Chapter 1198: A Sense of Grievance
Li Zongming was stronger than the draconian sage, and he had been a superior king for longer. The draconian sage might have been unaware of the changes that had occurred in high-dimensional spaces, but Li Zongming could. Li Zongming hadn't paid the changes any mind initially, but now that Zhang Lie was bringing it up, he realized that he had been far too careless.
Li Zongming told Zhang Lie, "I can hand the Zongming world to you, but on one condition."
Li Qianlin seemed rather displeased. "Father, if the third realm were to fall, all three thousand worlds would be destroyed! Is this really the time to be caring about power?"
Li Zongming held up a hand to forestall his daughter. "Let me finish, please."
Li Qianlin backed down.
Li Zongming continued, "I want you to marry Qianlin."
This time, it was Sun Mengmeng who couldn't sit still.
Li Qianlin's face flushed red. "Father, this isn't the time!"
Li Zongming replied, "It's precisely because of the emergency that I'm making this proposal. The Zongming world isn't just mine—it belongs to my ancestors, who devoted their lives to this plan which came to fruition in my generation. I can't hand it to just any outsider, but if you were to marry Qianlin, you wouldn't be an outsider any longer."
No one knew whether or not Zhang Lie would succeed. Li Zongming had witnessed the hole in the deepest layers of space, and they didn't seem like something that could be fixed by manpower alone.
If Zhang Lie were to fail, given his connection to Li Qianlin, he would surely do his best to protect the Zongming world.
Li Zongming continued, "I know you've been interested in Qianlin, and this isn't something that would be off-putting to you."
Unexpectedly, however, Zhang Lie's response was stark refusal.
Everyone was shocked. Li Qianlin's face turned pale, and she looked as though she would faint at any moment.
Li Zongming thundered, "What do you mean? Is my Qianlin not good enough for you?"
Everyone knew of Zhang Lie's affection toward Li Qianlin, but Zhang Lie had refused the proposal!
Li Zongming was so infuriated that sparks seemed to be emanating from his body. "Oh? You think you're all that because you can take down superior kings, do you? That no one among the three thousand worlds is a match for you? That's why you're looking down on my daughter? Don't think that I won't hit you just because I can't beat you! If you don't marry Qianlin, then regardless of what happens to the third realm, I won't hand over the Zongming world. Take it from me by force if you have to!"
Zhang Lie hurriedly explained, "No, no, you misunderstand me. If I am to marry Qianlin, it certainly won't be because the world is ending, but rather because I, Zhang Lie, have fallen in love with her."
Li Qianlin had already been hurt once by a political marriage, and Zhang Lie didn't want to repeat that nightmare.
"I don't want the happiness between us to be corrupted by politics. Even if the world were about to be destroyed, I don't want to trade for world peace with marriage."
Our love is pure and unfettered.
Marrying Li Qianlin today might not seem problematic at first glance, but that barest hint of coercion could easily warp the nature of their marriage given enough time.
Upon hearing Zhang Lie's words, Li Qianlin's eyes grew misty.
Li Zongming sighed. "I misunderstood you. It looks like you really do value Qianlin very much—and I almost brought about the travesty that had come to pass again."
Fortunately, Li Qianlin's planned marriage had become a fiasco, with Zhang Lie appearing right when he had made a wrong decision.
Otherwise, Li Zongming would have destroyed his daughter's happiness himself.
"I can hand you the Zongming world."
Zhang Lie smiled.
Li Zongming continued, "But I want to have a match with you."
Zhang Lie seemed perplexed.
Li Zongming stood up. "I want to fight you beyond this world."
Zhang Lie hesitated. "Do you really want to do that?"
Wouldn't he just be defeated, and badly at that?
Li Zongming replied, "The Zongming world is something my family has been aiming for for generations, and I've devoted much of my life to improving this world."
In the end, however, it was Zhang Lie that had brought his dream to fruition.
"I can't stand to just give it up so simply—I'd like to at least have a match with you to understand the difference between us, to at least make me feel a little better inside."
Humans were creatures of emotions, and aliens were likewise.
Logic and rationality told Li Zongming that he had to hand over the Zongming world, or there would be nothing anyone could do to stop the impending devastation. Even so, his emotions told a different story.
Zhang Lie understood the complexity of the emotions that Li Zongming was facing.
Unlike the draconian sage, Li Zongming had devoted much of his life to warring against the world of the west in order to merge the two worlds together to form a superior world. That dream had finally been realized, and Li Zongming had worked tirelessly to tend to that world since—but was he now to simply give it up because of an unexpected spatial collapse?
Li Zongming was naturally upset, and he needed a reason to convince himself, even the most laughable of reasons. Otherwise, he knew that he would go crazy.
"Let's do it immediately, then."
Zhang Lie shattered space and teleported beyond the Zongming world. Li Zongming followed suit, and the members of Team Zenith also rushed over. Sun Xiaowu wondered, "How many strikes from our captain do you think Li Zongming can block?"
Yang Ze replied, "Since he's a superior king, and our captain will go easy on him, three to five?"
Li Feng replied, "Even if our captain goes easy on him, I can't imagine he'd last more than two strikes."
Once Li Zongming arrived beyond the Zongming world, Zhang Lie extended a hand to him. "Please, have the first move."
Li Zongming roared, burning superior world's energy as rainbow-colored flames appeared all over his body. He struck with a flurry of punches.
Zhang Lie stood still without moving, allowing Li Zongming's punches to land like raindrops. His genetic energy spun around him like water, deflecting Li Zongming's strikes.
Li Zongming invoked the energy of the Zongming world in preparation for an ultimate attack as Zhang Lie countered with his specialty.
"[Fists of the Silent Sea: Soar]!"
Pale blue genetic energy rippled about Zhang Lie's arms. He flicked his wrists, causing a frightening aura to descend on the world. The hall began to darken, and a fish the size of a whale materialized in the air.
The skies began to darken, and a fish the size of a whale materialized in the air.
A howling gale swept over the hall. As more and more genetic energy gathered around Zhang Lie's arms, it looked as though he were at the heart of a whirlpool.
A huge wave soared into the air. As Zhang Lie punched forward, the fish slammed its huge tail on the ground and sent a torrent of water surging.
Ripples of energy spread out from Zhang Lie, warping the space around him. The towering waves looked like enraged black dragons, flooding the void.
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