Returning to the Mysterious Era

The silhouette was blurry—a few black lines merging to form an oval shape, barely resembling a human figure. The person stood in the alley outside the standalone house, tightly pressed against the white wall.

A passerby? A drunkard? Or perhaps…

Cassius's eyes snapped open. His dulled senses instantly surged back to life, and the world around him became three-dimensional again.

Rising swiftly, he walked to the window and opened it. Without turning on the light, he leaned out into the dim night, focusing on the sound he had just heard.

A cluster of green ornamental trees partially obscured the wall where the human-like figure Cassius had sensed was just behind the base of the wall.

His gaze sharpened. With one hand pressing lightly on the windowsill, Cassius leapt out of the second-floor window. His landing was silent, as if his feet never touched the ground. The only sound was the cold wind rustling the leaves.

He moved carefully toward the north wall of the house, the shadows of the trees completely concealing his approach.

Without hesitation, Cassius quietly scaled the wall.

His eyes locked onto a pair of red pupils staring back at him. Both froze in place, and that was because…

The figure before him was none other than the Red Eye-level Shadow Demon that Cassius had imprisoned in the basement before it had escaped. Absurd!

Did this thing escape? And then come back?

Cassius raised an eyebrow, suppressing an incredulous laugh. Criminals returning to admire their handiwork was common enough, but a fugitive returning to visit its captor? Wasn't that just borderline idiocy?

Unless…this Shadow Demon brought backup? It had somehow grown confident enough to bring a group of companions to ambush him and make him pay.

Cassius quickly scanned the dim alley. Sparse moonlight barely lit the scene. There was no one else.

??? So…who gave you the courage to come back?

Cassius looked at the Shadow Demon. Its red pupils constricting with what could only be described as terror as if it were suffering from PTSD. It looked as though it had Parkinson's disease with how uncontrollably its claws trembled.

Normally, Shadow Demons were bloodthirsty and vicious beasts. Their powerful life force could even terrify humans into freezing in place, leaving them at the mercy of the demons. But now the roles were reversed. At Cassius's appearance, the demon quivered and quaked like prey before a predator.

This was because, during that night of pursuit and slaughter, Cassius had revealed a form more terrifying and brutal than any Shadow Demon. And in the basement afterward, he had subjected it to unimaginable torment.

Cassius had made it into a punching bag, and subjected it to relentless interrogation and humiliation. The Shadow Demon's pride had been utterly shattered.

After being rescued, it had taken two to three days of recovery to build some semblance of strength and composure. Returning to the house of its nightmares tonight was likely a way to overcome psychological obstacles. As well as check on that man's condition.

But unexpectedly…

On the street, Cassius smirked. He had roughly guessed the reason behind the Red Eye level Shadow Demon's return. If he hadn’t been practicing the Heart Eye Secret Technique, which temporarily blocked his other senses and significantly enhanced his hearing, he wouldn't have noticed the Shadow Demon coming back.

It was just a coincidence.

Cassius's face showed a subtle smile, and a fierce aura burst from him as he walked forward.

"Ah!" The Red Eye-level Shadow Demon screamed in panic, snapping out of its daze, like a child waking up from a nightmare.

He quickly turned sideways, his legs propelling him into the darkness of the alley like a bolt of lightning.

Cassius clicked his tongue.

As expected, desperation in the face of a crisis could unlock anyone's incredible potential, whether they were human, animal, or something else.

In less than a second, the brown-haired man had disappeared at the end of the alley. Yet, Cassius remained calm, unhurried. He wanted the Red Eye-level Shadow Demon to run. The faster it ran, the more panicked it would be. The bigger the commotion, the better.

A fish stirring up a pond will always scare other fish into making an appearance. Now that Cassius's power had grown significantly after his time-travel, his mastery of pugilism had him more than prepared to go fishing.

"What happened?"

Two figures leaped over the white wall, revealing themselves as the magician and catwoman. They were probably roused by the Red Eye-level Shadow Demon's scream and rushed over, alert.

