Kratos was gone…………Mino reluctantly grew old too. Although getting away from Ye Wen should have been a good thing for her, Mino wasn't foolish enough to not realize the immense benefits of staying close to him. After all, Ye Wen now seemed like an omnipotent, ancient immortal in her eyes. Fortunately, Ye Wen had only told her to go, to lead the way, and that she could return on her own after completing the task.

After Mino left, the atmosphere instantly felt much colder, despite only one person being absent.

Zhang Ling remained silent all day, and Chris wasn't the type to chatter endlessly. If Tommy or Li Xiaoyao had been here, things might have been livelier.

The Jade Qilin lay around like a corpse all day long. If it didn't occasionally get up to move around, anyone would mistake it for a mere decoration, a statue.

Little cat Garfield was quite lively, but this little thing was small and inconspicuous, darting around constantly. It could disappear in the blink of an eye, and since it couldn't speak, there was no sound of it yelling for attention.

The owner of this place, Valkyrie, was even less talkative. Having lived alone for so long, even if she were originally lively, her spirit had been ground smooth. Now, she was most concerned with her child—well, it hadn't been named yet; the plan was apparently to wait for that brat Yuwen Tuo to arrive and name it.

Ye Wen, also finding things dull, occasionally checked in with Shushan via the detector, inquiring about the recent state of his sect. The news he received was quite gratifying.

Essentially, several of his disciples were no longer worried about longevity; a lifespan of at least several hundred years was secured for them, and even those he cared about had crossed the threshold.

The only surprise was the old eunuch brought by Wei Hong, who ultimately failed to take the final step, falling short right at the precipice. However, it was said he passed away peacefully, perhaps feeling his life was complete.

Ye Wen could only sigh at this: "We are not omniscient or omnipotent beings after all. Some things must simply be let go of after doing one's best; there's no need to force it!" He was also a bit worried this might affect Wei Hong, but thankfully, Wei Hong had once been an emperor and had weathered greater storms, so the event did not significantly impact him. He quickly recovered and returned to diligently cultivating, and in his free time, he taught the younger disciples of the Shushan Sect arts like music, chess, calligraphy, and painting to enrich their knowledge.

Besides this matter, what concerned Ye Wen more was that the Heavenly Court seemed to be making moves! The troop deployments were becoming increasingly obvious, reaching a point where even the disciples of the Shushan Sect could sense something was amiss.

Mount Olympus, adjacent to the Heavenly Court, had yet to show any response. Of course, the King of the Gods was off playing games—it would be strange if there were a response! Currently, those in charge on Olympus were Athena and Apollo, but Apollo, that devoted sister-complex brother, was likely still preoccupied with Artemis's situation.

As for Ares... it seemed Athena's maneuvering to send Ares to bother that mortal Kratos also served to distract his attention elsewhere: "This woman truly finds ways to shift the situation to her advantage! It's truly headache-inducing!" Meanwhile, back at the Heavenly Court, although Yang Jian had never visited Shushan, he had Guan Yu serving as a bridge with connections on both sides, allowing Shushan to know a little about the Heavenly Court's movements.

According to disclosures from Cui Jun and Xu Xian sequentially, the Heavenly Court was planning something big this time, and they had explicitly pointed their target: they were openly declaring war on the Buddhist Realm.

Perhaps this was precisely why Athena continued her own plans instead of setting everything aside to adopt a posture of readiness for battle. This woman had likely figured out why Ye Wen was at Mount Olympus—it was to tie down the Olympian Gods, preventing the Heavenly Court from being besieged on two fronts.

Recognicing this, the woman now dared to maintain this cautiously allied, push-and-pull relationship with Ye Wen, while continuing to scheme against the other main gods of the Olympian lineage.

The Buddhist Realm's side was quite interesting. It seemed they hadn't anticipated that the Heavenly Court, which for millennia had only engaged in passive defense and never initiated attacks, was now poised to strike them. This posture left the Buddhas, Wrathful Kings, Bodhisattvas, and Arhats of the Buddhist Realm somewhat confused.

