Divinity

This is a national treasure of the Heaven Dou Empire!

To be precise, anything placed in the imperial palace's treasury could be considered a national treasure of the Heaven Dou Empire. However, because no one had ever been able to research any use for this national treasure beyond its hardness, Xue Ye had always treated it as ordinary mineral ore and hadn't paid it much attention.

"Giving away something with no practical use is much better than giving away a Soul Bone," Xue Ye thought to himself. After all, Soul Bones were far too important to the royal family, and he couldn't bear to give one away as a gift. Although the Vast Sea Cosmic Shroud was also a national treasure, it didn't seem to have much value at the moment.

Thus, Xue Ye finalized what he would send. To prevent the recipient from thinking it was useless, Xue Ye added a medicinal herb from the imperial treasury after some thought.

Having made up his mind, Xue Ye took action.

Only the reigning emperor and the Crown Prince could enter the imperial treasury, so he couldn't send anyone to retrieve it. Xue Ye had to go himself.

The next day, Xue Ye gave a Storage Soul Tool to Qian Renxue.

After thinking it over yesterday, besides the Vast Sea Cosmic Shroud and the medicinal herb, Xue Ye also took out some Gold Soul Coins from his personal stash to serve as a decorative flourish.

"Qinghe, I'll leave everything to you."

"Yes, your subject will not fail your trust."

Xue Ye paused, then sighed.

"If possible, try to secure a way out for your brother. After all, they are all my sons..."

Qian Renxue was silent for a moment, then lowered her head.

"Qinghe, do your best."

—

"So, Xue Ye sent Brother Xue to apologize?"

Qian Renxue pondered inwardly, her gaze fixed on Lang Lei's every move. When she saw Lang Lei accept the Storage Soul Tool, a heavy weight finally lifted from her heart.

After all, if Lang Lei refused to accept the apology, the situation would likely become very troublesome. However, now that Lang Lei had accepted the Storage Soul Tool, it at least meant that their conversation could continue.

Qian Renxue took a deep breath, steadied herself, and then smiled at Lang Lei, saying, "Yes, Father Emperor is deeply regretful about what happened. He knows his actions caused you great trouble, so at my persuasion, he specifically selected two treasures from the imperial treasury, hoping for the forgiveness of Little Brother Lang Lei and Your Excellencies."

Lang Lei nodded slightly, indicating he understood the situation. His expression remained calm, making it difficult to fathom his true thoughts.

"Is that so? I understand," Lang Lei replied indifferently. Then, he suddenly changed the subject and asked, "What about those three guys?"

Qian Renxue's heart tightened. She knew exactly who Lang Lei meant by "those three guys." The conflict between those three and Lang Lei had reached an irreconcilable point; they were practically mortal enemies.

Qian Renxue hesitated for a moment before answering truthfully, "They... they are still in the imperial palace."

Lang Lei was no saint. If they were practically mortal enemies, why keep them around? He had already used them as much as he could. Why wait until they grew stronger to deal with him?

He had kept Xue Beng and Xue Xing around earlier because he had anticipated that there would always be some wastrels among the nobles, so he planted a landmine in advance to give himself a justifiable excuse.

After all, he was a Sea Ranger, not a Great Extinction Lord.

He just hadn't expected this landmine to detonate so quickly.

But such an excuse could only be used once; using it again would be seen as bullying.

"Uh, Father Emperor's intention is for Little Brother Lang Lei to decide their fate..."

"Dispose of them. I don't want to see those troublesome things again," Lang Lei interrupted without hesitation. "Of course, if you're unable to do it, I can have Sister Bing pay a visit to the imperial palace."

Upon hearing this, Qian Renxue didn't get angry. Instead, she felt relieved, a sense of ecstatic joy washing over her.

She had finally removed all the obstacles in her plan. And the last one, Xue Beng, had essentially self-destructed.

Moreover, she had also taken care of one of her political rivals, and her only major enemy, Prince Xue Xing.

She knew that Xue Ye would soon support new ministers to create a balance with her, but during this process, her own faction could expand further, something Xue Ye couldn't prevent.

"Alright, then Little Brother Lang Lei, I won't disturb you any further. I wish you a pleasant stay at Heaven Dou Royal Academy."

"I will. Brother Xue, farewell."

—

After Qian Renxue left, Lang Lei eagerly opened the Storage Soul Tool. The moment it was opened, a dazzling golden light shot out, nearly blinding him.

"So vulgar~" Even as he said this, Lang Lei's body betrayed him as he honestly pocketed the Gold Soul Coins one by one. After all, who would complain about having too much money?

The Interstellar Peace Company had indeed grown and prospered through money! Although there might have been some elements of currency hegemony involved, no matter what, the more money, the better!

However, when Lang Lei's gaze shifted to the other two items in the Storage Soul Tool, he suddenly froze.

It was a blue box, appearing ordinary, but Lang Lei sensed an unusual aura. He looked closely and his heart jolted—if his senses were correct, this "blue box" was stained with Divinity!

He had interacted with many beings who called themselves "Deities," the strongest among them being existences like Star Gods, who were practically synonymous with unreasonableness. The Divinity on these beings had completely overwhelmed their humanity, making them unfathomable.

In comparison, Deities from other worlds, while also bearing some Divinity, did not have it as intensely. Lang Lei himself found it difficult to articulate what "Divinity" truly was. However, with his vast experience and knowledge, he could immediately discern whether a person possessed Divinity, which was not directly related to their power level. It was purely due to seeing so much that he developed such an intuition.

Setting aside other matters, Lang Lei himself also bore some Divinity. This might be why the Snow Empress and the Ice Empress called him Divine Child, and why he didn't find it strange. After all, if it were merely due to the Divinity in his soul, his own Divinity wouldn't be so concentrated that it was almost overflowing.

From this, it could be inferred that there was some subtle connection between Lang Lei's current body and the Deities of this planet.