Chapter 463 - Time To Advance My Golem Covert Martial Arts

Luo was too badly wounded to escape. If he did not treat his wounds, there was a high chance his overall strength would decline even further. Luo had already lost an arm, and if things deteriorated, he might fall from the combat artist realm afterward.

He could not abandon his future in the martial arts. Besides, it was still unclear who had won the fight outside.

Cassius and the Evil Mother did indeed radiate a sinister aura and intense pressure. However, the Northern King was one of the seven General Kings from the Gate Organization. He was no pushover, much less the other two powerful allies who had joined the fray.

Luo was one hundred percent certain that the two auras he had sensed before entering the cave were heading straight for Cassius and his party. Both of those auras were essentially at the same level as the Northern King.

Three experts at the level of a General King against just two; anyone could see who had the advantage. Even if the Northern King's side could not slay their pursuers outright, they could easily rout and drive them away. That was Luo's reasoning, so he calmly stayed put to bandage his wounds.

Furthermore, this dark creature test site built into the mountainside offered him a sense of security. He was surrounded by sturdy, solid rock, with only a few hidden entrances such as cave tunnels. Each passage was sealed by heavy metal gates, traps, and mechanisms that required keys for unhindered access.

Without them, one would face all sorts of impediments, including tunnel-collapsing rock falls. If those mechanisms were triggered, Luo would be alerted as well. He could then quickly flee via a hidden corridor.

Thus, once Luo had dressed his wounds, he nearly relaxed entirely. He emerged from the infirmary with his left arm swathed in white bandages and his entire body reeking of strong medicine. His bandages were stained with blood and black ointment.

Luo entered the hall and sat on a short white stone bench, gradually recovering his Qi. However, he was still in a highly weakened condition, since he still had remnants of the dark-red Qi from Holy Fist Demon Phoenix.

𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

He exhaled a deep breath laced with the stench of blood, his gaze losing focus momentarily before returning as he thought of what had just happened: Xue Shi and Hu Yue were both dead, killed by an unholy fiend who had been consorting with dark creatures!

Indeed, he considered Cassius a depraved heretic, even though his own group was also conducting dark creature transformation experiments. In Luo's eyes, they performed dark creature transformation experiments to control and dominate dark creatures. They were looking to grasp their underlying principles!

While they randomly abducted drifters for human trials and unleashed dark creature transformation subjects in Florence to prey on its residents, as well as created various potions and cooperated with dark creature clans... Those were all temporary measures! They were necessary sacrifices to ultimately resolve the real-world problem of dark creatures, and Luo held firmly to that belief.

Certain core members within the Gate Organization who knew of and understood the dark creature transformation project shared that perspective. They were not deceiving themselves; they truly believed so.

Logically speaking, anyone who had trained to the combat artist realm, whose Will of the Fist had manifested, was unlikely to be a fool. They would not have been so naïve regarding the dark creature transformation plan. There had to be a reason.

The problem probably lay with the Gate Organization's leader, Xiadu. Was it some manner of bizarre hypnotic ability? Or perhaps that Devil's Eye on the members' shoulders left by supernatural forces? Did it have to do with the Blue Tear Eye or Red Tear Eye?

The hall gradually grew silent, and Luo felt a dull ache in his left shoulder. His gaze grew somber as he looked up at the ceiling. It seemed as though he could see through the mountain to where the fighting outside had stopped. There was no longer any commotion; there had been a thunderous boom and occasional trembling before.

Now, it had all ceased. Presumably, the battle was over, and the most likely outcome was that the two pursuers had been repelled, with the Northern King's side triumphant yet not gaining much.

Luo sighed. It was not easy to kill experts at the level of a General King. It was a pity that Hu Yue and Xue Shi had died in vain.

No, they had not died for nothing. The Gate Organization would certainly exact a price, if not now, then in a long-term revenge plan over a few years. As soon as a few among the seven General Kings were free to act, those two would eventually pay the price. He hoped this vendetta could be avenged soon.

As Luo's thoughts swirled, he suddenly heard the sound of a door opening in the hallway to his left. He quickly stood, inhaled sharply, and hurried over.

He presumed the Northern King had returned. He rounded the corner in a seemingly casual manner, a faint smile forming on his face. However, the moment he recognized the two people before him, that smile froze. A shudder ran down his spine, and every hair on his body stood on end.

