Chapter 517 - Where Did Your Arrogance Go? Bring It Back

In the outskirts of East Sea City, where the night sky looked like a dark-blue curtain adorned with glitter, stood Ivy Manor. There were no clouds that day and the moonlight resembled milky water, gently spilling over the clusters of trees.

It cast uneven, mottled shadows that swayed left and right in the cold breeze, like reflections on water. In the courtyard, the four commanders were practicing their Southern Dipper fist techniques, recalling the battles they had fought earlier in the day. They had all defeated their opponents with ease, expertly unleashing their unique techniques.

Although Cassius had created a simplified version of the Southern Dipper fist technique for the four commanders of the Treatment Ward, its lethality and offensive power were by no means weak.

The Southern Dipper fist technique series differed from ordinary Covert Martial Arts, since it had no training methods and no breathing methods. It contained only a force intended solely for killing!

Since they lacked in one aspect, another aspect could be emphasized. Such was the bizarre nature of the Southern Dipper fist technique, whose lethality far surpassed other Covert Martial Arts of its level.

Therefore, even the four new variants of the Southern Dipper fist technique, created by Cassius, stood out immensely in terms of combat and aggression. All of it was gained at the cost of having no training or breathing method, thus it could not temper and nurture the body.

In fact, this special force harmed the enemy while also dealing significant recoil damage to oneself. Every bout brought a certain chance of backlash or internal injury that could shorten one's life. Thus, it was not at all surprising that the Southern Dipper fist technique excelled in combat. On the contrary, it would have been strange if it had failed to stand out.

Furthermore, the reason the four commanders of the Treatment Ward were able to slaughter their opponents in the arena of the tournament was that they were already very powerful. Even before they mastered the Southern Dipper fist technique, they all matched veteran combat artists in prowess and possessed physical strength, speed, and defense equal to a top-tier combat artist.

Even without activating their demonic forms, their human bodies alone were like fierce beasts. Once that was paired with the Southern Dipper fist technique, it was hardly surprising they swept through the arena featuring both new and veteran combat artists.

After all, they were all carefully nurtured by Cassius himself. They served as his reliable subordinates and the best test subjects for the Southern Dipper fist techniques. During that day's competition, Cassius noticed certain aspects of the fist technique that needed improvement.

It primarily concerned the Fire Stone Fist used by Hermit and the Ripple Fist employed by Nine Serpents. As for Odo, his Illusory Moon Fist had already reached a relatively mature state.

The Illusory Moon Fist had already been used in real combat when they eradicated the Eclipse Society. Cassius had been monitoring Odo's every fight. By this point, the Illusory Moon Fist had essentially taken its final shape.

Cassius had been using the Qi Engraving Technique on special parchment to document the Illusory Moon Fist for over a week. The process was nearly complete, heralding the birth of a new, real Southern Dipper fist technique.

A black-clad figure sat by the window inside a small, brightly lit house near the courtyard. Using his finger as a pen, he wrote one complex symbol after another on the surface of the parchment. It felt as though everything was in slow motion.

The air seemed to offer resistance, like glue preventing his fingertip from moving smoothly. Each time Cassius finished a symbol, his body relaxed, as though he had broken through a bottleneck. The Qi on the parchment surface grew all the more dense and eerie with each new symbol. It seemed infused with a certain sorcery, irresistibly drawing the gaze of those around it.

The orange candlelight fell upon the parchment, giving it a bewitching honey-colored sheen, as though coated in a layer of enchanting nectar. It was the Qi Engraving Technique emanating a Covert Martial Arts Qi field. This was actually a drawback of the incomplete Qi Engraving Technique. It could not restrain or contain the Qi of the inscribed Covert Martial Arts text, leaving it to diffuse freely.

Sooner or later, if Cassius kept writing more and more, he would elevate the "magic" of this Southern Dipper Covert Martial Inheritance until it automatically emanated a mysterious Qi field. It would become a legendary "cursed tome," just like a demonic ring that lured people into darkness.

Fortunately, as long as the book remained by Cassius's side, he could use his own Qi to suppress it since the two shared the same origin. He was the source from which the Qi sprang.

The four commanders continued their training within Ivy Manor while Cassius used the Qi Engraving Technique.

