Caesar watched the receding figure of Du Zhanpeng and Kuang Cangliang, and suddenly recalled the verse of a famous poet: the farthest distance in the world is not life and death, but when I stand before you, you do not know that I love you. “So, the farthest distance in this world truly is life and death…” Caesar watched Du Zhanpeng quietly, “Only those who have truly experienced life and death know how vast that distance is.

Du Zhanpeng, holding Du Peng, yet being the younger brother, he would never know that though they were so close, they were separated by the world’s greatest distance: the distance between life, and, death.” Lü Dongbin stared at the monster before him, his mind reeling with questions. Where in the world did this thing crawl out from?

It was clearly not human, yet when it released its power, it bore a striking resemblance to the Zhenqi of martial arts! He Xiangu kept a wary eye on the creature that could speak human words.

It was vastly different from Lan Caihe, yet she felt an inexplicable sense that they were somehow related, perhaps two aspects of the same thing. “Whimper… oooooh…” Lan Caihe, whose head had been buried in the dirt, suddenly straightened his back.

He looked at the humanoid monster, a faint joy flickering in his eyes. Rarely showing any expression, his eyes now held a deep emotion, as if he had just seen a long-lost relative.

Lan Caihe cautiously approached the monster, his back slightly bowed in a posture resembling pilgrimage. The monster turned its head toward Lan Caihe.

Its pitch-black eyes held a flicker of disdain: “Simi..lar? Come… back… with… me.” “Go back with you?” The Jungle Ranger armor split open neatly, and a group of middle-aged men, none appearing over forty, emerged.

Each radiated a power that surpassed that of a Martial Arts Master. This was the first time, since arriving on Chunfen, that he had witnessed a faction, aside from the Heavenly Gate or the Underworld, possessing so many powerhouses.

Lü Dongbin stared in astonishment at Du Zhanpeng and this group. Where did such strength originate?

What were they doing here? Was another force about to rise on Saturn, challenging Qin Fen for the title of the Divine Beast Martial Artist?

“No!” Lü Dongbin’s eyelids twitched repeatedly. He recognized one person within the crowd: “These are martial artists from Jupiter!

Yes! Yun Ren once fought alongside the Azure Dragon for the Jupiter Divine Beast Martial Artist title!

What brings them here? No wonder they came in secret.

According to the Divine Beast Martial Artist rules, unless there are extremely special circumstances, factions cannot be sent to planets without Divine Beasts. Are they here for this monster?

Do they know its origin?” “I say, are you dreaming? You can’t even return yourself, only hiding here to build strength, and you still think of going back?” “You… cannot… stop… me.” The monster’s eyes, black as glass, swept over the crowd.

Its long, slender fingers swayed left and right, the gestures eerily close to human mannerisms. He Xiangu was filled with doubt.

She whispered to Lü Dongbin beside her, “What kind of monster is this? Is it also an Insect Martial Artist?

A higher-grade one?” Lü Dongbin could only shake his head, unable to answer. The creature carried a similar subtle aura to Lan Caihe, yet their appearances were vastly, overwhelmingly different.

“I… Natan… am not a mon…ster…” The creature looked at He Xiangu, and a strange light flickered in its obsidian-like eyes. As a woman renowned for her beauty for many years, He Xiangu could discern what that look meant: lust!

Unadulterated, raw carnal desire! He Xiangu was shocked that this monster harbored such thoughts.

“He is not an Insect Martial Artist. Aren’t many scientists currently researching the origins of mutated creatures?

Capture him, interrogate him severely, and we’ll know immediately…” “Chen Zhi, you talk too much.” Du Zhanpeng’s cold interruption cut off the group’s first opportunity to approach the truth behind the appearance of mutated lifeforms in their world. “Oh, Captain Zhanjuan, I won’t say any more.

I just thought Qin Fen might have a chance to become a Divine Beast later, so preemptively…” “Qin Fen?” Du Zhanpeng’s glance flickered towards Qin Fen, his tone cold: “He is not Qin Zhan!” Qin Fen’s body jerked violently. He could never have imagined hearing news of Qin Zhan in such a situation!

Did Du Zhanpeng know Qin Zhan? Lü Dongbin’s body also trembled.

Qin Zhan? The Qin Zhan who kicked the Heavenly Gate and the Underworld off Jupiter?

Indeed, these people truly were… Qin Fen’s gaze bypassed Du Zhanpeng and landed on the man named Chen Zhi, only to see that Chen Zhi had already clamped his mouth shut and ceased speaking. “Kill…” The monster calling itself Natan pointed at everyone: “I… become stronger… go back.” “Kill?” Du Zhanpeng began walking toward it with measured steps.

