On Mount Yitai, the tallest peak on Saturn, its soaring altitude seemed poised to pierce the heavens. Endless seas of clouds billowed and drifted around the mountainside. Looking down from the summit, one could not see the vast land below; all that met the eye was the boundless, unbroken expanse of clouds, white or dark, stretching infinitely in every direction. The relentless, sharp winds that howled across the mountain year-round felt like knives, akin to the legendary Gang Feng (Tough Wind), carving countless striations into the rock—stone seemingly thicker than Earth's metals.

This was the specialized, cutting wind that blocked ordinary people from ascending past the ten-thousand-meter mark on Mount Tianwang, an impassable fault layer without specialized gear or overwhelming martial force.

There was almost no useful natural resource here, only rock upon rock. Even ice and snow seemed incapable of clinging to the mountain body.

A place of no value rarely attracted visitors, and the bitter, piercing winds, coupled with a mere ranking outside the top twenty peaks recognized by the Federation, ensured it remained largely ignored.

This, then, was one of the bases of the Saturn Founding Society.

Human presence on Mount Tianwang was sparse, and the unique, harsh winds, nonexistent on other planets, combined with the worthless terrain, had gradually led to its abandonment by the general populace. This site's address has been changed to: Liaolian'ao Pengliao Qian Please log in to Yuanduzhai.

The colossal mountain retained its primal appearance, as if untouched by any human carving. Any observer with exceptionally keen sight, upon close inspection, would surely notice several unusually shaped, massive boulders.

This was the entrance to the Mount Tianwang Founding Society base. Personnel clad in white, specialized uniforms hurried through the corridors of the base’s various levels. Each person seemed utterly focused on the data sheets in their hands, acting as if everyone else around them were mere air.

Occasionally, two or three would form small discussion groups, walking while engaging in tense, hurried conversation.

The white uniforms, white caps, and white face masks, resembling respirators, concealed nearly everyone’s features.

From their demeanor, they appeared no different from ordinary scientific researchers. It was difficult to imagine that they were, in fact, a group of near-maniacs, artificially creating what they called "Solar Bone" and bringing forth lifeforms that did not belong to this world.

Sounds of agonizing screams, distinctly inhuman, echoed from different laboratories. Many observers stood behind transparent, reinforced glass, monitoring the activities within the rooms.

"This is one of our latest 'Insect Warriors' developed..."

On the corridor three levels below the entrance, a team of men and women were not wearing the standardized attire. Some wore casual clothing, others formal suits, making them look more like tourists visiting a famous landmark.

At the center of the group stood a young man with a refined face, sharp sword-like eyebrows, and bright, star-like eyes. A closer look revealed an aura about him that no genuine youth possessed—a seasoned quality that could only be forged through decades of relentless effort.

This man’s expression was remarkably youthful, his skin as delicate as a child's, and even his eyes held an air of innocent wonder, appearing endlessly curious about everything.

The presenter’s gaze was fixed upon him, and most of the surrounding men and women also directed their attention toward him.

The Founding Society members occasionally passing by did not spare the martial artist a second glance; in their eyes, only the reflected data held any real importance.

However, the entourage accompanying the martial artist had to treat him with utmost caution and respect. A martial artist holding a status within the Tianmen (Heavenly Gate) superior to the Eight Immortals of the Upper Cave could not be trifled with!

He was one of the supreme powerhouses, second only to Monkey King, Yang Jian, and Guanyin!

This was an era dominated by martial prowess, and even an almost fanatical organization like the Founding Society showed due deference to practitioners like Na Chi.

Especially since the Tianmen had recently experienced multiple incidents involving the deaths of powerful martial artists, the Founding Society displayed an intense interest.

The Federation did not have many experts at the Martial Dao Master level; any such expert was an invaluable asset to the Founding Society. The data obtained from analyzing or experimenting on them far surpassed data gathered from ordinary people.

But were Martial Dao Masters easily found? Absolutely not! It was incredibly difficult for organizations like the Founding Society to acquire high-level martial artists.

The death and subsequent dissection of Lan Caihe had provided the Founding Society with a wealth of information, simultaneously revealing the errors in their previous assumptions. Much of their data had now been revised. If they could acquire the body of another powerful martial artist for research, creating controlled, or even self-aware, Insect Warriors might no longer be impossible.

Dr. Rona, leading the delegation, was fully confident in this possibility. Therefore, he needed to persuade Na Chi, who represented the Tianmen on this visit, to agree to let them study one or two Martial Dao Masters from the Tianmen for this endeavor.

Inside the glass chamber, the Insect Warrior slowly turned its head, observing Na Chi and the others outside. Standing beside it was a Martial Dao Master—one of the rare Guardians possessed by the Founding Society, a master not to be risked in experiments.

"Before becoming an Insect Warrior, this subject possessed only the strength of an eleven-star martial artist. Observe now," Dr. Rona said with a smile, watching the Insect Warrior—whose muscles were fully engorged—turn toward a blackboard to perform calculations involving addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. "It now commands the peak power of a fourteen-star level! I believe that any fourteen-star martial artist, even one who has completed Marrow Replacement and Great Innate Transmutation, will absolutely not be a match for our Insect Warrior before they reach the fifteen-star level."

A series of complex problems were rapidly solved by the Insect Warrior’s swift calculations. A flicker of surprise and astonishment crossed Na Chi’s eyes; Lan Caihe had possessed no such cognitive ability. Aside from extreme aggression, he had lost all other normal human faculties, becoming a monster that consumed raw flesh.

