Soul Guidance Device

Xu Lanqing stepped over the corpse of the Pangolin and walked up to the level-eight fixed Soul Guidance shell, a cold metallic aura rushing toward him.

His fingers brushed over the intricate and exquisite Core Array inscribed on the surface, and the icy chill of the metal pierced through his arm and into his mind, causing a slight ache.

In his view, current Soul Guidance Devices could basically be divided into two categories.

The first category was the fixed Soul Guidance shell.

It was launched via a fixed Soul Guidance Device; as long as it was loaded with enough milk bottles, even a Soul Master of only one or two rings could fire a level-nine fixed Soul Guidance shell.

The soul power consumption was minimal, and the firing range could reach as far as several hundred kilometers.

It could be called an absolute weapon of mass destruction on the battlefield; a single shot was enough to leave the land devastated and devoid of life.

The only flaw was that the manufacturing difficulty was too high, and the cost was exorbitant.

The second category consisted of all other Soul Guidance Devices.

One had to reach the corresponding level or possess equivalent strength to utilize the corresponding device.

Of course, there were some special Soul Guidance Devices within this category, such as the Starry Night Guardian and Red Dust Protection that Xu Lanqing wore.

Furthermore, once a fixed Soul Guidance shell reached level eight or higher, it would possess special functions—perhaps it was shockwave, perhaps concealment, or perhaps explosive...

The functions differed, the applicable environments varied, and the destructive power was also distinct.

Judging by the Core Array inscribed on the one before him, it should be of the explosive attribute, and its power was enough to destroy a small city.

The radius of impact could reach several dozen square kilometers.

It was fortunate that he had the Ice Empress and the others with him now; otherwise, if he hadn't been poisoned to death today, he would have been blown to smithereens.

"Can you remove the ice inside without damaging the internal structure?" Xu Lanqing withdrew his finger and turned to ask the Ice Empress.

A weapon delivered to his doorstep—it would be a waste not to take it.

"No problem."

As soon as the words fell, wisps of white, frigid cold air drifted out from the metallic surface of the explosive shell.

Xu Lanqing stored the restored explosive shell into his storage ring, planning to ask Kong Deming for a fixed Soul Guidance launcher later.

"So... delicious, slurp..."

Following the sound, he saw Xiaobai devouring the dishes on the table like a whirlwind, not even sparing the pot of chicken soup.

"Is he alright?" Xu Lanqing asked with some concern.

He was already quite dim-witted; what if he ate himself into a state of intellectual bankruptcy?

"Hiccup~~"

Xiaobai patted his belly, lying sideways on the chair, and said with a look of satisfaction, "It's so delicious, I've never eaten anything this good, hiccup~"

"Don't worry about him, he won't eat himself to death."

The Ice Empress turned and asked, "When that so-called Third Brother of yours arrives, what do you plan to do?"

"What else can I do? Just deal with it as it comes." Xu Lanqing shrugged, looking indifferent.

"Someone is already riding on your head and acting like a tyrant, and you can just endure it?"

A cold light flashed in the Ice Empress's phoenix eyes, harboring bone-chilling killing intent: "If you ask me, just kill him directly and be done with it!"

"Bing'er!"

The Ice Empress's clear, beautiful voice carried a hint of severity, and she then apologized to Xu Lanqing: "I'm sorry, Bing'er just has this kind of personality, please don't mind her."

"Hmph!"

Hearing the Ice Empress's reprimand, the Ice Empress's momentum softened instantly, and she turned her head away, refusing to speak further.

One had to admit, there was always something to keep everything in check.

Upon seeing the blissful-looking Xiaobai, she gave him a sharp rap on the head.

"Eat, eat, eat, all you know is how to eat. Look at how fat you've become?"

Xiaobai looked at the Ice Empress with an innocent expression, his small eyes filled with confusion—what did I do wrong again?

Poor Xiaobai, catching strays while just lying there.

"You can try, and I actually hope you succeed. However, he isn't that easy to kill. Besides, this is the Imperial Palace; you might be blasted into nothingness before you even get a chance to strike," Xu Lanqing said, dampening the Ice Empress's enthusiasm.

Without waiting for the Ice Empress to retort, he smiled at the Ice Empress and said, "Given our relationship, you don't need to say sorry or thank you to me."

"What kind of relationship could you two possibly have?"

The Ice Empress's voice rose sharply. She hugged the Ice Empress's arm tightly and stared at Xu Lanqing vigilantly, like a cat guarding its food.

"Exactly what you're thinking," Xu Lanqing said flippantly.

The Ice Empress's amber eyes narrowed slightly, shimmering under the light of the Soul Guidance lamp. She scanned Xu Lanqing up and down, and the atmosphere gradually solidified.

