Returning to the Mysterious Era-Chapter 383 - Fifth Time-Travel

Cassius had personally felled the Blood Spirit Society's Vice President, Dino, in the first battle between Cassius's trio and the Blade Demon. The Blood Spirit Society's President, Lotus, had met his own end in the final showdown of the last time-travel event. He had absorbed all the Dead Blood to form the Amalgamation to battle Cassius in his Golem state. In the end, he had been tragically and brutally smashed into pulp, reducing his muscles and bones to mush.

Cassius had actually benefited during that battle, as he eagerly drew life vibration energy from the accumulation of Dead Blood within the Blood Spirit Society. In essence, Lotus became his stepping stone. It was not just Lotus, but the entire Blood Spirit Society had paved the way for Cassius's advancement. Cassius's path to strength through the previous time-travel, following his breakthrough as a combat artist, was paved by the corpses of the Dead Blood from the Blood Spirit Society.

He had slaughtered the Blood Spirit Society in the temporary Blood Nest of East Sea City, and later in the final showdown in Kura City, ranging from the newly parasitized Decay-Rank Dead Blood to the three Indestructible-Rank leaders. They had all perished at his hands.

The immense life vibration energy they provided allowed Cassius to quickly cross the gap between a new and a veteran combat artist, until he reached the level of a top-tier combat artist. So, in a way, he actually owed them a debt of gratitude. After returning to the real world, Cassius thought he should repay them in some way. After all, one should never forget the source of one's fortune.

As he thought of this, Cassius couldn't help but smile. His unrestrained and fearless expression struck Dino and Lotus as a blatant mockery, laden with arrogance.

Dino's face turned cold as he prepared to strike, but his gaze landed on the Book of the Devil in Cassius's hands. A familiar aura caught his attention.

Could it be... the Kupan Demon Box?

Impossible! The Kupan Demon Box, along with the three of them, had been sealed deep within the ruins for safekeeping. How could it have ended up here?

But he remembered Adam had awakened and left, likely about a month or two ago, judging by the lingering traces of his aura. This meant that Adam had taken the Kupan Demon Box upon waking. He had evidently planned to restore the Blood Spirit Society. However, somehow, the box had ended up in the hands of this blond youth, who managed to open it. The chitin-like book he held was one of the items within the box! Dino, as the Vice President of the Blood Spirit Society, had been in close contact with the Kupan Demon Box for over a decade. Despite the long slumber, he couldn't forget that familiar aura.

Even though the box had changed form, he could still recognize it. At the same time, Lotus, the Blood Spirit Society's President, also noticed the anomaly as his eyes fell on the book in Cassius's hand.

"What did you do to Adam? And how did the Kupan Demon Box end up with you?" Lotus demanded, his tone bordering on accusation. The dangerous aura around him intensified, and blood-colored ripples surged like molten lava beneath his pale skin, spreading like scarlet tree roots. It was the blood energy of an Indestructible-Rank Dead Blood, the primal source of his strength. freeweɓnovel.cøm

Despite the ferocious glances from the two, Cassius's expression remained unchanged; in fact, his grin grew even wilder, revealing his fangs.

"Why is a corpse talking?" he sneered, snapping the Book of the Devil shut and tucking it into his coat.

Suddenly, there were two loud bangs as Dino and Lotus sprang more than ten meters high. Dust filled the air, and the pressure waves surged upward.

A glint of cold light flashed in Cassius's eyes as his shoulders tensed, and his rock-white muscles began to swell. A cracking sound echoed from his body as his bone joints, as hard as steel, moved rapidly. In an instant, an overwhelming, bloodthirsty force radiated from him, slamming straight down into the pit.

"Get back down!!!"

The ground silently cracked as his massive figure appeared mid-air, his perfectly defined muscles swelling inch by inch. He raised his arms, his spine curving like a drawn bow, and locked his fists together. He brought them down like a cannonball, smashing with brute force.

Boom!

