Chapter 561: Chapter 561

Now, the ashy land no longer held any ash. The snow-like flakes that had once filled the sky had vanished. The Ultimate Dark Form, Pale Origin, had fallen, turning into charcoal-like remains. Even its final traces of vitality had been drained away by Cassius.

Holy Fist White Bird had departed, and Flaming Sun Holy Fist had followed him back to the World of Calamity. The Ripple Order, which had a millennium of heritage and whose every generation's leader had sought immortality in paradise, had likewise been burned away by undying flames.

The Special Zone now held nothing worthy of attention. The purpose of Cassius's expedition had been fulfilled. It was time to honor his promise to the Covert Martial Arts world of the Hongli Empire. As for the Hellsing camp that had surrendered midway, they could be allotted a small share of any other spoils the ruin might still contain.

After all, they did not study Covert Martial Arts and therefore had no direct conflict of interest with the Hongli Empire's practitioners. Cassius was not someone who burned bridges, and besides, the Hellsing camp was still useful. Those present were all top-tier knight-level marked-ones...

Essentially, they comprised most of Black Rain Manor's high-end fighting ability. If they defected entirely, Cassius would possess unimaginable influence and power within Black Rain Manor.

Although the Dark Hunter Organization and Black Rain Manor appeared to be opposing forces of light and shadow, both actually hunted dark creatures. If the two joined forces, shared information and launched joint hunts, many taboo zones once avoided and many dreaded hostile species could finally be targeted.

That aligned perfectly with the purge plan Cassius intended to implement next. He wanted to slash the number of dark creatures within the Hongli Empire, wiping out every tribe or organization bold enough to show itself.

Of course, eradicating them all was unrealistic. After all, dark creatures had still existed in the era when Holy Fists had once walked the Covert Martial Arts world.

First, their numbers and territories were vast. Second, they excelled at disguise and secrecy. In short, complete extermination was exceedingly difficult.

This was especially true as the World of Calamity was gradually merging with the surface world. The surface world could not remain unaffected. Only by striking at the heart and destroying the World of Calamity itself could one uproot the threat.

Besides Black Rain Manor and the Dark Hunter Organization, I might need to extend my influence within the Covert Martial Arts world as well. Given the prestige of that final battle at the exchange tournament and the favors the major sects now owed me after divvying up the fist technique armoury, I would likely face little resistance.

Cassius mused to himself while leading the crowd in a swift dash toward the zone's edge. He was considering the possibility of founding an actual Golem Sect in the Hongli Empire's Covert Martial Arts world.

After much thought, Cassius realized that with his own renown and strength he could certainly accomplish it. Many sect leaders and elders had witnessed the previous terrifying and magnificent battle with their own eyes.

Just moments ago, two Holy Fists had manifested, and Holy Fist White Bird had publicly evaluated him. He had hinted that Cassius stood on the brink of the legendary Dominator Fist realm.

A Dominator Fist about to emerge was standing right before their eyes. How could the combat artists of the Covert Martial Arts world dare to oppose Cassius' proposals?

Of course, plans concerning that world should not be pushed too forcefully. The best approach remained persuasion with reason and benefit. Persuasion with reason required no further explanation. Everything the practitioners had seen and experienced upon entering the Eternal Archipelago had already persuaded them.

Persuasion with benefit was simple as well, and one lay ahead at that very moment. It was the fist technique armoury, a special area within the ancient ruin that held formidable ancient Covert Martial Arts secret techniques, likely remnants of a distant civilization.

These things were useless to Cassius, since they could at most broaden his horizons. He had reached the limit of a combat artist, and stepping into Dominator Fist was only a matter of time. Thus, the arsenal's secret techniques held little to no value for him.

However, to the many sects of the Covert Martial Arts world, those secret techniques were delicacies enough to drive people mad. One more art meant one more lineage; one more technique meant one more option.

No Covert Martial Arts style ever complained about owning too many secret techniques. A fine lineage alone could make crowds flock hysterically to them. That was why so many combat artists had sailed the seas with Cassius to brave the perilous Eternal Archipelago.

Although Cassius cared little for the fist technique armoury, he would still claim an important share during its distribution. The information had been his, the formidable foe his to fell, and the principle of greater contribution meriting the larger share was simple enough.

Therefore, even if Cassius did not want them, a large portion of the arsenal's arts would still be assigned to him. And that portion could be used to found the Golem Sect. Once he added the several arts and secret techniques Cassius had deduced during his battle with the undead in Howling Canyon, the Golem Sect would thus possess a vast trove of secret techniques which would be extremely attractive to outsiders.

Moreover, Cassius resolved not to develop the Golem Sect as a single style but to structure it like the Gate Organization, loose outwardly yet tight within. It would resemble a club whose outer members could borrow a free portion of its arts.

Whereas the true essence where the powerful, unique lineages lay would be open only to full members. Such a format could minimize prejudice among styles and form a platform that would, at least on the surface, unite them into one rope. It would aid the Covert Martial Arts world in progressing and expanding its influence. It would also help execute the campaign against dark creatures.

Unexpected issues might appear but so long as Cassius, the future Dominator Fist, presided, nothing significant could stir in just two or three years. He could also take this chance to test it in the historical era. If it worked well, he could copy the model into the real world.

These were all the thoughts swirling in Cassius' mind. When it came to concrete action, he would still adapt to circumstances on the ground.

After a moment of disorientation, the group left the ashy land and reappeared on the lowest level of the ancient ruin. This time, they did not take the convenient passage to the fifth level opened by the bronze key because the fist technique armoury was on the ruin's fourth level.

"Let's go!" Cassius' tall black figure charged into the ruin at the head of the party. The torn hem of his trench coat fluttered like rolling dark clouds.

