Chapter 489 - Powers Above Holy Fist?

This was the first time that Elder Wind Blade of the Mercury Hunters was meeting Director of the Treatment Ward Cassius, and he had planned countless greetings in his mind beforehand.

Yet in that moment, Wind Blade's mind went completely blank.

Everything seemed to fade—carriages, forests, horses, roads, even the fog, until only one figure remained.

That figure domineeringly occupied all existence, taking up everything in sight. When one looked at him, no matter how many people stood around them, how many handsome men or beautiful women, how much wealth or power there was, their gaze would stay locked upon him alone.

He even felt a sense of awe rising from the depths of his heart, a sudden urge to submit. Wind Blade had lived more than half his life, yet he had never seen anyone exude such a formidable presence, as though that person was inherently the center of any environment.

Beside him, Fog Man and Nine Serpents breathed more heavily, and the fervent respect on their faces grew even stronger. It seemed that the Director had made further progress lately; his domineering aura increased with every day. Moreover, his rate of growth was faster than anyone had imagined.

Cassius, dressed in a black trench coat, took a slight breath. In that instant, a surge of invisible, expanding Qi suddenly coalesced and then curled back into his body. A second later, his presence became no different from that of an ordinary person.

However, because of his physical build, appearance, and natural bearing, he still stood out distinctly from others. Yet at least now, normal conversation seemed possible.

Cassius had been practicing the Southern Dipper Fist and Golem Covert Martial Arts while he journeyed from Florence to Shire County. Both caused his Qi to expand greatly, subtly affecting those around him.

For instance, there was the path of the Dominator Fist within the Southern Dipper Red Falcon Fist, and the fundamental life magnetic field mutation triggered once the Golem Covert Martial Arts absorbed the flesh of the Moon God.

All of it turned Cassius's presence into something akin to a black hole, drawing everyone's attention irresistibly toward him. He chose to compare himself to a black hole rather than a sun. It was because Cassius's presence made people feel more frightened, apprehensive, even terrified.

It felt like facing an ultimate villain emerging from the darkness, rather than a leader figure like the Lion King. However, Cassius did not mind at all. He needed neither people's praise nor their worship. A good reputation would not have pleased him in the slightest. All he wanted was to walk his own path, uphold his own will, and shatter all obstacles.

As for what people thought of him or his Treatment Ward? He simply did not care. They could call them madmen, lunatics, psychos, demons, or monsters—none of it mattered. In fact, the doctors of the Treatment Ward might gladly accept those savage nicknames, since they perfectly captured their own spirit.

Boom...boom...

The air quivered slightly as a vast Qi spread out like an inflating balloon. In no time, it swept away the fog within tens of meters.

A moment later, that Qi field returned to Cassius's body.

He stood quietly where he was and said, "Fog Man, Nine Serpents, the two of you did well on this mission. Think about what reward you want and ask for it."

Fog Man and Nine Serpents exchanged a glance and saw the excitement in each other's eyes. They spoke simultaneously, "My lord, we want the same reward Odo received. That wondrous Covert Martial Arts..."

As they spoke, they both looked toward the figure quietly standing at Cassius's left side. It was Odo, who had become youthful again after practicing Covert Martial Arts. He was handsome and refined, with neatly brushed-back black hair and a fitted long robe. He seemed to radiate an aura that was both elegant and formidable.

He had once been a prisoner on the third floor basement of the Savage Beast Den, yet his strength progressed the most among the four. His combat prowess had soared particularly after he learned the Illusory Moon Fist Cassius had bestowed upon him.

Fog Man had once matched Odo in strength, and Nine Serpents had been slightly stronger, but now neither could be a match for him. Only Hermit, who had already been the strongest of the four and gained further bodily boosts from the Golem Seed and totem, could still compete with him.

He had received the greatest boost in raw strength. That's how he could stand on equal footing with Odo, with their sparring sessions often ending in draws. It was easy to imagine how greatly the Illusory Moon Fist had aided Odo.

Naturally, Fog Man and Nine Serpents both yearned for it.

"Illusory Moon Fist, is it?" Cassius understood their request. "But the nature of that technique doesn't really suit you both. Here's what I'll do. I'll pass on two Covert Martial Arts techniques that match your respective attributes in a bit. When the time comes, see for yourselves if that's the reward you'd like. If you're not interested, you can always choose the Golem seed and totem instead..."

