Ether did not forget easily.

  It buried things.

  It layered time, power, and reputation until the past became myth.

  But some ghosts were too heavy to stay buried.

  Far from the black banners and demonic peaks of Jin Valentine’s reborn dominion, the Verdant Sect stood draped in jade light and celestial qi.

  It was larger now.

  Cleaner.

  Stronger.

  Where once it had been a respected but unremarkable cultivation sect, it was now spoken of in the same breath as ancient powers.

  And at its center—

  Ren Kai.

  He stood upon the highest platform of the Verdant Sect, hands clasped behind his back, robes embroidered with divine patterns that pulsed faintly with law.

  Sect Master Kai.

  The Celestial Divine.

  That was what the world called him.

  A man who had risen in record time.

  A man whose talent had “miraculously bloomed.”

  A man who stood at the Peak Saint Realm, a single step below Domain.

  One step.

  And yet… that single step separated kings from gods.

  Below him, disciples knelt in neat rows, awe and reverence etched into their faces. The Verdant Sect had never been stronger.

  Never more unified.

  Never more feared.

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  Ren Kai’s gaze swept across them—calm, composed, dignified.

  But inside, there was always a pressure.

  A quiet, gnawing thing.

  PRINCESS OF MOONLIGHT

  To his right stood Lian Yue.

  She had changed.

  Her beauty was sharper now—no longer gentle moonlight, but cold lunar brilliance. Silver sigils traced her wrists and collarbone, glowing faintly beneath her robes.

  Successor of the Moonlight Witch.

  Princess Yue.

  A Mid Saint Realm expert.

  Her cultivation aura was pure, elegant, and deadly. Wherever she walked, night seemed to soften.

  Disciples bowed even lower when she passed.

  She noticed.

  She did not care.

  Her eyes were fixed on the horizon.

  THE COMING COMPETITION

  “The Celestial Sect has confirmed it,” Ren Kai said calmly.

  “A grand sect competition. All of Ether. Even the upper realms will be watching.”

  Lian Yue nodded slowly. “And we will attend.”

  “It is expected,” Ren Kai replied. “The Verdant Sect can no longer hide.”

  A pause.

  “The Heavenly Demonic Sect has been invited as well,” he added casually, as if mentioning weather.

  Lian Yue’s fingers twitched.

  “…The Heavenly Demonic Sect?” she repeated.

  “Yes.”

  Ren Kai turned slightly, observing her reaction. “They’ve refused invitations for years. But this time… the world says they have changed.”

  Changed.

  Lian Yue swallowed.

  Her gaze lowered, silver lashes trembling just slightly.

  “…Ren Kai,” she said softly, “do you ever think about him?”

  The air shifted.

  Just a little.

  Ren Kai’s expression did not change—but something cold passed through his eyes.

  “Don’t,” he said evenly.

  She looked up at him. “Jin.”

  The name fell between them like a blade.

  “He’s dead,” Ren Kai said. “He died in that ruin. His dao bone was unstable. You saw it yourself.”

  “I saw him fall,” Lian Yue whispered. “I didn’t see him die.”

  Ren Kai turned fully now, his gaze hardening.

  “Stop thinking about ghosts,” he said. “They only exist to weaken the living.”

  Silence stretched.

  But Lian Yue did not look convinced.

  She stared at her reflection in the jade tiles beneath her feet—then closed her eyes.

  “…Sometimes,” she admitted quietly, “I dream of him.”

  Ren Kai stiffened.

  “In the dreams,” she continued, voice barely above a whisper, “he doesn’t look angry.”

  “He just looks… disappointed.”

  Ren Kai’s jaw tightened.

  “That means nothing.”

  “Does it?” she asked.

  He stepped closer, lowering his voice.

  “Listen to me, Yue. Jin Valentine was a stepping stone. Nothing more. The world belongs to those who seize power, not those who hesitate.”

  She did not argue.

  But guilt flickered across her face—brief, sharp, unmistakable.

  Ren Kai saw it.

  And for the first time in years, unease stirred in his heart.

  A SHADOW OVER ETHER

  Far away, beneath skies stained with demonic qi and forbidden law, Jin Valentine stood upon a balcony of obsidian stone.

  He gazed toward the same horizon.

  The system pulsed softly.

  [Future Event Detected: Sect Competition — 2 Months]

  Jin smiled.

  Not cruelly.

  Not warmly.

  But like a man who had finally found the road back to a debt long overdue.

  “They think I’m dead,” he murmured.

  Esdeath rested against his shoulder, humming faintly.

  Jin’s eyes darkened.

  “Good.”