Chapter 565: Chapter 565

Crack, crack, crack, crack...

His joints cracked, letting off a series of crisp pops like a string of firecrackers. The white-haired elder tapped his chest several times in quick succession, releasing his hidden strength. A jet of pitch-black Qi burst from every pore and wrapped his body like steam.

Sizzle, sizzle, sizzle... sizzle, sizzle, sizzle...

The air started to sizzle with black Qi like a red-hot griddle. The black Qi swelled rapidly until it was a full storey tall. In the blink of an eye, it doubled, looming two storeys high.

The Qi was suddenly sucked inward through a powerful vortex. In less than half a second, a towering human stood on the open ground with a swelling, muscled chest. The tiny Qi tornado at his nose tip vanished as he finished inhaling, raw power flooding every fibre of his frame. Bright afternoon sunlight poured down, yet his hulking figure blocked it, casting a broad shadow.

A second earlier, he had been a stooped, skinny old man. Now, he was a full-blown muscle giant with a towering frame, armour-like flesh, and a wild aura. Altogether, he had a crushing sense of oppression.

Opposite the muscle giant, the grey-white Colossus Kaiser, who was just over three meters, stood a full head shorter and far slimmer. He had to crane his neck to meet the giant's gaze.

"Boy, try matching me again now. Heheheh! When I call you scrawny, you're scrawny! In the realm of muscle cultivation across the Hongli Empire's Covert Martial Arts world, if I claim second place, no one dares claim first!"

The white-haired giant paused, as if recalling something. "Of course, except for the Golem Sect Master."

The elder hailed from the Western Covert Martial Arts community of the Hongli Empire, and was specifically from the Mountain Sect. The sect was a rarity, still honing raw bodily potential even at the combat-artist stage. Its lineage was unimaginably ancient, practising a path quite unlike the modern Covert Martial Arts mainstream. Follow current novᴇls on novel~fire~net

Every Mountain Secret Technique focused on forging muscle. They treated the body like a single hunk of alloy, hammering it into an unmatched physique. The white-haired elder was the current Mountain Sect Grand Elder, Salong, who had made a fearsome name in his youth but vanished in old age when the Covert Martial Arts side effects struck.

He had refrained from action during the international exchange due to the same crippling after-effects. However, Salong had excelled in the Eternal Island expedition, killing two Gate Organisation members in succession during the chase.

Thus, he enjoyed considerable priority when allotted the Covert Martial Arts Secret Techniques. Luckily, the armoury contained an ancient technique that greatly eased the Mountain Sect's side-effects. That instantly solved Salong's crisis, letting him disregard some restraints in battle.

He could even go all out. As long as he avoided back-to-back fights, the ancient art would keep working. Therefore, when the Dark Hunter Organization's Colossus Kaiser stomped up to him, Salong felt a hunter's thrill. It had been ages since he had fought at full strength. It was all the better that his opponent was another close-quarters powerhouse. The anticipation made Salong's hands itch.

Two towering figures faced each other in silence outside headquarters on the flat clearing.

One was the grey-white Colossus Kaiser; the other, Salong, a six-meter muscle monster. Colossus Kaiser struck first, and without warning. He flashed forward and threw a fist. The punch packed colossal force.

The surrounding ground quaked and sank ten centimeters in unison. At the center, Kaiser froze in a punching stance. Opposite him, Salong merely held up one arm, braced against Kaiser's knuckles.

All that raging power vanished like mud into the sea.

"Second Form! Dark Bronze Colossus!"

Realising his foe was no paper tiger, Kaiser knew he had to boost his source power. Seventy sacred marks on the back of his hand flared, granting an outrageous surge of strength.

His already torn clothes finally split into ragged strips, draping his shoulders like flapping capes. His burly, armour-thick muscles and broad back resembled a moving fortress wall. Veins bulged, and his skin darkened to dark bronze.

Strength erupted again as he smashed a fist at Salong.

A black, metal-sheened arm shot forward and collided with an even thicker palm. Two forces detonated, causing the air to whip away dirt and dust in a visible mist.

Both arms retracted, struck again, then clashed anew.

The dull booms carried far afield.

With a roar, Kaiser leapt straight into his Third Form. He transformed into a five-meter golden giant, skin glowing pale gold. His every movement was like that of a tank. Each swing made the air tremble. However, even going all out, he still failed to overpower Elder Salong.

By now, their builds were equally towering and burly. It was the same strength, the same savagery, the same violence. Four hefty thighs drove into the ground as their ankles sank beneath the soil, along with half their calves. Both pairs of trouser legs exploded, revealing calves hard as armour.

Boom-boom-boom-boom-boom-boom!

Their four arms worked like pistons, coiling and rebounding to compress energy. Each fist shot like a cannon, blurring into overlapping after-images.

The air exploded into a howling gale, slamming into the walls of the headquarters. The air currents around them churned and whistled as they spiralled.

"Feels good! Haven't felt this good in ages... delightful, utterly delightful..." Salong squinted in pleasure, soaking in the adrenaline. It was clear he truly savoured this clash of fists.

In his youth, Salong had loved feeling others' fists slam into his body. He enjoyed feeling their force flow through his body like water, delivering that tingling, painful, itchy thrill. It satisfied him and spiked his lust for battle.

Later, age and his Covert Martial Arts side effects had prevented him from unleashing his muscle form. Naturally, he no longer dared to let others pound him, and that indescribable ecstasy had vanished.

But now, empowered by the ancient art, his muscular body had returned. The Demon Mountain was back! Salong could once more drown in force against force, fist against fist, muscle against muscle!

