Chapter 406 - Was Zhu Hun Really This Efficient?

At noon, the sunlight was brilliant, casting through the windows of the nursing home. The walls glowed white, the trees appeared lush and verdant, and passersby wore light clothing.

Claire had already left because something major had happened that morning.

The Dark Gold Hunter, one of the Shadow Hunter candidates, Lion King Soss, had been attacked. And it hadn't been a simple assault—it involved an assassin with skills rivaling those of a Shadow Hunter. If not for the royal guards by Soss's side delaying the attacker at a critical moment, Claire might have been hearing news of Soss's death.

Soss survived but paid a heavy price. His left arm had been severed, leaving him seriously wounded. Even if a highly skilled supernatural healer within the royal family managed to reattach his arm, it would likely be far less functional than before. It was clear that with the attack this morning, Soss's strength had suffered, and his influence had diminished considerably. This made Thorn Solomon and Siren Claire the biggest beneficiaries—and the prime suspects.

Indeed, once news of Soss's attack and injury spread, rumors began circulating within the Dark Hunter Organization. Nearly two-thirds of these rumors pointed fingers at Claire and Solomon. Even if it hadn't been orchestrated by them directly, it was suspected that forces behind them had been involved. As for Cassius, who had recently submitted his honorary badge, almost no one suspected or paid attention to him. After all, what could a Black Copper Hunter possibly accomplish? Even if the royal family claimed it was Cassius, nobody would believe it. For that matter, even the royal family was baffled, wondering which faction could have been behind the morning's ambush.

In Florence, within the palace complex of the central district, Soss stepped out of a chamber filled with the scent of medicine. His left arm was wrapped in bandages, and his expression was grim. Following him were more than a dozen Source Wielders with healing abilities—men and women, young and old, all with pale faces from the strain of overusing their abilities.

They had done their best; Soss's severed arm was saved but was only a fraction as strong as before. If it had been a typical injury, the Source Wielders might have fully restored it, but Ghost-Man's slash hadn't just inflicted physical damage—it had also wounded Soss's spirit. At his level of strength, every move and strike bore the weight of Qi and willpower. The body could be healed, but the soul could not.

Half an hour later, in a secluded chamber, Soss vented his frustration by punching an iron sandbag, sending its contents exploding into the air like raindrops.

"Damn it! Claire! Solomon! Who was it?!"

He lashed out in rage, his right arm hammering down like a bludgeon, pounding the iron bars in front of him until they bent and twisted into a ball. He grasped the iron ball with his thick fingers, his bones creaking.

Soss understood that he had been targeted by a group well-acquainted with his weaknesses. Shadow Thorn, the top assassination organization, had ties with the royal family and had served as Soss's enforcers. But that morning, the headquarters of Shadow Thorn had been razed, and several top-tier assassins, including the Shadow Thorn leader, were dead. Simultaneously, Soss's most trusted subordinate, Gary, had also been assassinated.

And then Soss himself had been attacked. Three incidents combined, clearly orchestrated by a well-organized and deliberate force. This group was knowledgeable about the royal family's situation, had outstanding intelligence capabilities, and wasn't afraid of royal retaliation. Moreover, they had the means to deploy a Shadow Hunter-level assassin! Soss could only think of two possibilities: the Council or the Dark Hunter Organization, his two longtime adversaries, Claire and Solomon.

As for White Aster and the veteran Hunters behind him, Soss dismissed them without a second thought. The neutral faction, compared to the Council and the Dark Hunter Organization, was far too insignificant. Could the veteran Hunters even deploy a Shadow Hunter-level assassin? The idea was laughable, and Soss swiftly dismissed it.

"Can't compete with me fairly, so they're playing dirty?!" Soss clenched his teeth, grinding them audibly, his gaze turning fierce. "Once I've healed, I'll make sure they pay!"

Elsewhere, in District Two of Florence, Solomon stood dumbfounded in a dimly lit training room.

This efficiency was way too high! Just last night, he had discussed eliminating a rival, and by this morning, Soss had already lost an arm! Zhu Hun and the force behind him were certainly thorough!