“If you hadn’t set this trap here, the Heavenly Gate and the Underworld wouldn’t have come, and my brother wouldn’t have died. The ultimate cause of all this today rests on you.

Do you still claim to be innocent?” A chilling atmosphere instantly permeated the battlefield. Du Zhanpeng’s eighteenth-star power surged forth, and the Ren Gang aura subtly transformed.

Qin Fen recognized it as a qualitative shift. Du Peng occupied an incredibly important place in Du Zhanpeng’s heart; even his martial path existed solely to defend.

The martial path was made to defend his younger brother! With Du Peng’s death, Du Zhanpeng’s martial philosophy might even collapse over time.

But this monster appeared, drawing all the rage from Du Peng’s death onto itself. Du Zhanpeng’s martial path and Gang Qi were merging unexpectedly to an extreme degree.

This was neither instant enlightenment nor a supernova burst, but the crucial final link in a natural progression—a link Du Zhanpeng had always failed to complete. Under the shock of Du Peng’s death, this transformation was rapidly taking place.

He might need a few more days for the change from Ren Gang to Di Gang to fully solidify, but this instantaneous shift would grant him a massive boost in combat strength. Monster Natan carelessly swung its large tail, its black eyes looking confusedly at Du Zhanpeng.

Why was this opponent he was about to fight carrying a useless corpse? Did he also need to consume humans to grow stronger quickly?

While Natan was still pondering, Du Zhanpeng reached it, looking up at its strange head. Natan was taller than Du Zhanpeng, but its eyes were much smaller.

Those two small eyes quietly met Du Zhanpeng’s. Natan disliked this feeling.

How dare a mere human look at him like that? Furthermore, during the eye contact, he felt a profound discomfort, a feeling reminiscent of facing that monster when he narrowly escaped death—one of humanity’s most powerful monsters.

Lü Dongbin exchanged a glance with He Xiangu, and they simultaneously pushed the remaining strength within their bodies. The instincts of battle-hardened veterans told them this monster was incredibly strong!

Lan Caihe hadn't managed to withstand a single blow! A creature that could send the Night Wanderer fleeing in panic, calling it a monster—its strength could be imagined!

Recall that when Chun Fen faced the Night Wanderer, he had merely been defeated and forced to retreat, not driven to a state of mental collapse like a stray dog. Almost every Martial Arts Master possessed an iron will.

A creature capable of terrifying the Night Wanderer to that extent must possess unimaginable power. Natan felt a growing unease under Du Zhanpeng’s fixed gaze.

It let out a shrill screech from its throat, its entire body seeming to transform into a ferocious mutated beast. Its large tail slammed violently onto the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust and leaving a deep fissure.

Its right arm twitched back past its shoulder, and simultaneously, its right knee suddenly lifted, striking fiercely toward Du Zhanpeng’s head. Martial arts combat technique!

Not the fighting of a wild beast! Lü Dongbin’s surprise deepened; this monster was actually employing martial arts fighting techniques, not just brute tearing and biting.

This knee strike, rising upward like a massive iron hammer, carried a wild momentum that threatened to send the Du brothers flying. The knee, driven by force from the leg, waist, and tail, possessed unparalleled ferocity!

Du Zhanpeng acted as if he hadn't seen the violent strike. The icy expression of a noble young master remained on his lips.

His body drew back slightly in a low bow, like a gentleman inviting a lady to dance. His elbow rotated, tracing dozens of arcs that hammered down heavily onto the monster’s knee.

Bang! The moment bone met muscle with a sickening crack, a string of sizzling sounds tore through the air.

Bright red blood sprayed from Natan’s knee, and a piercing scream tore from its throat. It regained balance on its tail, using it as a third leg, while its other leg swept out horizontally with a kick, intending to gain an advantage even though Du Zhanpeng was disadvantaged with only one arm.

“Today, I will slice you apart.” As Du Zhanpeng’s words reached Natan’s ears, his right arm, which had been driving downward with the elbow strike, merely lifted slightly. His hand transformed into a blade, thrusting towards the side of Natan’s other knee.

The sharp whistling sound of air being cut echoed incessantly. Even without making contact, it was clear that if struck, Natan would be cleaved into two pieces.

Natan’s tail whipped violently backward, and its body retreated rapidly. Its small black eyes stared fixedly at Du Zhanpeng: “It… is… you?” “I will slice you apart.” Du Zhanpeng did not answer the monster.

