Returning to the Mysterious Era

Hiss…

Crack, crack, crack…

Cassius raised both hands in front of his body. A special force pierced the air between his palms, creating a twisting current of air.

As soon as he released his Death's Fang's Force, it immediately combined with the Qi of the Southern Dipper Red Falcon Fist, producing an effect that was greater than the sum of its parts. If Cassius's Qi had seemed somewhat stagnant before, it was now revitalized, like a dragon newly brought to life.

A suffocating and terrifying killing intent radiated from Cassius. The faint scent of blood rolled through the air like waves in the ocean.

Star Ring Fist’s Aro, who had already sustained considerable injuries, felt a violent mental shock just from watching the battle. It seemed like a massive tide of blood had formed on the battlefield, and ten-meter-tall waves were crashing down on him.

His vision blurred. It felt as though he was trapped in a crimson world, as the intense scent of blood nearly made him gag. He couldn't catch his breath.

Hiss!

A middle-aged man hurriedly dragged Aro more than ten meters back before finally propping him up against a marble column. The middle-aged man then slapped him roughly across the face.

Aro instantly jolted awake. He shuddered as his blurry eyes began to clear. He felt the burn of the slap on his cheek as he gulped in air, thankful that his uncle had snapped him out of it.

Had he not been awakened, his already shaken mind might have crumbled under that terrifying killing intent. Worst-case scenario, he would have been utterly ruined. At best, the momentum he had built up during his journey challenging pugilists across the county would have been completely shattered. Aro had seen others in a similar situation. They had once been favored by the heavens, but the pressure had grown so crushing that they had fallen into a decades-long period of stagnation.

"Hah… Too terrifying…"

Aro's heart was still pounding as he wiped the sweat away. His hand pressed on his chest as he felt his heart beat wildly.

The combat arena was now surprisingly smooth and clean. All the rubble and dust had been blown away by the gale produced by the collision of the two powerful Qi waves. Wind howled faintly in the distance.

Beyond the swirling air, two blurry figures stood in the center of the arena and examined each other.

The eyes of the Great Elder of Evil Eye Fist narrowed as he looked at Cassius. He sensed that Cassius's Qi and presence weren’t at his level yet, nor had his Will fully materialized in his fist techniques. But there was a deeply unsettling killing aura emanating from him. He wasn't merely posturing; this was a very real, menacing energy born from taking countless lives. The near-tangible killing intent in Cassius's Qi made that clear.

This blond young man was not as elegant and refined as his appearance suggested. On the contrary, he was a butcher!

The Great Elder had never seen this level of killing intent, not even in the infamous Blood Fist. How many people had this Cassius killed? How much blood had he spilled? Could he have been born into this world knowing how to kill?

The Great Elder, Buck, regarded Cassius cautiously. That burst of killing intent had temporarily put Cassius on the same footing at him, forcing a stalemate. This was a formidable opponent indeed.

Buck raised a wrinkled hand to adjust his glasses, the glare off the lenses concealing his eyes for a brief moment. He then stomped down with his right foot, causing the ground to shake, as he dropped into a combat stance. His right leg was extended forward, toes pointing diagonally, while he shifted his weight back onto his stable left leg. His aged arms were raised defensively in front of his chest, ready to attack or defend. Black currents of Qi swirled toward him like a vortex, and the Evil Eye overhead slowly descended until it hovered above him.

Opposite him, Cassius was unusually excited. He didn’t know why, but their first clash had triggered a special state inside him. It felt somewhat similar to the Southern Dipper state but not quite the same. To put it simply, he was overwhelmed by excitement, and his limbs and palms were getting hot and itchy.

Swoosh…

He could faintly hear water flowing through his body. Since he had just broken through to his ninth acupoint, Death’s Fang Force was surging toward the next acupoint. The tearing and destructive energy pressed against the tenth acupoint, seemingly eager to break through.

He felt a momentary twinge of unease, but it was soon smothered by his surging battle lust. He rotated his hands, passing them through the air before his chest, as Death's Fang spiraled in his palms, puncturing the air and leaving faint red trails in its wake.

"Come on, boy! Let me see what the combat artist who defeated Justin is capable of!" Great Elder Buck bounded forward like a tiger, drawing two large arcs with his arms. His claw-like hands closed in from both sides.

"You'll find out soon enough!"

