Returning to the Mysterious Era-Chapter 465 - Golem Totem

"The identity you held with the royal family is no longer useful, so come to the Treatment Ward and assist me. I will soon head over to Shire County, and you will come with me. I need your hypnotic abilities..." At first, his voice resonated like a massive bell, then slowly dropped to normal as he spoke.

Cassius let his Golem form shrink away and walked through the warped doorway as a human. He showed no concern for Evil Mother, entering the first-floor hall entirely unclothed.

Cassius quickly found a set of clean clothes and changed into them. He stood before a half-length mirror and glanced at himself. He wondered if it was because his organs had fully adapted to the dark creature transformation, for his features and disposition now seemed laced with something sinister.

Even without expression, the sharpness between his outline and brows conveyed an oppressive, domineering aura. It was the normal life magnetic field of his body, which was impossible to fully restrain. He would need some time to adjust before he could regulate it freely.

Now, Cassius had attained the level of an extreme combat artist relying solely on his body. That meant even without utilizing the ocean-like Qi within him or unleashing any intricate, vicious finishing blows, he could still hold his own against an extreme combat artist simply through raw power, speed, and defense.

It was obvious that if he counted his Sonic Fang Force, his overall combat capability would rise to another level. Of course, the most important aspect of an extreme combat artist stage who had hit the physical limit was defense. Simply put, he would be able to withstand more hits, which gave him a higher margin for error.

Cassius's Sonic Fang Force had already reached devastating levels, and the breakthrough of the Golem Covert Martial Arts only offered further enhancement on top of that. Yet, it was his exceptionally robust body that secured his position of near-invincibility.

As long as the bony armor on his skin remained intact, he would face no mortal danger even if a more powerful extreme combat artist suppressed him. He had multiple options in a fight: he could rely on his horrifying stamina and defense to outlast his opponent or retreat with extreme speed and explosive force. In essence, both his fighting prowess and survival ability had been enhanced.

Collecting his thoughts, Cassius sensed the vast surge of energy coursing between his cells and his ever more compact, powerful muscles. He slowly rotated his neck as his bones produced a cracking sound.

He glanced at Evil Mother nearby. "We're going back to the Treatment Ward."

Late that night inside the director's room in the Treatment Ward, Cassius once again entered the World of Calamity and appeared by the revival altar on the first floor of the Tower of Refuge.

In fact, he had never once used the altar's revival ability. Even upon first entering the World of Calamity, he was already a top-tier combat artist and was well able to handle dangers in that vicious environment. Now that Cassius had reached the extreme combat artist realm, his likelihood of needing the altar was even less.

Even so, that revival still served as a safeguard since everyone risked a stroke of bad luck someday. If a night without light truly came and an Ultimate Dark Form appeared, it could still keep him safe.

After he infused the Tower of Refuge's defense array with Blood of the Spirit, Cassius departed swiftly. He strode through the gates of Ash City and headed for Howling Canyon. The undead there served as the best possible sparring partners.

If his strength had soared in a brief span, that place was undoubtedly the best choice to fully master it. Moreover, once the undead were defeated on the spot, they offered Cassius certain insights into combat. Dropping by for occasional battles was highly beneficial for Cassius to advance his Covert Martial Arts.

After a night of learning and fighting, dawn came. Cassius opened his eyes, and a flicker of dark mist crossed his pupils. He had spent the entire night seated cross-legged and now rose from the soft carpet.

Taking a few steps to the window, he pulled aside the white curtain. Bright sunlight poured in, and the sky outside glowed with clear hues. He took a quiet glance at the floor which was bathed in the sunlight, then left the bedroom and walked into a spacious area.

He looked around slowly and noticed that several prisoners of the Treatment Ward were gathered in groups, painting walls and planting trees. It made for a bustling scene of enthusiastic labor.

Cassius wandered around and saw some prisoners gardening, others fixing the walls, and still others doing cleaning work.

He narrowed his eyes a bit and headed toward the cafeteria. On the way, he unexpectedly ran into Sigal, who was dressed in casual attire.

Cassius beckoned him over and gestured toward the prisoners in the distance. "What's going on with them?"

