Chapter 599 - I Am Invincible So Do As You Please

He was defiant, unyielding, aflame... It seemed like a fire burned in Cassius's eyes, warping and blurring everything around him. The colors of all things, the outline of heaven and earth, and the roar of the wind all began to distort and lose their meaning. Time itself receded like an ebbing tide from every direction.

At the very last instant, everything was frozen.

Across the surface world, countless Covert Martial Arts Practitioners still cried to the sky, "Golem Heart Codex."

In Florence, every great human sect kept fighting the dark creature tide born of the black mud. Their elite warriors' faces were twisted and their clothes soaked in blood. Only a few elder powerhouses looked up at the sky, as though praying and calling the Golem Sect's master's name.

Deep Ice Ultimate Fist still fought the Weeping Demon. A complex look crossed the aged face of White Bird Holy Fist as he peered at Cassius through the inter-world passage. Behind him loomed seven fearsome Ultimate Dark Forms!

At the vault of heaven, three platinum-lit gates tugged on their chains in unison, hauling the vast demon arm riddled with wicked intent away. At the very center, the figure who had thrust a fierce fist skyward crumbled into drifting sand, leaving only a head suspended in mid-air.

People, objects, light, and wind together formed a vivid, surging tableau. It was the pinnacle age, ending in flames.

Cassius noted it all, branding it deep into his mind. Over the last three years, he had lived a searing, unforgettable experience. Many changes had already crept in during that process.

Each time-travel had not only increased his strength but also elevated his spiritual state. Cassius was like raw iron. Every entry into a time-travel was another quenching hammer blow. Sparks flew with every clang, the dross fell away, and only purity remained. What would finally emerge was indestructible steel!

Cassius felt no sense of loss; he believed all was complete. The end of one tale was not final but the start of another. Looking ahead, the Southern Dipper constellations seemed to be guiding the way...

***

On October 29, Year 156 of the Hongli Federation calendar, in Baichuan City

There stood a vast white private estate near the dense forest of the suburbs. Fragrant gardens, lush ornamental trees, green lawns, and stylish villas filled the grounds.

A broad concrete driveway ran from the estate's front gate to the highway beyond the forest. At the gate, burly men in black paced like bodyguards. Patrols even ranged within the woods. It was only at the lakefront villa behind the estate that there were no sentries in sight.

This was the personal residence of the Golem Sect's master. A moist, floral breeze drifted past on a crescent balcony. A figure seated on the black-and-white striped sofa suddenly opened his eyes.

Azure sky, white clouds, and waterbirds were reflected in his blue-black pupils. He seemed to gather the entire world into his gaze. Sunlight glinted off the Dark Hunter Mask he wore.

Click.

His hand grasped the mask's edge and he slowly removed it.

"The fifth time-travel has ended. I... have returned..."

Cassius sprang from the sofa, and a terrifying aura shot skyward, its waves disturbing the natural world. His Qi of the Dominator Fist leaked outward. It was meant to crush all foes with overwhelming momentum—a being of the most tyrannical might.

The moment the Dominator Fist Qi appeared, everyone within the estate blacked out. Whether they were ordinary folk or hardened army elites, it was the same.

"Phew..."

On the crescent balcony, Cassius slowly exhaled a warm breath, withdrawing the dreadful Dominator Fist presence. A second later, he appeared no different from an ordinary man. It seemed as if the earlier eruption had been but a fleeting illusion.

Yet throughout the estate and surrounding woods, the staff lying unconscious everywhere testified that it had not been. Unlike the previous returns, this time Cassius controlled his wildly increased strength with ease, even though the fifth time-travel had raised his strength by the widest margin yet.

This was because he had fully achieved the legendary Dominator Fist realm of Covert Martial Arts! That level surpassed pugilist and combat artists, and entered an indescribable state. Perfect command of one's power, one's Qi, one's Will—was that not all simple now?