"Fourteen-star invincible?" Na Chi queried skeptically.

"Precisely!" Rona scratched his messy shock of golden hair. "Our Insect Warrior research is far more advanced than those so-called bio-beasts! Current Insect Warriors have also developed special regenerative abilities. Of course, this increases the production cost significantly, making it unsuitable for mass deployment currently. However, I believe this will be achievable in the near future. If the Tianmen agrees to our proposal, the Martial Dao Masters we work with will undoubtedly be much stronger than they were previously. This will also greatly aid our research into how to bypass the need for Martial Dao Masters and directly use Insect Warriors to elevate subjects into the Martial Dao Master realm."

Na Chi smiled at Rona’s expression. The Insect Warrior was impressive, certainly, but the notion that a martial artist below the fifteen-star level could be elevated through the Insect Warrior process into the Martial Dao Master echelon? These scientists were too fanciful, underestimating the profound mystery of the Martial Dao Master realm.

If science could explain everything in this world, then scientists would already be gods in the sacred texts.

There were many things in this world that even science could not fully decipher—the Martial Dao Master realm, for one. Na Chi’s gaze drifted back to the fourteen-star Insect Warrior behind the glass. It genuinely possessed self-awareness; a spark of intelligence shone in its eyes, indicating a clear consciousness.

A roar suddenly boomed from the Insect Warrior’s mouth.

Na Chi slightly lifted the corner of his eye and chuckled softly, looking at the Insect Warrior snarling at him from behind the glass. It seemed this thing truly possessed self-awareness; it had become agitated simply by his contemptuous glance. This was quite unexpected.

"Fourteen-star invincible?" Na Chi turned his head and asked Dr. Rona with a faint smile.

"Yes! Fourteen-star invincible," Rona affirmed with unwavering confidence.

"Xiao Yao, kill him."

Na Chi looked calmly at a woman beside him, a fourteen-star martial artist, who pushed open the door and stepped into the chamber. Sensing the hostile aura, the Insect Warrior issued another roar, its feet crushing the steel floor plates into distortion. Its body launched like a cannonball toward the woman who looked barely twenty-three or twenty-four.

Dr. Rona instinctively closed his eyes, unwilling to witness a beautiful woman become the prey of the Insect Warrior’s claws. Before his eyes had fully shut, he saw the head of his carefully cultivated fourteen-star warrior completely vanish.

The woman named Xiao Yao, noting that not a single drop of blood had stained her light-green martial arts uniform, licked the blood from her knuckles and walked out of the room with a smile.

"How was it?" Na Chi asked, his attention fixed entirely on the woman named Xiao Yao, ignoring Rona.

"Very good," Xiao Yao nodded. "Even some thirteen-star martial artists with the ability to fight above their level would have no chance of defeating it. Apart from a few genius fourteen-star martial artists, it indeed possesses invincible strength."

A hint of satisfaction spread across Na Chi's nodding face. The Founding Society's research on Insect Warriors had clearly made significant strides. In that case, if the remaining Four Immortals of the Upper Cave were all converted into Insect Warriors, it might indeed significantly boost the Tianmen's strength?

A cold smile touched Na Chi’s innocent eyes. With the rise of the monstrous entity known as the Yama Heavenly Sovereign and the underworld powers, the strength of the Eight Immortals of the Upper Cave, who once dominated Saturn, was clearly being suppressed. If this continued, sooner or later, the Yama Heavenly Sovereign would annihilate them all.

This did not align with the Tianmen's interests. Since the Eight Immortals of the Upper Cave could no longer keep pace with the current evolution of power levels, their utility was diminishing. It would be better to bring them all to the Founding Society and have them contribute to the Tianmen once more.

Dr. Rona watched Na Chi’s ever-changing expression, secretly delighted. It seemed this opportunity might actually materialize! If so, that would be perfect! These beings that appeared to possess self-awareness were merely gifts bestowed by the Founding Society; recalling those gifts would hardly be difficult. In the end, whose property would the resulting Insect Warrior powerhouses truly belong to—the Tianmen or the Founding Society? Only the Founding Society would know!

A ringing telephone interrupted Na Chi’s contemplation. The projection screen displayed a forest in the Natural Graveyard. A Tianmen martial artist, covered in gore, lay panting violently in the grass: "Report, report! The new metal and energy source have been located. But Qin Fen of the Military Department suddenly appeared, killing Han Zhongli and Tieguai Li, severely wounding Lu Dongbin and He Xiangu, and seizing the new energy and metal. Furthermore, this place—this place..."

The projection flickered and distorted again. Na Chi violently slapped the telephone screen, but it remained unresponsive. His immense strength could instantly annihilate a person, but a phone built using science could not be repaired by a few violent blows; he only managed to smash the device into pieces.

"Qin Fen? Han Zhongli and Tieguai Li are dead? Qin Fen again? It’s best if He Xiangu and Lu Dongbin manage to survive; the Insect Warriors still need their assistance. I didn't expect Qin Fen to be this strong. It seems I must intervene personally." Na Chi suddenly swung his arm, his eyes sharply narrowing as he turned toward the corridor. "Lu Dongbin, He Xiangu, why are you here? And who is that person accompanying you?" This site's address has been changed to: Liaolian'ao Pengliao Qian Please log in to Yuanduzhai.

"Qin Fen..."

I had no prior knowledge. Today, my father-in-law was scheduled to have the steel nails removed from his leg. Around the New Year, my father-in-law had a car accident and broke his bones, requiring steel nails to be set. Today they needed to be removed. Afterward, he couldn't walk and required being carried.