It wasn't long before a knock sounded from outside the chamber, accompanied by Yang Kai's voice: "Rumeng, Madam, Lady Meng, I'm back!"
Seated cross-legged within the sealed chamber, Yu Rumeng's expression hovered between amusement and irritation. Where did this scoundrel think he was? Some inn he could waltz in and out of whenever he pleased?
Over a year ago, Yang Kai had departed from this very place. Shortly afterward, word arrived that Yin Si had been killed, and scouts reported that Yang Kai himself had sustained serious injuries and vanished without a trace. She had immediately dispatched people to search for him and bring him back to the Holy City. Unfortunately, they had been a step too late — by the time they tracked down his whereabouts, he was already gone.
After that, she learned that he had set off to repair and maintain the Domain Gates across various continents of the Demon Domain, and that Bo Ya and five hundred thousand Proud Snow Ice Guards were traveling alongside him. Once she confirmed he had the means to protect herself, Yu Rumeng had stopped keeping tabs. She herself was injured and in urgent need of recovery, so she had retreated into this very chamber and had been healing ever since — right up to today.
And this scoundrel actually had the nerve to come back!
She bit her lip lightly and refused to pay him any attention.
The knocking outside continued for quite some time, with Yang Kai calling her name over and over, yet he received absolutely no response.
Knowing full well that this woman was still furious, Yang Kai scratched his head with a helpless look. In terms of raw strength, he was no match for Yu Rumeng. If he tried to force his way in, he'd only end up humiliated — and who knew how long it would be before she cooled down.
But in Yang Kai's plans, Yu Rumeng was the most crucial and indispensable piece. Whether willingly or under duress, Chang Tian and Bei Limo had agreed to cooperate, yet there were still too many variables. Yu Rumeng was different — if he could win her over, she would become his most powerful asset.
With three Demon Saint-level powerhouses on his side, he would have enough to set things in motion, even if they held no advantage against the remaining ten Demon Saints.
Half a shichen later, the knocking gradually ceased, and outside fell completely silent. Yu Rumeng, no longer in the mood to continue absorbing the energy from the purple fruit, sent out a sweep of her spiritual sense and discovered that Yang Kai was actually sitting cross-legged outside the chamber, eyes shut, meditating in Cultivation!
A cold laugh echoed in Yu Rumeng's mind. She intended to teach him a proper lesson and leave him hanging for good, so she naturally ignored him.
Someone of her stature could easily spend decades or even centuries in seclusion. Although the ongoing war between the Two Realms didn't allow for such extended retreats, three to five years was hardly a problem.
She refused to believe Yang Kai would wait outside for three to five years. Once he grew bored, he would leave on his own.
With that thought, Yu Rumeng steeled her heart, gathered her composure, and resumed her healing.
Outside, Yang Kai indeed made no further commotion, as though he had firmly resolved to wait for Yu Rumeng to come out on her own. Separated from her by a single door, he sat in meditation.
Days passed one after another, and Yu Rumeng's mood gradually settled. She once again began absorbing the energy from the purple fruit, mending her wounded spiritual soul.
Then, on a certain day half a month later, Yu Rumeng was abruptly jolted awake by a sudden eruption of fluctuating energy. Her eyes snapped open, and when her spiritual sense surged outward, her expression changed instantly.
On the other side of the door, Yang Kai's body was wracked by a violent, turbulent surge of demonic energy. His face was twisted in anguish and pain, his forehead slick with fine beads of sweat — he looked exactly like someone whose Cultivation had gone astray.
Yu Rumeng scrambled to her feet and was about to rush out when she suddenly froze mid-stride.
Yang Kai's cultivation might be lower than hers, but faking this kind of display with deliberate manipulation to make her worry wouldn't be difficult for him at all.
Besides, he was a High-Rank Demon King now. After so many years of practice, how could his Cultivation possibly go wrong so easily? This was definitely a scheme to trick her into coming out.
She gritted her teeth, snorted coldly, and sat back down. She was just about to watch and see what Yang Kai was really up to when she heard a retching sound — a spray of fresh blood burst from his mouth outside the door. His face went white as paper in an instant, his body trembling, swaying on the verge of collapse, and he toppled straight backward.
A thunderous gust of wind erupted within the chamber. Yu Rumeng vanished from where she sat.
The sealed doors burst open with a deafening boom. Yang Kai's falling body landed squarely in Yu Rumeng's soft embrace.
Her face had gone deathly pale, her thoughts in complete disarray. "What's wrong with you?" she asked urgently. Even as she spoke, demonic energy surged from her palm and probed into his body to assess the situation.
But before she could get a clear picture, she suddenly realized that Yang Kai, lying in her arms, was blinking at her with a wink.
Yu Rumeng was stunned for a heartbeat, then flew into a fury. She realized at once that she had been tricked again. Her hands loosened as she moved to shove him away, but a strong, powerful arm had already coiled around her waist, pulling her firmly into his embrace instead. With a push of his feet, Yang Kai rose to his feet with her still in his arms, hoisting her up with a hearty laugh. He strode briskly into the chamber and casually shut the doors behind him.
"Let go of me, you bastard! You tricked me again!" Yu Rumeng's face was ashen with rage. He had deceived her once before, and she still hadn't recovered from that — and now he had gone and done it a second time. For a mighty Demon Saint, this was deeply humiliating.
As she spoke, she struck Yang Kai's shoulders and chest in a flurry of embarrassed fury, each slap landing with a resounding thwack.