Stop those people from constantly fidgeting! They were still frantically squeezing every last drop of power from their bodies, managing to accomplish tasks that seemed utterly impossible to the best of their ability.

Such a complex and enormous undertaking could not be finished in a short time. Ye Wen glanced at Athena: “Logically speaking, the Sanctuary hasn't even been fully constructed. The Holy War shouldn't be starting this early, should it?”

At the current pace, finishing the Sanctuary would take at least ten years. Even just erecting the rough outline of the palaces would require many years.

This meant that, even if everything went smoothly, the Holy War should not commence for at least several decades!

“The King of the Gods is impatient, and yesterday he already fell into slumber, transferring a portion of his divine consciousness to the mortal realm.”

“What?”

Ye Wen hadn’t expected that old rascal Zeus to be so rash. He had originally wanted to show Zeus the set of Cloths he had prepared, but the fellow hadn't even bothered to look at the Cloth he would eventually wear before reincarnating! It seemed he could no longer tolerate the tedious life on Mount Olympus, so he simply took a permanent sleep, treating this Holy War as a pleasant dream he could savor upon waking.

Athena also expressed a degree of helplessness: “Therefore, the construction of the Sanctuary and the training of the Saints must proceed simultaneously!”

In the original plan, Athena intended to spend twenty to thirty years building the Sanctuary, followed by thirty to fifty years cultivating the first batch of elite Saints. This meant the first Holy War would start at the latest in eighty years, or perhaps fifty if things moved quickly—Hades, at least, didn’t need to worry about building his headquarters; the Underworld had plenty of one thing: labor.

It was rumored that Hades had specifically created another hell, called ‘Endless Labor,’ where all those who were lazy in life were driven to perform overwhelmingly strenuous work, the content of which was building the base camp for the Specters.

Compared to Athena’s workers, who required appropriate rest, food, drink, and ablutions, Hades’ labor force needed no such considerations, resulting in extremely rapid progress. Athena’s site was only just taking rudimentary form, yet word was that Hades’ headquarters already had its general layout established.

Hearing these inside stories, Ye Wen understood the extent to which nepotism and misuse of authority could be employed. He couldn't help but admire Lord Hades’ ingenious thinking.

“Later, I too will return to Mount Olympus to enter a state of false sleep, splitting off a portion of my divine consciousness to be reborn as my earthly spokesperson. However, this spokesperson will require a considerable amount of time to adapt to my power; thus, in the beginning, she will be much like an ordinary girl, needing a guardian to prevent any accidents!”

Athena turned her gaze toward Ye Wen: “Presently, I will use a divine oracle to inform the person currently overseeing construction at the Sanctuary that your identity will be the first Gold Saint of the Sanctuary, responsible for training the first generation of Saints—the main combat personnel for the decisive battle against Lord Hades!”

Then she pointed toward Shen Gongbao: “And you will be responsible for managing the internal affairs of the Sanctuary!”

“I’m the Pope?”

Along the way, Ye Wen had already briefed Shen Gongbao on the general situation and explained the structure of the Sanctuary. He now knew that the Pope was the supreme ruler of the Sanctuary, which prompted his reaction.

Unexpectedly, Athena merely smiled enigmatically and shook her head: “No, but aside from the Pope, you will hold the highest decision-making authority concerning internal affairs! Your rank will be equivalent to that of a Gold Saint.”

Shen Gongbao understood immediately. To put it plainly, he was a chief steward; to be less flattering, he was like the Grand Eunuch of an ancient Earth dynasty—or more bluntly, a chief eunuch!

With a sour look on his face, Shen Gongbao could only grit his teeth and accept the assignment. However, he secretly resolved that if the foolish Pope dared to treat him disrespectfully, he wouldn't mind showing that idiot what the wrath of an immortal truly meant!

“What about Demen?”

Ye Wen gestured toward his two disciples. Yuwentuo was less of a concern; he was already designated as the Libra Gold Saint, and his current task was simply to continue his training and enhance his strength. After all, it would be too humiliating if a disciple of an immortal couldn't even defeat a group of mere mortals who had gained some power.

Fortunately, there were no Saints in the Sanctuary yet, allowing Yuwentuo to claim a Saint position without fear of anyone objecting.

Unfortunately, Ye Wen’s thoughts were too simple. He had no idea that Athena had already tossed out bait, or why so many people were driven to build the Sanctuary with life-risking fervor for her sake.

As for Zhang Leng, what excuse could be used to bring that disciple into the Sanctuary?

“Master, I can claim to be your handmaiden. Surely, it is not strange for a noble Gold Saint to have a handmaiden attending him?”

The excuse was plausible. Ye Wen nodded in agreement, then followed behind Athena as they slowly approached the Sanctuary, finally arriving above the Temple of the Goddess where her statue stood. Athena casually cast a divine spell, concealing the figures of the group. She made a gesture to Ye Wen and the others before plunging toward the massive statue.

