Chapter 679 - Sixth Time-Travel Ends

Cassius didn't know if he was correct, but he was quite suspicious. That location had been an ancient ruin of the Ao Yin civilization. The legacy of Sonic Snake Ultimate Fist was there as well, so Southern Cross's remnant Will appearing nearby didn't seem impossible. At that time, if that voice truly was Southern Cross's remnant Will, everything would make sense.

Cassius had already cultivated the Southern Dipper Red Falcon Fist by then and was a successor of the Southern Dipper line. Southern Cross guiding him to the entrance to the ruins was, in fact, quite logical.

His eyes flickered, and his usually placid heart rippled slightly. "So that's how it is?"

The secret information revealed by Blood Vulture Dominator Fist was something Cassius had suspected before, but now he had confirmation. The Ao Yin civilization was truly not a product of this world, but came from elsewhere.

Strictly speaking, Ao Yin Kalo didn't quite resemble a civilization. It was a group of like-minded people chasing the starlight of the Southern Dipper. They were an organization appearing again and again in worlds beset by calamity and leaving sparks of resistance.

As for how the Ao Yin civilization replenished its members, it was likely similar to how Southern Cross followed Ao Yin's footsteps, just as he himself had done. If Southern Cross had continued fighting, he would most likely have become a new member of Ao Yin Kalo and stood on the front line against calamity. However, Southern Cross had stopped after sealing Xiadu's Will with his own body, leaving only a remnant of his Will to drift through the world.

Cassius couldn't help imagining the many worlds the Ao Yin civilization had traversed. Were there also powerhouses like Southern Cross who had resolved the calamity of their own worlds and then resolutely set out on their journey? Had they followed the traces left by Ao Yin Kalo and set sail for one magnificent and mysterious voyage after another?

"The world is big. Only a lifetime is sufficient to explore..."

He suppressed the surging feeling in his chest and returned to calm. After all, Cassius was a visitor from beyond, and quick to accept similar stories. He was firm. Since there was a road ahead, he would walk it to the end, no matter if that road led to heaven or hell.

After broadening his view and picturing the future, Cassius returned to reality's questions. Blood Vulture Dominator Fist had also mentioned why one’s strength skyrocketed upon perfecting the Southern Dipper Red Falcon Fist.

It was because of the existence of the Dominator Self. The Dominator Self was a state of perfection. It was like a persona that commanded all techniques and variations of the Southern Dipper Red Falcon Fist. It would push the fist's style to the extreme, raging like wind and invading like fire.

A Holy Fist entering this perfect state was exceedingly fearsome. The person was the fist, and the fist the person. They were no longer separable!

Blood Vulture Dominator Fist had confronted the Totem King for tens of millennia and had long since slipped from his Dominator Self state. Sonic Snake Ultimate Fist was likely similar. Only White Bird Holy Fist had maintained his state the entire time, and was able to stand against the Dead Abyss seal and Moon God's curse while roaming.

Dominator Self, Holy Self, Ultimate Self... These signified special states formed when one's path reached complete perfection. It was not a realm attained once and forever. If one's strength and essence kept slipping, one could no longer maintain it.

"I shouldn’t have any problem..."

As he listened to Blood Vulture Dominator Fist's explanation, Cassius instinctively glanced at the progress bar at the upper right of his vision. He could only advance, never retreat. That was the hidden rule of his time-travel ability, and a formidable trait that was easy to overlook.

In normal cultivation, whether Covert Martial Arts or otherwise, there was never such a thing as only forward, never back. Slackening or injury could cause one to fall from one’s realms. However, his time-travel ability had no such issue. No matter when or where, even if seas dried and skies collapsed, Cassius's strength would never be stripped away.

Likewise, it meant that once he reached perfection in the Southern Dipper fist arts, the special states of Dominator Self, Holy Self, and Ultimate Self would forever be upon him. Cassius possessed advantages no one else had.

