Chapter 1098: A Forced Reward
"All of you, gather at the draconian world. I'll head to the scaleman world first." After splitting up with the members of Team Zenith, Zhang Lie first headed to the scaleman world to identify the situation there.
The scaleman king was a superior king in his own right, and it shouldn't have been troublesome for him to deal with the white world's forces.
The white world and the world of blazing sun truly did underestimate the draconian world and the scaleman world.
Despite being newly evolved superior kings, they were still fundamentally superior kings, and they easily overwhelmed even a battalion of fighters from a superior world.
If the ice queen had dispatched the crystal dragon with her troops, the scaleman world would have been in danger—it might even have fallen. After all, the scaleman king, as a newly evolved superior king, wasn't quite strong enough to face off against other superior-king level combatants like the crystal dragon.
It was even possible that the ice queen and solar king had dispatched a battalion of troops because they were overestimating the newly evolved superior kings' strength—in order to test them in preparation for a long-term conflict.
The troops wouldn't be able to take down the two newly evolved superior kings, but they might force them to use their trump cards. The next time around, the white world and the world of blazing sun would be able to use other means to force the two new superior kings to capitulate—or to send out combatants on the level of superior kings then.
Unexpectedly, however, Zhang Lie had the members of Team Zenith as a trump card. The ice queen and solar king were defeated without any opportunity to retaliate.
Regardless, they had successfully saved the scaleman world from destruction.
The moment Zhang Lie entered the scaleman world, the scaleman king teleported before him, his face full of smiles.
Zhang Lie mirrored his smile. "You seem to be happy?"
The scaleman king's smile widened. "It's because of your arrival, Master!"
"You've protected your world. Well done."
The scaleman king continued to smile. "It's all thanks to your forewarning, Master. Otherwise, even if I had been able to protect the world, I would have suffered great losses, and I wouldn't have been able to keep them out of my world."
"I only did what was reasonable."
"You won't believe how happy I am to see you safe and sound, Master."
"What, were you hoping I'd be injured?" Zhang Lie joked.
"No, Master, of course not!"
Zhang Lie's opponent was a superior king of antiquity.
Zhang Lie and Team Zenith had had to invade the superior kings' territory and fight them in their own worlds—a ludicrously dangerous task. Despite his absolute confidence in Zhang Lie, the scaleman king still worried.
The scaleman king asked, "Master, are your companions—"
Zhang Lie knew what the scaleman king was going to ask.
"They're fine, of course."
The scaleman king bowed. "Congratulations on an amazing feat, Master."
Because the scaleman king had just ascended to the level of a superior king, he didn't realize just how astounding the superior kings of antiquity were, and he wasn't as shocked as Li Zongming to hear that Zhang Lie and the members of Team Zenith had killed four superior kings of antiquity in quick succession.
Zhang Lie waved a hand. "I came over here to understand how the scaleman world is doing, as well as to decide how we're going to split the spoils."
The scaleman king bowed. "You may distribute the spoils as you wish, Master."
Zhang Lie asked, "You aren't going to participate?"
The scaleman king shrugged. "In the end, Master, this is a fight between you and the superior kings of antiquity, and the draconian sage and I only serve as your pawns. What rewards should a pawn demand?"
Zhang Lie shook his head. "I've never treated you or the draconian sage like pawns to be manipulated."
The scaleman king shook his head. "No, Master, I'm not complaining. It's all thanks to you that I possess what I do today. I should thank you instead."
Zhang Lie frowned. "Are you certain? If you have any grievances, you should state them."
The scaleman king nodded. "There's nothing to worry about, Master. The draconian sage and I haven't been responsible for the heaviest of the fighting. If not for you and your companions, our world would long since have been destroyed."
The scaleman king's gaze was perfectly sincere.
The scaleman king continued, "To be able to survive the attacks by the superior worlds of antiquity is prize enough. We don't hope for more."
Zhang Lie smiled and asked, "Do you really not want anything?"
The scaleman king shook his head. "It's not necessary."
"Really? The superior worlds of antiquity have many treasures—ten whole superior worlds' worth of energy, for instance."
The scaleman king blinked once or twice, then said, "I was almost tempted, but my answer won't change."
Zhang Lie smiled. "You really are determined. Well, I do have some use for this energy, but considering your world has just evolved into a superior world and how useful it'd be to you, I'll share five worlds' worth with you."
The scaleman king was just about to refuse Zhang Lie's offer when Zhang Lie continued, "If you truly treat me as a master, then don't reject my kindness. It's my duty as a master to help you out."
"I understand, Master."
After sharing the world's energy with the scaleman king, Zhang Lie left. The scaleman king tried to get him to stay, but Zhang Lie refused.
After returning to the Zongming world, he found that Li Zongming had finally made up his mind to merge the world of black rain with the Zongming world, and subsequently to spend huge amounts of genetic energy to terraform the world of black rain.
Although the Zongming world had more than enough land to spare as it was, that wouldn't necessarily hold true for the future. As a long-term consideration, Li Zongming had decided to merge the two worlds together.
After all, all those who could become kings of the realm had to keep an eye on the big picture, let alone a superior king like Li Zongming.
Seeing how busy Li Zongming was, Zhang Lie left him to his affairs. He headed off to find Li Qianlin.
When she saw him, Li Qianlin grumbled, "Do you finally have time for me now, then?"
Zhang Lie laughed. "I've been thinking of you all this time."
Li Qianlin clicked her tongue. "All this time? If that's the case, why are you only here now?"
"It looks like you've missed me too, haven't you, Qianlin?"
The two of them chatted for a while before Zhang Lie headed off to the draconian world.
Just like the scaleman world, the draconian world was unharmed. The enemies had all been kept away from the borders of the world. When Zhang Lie stopped by, the draconian sage teleported straight over to welcome him.
"Sage, you're more passionate than usual today!"
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