Ever since the Heart Seal Secret Art had been transferred to the Warm Spirit Lotus, it had lost all restraining effect on Yang Kai. Instead, it was Yu Rumeng who bore most of its constraints. There was no denying that the secret art was extraordinarily powerful—it bound men and women who had just met tightly together, making them inseparable through life and death, never to part.
But no matter how powerful it was, it was still just a secret art, not genuine emotion. In the past, Yang Kai had been indifferent to it—even using it to set a trap for Yu Rumeng. But times had changed. This unfair secret art no longer had any reason to exist.
Yu Rumeng gazed at him with her luminous eyes. "Husband, aren't you afraid that once the secret art is undone, my nature might change and I'll turn against you?"
If she hadn't seen the Warm Spirit Lotus, it would be one thing. But the Warm Spirit Lotus in Yang Kai's sea of consciousness was an object even the Demon Saints coveted. Once the Heart Seal Secret Art was severed and Yu Rumeng harbored any ill intentions, Yang Kai would have absolutely no way to resist.
This was the Meiyin Continent, Yu Rumeng's territory. Even with his Space Divine Ability, Yang Kai wouldn't be able to so much as stir up a ripple beneath her gaze.
Hearing her question, Yang Kai smiled gently. "I already told you—you're my woman now. You are now, and you'll still be after the secret art is undone. If your nature really does change, then I'll accept that."
Yu Rumeng pressed her red lips together. "So does Husband want me to undo it?"
"That's entirely up to you, my lady," Yang Kai said with a soft smile.
Yu Rumeng smiled too, her beautiful eyes fixed straight on him. "I get to decide for myself?"
Yang Kai nodded. "You do."
"Then I won't undo it." Yu Rumeng let out a long breath. Before Yang Kai could ask anything further, she continued. "I can undo the Heart Seal Secret Art, but it would cost me dearly. Moreover, this is a technique I can only cast once in my entire life. Since it's already been used on you, I'll stay true to that choice to the end."
Yang Kai said, "Aren't you afraid that what you feel for me now is just the secret art's doing, rather than your own will?"
Yu Rumeng laughed. "Whether it's the secret art's doing or my own will—I know in my heart." Perhaps at the very beginning it had indeed been the secret art's influence that gave her such a sudden yet profound affection for Yang Kai. But by now, those feelings had grown beyond mere enchantment. Whether the Heart Seal Secret Art was undone or not made little difference. If that weren't the case, she wouldn't have offered no resistance over a year ago. And if she had truly had no desire for him, how could Yang Kai have taken her body?
"That's your choice," Yang Kai nodded. After saying this, he suddenly broke into a laugh—utterly relaxed.
Ever since the Heart Seal Secret Art had been transferred, Yang Kai had been careful and guarded around Yu Rumeng, terrified of revealing any telltale sign that might give the game away. Now everything was out in the open. He no longer needed to put on an act. It felt as though a boulder had been lifted from his heart, and the pressure had eased considerably.
Then, in a buoyant tone, Yang Kai said, "My lady, there's something I need your help with."
Yu Rumeng asked, "What is it?"
Yang Kai chose his words carefully and said, "As a Demon Saint, you must have sensed the abnormality in the Demon Realm. The entire realm is collapsing—countless continents are gradually disappearing. I'm afraid it won't be long before the Demon Realm is destroyed entirely. That's probably the real reason you launched the war between the two realms, isn't it?"
Yu Rumeng nodded. "That's right. Before the Demon Realm collapses completely, we need to find a way out. And the Star Boundary is the only great world connected to the Demon Realm. This plan has been in motion for a very long time. I haven't been a Demon Saint for that long, but even before my ascension, preparations were already underway, waiting only for the passage between the two realms to open."
Yang Kai nodded. Having experienced the ancient war between humans and demons in the Thousand Illusion Dream Realm, he understood this perfectly.
"If there were a new Demon Realm, could it end this war?"
"A new Demon Realm?" Yu Rumeng's delicate brows knitted together, and she looked at Yang Kai in surprise. "Don't tell me you've found a new great world."
Yang Kai smiled. "I haven't found a new great world—but I can create one."
"Create!" Yu Rumeng started. Had it not been for their deepened relationship and the candor they had just shared, she might never have believed such a claim. Creating an entire great world—what an absurd notion! Even as a Demon Saint, she didn't possess such power.
"I have a spatial Artifact that can hold living things. You should know about that."
Yu Rumeng nodded. She was well aware of the Profound Realm Bead's existence—after all, Yang Kai had summoned his Dharma Body in her presence many times. However, she didn't know the full details of the Profound Realm Bead. Back in the Star Boundary, no one had ever explained it to her.
"It can not only hold living beings but also contains an entire world within."
"A small world?" Yu Rumeng's eyes lit up.
A small world was not exactly a rare existence, but one that had been refined into a portable spatial Artifact was something else entirely—practically unheard of.