Overthrow the Feathered Serpent God's Tyranny, Glory Belongs to...

As the crescent moon slanted westward and the night faded, the burning firewood in the center of the camp crackled and popped.

Beside the warm fire, with fresh mushroom soup and crispy bread slices served, and a few drinks down the drain, the easygoing and easily satisfied Jaguar Man quickly became familiar with everyone in the camp, chatting idly and rambling on, enlivening the slightly oppressive atmosphere.

Amidst laughter and cheers, the Forest Goddess, who had been pent up for years, felt a sense of catharsis and exhilaration. On a whim, the Jaguar Man waved a wine bottle, his face flushed, and shouted slogans.

"Overthrow Q'uq'umatz's tyranny, glory belongs to the leopard!"

But as a chilling gaze swept over her head from the shade of the trees, the increasingly leaping leopard felt a thorn in its back. It immediately shrank back, its survival instinct kicking in, and squatted back down on the rock. It picked up the wine bottle, grabbed Tamamo no Mae who was about to get up, put its arm around her shoulder, and climbed up to her with a smirk that made the fox's hair stand on end.

"Come on, I scared you just now. I don't mind the leopard at all. Let's have a few drinks and see if it helps us bond!"

You don't mind, but I do!

Wait, that's not right! Who wants to drink with you?!

I need to pee!

Tamamo no Mae gritted her teeth and raised her hand, intending to pry open the Jaguar Man's claws.

"If that's not the case, I'll go too."

"Forget it, it's pointless, I don't want to go..."

Tamamo no Mae watched the two figures gradually disappear into the dense forest, then sat down with a dark expression, intending to take a deep breath and calm herself.

Unexpectedly, an opened wine jar was placed right in front of her.

"Shall we continue drinking?"

The Jaguar Man blinked brightly, licked his rosy lips with his tongue, and looked like he wanted more.

Tamamo no Mae's forehead veins throbbed at first, but then her face blossomed into a radiant smile.

"Okay, let's keep drinking!"

Drink, drink, drink! I used to be able to drink a thousand cups without getting drunk! I'll drink you to death right here, you stinky leopard!

In the firelight, a Trash Fox accepted the wine jar with a smile, his golden eyes flashing sinisterly, harboring extreme malice in his heart.

On the riverbank, the water gurgled, and two figures stood and talked casually along the way. Finally, they simply sat down on the shady green grass and chatted idly.

Compared to the leisurely and peaceful life after Quetzalcoatl's return, Samael's simplified account of his experiences, though presented in a casual and rough style, still cannot conceal the harrowing nature of his ordeal.

Feathered Serpent God listened with great interest, resting his chin on his hand. The two gradually gained a general understanding of each other's experiences in recent years.

As the conversation drew to a close, Quetzalcoatl looked at Samael with admiration, then couldn't help but raise his hand to stroke her cheek, a look of melancholy and self-pity on his face.

"The little brother in Uruk has grown up and no longer needs his older sister's love. It's really a headache."

Why do you women all like to play this game?

Samael rubbed his forehead, feeling both amused and exasperated by Feathered Serpent God's half-serious teasing and banter, and could only play along.

"In my heart, my older sister will always be the most reliable!"

A top-tier teammate who can fight, tank, and heal! At least, much better than those two incompetent goddesses who always mess things up at crucial moments.

"In your presence, I'd rather never grow up!"

Nonsense, when you grow up, why would you need a breast-killing case? Besides, having a thing for mature women is the most endearing trait!

A certain Vile Serpent, while muttering to himself, appeared serious on the surface.

"Oh dear, that's a foul, that's a foul! You still manage to charm me like this."

The Feathered Serpent God Goddess was steaming with heat, writhing shyly, her jade-like face flushed red. She covered her face with her hands, her ten fingers occasionally parting to reveal her bright, teasing eyes.

Sure enough, women are all drama queens...

A familiar feeling welled up in Samael's heart, and he couldn't help but mutter to himself about Quetzalcoatl's perverse sense of humor.

However, the ancient snake quickly calmed down and became solemn.

"Speaking of which, big sister, you've come at the perfect time. I've just run into a tricky problem and urgently need your help."

Meanwhile, Samael picked up a twig and sketched out the situation in Greece with a few strokes.

"Hot Spring Pass?"

When the topic turned to Zheng He, Quetzalcoatl immediately lowered his hands, sat up straight, and with his clear and sharp eyes, quickly analyzed the situation and realized the crux of the problem.

