The magnificent form slowly rose from the bathtub, green fluid rolling down the contours of his granite-like musculature and cascading into the vast tub.
Young Pluto Hades appeared even more robust than before, his muscles seemingly cast from bronze and iron, their sharp lines clearly visible even in the darkness.
A pair of fierce, tiger-like eyes became the brightest presence in the dark room as he paced with the leisurely gait of a tiger patrolling its mountain domain, a chilling killing intent, like that of a fighting tiger, surging around his body.
Eyes, red as fresh blood, radiated a chill that made one's entire body freeze upon sight! That was the unique crimson glow of a Chong Wuzhe! Within the dense aura of slaughter, there was an added ferocity and wildness that did not originally belong to him!
Qin Fen's pupils instantly shrunk to the size of a needle point; one could guess, with considerable accuracy, how Young Pluto Hades had been "reborn" and manifested in the mortal realm just by looking into those eyes.
The man who was once crippled, whose meridians were severed and bones shattered that day, now reappeared whole and infused with peerless, savage flame—there was only one possibility! He too was a Chong Wuzhe!
However, Young Pluto Hades was distinctly different from the batch of Chong Wuzhe previously killed! He possessed his own clear thoughts and wisdom, a complete and independent personality, unlike those creatures who roared insults while driven only by instinctual bloodlust.
"What? Surprised?" Young Pluto Hades slowly donned his clothes one piece at a time, his tone calm and gentle, utterly devoid of killing intent. His leisurely pace resembled the King of the Underworld strolling through his eternal palace, his slowly spreading arms seeming to embrace death: "As you see, today, I am a Chong Wuzhe."
A glint of realization flashed in Qin Fen's eyes as his suspicion was confirmed—indeed! Young Pluto Hades had 'reborn' into the world of martial arts by becoming a Chong Wuzhe.
"Strange, isn't it? The possessed Chong Wuzhe become mindless slaughtering monsters, yet I possess self-awareness." Young Pluto Hades snapped his fingers, and the bathtub beside him slowly sank into the floor as dozens of lights in the room simultaneously blazed on: "Do you know the suffering I endured just to stand up again? Having lost everything, I took the gamble of my life, and... I won."
Through those few simple sentences, Qin Fen could sense the agony the other had faced. The parasitic precursor he used was not a special product guaranteed to preserve sanity; all of this was due to Young Pluto Hades himself, his inhuman willpower and obsessive desire for revenge having brought him to this current state.
Compared to other Chong Wuzhe, Young Pluto Hades differed greatly; not only did he retain self-awareness, but the unsightly, earthworm-like veins that seemed to cover their muscles were absent from his body.
He resembled a normal martial artist, save for the pair of eyes shimmering with uncanny bloodlight and the deeply unsettling aura surrounding him, which announced his identity as a Chong Wuzhe.
"You've come for the Chong Wuzhe data, haven't you?"
"Yes."
"I regret to say, I am the guardian here." Young Pluto Hades slowly assumed a fighting stance: "Although this place has mostly been abandoned, the data will not be handed over to you."
Qin Fen fell silent, adopting the stance of the Divine Fist Dao. That data must be obtained today! For the sake of the new recruits who perished in Qinghai, that data must be secured! The Chong Wuzhe were too dangerous! If a secretive organization like the Creation Society controlled them, it was like giving them control of a colossal bomb.
Jessica, Vior, and the others quickly retreated; such a battle was beyond their current level. The military intelligence had never mentioned that the Creation Society's base in the Sahara was guarded by such a powerful martial artist.
Hades' gaze turned ice-cold, and a rare gentleness flashed in his blood-red eyes. His voice was not as killing-cold as before: "Is... she well?"
'She' referred to Song Jia.
Qin Fen nodded slightly. Hades' letter was no secret; the challenge he issued that day was not due to the prestige of Qilin Song Wendong. He truly loved Song Jia, purely loved her, and the fight was for the chance to win her hand.
"I truly do not wish to see her hurt..." Hades' blood-red eyes, momentarily soft as flowing water, instantly turned cold as a blade again, killing intent once more dominating his handsome face: "But! This world is what it is; some things happen whether one wishes them not to!"
Suddenly! Hades' voice ceased. A tiger's roar erupted from his core, rising to his throat, and his entire body lunged forward, a claw dripping with bloody slaughter tearing through the air!
