Ultragene Warlord

"It's him!" Everyone's gaze turned toward the direction the guest pointed at. The doors to the palace opened once again as Zhang Lie walked out in a tailored suit, stretched, and leapt down the stairs in one fluid move. He landed by Li Qianlin's side, and she turned and smiled at him.

Li Zongming and Li Qianlin had, by then, walked to the stage. Li Zongming stepped forward and announced, "Thank you, one and all, for taking the time out of your busy schedules to witness the merger of east and west! The worlds of east and west each have millennia of history. Many of you present might not even know that these two worlds were once just a single world."

Indeed, most of the guests weren't aware of this fact.

Li Zongming explained, "Long ago, when the two worlds were still one, the last king of the realm had two outstanding sons. Perhaps an ordinary father would have been overjoyed, but not the king. When the king suddenly passed away, the succession to the throne became a problem, and the two princes both feuded for that privilege."

While everyone was engrossed in Li Zongming's story, one of the nouveau riche's eyes glinted as he stepped through the crowds and toward the stage.

Li Zongming shouted, "In the end, the two princes tore apart the proof of kingship, splitting the combined world into the worlds of east and west you know today.

Only a few people are aware of this history behind the worlds—so few they might be able to be counted on two hands. This information has been lost to time and history.

The guests at the ceremony were shocked.

"The worlds of east and west were one?"

"This isn't something the king of the east made up, is it?"

"No, it can't be," another guest argued. "There's no reason for him to do so. I did hear a rumor like this in the past: that the worlds of east and west were initially one world, which separated into two because of a schism, a huge conflict. Could it be the one the king of the east just mentioned?"

Another guest murmured, "To be able to tear a proof of kingship into two..."

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No ordinary person would be able to damage a proof of kingship, let alone split it apart. How had someone managed such a feat? To have split apart the will of the world, too?

"Could it have been the two princes of the last king of the realm who did it?"

Perhaps because the king of the east had planted some of his men among the crowd, the guests rapidly began to believe his words.

"That's very likely. Don't you think it interesting why the two worlds were known as the worlds of east and west to begin with? None of the other worlds share this naming pattern—only us! I always wondered whether there might have been the worlds of north and south, too, but now I really do understand!"

"I always felt like east and west were names that were far too simple, that the kings of the realm should have changed them..."

Li Zongming continued, "As generation after generation passed away, fewer and fewer remembered this piece of information. However, even if all the citizens were to forget this fact, we royalty have known this for millennia, hoping against hope for the one day during which the two worlds might recombine into some semblance of their  former glory."

The guests understood what the king of the east was saying. "So the kings of the realm have been working toward this goal all along—never giving up on conquering the other, and never changing the name so that subsequent kings of the realm are ever reminded of their directive."

Li Zongming nodded. "Every successor is told by the previous king about this long history between the worlds. When I became the king of the east, I succeeded not just the throne, but also the hopes and desires of all kings past, the plans they concocted toward this end."

While Li Zongming continued his speech, a nouveau riche from the west, his face sunken, crept closer and closer to the stage.

Everyone focused on Li Zongming; no one noticed him besides Zhang Lie, who smiled coldly and did nothing.

"Every king has been working hard to achieve this goal, and not just in the east. Kings of the east and west have both been fighting to reunite the two worlds, growing stronger and stronger in order to keep up with each other and to accomplish this goal."

Neither king had ever contemplated the possibility of merging peacefully; both sides desired to overwhelm the other with brute force and claim their proof of kingship. Li Zongming made grand claims about all kings of the east inheriting their predecessors' will, but they were simply covetous of their sister world.

In order to gain the strength to devour each other, the two worlds had initiated quite a number of wars and invaded their neighbors.

According to him, the worlds of east and west were initially worlds that belonged together. The combined world had been among the top of large worlds, and even after the split, the worlds of east and west barely maintained their status as large worlds.

After millennia, as they fought against each other and grew with every attempt, the two worlds each grew into the peak of large worlds after having assimilated with many small worlds in the meantime.

Li Zongming raised his arm to the sky and announced, "We have finally achieved the goal of generations of kings of the east: today, I invite you all to witness the merger of east and west!"

The guests below the stage all clapped in earnest.

Li Zongming exclaimed, "Being able to witness the two worlds merging for myself, having finally finished the task laid down by generations of kings of the east, is a high honor indeed."

"Li Zongming, die!" Just as Li Zongming reminisced about the success of this lofty goal, the western revolutionary scrambled on stage, took out a weapon hidden by his chest, and was pushed to the ground by Li Zongming's bodyguards before he could do anything.

Zhang Lie smiled coldly at the interloper. The reason he hadn't bothered with him was because he thought the westerner too foolish and too weak. If he weren't strong, what could he do even if he managed to get close to the king?

There wasn't such a thing as dynamite within the three thousand worlds. Even if there were, it would be difficult for him to harm anyone else given the tight security and what little he had managed to sneak in...