The agonizing wait finally reached its conclusion; the Hope was due to transmit its probe data today. If the wormhole they had just discovered truly contained infinite gravity, the lives of the eight women were in grave peril. Conversely, if the notion of infinite gravity within the wormhole was merely a hypothesis, then perhaps those eight might still have a chance of escape.

"Any results? I grabbed Xiao Yudi the moment her feet settled, unable to wait another second."

Xiao Yudi's composure betrayed no hint of the news, making it impossible for me to read anything on her face. She replied, "Brother, I suppose this counts as good news. The probe results returned by the Hope indicate that while the wormhole between Earth and Mars does possess a certain gravitational pull, it isn't strong enough to tear apart the Vajra Alloy transport ship."

"That's fantastic!" I nearly leaped for joy, the gloom of the past few days instantly vanishing. "That means the eight of them might not be in danger. Wonderful, I knew they'd be alright."

Xiao Yudi nodded. "Good fortune favors the righteous. Heaven is watching out for our sisters. However, even if the gravity isn't enough to shred the transport ship, they still face countless dangers because we know absolutely nothing about what lies inside the wormhole. Our observation and understanding of it have only just begun."

I excitedly rubbed my forehead, exhausted from lack of rest. "Yes, you're absolutely right. We must find them as soon as possible. We must see them alive, and if not, see their remains. With Xiao Xue's abilities, even if we only find bodies, we still have hope of saving them."

Long Nu worried, "But the test proved no signal can return from within the wormhole. The automated search robots we sent in have all gone silent. So, locating them right now is extremely difficult."

I clenched my fist and asked the silent Xiao Hui, who was sitting nearby, "Xiao Hui, tell me, after all my evolutions, what is my physical condition like now?"

Xiao Hui replied, "Brother’s body is naturally incredible! Because your respiratory system is self-contained, and your muscle hardness far surpasses Vajra Alloy, you can fly directly in outer space."

"Good!" I slammed the table. "Then I'm going into the wormhole to find them!"

"What! Absolutely not!" The six women screamed and jumped up. This was no small matter. Yi Xiaorou’s face went pale with fright. She cried out, "Zhao Qian, you cannot be impulsive! We have confirmed that the eight of them weren't shredded. Just give us some time, and we can fully understand the wormhole before we go rescue them. But if you rush in recklessly, what happens to the rest of us? If something happens to you, what good will saving the other eight do?"

I retorted, "I promised I would never let anyone harm you, not even a fraction. How can I stand by idly now that seven wives have suddenly gone missing? Long Nu is right. Those eight might be waiting desperately on the other side of the universe right now for me to save them. But even with a sliver of hope, I will never give up."

Xiao Yudi’s tone was firm. "No, Brother absolutely cannot do this. Even if there’s no danger inside the wormhole, what about the other side of the exit? Who knows what’s there? Furthermore, our current probes only scratch the outermost layer of the wormhole; we have no idea what it's like inside. Although we’ve made huge progress on negative mass research, it’s still not enough to equip the ship’s defenses. Your plan is completely unacceptable."

I muttered to myself, "Yes, what if there's danger inside the wormhole, or danger on the other side? Then those eight need me even more. There's no time to waste; I need to go over immediately."

Seeing my resolve, Yi Xiaorou and Zhao Fen exchanged a look and returned to the house to fetch Li Qi. At this moment, only a child could perhaps sway my decision. However, Li Qi’s pleas did not change my mind. We all returned safely six thousand years ago. This time, we aren't time-traveling; it’s just a search for people on the other side of a passage. As long as I find them, I'll find a way to bring them back safely. I promised never to let any one of them be harmed, and I must keep that promise.

"Husband, are you really going to abandon Xiao Xiao Qian? He—he is due to be born in less than two months. Can you bear for him to be born and not see his father?" Li Qi wept.

I hastily wiped the tears from her face. "Qiqi, every single one of you is the flesh of my heart. Now, seven wives and a good friend have suddenly vanished. How can I sit still? As long as we prepare thoroughly, I trust I can bring the eight of them back. You all forbade me from going back six thousand years, but didn't I return safely? If I had listened to your advice back then and not gone to the prehistoric era, Nana and Long Nu might truly have been in danger. Heaven has favored me so much; I believe this time will also turn to safety. Besides, you all know my strength. Even though I haven't dealt with cosmic space before, no difficulty in this world can defeat me."

