PSdropping from the dense canopy, branches constantly scraped across Ye Wen's face; were his physique not already formidable, this mere descent could have disfigured him!

Thus, this fall only caused Ye Wen slight annoyance; it wouldn't cause him real harm. However, passing through the thick foliage and getting a clear view of the scene below sent a chill down his spine—in a crystal-clear pool, a woman whose face was obscured but whose figure alone could drive any lustful man mad was interacting intimately with nature, unreservedly.

Before he could muster any appropriate reaction, he plunged headfirst into the water, sending a spectacular spray nearly two or three meters high. As the water settled, however, no abnormality was apparent.

"Come out! I know you're hiding in the water!"

A voice, tinged with coolness, reached Ye Wen's ears. Even submerged, it suffered no loss in clarity.

"Moreover, the water in this pool is exceptionally clear. Even if you hide in the deepest part, I will still see your figure..."

Ye Wen didn't need the woman to tell him this fact; even from the bottom of the pool, he could clearly observe everything about the person standing in the shallower area.

Long, dark, wavy hair cascaded down to her waist, her slender waist and legs were perfectly straight and long—these few features alone were enough to drive any male creature to madness.

Surfacing from the water, Ye Wen swam slightly closer. As his feet touched the bottom of the pool and he approached the woman opposite him, he saw more.

Her skin, porcelain white and emitting a faint luminescence, along with the crescent-moon mark on her forehead, lent the woman an air of mystery and nobility. But at this moment, she held her right arm, adorned with a moon-shaped armlet, steady. In her hand, she clutched a hunting bow, already fully drawn.

The bow was bent like a perfect circle, and the fingers holding the arrow in her left hand shimmered with a blood-red light—the light emanating from the ruby ring on her left finger.

The tip of the arrow was aimed squarely at Ye Wen, and the woman’s expression was anything but pleasant: "Man, you should know the consequences of intruding here and seeing me in this state."

"What consequences?" Ye Wen genuinely didn't know. But judging by typical plot devices in certain narratives, seeing a beautiful young woman bathing in a private spot like a bathhouse or secluded spring usually didn't lead to severe outcomes: "I have to marry you?"

A trace of mocking cold laughter pulled at the corner of the woman's mouth: "Should I admire your ignorance or your fearlessness?"

Ye Wen shrugged: "Actually, I'm very sorry. What if I told you this was all a misunderstanding? And that I was framed!"

"I know!" The woman's expression did not change at all: "I sensed Athena's vehicle nearby just now. You clumsy fool must have offended that petty, narrow-minded, and thoroughly wicked woman. That’s why she tossed you over to me!"

Ye Wen’s composure faltered. He wasn't sure how to address the topic! He hadn't expected this woman to be fully aware of everything, yet judging by her stance, she didn't seem inclined to let him off just because she knew the inside story?

"Even knowing the whole story, you still intend to kill me?" Although the situation felt tense, as if a major battle could erupt at any moment, Ye Wen felt no real nervousness. The reason was simple: the woman before him was standing there openly, drawing her bow, showing absolutely no intention of covering herself.

Before this, the woman had clearly been bathing in the clear pool, meaning she had no coverings. What bothered Ye Wen was that her waist-length hair was currently acting perfectly as a covering for the cavalry—it appropriately concealed her alluring front.

She had no idea that the woman facing her was entirely focused on eliminating him. For someone who certainly wouldn't speak of it (a dead man?), the woman saw no need for modesty.

"Yes, I know the reason. But that doesn't mean you can see my body and escape payment!" The beautiful woman adjusted the angle of her bow. If she had merely been aiming at Ye Wen before, now she was aiming for his vital spot.

Furthermore, a faint wave of energy emanated from the bow. The seemingly ordinary arrow shimmered with a soft, faint light, as gentle and beautiful as the moon in the night sky, yet carrying a hint of coldness.

"To ensure you understand your fate before you die, I shall tell you my name! I am Artemis, Goddess of the Moon and the Hunt." The woman lifted her chin, seemingly immensely proud of her identity.

She also hoped to see panic and terror on Ye Wen's face. After all, Artemis's fearsome reputation was known throughout Olympus and among surrounding powers.

Alas, she miscalculated. Ye Wen was not only unfamiliar with Olympus and its residents, but he had only recently arrived in the Immortal Realm. Shen Gong might have known some of this woman’s temperament, but Ye Wen certainly wouldn't. At most, he would only know her identity.