It was ecstasy. On the open ground, it sounded as if a thousand cannons sounded together.

"Kid, you're not bad! At first I thought those measly muscles of yours weren't enough to scratch my itch, but this golden form is giving me some real fun!" Salong cackled, white hair flying and Qi surging. "You've earned my approval. Out of respect, I'll unleash my full Demon Mountain form. Now it's my turn to ask. Can you take even one punch from me?!"

Salong flung Kaiser's own words right back at him as he thrust out a palm and blasted the golden giant away. Kaiser's feet ploughed two deep furrows in the earth. Mounds of soil piled behind his calves.

Steadying himself, Kaiser stared ahead with deep wariness. He saw Salong spread his shoulders, spine arching like a dragon and black gleams shooting from his eyes.

Salong's whole stance resembled some kind of godly statue—solemn and majestic, yet infinitely ferocious.

"Demon Mountain! A mountain of muscle must naturally be a mountain!"

Thump-thump-thump! Boom-boom-boom!

Heartbeats pounded like war drums, growing ever louder. With each beat, a phantom muscle giant appeared on Salong's skin. The phantom swelled with every passing second, becoming taller and broader. In mere moments, the six-meter shadow of deep-black Qi had tripled to twenty meters.

Its proportions lost symmetry, growing exaggerated and grotesque. The upper body ballooned as muscles on its arms and shoulders bulged like layered tumours.

The breadth and thickness of its arms expanded rapidly, forming a solid wall. Soon, the exploding deltoids of its shoulders and back swallowed even the giant's skull, creating a bizarre helmet. Its upper and lower halves were out of balance. It resembled a silver-back gorilla, with outlandishly long arms that could drag along the ground. They could almost serve as legs while it walked.

Salong's towering build blocked out the sun. The office staff inside headquarters suddenly felt the sun dim. Looking through the windows, they saw a mass of muscle filling their view.

The giant kept swelling and rising. Truth be told, even Salong did not know what height he could reach once his muscles and Qi were fully freed. After all, the Covert Martial Arts side-effects had barred him from full power for twenty years. This was his first time becoming Demon Mountain again in two decades.

"I never imagined that cutting loose could feel so exhilarating!" Demon Mountain boomed like a great bell, then slowly lowered his head to look at the golden figure below. "Kid, do you still want to take my punch? If it lands, you may die on the spot!"

"Bring it!!!" Colossus Kaiser had never bowed to anyone, especially in raw physique.

He would sooner be punched to death than retreat.

"Good!" Demon Mountain growled in approval, admiring the youth's courage.

Since the boy accepted the punch, Salong would oblige respectfully. "Then, take my punch!!!"

Crack, crack, crack, crack...

Demon Mountain raised his arm like the main pillar of a grand cathedral.

The fist crashed down, squeezing gold-red sparks where it raked.

A dreadful boom rang out, making the clouds above tremble. However, the expected devastation failed to appear.

Beside Kaiser, a black-clad figure braced one hand against that truck-sized fist, devouring all the force. Though the arm was thicker than a normal man's, it looked like a toothpick beside Demon Mountain's fist. Yet it exuded an unbreakable solidity.

It felt like a diamond planted in the earth. No matter the ferocity of the blow, it would not budge an inch.

"Do not let surging power shake your resolve, Salong. Your heart is in disarray." Cassius lifted his single hand, propping up Demon Mountain's massive palm.

With a slight push, he sent Salong flying backward. The giant seemed as weightless as a feather.

Salong hurtled back yet could not move a muscle, as if every joint were frozen in place. His entire Qi body shrank rapidly, pressed back into him by an unseen giant hand. It was forceful, tyrannical, and irresistible!

In a flash, Salong reverted to his elder form. He landed on the ground, eyes wide with shock.

In that daze, he had glimpsed what felt like a true demon-god towering between heaven and earth. A hand had reached from the clouds and seized his deformed mountainous body, pinched lightly, and lifted him away.

Salong's surging deep-black Qi could not resist being compressed back into his pores. In under three seconds, he had been forced out of his mightiest Demon Mountain form.

Cassius's might had descended like heavenly intervention!

He felt the vast and deep gulf between them. A thick awe rose in his heart. Cassius stood in silence, calm and unruffled amid the wrecked ground of headquarters.

His deep blue pupils glanced at Colossus Kaiser, then at the distant Elder Salong. He turned slowly toward the headquarters doors. "Well, did you see it clearly? That unseen force is what keeps the Covert Martial Arts world and other supernatural powers apart. Once they start to mingle, accidents, frictions, and clashes are inevitable. They quickly spiral into life-and-death battles..."

"Indeed, it is just as you said..." A figure with flame-like red hair stepped out, idly turning a golden ring around his right finger. It was the Chief Mechanist. "The dispute just now never needed to escalate that far. The pair lost their tempers in a flash, went off like gunpowder, and in no time were fighting full-force, trying to decide life and death within minutes. Heh..."

He chuckled softly, as though confirming a theory.

The Chief Mechanist stopped before Cassius. "From today, you are the new president of the Hunters' Association, and also the Radiant Hunter..."

"Pleasure working with you." Cassius extended his right hand, the corner of his mouth lifting.

"Pleasure indeed." The Chief Mechanist clasped it in return.

The two chatted amiably, all smiles and harmony. All around, people looked utterly baffled, Kaiser and Elder Salong included. They stared at Cassius and the Chief Mechanist, words on the tips of their tongues.

So... that entire fight just now—did you two deliberately let it happen?