No probing, no deceptive feints or hidden maneuvers. Simple, direct, decisive! All the emotions Hades had contained over the past year converged into this single strike! It instantly enveloped Qin Fen's head, neck, shoulders, chest, abdomen, even his groin!
Young Pluto Hades’ claw strike instantly formed a vast net spanning heaven and earth, a feeling of encompassing all things in the world.
The fifteen-star Young Pluto Hades unleashed his ultimate skill mastered through nearly a year of arduous cultivation and realization: [One Net to Capture the Grudges of Antiquity]. It was as if all the grievances and grudges from the long river of history were caught within it, to be crushed into dust.
The five battle-hardened special forces soldiers only saw a blur; they couldn't even track Young Pluto Hades’ movement clearly. Though they stood outside the immediate battle zone, they felt the illusion of being fish trapped in his net.
A year of setbacks and decline had not broken Young Pluto Hades. His desire for revenge had been fused into his martial arts, forging a peerless, savage claw!
Young Pluto Hades had truly broken his cocoon and been reborn! Seeing this attack, Qin Fen's eyelids shot up. He noticed the surface of the opponent's steel-like body rapidly transforming; layers of visible mist condensed together, forming faint black and white stripes, like those of a genuine, ferocious tiger!
Bioluminescent Beast! Young Pluto Hades was employing his Bioluminescent Beast! His face contorted with an expression of endured pain, and his power surged to a peak Qin Fen had never encountered in any opponent before!
In their first battle, Young Pluto Hades, aiming to win a lady's heart, had used only martial arts against Qin Fen, just as Qin Fen had, deliberately withholding the activation of the Bioluminescent Beast within him!
Today, Young Pluto Hades initiated the fight with top-tier strength, augmented by the Bioluminescent Beast's attack! A sliver of doubt rose in Qin Fen's heart—this did not seem like Hades' usual character; why use the Bioluminescent Beast?
Pfft... pfft... pfft...
The five special forces soldiers, far from the combat zone, simultaneously spat out mists of blood. The aura Hades emitted after activating his Bioluminescent Beast had transformed into an attack that could physically injure others; the five were wounded merely by proximity.
Qin Fen's eyes sharpened with divine light, and instantly, the shadowy outline of a virtual giant egg imprinted with a Yin-Yang Taiji fish materialized behind him. His Divine Demonic Body's Bioluminescent Beast had slowly changed over these past days, even without active development; the Yin-Yang fish affixed to the egg shadow showed no sign of hatching.
Despite facing the aura of an equal opponent, Qin Fen could not yet strip it away using the Divine Dao to integrate it into himself. He neither retreated, avoided, nor dodged. Assuming a posture akin to strumming a pipa, he sank his body slightly and simultaneously swept his arms upward, perfectly ensnaring Hades' arm. Engaging his shoulders, waist, and hips simultaneously, he wrenched the arm as if wringing out a washed piece of cloth, attempting to violently twist off this tiger claw that sought to capture the universe!
A dip, a shake, then a twist! This was the grappling technique Double Dragon from the Little Dragon King’s Five Dragons Fist!
Hades showed no fear of Qin Fen’s terrifying brute strength. His left hand darted out, and both arms vibrated powerfully, twisting entirely against Qin Fen’s rotational force. His hands resembled two thick tiger tails, grappling and struggling against the two dragons.
A head-on confrontation! The moment their four arms collided, his clothing was the first casualty, tearing apart with a series of sharp snaps and falling to shreds!
Qin Fen was not overly surprised by Hades' brute force. Having fought Chong Wuzhe several times, he knew that parasitic possession indeed greatly amplified the host's strength; the sumo wrestler opponent from that day was a perfect example.
The two torrents of rigid power intertwined. Red marks instantly appeared on Qin Fen's arm skin; Hades' sharp tiger claws had successively broken through two layers of his protective Divine Arts—an achievement only equaled by the Martial Maniac in past encounters.
Qin Fen immediately understood that with the supplementary aid of the Bioluminescent Beast, the power of the tiger claw was further enhanced. If this continued, his protective arts would be completely breached, and although he might injure the opponent, he would inevitably be hurt as well. His entire body tensed, and a surge of intent flooded his limbs!