"If reaching perfection in the Southern Dipper fist arts grants such special strength, then an ultimate ability should also be born if my Golem Covert Martial Arts pushes to one hundred percent. After all, the Golem Covert Martial Arts has evolved and mutated so many times that it nearly exceeds the scope of Covert Martial Arts itself. It is in no way inferior to the Southern Dipper Covert Martial Inheritance..." He pondered, increasingly convinced of this possibility.

Suddenly, he heard Blood Vulture Dominator Fist call out, "We're here, Cassius."

The monotonous black sea was breaking on a shore as a vast tract of land loomed ahead. A fleeting, mocking smile crossed Cassius's face.

"Seven days remain. I wonder if Xiadu can prop itself up and gather another pack of Ultimate Dark Forms to besiege us during this time..."

He had now reached perfected combat strength. Furthermore, with Blood Vulture Dominator Fist beside him, it could be said that whoever came, would die.

The World of Calamity was like a dark forest with beasts everywhere. Peril lurked on all sides. Yet that day, two armed hunters barged in and did whatever they pleased!

They deliberately made loud noises, left bloody traces, and stirred up provocation. It was as if they were screaming: Come on! I'm waiting right here! If you've got the guts, I can't wait for you to kill me!

Such goading seemed rather crude and rough, but on the seventh day, some fool did bite.

An Ultimate Dark Form called Cloud Grinding Behemoth appeared. The behemoth had not even planned on anything; it just came to take a distant look out of curiosity. Though it was clearly separated by an immense distance, it was suddenly locked by two terrifying auras. It couldn't even flee!

The behemoth was quickly intercepted as it tried to flee. An elder with blood-red hair stood behind it, wrapped in a ferocious blood vulture phantom and a peerless domineering aura.

The behemoth recognized the notorious killer of old.

"It's him! Blood Vulture Dominator Fist!"

However, the burly figure ahead of it, whether in aura or killing intent, was several degrees stronger than even Blood Vulture Dominator Fist! He was more massive, more powerful, and more overbearing!

A savage beast seemed to be coiled beneath his wide black coat. Its nature was brutal, cold, and merciless. It was as if he committed slaughter as easy as eating and drinking.

"What does a life think before it dies?" The black-clad figure blocking the behemoth's path suddenly asked.

The next instant,

bang!

Cassius's Golem form expanded to become infinitely tall, veiling the entire world in darkness. A gigantic steel palm came down, growing rapidly before its eyes. Boundless fear descended upon its heart, along with fierce regret. It regretted its curiosity. That one look had thrown away ten thousand years of its life.

Boom!

On the brink of death, the behemoth seemed to hear a grand yet hazy voice. A demon whispered in its ear, "It's regret and fear..."

Moments later, a lattice of white bones hinted at the behemoth's grandeur in life. The hand resting on the bones withdrew, turning it all to ash. Cassius stood silently among bone ash falling like snow. The bloody light in his pupils faded.

It's the second Ultimate Dark Form. Would it be enough...?

His gaze shifted to the upper right.

[Golem Covert Martial Arts: Mental Unification 87.6% (Final Stage)]

The life vibration energy not yet warmed within his body was shoved entirely into the progress bar without hesitation. A scalding cascade swept through his body, blurring and shaking the bar. The trailing black digits flickered, climbing bit by bit. After a moment, the blurred bar turned clear again.

[Golem Covert Martial Arts: Mental Unification 90.1% (Final Stage)]

An increase of 2.5% barely pushed Cassius's Golem Covert Martial Arts past the ninety percent threshold. He was still ten percent short of true perfection. One could call it within reach.

"I've no doubt you can reach perfection with this uncanny technique." Blood Vulture Dominator Fist looked at Cassius, whose aura had grown stronger again, and sighed. "A pity you came too late... That old White Bird won't see the day.

Hahahahaha...

"

He suddenly laughed. "How could I forget?! White Bird was the freest of us three old fellows. Even if he knew, he wouldn't lament or regret. He even burned away his whole life without flinching..."

