Returning to the Mysterious Era

Feng Liusi raised both arms—left in front, right behind—forming a strange pose above his head, similar to that of a stag beetle's horn, a bird's beak, or a rodent's protruding front teeth. Red steam roiled around him like a cloak, and a massive vulture with a wingspan of several meters faintly appeared behind him.

As soon as its beak lined up perfectly with his arms, the already immense aura became even more exaggerated. Visible air currents rippled outward, causing scales of water to rise on the lake's surface.

At the center of these ripples, the thin old man who had been around 1.75 meters tall had drastically changed. His gray linen shirt stretched tight as his swollen, solid muscles gradually bulged. A jagged scar ran from his left waist to his right shoulder.

Wisps of red energy continuously emitted from the hairs on his body, replacing the shredded fabric. Feng Liusi now stood at 1.85 meters tall, and aside from his still-wizened face, his body seemed to have temporarily returned to its peak state under some mysterious force and was brimming with power.

In the distance, five to six white birds frolicking by the lakeside spread their wings and fled with a cry, driven away by the overwhelming aura.

An enormous column of water shot into the sky, two meters high before dispersing into a spray of droplets. Through the mist, a red figure dashed toward Cassius like a cannonball.

The figure moved incredibly fast, leaving behind red steam that hung in the air like a trail of cloud-like mist.

In less than half a blink of an eye, Feng Liusi's powerful form materialized before Cassius. His eyes were bloodshot, his gaze a fiery red. The muscles on his thick arms were knotted, and faint red lights flickered under his skin, as if light were flowing between the gaps and gathering at his fingertips. Feng Liusi's fingers looked as though they were dripping with blood.

Ten red streaks slashed through the air, following two cunning paths. Five aimed straight for Cassius's brow, while the other five targeted his temples, intending to end the fight in a single instant.

This move of Feng Liusi's was extremely fast. In his uninhibited state, his body had returned to its peak, and his reflexes were terrifyingly fast.

But Cassius refused to go down easily. He, too, had unleashed all his power with his Explosive Power Technique. In his proto-golem state, he activated the Third Breath technique, the Breathless Chain Strike, and his Killer Persona.

His hands blurred, transforming into eight arms striking simultaneously. The explosive sounds of fist meeting flesh echoed between the two of them.

Cassius deflected Feng Liusi's arms and smashed bodily into him, but Feng Liusi reacted swiftly, dodging to the side.A tree behind him snapped cleanly in half from the brute force as if a charging tank had plowed through it.

Sensing the air splitting behind him, Cassius spun and unleashed a whip kick. Feng Liusi was knocked back, his figure dragging across the ground as his bright red hands fell to his sides.

Cassius grimaced in pain, glancing at his right leg that he had just struck with. Blood gushed from the wound, with five thumb-sized chunks of flesh missing. At the same time, a strange spiral force continued to expand the injury.

Before he could think further, Feng Liusi charged once again, the air compressing in his wake. In the blink of an eye, they exchanged several more blows, and Cassius's body was left riddled with wounds. Some were around three to four centimeters deep, while others were long, carving almost halfway down his forearm. The searing pain shot into his brain.

With a grim expression, he muttered, "Is this the Death's Fang secret move?"

The wounds Feng Liusi inflicted on Cassius were, in fact, considered light. Cassius's strong physique, with muscle and skin density far exceeding that of ordinary people, minimized the deadly effects of Feng Liusi's Death's Fang. If it had been a regular combat artist with standard muscle density, a mere swipe could have peeled all the flesh off their arm. The force would have severed the skin, muscles, tendons, and blood vessels, leaving only bare bones.

When Feng Liusi had still been in his peak state, a single light tap from his right index finger in Death's Fang mode could reduce a giant bear to a skeleton within five seconds, its flesh and organs falling off with a sickening slurp. Death's Fang secret move, also known as the Butcher's Finger Blade, was a brutal dissection technique meant purely for bloody carnage.

I can't let him touch me with his hands. I have to avoid his sharp edge at all costs!

Cassius made up his mind in an instant. His hands moved faster than ever. In the Breathless Chain Strike state, Cassius could throw two punches in the time it took others to throw one. Each time his arm was just about to collide with Feng Liusi's hand, Cassius changed his course of attack, bypassing Feng Liusi's fists to target his forearm, upper arm, chest, and shoulders. The advantage of this was that he didn't have to endure the deadly force of Death's Fang. The downside was that Cassius's combo wasn't as powerful, reducing his two strikes to just one.