His two arms suddenly pushed outward, the entangled dragons instantly forming a giant circle. It looked as if he were holding a massive inflated ball between his arms; the expansion and tension unleashed an unprecedented repulsive force.
Bang! Bang! Bang~!
Hades’ arms struck this strange circle, and with a forceful push of his feet, he was sent flying ten meters away. A trace of surprise flashed in his blood eyes. This move, clearly designed for offense and defense, could fluidly switch between yielding and rigid force, allowing the two forces to resonate, generating even greater combat power.
[Divine Fist Dao: Vajra Bangle!] Derived from the principle of Tai Chi, evolving from the Emperor of Martial Arts Dragon Fist’s [Yin-Yang Twin Dragons Without Principle], it can be rigid or yielding. When yielding, it gathers the world's clinging forces to death; when rigid, it is unbreakable, invincible for siege warfare!
Qin Fen’s Vajra Bangle, a forceful integration of yielding and rigid force, immediately repelled Hades, pushing him backward. Qin Fen, using the extreme speed movement technique Golden Roc Descending Upon the Monkey, immediately closed the distance. Facing Hades, who was just stabilizing himself, Qin Fen unleashed a Divine Fist Dao strike: [Splitting the Mountain to Save the Mother]!
Swish, the massive airflow was split by Qin Fen's palm, like parting the waves on the ocean; the surging sound raised a fierce, overwhelming momentum.
The rigid palm, its five fingers tightly closed, long and broad, surpassed a real battle saber, completely enveloping Young Pluto Hades.
Not good! The fierce light in Hades' blood eyes instantly flared several times brighter, the veins beneath his skin suddenly standing out one by one, like intertwined, small, dark-green snakes covering his entire body. Hostility surged from his face, as if he were about to lose control and become a complete Chong Wuzhe!
Qin Fen’s [Splitting the Mountain to Save the Mother] concentrated his entire vital energy, spirit, and essence into an explosive burst. The Golden Roc Descending Upon the Monkey steps propelled him forward, unleashing the peak brute strength accumulated from his Dragon-Elephant Prajna Skill! Even the Martial Maniac from the Blade Frontier battle would have retreated before this move. Yet, Hades fought to the death!
His entire body blazed with golden light, raising the White Tiger's Protective Aura to the utmost limit he could achieve. Hades neither retreated nor dodged! His legs suddenly sprang outward, his right fist punching violently upward—a technique from the White Tiger called the 'Sky Breaker' form, twisting all his strength into a single rope and exploding outward, accurately striking Qin Fen's wrist, intending to shatter the joint.
Boom! The Sky Breaker form collided head-on with Splitting the Mountain to Save the Mother. The entire room shook violently; the stone slabs on the ground cracked and scattered into the air; nearby electrical control equipment sparked and popped, and the walls vibrated continuously, showering dust and smoke that stung the eyes.
Hades was sent flying backward, crashing into the wall, directly punching through it into the next room, spitting out sharp, blood.
Qin Fen's Divine Fist Dao had just achieved initial success. Facing an opponent of this caliber for the first time, his full power unleashed the vast might of the Divine Dao repeatedly, instantly injuring and blasting Hades back. The connection points of his bones felt on the verge of disintegration, and the great veins resembling small, dark-green snakes coiled around his body vanished instantly. The madness in his blood eyes subsided by more than half, leaving only the dense intent of slaughter to grow as he retreated. The veins under his skin were about to surge up again in an instant.
Having repelled the formidable enemy, Qin Fen’s momentum was established; suddenly, it was as if he had undergone a complete metamorphosis. His eyes burst forth with unprecedented, vast light; his entire being had changed! His rock-solid features were now veiled in a majestic aura, bestowing upon him an unparalleled dignity, like a supreme deity looking down upon all living beings.
The Divine Fist Dao, named for the 'Divine,' sought precisely this conceptual state. Qin Fen trod the Bagua steps, his fist momentum rising again with thunderous swiftness, churning the airflow in the room, spiraling it inward toward his fist. The vast power churned within, as if the Milky Way from the Ninth Heaven poured forth from his hands.
[Divine Fist Dao: Investiture of the Gods]! Qin Fen's ultimate technique, created by himself! It integrated all the martial arts he had witnessed—this was the Divine Dao! All those named on the Investiture of the Gods scroll could not escape tribulation. This punch embodied that very concept: "I declare you are now deified, so you must report to the Investiture of the Gods!" Anyone who reports there meets only death!