The three figures collided fiercely, Cassius falling from above while Dino and Lotus leaped up from below. A semi-circular shockwave rippled outward, covering a ten-meter radius.

Cassius's grin grew fiercer as the terrifying strength contained within his muscular arms burst forth like a dam breaking, crashing down with unstoppable momentum.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

The two figures hurtled back down just as swiftly as they had leaped up.

Mid-air, Cassius, his body shrouded in blood-red Qi, somersaulted and landed firmly on the ground. Simultaneously, two loud thuds echoed from below.

"It seems you two haven't improved at all after all this time. What a disappointment..." Cassius said, cracking his neck. Facing both opponents was easy; he still had energy to spare.

Cassius had grown too powerful. Since reaching the peak of top-tier combat artist in the previous time-travel era, he had now obtained twice the power of a top-tier combat artist, a significant leap in strength.

Although Dino and Lotus had also made some progress over the past half-century, they had just awakened from slumber and were in a weakened state. Without the Amalgamation from the Dead Blood of the Blood Spirit Society around them, they were actually weaker than their selves in the time-travel era.

Even two-on-one, they were no match for Cassius.

Did these two veteran combat artists think they could confront a double top-tier combat artist? How absurd! Cassius had recently defeated five opponents at once, three regular combat artists and two veteran ones. The two Blood Spirit Society members posed no threat.

Since they couldn't threaten Cassius, it was now his turn to threaten them. A little gift in return, and a light gesture to show his goodwill.

Cassius had come all this way, and meeting them here felt like fate. He wouldn't take anything of value from the ruins; he'd just reclaim their lives. After all, seeing people he had once pummeled into mincemeat bouncing around again was an eyesore. Cassius was, after all, a bit of a clean freak.

The sound of crumbling stones echoed from below.

"Since you're back from the dead, I'll send you off again!"

Cassius took a deep breath, his broad chest swelling, and his body tilted backward as if gathering power.

A visible white mist formed from his nose and mouth, spiraling into the air.

"Southern Dipper Red Falcon Fist!"

Cassius plunged into the dark tunnel like a meteor, moving so fast that the air friction created explosive sounds. Blood-red Qi swirled around him, vaguely forming the shape of a fierce red falcon.

The falcon's wings, lined with bone spurs, spread wide, as the raptor flew down in a deadly dive.

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

Intense sounds of battle echoed deep underground, shaking the turf violently, as if an earthquake had struck the area. Occasionally, cracks spread across the ground's surface.

In the air, the pilot Marvin was now less than fifty meters from the ground. By some unfortunate luck, his escape parachute had carried him right within the ring's perimeter.

Thus, Marvin could clearly hear the commotion beneath.

Boom, boom, boom—

It was as if a giant was imprisoned underground and hammering the surface with fists the size of mountains. His eyelids twitched uncontrollably as he saw dust billowing from the dark pit below like a geyser. The ground at the pit's center stretched outward in radial cracks, both destructive and eerie.

Is the evil god summoned by the ritual down at the bottom of that pit? Marvin thought to himself.

Suddenly, a black object shot out from the pit like a spear, ascending rapidly through the clouds. It slowed down at forty meters, then fell back at fifty meters.

Marvin froze mid-air, as he caught a clear look at the thing shooting upwards. It was a human head! It had a jagged neck from being twisted off, and its face was frozen in shock and terror!

Just a moment ago, he had even locked eyes with the terrified gaze of the dead man.

That brief glimpse left an indelible impression on him.

Thrilling! Truly thrilling! Marvin surprisingly felt less afraid in the face of death, as he had accepted his ultimate fate. If he were to die, witnessing such bizarre sights before death was worth it.

Thud.

Marvin landed on the ground and rolled a few times. He struggled free of the parachute, immediately eyeing the pit about ten meters away.

Swallowing hard, Marvin was about to approach and investigate when a sudden scratching sound came from within the pit. It sounded like a beast’s sharp claws scrabbling wildly along the rock wall.

Whoosh!

A towering, burly figure leapt out. Covered in blood, the muscular figure stood at the edge of the pit, holding a dripping head in his left hand.

