Returning to the Mysterious Era-Chapter 274 - Blood Is the Currency of the Soul

It seemed like the Kupan Demon Box was related to Dead Blood and other similar dark creatures. However, as Cassius continued reading the notebook, he discovered that "Dead Blood" was merely a convenient label for the dark creature. It could just as well be called the Blood of Immortality or the Blood of Evolution. It could even be referred to as the Blood of the Strong.

According to the records, the Kupan Demon Box contained an unknown and powerful aura. Some believe it brings misfortune, while others regard it as a miraculous treasure. However, the Blood Spirit Society clearly had more detailed knowledge, including many hidden insights.

First, the Kupan Demon Box indeed gives off an aura of disaster, bringing significant bad luck to its possessor. The owner's fortune would worsen over time, leading to life-threatening situations. While this may sound mystical, it was confirmed to be true.

Second, the Kupan Demon Box was a special relic from ancient times, and suspected to be a tool from a super-ancient civilization. It resembles a book, and it seals something within it.

However, these details were not the most important. The Blood Spirit Society's real desire for the Kupan Demon Box was for the Blood of Immortality within it. They had somehow learned the true method of using the Kupan Demon Box and had moved to acquire it at the Tulip Antique Exhibition. The demon box was a rectangular object made of an unknown material, roughly the size of an adult's palm. It is neither gold nor wood, and no form of attack has any effect on it. The surface is smooth, without a single seam.

Using it was quite simple. The owner only needed to touch the Kupan Demon Box with one hand and drip blood onto the top of the box. The blood would penetrate through the entire box, re-emerging from the bottom to form a single drop of blood. This drop was the Blood of Immortality.

It was backed by a concept from occultism: "Blood is the currency of the soul." The exchange of blood was akin to the exchange of souls. So, plundering blood was plundering a part of their soul. This concept made some sense to Cassius. The unified force of a combat artist’s mind, body, and spirit, called Qi, was distributed throughout the body when not concentrated. It was normally split into two parts: one residing in the abdominal cavity and brain, and the other moving with the flow of blood.

Qi was closely related to the soul and mind, much like how the Blade Demon, Garoro, identified Feng Liusi. In a way, it represented a combat artist's soul and identity. Perhaps even ordinary people had this imperceptible Qi flowing within them, though it would normally be so weak that it could not be sensed.

The Blood Spirit Society's records suggested that blood carries a person's information. It is a fragment of their soul. Ordinary people's blood would have little significance, but what if the blood belongs to a powerful individual? The Kupan Demon Box's ability to refine blood would then concentrate this information. Anyone could obtain and try absorbing fragments of the original owner's personality, memories, desires, and even their skills, secret techniques, and experience!

In theory, with enough blood, the Kupan Demon Box could rapidly cultivate a group of powerful individuals. It could even consolidate all the benefits in a single person, elevating them to a master who was skilled in various secret techniques and had the experience and knowledge to put them to use.

But such power came with a heavy price.

First, anyone possessing the Kupan Demon Box would experience a temporary decline in their luck with each use. Second, those who absorbed the Blood of Immortality would also be affected by misfortune for a period afterward. The more they used it, the rarer the Blood of Immortality would become, and the disasters accompanying it more severe. Beyond that, the Blood of Immortality itself came with a price, much like the rejection of organ transplants in a human.

The body itself might reject the Blood of Immortality, making it difficult for some individuals to absorb it. Moreover, those with weak wills could easily be influenced by the original owner's blood, leading to personality changes, hallucinations, and even mental instability.

In summary, the Kupan Demon Box is a treasure with clear advantages and disadvantages. The benefits were significant, but the side effects were equally severe. However, this was only true for humans. What if Dead Blood or other dark creatures absorbed it?

Bad luck or danger following the absorption wouldn't be much of a concern. Dead Bloods had a rapid regeneration ability, near immortality, and immense survivability. Being influenced by the original owner's blood? Dead Bloods were inherently evil dark creatures and natural predators to humans.

They even had a ready source of powerful blood. Dead Bloods were constantly hunting and seeking strong new bodies to take over. If they possessed the Kupan Demon Box, they could enact a massacre like their assault on the Wind Elephant Sect and extract all the blood from the corpses on the spot. They would obtain a wealth of skills, secret techniques, and combat experience. If they spent a little time adapting, they could then use the original bodies to unleash the secret techniques they’d mastered.