Beyond the estate, a black-robed figure had emerged at some point among the dense trees. The white, bone-like mask on his face reflected the moonlight faintly, exuding an unnervingly cold aura.

The masked man produced a small casket from his robes. The casket was about half the size of a palm, made of a bluish-purple wooden casing. Its surface bore eerie, dense carvings that resembled numerous overlapping hands.

One could see thin streams of sticky red blood flowing and swirling in the recessed gaps of those carvings. The blood clung to the surface like a red serpent. The scarlet serpent wriggled continuously and eventually reached the front of the casket, where a carving of a snake with an open maw formed an empty cavity.

The thin stream of blood slowly trickled into the hollow.

Once it was done, the First General King nodded in satisfaction. He had just killed a combat artist from a small nation and siphoned that blood into the casket. It appeared to be of decent quality.

The First General King opened the Soul-Blood Covert Box with a

click

, revealing five drops of blood quietly suspended within. Each drop of blood represented the fall of a master at the level of a combat artist. Of course, not all of them were combat artists; some belonged to other unusual beings.

Five drops of blood made up the entirety of the First General King's reserves, serving as a remedy to temporarily quell his side effects. Whenever he felt on the verge of losing his sanity, taking one drop of this blood would quell the madness in his mind like a sedative.

Naturally, it only treated the symptoms and not the root cause. It could even make future side effects more intense. After all, consuming such blood would erode his rationality even more. Though it boosted the First General King's strength, it was undoubtedly a deadly poison. Once a user could no longer suppress the side effects, all previously accumulated poison would erupt at once.

The First General King knew all this, yet chose to use it regardless. The existence of the Mask of Purity gave the First General King a way to handle the side effects of the Soul-Blood Covert Box. The Mask of Purity was a treasure that plunged its wearer into an exceedingly cold, desireless, sage-like state.

It happened to be the perfect counter to the Soul-Blood Covert Box's side effects. As long as the First General King could obtain the Mask of Purity, he would be able to use the Soul-Blood Covert Box without suffering side effects.

Even his frenzied, chaotic mind would be cured, allowing him to become a truly complete extreme combat artist. By then, all combat artists and strange beings in the world would be his prey, fueling his strength to ever-increasing heights.

Replacing Holy Fist Demon Phoenix would not be impossible. He might even have the chance to glimpse the legendary Holy Fist realm...

In the dense forest, the corner of the First General King's mouth curved upward beneath his mask. He snapped the Soul-Blood Covert Box shut, and slowly turned to gaze at the estate looming faintly in the distance.

Arlington had mentioned the Golem Sect resided in Ivy Manor. Rumor had it that the sect boasted four masters at the level of combat artists. What more, they had chosen to live in the suburbs of East Sea City! Was that not offering him a perfect opportunity?

Had they been in downtown East Sea City where countless sects congregated, the First General King would have needed to act more discreetly, perhaps resorting to only covert ambushes. At most, he could have claimed one victim at a time, which would have been inefficient.

There was also a risk of being caught. With so many masters at the combat artist level, even the First General King would have needed to lie low.

However, there was no one else within a radius of several hundred meters in the suburbs. It was downright perfect for striking. Though Golem Sect had four combat artists, according to Arlington's information, none of them had reached the top-tier combat artist level.

Therefore, the First General King was unconcerned about anyone escaping. He was destined to conduct a grand slaughter!

Since the number of targets this time was substantial, the First General King felt a flicker of excitement even in his typically cold mindset. He tapped his foot lightly and soared through the forest like a hunter stalking prey.

Bang, bang, bang... boom!

He accelerated several times, then stomped hard with his final step. White currents of air burst from his body, enveloping him entirely. When he glided forward, he looked like a meteor streaking with a fiery tail.

Bang, bang, bang...

He smashed through over a dozen trees standing in his path and crashed straight through the estate's thick white wall, wrapped in surging grayish-white steam. Then, he strode powerfully and deliberately into the courtyard.

Debris rained down from the air.

He let his gaze sweep over the four people in the estate, and the smile at the corner of his mouth grew deeper. "You're all here, gathered in one place, so I don't have to look for you..."

Boom... boom... boom... boom...

