Returning to the Mysterious Era

Chapter 225 - Eastern Nine Sects

Chapter 225 - Eastern Nine Sects

Cassius set the document down and asked softly, "Does the opponent have any Covert Martial Arts lineage backing them?"

"Yes." The administrator Franz nodded. "Feng Liusi practiced the Red Falcon Fist and there is a Covert Martial Arts sect of the same name. It's a relatively small sect in the Wenxia County, meaning even among third-rate sects, it's considered small."

As Cassius listened, he continued scanning through the document. It detailed Feng Liusi's various battle achievements over the past two decades. In Federal Year 92, Feng Liusi, known as Blood Fist, mastered his Covert Martial Arts and emerged from seclusion, challenging two combat artists from the six eastern counties within a month. While he came out with one win and one draw, the defeated combat artist was left with three broken fingers and retired soon after due to the impact on his combat abilities.

In Federal Year 95, Feng Liusi engaged in a life-and-death battle with his arch-enemy in the Loka Mountains, killing his opponent after a day-long struggle. This was his first recorded kill of a combat artist.

That battle marked the beginning of Blood Fist's notoriety.

In Federal Year 98, the Red Falcon Fist sect somehow provoked Nightingale, a famous supernatural assassin organization in the eastern part of the Federation, resulting in its disciples targeting them in return. Feng Liusi emerged from seclusion in September, taking two months to hunt down and defeat all the surviving members of Nightingale. With Feng Liusi ruthlessly pursuing and killing them no matter what tactics they used, at least fifty assassins were recorded dead. Feng Liusi gained another bloody moniker in his fifties: "Kill Fist."

Sensing that his Covert Martial Arts had improved, Feng Liusi traveled alone to the northern Covert Martial Arts world, challenging numerous martial arts experts in Year 102. For the next year, he sparred with several combat artists. The deadly technique he developed, "Death's Fang," from the Red Falcon Fist was particularly fierce, earning him yet another title.

In the Year 107, a sixty-five-year-old Feng Liusi went into seclusion, likely due to declining vitality and strength. It seemed he chose seclusion to avoid the innumerable enemies his fierce fighting style had gained him, and retreated to the Death Canyon in the Loka Mountains.

From the Year 107 to the present, which was Year 110, Feng Liusi's seclusion in the Death Canyon had lasted for three years. If not for the occasional visits by disciples of the Red Falcon Fist to the canyon, outsiders might have assumed he had died from old injuries. According to the Black Ops Agency's intelligence, when Feng Liusi was at his peak, he was a formidable B-level combat artist. Cassius gauged that his strength had surpassed veteran combat artists, and was even stronger.

However, given that Feng Liusi was close to seventy, his vitality and physical strength had inevitably declined, reducing his combat effectiveness. Feng Liusi was now probably on par with a veteran combat artist. If the intelligence about hidden injuries were true, his strength might have diminished further.

This was perfect for Cassius. He wasn't looking to be overwhelmed in his challenge of a reclusive combat artist. The ideal target would be an old martial arts master with a weak physique but rich combat experience. Although Feng Liusi had a brutal fighting style, Cassius felt confident he wouldn't suffer any serious damage. After all, his body's regenerative abilities put him at a significant advantage.

His ability to quickly recover from physical injuries allowed Cassius to fight without the prudence that other artists needed to avoid any injuries that might hinder their path in Covert Martial Arts.@@@@

Furthermore, the man with the appellations of Kill Fist, Blood Fist, and Death's Fang had a combat style that leaned toward brutal slaughter.

One of Cassius's three core mindsets was the persona of slaughter, which might align with Feng Liusi's style, offering him an opportunity to learn something new.

Franz and Cassius continued their conversation, with Cassius gaining a more comprehensive understanding of the necessary information. Apart from Feng Liusi, the Red Falcon Fist sect had no other artists, with the sect leader only at the pugilist master level. There was a significant gap between Feng Liusi and the other Red Falcon Fist practitioners in terms of combat style and dominance; his bloodthirsty and slaughter-oriented style wasn't typical of the Red Falcon Fist and was unique only to him.

There were also other related pieces of information about the sect, mostly tied to the Red Falcon Fist. For example, the sect master would visit the Loka Mountain Range every few months, often bringing talented disciples to the Death Canyon where Feng Liusi was secluded.

If Cassius wanted to visit Feng Liusi, he'd have to connect directly with the Red Falcon Fist. Unfortunately, just before entering seclusion, Feng Liusi had announced he wouldn't meet outsiders. Thus, only one other path remained.

Cassius would have to venture alone into the Death Canyon in the Loka Mountain Range.