After he spoke, Fog Man was overjoyed, and even the more reserved Nine Serpents showed her delight openly. Both expressed their gratitude to Cassius with respectful expressions.

In truth, Cassius would have taught them the newly created techniques regardless of whether Nine Serpents and Fog Man had earned merits. Cassius had been experimenting with the process of creating the Southern Dipper Fist by imitating and deconstructing the Southern Dipper Covert Martial Inheritance. He analyzed its fundamental logic from the perspective of a creator, deepening his insights at every step.

He sensed that disassembling the Southern Dipper Fist's force characteristics was itself a unique form of cultivation. As Cassius successfully created and tested fist techniques modeled after the Southern Dipper, he discovered faint signs of breakthroughs in his acupoints all over his body. Clearly, this was yet another way of practicing the Southern Dipper Fist. Unlike combat, it involved integrating conceptual practice with insight.

The moment Cassius realized it, he formulated a plan. He intended to write his own version of the Southern Dipper Covert Martial Inheritance using a systematic tiered approach. Each ancient Southern Dipper technique would be broken down into two standard Southern Dipper force-based techniques.

For instance, the Southern Dipper Red Falcon Fist would become the Southern Dipper Decomposition Fist and the Southern Dipper Spiral Fist, each developing its own special force. The Southern Dipper Decomposition Fist was underpinned by an entry-level technique, which replicated the decomposition force in a simpler format: the lesser fragmentation force.

That was the Illusory Moon Fist Odo now trained in, not labeled under the Southern Dipper name at all.

Southern Dipper Red Falcon Fist → Southern Dipper Decomposition Fist → Illusory Moon Fist

It was roughly a three-tier progression, simplified and refined at every level. It could serve as a perfect foundation for a major Covert Martial Arts sect, while decreasing training requirements. Illusory Moon Fist practitioners could climb step by step from the bottom, greatly enhancing bodily adaptation.

The significance of this system for Cassius went without saying.

He had a hunch that if he managed to complete every fist technique in this Southern Dipper Covert Martial Inheritance, he would reach an unimaginable realm in the path of Covert Martial Arts.

That would signify perfection, the ultimate limit, beyond which there was no further progress. Might that level be considered a Holy Fist? Perhaps it was even further. Cassius himself could not be certain.

In any case, he already had a clear plan for his future advancement. He was no longer content to simply follow the powerful Covert Martial Arts of the ancient sages; he wanted to use them as a springboard to innovate.

He anticipated creating three more third-rate fist techniques in the near future.

For example, modeling a new style after the Southern Dipper Spiral Fist would likely yield a simplified rotational force. And given Fog Man's unique form, he could harness his terrifying blood mist to achieve a rotating effect, creating a blood-mist tornado. Cassius planned to incorporate Azure Wind Flow as an additional source of inspiration for that fist style.

Then there was the Explosive Fist, which naturally suited Hermit with his overwhelming strength. Heavy blows combined with detonation would terrifying indeed.

As for Nine Serpents, she clearly needed the Shock Fist, using nine serpent heads in place of fists to form nine distinct shock sources. It might unleash stacked vibrations, extreme resonance, and similar effects.

These thoughts floated briefly through Cassius's mind as fleeting ideas. He snapped back to reality and turned to the old man, who stood there in a daze.

"Who is this?" He asked.

Fog Man began explaining at once, with Wind Blade adding further details. Cassius quickly understood their purpose and had no objections. Having a local guide to show them around during an outing was not a bad idea.

He didn’t think of the high-ranking Blood Race as a threat. Even if there were ancient, monstrous Blood Race lurking at the bottom of that blood pool he had once seen, what of it? If they had the capability, then let Yumila, the True Progenitor of Blood and an Ultimate Dark Form, come out. Otherwise, Cassius would feel no fear at all.

Since he had reached the highest level of strength in the mortal realm, nowhere in the world was off-limits to him.

Cassius and his party arrived in the outskirts of Bright Mountain City. They took up camp in a Blood Race manor once owned by someone who was, of course, now deceased. The doctors of the Treatment Ward rested there, awaiting the next move.

The scorching sun hung high and the sky was a bright blue the next day. With no white clouds blocking it, the midday sunlight appeared blindingly bright. A lone figure in black sat cross-legged near a man-made lake, his shadow stretching diagonally to the left.