"I know!"

"What?"

"You are the Moon Goddess Artemis!"

"Oh?"

"On Mount Olympus, besides you, I can’t imagine who else would dare to use the moon so blatantly as an adornment on their person..." Whether it was the mark on her forehead or the moon-like armlet, both proclaimed the woman’s true identity! Given the clearly stratified society of Olympus, it was unlikely anyone else would dare use such ornaments to dress themselves, thereby offending the Moon Goddess.

"Since you know who I am, you should know the outcome of seeing my body!" "Marry you?"

Ye Wen was intentionally being evasive. Setting aside the fact that he held no favorable impression of her, he certainly wasn't planning to start an earth-shattering, legendary romance on the politically unstable Mount Olympus. Moreover, he had been pushed down by Athena; currently, he preferred to keep his distance from these Olympian goddesses. His rambling was simply an attempt to gloss over the situation and prevent any fighting that might derail his original plans.

Artemis seemed to realize Ye Wen was just talking nonsense, so she dispensed with the pleasantries and offered him two direct choices: "Either become one of my hunted deer, forever obeying my commands! Or die here! Which do you choose, poor wretch tossed down by Athena!"

Nearly every faction around the Aegean Sea knew that Olympus housed a beautiful goddess, renowned not only for her stunning looks but also her formidable martial prowess. This goddess had publicly vowed never to marry, earning her status as a divine symbol of chastity. She maintained no connection with any man, and if one accidentally offended her, the consequences were dire. Either death or transformation into a deer, kept as a pet or a draft animal. These two choices offered by Artemis were widely known, deterring almost everyone from even contemplating infringing upon the Moon and Hunt Goddess.

"I choose neither!"

Ye Wen realized this woman held no desire to speak reasonably with him. The fact that she had wasted so many words on him was likely due to extreme confidence and an overbearing sense of superiority. In her mind, granting him this much time before his death was an act of great mercy, and Ye Wen should have been grateful while repenting before she killed him.

Unfortunately, Ye Wen felt no gratitude; he even thought the woman was slightly unhinged. Perhaps living on Olympus too long had addled her brain?

"I think this might be an inconvenient time for you here. So, I’ll leave first. You can continue with whatever you hadn't finished!"

Ye Wen waved his hand and was about to depart, but before his feet could move, he felt a sharp, cutting force rushing toward him, so fast there was virtually no time to react!

Fortunately, he had been cautious while standing in the water. Thus, the instant he sensed something amiss, the vital energy around him surged—since cultivating the Profound Universe, the mobilization of his inner Zhenqi had become exponentially faster. Previously, it took a thought for Zhenqi to mobilize; now, a thought coincided with the energy already being deployed.

The difference seemed minor, but in reality, it was significant. To use a vehicle analogy: one car starts the moment you put the key in, the other starts the moment you turn the key and it’s already moving out!

As Ye Wen's energy stirred, he didn't even need to make other movements. He could sense that while Artemis's arrow carried considerable force, it wasn't overwhelming enough to demand his full attention. Even relying solely on the Heavenly Net Aura, he could deflect it.

Indeed, Ye Wen’s body vibrated slightly. Simultaneously, a nearly imperceptible, faint purple ripple spread outward. The sharp arrow, which had been speeding toward his face, stopped bizarrely in mid-air. The faint moonlight slowly swirling around the arrowhead seemed to be overlaid with a layer of purple. The two unassuming glows entangled around the arrow, eventually merging almost completely, and the arrow then dropped straight into the pool.

Ye Wen stood still, watching quietly, while Artemis opposite him looked slightly surprised.

Initially, she assumed this man thrown down by Athena, while possessing some ability (if he had none, Athena wouldn't have bothered tossing him here; based on Artemis's understanding of the other goddess, Athena could have toyed with this man until he broke in a thousand ways), wouldn't be too strong! If the man were truly formidable, Athena wouldn't have captured him so easily. From his fall and subsequent actions, he seemed to have offered almost no resistance when Athena cast him out, suggesting his strength was limited.

No matter how she reasoned, she couldn't fathom that Ye Wen and Athena were on the same side, and that Athena had merely tricked him by exploiting his unfamiliarity with the chariot pulled by heavenly horses, thus setting him up for this 'frame-up.' Therefore, from the start, Artemis had made a fundamentally flawed assessment of Ye Wen. That was why she looked so astonished when her proud arrow was easily deflected.

