"Reside! Ares!" PS

Ye Wen held the blade of the spear precisely between his fingers, observing Ares opposite him, whose face was contorted like a bitter melon. But soon, he was forced to release his grip.

A razor-sharp burst of energy, several times more powerful and faster than Ares's last spear thrust, shot directly toward Ye Wen's arm. If he didn't let go and retreat, his arm risked being crippled by this attack.

Just as Ye Wen perceived the danger, a crisp female voice sounded near his ear. Regardless of whether the voice was pleasant, the sheer authority embedded in that single sentence informed Ye Wen that its owner was likely no gentle, demure woman; it was the tone of a definitive power broker.

His fingers loosened, and he leaped backward. The sharp surge of energy whistled past him, driving a spear between Ares and himself—the shaft of the spear was a deep, dark black, but the spearhead blazed with dazzling light, like a miniature sun.

The hand gripping the spear was slender and pale, looking utterly unsuited to wielding such a weapon or delivering such a formidable strike. Yet, Ye Wen knew the attack was no bluff, as he had only been a fraction too slow; a faint, indistinct mark had been etched onto his arm by the keen energy of the spear. Though it hadn't injured him, it was enough to put Ye Wen instantly on high alert.

"It is Athena, the Goddess of War and Wisdom..."

Shen Gongbao reacted far faster than Ye Wen. Before Ye Wen even moved, the Water-Parting General had retreated a considerable distance, Ye Wen's landing spot coincidentally placing him directly in front of Shen Gongbao.

Before Ye Wen could inquire, Shen Gongbao preempted him, relaying what Ye Wen needed to know: "Since Ares was stripped of his title as God of War due to unfavorable outcomes in the war with the Heavenly Court, he has taken a strong dislike to those of us from the Eastern Immortal Continent!"

Ye Wen understood immediately. No wonder the former War God had attacked without a word upon seeing him. It was because the Heavenly Court official had lost his divine position; putting himself in Ares's shoes, Ye Wen admitted he likely wouldn't have remained calm either.

Combined with the fact that Ares was clearly intoxicated, some overly aggressive behavior fueled by drink was understandable. However...

"Then why did Athena intervene to stop Ares?"

This was the part Ye Wen couldn't quite grasp. While the Olympians were known for their internal strife and frequent brawls, they were generally united on major issues of alignment. Facing Ye Wen, an obvious external enemy, they should have attacked in unison.

He turned his gaze to Athena, noticing the Goddess regarded him with a distinctly condescending air. She held her spear casually reversed in her hand, ready to strike at any moment. Despite her striking beauty and excellent figure, she was clad in armor, and though her left hand held nothing, its posture suggested she could summon something instantly.

As he scrutinized her, Athena was equally sizing him up. Ye Wen’s appearance was unremarkable compared to her impression of Eastern cultivators: long black hair held by a hair ornament, clad in a white robe with blue patterns—nothing particularly striking otherwise.

Not strong, and his looks too delicate—he failed to meet the standards by which Olympian goddesses judged males. He fit perfectly, perhaps, with the tastes of some particular male deities on the mountains.

If Ye Wen knew what Athena was thinking, he would likely explode in anger and demonstrate precisely how much of a man he was!

As the two studied each other, Athena broke the silence first: "What brings you to Mount Olympus? You are not welcome here, Easterners!"

Ares had regained some composure. After being halted by Athena, the momentary fury of the former War God had subsided, and he stood watching the two of them not far away. He no longer possessed his earlier impulsiveness; instead, he stood utterly calm. Ye Wen glanced at him, feeling that Ares in this state was somehow more terrifying.

Unfortunately, the moment Ares spoke, he utterly demolished the composure he had managed to rebuild: "Pallas, there is no need to be so polite to these Easterners!"

Pallas was Athena’s full name, a name ordinary mortals did not know, nor did many dare to use.

Athena herself disliked being called by that name, even by a fellow Olympian like Ares!

Frowning, Athena retorted sharply, "Although we frequently clash with the East, we are currently in a state of peace. Therefore, we must first ascertain your intentions before deciding how to treat these two visitors from the East!"

The meaning was clear: Don't even think about using this as an excuse to start a war!

Hearing this, Ye Wen’s eyelids flickered. He exchanged a glance with Shen Gongbao, whose eyes conveyed the same hint of irony: A chance?

From those few sentences, it seemed Athena did not favor launching another war against the Heavenly Court. While Ye Wen couldn't tell if this stemmed from some personal feud with Ares or a reluctance to see him reclaim the title of War God, this situation was undoubtedly a massive advantage for Ye Wen.

As long as this Goddess doesn't want war, there’s a way to resolve this matter!

