Returning to the Mysterious Era

What followed immediately was a remolding of the body.

The Blood of the Spirit was also a form of energy. Last time, Cassius had used it to break through the limits of the Stone Armor Technique, reaching an unprecedented third stage. This time, he extracted eight progress bars from Li Wei's body, adding them to the one he already possessed. Altogether, there were nine units of the Blood of the Spirit.

All nine were funneled back into Li Wei's body, sparking another dramatic transformation. However, before that could happen, Li Wei's body first had to be in the black cocoon so he could undergo the dark creature transformation. Like a caterpillar turning into a butterfly, his human form would regress to a primordial state, and be surrounded by energy-rich nutrients—like a baby returning to the womb for redevelopment.

This process was originally meant for dark creature transformation but it turned out to be a gift that had unexpectedly fallen into Cassius's lap.

At that moment, the consciousness that had split from Cassius's soul had extremely weak. Its essence of calamity had been drained so intensely that it was almost completely depleted, and was on the verge of losing its status as a dark creature. Its consciousness was terribly fragile. Meanwhile, Cassius's consciousness, bolstered by the Blood of the Spirit, surged to a peak, quickly overpowering the other consciousness and returning to his main body.

The entire cocoon was filled with a thick, transparent liquid with Cassius floating in the middle. His form was no longer entirely human; he curled up like a large human fetus, encased in a transparent layer.

Dense black veins extended backward on the cocoon's surface, where a terrifying figure loomed. The figure stood close to four meters tall, about the height of a medium-sized truck. Its body was not sleek but rather a towering hill of blood-red muscle. Its thighs were thick like tree trunks, with veins the size of forearms coiling around them.

There were only three massive toes on its feet, and the claw-like nails were as long as iron daggers. Large, tumor-like lumps of flesh jutted out of its knees, and similarly on its shoulders. It protruded out like armor, making it appear as though it wore a fearsome, grotesque suit of armor.

Its arms were unnaturally thick, even larger than its legs. Together, they were almost as large as its entire torso. Additionally, it had a broad, inverted triangular back, with its spine lined with countless spikes that extended all the way down to its tailbone where a thick tail dangled.

Without a doubt, it was a colossal figure! Li Wei's curled-up body looked like a tiny rubber ball in front of a massive steamroller, insignificant and helpless. Moreover, the figure emanated an overwhelming demonic aura. It could only be called a Golem.

The Golem Covert Martial Arts Cassius had created was clearly linked to it, and it was also the potential solution to Cassius's problem.

The first step was imitation.

Human martial arts of all kinds and Covert Martial Arts are deeply rooted in imitation, primarily mimicking animals, plants, flowing water, rolling stones, air currents, and even nature's weather patterns. Imitation played a fundamental role, whether it was the techniques, the underlying concepts, or even the aura.

For example, the techniques from the Winged Serpent Fist, Three-Eyed Mad Lion Sect, and Singing Water Sect all followed this principle. The Wind Elephant Sect's Wind Elephant Covert Martial Arts were no exception as it emulated the natural phenomena of wind, and the elephant. It could be seen in their four major killing techniques, such as Elephant's Roar and Wind Owl. The martial arts philosophy the sect taught encouraged students to fight like an elephant, with wide, powerful movements that crushed all finesse.

Cassius's Golem Covert Martial Arts followed this same principle. However, what he intended to imitate was not something from nature. He wanted to copy the unique dark creature standing behind him—the Golem.

The moment it was born, it had grown to the size of a medium-sized truck, but Cassius could sense that it was not bloated; it was just a naturally powerful body.

With Li Wei's body already hitting the peak of his second-level accelerated blood flow, his muscle density, strength, and endurance far exceeded that of ordinary people. However, the black veins were a terrifying mutation beyond that, a new monster born under the mysterious influence of the Gate Fragments. Borne from the absorption of a high-ranking Blood Race's full power, it had immense potential.

For that reason and because it was strong, Cassius chose the Golem as his model. And since it was right before his eyes, he could manipulate it as he saw fit. Thankfully, the consciousness of the dark creature had already been suppressed.

However, Cassius knew he couldn't control the body of the Golem. The dark creature transformation was a form of biological distortion. He had already experienced similar effects when he had been parasitized by a Shadow Demon. If it were a Golem, the influence would surely be stronger, thus increasing the chances of him losing himself.

Therefore, Cassius took a different approach; he used his human body to imitate the Golem, thereby bypassing the risk of dark creature transformation.

There was a concept known as the "life magnetic field" in Covert Martial Arts, which referred to the different life magnetic frequencies between living beings. The closer two animals were in species, the closer their life magnetic frequencies would be, though slight variations were always present.