"You..."

After a brief pause, Artemis’s ruby ring flashed, and another arrow materialized in her hand. She swiftly nocked it onto the bow and aimed at Ye Wen again: "I underestimated you slightly, man. You do possess some strength!"

"My name is Ye Wen..." Completely ignoring the threat of Artemis’s bow, he took a step forward while announcing his name.

"I have no interest in what you're called, and that name will soon cease to have any meaning," Artemis replied. She possessed extreme confidence in her own power. As she spoke, the arrow in her hand was already loosed: "Farewell, foolish man! If you are lucky, perhaps you will meet me in the Underworld!" Citizens of Olympus entered the Underworld upon death; while Artemis disliked the place, she occasionally visited.

"I would like to say farewell back to you, but absolutely not under the circumstances you imply," Ye Wen did not use the Purple Net Aura. He could judge the arrow's strength in the shortest time. Given the arrow's power and their current distance, the effect of the Purple Net Aura wouldn't be optimal.

He raised his left hand, his index and middle fingers separating slightly, then snapped them together sharply. The arrow, shimmering with moonlight, was caught rigidly between his fingers. Though the arrow vibrated slightly, as if protesting, and stubbornly tried to push forward, all its struggle was futile under the control of those two unassuming digits.

This time, Artemis was truly shocked. Her face changed dramatically as she instinctively took a small step backward, leaning her body slightly in recoil. Her long, wavy hair swayed lightly with the movement, causing the strands covering her front to slide slightly aside.

"Oh?"

Tossing the arrow from his fingers carelessly into the pool, Ye Wen surveyed Artemis again: "Good size, full and firm, and the peaks are rosy. Quite lovely to look at!"

Though he didn't voice his critique aloud, the appreciative look in his eyes betrayed his inner thoughts. Artemis almost instantly detected where Ye Wen was looking, hurriedly sweeping the hair in front of her to cover the slight glimpse of spring light again. The hunting bow in her right hand suddenly flashed with light. When the glow subsided, the weapon in her right hand had transformed into a javelin.

"Vile man, die!"

Ye Wen was unconcerned by this attack: "Actually... a javelin isn't a good choice!"

If he wished, he had countless ways to counter Artemis’s assault and even take advantage of the goddess, but he was in no mood for it now.

He spread his left hand open, then slightly closed it. The Zhenqi around him spun violently, then shifted, recreating the power he had demonstrated earlier before Hades and Athena.

Simultaneously, golden radiance began to steam off Ye Wen’s entire body—a fierce, dazzling brilliance like the sun, causing even Artemis to instinctively squint. Immediately afterward, she noticed a small nebula pattern appearing before her eyes. Then, she felt enveloped in a splendor of starlight, those lights weaving around her so intensely that she could see nothing else.

"What is this thing?"

It was merely an unconscious query; she didn't expect an answer, but she clearly heard the man's voice in her ear: "Stardust Spin!"

When the brilliance faded, the golden motes drifting nearby seemed to confirm that the preceding event was no illusion. But the annoying man had vanished without a trace. Artemis's right hand, gripping the javelin, froze mid-air. Her beautiful eyes stared blankly at the golden specks floating in the air. After a moment, she snapped back from the beautiful spectacle.

"Damn it, he escaped!"

Glancing around, she finally looked up at the sky. Artemis was certain: the man, using this dazzling but virtually harmless move to distract her, had then shot straight up into the sky and fled into the distance. He left her standing there like an idiot, staring at the golden specks.

At this point, she realized the man's strength was far greater than she had anticipated. The fact that he could disappear in such a short span essentially guaranteed that, in a real fight, she might not secure a solid victory. If she might not even win, killing him was clearly just empty talk!

"Damn you, Athena!"

After this incident, Artemis finally understood: Athena throwing him down here was not just to cause trouble for her, but was specifically to spite her! What would happen if the Moon Goddess, famous for never associating with men and ruthlessly slaying any who offended her, had her body seen by a man, yet failed to kill him or turn him into a deer?

It was entirely predictable: that petty, wicked woman would publicize the incident as gossip! This event would surely cause a huge stir on Mount Olympus. Leaving aside others, her brother would certainly pay close attention, adding to her headaches. The goal? To shame the proud Moon Goddess—that was the other woman’s greatest joy and purpose.

"I was actually played by that woman!" Then she wondered again: "But just who is this man?..."

"..."