Returning to the Mysterious Era

Chapter 221 - Physical Body Stage 100%

Cassius's tone turned to ice in an instant. "You're not entirely correct. They are all still me."

His face became as stony as a steel block. His cold, dead eyes were emotionless, reminiscent of a machine and just as mercilessly indifferent. Xiqin's face dropped when she realized her seduction had no effect on Cassius. It was like he had entered a sage-like state, free of desires.

Then, the life magnetic field's vibration transmitted through the point where Cassius and Xiqin's bodies touched. The vibration was incredibly penetrating but not aggressive, passing through the skin, muscles, and bones, and spreading throughout her body.

Immediately, she sensed a pulse deep within her flesh beginning to resonate and expand in response to the vibration. At the same time, another frequency of vibration emerged. Suddenly, three distinct frequencies of vibration appeared within Xiqin's body. One was no different from that of a normal human, but the other two were far from ordinary.

Cassius could sense Xiqin had two overlapping life magnetic fields: one large and scaly, and belonging to the parasitic dark creature, and the other small and nearly invisible, which was Xiqin's own.

The dark creature's magnetic field had been steadily consuming and replacing Xiqin's, and it appeared that the process was nearing its conclusion. Soon, Xiqin would be wholly transformed into a dark creature, hence Ole's heartwrenching decision to ask Cassius for help.

Outwardly, Xiqin no longer appeared as frantic or violent as before. She rarely had outbursts and was relatively calm. However, this serenity only served to terrify Ole more because it likely meant that the parasitic fusion was reaching its final stage. Xiqin's resistance was weakening while the dark creature's presence grew stronger. His daughter was on the verge of being utterly consumed.

Rather than letting her die at the hands of the dark creature, Ole preferred to end her suffering early, taking the vile parasite down with her. That was his inner resolve.

"Good, the quality is high. It should be scrumptious..." Cassius's lips curled into a cold smile. He was not referring to Xiqin's alluring body but to the life force of the dark creature parasitizing her. He was more interested in the dark creature's life magnetic field, which was about one and a half times stronger than the ones he had previously encountered. It had a unique frequency he had never seen before.

As soon as Cassius felt the timing was right, he activated his Golem Covert Martial Arts, trying to channel the vibration frequencies from Xiqin's body into his own. However, to his surprise, he found it extremely difficult to guide those vibrations.

Each time the vibrations approached the edge of his skin, they would twist and retreat, cycling back in an endless loop, making them difficult to control. If the vibrations from the previous dark creatures were like clear water, the current ones were like glue—thick and hard to pull apart.

This was the first time Cassius had encountered such a situation. His Golem Covert Martial Arts had always worked seamlessly, allowing him to transform the Golem life magnetic field into vibrations that would collide with the target's life field. It would then send back a resonance into his body that would gradually strengthen every part of his body.

He opened his eyes and looked at Xiqin. Her body was stiff, and she was slowly trying to extricate herself from Cassius. Naturally, she looked horrified.

Trying to run, huh? I'm not going to let that happen.

Cassius immediately wrapped his arms around Xiqin's slender waist, pulling her soft, fragrant body tightly against his. She had been so bold a few moments ago and now she wanted to flee? Too late. Since she had come this far, he would make sure she felt the full effect of the vibrations. He refused to believe he couldn't conquer her life magnetic field!

He strode forward, carrying Xiqin with him, and sat her down on a yellow wooden chair. His face remained as cold as ever but in his Cold Persona, there was not a trace of ill intent.

Outside the door, Ole watched with mixed feelings. Seeing his daughter's body pressed so closely to another man was undoubtedly awkward. However, given the circumstances, and Cassius's calm and rational demeanor, Ole felt no discomfort.

"Huff... huff... huff!" Inside the room, Cassius began fully utilizing the effects of his Golem Covert Martial Arts. His breathing technique was the most obvious manifestation. His chest heaved violently, and swirls of white air spun around his nose, filling the room with the sound of his intense huffing. He synchronized it with the deliberately controlled heart rate of his Golem Heart, accelerating the rate of his blood circulation.