With a plan forming, Ye Wen subtly signaled Shen Gongbao to step forward and negotiate with Athena, making it clear that they weren't there for battle, but to express goodwill to the Olympian Gods. The stated excuse would be to explain the establishment of the Shushan Sect, since they had chosen to build their base within the agreed-upon buffer zone where no military presence or static forces were permitted. This required explanation to the relevant powers—though, of course, that was merely the surface pretext.

Shen Gongbao stepped forward and briefly summarized the situation. Ye Wen watched as Athena's expression softened slightly, while Ares’s grew markedly worse!

It appeared there was indeed internal division among the Olympians regarding the Shushan Sect, perhaps even sparking discussions about launching a preemptive strike. Ares clearly desired war, and the founding of the Shushan Sect gave him the perfect pretext.

Yet, Ye Wen and Shen Gongbao had arrived at their doorstep under the guise of "explaining our reasons and expressing goodwill to the Olympian Gods." How could Ares be pleased?

With an angry snort, Ares turned and stormed up the mountain, vanishing in a blink—it seemed the former War God chose the path of avoidance to spare himself further frustration!

Athena watched Ares depart with a disdainful smile, then turned and beckoned to Ye Wen and Shen Gongbao. "I see. In that case, I shall lead you both up the mountain to meet the Divine King!"

Though the words were polite, the politeness had its limits. It was clear Athena held no great affection for Ye Wen or Shen Gongbao, even if their arrival benefited her.

Following Athena up the meticulously paved, grand, and spectacular avenue, Shen Gongbao seized the opportunity to brief Ye Wen on minor customs. Unfortunately, Ye Wen had little interest and deferred the entire interaction to Shen Gongbao: "How to explain matters to the Olympian Divine King later will be left entirely to General Shen!"

Even though Ye Wen knew this Shen Gongbao was not the figure from the novels, his impression remained colored by that literature. The title "Foremost Persuader Under Heaven" automatically came to mind whenever he thought of him.

Entrusting this to Shen Gongbao seemed the most appropriate choice! In fact, Ye Wen thought the Heavenly Court should establish a Ministry of Foreign Affairs and install Shen Gongbao as Minister; it would certainly offer a better future than being the Water-Parting General.

He felt no impropriety in shirking the responsibility entirely; he simply wasn't skilled at such negotiations. If he were forced to deal with Zeus, the Divine King, things could easily escalate into a fight at the slightest misunderstanding. Ye Wen was certain that despite the Heavenly Court currently showering the Shushan Sect with favors and acting as their great backer, if he bungled this diplomatic mission, the Court would swiftly kick him while he was down, caring nothing for his fate.

"Sect Master Ye, what is your plan?"

"I don't know yet. But can we stay here on Mount Olympus?"

To observe the situation among the Olympian Gods, they absolutely needed to remain here. If they were not received as guests but immediately sent packing down the mountain after the meeting, how could they observe anything? Moreover, once off Mount Olympus, Ye Wen would lose any chance to influence their decision-making up close—though he still didn't know how, even staying on the mountain, he could influence the will of the Olympian Gods.

"It should be fine, right?"

Shen Gongbao felt that as guests, the Olympians had no reason to force them out. But then he remembered the customs of the Olympians differed vastly from the East, and given the occasional skirmishes over millennia, perhaps excessive courtesy wasn't warranted.

Thinking this over, his tone lacked conviction. Unbeknownst to them, Athena, walking ahead, overheard these last few sentences, spoken without any attempt at concealment.

The Goddess of Wisdom demonstrated a touch of her capability at this moment, turning her head and speaking in impeccably standard Eastern tongue: "If you two are visiting Mount Olympus as guests, we will host you with the finest wines and cuisine. However, if you harbor other intentions..."

For the Gods and Immortals of the Immortal Realm, major communication barriers between entities were virtually non-existent. This wasn't because the Celestial Realm possessed only one language, but because language itself was a trivial matter for deities.

Even for Ye Wen, learning a new language would take mere days. As his cultivation deepened and his Divine Sense grew stronger, mastering a new tongue became an instantaneous affair. Thus, he had preemptively studied the language used by the Olympian Gods before departing and experienced no barriers to communication upon arrival.

However, no barrier didn't mean flawless execution. Like mastering a spell, one might learn the theory, but initial usage often felt stiff, requiring adaptation before fluency was achieved.

Athena’s mastery of the Eastern tongue was surprising enough to give Ye Wen pause. Observing her fluency, it seemed she must have used it frequently—the only occasions the Goddess of War and Wisdom would need such proficiency were likely in the study of Eastern culture or military intelligence.

Shen Gongbao clearly grasped this point too. His expression shifted slightly before he forced a smile toward Athena: "My visit with Sect Master Ye today is solely to clarify some misunderstandings; we certainly harbor no other agenda!"

"If that is the case... that is best." Athena's gaze upon them was filled with suspicion. Clearly, the Goddess did not fully believe their words, but for the moment, their presence was advantageous to her. Therefore, she did not immediately fall out with them, but continued leading the way.

