Yuan Jin lay weak on the ground, his breathing ragged, as if he was only a step away from death. His half-opened eyes struggled to stay awake, but he could still hear the voices around him.
Meanwhile, Aether stood calmly, her eyes coldly fixed on the cloaked man surrounded by demons.
"I should have known," Aether's voice was calm, yet it carried an overwhelming pressure that shook the space itself. "You sent a god to destroy my planet only as a diversion… just so you could kidnap Yuan Jin."
The cloaked man, Demon Shi Xu, chuckled. The demons around him roared in excitement, celebrating their so-called victory.
"Hahaha... That was exactly our plan." Shi Xu smirked.
"What is your name? I don't like killing nameless beings."
Aether sighed lightly. "You are not worthy of knowing my name."
Shi Xu clenched his teeth. "How arrogant!"
With a wave of his hand, he commanded his army of demons to attack Aether. Yet, she remained still, her gaze indifferent.
"Open the void… and destroy."
In an instant, the air around them trembled. A dark rift tore open, pulling in the charging demons. They shrieked in terror, but within seconds, their bodies were crushed and disintegrated into dust within the emptiness. Aether clenched her hand, sealing the rift shut.
She looked at Shi Xu with a calm expression. "Is that all? I thought you'd be stronger."
Shi Xu growled. "Very well... It's time to end your arrogance!"
His black cloak fluttered in the wind, revealing his true form as his body began to grow. In an instant, he expanded to the size of an entire galaxy.
Meanwhile, Yuan Jin still lay on the ground, unmoving. Aether glanced at him briefly. "Yuan Jin, I will return."
Suddenly, Aether's body began to fade away.
Shi Xu laughed mockingly. "Hah! So you're running away?! Coward!"
But his laughter was short-lived. A voice—deep, chilling, and otherworldly—echoed through the dimension, sending a shiver down his spine.
"You talk too much."
Shi Xu looked up toward the Fifth Layer of the Sky, where the voice originated.
The clouds twisted violently, and from a dimensional rift, a colossal hand emerged. Its sheer size was incomprehensible—larger than three galaxies combined.
Shi Xu immediately felt an overwhelming force pressing down on him. He used all his strength to hold it back, but the weight only grew heavier with time.
"I've already unleashed my full power… But you… Why are you still stronger than me?!" Shi Xu's voice trembled with desperation.
Aether's voice remained unwavering. "This is nothing. In this universe, no one can surpass me."
Shi Xu's panic grew. He desperately attempted to open a dimensional portal to escape. Just as the rift was about to form…
BANG!
The portal instantly collapsed.
Shi Xu's eyes widened in horror. "What?! No!!"
Aether smirked coldly. "Don't even think about escaping from me."
Shi Xu could only watch in terror as Aether's absolute power loomed closer, ready to erase him from existence.
---
Shi Xu's body trembled violently as he struggled against the immense pressure of the giant hand crushing him. Blood spurted from his mouth, staining his dark robes and the empty space around him. His once indomitable strength was fading rapidly, and his limbs began to weaken. No matter how much power he unleashed, it was useless against the sheer force pressing down on him.
"Damn it… How can she be this strong?" Shi Xu gritted his teeth, but his voice was weak, barely above a whisper. His vision blurred, and his consciousness wavered as he realized—this was the end.
The colossal hand tightened its grip, and in an instant, Shi Xu's entire body shattered like fragile glass, dissolving into dust. The mighty demon, who once instilled fear across countless realms, had been reduced to nothingness.
Floating in the void, Aether gazed at where Shi Xu had perished. Her form, now composed of pure radiant light, flickered momentarily before stabilizing. Even after annihilating a powerful enemy, her expression remained indifferent, as if it had all been inevitable.
"Pathetic." she muttered before shifting her attention to the ground below.
There, Yuan Jin's lifeless body lay motionless. His face was pale, his clothes tattered, and his body bore countless wounds inflicted by Shi Xu's minions. The once vibrant energy within him had completely vanished.
Aether's golden eyes softened. She floated downward, kneeling beside Yuan Jin's body. Despite her godly powers, a faint sadness flickered in her gaze.
"You're not dying on me, Yuan Jin." she whispered.
Without hesitation, Aether stretched out her hand and placed it over his chest. A warm, golden light spread from her fingertips, enveloping his entire body. The light pulsed like a heartbeat, growing stronger with each passing moment.
Then, something miraculous happened—Yuan Jin's chest rose sharply as he gasped for air. His fingers twitched, his heartbeat resumed, and his eyes shot open, filled with confusion and shock.
"What… happened here?" His voice was hoarse, barely audible.
His vision slowly adjusted, and the first thing he saw was Aether's face hovering just inches away from his own. The radiant glow surrounding her made her seem even more ethereal.
Yuan Jin blinked. His cheeks reddened slightly. "Why are you… pinning me down?" he asked, his voice carrying a mix of confusion and embarrassment.
Aether chuckled softly. "Ah, sorry. I was just making sure whether you were still alive or already dead."
Yuan Jin furrowed his brows. "Dead? What do you mean? What exactly happened to me before?"
Aether's amused expression faltered slightly. She had forgotten to restore his memories. If she didn't act fast, all of his past training and experiences would be lost, rendering him significantly weaker.
Damn it, I almost messed up.
Without answering his question, Aether gently pressed her fingertip against Yuan Jin's forehead.
"Memory Manipulation."
A golden glow seeped into his mind, and suddenly, fragments of memories flooded back—Shi Xu's ambush, the brutal torture, his own desperate cries for help, and Aether's triumphant return.
Yuan Jin's eyes widened as everything became clear. He looked at Aether in awe. "You… you saved me."
Aether smiled warmly. "I'm sorry for leaving you behind earlier."
Yuan Jin shook his head. "It's alright. It wasn't entirely your fault. I should've been stronger."
Aether exhaled, relieved that he wasn't resentful. But just as the moment of peace settled in, she suddenly clapped her hands together and grinned mischievously.
"Alright! Now that you're back, we should start your training again immediately to strengthen your spiritual energy!"
Yuan Jin's face paled. "What?! I just came back from the dead! Can't I rest for at least a day?!"
Aether giggled. "Haha… Relax, I was just joking."
Yuan Jin groaned, rubbing his temples. "You're terrible."
Aether smirked. "And yet you'd be dead without me."
He sighed, shaking his head in defeat. Despite the overwhelming events of the day, a sense of warmth filled his chest. He wasn't alone—Aether was still by his side.
As they exchanged playful banter, the weight of the past battles slowly faded, replaced by laughter and a rare moment of peace.
To be continued…