Returning to the Mysterious Era-Chapter 646 - Fearsome Body, God of War

Cassius had slain another Ultimate Dark Form on the plain! Honestly, his luck was really good. He had been able to find two Ultimate Dark Forms by following faint clues, without even alerting other Ultimate Dark Forms. The fighting was crisp and clean, leaving no chance for the opponent to flee or seek help.

Of course, this also had to do with the larger environment. The World of Calamity was the home ground of Ultimate Dark Forms and gave them the overall advantage for centuries. How could the Ultimate Dark Forms have imagined that someone would come to hunt them in their lair?

Such behavior could be called utterly audacious. If several Ultimate Dark Forms discovered him, the outcome would likely be grim.

Under the red moon, Cassius slowly raised his right hand as he stood atop a giant beast's corpse upon the plain. The Thorn Sonic Death Armament appeared like a hazy phantom, carrying unbelievable destructive power. He narrowed his eyes slightly and, without hesitation, smashed down with a punch. His whole arm pierced into the giant beast's skull.

With a squelch, great gouts of blood gushed out.

"Devour it clean, Golem Covert Martial Arts..."

The Golem life magnetic field descended ferociously. The air shimmered, congealing into a colossal, ferocious mouth whose fangs were jagged like sharp steel saws. The giant mouth bit down on the beast's head. It devoured its prey gluttonously, like it was an exceptionally delicious meal.

During this process, Cassius could feel his Golem Covert Martial Arts evolving bit by bit. Its inner, powerful core writhed as if it were a living organism. After his physique had broken through to Ultimate Dark Form, the Golem Covert Martial Arts had completely left the ranks of first-rate Covert Martial Arts. It had reached a state beyond the conventional scope of Covert Martial Arts and was no longer constrained.

He could feel that absorbing the life vibration energy of Ultimate Dark Forms not only advanced his Golem Covert Martial Arts but also inched toward a completion. He was absorbing the formidable traits of different dark creatures' life magnetic fields, thereby becoming more perfect.

This made the Golem produced by his Golem Covert Martial Arts no longer merely an Ultimate Dark Form that was ranked fifth. Instead, it kept receiving great upgrades and accumulated power as it continued evolving toward a perfect Ultimate Dark Form.

By then, the physique limit that the Golem Covert Martial Arts could grant Cassius would no longer be that of the Golem's own peak but higher. Perhaps ranked fourth, third, second, or even first?

Everything was possible. It all depended on how he cultivated and accumulated. This unlimited potential was precisely why the Golem Covert Martial Arts was formidable.

After a while, the white steam on the giant beast's corpse had completely dissipated. It was now shriveled and jet-black. Its dull scales and barbs were tight around the skeleton as if no flesh or organs remained beneath. It looked like a charred black log burned to the end. Using everything it had as fuel, it had given warmth to others.

Beside it, Cassius felt very warm. Burning, even.

After absorbing the life vibration energy, he had used it up without hesitation. He was always one to move quickly and avoid long nights. Cassius kept a sacred posture like a temple statue on the beast's lowered head. His skin glowed, then at a certain moment drew all light inward. His eyes snapped open and he looked to the upper right.

[Golem Covert Martial Arts: Mental Unification 36.5% (Final Stage)] → 42.4%

Altogether, the progress had increased by 5.9%. The second Ultimate Dark Form Cassius encountered was as strong as the Seranar King he had met in the fifth time-travel.

The two hunts had brought a total accumulated increase of 13.1% to his Golem Covert Martial Arts. Cassius was satisfied; it was quite good.

Overall, his Golem Covert Martial Arts was already heading close to fifty percent. That was to say, he had already taken nearly half the steps toward the ultimate realm. If a Holy Fist cultivated normally, he might need tens of thousands of years to achieve what he had. Cassius only needed to have Ultimate Dark Forms that had accumulated eons of strength to contribute their energy, and he could use that vast energy to fill the bottomless pit of the "ultimate realm".

Right now, it was nearly half filled!

