Not preventing Pandora and Sisyphus from leaving, Ye Wen scooped the little one up again, placing him on his neck, and walked toward the Sanctuary under the awestruck gaze of the common people. He walked until their figures vanished completely, and those people still had not risen from the ground... but that was no longer Ye Wen's concern.

Upon returning to the Sanctuary, Ye Wen's first act was to deliver Lina to her mother. Cecilia was currently residing within the Sanctuary, though certainly not in any luxurious quarters. The High Priest had arranged a relatively simple dwelling for her in a corner of the Sanctuary where the environment was quite pleasant. Fortunately, those ten guards had not departed; instead, they firmly remained and voluntarily became Cecilia’s servants, helping the girl, who knew almost nothing, through that initial chaotic period.

Perhaps because of Ye Wen, the Sanctuary assigned Cecilia a maid, finally allowing the girl, who had scarcely lived independently, to manage a normal existence. However, not being able to keep her child by her side was ultimately not a source of joy, so her life within the Sanctuary was hardly happy.

Fortunately, Ekaterina could stay with her all day long, and Ye Wen would occasionally stop by for a visit. Coupled with the protection of Libra, Taurus, and Chris, the Saint training instructor, no fool dared cause trouble there. Thus, Cecilia’s life was peaceful yet tedious. Perhaps Ekaterina’s fondness for running around everywhere was merely an attempt to entertain her mother.

After bidding farewell to Cecilia and declining her kind invitation for dinner, Ye Wen waved to the little one and departed. Instead of heading to his own Taurus Temple, he waited until the surroundings were empty, summoned the Taurus Gold Cloth, and clad himself in it.

When Ye Wen reappeared, he was no longer in the garb of a mere subordinate, but as the awe-inspiring figure of the Gold Saint of Taurus. The aspiring Saints he encountered along the way regarded him with looks of astonishment and reverence. However, Ye Wen had no mind to pay attention to them; he left the Sanctuary and, after glancing briefly at the general direction, took one stride and vanished as if into thin air.

"You truly came!" A man stood on the barren mountaintop, letting the biting, cold wind scour his silver-cross-patterned black robe, making it whip loudly. His hair was as inky black as pitch, and his eyes were so deep one could become irrevocably lost in them; his beauty rivaled that of Aphrodite.

Gazing at the dark-robed man in the distance, an innate dominance that commanded immediate respect emanated from him. Unfortunately, all this had no effect on the person who suddenly appeared behind him. Ye Wen's look, akin to regarding a fool, finally made the dark-robed man alter his posture, turning to face the man he had specifically summoned.

"You are the Gold Saint of Taurus?" The black-haired, black-robed man scrutinized Ye Wen from head to toe, his intensity making Ye Wen suspect the man had some peculiar habit. Fortunately, the man soon spoke, "You look like just an ordinary human... or perhaps this isn't your true form?" Ye Wen began to examine the person before him seriously. Although he felt a violent, dark power emanating from the man that sent a chill through him, he was unsure of this person's true identity. He had intentionally rushed over to investigate and probe this man’s intentions.

Of course, he already had some speculations in his heart, but whether they were correct or not remained unknown. "I am the Gold Saint of Taurus, a Saint of Goddess Athena! For love and peace... protecting the earth..." The man opposite seemed to have heard the world's funniest joke. Though he didn't laugh excessively, the extraordinarily bright smile on his face betrayed his reaction to those words. "I believe we have no need to dwell on such boring platitudes! Don't you agree? Someone from Mount Olympus?" "So, he mistook me for an Olympian god?" This misunderstanding was hardly detrimental to Ye Wen, so he remained silent where he stood. The man opposite, though unable to see his expression, sensed Ye Wen's meaning: "And who are you?"

"Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Lucifer, or you may call me Lucifiel, the Legion Commander of the fallen angel host of the Heavenly Divine Race... essentially, someone who shuns the light. However, for one such as yourself, a god from Olympus, my identity shouldn't be so mysterious!" The eyelid hidden in the shadow twitched slightly. Ye Wen had not expected the man before him to be the famous angel, Lucifer. It was said that Lucifer was originally the most powerful being among the angels, so much so that even Michael, who was now hailed as the strongest Archangel, was no match for him.

There were even rumors that Lucifer fell only because his power had begun to threaten the supreme, ancient God of the Heavenly Divine Race, leading God to orchestrate a situation where Lucifer, constantly growing stronger, threatened to surpass his subordinates and thus became a fallen angel.

In that scenario, even if Lucifer truly possessed the power to contend with God, he could never threaten God’s supreme position in the Heavenly Divine Race. Of course, this was a more conspiratorial rumor, and while other stories circulated, they all invariably emphasized Lucifer’s immense strength.

