Returning to the Mysterious Era

Chapter 183 - Richards Pendulum Swing

Chapter 183 - Richard's Pendulum Swing

The silhouette was blurry—a few black lines merging to form an oval shape, barely resembling a human figure. The person stood in the alley outside the standalone house, tightly pressed against the white wall.

A passerby? A drunkard? Or perhaps...

Cassius's eyes snapped open. His dulled senses instantly surged back to life, and the world around him became three-dimensional again.

Rising swiftly, he walked to the window and opened it. Without turning on the light, he leaned out into the dim night, focusing on the sound he had just heard.

A cluster of green ornamental trees partially obscured the wall where the human-like figure Cassius had sensed was just behind the base of the wall.

His gaze sharpened. With one hand pressing lightly on the windowsill, Cassius leapt out of the second-floor window. His landing was silent, as if his feet never touched the ground. The only sound was the cold wind rustling the leaves.

He moved carefully toward the north wall of the house, the shadows of the trees completely concealing his approach.

Without hesitation, Cassius quietly scaled the wall.

His eyes locked onto a pair of red pupils staring back at him. Both froze in place, and that was because...

The figure before him was none other than the Red Eye-level Shadow Demon that Cassius had imprisoned in the basement before it had escaped. Absurd!

Did this thing escape? And then come back?

Cassius raised an eyebrow, suppressing an incredulous laugh. Criminals returning to admire their handiwork was common enough, but a fugitive returning to visit its captor? Wasn't that just borderline idiocy?

Unless...this Shadow Demon brought backup? It had somehow grown confident enough to bring a group of companions to ambush him and make him pay.

Cassius quickly scanned the dim alley. Sparse moonlight barely lit the scene. There was no one else.

??? So...who gave you the courage to come back?

Cassius looked at the Shadow Demon. Its red pupils constricting with what could only be described as terror as if it were suffering from PTSD. It looked as though it had Parkinson's disease with how uncontrollably its claws trembled.

Normally, Shadow Demons were bloodthirsty and vicious beasts. Their powerful life force could even terrify humans into freezing in place, leaving them at the mercy of the demons. But now the roles were reversed. At Cassius's appearance, the demon quivered and quaked like prey before a predator.

This was because, during that night of pursuit and slaughter, Cassius had revealed a form more terrifying and brutal than any Shadow Demon. And in the basement afterward, he had subjected it to unimaginable torment.

Cassius had made it into a punching bag, and subjected it to relentless interrogation and humiliation. The Shadow Demon's pride had been utterly shattered.

After being rescued, it had taken two to three days of recovery to build some semblance of strength and composure. Returning to the house of its nightmares tonight was likely a way to overcome psychological obstacles. As well as check on that man's condition.

But unexpectedly...

On the street, Cassius smirked. He had roughly guessed the reason behind the Red Eye level Shadow Demon's return. If he hadn’t been practicing the Heart Eye Secret Technique, which temporarily blocked his other senses and significantly enhanced his hearing, he wouldn't have noticed the Shadow Demon coming back.

It was just a coincidence.

Cassius's face showed a subtle smile, and a fierce aura burst from him as he walked forward.

"Ah!" The Red Eye-level Shadow Demon screamed in panic, snapping out of its daze, like a child waking up from a nightmare.

He quickly turned sideways, his legs propelling him into the darkness of the alley like a bolt of lightning.

Cassius clicked his tongue.

As expected, desperation in the face of a crisis could unlock anyone's incredible potential, whether they were human, animal, or something else.

In less than a second, the brown-haired man had disappeared at the end of the alley. Yet, Cassius remained calm, unhurried. He wanted the Red Eye-level Shadow Demon to run. The faster it ran, the more panicked it would be. The bigger the commotion, the better.

A fish stirring up a pond will always scare other fish into making an appearance. Now that Cassius's power had grown significantly after his time-travel, his mastery of pugilism had him more than prepared to go fishing.

"What happened?"

Two figures leaped over the white wall, revealing themselves as the magician and catwoman. They were probably roused by the Red Eye-level Shadow Demon's scream and rushed over, alert.

Whoosh~

Several flying fragments were shattered midair by fists and palms, leaving an elliptical, blurry black sphere suspended in the air—a visual distortion caused by the rapid movement of the hands.

Shh!

From within the elliptical sphere, a black arm suddenly shot out, piercing Cassius's shoulder like an awl.

Bang!

It sounded like armor clashing as skin and fist collided.

Cassius's left arm went slightly numb as he felt a nimble force penetrating his skin and muscles, straight into his joints. Though he had quickly neutralized the force, Cassius had technically suffered an injury.

"Such a strong hardening Qigong!" a voice exclaimed from within the shadows.

As the dust settled, a black-haired man in his thirties emerged. He had a rather common-looking face, indistinguishable from a passerby. Around his neck was a jade ornament hanging on a red thread. He was clad in a matching yellow outfit with many pockets and looked like an adventurer.

"You're quite impressive to be able to penetrate my hardening Qigong defense and injure me." Cassius had no qualms with praising the man's strength. "That force was rather unique. What's it called?"

"Sharp Wind Force. It's a technique I stumbled upon by chance, allowing my punches to carry a unique penetrating power," the black-haired man replied candidly.

"Hehehe." For some inexplicable reason, Cassius chuckled. "It’s impolite not to return a favor. Since you punched me just now, it’s only fair I return the gesture. Azure Wind Flow—Elephant's Roar!"

In an instant, a swirl of white air enveloped Cassius's entire arm. He spread his feet apart, assuming a standard fighting stance. His shoulders shifted slightly, power surging within him. His muscles bulged, their texture turning rock-like, with thick veins pulsing as hot blood flowed rapidly, and power channeling right to his arm. He fiercely stepped forward, throwing a punch!

Whoosh...

The high-speed straight punch cut through the air, producing a faint roar, like an elephant's cry, as white stream formed a curved shield around his fist.

Boom!

The punch pierced right through the black-haired man's chest and into the wall behind him, shaking the ground. Half of the gray wall collapsed instantly, dust billowing into the air.

Despite the blow demolishing the wall, Cassius was still dissatisfied. It had felt too light as if he had punched through air and all he had struck had been a wall.

"Impressive power. And what an astonishing destructive force," a voice came from Cassius's side.

"Just as I thought!" Cassius whirled around and threw another punch, twisting his foot and waist simultaneously, whipping his right arm out like a lash.

Bang!

He felt a light resistance at his fist, like the touch of a dragonfly on water. The black-haired man vanished once more, leaving only an afterimage in his place.

"Why are you dodging?" Cassius asked calmly.

The familiar voice came from his right side again. "Your strength is too great; I wouldn't dare face you head-on."

"What kind of movement technique is that? I've never seen it before." Cassius didn't bother dancing around the topic anymore. He narrowed his eyes.

"Richard's Pendulum Swing, or simply the Pendulum Steps," the black-haired man answered.

Cassius turned to look at the man standing ten meters away. "Wind Elephant Sect, Cassius. May I ask which sect you belong to?"

"Sect?" The black-haired man looked puzzled. "No, I'm just an adventurer—a treasure hunter. These skills I possess were all acquired by chance and not from any masters or sects. You can call me Yun."

"Yun?" Cassius raised an eyebrow.

"Yes. I'm not from the Hongli Federation," the black-haired man explained.

Cassius was about to speak when he felt a bitter taste explode in his mouth, as if a bitter medicinal herb had been stuffed into his mouth without him noticing.

This feeling... Could it be an antique with lingering attachment?!