Instantly, the previously weak Golem life magnetic field intensified and began invading Xiqin's body. In an instant, the two forces, which had been pulling back and forth, went off-kilter. A vibration made of snake scales was transmitted from Xiqin's body into Cassius.

"Ah!" Xiqin screamed, throwing back her pale, swan-like neck. In the next second, black lines appeared on her collarbone, fine green scales embellishing the edges.

At the doorway, Amos immediately sensed a special wave rippling outward like a shockwave. Simultaneously, an uncontrollable desire roared within him, but he quickly suppressed it, turning to look at the two people beside him.

The old butler Franz and Ole looked unaffected. Both had strong wills, and this particular wave was far weaker, diminished tenfold in fact, and nowhere close to Xiqin’s full seductive power that could be unleashed at close range.

Ole's expression shifted. They could withstand the effects, but the other operatives of the Black Ops Agency might not be so lucky. He reminded himself that this building had been specially designed, and did not have structures within fifty meters, ensuring that the wave's intensity stayed within a certain range. Relieved, his expression returned to normal.

At the same time, thirty meters away on a gray road, two agents from the Black Ops Agency were on patrol, holding oil lamps for their routine inspection. One was a tall, brawny man, while the other was pale and much slimmer. Halfway through their walk, the larger man suddenly stopped to glance around.

"What is it?"

"Jack, did you hear a scream?"

Jack shook his head. "No."

The burly man lifted his oil lamp and felt a warm breeze brush past, raising goosebumps on his arms. A tingling sensation lingered in the pit of his stomach. Confused, he turned to look at Jack beside him. Under the light of the oil lamp, his pale-skinned companion looked even paler.

Without thinking, the burly man opened his mouth and said, "Jack, your face is really white..."

Pretty-boy Jack turned to meet his companion's gaze, and a strange restlessness spread between them.

***

Meanwhile, the Golem Covert Martial Arts had begun its consumption.

Vibrations continuously flowed from Xiqin's body into Cassius, but for some odd reason, these vibrations were not immediately absorbed. Instead, they circulated throughout his body several times before eventually settling.

Five minutes passed, and the room was eerily silent. Cassius sat on the chair while Xiqin remained curled up on his lap. The transmission of vibrations continued silently.

The several people outside the door watched closely to what was happening inside.

Another five minutes passed before Cassius's eyelids drooped as he sensed Xiqin's life magnetic field weakening, and the vibrations flowing into his body gradually slowing down. He instinctively glanced at the top right corner of his vision.

[Golem Covert Martial Arts: Physical Body 99.8% (Total Three Stages)]

In just ten minutes, it had increased by 0.5%, much more than the other dark creatures he had absorbed. Perhaps the remaining dark creature essence within Xiqin's life magnetic field would be enough to push Cassius to full completion.

Another five minutes passed...

[Golem Covert Martial Arts: Physical Body 99.9% (Total Three Stages)]

The numbers flickered for a moment, and then, in the next second...

[Golem Covert Martial Arts: Physical Body 100% (Total Three Stages)]

He had reached the peak of the Physical Body stage of the Golem Covert Martial Arts and was now at a bottleneck. Once he broke through, he would be able to tap into the power of Qi, gaining access to a combat artist's signature aura.

This was a bottleneck that couldn't be broken by force using the Golem Covert Martial Arts. The Golem Covert Martial Arts's role was to accelerate his journey to the bottleneck, but the final breakthrough was something Cassius had to achieve on his own.

Martial intent, aura, and the martial arts path were all things he had to comprehend by himself. If physical strength and the body represented power, then martial techniques were the methods for wielding that power.

