At the far end of the corridor, the rapid sound of fingers raking through hair echoed incessantly, like a thousand rats scurrying at the corridor's terminus.

Soon, this sound was no longer confined to the end of the long hall; it faintly emanated from the ceiling as well.

Qin Fen hadn't heard this sound in a long time, yet he had never truly forgotten its origin! It was the distinctive noise made by the pre-parasitic stage of the Insect Warriors as their repulsive tentacles scraped rapidly against the ground.

The frequency of the sound intensified. Qin Fen slowly raised the thousand-jin Thunder Cloud Storm, its cold, gleaming muzzle aimed squarely at the ceiling, and slammed the firing stud. A torrent of metal roared upward, coalescing into a tornado that shot straight up!

The solid ceiling, upon contact with the tornado formed by the metal torrent, instantly became as fragile as tofu. Any steel rebar or concrete caught in the vortex was shredded into the finest powder the moment it was drawn in.

Qin Fen swung his left arm forward, and the 'whip' tornado of metal torrent followed the arc of his arm, lashing and sweeping forward.

A dazzling burst of light violently tore open the sturdy reinforced concrete ceiling. The Insect Warrior parasites hidden within were shredded to pieces by the high-speed rotating metal torrent before they could even utter a scream, their remains mixing with dust and concrete to form a bloody pulp.

One blast from the Thunder Cloud Storm left a deep black tunnel in the corridor's ceiling, stretching all the way to the end, as if an earthquake had just struck, tearing a fissure in the roof of the world.

The sssshing sound of the Insect Warriors diminished by more than half. Suddenly, thousands of Insect Warrior parasites surged from the far end of the corridor. They piled on top of one another, their long tentacles adhering to the floor and the shells of their comrades, advancing rapidly—a veritable river of red blood surging forward.

Qin Fen swiftly changed magazines, scanning the swiftly flowing tide of Insect Warrior parasites. Clearly, his squad wasn't the only unit in this base, yet these things were converging here collectively. Did they possess higher intelligence than those in Qinghai? Were they more capable of following orders?

Time did not allow Qin Fen to dwell on it. The five soldiers beside him had already pulled their triggers. The quiet corridor erupted in a rapid succession of metallic roars. Many of the surging Insect Warriors were instantly pulverized, but the remaining parasites charged onward relentlessly, seemingly oblivious to the weapons roaring across from them, intent on taking their lives.

The muzzle of the Thunder Cloud Storm spewed forth the metal torrent capable of destroying everything once more. It ground up every Insect Warrior parasite in its path. Spinning at high velocity, it slammed into the far wall of the corridor, still unwilling to stop, stubbornly gouging a five-meter-deep pit into the concrete before finally halting.

Ssssh... ssssh....

The underground base fell silent for less than a second before the clicking sound of the pre-parasitic Insect Warriors returned. Jessica? Weir looked at Qin Fen, bewildered. Just how many pre-parasitic Insect Warriors were there? Didn't the enemy care about their losses, simply sending them to die and waste ammunition?

There was no time for contemplation. Great swarms of pre-parasitic Insect Warriors poured out from the side passages at the end of the corridor, launching their tenacious new assault. They seemed utterly ignorant of the value of life, or the fact that they themselves were highly valuable research subjects, not mere cannon fodder meant to exhaust the enemy's bullets.

Qin Fen deftly reloaded his magazine. He was not a member of the Animal Protection Society, nor a scientist obsessed to the point of mania, eager to risk his life to seize a strange specimen.

A soldier. Qin Fen held a clear understanding of his role: he was a soldier on the battlefield, effectively a humanoid killing machine. Facing the enemy, he could show no mercy, even if every single foe was worth ten thousand gold pieces—he had to pull the trigger without hesitation.

After sweeping away the second wave of pre-parasitic Insect Warriors, the metal torrent again bored a five-meter-deep cavity into the far wall of the corridor.

Fifteen meters... Twenty meters... Twenty-five meters... Thirty meters...

The depth of the holes being carved into the far wall increased ceaselessly. Qin Fen slaughtered wave after wave of pre-parasitic Insect Warriors, his expression unchanging.