"Where is the Northern King? Why is it them?! Could the Northern King have been—?" Horror filled Luo's eyes, and he stumbled three steps backward.

His gaze first swept over the six-armed Evil Mother, covered in eerie black totems and radiating a sinister aura, then landed upon the impassive golden-haired man. In his mind, that seemingly calm, ordinary-looking yet powerfully built man was even more terrifying and brutal than the six-armed Evil Mother.

The grisly images of his two companions' deaths flickered before his eyes. In a moment of desperation, Luo raised his one good arm, intending to take his own life on the spot.

Swish!

A figure flashed before his eyes, sending him flying backward. Everything went dark. Severely wounded, Luo had no strength left to fight back.

Luo lay sprawled on the floor in the makeshift hall while Cassius and the Evil Mother stood at his side. Cassius glanced at the prisoner, then suddenly produced a piece of bone from his clothing. The golden totem on its surface was faintly glowing.

The Evil Mother‘s eyes narrowed as she watched closely.

Whoosh...

He tossed the piece of bone, which traced an arc through the air. The Evil Mother hastily extended a hand to catch it with care.

She examined it briefly, and needed no prompting from Cassius before explaining at once. "This is the Totem King's golden totem. It possesses an incredible ability to magnify and enhance other totems. It can also absorb different totems and transform them into energy for the golden totem. The totem version of Evil Remains was boosted by this golden totem, which gave it combat capabilities close to the genuine dark creature, Evil Remains. Golden totems are very rare, and not even the Totem King can produce many. Not to mention the significant drain of granting such a totem across realms..."

The Evil Mother cast a look at Cassius. "I imagine the Totem King took a huge loss this time."

She glanced again at the golden totem. "If I could poss—"

"I'm giving it to you."

"Huh?" A hint of astonishment flickered over her beautiful face, and she paused, the four arms behind her slowly lowering. "Aren't you worried..."

"Worried about what? That you'd be able to defeat me after absorbing the golden totem?"

"Don't forget. I just took out Evil Remains, which was also bolstered by a golden totem." Cassius's tone remained as calm as ever.

In truth, he felt no fear. Even if the Evil Mother absorbed the golden totem, she would never become as strong as Evil Remains. At best, she would be halfway to an extreme combat artist. Meanwhile, Cassius had already gained a bountiful reserve of life vibration energy and intended to use it soon to upgrade his Golem Covert Martial Arts, raising his strength to yet another level.

The gap between them would only widen, not shrink.

"Very well." The Evil Mother regarded Cassius and suddenly smiled, the black totems unfurling over her fair face like blossoming flowers, lending her a strange, bewitching beauty.

"Once I absorb this golden totem, my hypnotic interrogation ability will increase substantially, allowing me to force out some key information," she said, shifting her gaze to Luo. "We can test it right now."

"In addition, you can consider studying this golden totem. The power of totems can be wielded by humans. Perhaps you'll gain some insights from it, just like those totem shamans. They aren't dark creatures..."

The Evil Mother immediately began absorbing the golden totem.

Twenty minutes later, they were still in the hall.

A black-haired young man leaned against the corner of the wall, slack-jawed and vacant-eyed, muttering incomprehensible babble under his breath. He had been rendered an imbecile—an aftereffect of the hypnotic ability enhanced by the golden totem.

It forcefully broke through one's psychological defenses, effectively destroying the mind. Luo had nonetheless divulged some vital information.

First, a suspected extreme Cataclysmic Spirit level dark creature had appeared in the southeastern seas of the Hongli Empire, alongside the resurgence of a dark creature clan. They had begun operating across the southeastern coastal counties, demonstrating formidable power and aggression.

Second, Gate Organization members in the southern Hongli Empire had recently come into contact with a few of Black Rain Manor’s top knight-level figures. One of them was called the Ripple Master, who wielded the power of a bone ring. This might indicate an upcoming joint operation by both parties.

Third, the newly formed United States of Yana in the Southern Reef Continent had ended its turmoil, and an extreme combat artist had emerged in the north. He had swept through the northern martial schools in just one year, refining his Will of the Fist and strengthening his Qi.

A month ago, it was rumored that he was planning an ocean voyage to challenge masters in the southern Covert Martial Arts community of the Hongli Empire, proclaiming he would fight his way north through the Empire. Once finished, he would proceed to the Blue Star Empire for further challenges.