He stepped forward, his hand moving in a simple downward chop from above. His posture below the waist resembled a rider atop a warhorse, his arm swinging with a low ‘whoosh’ sound, like a colossal electric fan spinning in the air.

To the observers, his arm looked more like a massive battle-axe! “This is L—oooooh—” Before the martial artist in the Jungle Ranger gear could say anything more, Monster Natan let out a wretched cry.

Its left hand—the claw that had so easily crushed steel blades and ripped an arm from the Night Wanderer—was as fragile as tofu under Du Zhanpeng’s strike, offering no resistance to his advance. “Captain Zhanpeng is merging Brother Zhan’s partial Pangu Axe techniques!” Built upon the foundation of the Seven Star Immortal Thunder Cavalry Slash, this newborn supreme skill, infused with the advantages of Qin Zhan’s Pangu Axe, erupted with unparalleled might.

Half of Natan’s shoulder was cleanly cleaved off. “You—oooooh—L—oooooh—sliced me—oooooh—Na—ka—oooooh—oooooh—” Natan’s words were laced with immense shock.

Its large tail swung around, and both legs propelled it diagonally outward, reaching with one hand for Caesar, who was blocking its escape route. The ground suddenly trembled.

Natan’s vision blurred violently. A young man, his face tinged purple, the very human Natan considered weakest, stood squarely in front of Caesar.

His left arm, opening its five fingers as if it held the light of the sun, reached out and intercepted the claw that should have shredded Caesar. “I will not allow any more of my friends to be injured or die.” This voice, heavy with self-reproach, struck Natan like a thunderbolt.

It discovered its hand was held fast, and it was utterly impossible to break free. Its claws, which could usually tear people to shreds, were completely useless against this man’s body, scraping uselessly with high-pitched squeals.

“I said, I will slice you apart…” The cold, murderous, and merciless voice resonated. Natan felt its tail being seized.

When it tried to yank back, a bone-chilling pain shot through it. Qin Fen swung his hand, tossing the monster directly in front of Du Zhanpeng, then quickly grabbed Caesar’s arm and retreated to stand near the group of Martial Arts Masters.

On the battlefield, Du Zhanpeng moved like a phantom, constantly appearing in Natan’s escape paths. He never immediately decapitated the monster, instead taking pieces of its body one by one, as if only those agonizing screams could soothe the grief of losing his brother.

“Do you want to know everything?” Chen Zhi, who had been silenced by Du Zhanpeng earlier, stood beside Qin Fen, his voice lowered to a near whisper as he stared at the battle. “Ask the Founder of the Founding Association.” Qin Fen turned to Chen Zhi, observing the martial artist who clearly practiced the Adamantine Body Protection Divine Skill.

Chen Zhi had returned to his original standing position, though the last thing he’d said still echoed: “The Gathering of Heroes will convene soon; prepare yourself.” The Founder of the Founding Association? Qin Fen looked confusedly at Chen Zhi, but received no response from the Martial Arts Master, as if he had never spoken at all.

“I can only tell you this: mutated creatures do not appear out of thin air.” Chen Zhi opened his mouth, but no sound emerged. It was lip-reading.

Qin Fen was perplexed as to how this Martial Arts Master knew he could read lips. “Qin Zhan is my elder brother.

Do you know my brother’s whereabouts?” Qin Fen opened his mouth but uttered no sound. He only saw Chen Zhi’s lips curve into a smile that clearly conveyed: ‘Of course I do, but I’m not telling you.’ Qin Fen felt helpless looking at Chen Zhi’s expression.

If he were an enemy, he could be tortured for information, but this man apparently had a connection with his brother; in a sense, he might be an elder. No matter how desperate he was to know his brother’s location, he couldn't use force against an elder.

“Is my brother the Azure Dragon?” A flicker of surprise crossed Chen Zhi’s eyes, followed by faint admiration. The smile that conveyed ‘I simply won’t tell you’ deepened slightly.

“About that…” Lü Dongbin murmured quietly beside Qin Fen, “Qin Fen, you may not know, but Lan Caihe is a failed product.” “Failed?” “Failed,” He Xiangu continued. “The Founding Association claims that, theoretically, true success, a truly powerful martial artist, should retain little to no difference from their original form, even externally.

Moreover, they should keep all memory and consciousness. In a sense, they haven’t died; their physiological structure has simply undergone a massive alteration.” “Are you suggesting…” Qin Fen’s gaze swept toward the battlefield.

Du Zhanpeng, in the midst of his merciless slaughter, suddenly turned his head toward He Xiangu. The Pangu Axe in his hand instantly split the monster in two, and with a pivot of his ankle, he lunged toward He Xiangu.