But no matter what I said, the women disagreed with my decision to risk my life. Later, Mom and Dad also came to persuade me, but my mind was set, and naturally, I wouldn't be swayed by them. Seeing how determined I was, everyone could only worry in secret. Soon, their united front crumbled. Long Nu and Elena knew the agony of being trapped, vulnerable, and cut off from help. They couldn't bear for me to take the risk, but they also didn't want the eight to suffer the same fate they had avoided. Liu Xue, Zhao Ting, Zhang Xiaoya, Xu Jing, and the others had all experienced the pain of life and death before; they naturally understood the longing the eight felt for me at this moment, so they ceased their insistence.

Before long, a grand rescue plan was devised. Humanity on Earth would formally traverse the wormhole for the first time. As for what lay on the other side, we knew nothing, except that eight people were certainly waiting there with anxious eyes. I would pilot a specially built small spacecraft to complete the mission of rescue.

The Earth Federation was already operating normally and required no oversight from me. The vacancies left by the eight missing women had been temporarily filled by others. Although Li Qi was close to giving birth and couldn't fully manage the Federation, with the assistance of Zhou Qiang, Tang Han, Hu Qing, and Mu Fei, the overall situation would not be affected. Thus, setting aside all other concerns, we boarded the Hope and headed toward the wormhole between Earth and Mars.

For safety, Xiao Hui and Xiao Yudi encased me in layers of protection; the small spacecraft was practically wrapped up like a rice dumpling. Long Nu equipped me with the laser sword, but I took it off. "Leave it here. It would be a shame if some mysterious force inside the wormhole destroyed it. My fists will be enough to save them."

Yi Xiaorou carefully placed my phone in my pocket, saying, "Since the last catastrophe, we've improved the phone's signal system. As long as the transmission conditions are suitable, even without satellite relay, the phones between the nine of you can maintain direct contact. Be extremely careful on the journey. If things go wrong, exit immediately, and we'll figure out another way."

I forced a relaxed laugh. "It's nothing, look how worried you all are. Maybe there’s another Earth waiting for me after I cross the wormhole. I’ll find a whole new group of sisters for our Zhao family then, maybe compile a 'Hundred Beauties' scroll or something."

"How dare you!" Zhao Fang and Fang Yanmeng chided. "Don't you think we have enough already? We’re nearly out of room in the two floors! Besides, aliens are mostly ugly and old, perhaps rats or toad-like monsters. If you associate with them, don't you dare touch us again."

Xiao Hui stepped in to remind everyone, "The destination is right ahead. To be safe, we dare not bring the Hope too close. Brother, you should seriously reconsider. That idea of yours is truly terrible. We are very worried about you."

I scanned the empty expanse of space through the transparent tempered glass window, searching for that damn wormhole. "Everyone, put your minds at ease. Didn't Xiao Yudi already check me? Even if there is strong gravity inside the wormhole, it won't affect me. I am the chosen successor of energy by the Heart of Energy; I won't go down so easily."

"Ptooey! Ptooey! Ptooey!" Xiao Chuchu spat. "Don't say such nonsense! You must bring all eight sisters back safely—not one less, not a single hair missing! Of course, more is unacceptable too. Dare to flirt around in an alien galaxy, and you’ll face family punishment when you get back."

I rather enjoyed the idea of their "family punishment," but the outside space was utterly empty. Where was the wormhole? I asked in surprise, "Where is the wormhole? Why can’t I see it?"

Long Nu smiled faintly and pressed a button on the console. The Hope’s automatic turrets fired a string of space shells. Shortly after launching, these shells all detonated automatically. Only then did I see a black void, resembling a devil's gaping maw, gradually revealing itself. Was this the wormhole? It lacked three-dimensionality; it looked more like a flat image.

Long Nu explained, "Wormholes are very difficult to observe with the naked eye. They only reveal themselves when affected by energy. The path ahead is fraught with unknown danger, Husband. You must take care. Ahead, eight sisters are waiting for your rescue, but don't forget that more than ten wives are waiting for you back home, and your son will miss you too."

I affirmed firmly, "Don't worry. You will all be accounted for. Our whole family will live together forever."

I didn't want to delay any longer. The longer I stayed on the Hope, the harder it would be for them to let me leave, and then I wouldn't be able to pass through the wormhole to save the eight women. Gritting my teeth, I left the control cabin, ready to board the small spacecraft and enter the wormhole.

It would be a lie to say I wasn't afraid, but thinking of the eight girls on the other side who were more scared than I was gave me strength. I started the small spacecraft, broke away from the Hope, and headed straight for the devil's mouth. As I drew closer to the dark opening, the signal on the spacecraft weakened. The earnest pleas of the women faded into murmurs. The light grew dimmer. Although my vision wasn't affected, my brain felt an unprecedented sense of fatigue, making me wish I could find a matchstick to prop my eyelids open.