Cassius recalled the first three time-travels, especially the years of hard cultivation in the Wind Elephant Sect, and felt somewhat sentimental.

"Dark creatures really are my blessing. Back then, I hadn't created the Golem Covert Martial Arts and had no way to absorb the life vibration energy of dark creatures. I still remember when obtaining resources and increasing my strength were extremely difficult."

"Huu..." He slowly let out a breath and stood up. "The first hunt in the World of Calamity went smoothly. I hope the second and third times to come can still be this simple..."

Kong kong kong kong kong...

Suddenly, the blood moon dimmed, and something vast and pitch-black shrouded the sky like a huge black blanket. After a moment, some great existences appeared above the vast plain.

Muffled thunder rolled and fierce winds howled. The weather changed abruptly, and three terrifying Wills descended in an instant.

"Eternal Nightmare!"

"Hell Singer!"

"Sparkling Star!"

Ultimate Dark Forms... And no less than three!

Their boundless Wills, mountain-like bodies, and overwhelming strength had surrounded Cassius in an instant. The World of Calamity truly was the dark creatures' territory, and Cassius had most likely jinxed himself. When he hunted Golden Might, he was not discovered. His luck was indeed good, but when hunting the second Ultimate Dark Form, his aura had been exposed, especially since the two sides had fought over some distance.

Some Ultimate Dark Forms with powerful auras had sensed the anomaly and hastened over. Fortunately, Cassius had moved swiftly and devoured all the life vibration energy the moment he took down that Ultimate Dark Form. Any delay would not only fail to strengthen himself before battle, but he might have had no time to attend to it and be unable to even devour the life vibration energy. That would have wasted an Ultimate Dark Form's life vibration energy for nothing.

"Suotuolu, Suotuolu, Suotuolu..." It was as if thousands of mouths were murmuring above the firmament in a dream, calling a supreme being's name and power. It was Eternal Nightmare, the Ultimate Dark Form of the Nightmare Clan. Each time Eternal Nightmare's honorific resounded above the clouds, a strange ripple that induced sleep swept over the plain.

A huge human-serpent head slowly descended from the black curtain of the sky like a tree growing upside-down with a serpent body. Its dense black hair rivaled the vast root network of mangroves.

Eternal Nightmare Suotuolu descended, its huge pitch-black pupils reflecting Cassius's figure as its bloody maw opened. "Whether you are a Holy Fist or Dominator Fist, you will fall into my eternal dream..."

"Bloody Dream Power, Heart of the Deepest Dream... are all prepared for you, child!"

A tall, thin figure became ever clearer amid the mountains to the left, as if emerging from mist. It was a humanoid, slender black shadow whose skin resembled garments. It looked like a long-dead medieval bard. It had six arms and a gaunt body that resembled a stick insect. Each pair of arms clutched its neck tightly, completely wrapping around his throat. It looked like a kind of seal, and an ability.

Hell Singer, likewise, was an Ultimate Dark Form. It turned toward Cassius, lowering the first pair of arms so that a mouth full of fangs was exposed where the windpipe was supposed to be. The mouth suddenly spat out a syllable, and the surrounding peaks and plain vibrated violently.

The second pair of arms dropped, and a second gray mouth appeared. A second syllable emerged, triggering resonance again. Likewise, a third white mouth appeared, and a third syllable flew out. This time, it was no longer simple resonance but three syllables dancing into formation. They formed a grand poetic passage, and a terrifying demonic sound echoed.

Both Ultimate Dark Forms struck the moment they saw Cassius. As for the third Ultimate Dark Form, Sparkling Star, it acted even more simply and directly. The colossal creature charged straight into Cassius. In an instant, all kinds of energies roared. They wanted to rain destruction down on Cassius.

On the plain, a figure spread his arms. A brazen, defiant voice echoed in the sky.

"Ladies and gentlemen, unfortunately, you're a step too late! The show of massacre has ended. Demon Throat Beast has died miserably at the hands of a brutal hunter! The performer is already exiting, so you had better wait for the next performance. Hahaha! But then again, will you be the audience who arrived late, or the beasts on stage waiting to be slaughtered? Let us wait and see!"