Behind the Goddess Temple, a group of elderly men resembling priests guarded the area day and night, seemingly monitoring the situation constantly, terrified of any divine oracle suddenly descending from the Goddess.

And every time Athena issued a proclamation, she was speaking to these men.

Shen Gongbao, utterly bewildered, was led by Athena away from Mount Olympus. As for the Jade Qilin, Athena promised that the creature would remain in the palace, and the handmaidens would deliver food and clean the quarters regularly. Furthermore, that palace would still count as their residence on Mount Olympus, as their stay in the Sanctuary would only be temporary.

Human lifespans were finite, and the Cosmo cultivation method Ye Wen introduced offered little aid in extending life.

In fact, most fighters who cultivated the Cosmo suffered shorter lifespans than ordinary people due to the excessive physical training. Even though beings from the Immortal Realm possessed far stronger physiques than Earthlings, it couldn't change the fundamental nature of the Cosmo—it was a power cultivation method akin to self-torture.

Ye Wen certainly had a solution; otherwise, he wouldn't have let Garfield practice this power! But he could never surrender a method that fundamentally strengthened the fighting capabilities of the Olympian faction. Moreover, even the Olympian Gods themselves did not wish ordinary mortals to possess cultivation methods that could rival the power of the Gods.

Only an extremely select few individuals might possibly comprehend another realm, even using the Cosmo to mend their physical defects and ultimately step into a different tier... If any Saint could achieve this, they would have truly entered the domain of the Gods, possessing power equivalent to a demigod.

However, the probability of this occurring was so negligible it could be ignored. Neither Ye Wen nor the Olympian Gods believed anyone could accomplish it.

Furthermore, the so-called Holy War was inherently a game. As long as the Gods were entertained, the Saints had fulfilled their purpose. Both Athena and Hades would devise ways to ensure these powerful Saints died during the game, unwilling to grant them too many opportunities to grasp greater power.

As for the next game? They would naturally cultivate a new batch of Saints, and the cycle would continue this way.

Of course, Ye Wen had not entirely dismissed that infinitesimally small possibility—that someone truly could achieve this. After all, this world lacked nothing so much as geniuses! He had encountered more than a few freaks possessing protagonist templates and riding lucky streaks. Thus, even if the possibility was minuscule, if it wasn't absolutely impossible, Ye Wen had to consider it.

His final conclusion was that if such a talent truly emerged, they still wouldn't become an asset to the Olympian Gods—the Olympian Gods might appear hospitable on the surface, but inherently, their exclusionary nature surpassed that of the Western Heaven or the Muslims across the Mediterranean.

One only needed to look at the composition of the Olympian Pantheon to see this: almost all Olympian deities shared blood ties. Mount Olympus was nothing more than the private estate of a single extended family—a familial divine race. Could such an entity accept an absolute outsider as one of their own?

They couldn't accept even Ye Wen, a formidable existence on par with the major Olympian Gods who originated from the Eastern world. How could they possibly accept a mere mortal they viewed as ants or pawns to be manipulated at will?

Therefore, should such a person appear, the Olympian Gods would inevitably suppress them. Once this happened, the possibility of this exceptional individual becoming one of the Olympian Gods would be virtually eliminated, and it might even provoke retaliation against the Olympians from that person.

This scenario fit Ye Wen’s interests better. Thus, concerning the possibility of Saints cultivating the Cosmo ascending to demigod status, Ye Wen decided to disregard it. He even resolved that if necessary, he might secretly help that unlucky or perhaps fortunate individual.

As for this Holy War, with its imminent start, Ye Wen and the others would, at most, reside in the Sanctuary for a few decades—a brief period for beings like the Gods. After that, Ye Wen would return to Mount Olympus.

Athena overlooked the fact that Ye Wen himself was not native to Mount Olympus. Perhaps she assumed that this man from the East, regardless of his motives for arriving in this territory, would not easily depart now that he was here.

In short, with each person harboring their own distinct thoughts, Ye Wen followed Athena's flying chariot on his sword-light, catching sight of the architectural complex built amidst the mountains.

“How is it?”

She halted the chariot and pointed her long spear toward the complex of magnificent palaces—though they were still only rudimentary shapes: “That is the Sanctuary!”

As Ye Wen observed, he felt astonished. The prestige of the Olympian Gods in this region was indeed terrifying. Athena had only issued a single divine oracle, and not much time had passed, yet these fanatical believers had already shaped the Sanctuary into its initial form.

A general layout had been confirmed, and the positions of the various structures determined. From high above, one could see countless people diligently working to construct these magnificent buildings that seemed nearly impossible for humans to erect.