After walking for a short while, the three reached the higher elevations where the path gradually leveled out. Numerous structures began to appear before them. Ye Wen looked around and noticed these buildings were scattered quite haphazardly, seemingly without any discernible pattern.

During this walk, he spotted two temples, one structure that might have been an arena, and another that seemed... perhaps a bathhouse?

Shen Gongbao observed the same peculiar layout and found it rather unbelievable. It was Athena who offered an explanation: "The Gods residing on the mountain are quite capricious; they do whatever strikes their fancy! Thus, these structures are built wherever they please!"

"However, this area is not where the main body of the Gods reside; it is different up there!"

Shen Gongbao let out a few dry chuckles, offering no judgment on the temperaments of the Olympians. Considering they were a race whose pastime was war, unusual behavior wasn't entirely unexpected, and he saw no need to dwell on trivialities.

Ye Wen suddenly grew perplexed: "Strange. Why haven't we seen anyone at all on this path?"

All this time, only Athena had been leading them, with the two following behind. While the initial ascent could be excused, they had walked quite a distance now, past countless buildings, and were nearing the central structure of Mount Olympus, the Hall of the Gods. Still, not a single soul appeared!

Surely Mount Olympus wasn't uninhabited save for a few deities? That was impossible. At the very least, there should be those who commanded the armies—the generals, who were often demigods rather than full deities.

"Because they have stepped aside."

Athena found nothing unusual about the situation, viewing it as perfectly normal.

"Stepped aside?"

"Indeed." Athena didn't look back, continuing her steady pace. "Because of my arrival, they must make way!"

Ye Wen was utterly dumbfounded by the statement; he hadn't expected an Olympian god to be this high-maintenance, demanding the entire path be cleared just because she needed to pass through?

“But… how did you manage that?” Ye Wen was genuinely puzzled. Did Athena keep a contingent of hidden masters who could clear an area without anyone noticing their presence, preemptively sweeping the path wherever she went?

Athena finally turned, fixing Ye Wen with a look that suggested he was quite dense. “A mere release of my divine power, even a fraction of it, is enough for them to know I am arriving!”

The simplicity of it left Ye Wen somewhat embarrassed. It was only then that he realized the stark difference between Eastern and Western deities regarding such matters.

Once Eastern Immortals achieved a certain level of attainment, they prized neilian—internal containment. This meant that one must appear utterly unremarkable on the surface, indistinguishable from an ordinary person, to truly be considered accomplished.

Western gods, however, favored an entrance that made the earth tremble with every step and raised hands that summoned storms and sweeping winds, all to broadcast their divine might. Consequently, Eastern Immortals rarely bothered with such grand displays; they might emerge in the most commonplace manner possible. But before a Western deity is even seen, there is always a huge fanfare of light and sound effects announcing: I have arrived!

It was precisely because of this ingrained difference that Western gods were so adept at creating such spectacles—though, in truth, Eastern figures familiar with this style were also quite common, to the point of it becoming habitual.

As Athena led the two toward the mountain, the clearing of the path happened so subtly that Ye Wen and the other didn't even notice until it was complete. Such skill was certainly worthy of admiration—at least, Ye Wen admitted he couldn’t manage it himself.

After walking for a while, the three arrived before a ridiculously massive temple. Gazing in from the entrance, they saw only impenetrable darkness; the scene within was utterly indiscernible.

Moreover, the hall soared over a hundred meters high, its massive stone pillars standing firm, prompting Ye Wen to admire, “What a magnificent temple!” Judging by the sheer presence of the architecture, it was hardly inferior to the Heavenly Gate of the Celestial Court.

Athena stopped at the threshold and turned to them. “Which of you two will accompany me inside?”

“Huh?”

“It’s only to explain a few things; both of you don’t need to enter!”

Ye Wen and Shen Gongbao were momentarily surprised that only one person was permitted entry. However, for Ye Wen, this presented no real issue; it actually aligned better with his own preferences. Though unsure why Athena insisted on this arrangement, Ye Wen shot a meaningful glance at Shen Gongbao: “General Shen, this task falls to you!”

Shen Gongbao returned a nod, “I knew you’d send me, Sect Master Ye!” He showed no sign of alarm, straightened his long robe, and with his head held high, prepared to enter.

Before stepping across, Athena turned back to Ye Wen. “As for you, sir… it’s best you don’t wander off.” With that, she spun around and vanished into the gloom of the temple.

“Tch!”

Shrugging dismissively, Ye Wen turned to find a quiet corner to pass the time. But just as he was about to settle down near the edge of the temple grounds, he suddenly felt the earth shake violently, and his vision instantly plunged into blackness. When he blinked open his eyes again, he was staring directly into the furious gaze of Ning Ruxue.

“Ah?”