"Oh, Director, you mean these folks. Our Treatment Ward headquarters have been neglected for half a year now, with no organized upkeep. So my master intends to start small, tidying everything thoroughly before we resume proper operations..." Sigal offered his explanation.

"Alright, follow his plan." Cassius did not linger on the subject. He simply turned around and continued toward the cafeteria.

He trusted professionals with professional matters. Sigal's master, Odo, had once been the vice director of the Treatment Ward and clearly knew how to reorganize the place. There was no need for him, a layman, to meddle. He was self-aware; he only knew how to wield force, not govern.

His means of winning people over amounted to forcibly controlling them with Golem Seeds, so his subordinates hardly possessed real loyalty or admiration toward him. It was purely because his fists were overwhelmingly more powerful than theirs.

Of course, that was enough. Was that not exactly how the Golem Sect had been formed back in reality? Cassius had no desire yet to maintain any lasting force.

He quickened his pace, reached the cafeteria, and had some breakfast. He was planning to head back to the director's office of the Treatment Ward, but Evil Mother unexpectedly emerged along the way.

They soon withdrew to a dark, secluded spot and spoke in hushed tones.

"Last night, while I was studying the Totem King's golden totem, I made a new discovery that might offer you some fresh ideas..." whispered Evil Mother. ƒreewebɳovel.com

She was wearing a white floral lace dress with a sun hat on her head. She almost looked human, if not for her overly tall stature.

"Oh? Speak," Cassius said, his gaze narrowing slightly.

"It has to do with the Golem Seed you implanted in me," Evil Mother replied.

"Let's talk in the office." Cassius realized at once that this finding could be valuable.

Three minutes later, the partially drawn curtains dimmed the bright sunlight inside Cassius’s room. Cassius brewed a cup of tea for himself and sat on the sofa. Opposite him, Evil Mother extended her fair hand.

There was a symmetrical golden totem on her palm and the back of her hand, faintly shining in the sunlight like stamped gold foil. She pressed that hand against her lower abdomen, where the Golem Seed from Covert Martial Arts was located.

The moment contact was made, changes arose at once. The Golem Seed spontaneously released Golem Qi, responding to the golden totem's aura and slowly creeping across Evil Mother's smooth abdomen. It lingered almost imperceptibly, as if forming some eerie pattern. It bore a certain resemblance to the golden totem in shape and appearance.

"You see, that's basically what's happening..." Evil Mother spread her hand once more, speaking softly.

Cassius gazed at Evil Mother, hoping she could offer a hypothesis.

"The Totem King is one of the underworld's Ultimate Dark Forms. According to it, all things in existence can be turned into totems. Dark creatures in particular, no matter their type or rank, can be replicated by its golden totem because they share a fundamental essence. Just like the battle last night, even the extreme Cataclysmic Spirit level dark creature known as the Evil Remains could be captured and replicated by the totem." Evil Mother paused, then slowly turned her head, her black pupils locking onto Cassius.

"To speak plainly, last night your overpowering aura was truly like that of a supremely terrifying dark creature," she stated directly.

Across from her, Cassius narrowed his eyes, and his own aura grew somewhat threatening. Dust motes drifted through the sunlight like insects, rippling in warped patterns as though scorched by flame.

"Of course, it was only faintly similar. I realize it's still the extraordinary effect produced by your top-tier Covert Martial Arts. I'm quite impressed that you can mimic the evolutionary process of dark creatures through a single form of Covert Martial Arts. The person who created it must have been a genius!" Evil Mother spoke smoothly, her words fluent, conveying genuine emotion.

The menacing aura that had flared up across from her slowly subsided. It was as though a gaping maw had shut itself once more.

"Whew..." Evil Mother breathed out in relief, casting a glance at Cassius, who was holding a warm teacup in his five fingers with an unchanged expression, before continuing.

"After your strength advanced last night, the Qi you refined may have included some atavistic traits. My point is that a dark creature's aura somewhat resembles the Covert Martial Arts you practice. This rare golden totem's function lies in cloaking a totem to amplify its effects. In other words, the Golem Seed you forged could potentially be deconstructed and altered into a totem form..."