The Ice Empress's vermilion lips parted slightly, just about to speak.

Suddenly, the Ice Empress burst into a laugh, her smile as bright as a flower. Her jade hand pressed against her stomach as she doubled over, her green dress slightly parted, and she was laughing so hard that tears were coming out.

Xu Lanqing took a few discreet glances and almost got stuck without being able to pull away—well, they weren't as big as the Ice Empress's.

Her long, damp phoenix eyes glanced down at Xu Lanqing, and she said with disdain, "You? You haven't even grown your hair out yet, have you?"

"I..."

Xu Lanqing was momentarily speechless. He felt as if he had taken ten thousand points of critical damage, and he couldn't help but press a hand to his chest—it hurt.

"Alright, Bing'er."

Watching the two of them, the Ice Empress's face was full of helplessness.

"Right, the Soul Guidance Devices our teacher sent for you are still with me. I'll give them to you now." Xu Lanqing chose to change the subject.

"Soul Guidance Devices? What are those?" Having won a round, the Ice Emperor felt quite pleased. A faint smile remained on her originally cold, pretty face, like a melting snow-capped mountain.

"You should smile more often; otherwise, you're wasting that face. Always keeping a straight face, cold and icy, as if I owe you money," Xu Lanqing retorted casually.

The Ice Emperor's smile vanished instantly.

Xu Lanqing laid the nine Soul Guidance Devices on the table one by one. He noticed they even came with instruction manuals; it seemed Kong Deming had been quite thoughtful.

He handed the manuals to the Ice Empress and smiled. "Six Soul Guidance Shields and three offensive Soul Guidance Devices. They're all for you."

The Ice Empress read through the manuals, her eyes filled with surprise, before saying to Xu Lanqing, "Thank you."

The Ice Emperor leaned in to look as well, her tone filled with skepticism. "Are these Soul Guidance Devices really as magical as they say?"

Xu Lanqing ignored the Ice Emperor. He looked past the Ice Empress's stunning, peerless face and gazed into her eyes. "I told you, there's no need to say thank you to me. What's mine is yours."

He paused for a moment. "And what's yours is mine."

A faint, unnatural blush appeared on the Ice Empress's flawless, snow-white face, and her heartbeat quickened slightly.

She didn't know why, but when facing the boy before her, not only did she have no defenses in her heart, but it felt as if a bridge had been built from her heart extending outward, allowing him to pass through without obstruction.

The Ice Emperor sensed that something was off, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it, so she quickly interrupted:

"Come, let me test what these Soul Guidance Devices can actually do."

She picked up one of the Soul Guidance Shields—a palm-sized metal base—and handed it to Xiaobai. "Use your soul power to activate it, and I'll throw a punch to test it."

"Ah? Oh, okay."

Xiaobai hurriedly complied. A layer of yellow Soul Guidance Shield immediately expanded from him as the center, extending out to three meters.

The Ice Emperor raised her right fist and swung it toward the Soul Guidance Shield in a simple, unadorned motion, without a trace of soul power fluctuation.

"Hum~"

Her delicate fist collided with the Soul Guidance Shield, and a low humming sound rang out.

On the Soul Guidance Shield, ripples spread outward from the point of impact. Although the shield shook violently, it stubbornly held its ground.

A flash of surprise crossed the Ice Emperor's eyes. She exerted force with her fist again, and the soul power within her body surged forth like a tidal wave.

"Crack—"

Countless fine cracks began to appear on the violently shaking Soul Guidance Shield, and the next moment, with a "bang," it shattered into countless fragments.

"Barely passable. It could withstand a strike at sixty percent of my strength," the Ice Emperor said indifferently.

Xu Lanqing curled his lips. Would it kill you not to show off?

However, this was also a pleasant surprise for him; the strength of a Soul Guidance Shield changed according to the user's power.

Moreover, as long as the Core Array did not overload, the Soul Guidance Shield could be used repeatedly.

The fact that it could withstand sixty percent of the Ice Emperor's strength when used by Xiaobai was already quite impressive; it might even have miraculous effects at critical moments.

"As for these offensive Soul Guidance Devices, we'll test them later; there's no space here." Xu Lanqing looked at the devices on the table and said to the Ice Empress, "It works out perfectly—three for each of you. Go ahead and put them away."

"Mm."

The Ice Empress nodded slightly, though she paused, looking at the devices on the table, unsure of where to put them.

Especially the offensive Soul Guidance Devices, which were three or four meters long each.

At this moment, the other guard returned.

"Your Highness, the items you requested have been prepared by your subordinate."