As such, it was no wonder the Blood Spirit Society was obsessed with the Kupan Demon Box. If the information was accurate, they would stop at nothing to obtain it. The synergy between the two was unmistakable.

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Cassius closed the booklet as he decided to focus more on the Kupan Demon Box in the coming days. Whatever the Blood Spirit Society was after, Cassius would ensure they didn't succeed. Furthermore, the Kupan Demon Box was an ancient relic, so it was already within the scope of the trio's objectives.

There was no reason to hand it over to anyone else.

Moreover, Cassius suspected that the box might be useful to him as well. Especially after his recent revelation about the Golem Covert Martial Arts’ new abilities, some strange ideas were crossing his mind. The Golem Seed, life vibration energy, and the Blood of Immortality produced by the Kupan Demon Box might form an intriguing combination.

Taking a deep breath, Cassius placed the booklet into his robe. He calmly resumed his daily training as he awaited the arrival of Feng Liusi's intelligence agents.

As he slowly trained his Qi-driven fist techniques, Cassius drew closer and closer to the level of an experienced combat artist. The embryonic form of his Will of the Fist was becoming more vivid, almost as if it were alive. However, there was still something missing—like the final stroke in a masterpiece—leaving him far behind Feng Liusi's Will of the Fist.

In essence, he lacked a certain divine spark.

Once he had that spark, Cassius's Southern Dipper Red Falcon Fist would ascend to a higher level. His seamless execution of techniques, the continuous transmission of Death's Fang Force, and the efficiency of his lethal moves would all see improvements. This holistic enhancement would be more effective than simply improving individual aspects.

A comprehensive increase in one’s overall strength would allow a combat artist to overcome any shortcomings, strengthening both strengths and weaknesses alike.

Cassius needed roughly 2.6% more Qi. He required more high-quality Dead Blood life vibration energy, or life vibration energy from other types of dark creatures. Unfortunately, the buffet-style feast at the Black Ops Agency branch was no longer an option.

It had been a while since Cassius last contacted the two administrators, though they were likely to cross paths again in Kura City. The Gate Organization would undoubtedly participate in the Tulip Antique Exhibition, and the Black Ops Agency had been monitoring this dangerous S-level supernatural group for a long time.

So Cassius might encounter more experts sent by the Black Ops Agency, which wouldn't necessarily be a bad thing. After all, he had worked with the agency before, which would make communication much easier.

Both sides, at least from a human standpoint, would have a shared goal in Kura City. Dangerous organizations like the Gate Organization and dark creatures like the Dead Bloods were unquestionably common enemies.

Cassius leaned against the soft cushions of a warm brown sofa, his eyes half-closed and his breathing steady. Though he looked deep in thought, tiny blood-red mist swirled around him as it seeped from his pores.

Exhale, inhale, exhale, inhale... the movements formed a small vortex in the room, much like the constant opening and closing of a fish's gills in water. From a distance, it looked like red mist was whirling around him.

Half of Cassius' face was obscured, giving him a mysterious aura. He was currently stabilizing his three core principles: the Main Persona, the Killer Persona, and the Cold Persona.

After every wild killing spree, Cassius would spend considerable time calming his Killer Persona, sometimes even to the point of staying up all night. Usually, there shouldn't have been any issues with the Golem Covert Martial Arts' three core principles, but the recent emotional stimuli had caused an imbalance.

Ideally, he would have first broken through to combat artist with his Main Persona and condensed his Qi essence, allowing him to maintain control over himself and keep the other two personas in check.

But ultimately, the situation and circumstances were beyond his control. The Killer Persona had developed rapidly, disrupting the balance. The worst part was that Cassius would be forced to kill again in the coming days.

Every time he killed, the Killer Persona would grow stronger. He had no choice but to rely on the deadly power of the Southern Dipper Red Falcon Fist.

For now, it seemed like a vicious cycle. Cassius could only continue operating within the three core principles, applying them daily to maintain balance. He needed to quickly find the next Southern Dipper Covert Martial Inheritance to restore equilibrium.

Whoosh~

Suddenly, the blood-red mist in the air drew back into his body, revealing a cold and hard face. A chilling aura hovered around Cassius’s brow, and his eyes were deep and indifferent. He stood up slowly, and returned to the Main Persona from his Cold Persona.

His face softened, becoming calm and serene, as he took a few steps toward the balcony. However, the red Qi around him surged again, as dense blood threads crawling across his eyes.