Initially, there was even chaos; many Bodhisattvas and Arhats couldn't believe the Heavenly Court would attack them. Fortunately, Fudo Myoo reacted quickly, immediately mobilizing his subordinate Arhats and War Monks to establish a defense line, while also dispatching Kong Xuan to hold the front, creating a standoff with the Heavenly Court's forces from a distance. This prevented the Heavenly Court from launching a surprise attack.

Only then did the Buddhas of the Buddhist Realm realize: They are actually serious!

By the time of the last conversation, Xu Xian informed Ye Wen that the Heavenly Court's great army had already arrayed itself near Shushan, and the Buddhist Realm's numerous warrior monks and disciples had also taken their positions. A massive battle was imminent; both sides were currently busy with the final step: mobilizing high-end combat power!

Compared to mortal warfare which relied on troop numbers and logistics, wars between immortals focused more heavily on the clash of top-tier power.

On the Heavenly Court's side, Yang Jian served as the commander. Besides his own legion of generals, the Jade Emperor also assigned the Vermillion Bird Divine Lord and the Black Tortoise Divine Lord to the cause. Furthermore, Wen Zhong had rushed to the army to observe the situation nearby.

The number of other famous divine generals, great and small, was countless. Even Qin Qiong was no longer guarding the gate and had been reassigned to the front lines, showing the Heavenly Court was sparing no expense this time, determined to beat the Buddhist Realm so severely that they wouldn't dare look Eastward for at least a thousand years. But while the Heavenly Court went all out, the Buddhist Realm couldn't simply send a few people to fend them off and watch themselves get routed, potentially jeopardizing their plan to absorb the East from the lower realms.

Therefore, with Fudo Myoo as the senior leader, besides his own disciples, guardian Arhats, and warrior monks, he also deployed Peacock Wisdom King and his accompanying forces.

Moreover, to counter the Heavenly Court's numerous high-end forces, the Battle Victory Buddha—who was notoriously difficult to restrain and not highly favored by the Buddha—was also sent to the front lines, illustrating the gravity with which both sides viewed this battle.

Hearing this, Ye Wen couldn't help but click his tongue. Both sides were truly fighting to the death this time. After this battle, neither the Heavenly Court nor the Buddhist Realm would likely make any significant moves for a thousand years. However, this outcome actually served the Heavenly Court's interests; they needed one decisive blow to stop the incessant harassment! If they could annihilate the Buddhist Realm entirely in one go, that would be even better, though the Jade Emperor knew that possibility was exceedingly slim.

Ye Wen suspected the Jade Emperor might be plotting something else in the shadows?

After some speculation that yielded no clear answers, Ye Wen eventually redirected his attention back to the matters at hand. After all, no matter how brutal the war between the Heavenly Court and the Buddhist Realm became, it didn't directly concern him.

The only concern was that if the Heavenly Court were defeated, the Shushan Sect, which had settled near the battlefield, might be affected. Ye Wen had already reminded Xu Xian about this possibility, even telling him slightly: "If the situation turns bad, notify me immediately!" Although Ye Wen couldn't return to Shushan directly—and even if he did, it would be useless; facing so many masters from the Buddhist Realm, unless he achieved Golden Immortal status, he would certainly be overwhelmed. But he shouldn't forget Shushan's ultimate life-saving measure: the Nine Provinces Cauldron! If things went wrong, Ye Wen could remotely establish a connection with the Nine Provinces Cauldron, draw the entire Shushan Mountain inside, and then summon the cauldron to himself.

He had now realized that since he was virtually immortal, finding a place to develop slowly was not a bad option. Once he reached the Golden Immortal realm, where couldn't the Shushan Sect establish itself? Currently, he kept his home there because the Heavenly Court treated Shushan with some deference, and the land was populated by Easterners. If he truly couldn't stay there, he could just as easily relocate his mountain next to Mount Olympus; Zeus likely wouldn't object, and might even try to form an alliance with Ye Wen.

