Chapter 441 - Three Versus One

Half an hour later, at the underground test site.

A figure in black robes sat cross-legged in the hall near the transformation pool. Their eyes were tightly shut. Cassius’s bait was none other than the captive Zhu Hun, who appeared relatively free but actually had all four limbs reduced to white bones. He had no ability to move and was in a truly miserable state.

Nearby, a semi-translucent patch of darkness glided slowly along the shadow of a side corridor. Evidently, this was the Evil Mother serving as the hook. She used her totem disguise while waiting for the fish to bite. She was a top-tier combat artist lurking enough to launch a sudden attack. Even a master of similar standing would suffer a loss if caught off guard!

When Cassius returned to the test site yesterday as usual to inspect it, he was surprised to find signs that someone had been there. He suspected that a member of the Gate Organization had discovered something amiss, so he instructed the Evil Mother to be ready for any intruders. No matter who appeared, they would use force first and talk later.

Tap, tap, tap...

A series of footsteps gradually approached from the corridor at the front of the hall. The Evil Mother seemed eager to act from the shadows.

A tall silhouette appeared at the doorway and said, “It’s me.”

The Evil Mother froze just as she was about to leap, then slipped out of the shadows like a puddle of black liquid before taking on a humanoid shape. She assumed her most common female appearance and walked toward him at a leisurely pace.

Cassius stood in the doorway, observing the Evil Mother and Zhu Hun. He realized they had made no progress. He lowered his gaze, taking note of Zhu Hun’s puppet-like silence. This Gate Organization member had been unusually tight-lipped, leaving Cassius with little valuable information. He had wanted to ask about the origin of that stone tablet used in the experiment, but received no answer.

Compared to the other Gate Organization members Cassius had met before, such as Black Peacock and Purple General, Zhu Hun was undoubtedly more unwavering, if not downright ready to die for the cause.

He refused to divulge any critical details, especially those concerning the leader of the Gate Organization, Xiadu. Cassius had previously speculated that although the Gate Organization claimed to be a loose collective of equals, there was definitely a hierarchy. Members like Yang Yan and Zhu Hun, who supervised the dark creatures transformation experiment, had to be central figures responsible directly to Xiadu. The attitude Zhu Hun displayed now was undoubtedly a mark of his loyalty to Xiadu.

So was the Gate Organization’s leader Xiadu simply charismatic, or were his ideas deeply endorsed and followed by people like Zhu Hun?

Cassius had interrogated Black Peacock about the Gate Organization during his fourth time-travel. He had learned that actual members were divided into several factions, one of which was clustered tightly around Xiadu. They moved in secrecy like a cult with its own creed, obeying Xiadu’s directives to the death if need be. In comparison, the other factions seemed somewhat incompatible, having joined for different reasons or interests.

They looked more like professional mercenaries recruited from the outside.

After a few days of interrogation, Cassius clearly sensed how different Zhu Hun was from the other Gate Organization members. As a result, he gave up trying to glean valuable information from Zhu Hun and merely used him as bait, hoping to lure more potential targets from the shadows.

“There won’t be any results today, so we’ll continue tomorrow...” Cassius shifted his gaze to the Evil Mother.

“Wait, I have to warn you. Last night, I sensed the aura of a totem in Florence. You should know what that implies...” The Evil Mother said, a suddenly profound look in her eyes.

“I don’t care. I’m about to become a Shadow Hunter in the association,” Cassius said calmly. “If those Totem Shamans from the Ten Thousand Mountains tries to ambush a Shadow Hunter of the Dark Hunter Organization, there’s no way the organization would let that slide. After all, we’re in Florence, the empire’s capital and the headquarters of the Dark Hunter Organization. Even the Gate Organization would not dare openly start a conflict here, which is why they have to resort to underhanded methods...

“To my knowledge, the combat division of the Dark Hunter Organization, the Hunters’ Association, has two top-tier combat artists. Radiant Hunter Deleshart is definitely one, as you just fought him a few days ago. And this year’s Number One Shadow Hunter also seems close to that top tier. Moreover, aside from the Hunters’ Association, the Dark Hunter Organization has multiple other departments. Even if they’re not specialized in fighting, they do have combat power in reserve, plus the Chief Mechanist presiding at the top...”