The only downside was that Soss had managed to survive. With just a missing left arm, Soss's threat level had decreased, but he was still one of Solomon's rivals. Solomon felt that Zhu Hun had acted too hastily; he should have planned more thoroughly and waited for the perfect moment to strike. Wait—he had only mentioned his plans last night, and by morning they had already gone after Soss. Would Zhu Hun be planning to assassinate Claire by this afternoon? Solomon couldn't let that happen; he had to advise caution and a long-term approach.

Thinking this, Solomon immediately left the private room. When he contacted Zhu Hun, he found him looking equally bewildered. Zhu Hun had only just started gathering information on Soss's routines. And now, Soss had already been ambushed? Zhu Hun suddenly felt an odd sense of wasted effort.

If this wasn't an inside job by the royal family, then the only other factions capable of pulling off this assassination were the Council and the Dark Hunter Organization. With Solomon as the Council's candidate, the only other suspect was Claire. Solomon and Zhu Hun exchanged wary glances, growing more vigilant.

At 1 p.m., in District Seven, headquarters of the Dark Hunter Organization, a grizzled hair elder stood up at the long table.

"This was definitely the work of the Hongli Council! One hundred percent, without a doubt!"

Another well-dressed man beside him speculated, "Of course, we can't rule out the possibility that it was staged by the royal family, but that's less likely. If Soss were to engage directly with anyone else, the ruse would fall apart.

"Regardless, this is good news. As much as we hate to admit it, Soss was originally the most likely candidate for Shadow Hunter. Now, with his left arm injured, he has a weakness, and his strength has definitely declined. This gives us better odds..."

Another old man spoke and glanced towards the end of the long table.

At the end sat Claire, lost in her own thoughts. In these serious council meetings, she always found herself daydreaming and fighting to stay awake. If she could, she'd rather be carrying out the task her uncle assigned her to protect White Aster. She had already sensed the benefits of the job, which allowed her to stay in a nearby room alone, loafing around without interruption.

She'd prepared snacks and novels for a little vacation at the nursing home.

As the afternoon sun dipped lower, turning the skies golden before finally giving way to the clouds and darkness of night.

Cassius opened his eyes, having crossed over from reality to the World of Calamity. He stood firmly on the revival altar, feeling solid ground beneath his feet.

Whoosh...

Pale Flames spiraled upward along the ceiling.

The first floor of the Tower of Refuge was completely illuminated.

Cassius released his right hand, revealing a pyramid-shaped triangular badge. This was the Hunter's Badge that Ghost-Man had redeemed for him. He pocketed it and ascended to the third floor.

There, he activated the defense array, enveloping the tower walls in a light membrane. The calamity-laden air crackled and was filtered out completely.

Half a minute later, Cassius left the Tower of Refuge, crossing through Ash City and arriving at the city wall where Ghost-Man had last exited the World of Calamity.

After waiting for a short while, the swirling black patterns on the wall formed a faintly visible portal. Slowly, two figures emerged from it.

One carried a massive scythe, dressed in thick black robes, exuding an eerie aura.

The other bore a knight's great sword on his back, clad in heavy armor, towering like a mountain.

"Ghost-Man, Iron Knight... let's go. I'll take you to the tower," Cassius stated bluntly, cutting straight to the point.

He leapt into the air, with Ghost-Man closely following behind. Only Iron Knight ran along the alleyway as though intending to travel by land.

"You two, soaring so high and running across rooftops, aren't you worried about attracting the attention of countless dark creatures? I know a thing or two about Ash City—the Lords of Ashes here are an exceptionally dangerous type of Cataclysmic Spirit level dark creature. There are ten of them. If even one of their proxies entangles us, escaping will be nearly impossible," Iron Knight called out as he stopped, his deep voice echoing from beneath his metal helmet. He looked up at the two figures standing on the rooftop to his right.

Hearing this, Cassius glanced back at Ghost-Man, who shook his head.

"My apologies, I overlooked this. I didn't explain it clearly to Iron Knight since his attitude had always been ambiguous before," Ghost-Man admitted.

"You both should be more cautious. After all, this is the World of Calamity, riddled with dangers. Even a minor misstep could lead to irreversible consequences," Iron Knight advised sincerely, his cautious nature apparent.