However, if it truly came to that, Ye Wen wouldn't do it unless Athena overthrew Zeus to become the God-King. Otherwise, he would certainly keep far away from that oversexed stallion.

He stepped out and took a circuitous route, following a narrow cave passage to a platform. Valkyrie's dwelling was quite nice. Although it was inside the mountain belly, the cave network was interconnected, essentially linking the entire mountain. If one didn't map it out carefully, getting lost here was possible.

Besides the residence at the foot of the mountain, the cave also connected to the platform halfway up and the summit. Ye Wen often came up to this open platform after discovering it, using it as a place to breathe fresh air.

Lucifer had been gone for several months, and no news had arrived. However, the absence of news from Lucifer was a relatively good sign. If there were news, that would be bad, suggesting Lucifer had clashed with the Divine Race of Heaven and couldn't hold them off, forcing him to seek out Ye Wen.

Now, both sides were likely undergoing final preparations. On the surface, things were calm, but beneath, the currents must be surging! Ye Wen just wondered if Lucifer had managed to discover if there were any Archangels dissatisfied with the God of Light, as he was.

While Ye Wen was lost in thought gazing at the rare clear sky, he suddenly felt a connection. He casually took out a communicator and placed it on his ear: "Tuo'er? What is it?" Only Yuwen Tuo would initiate contact at this hour. He had spoken with Shushan just yesterday, confirming everything was normal, so it was unlikely they would call him now—even if the Buddhist Realm had defeated the Heavenly Court and threatened Shushan, it wouldn't have been this fast.

The voice coming from the receiver sounded somewhat anxious. Ye Wen only managed to catch one phrase: "Master, I am coming to you right now. Something has happened!"

Hearing this, Ye Wen immediately understood what Yuwen Tuo meant. He quickly used the location function attached to his detector to send his coordinates to Yuwen Tuo. Although he could also project his aura to signal his location, that would be too conspicuous, especially with the Divine Race of Heaven nearby, and those angels were perpetually eyeing this snowfield!

Soon, Ye Wen noticed a streak of golden light flashing across the sky, like a golden meteor speeding in his direction.

The moment this glint of golden light entered his view, Ye Wen's expression changed drastically. With his eyesight, he could clearly see everything, and what caused his change in color was not Yuwen Tuo flying at full speed, but the person cradled in his arms.

The heavily injured Ekaterina!

Yuwen Tuo's speed was impressive; in a moment, he arrived at the platform where Ye Wen stood and immediately set down the Ekaterina he was holding.

Ekaterina's face was deathly pale, her lips a shade of dark blue. Her neat, slightly wavy short hair was matted together with bloodstains, and the Sagittarius Gold Cloth she wore was a wreck, tattered and nearly useless.

Of the pair of dashing golden wings on her back, one was completely gone, and only a small stump remained of the other. Furthermore, the backplate of her Saint Cloth was utterly destroyed, and the tender white spine that the Cloth should have protected was now a sight so gruesome it was hard to look at…

Ye Wen could even see several vertebrae protruding from the torn flesh, mangling that area into a bloody mess. Fortunately, no more blood was gushing out; the blood that had flowed had already turned into black stains, making the few stark white bones look even more horrifying.

"Who? Who did this?"

Such injuries could not have been inflicted by an ordinary person. And with such severe damage, even if she were saved, Ye Wen thought, "...". Ye Wen was confident he could preserve Ekaterina's life, but with her spine so grievously wounded, she would likely be crippled forever.

Of course, he had absolutely no need to worry about this for Ekaterina's sake; even if she died now, it wouldn't be a major issue. After all, she was merely a reincarnation of Artemis, and her death might hasten Artemis's awakening.

But she was someone he had practically watched grow from an infant. Even knowing that she would ultimately be fine, he couldn't remain completely unmoved by anger.

"It was Apollo..."