The route was simple: follow the main river upstream along the Mata River, and pass through the dense forests of the Loka Mountain Range, and he'd get there.

For an ordinary person, the venomous snakes and wild beasts along the way would be incredibly dangerous. But Cassius, who had the physique of a Class B combat artist, would have no trouble traversing the forest alone. It would only involve a little hardship and take a little more time.

As he continued conversing with Franz, Cassius gained deeper insights into the Covert Martial Arts world of the Hongli Federation, specifically, the southern Covert Martial Arts world.

It was divided into eastern and western regions according to county levels: the six eastern counties and five western counties. Due to the Eastern Sea County's Cloud Dog Sect promoting Covert Martial Arts exchange competitions in the eastern region, the atmosphere around Covert Martial Arts become more tense over the past decade.

Five minutes later, Cassius stood alone on the grassy field, with a gentle breeze rustling the low-lying grass and his black long coat billowing. He glanced at the map in his hand and stepped forward.

The Loka Mountains were mostly primitive forests, and with summer now fully underway, the woods were damp and stifling. As far as the eye could see, the forest was a deep, dark green. The trees, about three to four meters high, were densely packed and varied in thickness. The ground was covered with thick leaves, dense shrubs, and tangled undergrowth.

Cassius stepped onto the moist riverbank, his gaze following the river's course upward. The drop-offs were about ten meters each, not waterfalls but somewhat steep. The gaps between the jagged rocks were overgrown with shrubs, and the humidity was intense.

In about a half hour, his fast pace had allowed him to enter the Loka Mountains for at least five kilometers. Cassius did not proceed cautiously like an ordinary person. Instead, he ran at high speed. With his physical prowess and reflexes, he could dodge obstacles while sprinting through the forest. He moved like a shadow, darting between tree trunks.

The water flowed and splashed against the rocks, the humidity thick. Several white birds circled above.

Cassius ran expressionlessly, his feet springing off the ground and shooting him up over four meters high. He quickly reached into a rock crevice, and with a light push, he shot into the air like a cannonball.

In just four powerful jumps, he landed firmly on the top of a rock wall dozens of meters high. Ahead was still the bank of the Mata River, but there was a massive figure looming nearby: a predatory beast in the form of a brown bear standing over three meters tall and weighing several tons.

"Roar!"

Seeing Cassius from afar, the brown bear got on its hind legs, its body expanding into a menacing black cloud. Its fur was tough, and its gaping mouth revealed snow-white fangs. Compared to normal brown bears, those deep in the Loka Mountains were even larger and more aggressive. After its bellow, the bear charged toward Cassius like a car on a collision course.

"Hiss..."

Cassius narrowed his eyes, a deep, snake-like breath emanating from his mouth and nose. His black clothes fluttered about even with the lack of wind.

The life magnetic field of the Golem Covert Martial Arts technique was released instantly, and the surroundings fell into silence. For a moment, the air and water seemed to solidify, displaying a formidable essence of life.

Immediately, the charging brown bear started. It tumbled onto the ground and then scurried back into the forest.

Splash, splash, splash...

Freshwater fish leaped out of the river. In the bushes and trees on both sides, small animals scampered away, and even insects in the soil fled from Cassius.

The effect was impressive; perhaps this could be sustained.

Cassius continued along the river, encountering no obstacles for several kilometers. Poisonous snakes and fierce beasts naturally avoided him, and even mosquitoes stayed a meter away from him. It wasn't until about thirty kilometers in that he encountered a swarm of black ants.

These ants, about the size of eyeballs, moved rapidly in swarms. Their exoskeletons were as hard as turtle shells and they released scalding acid. Sensing the golem's aura, instead of fleeing, they swarmed closer.

Cassius fought them off, but even a punch at full strength could not kill a single black ant. He had to activate the Third Breath technique, entering a breathless chain strike mode, to force his way through the sea of black ants, but he didn't escape unscathed; his body sustained several acid burns. Even though they were just skin injuries, it took half an hour to heal them.

Later, he encountered other unusual creatures like predatory birds with mouths full of teeth, giant pythons with grayish-white scales on their foreheads, and leeches as thick as forearms. The Loka Mountains indeed harbored some peculiar wildlife.

At around one in the afternoon, with the sun glaring down from the sky, Cassius stopped. Before him was a stretch of grayish mist suspended in the air, moving and swirling as if alive. He took a deep breath, feeling a burning sensation in his nose.

Poison.

After a moment's thought, Cassius charged into the mist, relying on his extraordinary physique and recovery ability. Over half an hour later, he wiped the blood from his nose and stopped once again as, a hundred meters away, a narrow canyon came into view.