The Gate Organization was monitoring this expert to see if there was any chance, however slim, to recruit him. Additionally, this extreme combat artist had set out half a month ago, and would likely arrive soon in the empire's southeast.

Cassius lowered his gaze thoughtfully, mulling over the intelligence. The third item did not concern him, but the first two were somewhat useful.

Having absorbed the scorching, massive life vibration energy from an extreme Cataclysmic Spirit level entity, Cassius had been eager for another hunt against beings of his own tier. His original plan had been to search the World of Calamity, since he now possessed extreme combat artist power and could travel freely.

Apart from the Ultimate Dark Form, Cassius was the most formidable hunter in that realm of calamity. However, there was a problem: just as extreme combat artists were rare, so were extreme Cataclysmic Spirit level creatures. Not to mention, the World of Calamity was vast, and he had no concrete leads.

Instead of leaving it to blind chance, he might as well target this possible extreme Cataclysmic Spirit level dark creature in the real world that he had actual information about.

Even if it turned out not to be genuinely extreme level, it would likely be top-tier level. Cassius had not yet devoured anything at the top-tier Cataclysmic Spirit rank either.

Wait, why not consult the Devil's Book?!

He suddenly recalled the item he had intended to retrieve ever since his time-travel. He wondered if the Devil's Book could divulge the location of an extreme Cataclysmic Spirit level creature.

Cassius currently had more Blood of the Spirit than ever; it was enough to use the Devil's Book many times over. In the real world, the Kupan Demon Box containing the Devil's Book had once been near the Alphama mountains. Moreover, the fake-death pill he had promised Iron Knight and Ghost-Man was also in that vicinity.

Now that Cassius had just become Director of the Treatment Ward, he was no longer bound by restrictions and held significant autonomy. He was free to travel among the various regions and counties of the Hongli Empire.

Perhaps once matters in Florence were settled, he could immediately head to the Alphama mountains, then continue to the empire's southeast. There, the ruins on the Eternal Archipelago held the Southern Dipper Waterbird Fist.

Cassius was deliberately piecing together the entire Southern Dipper Covert Martial Inheritance bit by bit. He hoped that one day he could unleash its full potential.

Five minutes later, the incomplete dark creature test site was thoroughly scoured, yielding no unexpected spoils. Luo was dealt with; having lost his mind, he was no longer of any use.

Two minutes later, both Cassius and the Evil Mother left the test site. They departed Rika City, heading toward the capital, Florence.

Barely a moment later, some people arrived from the direction of Florence. A gust of wind brushed by as two men in black trench coats stood at the foot of the mountain. One wore a monocle with a silver fob chain on his chest, an urbane smile gracing his face. The other's hair and brows were a fiery red, and he wore a gold ring on his right thumb, shaped like a coiled serpent.

Whoosh...

A draft swept down from the mountaintop, rustling the leaves. The Radiant Hunter looked up, seeing a dense forest. It looked like a thick, continuous green carpet, showing no visible signs of battle.

He squinted slightly and glanced at his superior.

"Follow me." The Chief Mechanist wore a grave expression, tapped his toe on the ground, and vanished in a flicker of movement.

They raced halfway around the foot of the mountain at high speed before stopping. When Radiant Hunter Deleshart looked up again, his pupils contracted in shock.

One half of the mountain was lush and verdant, but the other half lay barren and ravaged, forming a stark contrast. Deleshart saw obvious traces of intense battle, with massive dark craters embedded in the mountainside like bite marks. There was not even the slightest trace of life in those craters.

"What is this..." Deleshart looked toward the Chief Mechanist.

The Chief Mechanist nodded solemnly. "Aaron wasn't wrong in the least. Earlier, several experts on the level of Radiant Hunters were engaged in a life-and-death struggle here. Indeed, it may have been even worse than that. One of them likely possessed power on par with mine. In terms of large-scale destructive impact alone, I might not measure up to that individual..."

Who was that person? Friend or foe? A Gate Organization member, or someone from the Covert Martial Arts community?

Questions swirled in both their minds.

When Florence was lit by dusk’s glow, Cassius sat cross-legged alone in a private room at a single-family residence in District Six, listening to the absolute silence around him. Eleven strands of life vibration energy coiled and slithered like small serpents in his abdomen. One of them, in particular, was as thick as a barrel, like a massive python!

It was time to advance the cultivation of his Golem Covert Martial Arts...