The foul-tasting, yet endlessly rewarding, nutrient paste. Qin Fen wiped the plate clean of the "essence grains" until it looked as though it had never been used, placing it back exactly where it belonged without a trace remaining.

Chen Feiyu tapped a button on the watch strapped to his wrist, projecting an image onto the table—a landscape dominated by bizarre, towering rock formations. Surrounded only by immense boulders, they formed what could barely be called a plain, a genuine rocky expanse where one could barely spot any vegetation, or even any structures.

Qin Fen studied the environment captured by the satellite lock coordinates intently. This was truly a sea of stone; aside from the rock itself, there seemed to be nothing else.

"If you wish to know the truth of the matter, seek out the Founding Council. They hold the answers you require."

Qin Fen recalled the words spoken by a Martial Arts Master named Chen Zhi, when Du Zhanpeng led the contingent.

Ever since arriving on Saturn, or perhaps since his very first encounter with the Insect Martial Artists, Qin Fen had felt that certain matters remained perpetually veiled in mist.

Qin Fen looked at the fierce expression on Chen Feiyu's face. The incident where the Golden Triangle Founding Council sent assassins to kill Chen Feiyu's sister was, in a sense, the engine that had driven Chen Feiyu to survive thus far, and the primary motivation for him to enhance his martial prowess.

Whether to fulfill the promise he made to Chen Feiyu in the Golden Triangle, or to unravel the mysteries plaguing his mind, Qin Fen felt that now was the time to confront the Founding Council.

Although the projection showed no sign of the Founding Council's presence, Qin Fen was well aware that mechanical eyes could sometimes be deceived. Only by witnessing things firsthand could one truly believe, much like the Heavenly King Peak that had been shattered previously.

"You plan to go take a look?" Qin Fen asked Chen Feiyu. "What about the others?"

"Solomon hasn't returned. The others are still in seclusion. Xue Tian is healing while in seclusion," Chen Feiyu pondered briefly. "Only Lin Ling isn't in seclusion."

"Lin Ling?" Qin Fen fell silent for a moment. Lin Ling was arguably the only anomaly among the Federation's snipers, someone who could consistently outmatch Qin Fen. Although Xue Tian had retrieved the God of Slaughter, the weapon had been in the hands of the Heavenly Gate for a time; who knew if they had damaged it?

The construction of God of Slaughter II would still require Lin Ling's assistance. Any sniping equipment serves the sniper, and Lin Ling's existence held significant importance and function.

"In that case," Qin Fen stated thoughtfully, "let's the two of us go."

Chen Feiyu nodded noncommittally. Given Qin Fen's strength, there were very few places in the current Federation he couldn't access. While the Founding Council was powerful, they possessed a fatal weakness: a scarcity of top-tier Martial Arts experts. Otherwise, they wouldn't have partnered with the Heavenly Gate.

The Founding Council's comprehensive strength was considerable, but this shortcoming constrained their development. Simultaneously, because of this critical flaw, they posed almost no threat to the current Qin Fen.

The sound of hurried footsteps echoed from the corridor outside. A Colonel temporarily in command of the Saturn Military Command rushed before Qin Fen, reporting, "Lieutenant Colonel Qin, we have just received an invitation from Tathagata of the Heavenly Gate; he requests a discussion. We have also received an invitation from the Underworld; King Qinguang wishes to speak with you as well."

To "speak" always carried two implications: to discuss verbally, or to negotiate with fists and feet.

Qin Fen felt a flicker of fortune. The rivalry between the two great powers, the Heavenly Gate and the Underworld, on Saturn was the only reason the Military Command's exposed base hadn't yet been attacked.

Although both the Heavenly Gate and the Underworld had extremely poor relations with the Saturn Military, their mutual apprehension prevented them from launching an assault on the base, yet they were compelled to find a way to resolve the situation with the Saturn Military Command.

Of the three major powers on Saturn, the Military Command was the weakest. However, whichever side gained their support would see a significant surge in power, a fact neither the Heavenly Gate nor the Underworld could deny.

Especially after Xue Tian recovered the God of Slaughter and severely wounded Guanyin in the process, it once again demonstrated to the two major factions that the Saturn Military Command's strength was extraordinary. Any force contemplating wiping out the Saturn Military Command in one stroke would have to prepare to lose substantial strength, resulting in a third party gaining profit from their exhaustion.

To "speak"—Qin Fen surmised that this time, it would most likely be a genuine discussion, not a physical confrontation. The invitation from both major powers was more likely an attempt at solicitation and incorporation.

Since the previous General of Saturn could be co-opted, why couldn't the current commander be absorbed? Qin Fen smiled. "Tell them I acknowledge their request. Say I am currently in seclusion and will arrange a time after I emerge."

"Understood." The Colonel turned to leave, unable to suppress a subtle shake of his head in admiration. This Lieutenant Colonel possessed far greater mettle than the previous General. In the past, it was the General who sought audiences with the two major powers; Qin Fen's arrival immediately elevated the request to a relatively equal meeting. It seemed the Saturn Military Command would no longer have to grovel as they had before.