Yuwen Tuo was rushed and had expended considerable effort. After panting a few times to regulate his breathing, he delivered news that surprised Ye Wen even more: "Also, Athena asked me to relay a message: If Ekaterina dies like this, Artemis's true body will also effectively die and can never wake up!"

"Oh?"

He had assumed that even if Ekaterina died now, it wouldn't matter much, perhaps only giving Artemis an unusual experience. He hadn't expected things to be this serious?

"The specifics might require consulting Athena, but the most crucial thing right now is saving Lina's life!"

Yuwen Tuo didn't need to remind him of this. Although Ye Wen was furious, his hands moved without the slightest hesitation. From the Huantian Baojian, the life-affirming Xue Qiong Cang energy surged forth. The blood-red energy, emitting a faint fragrance, first enveloped Ekaterina's wounded back.

As the crimson energy grew denser, Ye Wen’s face gradually turned pale, yet his hands never stopped. After a period equivalent to brewing a cup of tea, the horrific wounds on Ekaterina's back began to change.

The stark white bones that had pierced through her skin slowly retracted back into her [body], accompanied by grating sounds that made one's teeth ache, and muffled groans from the unconscious woman sensing the abnormality in her body.

Following this, the inverted, mud-like flesh slowly smoothed over. Finally, as Ye Wen violently released and then retracted his Jin Qi, Ekaterina's spine returned to its normal appearance. This final action made Ye Wen feel as if his chest had been hit by a heavy hammer, and the blood energy throughout his body seemed to vanish instantly, causing him to nearly black out.

Fortunately, his spirit was extremely resilient, and the rapid circulation of his internal energy quickly alleviated his dizziness. After a moment's pause, he gradually recovered.

However, his pale complexion had not improved; it seemed this maneuver had cost him a significant amount of vital energy.

"Although the Xue Qiong Cang has the divine effect of healing injuries, it cannot be used recklessly! If the injury reaches a certain extent, one must use their own vital energy as the catalyst to heal the person!"

Regrettably, after a brief scan, he found that while Ekaterina's external injuries had been healed by him, the damage to her vertebrae had not improved. It seemed his healing ability was ultimately inferior to that of true cultivators who specialized in such arts. While the Xue Qiong Cang was miraculous, it was ultimately just a martial art technique; to make its life force as wondrous as true immortal arts would likely require his cultivation to reach a much higher realm.

As for "resurrecting the dead and growing flesh"... he could only hope for that once he reached the Golden Immortal stage!

But it made sense. If any casual immortal possessed such heaven-defying healing and resurrection abilities, why would so many immortals fade into obscurity?

Glancing at Ekaterina, whose breathing was gradually stabilizing though her face remained pale, Ye Wen sighed. He then extended a finger and touched the Saint Cloth on her body. The Sagittarius Gold Cloth detached from Ekaterina and reformed the Archer's silhouette in mid-air.

Because it was so badly damaged, the resulting Sagittarius looked incredibly desolate. With a casual wave of his hand, a flash of golden light erupted, and the Sagittarius Cloth exploded into a sphere of golden Cosmo before slowly ascending high into the sky. Following a final flash, it transformed into a golden meteor speeding towards the Sanctuary.

Yuwen Tuo watched Ye Wen's action without comment. He had already realized that his master had just erased Ekaterina's imprint within the Sagittarius Cloth, meaning the Gold Cloth had reverted to an ownerless state.

The return of the Saint Cloth in this condition was equivalent to telling those in the Sanctuary: The Sagittarius Gold Saint has fallen... As for the corpse and such... It was perfectly normal for a Gold Saint to fight until nothing but bones remained; nobody would dwell on that issue.

Indeed, Ye Wen immediately asked Yuwen Tuo, "What about you?"

Yuwen Tuo shrugged: "To ensure Nice successfully broke into the Underworld, I stayed behind to cover the retreat, so I have gloriously died!"

"Oh, then you don't need to go back either; stay here!" Saying this, he bent down and lifted Ekaterina: "It's time you met your daughter too!"

"Mhm... Wait?"