Ultragene Warlord

As a regressor, Zhang Lie was patently familiar with some secrets and rules of superior worlds that had been revealed to him in the past.

Li Zongming asked, "Just how strong are the superior worlds you know of?"

"Those aliens that rule over superior worlds are all ancient existences, ones who have lived for tens of thousands of years and have the treasure to show for it. They've been reaping world after world, and have since built up a frightening stockpile of energy.

"The kings of the realm are monsters in their own worlds, and they're able to make use of all that stored energy at will. The amount of energy they have is directly correlated with their strength."

Li Zongming, as a king of the realm himself, understood that point. Compared to superior worlds that had been stockpiling energy for millennia since he was even born, the world of the east was nothing more than a child—no, more like an unborn baby.

"What do you plan to do?" Zhang Lie asked.

Li Zongming sighed. "What will come will come."

Zhang Lie nodded.

If Li Zongming wanted the world of the east to advance to the level of a superior world, he would have to face the assault of the other superior worlds sooner or later.

Only if his world were able to survive that assault would it have the qualifications to become a true superior world, but in tens of thousands of years, no world had ever managed such a feat. The ten original superior worlds had never been defeated or replaced.

Zhang Lie clarified, "Do you still intend to continue the merger?"

"Are you trying to prevent me from doing so?"

"No: I simply want to prepare you for what's about to happen."

"Are you going to help me?"

Zhang Lie rolled his eyes. "Do you really think that highly of me? The opponent's a superior world!"

"You will, won't you?" Li Zongming glanced at Zhang Lie seriously.

Zhang Lie sighed. "Do I have any other choice?"

Li Zongming was Li Qianlin's father. If Zhang Lie didn't want to see Li Qianlin upset, he would have to make a move.

Of course, that was only one among many reasons. In truth, even without Li Qianlin's presence, Zhang Lie would have been quite interested in breaking through the monopoly that the ten superior worlds had on the realm.

Li Zongming smiled in relief. "I knew I wasn't wrong to entrust my daughter to you. If you really can't hold back the superior worlds' assault, don't force yourself to stay and die. Run away with Li Qianlin, as far away as you can."

Zhang Lie rolled his eyes. "Don't say that as though you're going to die—I won't allow you to!"

"Haha, haha! You truly are bold..."

As Li Zongming raised his head to the skies and laughed for real, the gloomy atmosphere and dark clouds dissipated. The world basked in sunlight once more.

Li Zongming had made up his mind. He wouldn't be cowardly, not even against superior foes.

His goal wasn't to showcase his own talent, but rather to inform the superior worlds that not all large worlds were pigs or crops to be harvested, that even the superior worlds wouldn't be able to stop them all.

Not all kings of the realm could become heroes, but they were each talented.

At the very least, they were the strongest members of their races in one or more aspects, and they were paragons for their kind. 

Li Zongming could hardly back down just because he would be facing a difficult fight. So what if the superior worlds were stronger than any foe he had faced to date? That was no reason to back down. At worst, he would perish with them.

The world of the east's hard work and accumulated resources would allow them to hold out against the superior worlds' invasion, he was sure of it.

The predominant reason for Li Zongming's courage, however, was that he had never truly experienced the strength of a superior world for himself. From his perspective, a superior world was just a world that was larger, with a more robust population and a stronger king.

The merger ceremony continued without a hitch.

The world of the east was a large world that had millennia of history, and it was far superior to the draconian world. There weren't many inhabitants of the draconian world, and the draconian sage only needed a few days of preparation. If the world of the east was a proper kingdom, then the draconian world of the past was little more than a village. Now, after it had combined with nine other medium-sized worlds and evolved into a large world, although it still couldn't hope to match the world of the east's culture and history, it was at least as large as a small kingdom. There was no fuss, no pomp, and a minimum of ceremony—but the world of the east was different.

There were too many inhabitants in that world, and it would be very problematic if some disaster were to arise during the ceremony.

Li Zongming also wanted to take advantage of this occasion to make his citizens feel as though they were working together to achieve a lofty goal. 

The merger ceremony between the worlds of east and west was to be held at the wormhole that connected the two worlds and the port of the eastern world. On either side of the port were flowers in red and blue. The red flowers were a specialty of the west, and the blue ones that of the east.

The trees were arrayed with traditional folk attire of the two worlds. The east favored elegance and subtlety; the west, extravagance and lordliness. The trees were arrayed alternatingly in the two worlds' outfits, as though they represented citizens from the two worlds holding hands, signaling friendship, peace, and prosperity to come.

The land within a hundred miles had been locked down and placed under security. This wasn't something that could be accomplished with wealth alone—one needed strong political backing as well.

The ground had been swept clean, without even a speck of dirt.

Strong aliens had dispelled the clouds in the air, making the sky shine as brightly as a gemstone. Rays of light from the morning sun struck the mountain in its entirety.

Outside the cordon, quite a few citizens had gathered.

"The two worlds really are about to combine! I never thought I would see the day..." Apparently, the strongest champions of the eastern and western realms will put together a show together, too."

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"A historical occasion indeed!"

"It's a pity we won't be able to witness it ourselves. The only ones who can make it into the port are the rich and famous."

"I wonder how those in the west are reacting to this news?"

"How else could they react? Didn't you hear about all the unrest?

It's not as though they can refuse. Their king was taken down, and ours obtained their proof of kingship. They don't have the right to refuse!"

"I have to say, our king is truly ambitious and daring!"

A red carpet unrolled out of the wormhole, surrounded with flowers on either side that gave off a pleasant scent. Their rich, fragrant blooms lent an air of elegance to this occasion. 

As the guests arrived at the scene, the ceremony began in earnest...