In essence, he was using half of his attacks to neutralize the deadly power of Feng Liusi's Death's Fang. Even in his weakened state, Cassius still outpaced his opponent, though not as overwhelmingly fast as before.

Boom!

Cassius shifted his feet, dodging one of Feng Liusi's seemingly unavoidable punches. As he turned, he put, what seemed like a light, hand on Feng Liusi's left shoulder, the force of which sent the latter spinning to the right and into the air.

In a few powerful strides, Cassius bounded forward and punched, sending Feng Liusi flying into two trees. Just before he could hit the ground, Cassius rushed in, his fists coming down like iron hammers.

The two clashed at lightning speed, their movements blending into a blur of shadows as they grappled with and hit each other.

Tree trunks around them sported gaping holes, some large enough to take up most of the tree. Yellowish woodchips rained down like water. Cracks spread out from a tiny finger-sized hole in the bark of the other trees, splitting the entire tree with a mysterious force.

Cassius was knocked back over ten meters, half of the flesh on his thick arms stripped, with some of it dangling grotesquely from his skin. His arms had gone completely numb, devoid of any pain.

Cassius coughed, spitting out blood from the corner of his mouth. Feng Liusi didn't look like he was in much better shape. His body was injured everywhere, with two bloody holes in his neck. Just a split second ago, Cassius had nearly impaled him with a finger strike.

After nearly a hundred exchanges, neither of them had gained the upper hand. In truth, Cassius was a significant counter to Feng Liusi's Death's Fang, able to minimize its destructive power.

Had it been another combat artist of equal strength facing Feng Liusi, they likely would've been gravely injured after a hundred moves. Death's Fang's unique force was a serious, even deadly, threat to those who relied on close-combat Secret Techniques.

The damp, cool breeze carried away the smell of blood from the air.

Feng Liusi clasped his hands before his chest, his cold gaze fixed on Cassius. The blood vessels in his eyes had receded by half.

Since entering his unleashed state, Feng Liusi had only been using his Death's Fang secret move, without switching techniques. But now, he seemed to be ready to change his attack…

A swirling vortex of red mist formed around his body, encircling him as he stood in the center. His feet shifted into a battle stance, one foot forward and one back, similar to a horse-riding position.

The beard on his chin was stained with blood, and a droplet fell from its tip, instantly reduced to nothing by his chest as he surged forward. Feng Liusi clasped his hands together in front of him in a lotus position.

In the next instant, a lotus flower blossomed in front of Cassius, as if he had teleported. Dozens of phantom hands burst forth, engulfing Cassius in a storm of strikes from all angles, with varied force and technique—strong, fast, and fierce!

Cassius, in his Breathless Chain Strike state, was also in his peak form. His arms moved so quickly they seemed to multiply into eight, defending against the relentless barrage with flawless technique, as fluid and seamless as mercury flowing on the ground.

Amazingly, he managed to withstand Feng Liusi's Secret Technique, the Blood Flower.

However, Feng Liusi brought his hands sharply together, once again, forming a otus shape. "Detonate!"

Southern Dipper Red Falcon Fist Secret Technique: Double Blood Flower.

The explosion of energy shook Cassius, causing him to momentarily stiffen. Feng Liusi's next Blood Flower strike followed immediately, raining down on Cassius's body with crackling force.

"Detonate!"

Amid the flurry of fists and kicks, Cassius was sent flying, his body skimming the withered grass, carving out a trail of yellow and grey debris.

Feng Liusi leaped into the air, spreading his arms like a mighty roc taking flight. The crimson steam rising from his body formed vulture-like wings behind him, with blood dripping from the tips.

Feng Liusi barreled into the waist-high grass but was launched back out in the next second. After spinning a few times in the air, he managed to land firmly on his feet.

A dark figure shot out from within the grass at which point Feng Liusi had also transformed into a blood-red shadow, crashing into his opponent. The clash of these two muscular warriors echoed with the sound of metal striking metal. The sharp hand blades of Cassius's Azure Blood Stream collided with Feng Liusi's blood spear repeatedly, causing tremors that shook the ground beneath them. The surrounding trees quivered, their rustling leaves sounding like falling rain, while the ground's dust vibrated with every impact.