Blood Vulture Dominator Fist blinked, and all his regret and weariness vanished. He gazed at the blood moon overhead, feeling boundlessly free. Cassius stood quietly behind him. His eyes rested quietly on the thin, elderly figure before him.

Blood Vulture Dominator Fist didn't know that he would not see the day Cassius burst onto the scene and grow to his peak in the real timeline. Moreover, White Bird Holy Fist did indeed burn it all and go to death calmly.

Though you, Blood Vulture Dominator Fist, were no different. You stalemated the Totem King Kasseres for ages and may have finally perished together.

There was nothing that even resembled such decisive Will and unrestrained spirit in all the world!

A self-centered man like Cassius seldom felt admiration, but taking all his experiences into account, he admired his initial instructor Lisa and Blood Fist Feng Liusi. Now, White Bird Holy Fist and Blood Vulture Dominator Fist joined their ranks as well.

Four in total. It matched the journeys he'd passed through at different life stages and different time-travels. Each stirring and tremor molded Cassius.

That night, Blood Vulture Dominator Fist and Cassius talked for a long while. It was mostly Blood Vulture speaking and Cassius listening. He told old tales with a touch of reminiscence, and Cassius simply listened quietly. There was no hunting or fighting. Only a quiet, moonlit conversation with a gentle breeze.

The moon above draped the two in a crimson radiance. Time passed by unnoticed until it was the end of the seventh day. The dim light allowed the shadows of Cassius and Blood Vulture Dominator Fist to run along the plain into the distance, seemingly without end.

The blood moon was reflected in Cassius's pupils, oddly like the wings of a bird of prey, burning quietly.

"Blood Vulture, I will end everything. Be it the Ultimate Dark Forms, Xiadu, or the endless calamity..."

Blood Vulture Dominator Fist's hunched figure straightened, and he slowly turned to look at him. "I have no doubt."

The gaze of the two met. Then they both raised their heads together, looking to the far distance.

In that instant, everything froze. Time rolled away like a receding tide and the surroundings began to twist and blur. The contours of heaven and earth, as well as all color, dimmed. Everything finally became a final black and white silhouette.

Beneath the blood moon, an elder and a youth gazed across the world.

***

Cassius branded everything in his mind. He hadn't lived through much in the sixth time-travel. He had only fought beside Blood Vulture Dominator Fist. Yet, the experience was unforgettable. The time-travel this round had yielded much.

First, his Golem Covert Martial Arts had risen by nearly fifty percent.

Second, his Southern Dipper Sonic Snake Fist had finally reached the realm of Ultimate Fist! Cassius had completed all three parts of the Southern Dipper Covert Martial Inheritance. The Rune of Spirit he'd planned to use could now be activated. The terrifying amount of Blood of the Spirit stored within could finally be spent.

Lastly, Cassius had learned many secrets of the world, including most related to the Ao Yin civilization. The more he learned, the more he wished to explore. It was foreseeable that Cassius would likely seek Ao Yin's traces in the future. A person whose drive to explore never rests remains forever young.

Vmmm...

Space trembled, and the world flipped.

***

It was the afternoon of December 18, year 156 of the Hongli Federation.

An emerald God's Tears Lake glittered as it rippled in the breeze. Below the surface, tender weeds seemed to sway as the breeze carried a damp freshness.

Ding.

A cross-legged figure in the center of the lake opened his eyes. Suddenly, a terrifying aura seemed to sweep across the entire lake, enveloping Golem Sect and both the suburbs and urban districts of East Sea City. An instant later, the dreadful aura vanished as if it were an illusion.

Just as many combat artist powerhouses of the Golem Sect shot out in alarm to search for the source of danger, the figure rose to its feet.

Cassius lifted his head to the sky, gazing at the blazing sun. The warmth and brightness of the real world were completely unlike the World of Calamity.

"I'm back... The sixth time-travel has ended."