The passage filled with a sickening, acrid stench of blood. The floor was layered with a half-foot-thick sludge of gore. Even seasoned special forces veterans like Jessica? Weir, who had faced death countless times, felt their stomachs churn at the hellish, Asura-like scene. She stole glances at Qin Fen, wondering if his stomach, beneath that icy facade, was also convulsing.

Qin Fen stared ahead silently. The Thunder Cloud Storm in his hands was out of ammunition, but that didn't mean it was useless.

Weighing a thousand jin, the Thunder Cloud Storm remained an excellent close-quarters combat weapon.

The sssshing sound of the Insect Warriors finally ceased, replaced by the sound of human footsteps. These steps were slower than the preceding pre-parasitic forms, yet they sounded remarkably steady.

Lu Han and Lu Chu’s faces grew grim simultaneously. Judging by the sound, there must be about a hundred of them. If their strength matched the monster in the previous room, this battle looked far from optimistic.

The first Insect Warrior appeared within the six people's sight. Like the three they had seen before, it was completely naked, its entire body covered in a spiderweb pattern of veins as thick as earthworms beneath its skin.

Neither human nor ghost! Qin Fen frowned slightly, observing the Insect Warrior that hadn't attacked immediately. There was a faint spark of humanity in its eyes; it seemed to be thinking!

These Insect Warriors, their skin uniformly reddish, lacked the sheer madness of those encountered in Qinghai, possessing instead a degree of intelligence. If there was any difference between the two types, Qin Fen surmised, it was that these were able to unlock potential beyond what the Qinghai variants could manifest after parasitism.

Thirteen-star level strength! Qin Fen clicked his tongue in appreciation. Against Yang Lie, who was also thirteen-star, this monster might be effortlessly crushed. But against most thirteen-star martial artists, it would prove quite difficult to handle.

The distant Insect Warrior remained silent for a few seconds, the rationality in its eyes gradually replaced by agitation. In an instant, wild ferocity flared in its gaze.

A primal howl, somewhere between a wolf and a dog, tore from the thirteen-star Insect Warrior’s throat with such force it sounded like its vocal cords were being ripped apart. Its body swayed, hands dropped to the ground, and it charged forward like a wild dog! The stones beneath its feet instantly buckled under its savage power, fragments scattering toward the walls as its body shot forward like a cannonball fired from its chamber, aimed straight at Qin Fen.

Is it instinctual fear turning into madness? Or something else?

Qin Fen stepped forward, bringing the Thunder Cloud Storm down with a mighty smash in his left hand. The air screamed as the massive weapon split it, sounding like thunder! He resembled a War God, wielding a giant war hammer to subdue demons, the silver light slicing through a small corner of the world.

The Thunder Cloud Storm smashed accurately toward the Insect Warrior's head. These monsters, usually charging forward without hesitation, crossed their arms high above their heads to block this thunderous blow for the first time during their assault.

CRACK!

The Thunder Cloud Storm connected with the Insect Warrior's arms, the sound of snapping bones becoming the clearest, loudest noise in the tunnel. The rapidly charging Insect Warrior jolted to a halt; both its arms were completely blown apart! It was stopped dead in its tracks by the sheer force of Qin Fen’s strike!

The Thunder Cloud Storm, composed of countless parts, simultaneously exploded, shattering into pieces. Countless components flew through the air. The Insect Warrior it struck felt a series of crisp snaps within its skeleton, immediately followed by its muscles bulging outward at high speed, whereupon it entirely detonated, collapsing into a pool of mangled flesh on the ground.

Qin Fen flicked his left hand, tossing away the third of the Thunder Cloud Storm that remained, and said slowly, "I overestimated it slightly. This caliber of creature, upon meeting any normal thirteen-star human martial artist, only faces defeat. While I don't understand what strange technique allowed it to bypass the True Innate Stage of Blood Replacement and Rebirth, technology remains technology. It lacks life essence. Power that has not passed through the vast baptism of life cannot be called true strength."

The five battle-hardened soldiers froze momentarily, listening quietly to Qin Fen’s words. They felt an immediate sense of enlightenment, and their understanding of the martial path advanced significantly in that instant.