The Qi of the four commanders of the Treatment Ward exploded in an instant. Their black cloaks floated like dark clouds, and the courtyard swelled with intense killing intent.

"Get out!!!" The four shouted in unison.

"

Heh...

" The First General King let out a faint laugh as his inky-black eyes slowly turned bloodshot. "No one has ever talked to me like that before. Normally, whether it's an enemy or a subordinate, if they dared raise their voice at me, I would kill them and turn them into savory little snacks. You four should be enough to make a full-course dish..."

"When the time comes, we will merge into one. You become part of me, and I become part of you!" The First General King spread his arms wide, releasing his formidable Qi without restraint.

His Qi field manifested as a translucent shockwave that ultimately reached Cassius, who was inside the house, finishing the final portion of the Illusory Moon Fist.

His fingers shook, causing all his hard work to nearly go to waste.

Cassius had been in excellent condition that day, using the Qi Engraving Technique with growing ease. When he was writing, everything flowed smoothly, as if guided by a divine hand. If he had a few more moments, the first fist technique of the Southern Dipper Covert Martial Inheritance, the Illusory Moon Fist, would be complete.

Yet this sudden, inexplicable intruder had nearly destroyed it all.

Seated at his desk, Cassius slowly lifted his head. His expression was icy as he stared directly at the First General King who was radiating Qi in the courtyard. Those who knew him would have realized that an expressionless Cassius was at his most furious. It was just like the eerie calm before a volcanic eruption.

In the courtyard, the First General King took a few steps forward, suddenly sensing an intense resonance from the Gate Fragment within his mind. Simultaneously, he felt the prickle of a piercing gaze from his right.

It was impossible for the First General King to ignore. He jerked his head around to look at the brightly lit room.

Screech! Hiss! Roar!

Everything before his eyes seemed to fade into emptiness, leaving only the most potent presence under the moonlight. It looked like a giant statue towering like a lofty mountain, draped in a heavy, intimidating suit of bone armor, and emitting a chilling demonic air.

It resembled the purest war machine, born for slaughter and destined to die by slaughter. Above its head glowed a ring of crimson light, perfectly overlapping with the pale moon.

Moreover, on the Golem's left shoulder perched a red vulture whose wings spanned the sky. Its talons looked as hard as metal, and its feathers seemed like layers of searing flames.

The First General King's crimson eyes looked downward. A purple-scaled python was coiled around the Golem's right arm like vines clinging to a towering tree. A snake's head with a gaping maw revealed savage fangs, and the inside of its throat formed a spiral shape.

These three images struck the First General King with incomparable force. He felt that the Golem, the vulture, and the serpent all possessed a fearsome strength that could rival his own. If the three combined their might, there was no doubt he would be no match at all!

Boom!

The First General King shuddered and his Qi erupted, pulling him out of that trance-like state. He saw that the man dressed in a black overcoat still sat behind his desk, gazing silently in his direction without moving.

The First General King took a deep breath, the corner of his mouth twitching beneath the mask. He withdrew his Qi entirely and backed away step by step.

Under the watchful eyes of the four commanders, he opened the door and then shut it behind him with a

click

.

Immediately afterward, a loud bang resounded outside, as though a bomb had gone off. A black streak shot into the forest at an incredible speed. It only flew faster and faster, its momentum rapidly increasing.

The shooting star plunged into the woods, snapping apart several trees that stood in its path.

He was gone!

𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

The First General King fled cleanly without any hesitation. He had intended to fight to the death at first, but the First General King had sensed that his terrifying foe was partly occupied with something else and could not immediately pummel him.

Hence, he chose a tactical retreat!

In the courtyard, the four commanders looked at one another in confusion. They had told the First General King to get out, and he had ignored them, only to comply a few seconds later.

Where was that arrogant attitude he had displayed when he walked in just moments ago? They almost wanted him to bring it back.

In the room beside the courtyard, Cassius lowered his gaze and pressed his finger firmly down, completing the Illusory Moon Fist.

Boom!

The ground shook violently, rocking the entire Ivy Manor.

Half of the building collapsed in ruins. A black figure shot out of the flying debris like a missile, hurtling in rapid pursuit of the First General King.