"Boom!"
Aether continuously dodged and weaved, narrowly avoiding Fei Xiao's relentless attacks. He truly did not want to fight her. If he accidentally used any of his unique abilities and was recognized, the consequences would be disastrous.
"Emanator of Abundance, are you such a coward?" Fei Xiao shouted when she saw him constantly avoiding direct confrontation. "Do you not even have the courage to face me head-on?"
"I've already said it. I have no intention of starting a conflict. Let's part ways here and pretend nothing happened," Aether replied as he retreated several steps.
"That won't do. You entered the Xianzhou without any discussion. Based on that alone, who can guarantee you have no ill intentions? Today, you will remain on the Xianzhou!" Fei Xiao declared, brandishing the giant axe in her hands and leaping into the air, bringing it down toward Aether's head.
"Damn it! She's trying to kill me!"
Aether was startled. If that axe struck anyone else, they would be split in half instantly. Even as an Emanator of Abundance, he was not afraid of such attacks, but it would still hurt. Worse, if his mask fell off and Fei Xiao recognized him, everything would collapse.
He attempted to dodge, but an arrow fired by Yukong from the side forced him to halt.
"Damn it, I can't hold back anymore."
Left with no choice, Aether summoned the black abyss and shaped it into the Dragon's Guts Bright Silver Spear, blocking Fei Xiao's descending strike.
"Finally willing to fight?" Fei Xiao pressed down with both hands on her giant axe, forcing it against Aether's shoulder. "Speak! What is your true purpose for coming to the Xianzhou?!"
Aether did not bother arguing. He knew Fei Xiao would not believe him regardless.
With a surge of strength, he knocked the axe aside and leapt back to create distance. Fei Xiao immediately picked up the giant axe with one hand and hurled it straight toward his head.
Aether dodged to the side, but before he could react, Fei Xiao appeared behind him and slammed a heavy punch into the small of his back.
Aether grunted in pain. Abandoning restraint, he endured the blow, grabbed Fei Xiao by the shoulder, and forcefully threw her away.
Fei Xiao flipped midair as a violent hurricane formed beneath her, steadily supporting her descent.
Before Aether could catch his breath, a sense of danger surged through him. He turned around and saw a towering, majestic statue stretching toward the heavens. The statue raised its blade and cleaved down at him.
"Boom!"
The surrounding facilities were annihilated in an instant. Even an Emanator would need to avoid such an attack.
"So you're finally here. I thought you weren't coming." Fei Xiao rested the giant axe on her shoulder and looked toward Jing Yuan, who had arrived late.
"There was no helping it," Jing Yuan replied with a solemn shake of his head. "After all, he's an Emanator of Abundance. We must take him seriously. All nearby civilians have already been evacuated, so we can fight without restraint."
"That's good."
Fei Xiao grinned, her eyes burning with excitement rather than fear.
"Still, that earlier attack was terrifying. That guy couldn't possibly…"
Before she could finish, Jing Yuan raised a hand and interrupted, "Impossible. I've personally witnessed the terror of an Emanator of Abundance. That level of attack is nothing more than a tickle to them."
"No, wait. There's been no movement for too long. Something's wrong!" Fei Xiao suddenly felt a strong sense of unease. She swung her axe and charged forward, not giving Jing Yuan time to stop her.
"Aargh!"
Fei Xiao brought her axe down with all her strength, her muscles taut, as if splitting heaven and earth. Yet her full-powered strike was caught by a hand clad in leafy armor.
As the smoke cleared, Aether's appearance had changed once more. His body was larger, his antlers far more prominent, and armor made of branches and leaves covered him.
"For the Merciful One."
Aether murmured as powerful energy gathered between the antlers on his forehead.
"No! Fei Xiao, get away from him!" Jing Yuan's face turned pale. He immediately summoned the Divine General in an attempt to interrupt Aether's charge.
But Aether was an Emanator of Abundance. The charge completed in an instant.
He lifted his head, and the gathered energy erupted toward the Divine General, forming a devastating shockwave that engulfed it completely.
"Ugh!"
The Divine General was forcibly dispersed, and Jing Yuan's face paled as he was instantly restrained by branches erupting from the ground.
Fei Xiao struggled free and prepared to continue her assault, but Aether knocked her weapon away with a single motion.
"Wait. Look at this."
Fei Xiao was about to attack again when she saw a small bottle fall in front of her.
"This is… Aether's!"
Her expression changed drastically. She picked up the bottle and, trembling, brought it to her nose. The familiar medicinal scent confirmed it was made by Aether.
"Why couldn't we just talk this through? You forced me to play the villain," Aether said calmly, brushing dust from his body.
"If I remember correctly, that kid also named Aether has quite a close relationship with you. You're already lovers, aren't you?"
"What do you mean?!" Fei Xiao demanded, panic flooding her heart.
"He's in my hands," Aether said evenly, suppressing the turmoil within himself. "Yet he's still foolishly unaware."
"Although he carries the divine blood of Abundance, it's not enough to cure your Moon Frenzy. To save you, he made a deal with an Abomination of Abundance and agreed to work for me."
Fei Xiao's pupils shrank as she stared at the medicine bottle in disbelief.
"He's under my control. If anything happens to me, he dies. And everyone here dies with him," Aether whispered near her ear.
"Arbiter-General, you wouldn't want your lover and your sister to both perish here, would you?"
Around them, Cloud Knights were bound by Creations of Abundance, and even Yukong was tightly restrained by branching vines.
"You… what exactly do you want?" Fei Xiao asked weakly.
"It's simple. Let me leave, and I won't trouble you again," Aether replied.
"Is that all?" Fei Xiao frowned, unconvinced.
"What, do you want me to cause another catastrophe? I don't have the patience for that," Aether said flatly.
"Release them. You may go."
Fei Xiao clenched the medicine bottle tightly as she spoke.
At her words, Aether signaled his Creations of Abundance to withdraw.
"You'd best not harbor any foolish thoughts," he added. "That kid's life is still in my hands."
As Aether departed with his creations, Fei Xiao slammed her fist into the ground. Blood trickled from her palm where her nails pierced her skin.
"Aether, I will remember this. If you dare harm him, I will fight you to the death!"
Her eyes burned with fury and unwilling despair.