The magician was in his usual black suit, but the buttons were still undone. His inner lining was filled with pockets, each holding various metal throwing tools.

On the other side, catwoman Haisha looked even more disheveled, dressed only in undergarments, her curvaceous figure fully exposed. Her alluring face, paired with her snow-white chest and wine-red wavy hair draped over her shoulders, painted quite a captivating image.

The magician, at the very least, looked amazed. However, Cassius was indifferent. He just glanced at the two, dropping a curt order to "watch the house," before jumping off, transforming into a black shadow as he darted into the dim alley.

The magician and catwoman exchanged glances, then both flipped back over the wall and returned to their respective bedrooms through the window. They hadn't brought the keys.

Under the sparse moonlight, clouds drifted, covering Baichuan City's urban area in a faint glow. Cassius's new residence, though still within the city, was far from the central district. A few hundred meters out of the main road was a station.

Beyond that were a few labyrinthine alleys. As one moved through the alleys, one could see scattered buildings and the occasional dim yellow light in the windows. The Red Eye-level Shadow Demon had already transformed into a half-human, half-dark creature, with its power fully unleashed.

It was obvious that he was more dark creature and less human. His arms had swollen and were very lanky, his ten fingers had grown long and slender, and his nails were like sharp white blades.

Every time his feet touched the ground, his body would leap five to six meters forward, like a black phantom.

And behind the Red Eye-level Shadow Demon, another tall figure was following at a leisurely pace.

Cassius was not looking down on the Red Eye-level Shadow Demon, but the facts were clear. Even if he hadn't been practicing a speed-focused Secret Technique, his physical prowess alone was superior to that of the Red Eye-level Shadow Demon. If Cassius wanted to, he could easily catch up to the shadow in front of him in less than ten seconds. But now, he was deliberately slowing his pace, maintaining a certain distance from the Red Eye-level Shadow Demon.

The two figures, one in front and one behind, quickly wove through the alleys. It was unclear how much time had passed.

The streets on either side began to change, becoming older and lower than before, with desolate roads. Every so often, a black street lamp would stand, its top adorned with a metal frame resembling a candlestick—a decorative feature in these remote alleys.

They were now at the edge of the city, with the dark mountain walls and grassy trees faintly visible behind the buildings. All the houses had tightly closed doors and windows, with no light seeping through.

"No fish taking the bait?" Cassius squinted slightly, moving swiftly.

Suddenly, a shadow plunged from a nearby balcony of the building on the right side of the alley, like a fish plunging into a pool from a waterfall. It fiercely lunged at Cassius's back.

Whoosh!

Cassius pivoted sharply and threw a punch at the figure's chest, slicing through the air with devastating force. The impact sent the black figure flying, torn clothing and blood splattering about.

"You couldn't resist, huh?" Cassius shook the blood off his hands, scanning his surroundings.

But to his disappointment, only this one Shadow Demon had appeared along the escape route, with no sign of the other Red Eye-level Shadow Demons he had anticipated. The brown-haired man ahead simply continued to flee without any intention of returning to seek reinforcements.

Could it be that even Shadow Demons valued camaraderie and care for their kin?

"Doesn't matter. I’ll reel in the bait first."

Cassius took a step forward, the ground trembling beneath his feet. He shot forward like an arrow leaving the bowstring, covering several meters in just a few strides. Within moments, he had closed in on the brown-haired until he was less than five meters away.

Bang!

The Red Eye-level Shadow Demon had no chance to fight back. Cassius's punch struck its back, forcing blood to spew out from its mouth. The demon staggered and collapsed, sliding five to six meters across the ground.

It raised its arm, attempting to get up, but an unusual force disrupted its coordination and balance. The brown-haired man's wrist trembled as his strength faded.

This was the Midak Balance Disruption Technique. And Cassius had executed it well.

A Red Eye-level Shadow Demon was akin to a weakened pugilist. Its life essence was likely even stronger than that of a neo-human, making it an ideal sacrifice for the Demonic Water Ritual.