"Is that so?" the cold voice of Hades, the Little Pluto, sounded again. "All Insect Warriors, heed my command: kill the six intruders in this base. Leave no one alive."

The command still echoed through the base. A hundred Insect Warriors collectively roared toward the sky. Mingled with the blood-sodden mud on the ground, the air filled with a chilling, hellish gloom.

As the five special forces members exchanged worried glances, Qin Fen inhaled deeply, then let out a sudden, mighty breath, followed by a long howl like a dragon or a Roc, tearing through stone! Majestic and imposing! This aura, blended with fierce and dominant energy, carrying the transcendent artistic conception of the Divine Path, cut through the collective howling of the Insect Warriors.

The resounding howl, like an unending, surging great river, vibrated away the pungent stench of blood in the air, power seemingly ready to erupt from the cry itself.

As the howl peaked, Qin Fen lifted his left foot slightly and brought it back down to the ground. The five special forces soldiers standing beside him felt the ground beneath their feet suddenly vibrate; the entire floor shook! And it wasn't just a vibration! Dust rained down from the ceiling, and Jessica felt her usually rooted feet lose balance.

The ground around Qin Fen's feet began to roll and bulge upward in sections, as if some massive creature were swiftly moving beneath.

One mighty howl, one stomp like a heavy drumbeat, like a heavenly lightning strike! It shook the minds of the five special forces soldiers, and simultaneously, it completely drowned out the frenzied roars of the hundred Insect Warriors whose eyes glowed with savage, endless ferocity.

In that instant, the base, previously filled with eerie, mournful cries, fell completely silent! It was as if, amid a chaotic dance of demons, a Buddha had descended and uttered a single phrase, subduing them all.

Qin Fen walked calmly down the channel of gore. The Insect Warriors blocking his path, which should have been completely irrational, all retreated half a step in unison, a flicker of something akin to fear dancing in their crimson eyes.

They... possessed intelligence...

Though slight, it was genuine intelligence! Intelligent Insect Warriors would be far more formidable in combat, but they had also gained a weakness they previously lacked: they were no longer utterly fearless of death.

Hades, the Little Pluto, gently touched his nose, his pupils shining with unbelievable light. These Insect Warriors indeed possessed a small degree of intelligence, but during their creation, they should not have understood the concept of terror. Why were they retreating before Qin Fen's advance?

Perhaps... a word flashed through Hades' mind: Instinct!

During World War II, the Soviets trained a batch of ferocious military dogs that could carry explosive packs and charge German tanks without fear, knowing it meant certain death. They were called the most fearless army! Yet, even these death-defying creatures had once retreated in submission before the king of the underground fighting pits in Siberia.

Submission is an instinct! Insect Warriors could fearlessly confront anything, yet they still obeyed a fundamental biological instinct!

Qin Fen’s howl was supremely dominant and fierce, possessing a lofty quality! His stomp carried the air of shattering the earth and fracturing the heavens, causing the Insect Warriors to pull back.

"Instinct?"

Hades chuckled, placing his hand back beside the bathtub. "Qin Fen, the stronger you are, the better. Only then can more valuable data be collected. Even exchanging you for these Insect Warriors would be worth it!"

"Insect Warriors, heed my command! Completely tear apart the enemy before you. That is an order."

The cold words crackled through the communicator once more. Qin Fen frowned slightly, looking at the swarm of bugs that had just submitted, now growing agitated again. It seemed they truly could understand commands.

A screech rose from among the Insect Warriors, and nearly a hundred red shadows lunged out almost simultaneously! Their nearly two hundred feet striking the ground caused the floor to vibrate even more violently than Qin Fen’s earlier stomp, sending the stagnant blood splashing outward.

Qin Fen's eyes snapped open. He required no howl or shout; his aura surged spontaneously, instantly absorbing the murderous wildness of the Insect Warriors into his own presence. This formed an aura that wasn't thick, but possessed a sharp, untamed edge. The ground beneath him erupted with a 'boom' of reactive force, large slabs of the stone floor flipping and rolling like the surface of the sea disturbed by a deep-sea volcanic eruption.