"Turned into a totem?" Cassius set down his teacup, understanding something at once.

His body had broken through to extreme combat artist the previous day, and the Qi Embodiment stage of his Golem Covert Martial Arts also reached a new level. He was at the last tier of Qi Embodiment.

His Golem Qi had undergone a mutation, drawing even closer to the form it had always imitated—the Ultimate Dark Form, Golem. If Cassius represented the true Golem, then the Golem Seed was simply a portion of that strength dispersed elsewhere. It was the same for the Totem King, its totem was likewise a fraction of its own power scattered outward. Both were Ultimate Dark Forms.

According to Evil Mother, a totem was not a dark creature itself but rather a specific configuration of dark creature energy.

Could Cassius replicate that design approach and craft his own totem? Once his Golem Covert Martial Arts had reached the level of an extreme combat artist, his Golem Qi carried strong dark creature energy. Although its essence still belonged to a combat artist, it had acquired distinct qualities of a dark creature.

Perhaps he could try using Golem Qi to outline a miniature Golem totem. That might not affect Cassius's own combat abilities, but it could be applied to his subordinates. A Golem totem might serve as a secondary transformation built upon the Golem Seed.

In theory, anyone who possessed a Golem totem could unleash a potent surge of strength in a short burst. Cassius's Golem Seed was mainly used for training in the past. It allowed the miniature Golem life magnetic field to envelop the body, refining it through specialized breathing until supernatural power was attained.

On rare occasions, it could also be used in combat by injecting more Qi into the Golem Seed, triggering a burst at a critical moment and producing something like what the Holy Fist Demon Phoenix created.

However, that was just an idea. As it consumed enormous Qi, it would only be a last resort.

Evil Mother's idea of turning the Golem Seed into a totem seemed quite feasible as a uniform, efficient, practical, and sustainable combat method. It also happened that they could use everyone in the Treatment Ward as test subjects. After all, they were originally criminals, so it could be considered their small contribution.

Cassius, along with Evil Mother, quickly located Vice Director Odo, who was busy with official tasks. He told him to prepare a cell for them at once. Not long afterward, several prisoners of varying power levels were brought to the Savage Beast Den.

Cassius and Evil Mother began their experimentation. By afternoon, the outcomes of their tests were clear. Converting the Golem Seed into a totem was indeed feasible!

Prisoners equipped with a Golem totem effectively gained an additional supernatural ability. They could trigger the Golem totem for a short period, amplifying their body's strength dramatically. Their speed, power, defense, even size and reflexes all spiked in an instant. They could also become astonishingly large and muscular!

According to their tests, even an unhealthily skinny young man around a hundred and seventy centimeters tall would see his bones and muscles swell rapidly the moment he activated the Golem totem.

He would turn into a burly, forceful man nearly two metres tall, wrapped in black markings with an overwhelming urge to attack. Furthermore, some prisoners whose bodies were already tough even manifested traits of the actual Golem form after using the Golem totem.

For example, sword-like scales grew on the skin of their arms, elevating their defense. Their arm strength also increased substantially. Some even grew a stegosaurus-like tail, as agile as an extra limb. One swing of that tail could slice through steel!

There was no doubt that the Golem totem had unlocked a significant portion of the Golem Seed's inherent potential. Cassius himself benefited, whether during his time-travel or in reality, since his subordinates' overall strength would see a considerable boost.

There were over a hundred members, including the prisoners, within the Treatment Ward. After Cassius's Golem Covert Martial Arts broke through to the extreme combat artist level, his Qi was exceptionally abundant.

Naturally, he took it upon himself to upgrade each of their Golem Seeds manually, so that it remained a dormant seed in ordinary times, yet in battle it could transform into a totem.

In this way, everyone hosting a Golem Seed gained significant advantages. Even fearsome criminals like Nine Serpents, held in the third level of the Savage Beast Den, showed substantial improvement. They spent two or three consecutive days acclimating to their new strength.

Three days passed in a flash, and after the new director took charge, the first major hunting operation of the reformed Treatment Ward commenced.

Their target was Blood Shark!

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