A full ten days passed before the activities in the sealed chamber gradually subsided. Yu Rumeng lay curled against Yang Kai's chest like a little cat, their bare skin pressed together as they each felt the other's heartbeat.
Yang Kai plucked a strand of her silky hair and brought it to his nose, inhaling gently. The Demon Saint carried a pleasant scent—not cloying or sweet, the sort that made one feel utterly at ease.
A tingling sensation rose from his chest. It was Yu Rumeng stirring from her slumber, her eyelashes fluttering.
Sure enough, a moment later she opened her eyes and turned her head to glance at Yang Kai, a lazy smile curling at the corner of her lips.
"Rest enough?" Yang Kai's mouth curved upward, and a wicked grin spread across his face.
Yu Rumeng seemed to recall something and couldn't help but shudder, her gaze toward Yang Kai taking on a hint of dread. Over these ten days, every time Yang Kai had worn that particular smile, she had been subjected to a thorough ravaging. Had she not been a Demon Saint, she never would have endured such a relentless storm. She had always heard that dragons were creatures of insatiable desire—only now, having confirmed it firsthand, did she realize the rumors were no exaggeration.
Yang Kai laughed heartily, running a hand along her smooth, bare back. "Relax. It's over."
Only then did Yu Rumeng breathe a sigh of relief. She shot him a reproachful glare before settling back down, quietly listening to the steady thumping of his heartbeat.
Yang Kai suddenly sat up straight, turning her body to face him. Her long hair cascaded over her chest, concealing the boundless beauty beneath. Their eyes met, and Yu Rumeng noticed that Yang Kai's expression had turned deadly serious, as though he had made some momentous decision.
She tilted her head and regarded him, suspicion filling her mind.
"I have something to tell you," Yang Kai said with a grave face, then added, "A secret."
"A secret?" Yu Rumeng raised a slender eyebrow, then smiled. "Everyone has their own secrets—things they'd rather keep hidden. Since it's a secret, telling someone else would make it no longer a secret. If you don't want to talk about it, then don't."
Yang Kai shook his head. "You're already my woman now. There's nothing I need to hide from you."
Yu Rumeng pursed her lips. "Now? Were I not before?"
Yang Kai scratched his head, looking a little sheepish. "You were before too, but it's not the same…"
Yu Rumeng understood perfectly what he meant. Between a man and a woman, crossing that final threshold was entirely different from holding back. Though they had been intimate over a year ago, she had been so furious at the time that she had driven him away. It was only now that things had truly been smoothed over.
She smiled softly and straightened herself as well. "Fine then. I'll listen to what secret my husband has been keeping from me all this time."
Hearing the word "husband" slip from Yu Rumeng's mouth for the first time, Yang Kai felt a strange thrill. Before him sat not only his woman but a Demon Saint. Beyond the oddity of it, there was a deep sense of accomplishment.
Collecting his thoughts, Yang Kai said, "Enter my sea of consciousness!"
Without hesitation, Yu Rumeng extended a finger and tapped it against Yang Kai's forehead. In the next instant, both closed their eyes. As Yu Rumeng's divine sense surged forth, her soul detached from her body.
Above the sea of consciousness, a graceful figure gradually took form—it was the spiritual manifestation of Yu Rumeng's soul.
For one person to enter another's sea of consciousness, one either had to use overwhelming cultivation to forcibly breach the Divine Sense defenses, or the host had to willingly open the sea of consciousness of their own accord.
The latter was, without question, the ultimate expression of trust.
Yang Kai needed Yu Rumeng's full support, and now that their relationship had progressed further, after careful deliberation he had decided to lay everything bare before her with no defenses whatsoever.
The moment she entered Yang Kai's sea of consciousness, Yu Rumeng let out a startled cry. It was because this inner world was far vaster than she had imagined. Below, the waters representing his soul power were incredibly dense and profound, the black sea radiating a demonic aura—the very mark of Yang Kai's complete descent into the demonic path.
This sea of consciousness, while not quite on par with her own, was far stronger than that of any ordinary Half-Saint.
Yang Kai's figure appeared beside her, taking one of her hands. Yu Rumeng turned to look at him, and Yang Kai pointed in a direction. "Do you recognize that?"
Yu Rumeng turned to follow his gaze, and her expression immediately grew solemn.
In the center of the black sea, an island radiating seven-colored light stood firm amid the waters. No matter how violently the dark waves crashed against it, the prismatic island did not so much as tremble. Yu Rumeng could clearly sense a peculiar power emanating from within it.
Her gaze sharpened, and in an instant she saw through to the island's true form.
"The Warm Spirit Lotus?!" Yu Rumeng cried out in disbelief. Under the surge of intense emotion, even her spiritual form trembled slightly. "This is the Warm Spirit Lotus?"
"Your eyes are as sharp as ever, my wife!" Yang Kai squeezed her palm. "It is indeed the Warm Spirit Lotus." She was a Demon Saint after all—she certainly had the discernment for it. Back then, both Xuan Bing and Bei Li Mo had been able to recognize the Warm Spirit Lotus; there was no way Yu Rumeng would fail to do the same.
"You actually possess the Warm Spirit Lotus!" Yu Rumeng was thoroughly stunned. If it were some ordinary treasure, it would be one thing—as a Demon Saint, she truly had no need for common valuables. But the Warm Spirit Lotus was different. Even she had only ever heard of such a supreme heavenly treasure and had never laid eyes on one in person. Her eyes remained fixed on the Lotus, unable to look away, as she murmured, "It's said that the Warm Spirit Lotus nourishes the soul. Even if its master dies, the soul power will not dissipate… No wonder I always felt your soul strength exceeded your actual realm. So that's why."
After finishing her words, she pinched him viciously.
The sensitivity of a spiritual form was countless times greater than that of a physical body. The sudden pinch sent a jolt of agony through Yang Kai that nearly made him wince in agony. "Why did you pinch me, my wife?" he said through gritted teeth.
Yu Rumeng gnashed her teeth. "How dare you! You knew my soul was injured, yet for the past year you simply watched me suffer day and night without offering this treasure to help me heal! My husband, how could you be so cruel!" As she spoke, she gazed at Yang Kai with an expression of mingled blood and tears, brimming with reproach.