Cassius was not exaggerating. The Dark Hunter Organization genuinely had those depths. It was not like the Black Ops Agency of the later Federation, which had lost even its most crucial power source, the sacred spring water. The Dark Hunter Organization had existed at least for a millennium since the founding of the Hongli Empire.

There was not a single supernatural power apart from the massive Covert Martial Arts circles sealed off from the world, the Gate Organization led by Xiadu, and the once-thriving Black Rain Manor, that was a match for the Dark Hunter Organization, not even the totem temple of the Ten Thousand Mountains. The only reason they were left alone was their remote location. If those Totem Shamans ventured into Florence, it would be a whole different story.

As it happened, the Dark Hunter Organization had just dispatched a large number of hunters throughout Florence to search for that highly dangerous Cataclysmic Spirit level creature. If someone provoked the Dark Hunter Organization at this point, headquarters would undoubtedly throw everything they had at the intruding Totem Shamans in a life-or-death struggle. It was likely that the empire’s royal family and the Hongli Council would intervene as well.

After all, the safety of the capital, Florence, affected everyone. The Totem Shamans sent by the Totem King were specifically targeting Cassius, making them extremely perilous. If such dangerous shamans showed up in the royal city, every faction would worry that they might be the real targets, forcing them to eliminate the threat preemptively.

Cassius had already planned to use the might of the Dark Hunter Organization to handle the trouble from the Ten Thousand Mountains, because the Gate Organization itself posed a bigger and more immediate threat. He had destroyed the Gate Organization’s dark creatures experiment initiative, which had undoubtedly been a critical program.

The Gate Organization would inevitably send many masters in response. In fact, if their leader Xiadu was not slumbering and still remained conscious, he might even personally come to investigate, posing a grave danger indeed.

Although Cassius had nearly reached the strength of an extreme combat artist, he did not have enough ability to battle both the Gate Organization and the Ten Thousand Mountains simultaneously. He needed to choose one, and leave the Dark Hunter Organization to hold back one side. He would then look for an opening to achieve his goals amidst the chaos.

After a short discussion, they took Zhu Hun with them and left the test site. Cassius’s immediate plan was clear. He intended to head to the source of the sacred spring and absorb enough of its water to condense sacred marks. He had enough Soul Power from Black Rain Manor; it only needed to merge with the soon abundant sacred spring water in his body to form the unique power, Blood of the Living. This would further elevate Cassius’s potential for explosive strength.

Time flew, and the sun shone brightly down on the next day. Outside Florence, there was a hollow filled with rubble in a ring-shaped canyon. A gentle breeze swept through, carrying a fresh scent of soil and vegetation. The green grass swayed, causing the hems of four garments to flutter softly.

All the contestants vying for the Shadow Hunter seat stood within the canyon. The Hunters’ Association had chosen this recessed area as the site of their final free-for-all, and it spanned the size of three or four football fields.

They wanted to ensure each of the four contenders could fully unleash their capabilities. Above the canyon, a few protruding rocks and indentations provided perches for several formidable individuals.

There were five people there: Shadow Hunters Number One, Two, Three, and Five, plus a Radiant Hunter. They were spectators for the final stage of the Shadow Hunter exam, as well as judges to ensure a fair competition.

Hoo...ooo...

A gust of wind howled through the canyon, resembling a distant wail. The Number Five Shadow Hunter turned to Number Three and said, “Of those four down there, who do you think will come out on top?”

“Hmm...” The Number Three Shadow Hunter was a burly man with unruly gray hair. The slanted scar across his sharply defined face gave him a somewhat appealing air rather than a menacing one.

He hesitated for a moment, then answered as he would have in the past. “Objectively, the one most likely to win is Lion King Soss from the royal side. I don’t like his arrogance, but he really is the strongest of the three supported contenders.

Ugh

, in a few days, I’ll have to work with that jerk again...”