At least, at the moment, Cassius felt not a shred of strain. He calmly shackled the volcano-like power inside himself and digested every gain from the time-travel. He had gone from top-tier combat artist to extreme combat artist and now to Dominator Fist. Then, within the Dominator Fist realm, he had stepped past a Qi cultivation phase that normally took centuries.

Such was the magnitude of the fifth time-travel's achievement. Yet for Cassius, these were not what made him proudest. It was that moment in Florence's final battle where he had dealt the origin of calamity, Xiadu, one blade and one fist! Even back in the real world, the memory set his heart pounding with incomparable pride.

Ding-ding-ding-ding-ding...

He slowly removed his shirt, revealing a powerful, perfectly shaped torso. A hundred and ninety-eight Southern Dipper stars glittered across his skin, each forming a complete constellation chart. In the fifth time-travel, the Southern Dipper Waterbird Fist, Red Falcon Fist, and Sonic Snake Fist had all reached perfection!

Cassius had never expected this. He had thought gaining just the Waterbird Fist would be fine. Yet the tide of fate always exceeded expectations. In short, Cassius was now a true Southern Dipper fist technique grandmaster.

Now, he only lacked the Holy Fist heart and Ultimate Fist heart to transcend for the Waterbird and Sonic Snake Fists. Only then could Cassius perform Three Fists as One by himself. The Three Fists as One fusion used in the final battle had been a shortcut. It had required one-third of the Qi of Blood Vulture Dominator Fist, White Bird Holy Fist, and Sonic Snake Ultimate Fist to merge.

Furthermore, it had cost him his life, since it had been burned to the last ember. To master it in the truest sense and fuse it for real, it had to become his.

Put simply, Cassius had to tread the Holy Fist, Dominator Fist, and Ultimate Fist paths alone, then blend them with the perfected Southern Dipper Covert Martial Inheritance. Only then would it be complete!

That said nothing of the hidden conditions. For instance, his body had to reach the Ultimate Dark Form level to withstand the dreadful resonance damage of the Three Fists as One fusion. Otherwise, he would collapse after a single punch as he had in the battle.

"I need to think carefully about what I should do next..."

Thoughts churned in his mind while his gaze rested on the distant summit.

Swish!

A second later, Cassius appeared atop the mountain behind the forest. Autumn gusts met him as he looked down. A deep green carpet rolled away into the distance, with a lake and the white estate set like gems within it.

His eyes shifted to the upper-right where the remaining lingering attachment energy was displayed.

[Lingering Attachment Energy: 36.1]

Since his soul had carried top-tier combat artist Qi in the fifth time-travel, the energy cost had surged, docking 13.5 points. Yet it had been very convenient. If he made another time-travel, he wondered whether he could go further and carry all his strength in. Of course, with his present Holy Fist level, bringing only his Qi might already consume a dreadful amount of energy.

Therefore, planning ahead and gathering antiques with lingering attachment was essential. He still had one legendary antique yet to time-travel with. Cassius pondered and glanced at the back of his right hand. It had an equilateral triangle symbol, resplendent in platinum. Unlike before, the center of the platinum sacred marks lacked the vertical line.

In truth, that did not mean the marks had regressed, but rather that they had evolved. One could even say that what adorned his hand was no longer one hundred complete platinum marks, but a damaged Rune of Life.

Yes, over those two years, Cassius had done what had to be done. He had gone to Black Rain Manor and taken the rune shard that birthed Soul Power. He had then journeyed to the Dark Hunter Organization's sacred spring and taken the second shard. The two had fused to form the Rune of Life.

Thus, Cassius could forcibly summon the Thorn Sonic Death Armament in the final battle and deal Xiadu the crucial blow. Half of Xiadu's body had fallen back into the Gate of Heaven, preventing his entire plan from succeeding.

Of course, the Rune of Life on Cassius's hand remained incomplete. He did not know why, for he had obtained shards from both Black Rain Manor and the Dark Hunter Organization. Yet something was still missing.

