sword. The blade flew past Amos, narrowly missing him, and embedded itself in a nearby wall with a sharp clang.

In the darkness at the corner of the wall, a hidden aura that had been trying to sneak away froze. Two centimeters from the tip of its nose, the cold gleam of an indestructible cross sword stood upright.

Simone's hair stood on end. He instinctively turned his head.

From the distant ruins, two figures walked toward him under the moonlight.

***

Simone was a man of principles. He had his own code of conduct and pride. When Cassius had pressed him about his relationship with the Eye Devil and what they had discussed in the park, Simone had initially refused. He could have maintained his stubbornness and elegance until the end.

But, under the crushing pressure of Cassius' overwhelming presence, he accidentally let slip everything.

Then, when Cassius asked about Simone's origins and situation, Simone had planned to bluff his way through, figuring death would be a fine price to pay. But Cassius had come up with some deceptive words, claiming, "Whatever the Gate organization gives, I can give as well. And what they can't, I still can! Kid, I really admire you!"

His physical problems? Not an issue. Spinal curvature limiting his martial arts potential? Not a problem! Master Cassius was an expert in bone-setting!

Even a broken arm could be reattached!

Under the moonlight in the park...

"So, have you thought about it? Will you become my subordinate?"

A deep voice echoed overhead, and Simone glanced up at the tall shadow standing against the moonlight, a large hand reaching out toward him. From this angle, the figure appeared overwhelmingly towering.