The scattered stones turned to dust, and Qin Fen stood motionless, unleashing an unstoppable punch!

Dragon Cannon!

The Dragon Cannon, which had instantly granted Qin Fen the upper hand against the Madman Wu! After two months of advanced study in Qin Fen's secret arts pavilion, it reappeared in the world.

With a single Dragon Cannon, the corridor filled with the sounds of wind and thunder, one explosion following another as if dozens of hand grenades were detonating around his body.

Fist out! Power explodes! Before Qin Fen’s fist in the Dragon Cannon blast formed a visible wave of pressure. This force, a blend of true qi and atmospheric pressure, ripped through the air before him, emitting a sound like the sharp cry of a true dragon. The majestic momentum formed his unique air-splitting fist technique!

The martial wisdom gained from observing Venerable Wu split the sea thirty zhang deep had been integrated into this Dragon Cannon. The resulting punch was irresistible! Without the inherent forward momentum of the Dragon Cannon martial artists, the power of this iteration was in no way diminished! The Insect Warriors rushing at the forefront, upon first contact with the Dragon Cannon's air-splitting fist, instantly turned into a paste of flesh, as if they had been struck by the Thunder Cloud Storm.

Jessica? Weir stared at the scene in shock. She finally understood why senior martial artists claimed that the gap between the fifteenth and fourteenth star levels was only one star, yet represented a genuine chasm between heaven and earth!

Why were martial artists who reached the fifteenth star truly called powerhouses?

Why did the Joint Liaison Committee offer such generous terms to any fifteenth-star martial artist?

Why did various planets rush to extend invitations and recruit any fifteenth-star martial artist?

Martial artists of this level were too powerful! They had surpassed the strength of normal martial artists!

With a single punch—a punch that forcefully absorbed and fused the savage aura of the Insect Warriors into a sharp edge—Jessica? Weir sucked in a cold breath. This was absolutely comparable to, or perhaps even surpassed, the power of the Thunder Cloud Storm!

Qin Fen had consumed all one hundred twelve-star Insect Warriors with just one punch.

Marrow Cleansing Nirvana Great Innate... Marrow Cleansing Nirvana Great Innate... Jessica swallowed a mouthful of saliva. She had only known that the Marrow Cleansing Nirvana Great Innate could extinguish countless martial arts geniuses, but she had always doubted whether the effect remained so potent after passing this hurdle, unlike the Blood Replacement Rebirth True Innate which was remarkably effective, yet not entirely absolute.

At this moment, Jessica finally understood that the Marrow Cleansing Nirvana Great Innate was far beyond the level of martial arts achieved through Blood Replacement Rebirth True Innate. If Blood Replacement Rebirth True Innate could turn someone into the Hulk, then reaching the fifteenth star via Marrow Cleansing Nirvana Great Innate could turn someone into Superman!

Qin Fen completed his posture, lifted his foot again, and walked forward without looking back, saying, "Keep up. Complete our mission."

The other four special forces soldiers glanced at Jessica with wry smiles. This mission had supposedly only required a computer genius; why bring them all? What were the military authorities thinking?

Jessica? Weir shrugged with a bitter smile. Who knew what the military had planned? The calculating Snake King, when arranging this mission, never anticipated Qin Fen reaching the fifteenth-star level, let alone possessing such formidable strength within that tier! Had the Snake King known Qin Fen's true power, he certainly would not have mobilized so many people.

The underground base was large, but not difficult to navigate; there were various signposts to prevent personnel from taking wrong turns.

Qin Fen passed many sections without seeing any personnel. Judging by the somewhat ravaged state of the environment, the occupants had evacuated only recently.

After traversing several corridors, Qin Fen saw a massive, black door. He raised a hand to signal those behind him to halt. Through this door, he could clearly sense a tiger lurking behind it—a tiger filled with hatred, killing intent, and the will to fight!

Creeeeeak.....

The door slid open slowly, and a cold, resentful voice drifted out of the darkness.

"Qin Fen, I, Hades, the Little Pluto, crawled back after you sent me to hell. Baptized by the inferno, I have now become the true King of the Underworld."