Without any automated construction machinery, the work relied solely on simple tools and human strength, making the difficulty imaginable. Moreover, the Sanctuary was situated within a mountain range. Although the peaks weren't high, the complex terrain presented greater obstacles to construction.

But none of this could stop the priests, who were using their own divine statues to play roles—to show that these statues were not built in vain, that they served a purpose. Otherwise, who would build statues for them in the future?

Ye Wen watched Athena using the statues to perform her act and gradually understood why figures like Buddhist Bodhisattvas and Buddhas, Western Gods, and Eastern Immortals and officials all favored this method to assert their presence; there was, after all, some rationale behind it.

Athena, at that moment, was essentially telling the kneeling old men: “The recovery of the King of Hell and his evil legions is faster than anticipated. The Holy War may commence early. The construction of the Sanctuary must be accelerated, and simultaneously, the selection and training of the Saints must be prioritized!”

These words caused the faces of the kneeling elders to darken. One, who appeared to hold the highest status, stood closest to Athena's statue, and was the oldest. He looked deeply worried, then slightly raised his head toward Athena: “Honorable Lady Goddess, we can find ways to expedite the Sanctuary's construction. However, regarding the selection and training of the Saints you mentioned, we have no direction whatsoever. We beg the venerable Goddess to provide us with clear instructions!”

Indeed, building structures, while difficult and troublesome, was ultimately within the scope of human effort. But the requirements for the Saints involved aspects beyond the capabilities of ordinary people.

However, Athena had deliberately spoken this way to later bring Ye Wen and his group forward. Thus, as soon as the old priest spoke, Athena slowly replied in an unhurried cadence: “Do not worry. I am aware of the difficulties you face. That is why I have specifically dispatched personnel to assist you in resolving these matters!”

Hearing this, Ye Wen chuckled and said to those beside him: “Time for our entrance!”

Indeed, Athena then rambled on for quite a while, but the essence of her speech boiled down to a few sentences: I have sent someone to you. He comes from the distant East and is skilled in many things. He will help you solve the various difficulties encountered during the Sanctuary’s construction!

Furthermore, I have sent two Gold Saints, the highest-ranking Saints, whom I prepared earlier for this Holy War. I bring them to the Sanctuary now to assist in selecting and training more Saints, to resist the evil army of the King of Hell and protect the land we inhabit.

The assembly of old men wept tears of gratitude, their cries of praise for the Goddess Athena so sickeningly sweet that Ye Wen above felt a chill.

At that moment, the group felt themselves enveloped in a burst of light, accompanied by Athena’s voice: “Hurry down now; stand directly in front of my statue!”

It turned out this light had no special effect, unless one counted making the few of them shine as brightly as light bulbs.

The kneeling priests instinctively narrowed their eyes. When the light faded, several people materialized in a spot that had been empty moments before.

Fortunately, the Goddess Athena had already issued her oracle, so the priests knew these newcomers were the people she had just spoken of.

“Are those two wearing golden armor the Gold Saints?”

“So tall, so muscular—they look like true powerhouses. With such warriors guarding the Sanctuary, we won't need to fear the evil army of the King of Hell!”

“The other one looks a bit slight; can he manage? And is that a weapon on his back? Don't Saints use weapons?”

Compared to the somewhat chaotic murmur of the ordinary priests, the foremost elder clearly knew more. After a brief inspection of the group, he walked directly to Ye Wen and Yuwentuo, offered a slight bow, and said: “Honorable Lord Taurus and Lord Libra, welcome to the Sanctuary!”

Within the entire Sanctuary, a few people understood the situation regarding the Saints, though their knowledge was limited. The old priest knew only that Taurus was the physically strongest Gold Saint (in his estimation, the most powerful), and Libra was the special existence—besides the Goddess—who held the sole authority to decide whether a Saint could use weapons, and was also tasked with judging the guilt of those within the Sanctuary.

These two must be rather special among the Gold Saints (Libra is indeed special, as is Taurus). Thus, although the old priest had been in the Sanctuary for some time and had worshipped Athena for decades, he maintained the proper reverence for the Goddess’s Saints.

“And this must be Lord Shen?”

In the eyes of the old priest, Shen Gongbao’s status was significantly lower, but as he was sent by the Goddess, the address was polite enough, preventing Shen Gongbao from erupting in anger.

It could be said that Ye Wen’s first meeting with the Sanctuary personnel was relatively pleasant, though this happiness did not last long. The first person to disrupt Ye Wen’s relatively good mood was Athena.

“Furthermore, I too shall be reborn upon the Earth to fight alongside my Saints and jointly resist the invasion of the King of Hell to protect the land!” Athena’s words were somewhat inflammatory, exciting the priests who worshipped her. However, the very next sentence made Ye Wen the target of all attention: “As for how to locate my reincarnation, you need only ask Taurus!”