Hence, Cassius decided to complete the rune in the real world. He would visit the Dark Hunter Organization's sacred spring again, then Black Rain Manor. He would see whether he could acquire and merge the rune shards once again.

Cassius recalled that a young genius of the Cloud Dog Fist named Thunder Dog Simone had contacted the Gate Organization's core member Eye Devil in secret during the exchange tournament hosted by Evil Eye Fist because bone deformities barred him from breaking through to combat artist.

He had then obtained a piece of news. Black Rain Manor, dormant for decades, would revive!

Many core members and factions of the Gate Organization, and even some foreign powerhouses, were converging on the Six Eastern Counties to await the opportunity. They seemed intent on reaping benefits from the manor's revival.

Thunder Dog Simone had been intercepted en route by Cassius and recruited into the Golem Sect. With Cassius's aid, he had broken through to combat artist. Naturally, he had passed the message on to Cassius. Even though it had been three years in time-travel, Cassius still remembered that piece of key information.

So Black Rain Manor would revive?

Heh.

Looks like it needs a new master.

In the fifth time-travel, Cassius had studied the manor at its peak and had effectively brought its Hellsings under his command. He felt the manor was truly a great power incubator. If properly used, it offered endless benefits. Cassius had decided that having a Dominator Fist such as himself as the manor's new master would hardly wrong it...

Of course, even if it felt wronged, so what? He would still take it! What was it going to do?!

Besides, Eye Devil and other Gate Organization core members were gathering in the Six Eastern Counties to claim a share of the revival. Let them come; the more the merrier. It would be best if some General Kings and deputy leaders came as well. No, better yet, several deputy leaders.

The Gate Organization's necro-revival technique was surely polished by now. Reviving a few deputy leaders from bygone eras should be no trouble. Still, they had to have limits and could not employ it at will. Otherwise, the Gate Organization would have ruled the surface world long ago...

Cassius's expression did not change. His words were cold yet oozed dominance. "Send more of you. It'll save me the trouble of hunting you down one by one..."

He had already passed the death sentence upon them. The fifth time-travel had ended and Cassius had returned.

He followed one principle: I am invincible, so do as you please!

Xiadu was surely still in slumber now. So what foe could Cassius have in the whole surface world?

His thoughts shifted, and he considered something else. His body, which had stalled at the peak of extreme combat artist, needed raising again. He sensed that slaying one more Ultimate Dark Form would break the bottleneck of his Golem physique.

His Golem Covert Martial Arts had absorbed four kinds. With one more, it would complete its transformation. It seemed to be a matter tied to its origin. Only then could he reach Ultimate Dark Form level. It seemed to be just like the Heart of the Dominator Fist being tied to the Dominator realm.

Thus, another plan was added. He would lure and butcher an Ultimate Dark Form in the present day.

Finally, Cassius thought of the Golem Sect and the many disparate forces beneath him. The Ace of Spades, the neo-human Psychokinesis Association, and the Shadowless Clan that reversed the Shadow Demon to wield the Black Demon's Hand. These had to be unified and expanded.

The Golem Sect in the real world had to reach at least the vast scale it held in the fifth time-travel! They must also massively spread and promote Covert Martial Arts among common folk, growing their strength.

The Six Southern Dipper Volumes, the Golem Heart Codex, simplified combat moves, the Golem Seeds, the soon-to-be-claimed Black Rain Manor, and Cassius's Dominator Fist status—all were mighty pillars for the Golem Sect's rise!

Moreover, the real-world Golem Sect had already stunned everyone at the exchange tournament held by Evil Eye Fist, nearly rivaling the entire Eastern Nine Sects. The Golem Sect would grow faster and expand more fiercely than in the fifth time-travel, sweeping the world in short order!

Train fists and strengthen the body! Strike and grasp destiny! To clench the fist was to seize power!

"I want to see the Gate Organization and dark creatures quivering in their shadowy holes like sewer rats..."