Cassius stepped forward, and a terrifying Golem phantom expanded rapidly. Locked on by the three Ultimate Dark Forms, a demon and god-like slaughter machine clad in exquisitely ferocious armor suddenly descended upon the plain.

A colossal metal foot stepped on Demon Throat Beast's skull. He clenched his fist, forming the Thorn Sonic Death Armament! The Golem's fearsome body was displayed to the fullest.

Four Ultimate Dark Forms launched a great battle upon the plain!

***

Back in the real world, at the cave in Eternal Island...

Rumble!

The inter-world passage suddenly shook, and terrifying waves seemed to sweep from the other side, forming cracks in the underground cavern.

Roar!!!

A gigantic battle roar erupted. The underground cavern finally could not bear it and, amid the groans of rubble, toppled into ruin!

In a certain area on Eternal Island, the ground suddenly sank down. Everything went quiet. No one knew how long had passed before the soil exploded as a figure rose into the air.

Tap...

He landed, traces of blood leaking through the seams of his armor.

Crack...

A large hand slowly lifted as the figure lowered his head, looking at the armor riddled with cracks. They were marks of fierce battle, left by corrosive energy and of course, the side effects of the Thorn Sonic Death Armament.

"Eternal Nightmare and Hell Singer were not ordinary Ultimate Dark Forms but wanting to keep me was wishful thinking! Heh, even if two more ordinary Ultimate Dark Forms came, it would still be impossible to drag me into the abyss..."

His Golem body displayed terrifying endurance and the immortal trait of rapid regeneration. Even besieged by three Ultimate Dark Forms, Cassius stood unshaken and even had spare force to strike back.

He had used the sharpness of the Thorn Sonic Death Armament to leave those three with deeply memorable wounds. Furthermore, he was largely fine. He only needed a period of recuperation.

"Unfortunately, the very first hunt ended up being detected. I should conduct a second hunt in the near future since the World of Calamity would likely take precautions. If many join together, even I can only injure, not kill. So be it! It's about time to use a legendary antique. The Ultimate Dark Forms in the time-travel should still be unprepared, so I can take the chance to accumulate strength..."

"When my strength is great enough, I'll break the balance. Even if the Ultimate Dark Forms in the real world come in pairs, their end will still be death..."

Cassius's thoughts drifted as he planned what to do next. He then left Eternal Island and returned to Golem Sect.

It was now December 15 and over two months since Cassius entered the World of Calamity to hunt Ultimate Dark Forms. Golem Sect's development in East Sea County could be described as at an all time peak. All Covert Martial Arts enthusiasts regarded Golem Sect as a martial sanctuary because their master was a real living Holy Fist! How could that not inspire awe?

Over the past two months, casual sects from around the world, lone experts, and even reclusive masters kept coming to the Golem Sect to spar and exchange ideas. Some even outright joined and became part of the Golem Sect's forces.

The major sects of the Covert Martial Arts world also had close relations with the Golem Sect, cooperating in many ways. The Golem Sect's plan for expansion within the Covert Martial Arts world was proceeding steadily.

Martial halls had appeared in many regions, and the atmosphere swept the entire Hongli Federation. It even spurred the Covert Martial Arts communities of other great nations. Many ordinary people encountered Covert Martial Arts for the first time. The gifted were taken in as disciples directly, while the ungifted used them for fitness. In short, there was burgeoning growth everywhere.

Back at the Golem Sect's sect master's place of secluded cultivation, the place was bustling as many Golem Sect disciples carefully carried in antiques one after another. In a short while, they had collected enough antiques to form a mountain.

Cassius didn't know whether it was an illusion. The mountain of antiques exuded a chilly aura that decreased the temperature. It seemed to carry a kind of negative energy. Golem Sect disciples did not linger, and respectfully withdrew.

At noon, a light breeze swept over the surface of God's Tears Lake. After some time, a figure appeared at the center of the lake, before the mountain of antiques.

"After collecting for so long, I hope this will go as I wish..."