Just as Cassius was about to move forward, he paused. His sharp, slightly red eyes looked toward the left side of the alley, where there was a shadow.

Bang.

A deep footprint suddenly appeared on the concrete road.

In an instant, Cassius leaped several dozen meters, crashing into the alley like a cannonball. A mass of white air spun rapidly.

Hiss, hiss, hiss!

A hand blade sliced violently through the air, striking the wall. Fragments of the wall exploded out like bullets and struck the surroundings with a series of thuds.

Whoosh~

Several flying fragments were shattered midair by fists and palms, leaving an elliptical, blurry black sphere suspended in the air—a visual distortion caused by the rapid movement of the hands.

Shh!

From within the elliptical sphere, a black arm suddenly shot out, piercing Cassius's shoulder like an awl.

Bang!

It sounded like armor clashing as skin and fist collided.

Cassius's left arm went slightly numb as he felt a nimble force penetrating his skin and muscles, straight into his joints. Though he had quickly neutralized the force, Cassius had technically suffered an injury.

"Such a strong hardening Qigong!" a voice exclaimed from within the shadows.

As the dust settled, a black-haired man in his thirties emerged. He had a rather common-looking face, indistinguishable from a passerby. Around his neck was a jade ornament hanging on a red thread. He was clad in a matching yellow outfit with many pockets and looked like an adventurer.

"You're quite impressive to be able to penetrate my hardening Qigong defense and injure me." Cassius had no qualms with praising the man's strength. "That force was rather unique. What's it called?"

"Sharp Wind Force. It's a technique I stumbled upon by chance, allowing my punches to carry a unique penetrating power," the black-haired man replied candidly.

"Hehehe." For some inexplicable reason, Cassius chuckled. "It’s impolite not to return a favor. Since you punched me just now, it’s only fair I return the gesture. Azure Wind Flow—Elephant's Roar!"

In an instant, a swirl of white air enveloped Cassius's entire arm. He spread his feet apart, assuming a standard fighting stance. His shoulders shifted slightly, power surging within him. His muscles bulged, their texture turning rock-like, with thick veins pulsing as hot blood flowed rapidly, and power channeling right to his arm. He fiercely stepped forward, throwing a punch!

Whoosh…

The high-speed straight punch cut through the air, producing a faint roar, like an elephant's cry, as white stream formed a curved shield around his fist.

Boom!

The punch pierced right through the black-haired man's chest and into the wall behind him, shaking the ground. Half of the gray wall collapsed instantly, dust billowing into the air.

Despite the blow demolishing the wall, Cassius was still dissatisfied. It had felt too light as if he had punched through air and all he had struck had been a wall.

"Impressive power. And what an astonishing destructive force," a voice came from Cassius's side.

"Just as I thought!" Cassius whirled around and threw another punch, twisting his foot and waist simultaneously, whipping his right arm out like a lash.

Bang!

He felt a light resistance at his fist, like the touch of a dragonfly on water. The black-haired man vanished once more, leaving only an afterimage in his place.

"Why are you dodging?" Cassius asked calmly.

The familiar voice came from his right side again. "Your strength is too great; I wouldn't dare face you head-on."

"What kind of movement technique is that? I've never seen it before." Cassius didn't bother dancing around the topic anymore. He narrowed his eyes.

"Richard's Pendulum Swing, or simply the Pendulum Steps," the black-haired man answered.

Cassius turned to look at the man standing ten meters away. "Wind Elephant Sect, Cassius. May I ask which sect you belong to?"

"Sect?" The black-haired man looked puzzled. "No, I'm just an adventurer—a treasure hunter. These skills I possess were all acquired by chance and not from any masters or sects. You can call me Yun."

"Yun?" Cassius raised an eyebrow.

"Yes. I'm not from the Hongli Federation," the black-haired man explained.

Cassius was about to speak when he felt a bitter taste explode in his mouth, as if a bitter medicinal herb had been stuffed into his mouth without him noticing.

This feeling… Could it be an antique with lingering attachment?!