Frustration and a killing urge surged in his chest like unwanted side effects.

On the semi-circular balcony, a few green potted plants sat on the white railing, with pink flowers swaying gently in the breeze. Soft sunlight brightened the morning sky. The trees and grass in the courtyard below had a greenish-yellow hue.

Well-dressed residents strolled leisurely in the gridded pathways between the apartment buildings. A woman with a necklace was walking her dog, a gentleman with a cane headed toward the parking lot, and a young couple chatted happily, holding hands.

Nearby, an elderly couple sat on a bench next to the statue at the roundabout, feeding pigeons with breadcrumbs from a bag. A few white doves perched on the railing of the bench.

Cassius took in the sky, the homes, and the cars. Husbands and wives, lovers, siblings, families; Old and young, strong and weak, beautiful and plain... all kinds of people passed by the avenue in front of the apartment for their own purposes.

Sounds echoed in his ears as if he was underwater, making everything feel unreal and hazy. An inexplicable sense of loneliness caused Cassius to momentarily lose focus. It felt like he hadn't taken a good look at the world in a long time. Chasing power and fulfilling his obsessions had pulled his eyes away from the ordinary lives of people. They had become like the backdrop of a stage—vast, intangible, and parallel, without intersecting with his reality.

But Cassius knew that he was drifting without roots, hurriedly walking through the mundane world as he chased the immense dark shadow beneath the iceberg. He would fight with a select few until, one day, he would die and rot in the ground.

What was the meaning of such a life? He slowly closed his eyes and felt the cool breeze across his face. No, there was meaning in it. At the very least, Cassius had gained the freedom to choose how to die and had witnessed landscapes others never would. Everyone has one or two passions or interests in their lives.

Sports, music, reading... Power, money, beauty...

Cassius was slightly different; he loved exploring the unknown lurking in the darkness. What was the pinnacle of martial arts? Where did dark creatures come from? What about the Gate Organization? The Gate Fragments? The Southern Dipper Covert Martial Inheritance? And what about the ancient civilization, which he had pieced together from fragmented information?

He didn't lack ambition—his goals were simply too vast. Killing wasn't the goal; it was just a means. Strength wasn't the result; it was part of the journey.

To die with clarity was better than living in confusion, especially when one was clear-headed while living. Cassius felt his restlessness start to die away. He had just rediscovered himself.

A car horn suddenly blared on the street as a vehicle passed by. Cassius slowly lifted his head, locking eyes with a figure skulking in the shadows on the fourth floor of the neighboring building. As he turned away, the pent-up negative emotions of his Killer Persona drained away, and his eyes regained its clarity.

His mind felt as if it had been soaked in cold and refreshing ice water.

At the same time, someone else felt the same.

You An met Cassius’s eyes, who was in the last moments of his Killer Persona, and instantly felt his heart plunge into an icy abyss. His chest tightened, and it felt his heart had stopped beating. The scarlet, inhuman pupils radiated a complete disregard for life. They were like the eyes of a butcher in a slaughterhouse, holding a blood-stained cleaver as he decided which pig to kill next.

To the Killer Persona, ordinary people, the supernatural, and dark creatures all seemed like lowly creatures in a pen, ready to be butchered at any moment. Perhaps their skins would be peeled, their flesh devoured, and their corpses drained.

When one killed too many, they would naturally develop an indifference toward life. The unintentional, condescending gaze from someone who has killed countless times was terrifying to those who were caught in it.

You An gasped for air as he clutched his chest. His forehead and back was drenched in sweat, while his heart remained frozen in fear. He realized his butler had been right yesterday; his curiosity had gotten the better of him.

This trip should go according to plan; don't concern yourself with unexpected incidents, as they may involve unimaginable dangers!

You An felt he had grown a bit wiser. Last night's events had taught him an important lesson, albeit through fear rather than shock.

It wasn't the dark side of society as he had expected but rather a reminder to do things honestly and live a simple life. Don't get involved in matters beyond your control, and live as a sheltered flower. At least that way, one could live longer and happier.

Learning things he shouldn't have known only brought trouble. It was best to forget about those dark and terrifying entities. He never wanted to encounter such people or things again.

Taking a deep breath, You An stumbled back inside. He opened the door and said to the butler in the living room, "Butler, let's leave East Sea City this afternoon. We'll head to Kura City, quickly attend the Tulip Antique Exhibition, and return home."