To put it into perspective, Lucifer's standing in the Heavenly Divine Race was equivalent to that of the God of War on Mount Olympus, the Victorious Fighting Buddha in the Western Heavens, or Yang Jian in the Eastern Celestial Court—in short, an exceedingly powerful entity. His deliberate appearance at the Sanctuary to find Ye Wen was certainly not just out of curiosity about the existence of Taurus, leading to a casual greeting and perhaps a drink at a tavern.

As for exchanging chicken heads and burning yellow paper, that was out of the question. It was already an unexpectedly good situation that he hadn't immediately drawn a weapon to take Ye Wen’s head.

Watching Lucifer finish his introduction, wearing an expression that clearly stated, Now you know who I am and why I’ve come to find you? Ye Wen shrugged, and the heavy Gold Cloth let out a soft chime. "Then, Legion Commander Lucifer, what is your purpose in seeking me out?"

Lucifer smiled. "I believe you still remember the angel you defeated five years ago!"

Ye Wen noted that Lucifer used the word defeated, not killed. This implied that the angel had indeed escaped by some means. However, given that angel's strength, Ye Wen wasn't overly concerned. But why would Lucifer specifically mention this? Was he here to settle a score?

That explanation was plausible. Ye Wen defeating an angel would certainly offend the Heavenly Divine Race, and since those heavenly beings were not known for their broad-mindedness, seeking retribution would be perfectly reasonable.

"I am merely here to inform you that the young angel named Adrian is now a member of the fallen angel legion. As the legion commander, I feel it is necessary to see what kind of person is the opponent he always sought to defeat!"

"Hm?" Ye Wen was momentarily stunned. He hadn't expected that angel named Adrian would join Lucifer’s legion. Wouldn't that mean Adrian would forever live in shadows? After all, the fallen angel legion was only whispered about among true immortals; to believers, they were evil entities, unworthy of reverence, only attracting scorn.

"It's not surprising. For an angel, the quickest and most direct path to gaining powerful strength is through falling," Lucifer seemed lost in thought, his gaze drifting away from Ye Wen, his eyes unfocused, clearly not looking at the person before him.

However, this state lasted only briefly. A moment later, Lucifer refocused his attention on the man before him. "But now it seems... this new subordinate is unlikely to achieve his wish!"

While Ye Wen was wondering what Lucifer meant by that sentence, a strange, dark cloud of smoke suddenly flashed around the man opposite. This black cloud enveloped everything on Lucifer except his head, and after a few seconds, it began to slowly dissipate.

When the smoke cleared, Lucifer reappearing before Ye Wen was no longer wearing the seemingly ordinary robe. Instead, he was clad in a suit of black full-body armor that seemed capable of absorbing all light. Its gorgeous and exquisite design made the armor look like a pure work of art; in terms of sheer aesthetics, it was in no way inferior to the Gold Cloth.

Simultaneously, a pair of black wings suddenly spread, stirring up a gust of powerful wind, and many black feathers scattered as they shook, giving Ye Wen the illusion that it was snowing feathers from the sky. Amidst the swirling, falling black feathers, Lucifer lowered his eyes, clapped his hands together, and drew a long sword.

The guard of this long sword featured a pair of spread wings, clearly indicating it was a sword used by angels. However, the one Lucifer wielded was entirely black, even the blade was pitch dark, seemingly incapable of reflecting any light.

As Lucifer drew his long sword, another pair of black wings unfurled behind him, situated slightly above the first, largest pair, angled slightly upward. After Lucifer held the long sword in his hand and swung it casually, another pair of wings appeared beneath the largest pair, making for exactly three pairs of black wings fully spread behind Lucifer.

Combined with his breathtaking beauty and magnificent armor, even with a blank expression, Lucifer was like a shocking masterpiece of painting, one one would be reluctant to destroy—though Ye Wen was certainly not among those who felt this way.

While Lucifer was busy posing, Ye Wen knew the commander of this so-called fallen angel legion was preparing to strike. Therefore, Ye Wen responded immediately.

Facing the pinnacle of the Heavenly Divine Race's combat power, Ye Wen did not use his half-mastered Vajra Palm. Instead, he channeled the full power of his Huantian Baojian, urging forth the corresponding true energies of Bixue Bing and Xue Qiong Cang with his palms, unleashing the Lü Shuang Bing Zhi of the Eighteen Dragon-Subduing Palms without hesitation.

The two palms struck out simultaneously, reaching Lucifer in the blink of an eye. Although the speed was much slower than usual, the current state of his body provided a slight increase in strength. The Eighteen Dragon-Subduing Palms struck under this condition were less swift than before, but their destructive power was far greater than usual.

To Ye Wen's surprise, Lucifer made no move to evade. Ye Wen felt no need to be polite, striking out with both palms at the same time. Almost instantaneously, they connected with a pair of objects that felt both soft and slightly rigid.