"That's right. Without this natural barrier, the Persian army can advance unimpeded, conquering the fortresses along the way one by one, penetrating deep into Athens, and thus dismantling the entire Pan-Hellenic Alliance. The advantage gained in naval warfare will then vanish!"

Samael nodded solemnly, his brow furrowed.

In reality, the battle at Hot Spring Pass was far more important and the situation far more dire than Queen Gogo of Spartan Queen and Helen had imagined.

Once this strategic choke point falls, it's tantamount to most of Greece falling under the iron heel of the Persians, making land battles extremely difficult.

Therefore, after Hot Spring Pass fell in history, the various city-states surrendered without resistance, and the Persian army quickly occupied two-thirds of the land in Greece. No one could withstand their advance, and even Athens was burned to the ground.

During this period, Themistocles, the Athenian general, used this precious time to abandon his defenses and relocate the people to Salamis Island and the surrounding waters for refuge. He then launched the Battle of Salamis with all his might, which barely turned the tide of the war.

Indeed, in the actual course of the Iliad War, the land battles ended in defeat, followed by a desperate naval battle in which a narrow victory was won.

However, due to his own misdeeds, the Egyptians betrayed Cyrus, causing the Battle of Salamis to break out prematurely. Due to the dispersal of his forces, the intensity and victory were far less than recorded in history, and the Persian forces were not significantly weakened.

The delayed land battle then commenced.

However, the Persians, having been defeated by the Greek fleet once, would have learned their lesson, and for various other reasons, the victory at the Battle of Salamis could never be replicated.

Therefore, Hot Spring Pass has replaced Salamis Bay as the core of the decisive battle. Once it falls, there may be no chance of turning the tide!

With its foresight and strategic vision cultivated over many years, the ancient serpent revealed its speculations and concerns to the Feathered Serpent God.

"So the problem now is that Rome is preoccupied with its own problems, Athens is internally corrupt and can't be relied on either, and you can't get away from your own affairs and don't have any usable military forces, so it's difficult to lift the Hot Spring Pass."

Feathered Serpent God stroked his chin, deep in thought.

"Well, I originally planned to first clear out Athens, then contact the Egyptians, gather military forces from all over the country, and launch a waterborne attack on the Persians from the rear to support Hot Spring Pass."

Samael nodded seriously, then stopped halfway along the route drawn by the Ying army, his brows furrowed in gloom.

"But the Persian army is different from the past. There seem to be some unexpected unfamiliar faces among them. I am worried that before I can set off, Hot Spring Pass will have already fallen, and then all will be lost."

"You're planning to... deploy troops?"

Quetzalcoatl looked up thoughtfully and asked.

"No! I'm afraid it's too late! Besides, having too few people won't help, and having too many people will make preparations complicated. I'm currently not in a legitimate position, and I don't have the authority to transfer people."

"Then what should we do?"

"I intend to—dispatch troops!"

Samael glanced at the Feathered Serpent God opposite him, a smile playing on his lips.

"Friendly reminder: The current commander of Hot Spring Pass is named Leonidas!"

I see!

Quetzalcoatl suddenly understood Samael's intentions and looked at the decision-maker with admiration and praise.

"Let's not delay any longer. From now on, we'll split our forces into two groups. I'll be in charge of pacifying Athens, while you head to Hot Spring Pass and meet up with Leonidas!"

As Samael pondered, he raised his hand and placed a black scale that shimmered with a rune into Quetzalcoatl's palm.

"Bringing this along will help him recall those memories of Uruk..."

For those who cannot break free from the shackles of fate, the experience of being summoned to Uruk is like a hazy dream.

However, due to its Authority of Destiny and the Rules of the "Primate Murder," the ancient serpent naturally has the means to intervene in the revival of such memories.

At that time, Leonidas, with his full experience in the siege of Uruk and the Battle of Hot Spring Pass, will surely be awakened.

Just as Feathered Serpent God was gathering his thoughts and preparing to summon the leopard and set off immediately, Samael, still somewhat uneasy, offered a cunning suggestion with a glint in his eye.

"By the way, let me remind our old friend to be careful that the Persians use the nearby abandoned mountain passes to outflank us. But even if they do find out, there's no need to make a fuss. We can just play along!"

Although Leonidas, having rekindled his memories of the Battle of Hot Spring Pass, likely remembered most of the reasons that led to the fall of the fortress, it's better to say a few more words just in case.

"Yes, Your King..."

Quetzalcoatl winked mockingly, then whistled, summoning the wind god pterosaur. He selected Fang Bi, grabbed the Jaguar Man reeking of alcohol, and, under the dim light of night, soared through the dense forest at breakneck speed.