A minute later, the three figures were darting across the rooftops of Ash City's buildings. While their movements were not particularly loud, they were far from unnoticed. In the past, dark creatures would have immediately pounced upon sensing such activity.

However, this time, although the dark creatures on the streets below initially stirred, they quickly recoiled and crouched in fear upon sensing the terrifying aura of the leading figure. Some even hid in shadowy corners, trembling.

This reaction was because Cassius had discovered a new application of the Golem Qi technique. By employing a specific method to activate it, he could mimic the fearsome aura of a Dark Ultimate Form. To the dark creatures, this aura was akin to the presence of an apex predator.

𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

Every wild and savage beast would flee at the sight of Cassius, except for the Cataclysmic Spirits.

This was an innate fear etched into their very genes.

Cassius had also noticed another phenomenon. When he enveloped himself in Golem Qi, the level of calamity erosion he experienced was significantly reduced, down to only one-third or even one-fourth of its usual effect. This meant he could now remain in the World of Calamity for much longer, up to forty-five to sixty hours, or two to two-and-a-half days. Consequently, he could explore much deeper regions, such as the Pale Lands or Towers of Refuge of other regions.

After roughly ten minutes, the group safely reached the Tower of Refuge.

Iron Knight's expression beneath his helmet was complex. Throughout the journey, he had clearly seen how Cassius's mere aura had subdued the vicious dark creatures. They cowered like mice before a cat.

Adding to this was what Ghost-Man had previously mentioned: Ash City no longer had ten Lord of Ashes. Only four remained, now reduced to pitiful strays in hiding. The Lord of Ashes, who could endlessly regenerate its proxies, had its crystal cores stolen by Ghost-Man. As for the six missing proxies, all of them had been slain.

The culprit stood before them now.

Ash City, being merely a remote part of the Pale Lands, lacked any truly terrifying threats beyond the Lords of Ashes. With Cassius having dealt with them, they could now roam the city freely.

Iron Knight had originally assumed that when Ghost-Man said Cassius had saved his life, it meant Cassius had snatched Ghost-Man from the jaws of a powerful enemy. The reality, however, was far more straightforward: Cassius had charged in and decapitated the foe in one clean strike, naturally saving Ghost-Man in the process.

These two concepts were worlds apart.

The stone gate of the tower opened, and the group entered the Tower of Refuge.

As they stepped inside, Ghost-Man and Iron Knight immediately felt the calamity within their bodies dissipating, gradually being expelled. The Tower's protective effects were exactly as Cassius had described.

Both of them accepted Cassius's offer to implant a Demon Seed in their left pinky fingers. Even in case of an emergency, the cost of severing the finger was manageable.

After some rest and recovery, the group gathered on the first floor of the tower under the pale light to clarify their next objective for exploring the World of Calamity: the Graveyard of the Undead.

The reason for this choice was simple. The Graveyard of the Undead was located in the southeastern corner of the Pale Lands, relatively close to Ash City. Moreover, its defining feature, columns of black gas and blood-red light surging into the sky, made it easy to locate.

The only significant threat was the presence of Cataclysmic Spirit-level dark creatures known as Blood Massacres. These creatures were exceptionally aggressive and powerful.

Unlike the real world, the dark creatures of the World of Calamity had dramatically enhanced undying traits. Cataclysmic Spirits were nearly indestructible. For spirit bearers of the same level, facing even one Cataclysmic Spirit was an immense challenge.

This was why Iron Knight had been so astonished by Cassius's feat of killing seven Cataclysmic Spirits in succession. Such a feat required overwhelming strength and special techniques.

The two forces of the Southern Dipper Fist Technique were undoubtedly the nemesis of undying creatures.

Cassius intended to explore the Graveyard of the Undead because it was likely connected to the ancient sages who had created the Southern Dipper Fist Technique. There was a chance he might uncover hidden secrets from that era.

If he could find further traces of the Southern Dipper Fist Techniques there, it would be an incredible gain. Cassius felt certain that this journey would yield some valuable discoveries.

Descending from the second floor of the Tower of Refuge, Cassius carried a roll of parchment in his hands—a simplified map of the Pale Lands. Using the synchronization he had as the Mark of the Spirit Bearer with the Tower of Refuge, he could pinpoint his location and determine the direction.

With everything ready, the group set off.