Now, with the influx of a generation of young Martial Arts Masters and Grandmasters, the Saturn Military Command's strength had soared! It was no longer the Saturn Military Command of old; any force wishing to destroy them would need to be prepared to have two teeth knocked out and suffer massive depletion of vitality.

While the Saturn Military Command couldn't match the wealth and combat aircraft of the First Division on Earth, eliminating them wasn't an easy feat. Two Ghost fighters quickly departed the bustling Saturn Military Command.

The Stone Sea was vastly larger than the Stone Forest in Central Continent on Earth, yet few tourists ventured here. The reason was simple: the sheer size of the Stone Sea dwarfed even the real oceans on Earth. No matter how jagged the rock formations, no one would visit. Furthermore, occasionally mutated creatures roamed the area; visiting here meant preparing to lose one's life.

Two Ghost fighters sliced across the sky above the Stone Sea at high speed, their life radars sweeping the ground repeatedly, searching for any sign of life, but detecting nothing above the minimal threshold.

"Alert! Alert! Two fighter jets have stopped above my base. Do you authorize activation of the automatic defense system?"

A piercing siren echoed through the deep layers beneath the Stone Sea, punctuated by mechanical inquiries. The busy personnel below showed no sign of stopping their work, as if they hadn't heard the shrill alarm. Some were engaged in low discussions, while others stared tensely at data on monitors or changes in the cultivation tanks.

"There is no need to activate the defense system. Those who have arrived cannot be stopped by our defenses."

A slightly aged voice resonated through the base's loudspeakers, reaching every corner.

The Ghost fighters hovered motionless overhead. Qin Fen opened his canopy and drifted down to the ground; Chen Feiyu followed closely, his boots finding purchase on the rocky surface.

Qin Fen observed the surrounding stones. Everything here appeared incredibly real, explaining how they could deceive satellite surveillance and aerial detection.

A large section of the surrounding rock formations began a strange, rippling movement. The next instant, the image of the rocks vanished, replaced by a massive expanse of metal.

Projection overlay technology, after specialized processing, had reached the apex of deception.

Even the military lacked this level of capability, yet it was wielded by the deranged Founding Council. Qin Fen had to admire the madness of the person who created them; at the very least, they commanded exceedingly advanced technology.

A scientific power capable of eliciting praise from Lin Liqiang and Inzaro was, if not considered high-tech, then nothing else in the world could claim that title.

A vast section of the ground, made of metal, slowly slid aside without producing any grating sound of metal on metal. It revealed a massive opening, resembling the maw of a prehistoric beast, wide open and waiting to swallow anyone who fell in.

No intense battle or defense mechanisms? Qin Fen found this completely unexpected, and even Chen Feiyu's face was etched with confusion.

Both Qin Fen and Chen Feiyu remembered the Founding Council as a collection of the craziest lunatics. Sneaking in using Martial Void techniques would bypass any defensive systems, no problem. But arriving brazenly in combat aircraft suggested a desire to gauge the Founding Council's military defenses on Saturn. Yet, they had opted to simply open the gate without deploying any response.

Stepping into the opening, a cool, fresh breeze drifted up from underground. Qin Fen found the air remarkably invigorating, standing still as an elevator transported the two men from the high ground below.

The elevator doors parted, but there was no scene of dozens of machine guns and rocket launchers aimed at the cabin. The interior resembled a vast, ordinary laboratory. All the technicians continued their work as if the intruders were invisible.

If Qin Fen hadn't sensed the life signatures radiating from the people around him, he might have believed he had entered a virtual projection, that the figures nearby were unreal.

"Young men from the Military Command, you have arrived. Come this way."

The aged, almost frail voice sounded again over the loudspeaker. Qin Fen glanced curiously at Chen Feiyu, wanting to know if his companion recognized the voice, but he saw only confusion mirroring his own on Chen Feiyu's face.

"Follow the path beneath your feet and proceed forward..."

The guiding voice remained calm, betraying no anger at the base being breached.

Qin Fen walked slowly through the strange underground base of the Founding Council. Through the glass-paneled laboratories, he saw the familiar nutrient fluids and cultivation tanks, and the peculiar Insect Martial artists.

At the end of the corridor stood a massive metal door. The voice sounded again, softly, "Young men, enter. I have been waiting for you for a long time. Or rather, I have been waiting for people like you for a long time."

Qin Fen and Chen Feiyu exchanged a puzzled look and stepped forward again. The thick metal door slowly slid open to both sides, unleashing a coldness rivaling the Arctic.

If there hadn't been a complete absence of killing intent, Qin Fen would genuinely have suspected that the person hidden in the room was practicing the Ice-Sealed Nitrogen Pressure Demonic Path, preparing to attack him.

The cold, dense white vapor obscured vision, filling the vast room entirely.

The instant Qin Fen's eyes pierced through the white haze and focused on the interior of the room, he froze solid. This was... (To be continued)