Being the foundation, power was undoubtedly the most fundamental part, but the method of using it was equally crucial. Cassius somewhat felt like he had entered a state of heightened intuition, with countless ideas flooding his mind. Perhaps the strength of his body was now influencing his mind and Qi.

In this state, his thoughts flowed much faster. After briefly savoring this sensation, Cassius returned to his present reality.

"Hm? There's still more." He instinctively activated his Golem Covert Martial Arts. The weak vibrations were still being transmitted from Xiqin's body, but this time, Cassius could no longer absorb them. Having reached a bottleneck, his physical enhancement was restricted, and the vibrations could only wander around inside his body. He guessed that the vibrations would naturally dissipate after some time.

Cassius once again sensed Xiqin. The life magnetic field of the dark creature inside her was now as faint as a flickering candle, ready to be extinguished with the slightest breath. However, her human life magnetic field was equally weak and just barely clinging on.

Xiqin had long been consumed by the dark creature, its essence now an integral part of her body. If the dark creature were to die, her already dwindling life magnetic field would no longer be able to sustain her frail body. In other words, Xiqin's death was inevitable.

Based on Cassius's calculations, if he completely eradicated the dark creature's life magnetic field, Xiqin's own life force would only last about three more minutes.

Three minutes of consciousnesses... It was probably just enough time for her to say her last words.

Cassius was about to turn to explain the situation to Ole when an idea struck him.

At the moment, Cassius was in a heightened state that came with reaching a hundred percent in the Physical Body stage of the Golem Covert Martial Arts. With his mind abuzz with ideas, a peculiar inspiration had hit him.

The effect of the Golem Covert Martial Arts was to simulate the life magnetic field of the golem, colliding with the life magnetic field of the dark creature to create vibrations. These vibrations could then be absorbed by the human body.

But was it possible for him to transfer these vibrations to someone else instead of absorbing them himself?

Cassius wasn't sure if it would work, but there was no harm in trying. After all, it had only been a few days since he created the Golem Covert Martial Arts; he hadn't had time to fully explore its capabilities.

Besides, he could no longer absorb the vibrations, and any remaining vibrations in his body would go to waste. With Xiqin having only about three minutes left to live, it seemed like a good time to try something out. Who knows? Maybe it would work.

Cassius didn't have any grandiose ideas about saving anyone; his choice to experiment on Xiqin had been an impulsive one. Given the circumstances, he believed Ole would allow him to proceed, and so Cassius did—without guilt nor discomfort.

Without hesitation, he began adjusting the three frequencies of the Golem Covert Martial Arts. As the frequencies shifted, the vibrations within Cassius's body responded in kind.

What had been chaotic vibrations in his body now started to move in an organized manner, heading toward his intended direction. He experimented with it a few times before attempting to send the vibrations into Xiqin's body.

Two seconds later, Cassius's eyes flew open. It worked!

The waves of vibration passed through the point where their bodies touched and slowly flowed back into Xiqin where she began absorbing them. The dark creature's vibrations were first absorbed by Cassius and then transferred back into Xiqin, creating a closed loop.

Cassius returned to his main consciousness, astonished at what he had just accomplished. He could feel Xiqin's originally weak life magnetic field gradually strengthening. The life force that had been on the verge of vanishing was now rapidly restoring, even surpassing the strength of the average person. At last, the dark creature's life magnetic field within Xiqin was completely gone.

He ceased transmitting the vibrations into her. He looked at Xiqin's face, now flushed with a healthy glow, her once pale lips gaining a hint of color.

The experiment had worked! Cassius had successfully used the vibrations to strengthen her life magnetic field. @@novelbin@@

What did this mean? The possibilities were endless.

Didn't this mean that he now possessed the ability to transfer power to others? As long as he had dark creatures to use as fuel, he could transmit vibrations to other humans! Though some energy was lost in the transfer, this was still a method of sharing power without any negative side effects.

If the desire ever hit him, Cassius could create an army of strong, fast, and highly skilled superhumans.