Footsteps rang out behind him as more than seventy members of the Covert Martial Arts camp followed. The Black Rain Manor camp likewise numbered several dozen, every one knight-level. Over a hundred figures darted through the ruins at extreme speed, turning into flickering after-images. The dense dark silhouettes exuded a heavy oppression.

Their stacked auras itself were suffocating. The monsters and aberrants of the ancient ruin were in for a treat today!

Four or five hours later, in a section of the ruin's fourth level...

A burly, fair-skinned combat artist nearly two meters tall flexed his fists. He blurred into action, appearing before an aberrant. His fist smashed out without hesitation and struck the creature's jaw.

The aberrant shot away, its skull already deformed and mouth full of blood. It glided dozens of meters through the air before landing onto the ground. After skidding two more meters across the floor, it was stopped by a boot.

The black hard-leather boot rose and stamped down on the aberrant's mangled face. It ground lightly, then stomped fiercely.

The tremendous force crushed the skull flat! The aberrant's body jerked, convulsed, and instantly lost all life. The spotless boot lifted from the pool of blood, sheathed in a layer of black Qi.

Cassius slowly raised his head and swept his gaze around the area. It was a huge, spacious cavity and at the same time a bloody battlefield. The air reeked with the stench of blood.

Five minutes earlier, the entire team had entered this cavity. But insect-like humanoids had poured out in waves from myriad holes overhead and attacked. Then they were beaten... brutally.

The ground was littered with their corpses and the viscous green blood they had spilled. In just five minutes, more than a thousand insect-folk had been massacred by the combined efforts of the combat artists and Hellsing members.

The battlefield was now filled with severed limbs, mounds of corpses, seas of blood. There were indeed tricky and dangerous zones on the ruin's fourth and fifth levels that even a hundred-strong force of experts would treat with caution. However, this insect-folk tribe was clearly not one of them.

"We're close. The fist technique armoury should be about a hundred meters straight ahead." Cassius strode forward, stepping over body after body.

He led the way toward a dim tunnel ahead. Close by, a burly man whose arm was as thick as a normal person's thigh squeezed and snapped an insect-folk neck with a loud crunch. The giant shook out his hand and strode after Cassius. Combat artists and Hellsing members alike hurried after them.

Thirty seconds later, a hard, dark wall emerged before them. Perhaps the fist technique armoury of the ancient ruin lay just beyond this wall?

Three minutes later, the burly man who had strangled the insect-folk glanced back to find five thick walls behind them, each half a room in depth. The rock layers were hard, seeming to have been tempered by some secret power.

Some combat artists had attacked with killing moves yet managed only to punch basketball-sized pits into them. But now all five walls were breached, each sporting a six-meter-wide hole.

Of course, Cassius had done it. The burly man had seen him merely tap the wall with a finger, and it seemed like a steel thorn feather had dropped from his fingertip. The moment it touched the wall, there was a soft sound and the whole section of wall vanished into thin air, leaving a smooth opening large enough for several to walk abreast.

No rubble or dust appeared. It was as though some mysterious force had erased it, or a giant maw had devoured it. Five light taps of Cassius's finger had smashed the arsenal's defenses. Thorn Feather Force was truly wondrous.

Strands of flame ignited overhead inside the fist technique armoury, providing illumination. The leaders and elders of the Covert Martial Arts sects held their breath and glanced all around. First they froze, faces shocked and blank. Then, their mouths curled wildly with ecstatic delight.

It was real! The fist technique armoury was real, and the multitude of Covert Martial Arts volumes was real. There were stone pedestals everywhere, each crowned by a recess. Each recess contained a Covert Martial Arts manual. The walls also had more basketball-sized black holes, which were filled with manuals.

All in all, the tally easily surpassed three digits. They had truly struck it rich this time! The journey to the Eternal Archipelago had been worth it! Their sects now had hope of revival!

For a moment, the expressions of dozens of leaders and elders were indescribably vivid. Each harbored private ambitions and desires, yet all sought the secret techniques. Now that they had obtained what they needed most, how could they not rejoice?

The densely packed manuals before them, with all the value, benefit, and power they contained, made their breathing heavy. Fortunately, though blood boiled, reason remained.

All stayed still, waiting for Cassius to allocate them.

"Let's remove everything first and leave nothing behind. After we exit the ruin and the perilous Eternal Archipelago, we'll divide them aboard the fleet back home..." Cassius pondered briefly and made the decision.

Immediately everyone moved, sweeping the fist technique armoury clean. They even dug three feet down, missing not a single nook like bandits passing through. The manuals were gathered and carried by four of Cassius's lieutenants.

Those four were then guarded tightly in the center by numerous combat artists, everyone in a state of extreme vigilance. It seemed like they would fight attackers to the death at the slightest provocation.

The journey back to the surface was far slower than the descent. First, they took no shortcut. Second, the practitioners were overly cautious. They went on guard at any hint of disturbance, slowing their pace. Thankfully, they reached the surface without incident.

They emerged in a canyon of the inner island. Since the Ripple Order had been annihilated, no force remained on the island to hinder the party. Thus, their departure from the island went smoothly.

In just a short while, they reached to the beach. Half an hour later, the fleet started drifting into motion. Countless figures stood on deck, gazing back at the island.

At the rear, Cassius quietly looked into the distance. He still remembered the tall, burly stone statues waiting in silence within the woods beyond the golden beach. Transporting those statues would likely require considerable manpower and resources. He would plan the details once he was back in the Hongli Empire. Follow current novels on n̷o̷v̷e̷l̷f̷i̷r̷e̷.net

With that thought, he strolled to the bow and gazed at the stretch of azure sea ahead. The sea breeze brushed his face, bringing a salty tang.

"It is time to fulfill the lingering attachment of the legendary antique's original owner..."