Life magnetic frequencies had certain observable characteristics. The first was heart rate, breathing rate, and lastly, blood circulation frequency. Martial artists often used those aspects to develop remarkable Covert Martial Arts Secret Techniques. For instance, the Lion's Roar Breathing Technique was based on a lion's breathing frequency. Another example would be the Seven Flowing Stages of Singing Water Sect, which manipulated the blood to circulate seven times faster in a short period of time.

And Cassius… well, he wanted it all!

With the Golem right behind him, he would mimic himself. The two bodies were connected by black veins, and even shared the same blood. As a pugilist, Cassius could sense the Golem's condition and its surging power.

The thick blood flowed through the veins, starting from Li Wei's body, circulating through the black veins and into the Golem. Eyes squeezed shut, Cassius envisioned an intricate, three-dimensional map of circulating blood.

This was the blood flow route of the Golem. And it was this complex, powerful network of blood vessels that enabled the Golem to move such a formidable body. Cassius kept his eyes tightly closed, pushing his consciousness to its limit, following the blood as it streamed through the Golem's body in endless cycles.

A moment later, he finally felt like he had full control.

Immediately, he released the Blood of the Spirit, allowing that energy to rapidly alter Li Wei's body. Inside the giant cocoon, the nutrient liquid rushed toward the "placenta," and continued infusing it. Under Cassius's and the Blood of the Spirit's guidance, black veins began to grow and spread through Li Wei's body, enveloping it like an intricate spider web.

He was transplanting the structure of the real body right in there, which to him, was the highest form of imitation.

In the process of transporting the Golem's blood circulation pattern into Li Wei's body, he added an additional circulatory system but without altering the original blood vessels. This was the first step of the Golem Covert Martial Arts and also one of the three core foundations he needed.

The veins spread quickly, and in no time, they had fully grown. The thickest ones ended at Li Wei's right chest. There, an empty cavity, where a heart should have been, awaited.

If it were just Li Wei's original heart, the pressure would have made it impossible for it to sustain two circulatory systems. Cassius needed to create a second heart—a miniature version of the Golem's heart, and though its function would be weaker and slightly different, it would be better suited to a human body. It was the perfect modification that was only possible through using the Blood of the Spirit.

Some organs in Li Wei's chest cavity shifted just slightly, rerouting certain blood vessels until there was a suitable empty space where a deformed heart was already beginning to grow in its center.

Chunks of flesh and blood vessels converged in the cavity. After an unknown period of time, a fully formed heart was born. It instantly connected to the black veins to complete the blood circulation diagram. At once, the sound of a heartbeat thumped, sending wave after wave of vibration through the liquid.

The blood circulation between the Golem and Li Wei's body began to accelerate as the newly formed circulatory system in Li Wei's body kicked in. In an instant, their life magnetic frequencies resonated.

Utilizing his pugilist's ability to manipulate his vitality, Cassius constantly fine-tuned the process, searching for that unique resonance. His tireless efforts finally caused both Li Wei's body and the Golem to shudder, and the powerful heart within the Golem began to hum and pump with heavy, resonating beats.

A massive vortex of blood surged into Li Wei's body and in that moment, the life magnetic fields of both beings were incredibly close.

The last bit of Blood of the Spirit exerted its final influence and the slow but steady physical transformation continued.

Cassius's mind buzzed as an enormous, icy sensation, like an invisible liquid, flowed through his body and radiated outward to his limbs. At the same time, the scalding blood flowing in from the black veins took over his body incrementally.

The two forces collided and fused, starting an endless cycle where one blended into the other. Li Wei's curled-up body began to shake, skin turning red one moment and pale the next. It alternated frantically between the two states, sometimes even becoming half-red and half-white. At the same time, an abundance of unknown substances were secreted throughout his body.

In the corner of the room, the giant black cocoon remained motionless as the sound of flowing liquid swirled inside.

Outside, the once-bright sun gradually sank below the horizon. The crimson glow of the setting sun faded away, replaced by the gentle moonlight, which bathed the earth in a soft, white radiance. Amid the cool serenity, a sense of peaceful stillness permeated the air. The moon set, and the sun rose. Then, the sun set, and the moon rose again…

The scene repeated itself for three to four days.

Up until the morning of June 15, the chirping of birds calling for mates outside the window echoed. A cool breeze, carrying the earthy scent of the tide, blew through the window, gently brushing against the surface of the cocoon.

The cracks that had formed began to fan out in all directions, becoming unstoppable. Finally, the four-meter-tall giant black cocoon shattered, the sound crisp in the air. As the veins on its surface fell away like ash, a thick liquid gushed out. Along with the liquid, a figure toppled out of the broken cocoon.

It was a slim and delicate figure of a young boy.

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