Chapter 1021: Too Rational
Sun Xiaowu cried out, "Sis, come out! Look who I found outside the door!"
Sun Mengmeng asked, "When do you think Zhang Lie will return?"
Sun Xiaowu replied, "Sis, there's no need to keep asking that! He's already back!"
It had only been a few days since Zhang Lie last saw Sun Mengmeng, but it felt as though she had grown much paler.
The moment Zhang Lie appeared within sight, however, the effect of time suddenly seemed to rewind around Sun Mengmeng, and she became a radiant beauty once more.
At her level of strength, Sun Mengmeng's wan and sallow appearance was more a reflection of her mood than anything else. Sun Mengmeng stood up and involuntarily leapt toward Zhang Lie. When she came to her senses, she immediately began to blush.
Zhang Lie scratched his head. "Long time no see."
Sun Xiaowu cried out, "Captain, you're finally back! If you hadn't returned, either my sister or I would have gone crazy—and I'd likely have been the one to do so!"
Zhang Lie didn't know how to respond to that assertion. "It must have been hard for you."
Sun Mengmeng had a lot of questions for Zhang Lie, but she couldn't express any of them. Her heart, which had been pittering-pattering in unease, immediately calmed down. "What happened in the war against the death spirit king?"
Zhang Lie extended his arms. "The fact that I'm here should tell you all I need to know, yes?"
Sun Mengmeng nodded with a smile.
Zhang Lie continued, "I heard you were making things hard for Sun Xiaowu."
Sun Xiaowu laughed nervously. "Haha, I'll be leaving first, then!"
Zhang Lie thought for a moment. "I also intend to be leaving again."
"Where to?" Sun Mengmeng asked with reluctance.
"To the Milky Way for now. I promised Hong Tianqi that I'd report to him after the war was over."
Sun Mengmeng nodded without protest.
Sun Xiaowu asked, "It's been so long. Won't you stay for a bit longer?"
Zhang Lie rolled his eyes. "So long? It's only been half a month!"
Before heading back to the Milky Way, Zhang Lie left for the genetic lifeform farm to see how Zhu was doing with her task.
However, the draconian sage intercepted him halfway. "Have you finished your discussion with Sun Mengmeng?"
Zhang Lie shrugged. "There wasn't much to discuss."
The draconian sage rolled his eyes. "Sun Mengmeng has been very worried for you."
"I know, I heard. So what?"
The draconian sage sighed. "How pitiful Sun Mengmeng is..."
Zhang Lie sighed as well. "Regardless of what all of you are thinking, there's no way Sun Mengmeng and I can be a couple. I already have a lover; I'll be loyal to her in this life and the next."
Zhang Lie was no fool. Sun Mengmeng was one of his subordinates and teammates, and if the two of them were to get romantically involved, it would change the mood of the entire team. Entering into such a relationship without careful thought and open communication could easily cause the group dynamics to collapse.
The draconian sage shrugged. "Li Feng said that too—and now, he's being embraced."
Zhang Lie countered, "Are you sure it's 'embraced' rather than 'smothered'?"
The draconian sage harrumphed. "Alright, alright. Let's discuss something else. What happened to the death spirits?"
"I've returned. What do you think happened?"
The draconian sage asked curiously, "Won't you describe the details of the war?"
Zhang Lie countered, "Is it relevant?"
The draconian sage replied, "I'm simply curious. After all, it's a war of epic proportions."
"There's nothing much to be curious about. If you'd like to learn more about the details, ask Zhang Hanxiang and Hong Xi."
The draconian sage continued, "I also came to ask about the situation with the other superior worlds."
The war against the death spirits had finished sooner than expected, and the draconian sage needed to make preparations in case of any assault on his world.
He took a deep breath. "If the superior worlds are going to attack me sooner or later, I have to be ready."
"Don't worry too much about it. After all, I and the members of Team Zenith will still be around, so no ordinary superior world would be a threat."
The draconian sage continued, "And what are the other superior worlds' attitudes about the draconian world?"
"I'll find out during the meeting among the superior worlds to be convened within a few days. Don't worry too much about this just yet—but I believe we'll eventually have to fight the superior worlds of antiquity."
The draconian sage's face turned serious. "How likely are we to win?"
Zhang Lie replied, "Have some confidence in me. When have you ever seen me lose? Let's not speak of this right now. The meeting is in three days, and I still have to return to the Milky Way first to discuss the war against the death spirits."
Zhu had made very significant progress during this period of time, and there were plenty of disaster- and post-peak-grade lifeforms in the farm to be found. Zhang Lie praised, "Very well done."
Zhu grinned. "Zhang Lie, you're back!"
"Have all the genetic lifeforms from the war been returned to the farm?"
Zhu nodded. "The draconian sage transported them back with his spatial authority."
Zhang Lie had specially brought a group of genetic lifeforms into the war against the death spirits, but only a third of them had made it back alive. He was prepared for this outcome; after all, even the humans had a hard time securing their own lives, let alone those of their steeds.
In fact, thanks to Hong Xi's impeccable command of the battlefield, more lifeforms had returned than he had expected.
Those that had survived received tremendous boons and experience. As long as there was enough world's energy, they would eventually evolve into disaster- and even monarch-grade lifeforms.
As though presenting a treasure, Zhu then said, "Zhang Lie, while you were participating in the war against the death spirits, another disaster-grade lifeform evolved into monarch-grade."
"Oh?"
Zhu explained, "Thanks to the evolution of the draconian world, the genetic lifeforms were able to benefit from the outpouring of the world's energy. At first, only regular-grade lifeforms evolved into mutated-grade, mutated-grade into superior-grade, and superior-grade into peak-grade. A number of peak-grade lifeforms evolved into disaster-grade, and those peak-grade lifeforms that didn't have all now become post-peak-grade."
"No wonder! I was wondering how there were so many superior- and peak-grade lifeforms—even disaster-grade lifeforms!—remaining in the farm after I took the majority out for the war. A potent boon indeed."
Zhu continued, "Among the disaster-grade lifeforms, one even evolved directly into monarch-grade."
"Show me."
Zhu brought Zhang Lie to the evolved monarch-grade lifeform, whereupon he patted her on the head with rare praise. "Very well done. To have cultivated another monarch-grade lifeform in such a short time is beyond my expectations."
He had been planning on rewarding Zhang Hanxiang and Hong Xi with monarch-grade flesh. The previous monarch-grade lifeforms had been killed by Zhang Lie alone, and he wouldn't be able to share it; this was opportune timing indeed.
After leaving the farm, Zhang Lie next headed to the Yeluo research facility.
The Yeluo chieftain asked curiously, "Why have you come over, your majesty?"
Zhang Lie replied, "I brought some interesting spoils of war back from the battlefield, but I don't know whom I should assign the research to."
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