Cassius sat by the clear water of the lake with a palm-sized box placed before him. It was his second time holding the Kupan Demon Box, so he proceeded with practiced ease. He lifted it, rubbing it slightly with his palm, and soon felt a faintly uneven pattern on its underside. When he flipped the base under the sunlight, the box appeared as smooth and even as ever.

However, by adjusting the angle slightly, under a certain light, an azure-purple design gradually emerged, growing clearer. It resembled a symbol formed by ripples on water, very similar to the style of some arcane rune.

Cassius gave a faint smile; it was clearly genuine. He acted decisively: he pulled aside his garment and pressed the box against the ouroboros mark on his chest.

As a scalding heat flared and faded, the Kupan Demon Box cracked open, dropping out a book. It was about the size of his palm, its surface covered by a smooth, black, beetle-like carapace. The front bore a skull emblem, with five gemstones atop the skull. They were meant to indicate how much energy you had stored in the Book of the Devil.

Cassius proceeded with ease, pressing his fingers against it and infusing it with Qi. He had lost count of how many dark creatures he had slain since his fifth time travel, so he had amassed a formidable amount of essence of calamity through the Rune of Wisdom.

In the blink of an eye, all five diamond-shaped gems lit up. Cassius did not rush to pose his questions. Instead, he sat cross-legged, sorting through his thoughts.

He pondered what information he needed at this stage.

First was the parchment he had obtained from the second level of the Dark Hunter Organization's headquarters vault, which recorded some ancient secret arts. He could translate the ancient characters on it, then ask where the missing segments were.

Second was the Eclipse Society. Rather, the remaining locations of their several Moon God statues. The statues contained the flesh of the Moon God, and once Cassius absorbed it through his Golem Covert Martial Arts, it could trigger further transformations.

Third was the site of the Totem Temple where the totem shamans dwelled. Cassius was rather vindictive; since the Totem King had dared to use the Totem Temple's power in the real world to corner him, he certainly intended to teach them a lesson! That was just reciprocation in kind; he refused to simply endure their attacks without retaliation.

Fourth, information about the Eternal Archipelago, where he would soon be heading...

Those were the main points he wanted to prioritise. Other matters weren't so urgent, like the intel from Ghost-Man and Iron Knight regarding Black Rain Manor, and some rare resources in the World of Calamity.

In addition, there were certain questions that had yielded no answers. Cassius had tried asking about Xiadu, the Ultimate Dark Forms, and the Holy Fists, but he generally got no answers. He did not know if it exceeded the Book of the Devil's limits or if his essence of calamity was insufficient. Either way, he received no response.

Besides, some questions simply prompted no reaction from the Book of the Devil at all. The Book of the Devil was not an omnipotent encyclopedia; it secretly restricted the types of questions it would answer. Cassius could only select certain significant queries.

He sat on the verdant grass, weighing the Book of the Devil quietly in his palm. His gaze flickered, and Cassius asked all four questions in one breath. He had accumulated a great deal of the essence of calamity, so he could afford to be bold.

In an instant, the five humanoid gems dimmed one after another. After they all went dark, two lit up again. A second later, those two also went out. That indicated Cassius had spent enough essence of calamity to fill seven gems' worth.

It showed how costly the questions were, considering that wiping out an entire Blood Spirit Society in the past had only filled two gems.

Rustle...rustle.

His fingers flipped through the pages. The once-blank tome now held text. Not too much or too little, precisely four pages of detailed information.

Cassius prepared to read calmly but suddenly sensed a wave of malice from around him. That malice felt unmistakable, as though even the air was rejecting him, making every hair on his body stand on end.

The misfortune caused by two gems, of course, was far less than that of seven gems. The curse descended as soon as Cassius used the Book of the Devil.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

A series of fierce clashes sounded beyond the manor walls, sounding like fists and feet colliding in combat.

From the rapid shifting footsteps and the tremors they caused, it seemed like two skilled fighters were entangled in a brawl and hurtling this way.

"Who are you people? Stand back!"

"They're so fast... We can't stop them... Quickly, notify the commanders!"

Those stationed on patrol outside the walls scrambled in alarm. In the next second, the white wall exploded apart with a resounding

boom

.

Two powerful figures crashed into the man-made lake, sending water splashing everywhere. The savage collision of Qi caused the surface of the entire lake to churn violently.