Feng Liusi's eyes were bloodshot, now reduced to only a third of their usual clarity.

He punched Cassius back, his hands shifting into a stance resembling the powerful rhinoceros beetle. It was the Death's Fang secret move!

The steam coming from his body spiraled upward, forming a vortex above his head before collapsing in on itself. From the vortex, a massive beak emerged, aligning with Feng Liusi's descending arms.

His red arms shot forward like a vulture's beak, aimed directly at Cassius, moving with unimaginable speed.

This wasn't Death's Fang, but Death's Beak! A variation of the Death's Fang secret move, the force normally channeled into the palms was redirected into the arms, propelling them like thrusters to unleash terrifying, explosive punches.

At this moment, Feng Liusi's fists were like drills—one aimed at Cassius's neck, the other at his left chest.

The speed was too overwhelming for Cassius to react as there were already innumerable wounds on his body. All he could do was retaliate, one punch aimed at Feng Liusi's left hand, the other going for his chest in a mutually destructive blow.

The intense sense of danger honed Cassius's instincts to its sharpest. His punch at Feng Liusi carried an indescribable force, different from his usual Wind Elephant Fist techniques like Severing Flow, Wind Owl, or Elephant's Roar. Instead, it contained the essence of all his deadly moves—a single, explosive piercing punch!

The deafening sounds echoed for nearly a hundred meters around.

The lakeside fell into an eerie silence. No birds circled, no leaves rustled, no wind stirred. There was only the stillness of the air and the two figures frozen within it.

Cassius's fist pressed against Feng Liusi's shoulder. Feng Liusi's chest bore a sunken fist mark from which a blood trail extended up to his shoulder.

Cassius's strike hadn't achieved his goal, but Feng Liusi's had.

Although Cassius had blocked the blow aimed at his neck, the other punch had penetrated his left chest, shattering his heart.

No matter how strong a Covert Martial Artist's life force was, having their heart destroyed meant certain death. At best, they could cling to life for a few more seconds. A combat artist who had mastered Qi would be no exception!

Feng Liusi had won this battle!

The blood-red steam around Feng Liusi dissipated as his eyes cleared. He studied the numerous injuries on his body, noting the deep marks on his neck and chest. He shot Cassius a wary look.

To think a pugilist of Cassius's level could push him to the brink like this. He wasn't just a genius; he was a monster. Even with the advantage of techniques countering his own, Cassius had fought like a veteran combat artist, not a novice.

Shame. Such a freak still died under the Southern Dipper Red Falcon Fist.

Feng Liusi wrenched his arm back. Cassius swayed slightly, a gaping, bloody hole in his chest. His black eyes remained fixed on Feng Liusi, as if in the throes of death.

"You're strong, kid. Very strong. Just a little more, and you could have defeated me in my unleashed form," Feng Liusi said. His chest felt heavy, his shoulder swollen and dislocated. "I've got no strength left for another round…"

He shook his head in regret. "To force me to unleash all three Secret Techniques of the Southern Dipper Red Falcon Fist, the ultimate form, and the secret move variations to finally kill you… You've reached the level of a veteran combat artist." Feng Liusi's voice carried a hint of sorrow. "If you hadn't broken my seal at the start of the fight, forcing me into this berserk state, you might've lived.

"I can feel that you're a perfect match with the Southern Dipper Red Falcon Fist; it's like you were born for it! If I taught you this art, your mastery would skyrocket within a short time." Feng Liusi didn't bother hiding his admiration for the fallen warrior. He had intended to take Cassius as a disciple, but it was too late now. He sighed.

He took a few steps forward, shaking his head at Cassius's unmoving, muscular form. Looking into his lifeless eyes, Feng Liusi couldn't help letting out another sigh. He stretched out his only functioning hand, intending to close Cassius's eyes.

"I'll find a nice grave for you in Death Canyon…"

A large hand suddenly grabbed Feng Liusi's wrist, stopping him in his tracks.

Feng Liusi's eyes widened in disbelief as he glanced at the gaping hole in Cassius's chest and then back at his face. "You… Impossible… You…"

"Sorry, but this fight is mine to win."