The small spacecraft finally disappeared entirely into the dark maw. As the power from the previous shell volley gradually vanished, the last glimmer of light behind me faded away. I believed the women remaining outside could no longer see my silhouette. The small spacecraft remained intact, proving the supposed super-strong gravity didn't exist. But why did I feel utterly weak, as if my strength was being drawn out like silk? And why was my head so heavy, making me want to forget everything and sleep deeply?

I struggled fiercely, wanting to take advantage of the opportunity to clearly observe the inside of the wormhole and report back to Long Nu, Xiao Yudi, and the others. But the weakness in my body grew heavier, like having done ten thousand rounds of thaumaturgical cultivation, leaving my bones soft. I didn't even have the strength to lift a finger. My eyes, which usually didn't require light to see, grew darker and darker until I couldn't see anything at all. I simply closed my eyes and drifted off to sleep.

After an unknown amount of time, I wiped the saliva from my face and woke up. The darkness before my eyes was long gone. But where was I? It was still a starscape, but definitely not the scene from the Solar System. Did this wormhole really send me to an alien galaxy? Where was the transport ship? Where were the eight women's transport ship? Since I passed through the wormhole unharmed, the eight of them must be safe too. But where were they, and where was this place?

Before I could properly survey my current surroundings, I was stunned by another realization: my body was alarmingly weak, and my head throbbed agonizingly. Moving a finger required me to grind my teeth, as if... as if my powers had vanished! This shock made me break out in a cold sweat. My powers hadn't vanished before; every time I evolved, there was a period of total power loss. Could it be that during the wormhole transit, the mysterious force inside had completely drained my strength, and I was about to enter another evolution?

How long would this evolution take? Would it affect my rescue of the eight women? Right, the eight women! Never mind myself for a moment; finding them is the priority. With a jolt, I cleared my mind of extraneous thoughts and began meticulously searching the surrounding starscape with the small spacecraft.

To my dismay, I couldn't find the entrance to the wormhole I had come from. Could it be that it wouldn't reveal itself without sufficient energy to excite it? If I couldn't find the wormhole entrance, what good would finding the eight women be if I couldn't return to the Solar System? But for now, I had to memorize the location of this starscape and investigate further after finding the eight.

After another half hour of searching, I had a rough grasp of this stellar region. The environment was somewhat similar to the Solar System: one star orbited by no fewer than ten visible planets. The closest to my current position was a blue planet, not very large. From where I stood, I could clearly see the blue of its oceans and the green of its vegetation. To say such an environment couldn't spawn alien life would be a lie, but now wasn't the time to investigate extraterrestrials; I needed to find the transport ship.

After this brief period of exertion, the planet below had shifted in its orbit. From the small spacecraft's viewport, I could see the entirety of its landmass. This planet, less than half the size of Earth, was over eighty percent ocean. The single landmass was shaped strikingly like a petal, covered in vast green forests. With two moons orbiting companionably, it looked incredibly beautiful. I resolved that if I ever had the chance, I would develop this place thoroughly.

To get a better look, I steered the small spacecraft into the outer orbit of the green planet. Just as I was considering whether to descend to the planet’s surface to search for the eight women, the small spacecraft was suddenly struck, causing violent turbulence. Perhaps the warning system had already been destroyed inside the wormhole, as I hadn't sensed the danger approaching from behind. When I saw what was behind me, my face turned white with terror: massive fields of meteoroids were hurtling toward the green planet, and the small spacecraft was unfortunately positioned directly in their path. Those uncontrolled meteoroids slammed into the ship. Fortunately, the spacecraft had been specially reinforced; otherwise, those few impacts would have been enough to destroy both me and the vessel, considering my current inability to withstand any attack.

Reacting instantly, I initiated the small spacecraft’s engines, intending to flee this perilous location. However, a huge meteorite struck the ship, sending it tumbling through eighteen chaotic rolls. All power systems were damaged. At this point, the spacecraft could no longer resist the gravity of the asteroid field and was swept along with the meteoroid swarm toward the planet’s atmosphere.

The meteoroids around me began to burn violently as they scraped against the atmosphere, most disintegrating into ash in an instant. Because the small spacecraft’s hull had multiple layers of protection, although the temperature inside became scalding hot, I could still endure it. What I couldn't endure, however, was the final impact upon landing. This time, I genuinely lost consciousness before I could even see where I had crashed.