No sooner had he finished speaking than the others around him gave him strange looks, particularly the Number Five Shadow Hunter, who wore a grin. “You’ve been away on that mission too long, so your intel’s out of date. Lion King Soss had his arm hacked off recently by an assassin, then got punched into the air by someone else. He’s probably the unluckiest of all the contenders...”

“Had his arm hacked off?” The Number Three Shadow Hunter looked down at Soss. “I see he spent a hefty sum to get it reattached, but his fighting strength must be compromised. You said he was knocked away with one punch... Was it Solomon the Thorn who did it? He’s the only one with a power level similar to Soss’s. Claire tends to specialize in mental abilities, and her close combat isn’t that strong.

Tsk

, never expected this surprise. Solomon caught a lucky break...”

The Fifth Shadow Hunter smiled again at those words. He normally loved exploiting gaps in information. Watching others analyze in earnest while their conclusions veered drastically from reality was always amusing.

“All right, Jin, stop messing with Aaron,” the First Shadow Hunter cut in. “This time, neither Lion King Soss, nor Solomon, nor Claire will win the free-for-all. It’ll be that person you don’t know, the one supported by those veteran hunters, White Aster.”

“White Aster? Who’s that?” The Number Three Shadow Hunter, Jin, looked baffled.

𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

“He’s the one who punched Soss away back at the association building...” The Number Five Shadow Hunter, Aaron, took over and started talking a mile a minute. “Remember the first phase of our Shadow Hunter seat competition? The Hunters’ Association gave each of us a target, and we had to figure out the clues and hunt it down. We each got three attempts...”

“Well, guess what happened? Solomon the Thorn failed his first two attempts, and it wasn’t just an ordinary failure. Both times, his targets were found and eliminated first by his rival, White Aster. Both times, it was sheer coincidence. Solomon sure is an unlucky fellow... Oh, and Lion King Soss’s target got taken out by him once too...”

Aaron had a cheerful grin for no apparent reason. He was a well-proportioned young man with medium-length brown curls and a cleanly defined face. His eyes were dark and bright, and his temperament was that of a natural optimist.

“That hunter called White Aster is extraordinary. We don’t know what method he used, but he drew out nearly all the dark creatures hiding in Florence in a single night and wiped them out. The next morning, the battlefield was piled with a mountain of monstrous corpses. Unless something unexpected happens, he’ll be the winner...” As Aaron spoke, he lowered his head to stare at the tall figure below. Jin followed his gaze, and his mind suddenly clicked.

“Wait a second, even a Dark Gold Hunter might not be able to pull off a feat like that. Does this mean... he already has the strength of a Shadow Hunter? If he takes that and then heads to the sacred spring, the association may soon gain another top-tier master,” Jin muttered, his eyes betraying his fascination.

“It’s started...” Aaron whispered.

Sure enough, once Deleshart announced the start of the fight, the four people below split into two sides. Cassius stood alone on one side, facing the combined forces of Soss, Solomon, and Claire on the other.

Claire wore a conflicted expression. In truth, she did not want to fight Cassius, but the powers behind her had formed an alliance with the royal council, leaving her no choice but to play her part. She already knew in her heart who would ultimately emerge victorious.

Solomon the Thorn had thorny vines twisting around his skin, and pulsating veins stood out on his forehead, showing he was giving his all. A swarm of black tentacles encircled and covered him, exuding a cold, brutal aura. The surrounding rocks were swept aside, creating a flat ring. Gradually, power converged in the air.

Lion King Soss likewise refused to be outdone, unleashing his Mad Lion Fist and physique-based arcane energy in one burst. His body swelled, tearing the clothes on his upper body to reveal bulging, well-defined muscles. It even seemed like golden fur had sprouted from his skin, like a king of beasts.

Opposite them, Cassius sensed their fierce fighting intent but showed no reaction, wearing a hint of casual indifference. He glanced briefly toward the cliffs above, where the Shadow Hunters observed. Frankly, beating up the youngsters before him held little appeal; sparring with those watchers above seemed more interesting.

At the very least, this final trial was a chance to show a bit more of what he could do. Once he became a Shadow Hunter, he planned to rank first among those five!