The man turned slowly and walked toward Marvin one step at a time. Each step he took resonated in Marvin's heart like a hammer blow. His breath hitched, and his once fearless resolve to face death wavered. Marvin was afraid again as every hair on his body stood on end. This was a visceral reaction, unrelated to willpower or any serene acceptance of death.

The cold, golden-haired man before him invoked a primal fear in his very being as each cell radiated terror.

"You... you... just kill me already..." Marvin's teeth chattered as he managed to squeeze out a few words. He left one last word, "monster”, unsaid, intimidated by the overwhelming pressure from the man.

Tap. Tap. Tap...

The tall figure walked half a meter in front of Marvin, then raised a hand to wipe the blood from his face.

"What nonsense. As fellow humans, how could we turn on each other? Can't you see I'm actually a good guy?"

The voice was deep, with a tone that brooked no doubt.

"Huh?"

Marvin barely managed a final expression of bewilderment. The next second, everything went black as he fainted away. Enduring Cassius's bloodthirsty aura after his battle for even a few seconds was impressive for an ordinary man.

"Heh."

Cassius snorted, ignoring the unconscious Marvin on the ground. He stepped forward, picking up another severed head in the distance, and strode across the plains.

***

Three days later, October 29, at a white lakeside villa.

Cassius stood on the crescent balcony on the third floor, gazing at the shimmering blue-green lake. He could see his technique status bar in the upper-right corner.

[Golem Covert Martial Arts: Qi Embodiment 60% (Total Three Stages)] → [Golem Covert Martial Arts: Qi Embodiment 64.1% (Total Three Stages)]

After absorbing the life vibration energy of two Indestructible-Rank beings, Dino and Lotus, Cassius's technique progress advanced by about 4%.

His Qi Essence power had grown even more robust and intense. His pores opened and closed as he moved, with an invisible Qi Essence circulating around his body like a faint mist, either seeping out or slowly reabsorbed. This was a trait of Qi Essence at a certain level.

The disaster three days ago, one could say, turned out to be a blessing in disguise. The plane crash had yielded two Indestructible-Rank Dead Bloods, giving Cassius a free 4% progress in his technique.

It seemed the side effects of the Book of the Devil weren't all negative. Under certain conditions, it even showed remarkable effects. He decided not to tear up the book just yet and to study it further.

Yes, next time, he'd be even more cautious...

A damp breeze brushed against his face. Cassius glanced at the faint sun behind the white clouds and then at the waterbirds circling above the lake. He turned back and sat on the sofa.

Taking a slow breath, he picked up a mask from the nearby table. The search for the legendary gun antique still showed little progress, so this time-travel journey would be dedicated to the Dark Hunting Mask.

Cassius had more than enough lingering attachment energy for his fifth time-travel.

[Lingering Attachment Energy: 35.4 → 49.6]

Some time had passed, and he had obtained an additional 14.2 points. The total lingering attachment energy was nearing the fifty-point threshold, which was more than enough for multiple journeys.

This was the benefit of establishing a powerhouse organization. Cassius didn't need to lift a finger, and his people would bring resources to him. This saved considerable time.

The moment was right. He slowly fastened the mask to his face, activating his time-travel ability!

As blood seeped in, a numbing, icy aura surged forth. Cassius's body froze, and everything around him seemed to crystallize like amber, suspended in time. The distant white bird hung in mid-air, its wings extended in dynamic tension.

"The fifth time-travel—Here I come..."

Buzz! Thump!

A sharp pain struck the back of Cassius's head. The world spun and shattered. When his senses realigned, he found himself in a new realm.

A young man was lying on a white bed bathed in brilliant sunlight. He opened his eyes abruptly, revealing a pair of deep, cold eyes. In the next instant, a strange glint flashed in his blue-black irises.

Closing his eyes, he sensed carefully, and after ten seconds, he opened them again, a peculiar expression on his face as he murmured to himself.

"How did my Qi come along with me this time?!"