Looking closely, he saw that the large pair of wings had suddenly folded inward, precisely blocking Ye Wen’s strike. The hardness of these wings far exceeded Ye Wen's expectations.

"I thought the wings of an angel would be extremely fragile; it seems that isn't the case!"

But this single palm strike also startled Lucifer. He had thought he had sufficiently overestimated the man before him. In his original estimation, this so-called Gold Saint of Taurus was likely some deity from Mount Olympus, but certainly not a main god—most likely a demigod known for martial prowess. The most probable candidate was Heracles (Hercules), renowned for his strength in the Western pantheon. However, ultimately, he was merely a demigod, and Lucifer hadn't taken him very seriously.

Yet, as Ye Wen's palm struck, he sensed something was wrong. Firstly, the posture of the strike and its speed startled Lucifer. He hadn't deliberately waited there to receive the blow with his wings; rather, Ye Wen's move was so fast that Lucifer could only resort to using his wings to shield himself in haste. Although Lucifer possessed formidable strength, speed was not his primary attribute.

Following that, the dual palms striking his wings released two distinct types of energy. One carried a chilling force capable of stopping everything, seemingly able to terminate all things, including life—this power reminded him of the Underworld.

The other palm was imbued with abundant vitality; this surging life force almost caused his inner power to rebel. The dark essence within his body, rich and mighty, felt extreme aversion and repulsion toward this energy. The formidable, domineering force of the impact made it impossible for him to maintain his calm demeanor. In his haste, Lucifer made the correct choice: he sprang backward by powerfully flexing his wings, utilizing that rebound force to leap back nearly twenty meters before completely dissipating the residual force on his wings.

Having already left the mountaintop and suspended in the air, Lucifer's calm face finally showed surprise. After a moment of contemplation, he suddenly declared, "You... are not from the Western Divine Race!"

Ye Wen was startled. He hadn't expected his true identity to be seen through in just one exchange. It seemed his current guise could only fool lower-level deities or ordinary humans; against true high-level gods, he couldn't mask the disparity in power.

He casually removed his helmet, revealing a face clearly distinct from a Caucasian, his naturally black hair falling loosely down his back. Ye Wen tossed the helmet aside, stood his ground, and spread his hands. "Since you saw through it, there's no need to keep the helmet on!"

Lucifer, however, gave the helmet another glance. He hadn't paid much attention to it before, but now he realized its strangeness. "If not for your move just now, I might not have discerned your true identity..." He paused, shifting his gaze back to Ye Wen. "A powerful cultivator from the East!"

He flicked the long sword in his hand, sending an invisible, sharp sword qi toward Ye Wen. However, such a move was meaningless against Ye Wen, who didn't even bother to dodge. He simply extended his thick index and middle fingers and, with perfect timing, pinched the sword qi as it approached.

In the seemingly unchanged space, a sound like shattering glass suddenly erupted. This casual sword qi was easily intercepted by Ye Wen using his Lingxi Yizhi, a technique he hadn't even mastered fully.

"As far as I know, among Eastern cultivators, very few possess such powerful close-combat skills... Then, which one are you?" Lucifer had limited contact with the Eastern Celestial Court, but the Heavenly Divine Race had gathered considerable information about it, as both factions existed in this world and might interact someday.

Ye Wen lifted his chin slightly. "Probably none of them. I believe my name isn't in your Heavenly Divine Race's files!" Ye Wen was absolutely certain of this; after all, how long had he been in the Immortal Realm? And even less time had he been an Immortal Elder, with few people even knowing of that. While the Heavenly Divine Race collected Eastern intelligence, they couldn't possibly be that meticulous, given the significant distance between them.

"Is that so..." Lucifer pondered for a moment and dropped the subject. "Then, an Eastern cultivator masquerading as an envoy of Athena..." He revealed a playful smile. Considering the relationship between Mount Olympus and the Celestial Court, it was easy for him to jump to that conclusion.

Unfortunately, Ye Wen quickly shattered his fantasy: "It was just for a game, and I wasn't masquerading!"

"Oh? A game?" As Lucifer spoke, his entire form vanished. Ye Wen didn't even have time to blink before the black blade, capable of absorbing all light, slashed toward him. Ye Wen's physical agility was severely hampered; movements he could usually execute effortlessly now proved difficult. But his battle experience, forged through constant conflicts since he began cultivating, immediately suggested the most suitable solution.

He stomped his foot heavily, using his foot to deliver a fierce Vajra Palm (a foot can also be a palm). The force erupting from the sole of his foot instantly destroyed the ground beneath him, and the resulting counter-force forced Lucifer's sword to momentarily pause. Immediately following this, Ye Wen’s counterattack arrived.

"Hao You Gen!!!"