Teleportation

Purple soul fire ignited from the body of Ming Lei Douluo, his internal soul power contracting violently. It even triggered anomalies in the surrounding heaven and earth, causing the drifting snow to slow down in that instant.

In his despair, the maddened Ming Lei Douluo initiated a self-detonation.

One must understand that in the world of soul masters, Title Douluo are undoubtedly among the most powerful humans; every Title Douluo represents a strategic asset for any faction.

Among the vast number of soul masters on the continent, those who can cultivate to the level of Title Douluo are as rare as phoenix feathers and qilin horns.

To become a Title Douluo, the most crucial step is to carve out a separate space within one's own dantian to condense a soul core. With a soul core, one can constantly store a sufficiently vast amount of soul power within the body and absorb the power of heaven and earth during battle to convert it into soul power to replenish oneself.

This is the greatest difference between Title Douluo and other soul masters; for other soul masters to recover soul power, they must meditate or use soul guidance devices, and regardless of the method, the process cannot be interrupted.

While soul cores offer many benefits, they are also accompanied by intense danger.

If a Title Douluo dies naturally, there is no problem. Because after a Title Douluo loses their life, the soul core collapses and disappears within the space they occupy; even if it explodes, it does so in another dimension and will not affect the current world.

However, if a Title Douluo ignites and detonates it themselves, the power is unimaginable. A single Class 9 fixed soul ammunition can destroy a medium-sized city, and the self-detonation of a Title Douluo is even more powerful than a Class 9 fixed soul ammunition.

Ming Lei Douluo's aura surged violently, his seventh soul ring flickering as purple lightning danced around him. He sped toward Xu Lanqing with such velocity that his shadow was still in the previous spot one second, and he was a kilometer away the next.

Titan Snow Demon King and Ice Bear King ignored him, turning instead to pursue the fleeing Nangong Wan and Youming.

Once soul fire and a soul core are ignited, they cannot be stopped until death. There was no need for them to clash head-on with a dead man; let those humans tear each other apart.

"Elder Ye, can you go any faster? He seems to be catching up."

Xu Lanqing felt incredibly depressed. He had just escaped the tiger's den only to be targeted by a vicious wolf; he had rejoiced too soon.

"This is already the maximum speed. He is burning his soul fire, which makes him comparable to a Super Douluo for a short time, and his martial soul also has an advantage in speed."

Streaking across the sky like a meteor, Ye Yulin glanced at the rapidly approaching Ming Lei Douluo and shook his head helplessly.

Time passed slowly.

Now, even Xu Lanqing could vaguely see that purple figure. He also seemed to see a black shadow beside the purple figure, but the moment his eyes touched it, a violent aura invaded his mind, causing his sea of consciousness to churn violently with intense pain.

He quickly averted his gaze, which made him feel a bit better, though his back was already soaked in cold sweat. What on earth was that?

Unlike Xu Lanqing, Jing Hongchen, who was beside him, saw it clearly.

It was cone-shaped at the front and cylindrical at the back, pitch black, and engraved with complex and numerous patterns. It was about three meters long and one meter in diameter.

However, precisely because he saw it clearly, his face twitched, and his expression looked as ugly as if he had eaten excrement. He spat out the words one by one.

"A Class 9 fixed soul ammunition!"

As the Hall Master of Mingde Hall, even with Jing Hongchen's status, he could at most mobilize one Class 9 fixed soul ammunition, so he knew its power all too well.

How could an evil soul master possibly possess a Class 9 fixed soul ammunition?

Even if this evil soul master were a Class 9 soul engineer, with his abilities, he wouldn't be able to craft one even if given the blueprints, nor would he dare to try.

Because while the power of a one-time consumable like a fixed soul ammunition is immense, the raw materials consumed are terrifying, and the manufacturing process is complex, especially given the extremely high failure rate.

Unlike failures with other soul guidance devices, when the production of a fixed soul ammunition fails, the most likely outcome is an explosion!

Regardless of the level of the soul engineer, if an explosion occurs while crafting a fixed soul ammunition of their own level, casualties are almost unavoidable.

Therefore, soul engineers are most reluctant to craft high-level fixed soul ammunition, and when they do, they are extremely cautious and must expend a great deal of mental effort.