The fierce light in Young Pluto Hades' blood eyes was forcibly suppressed by the Investiture of the Gods. His eyes were filled with astonishment; a martial artist of equal rank could strike with such a fist technique!
"Young Master!"
A booming shout erupted from nowhere, and a powerfully built man appeared before Young Pluto Hades. He glowed entirely with golden light, his fists resembling dragon horns as he met the Investiture of the Gods head-on.
Upon collision, the man’s body emitted a massive sound, as if steel tendons were being crushed by immense pressure, creaking under the strain. The man’s bones groaned under the immense pressure, sounding like they might shatter and be sealed onto the Investiture of the Gods in the next second.
The next instant, the two combatants separated. Qin Fen retreated thirty meters, looking at the man who blocked Young Pluto Hades. This was the first time the Investiture of the Gods had resulted in a draw—it hadn't sealed the person! This man, also utilizing a Bioluminescent Beast alongside martial arts, what was his origin?
"Young Master, are you alright?" The man spoke, hot blood spewing continuously from his mouth. Qin Fen’s punch, while not fatal, had severely injured him!
Hades' blood eyes flickered rapidly. This Star Lord General, once of the Venus rank, was injured! A trace of sorrow quickly crossed his blood-red eyes. If he hadn't needed to stand up again, Kang Jinlong would never have depleted so much vital essence and true qi, causing his strength to plummet to the point where he vomited blood just blocking one of Qin Fen's punches.
"Kang Jinlong, why did you come out?" Hades’ face instantly turned icy: "Didn't I tell you to rest well?"
Kang Jinlong? Star Lord General? That was his power level? Qin Fen's eyes darted with confusion. Rumor had it that the strongest of Venus was the White Tiger, followed by the Star Lord General Kang Jinlong, but Kang Jinlong's current strength seemed too weak. In their brief clash, he appeared deficient in both blood qi and spirit. Was this related to Young Pluto Hades?
In that moment of confusion, a burst of fire exploded on the ground between Qin Fen and the two opponents, smoke and dust instantly obscuring their vision.
Qin Fen swept the smoke away with a wave of his hand, only to find that Young Pluto Hades and Kang Jinlong, who had just been standing there, had vanished. Only a sentence echoed in the air:
"Qin Fen, the base will explode in five minutes. If you chase my Young Master, you definitely won't have time to download the data. I've left a copy for you in the room near you; you have less than five minutes."
Chase? Not chase? Qin Fen made an instant decision. If the opponent was truly Kang Jinlong, he would likely use Wu Kong Shu (Void Movement) and probably had an escape vehicle ready; chasing would be very difficult. Utilizing these five minutes to secure the data was more critical.
He flashed into the room Kang Jinlong had indicated, his hands flying across the console to download the data quickly. He then rushed out of the room toward one of the nearby chambers—he had noticed several special metal cabinets when passing by earlier, and he remembered the knowledge taught by his instructor that these items possessed strong resistance to explosions.
Carrying two boxes, Qin Fen bolted back into the initial room where he had entered the base. He shattered three glass containers with phantom palm strikes, then flicked his fingers in mid-air, destroying the bulk of the Chong Wuzhe precursors, leaving only one alive, which he tossed into a metal box.
Qin Fen didn't have much understanding of these monsters, nor did he know their resistance to explosions. If they weren't killed in time and simply detached themselves automatically, they would leave behind potential bombs threatening society.
Having been a police officer, Qin Fen had considered all these factors.
Returning once more to the area soaked in plasma, Qin Fen dragged out a half-intact living specimen from the gore. Its limbs were shattered and gone. Though its physical form was lost, it was still half-standard—this was the second specimen Qin Fen had deliberately left for Lin Liqiang during the recent battle.
Having arranged everything, Qin Fen rushed back into the room containing the data, finding that the two files he had downloaded quickly were now complete.
He secured one copy and rushed out of the room holding the other, shouting to the five people still standing motionless: "Withdraw."
Without waiting for their reaction, Qin Fen looped his arms around their throats and launched into the Golden Roc Descending Upon the Monkey movement, charging towards the base exit.