Cassius's eyes flashed fiercely. His hands flew open, his left hand forming a fist while the fingers on the right hand spread wide. Almost like he had anticipated Buck's moves, he intercepted the Great Elder’s attack midair.

Smack! Smack!

Two loud cracks echoed. Cassius surged forward again as he flung his hands forward in another swift motion. His fingertips sliced through the air, leaving two red arcs behind.

Two thin lines of blood lingered in the air. Buck stepped back and glanced at his chest. His clothes had been torn apart, along with the skin on his shoulder. Two straight lines of blood were drawn across his body and were steadily growing larger. At the same time, he felt a searing pain in his hands. The tearing, destructive force of Death's Fang was wreaking havoc within his palms. Buck's eyes widened as he stared at Cassius in disbelief.

Red Falcon Fist! Blood Fist Feng Liusi?

"How is this possible…" Buck muttered to himself, his shoulders trembling. The torn skin knitted itself closed and his fists trembled slightly as he used his Qi to expel the Death’s Fang Force from his body as a drop of blood. It immediately exploded into mist upon hitting the marble floor.

Feng Liusi. Wasn't that old fool driven mad three years ago? He's been hiding in the Loka Mountains ever since. No one in the Red Falcon Fist sect should have inherited his unique style either. Could this Cassius be a disciple Feng Liusi trained in secret?

Buck eyed Cassius uncertainly, hesitant to attack again. But Cassius had no such reservations.

Cassius's flexible body coiled and sprang forward at lightning speed, transforming him into a blood-red silhouette that shot right through the Qi field. His fingers instantly snapped forward like a flaming comet as he aimed for Buck.

The Red Mist Finger Gun!

Yes, though his fingers had been broken during his bout with Justin, they had already healed thanks to his remarkable recovery ability. This was his real trump card in all his challenges.

The Golem Covert Martial Arts had always been Cassius's strongest shield. It was even more important than the Southern Dipper Red Falcon Fist.

Buck had initially thought to counter Cassius's strike. However, when alarms went off in his head, he changed his mind and slid sideways to dodge it.

The Red Mist Finger Gun grazed his shoulder, tearing off a small piece of flesh before piercing through the marble pillar at a slight angle, leaving a jagged trail across the stone.

In an instant, the marble pillar that was as broad as a person, was sliced in half. If that strike had hit a person, their intestines and internal organs would have spilled out, and even their bones would have been broken inch by inch.

However, Cassius only grew more excited after missing his first blow. Blood sprayed from Buck's shoulder, and two droplets landed on Cassius’s face. Cassius spun fluidly and launched himself at the figure rushing at him from behind. Red and black shadows flashed across the open arena as the two combatants fought.

The spectator only saw glimpses of the battle, as the two accelerated to the point where they seemed to flicker like a glitchy video. One moment, they were ten meters apart, but the next, one was behind the other. The physiques and combat techniques of fighters at this level seemed to burst with power, as fists, legs, and elbows became one continuous blur in the air.

Whoosh!

A blood-red fist swung through the air like a sledgehammer, tearing through afterimages and smashing into a marble pillar. A hole the size of a person’s head appeared on the pillar as powdered stone debris crumbled to the ground.

Boom!

A black fist drew back and shot out again, narrowly grazing the opponent's blond hair. The knuckle of the index finger protruded like a hammer as it slammed into the wall. In an instant, a web of cracks, almost half the size of a person, spread across the wall. Flecks of blood occasionally splattered onto the white surface.

It was unclear how many exchanges had occurred in this brief moment. Cassius only felt the fiery heat in his chest burning even hotter when suddenly, a cracking sound reached his ears.

Death's Fang Force surged into the tenth acupoint!

Another breakthrough?

Just as he was about to inspect his body again, a leg blurred through the air. Cassius quickly threw his right arm in the way to block. The impact sent him flying back five meters. His feet scraped harshly against the marble floor as he fought to regain his balance.

His fist techniques are indeed similar to Feng Liusi's Red Falcon Fist, but his execution and Secret Techniques differ greatly. He has vast combat experience, yet lacks fluidity in switching between techniques. His physique may be strong, but his explosive killing power is insufficient. Under normal circumstances, his overall strength is comparable to an experienced veteran combat artist, but compared to a veteran combat artist going all out, he still falls short…

Buck was simultaneously fighting and assessing his opponent's strength. The manifestation of Will of the Fist often separated an average combat artist from a veteran. It was clear now that Cassius had not reached that level yet. Though he showed hints of it in his techniques, it was still in its infancy. He couldn’t yet achieve the kind of explosive Will that a veteran combat artist could channel into their every punch and kick.