There was no news of a Class 9 fixed soul ammunition being stolen within the Empire either. Could it be that this evil soul master had an even more powerful soul engineer behind him? Otherwise, where did this Class 9 fixed soul ammunition come from?

Upon hearing what Jing Hongchen said, Xu Lanqing felt completely numb.

Damn it, these mad dogs of the Holy Spirit Cult!

They just wouldn't let him go, would they? He would make a mental note of this; once he had the strength, he wouldn't let a single one of them off.

Xu Lanqing took a deep breath, his mind made up. He turned to Jing Hongchen and asked, "Hall Master Jing, you should have a soul guidance device for tracking, right?"

"I do, but why are you suddenly asking this, Your Highness?" Jing Hongchen didn't understand.

Xu Lanqing looked at the purple figure drawing closer and smiled. "Give me one, and then drop me off. He is coming for me."

He had considered this before deciding to do it. Once the Class 9 fixed soul ammunition and the evil soul master exploded, Ye Yulin and the others could rely on their soul power and physical strength to withstand it. As long as they weren't at the center of the explosion, they wouldn't die; after all, they were Title Douluo—if their bodies were weak, how could they bear the burden of a soul core?

But he was different. With his fragile little body, even if Ye Yulin and the others protected him with all their might, they might not be able to shield him.

Moreover, human hearts are unpredictable. He wasn't the master they swore loyalty to; they were merely ordered to protect him. In a situation where their own lives were at risk, who could be sure they would protect him with everything they had, rather than saving their soul power to preserve themselves? People are selfish; in the face of death, few have the courage to face it calmly.

He didn't dare to gamble, and he couldn't afford to.

"How can that be?"

"With us here, we will surely protect Your Highness's safety. You need not worry!"

"That's right, we are not the type to fear death!"

"..."

Hearing Xu Lanqing say this, the people present were filled with righteous indignation, feeling extreme disdain for such an act of abandoning companions to flee alone.

It was hard to tell how much of it was sincere, but at least with so many people present, the surface-level performance was flawless.

"Enough. Leave me behind alone. I have life-saving measures left to me by my Imperial Father; I won't be in any danger."

Xu Lanqing was very calm and indifferent. He said lightly to Jing Hongchen, "Hall Master Jing, give me a tracking soul guidance device. When the time comes, I'll be counting on it for you to find me."

Jing Hongchen took a deep look at him, handed him a button-sized soul tool, and explained its purpose.

"This is the latest development from Mingde Hall. It is set with a unique soul power fluctuation. As long as Your Highness keeps it on your person or inside a storage soul tool, I will be able to sense it within a thousand miles."

"Mm."

After flipping his hand to store it in his storage ring, Xu Lanqing said to Ye Yulin, "You can put me down now."

Since the decision had already been made, Ye Yulin did not say anything more; he withdrew the soul power protecting Xu Lanqing and retreated rapidly.

The sun gradually sank to the west, and the orange-red light dyed the layers of clouds on the horizon into a brilliant display. In the midst of that light, the figure of the boy in freefall high in the sky appeared exceptionally dazzling and lonely.

Jing Hongchen looked back at Xu Lanqing. The red glow of the setting sun shone through the gaps in the clouds onto the boy's face, casting a faint, hazy red light.

Xu Tianran, Xu Lanqing—perhaps, just perhaps, he really could sit on that throne.

Jing Hongchen thought silently to himself.

Feeling his body falling freely through the air, Xu Lanqing felt incredibly ethereal, thinking of nothing at all.

It would have been even better if not for the terrifying pressure drawing ever closer.

Without further hesitation, Starry Night Guardian and Red Dust Protection were activated simultaneously. His body, which had been unable to move under the suppression of soul power, was instantly liberated. At this moment, he was like a star falling to the mortal world.

A flash of light appeared in his hand as a silver bead emerged, which he crushed instantly.

Silver light erupted, tearing open a black rift, and Xu Lanqing's figure vanished in an instant.

The next moment, Ming Lei Douluo appeared in the spot where Xu Lanqing had been just before. His eyes were filled with unwillingness, but he could no longer control it; he had reached his limit.