On the dead star, Yang Kai sat with his eyes closed in meditation, recovering from his injuries and restoring his strength.
A faint sound of footsteps approached from ahead. He opened his eyes to look, and couldn't help but brighten.
Xueyue stood nearby, looking lovely and poised. She wore a fiery red long dress that shimmered with radiant light—clearly no ordinary Artifact. The quality was extraordinary at first glance.
The dress was woven from some unknown material, its texture soft and supple, clinging to her curves and showcasing the perfect contours of her figure, the alluring lines that made her look like a goddess radiant with charm.
Her long hair, which had always been draped loosely over her fragrant shoulders, was now gathered into a neat bun, pinned in place with a hair ornament that also swirled with a faint inner glow.
Her fair, delicate arms looked as though they might yield water at the slightest squeeze, making one yearn to lean in and take a bite. On her wrists she wore two jade bracelets of a deep emerald hue. A portion of her graceful legs was exposed as well. Each exquisite accessory complemented her bearing, lending her an air of noble elegance.
Yang Kai couldn't help but show a trace of fascination, staring at her blankly, unable to tear his gaze away.
He reminded himself to stay vigilant, silently warning against letting this woman bewitch his mind, yet he still found it hard to resist her beauty. It seemed that if she simply beckoned with a finger, he would willingly walk through fire and water for her, without a moment's hesitation.
The moment that thought arose, Yang Kai finally snapped to attention and quietly bit down on his tongue, clearing his head.
Xueyue narrowed her beautiful eyes and observed Yang Kai with a triumphant look, apparently aware of exactly what state he was in. A joyful smile blossomed on her lovely face, and a surge of satisfaction rose within her seemingly from nowhere!
The satisfaction of a woman dressing up for the one who adores her!
When Yang Kai managed to break free from the spell of her presence, Xueyue couldn't help but furrow her brows slightly, looking somewhat surprised and a little disappointed.
She turned around, displaying every temptation and beauty she possessed in full, then asked with a beaming smile: "So? How does it look?"
"Beautiful!" Yang Kai praised from the bottom of his heart.
"Thank you!" Xueyue's smile grew even brighter.
"You look good without clothes too!" Yang Kai added.
Xueyue's lovely face fell, and she shot him a glare: "You can't spit ivory from a dog's mouth! Remember, everything that happened before wasn't real. You're not allowed to tell anyone, and you absolutely cannot reveal the secret that I'm a woman. Otherwise, our agreement is void. I'll kill myself first, and then let the effect of that soul chain end your life!"
"I know!" Yang Kai nodded gently, tilting his head to look at her. He grinned: "I get the feeling you're actually enjoying this a bit too much."
As Xueyue spoke, she kept glancing down at herself, examining her jewelry and her outfit with an expression that grew happier and more satisfied the longer she looked.
"Of course I'm enjoying it!" Xueyue pouted. "From the time I could remember, I was raised as a boy. I've never worn women's clothes in my entire life. I've been keeping all these things in my space ring for years, and today I finally get the chance to use them. Do you think I'm happy or not?"
"Why would President Aeolus raise you as a man? Why hide the secret of your true gender? He has other heirs—even without you, he'd have a successor. There's no need to be so strict with you, is there?" Yang Kai fired off questions in rapid succession, his mind full of doubts.
Xueyue's expression turned grave. She pondered for a moment before speaking in a soft, distant tone: "He has his reasons, and I've gotten used to it."
She didn't give a direct answer, and Yang Kai didn't push further. After thinking for a moment, he was about to say something else when his face suddenly changed: "Someone's heading this way."
Xueyue froze, looking at him suspiciously: "How do you know?"
"They've entered the range of my Divine Sense." Yang Kai's expression was solemn.
Xueyue grew even more confused: "You released your Divine Sense? How come I didn't feel it?"
Her strength was far greater than Yang Kai's. Even though they were both weakened at the moment, if Yang Kai had truly extended his spiritual sense outward, she would certainly have detected it.
Yet she had sensed nothing at all.
"I have my own secrets. Just trust me." Yang Kai said with a serious face.
Xueyue nodded without hesitation: "How many people? What cultivation level?"
"There are quite a few. Several at the Saint King Realm, each giving off a sense of pressure even stronger than you did at your peak!"
Xueyue's face changed color. She exclaimed sharply: "Then when you probed them, they must have discovered you! Anyone who would show up in this frozen dead domain at a time like this has to be connected to that trap before—they probably set it, and now they're hunting down survivors to wipe them all out!"
"That's what I figured too, but they can't detect my spiritual sense." Yang Kai shook his head.
Ever since he had studied the true essence of space on that suspended continent, Yang Kai's spiritual sense could break free from the constraints of space, leaping forward in jumps—strange, elusive, and leaving no trace. Unlike other people's spiritual sense, which flowed in an unbroken, continuous stream.
This leaping spiritual sense was extremely difficult for anyone to detect. Even if someone caught a glimpse of it, they would have no way of tracing it back to Yang Kai—unless that person's strength exceeded his by a vast margin.
It was precisely because of this that Xueyue had been completely unaware of Yang Kai's spiritual sense.
"This dead star is utterly lifeless, without a trace of spiritual energy or power. Once they arrive here, they'll definitely discover our presence!" Xueyue's expression was grim. "I haven't even recovered half my strength yet. If they really find us…"