I can’t drag this out any longer. He looks like he's at his limit, but if I continue fighting, these old bones of mine…

Buck's thoughts raced. He had always fought in the same way: forcing the opponent to reveal their full strength, planning out a strategy clearly in his mind, and ending the battle with a decisive blow.

But when he watched his slender, blond opponent attack so wildly, Buck found himself surprised, though only mildly, by the density of Cassius's muscles. Physique was no longer the primary factor in determining strength at the level of a veteran combat artist. Cassius was indeed fast and strong, but not so strong that he'd be able to decide the outcome of the fight.

Buck had been training in the Evil Eye Fist for many years. He had mastered the inherited techniques of this ancient fist style, but he had also developed a technique over the last decade that perfectly matched his personal martial arts philosophy—a phantom punch that could briefly deceive the senses. It had impressive effects even against a combat artist of the same level. He was planning on using this move to get a decisive win over Cassius!

"Hiss…"

Buck took a deep breath, and white energy swirled rapidly around him. His aging hands suddenly met in front of him, and his body swelled two to three times in size as his muscles bulged. The veins on his forehead snaked and twisted beneath his skin. A strange glint flashed across his round glasses as Buck's hands separated and traced arcs in the air.

All the black energy within a two-meter radius instantly reversed course as it was sucked back into his body. Above his head, the massive Evil Eye symbol suddenly rose and anchored itself onto the pitch-black ceiling.

"Eye of Darkness!"

Whoooo—

A whistle sounded in his ear, and the entire arena seemed to darken. It was as if an eye had closed, draining all color from the world and leaving only a black void.

This was the illusion created by Buck's fist techniques and Will. It consumed a tremendous amount of energy and mental strength, but if it ended in his victory, it was a risk worth taking.

Standing outside the darkness, Buck watched Cassius looking somewhat dazed as he was engulfed by shadows. In this brief moment, Cassius’s senses would be greatly diminished. He would be unable to sense anything. It was a fatal situation for a combat artist at this level. The opponent could attack, but Cassius couldn't strike back. He could only rely on blind swings that relied on luck.

Buck took a deep breath and assumed his Evil Eye Fist combat stance, planting his foot on the ground and forming the Three-Ring Hammer Strike with his right hand.

He instantly appeared behind Cassius and threw a heavy punch at his back. If Cassius took this punch unguarded, even if he didn’t die, he’d be gravely injured!

Buck’s eyes gleamed as his fist slammed into Cassius's back. The dull thud of flesh meeting flesh echoed out.

"There's a price to be paid for challenging your elders, young man… Huh?"

Buck's senses suddenly blared in alarm, but it was too late. A massive hand came out of his blind spot and smashed into his face. Buck’s glasses shattered as he was sent flying.

The two-meter-tall muscular giant hadn't moved an inch. He whipped around, white steam spewing out from his nostrils. His broad chest was like a wall; veins rippled in his arms; and his shoulders were as large as tires. His heartbeat thundered in his chest, each pulse like a drum driving the terrifying energy of his body.

The life magnetic field of the Golem allowed Cassius to briefly experience a fraction of the dark creature Golem's terrifying physique. Cassius had just taken Buck's killing move head-on!

Not only that but Cassius felt another acupoint break open with a crisp, satisfying sound as the energy from Buck's punch coursed through his body. The opening of his eleventh acupoint marked the completion of the first stage of the Southern Dipper Red Falcon Fist!

However, before Cassius could even rejoice, he was overwhelmed by a torrent of euphoria. His eleven acupoints thrummed in his body, and Death's Fang Force flowed through him like water. The Killer Persona, stimulated by the Southern Dipper Red Falcon Fist and the Golem state, erupted into a berserk frenzy in an instant.

Boom!

Cassius's thick arms swung, snapping a marble pillar as thick as a man’s waist in two. He effortlessly pulled it out with both hands and began swinging it like it was an ordinary stick. Each swing sent shockwaves through the air.

He smashed the ground and the support columns all around him, leaving craters and stumps behind. Nearby, Buck, who had barely shaken off his dizziness, finally regained his composure and stood up. He picked up the broken pieces of his glasses and gazed at the arena in shock.

A terrifying giant with blond hair and red eyes charged through the swirling dust, wielding a marble pillar like a madman.

"!!!"