Chapter 1276: Shameful Sculptures
Zhang Lie explained his goals to Zhu and the Yeluo chieftain. The Yeluo chieftain steepled his fingers. "Is that so? Research on the limit-breaking Potion #5..."
Potion #4 had been jointly developed by Zhang Lie and the Yeluo chieftain working together, and the members of Team Zenith had benefited from that collaboration.
Actually, the Yeluo chieftain had undertaken the majority of the work.
The Yeluo chieftain began, "I've had a look at the recipe for the last few limit-breaking potions, and have some confidence in being able to develop a skeleton for Potion #5. To be frank, as someone who has spent his entire life studying and researching potions, I can definitively claim that the idea of limit-breaking potions themselves is genius. To dream of breaking the restrictions imposed by one's genetic code itself!"
Zhang Lie then retrieved the research documents from the limit-fragment research laboratory, including the most recent research that the Milky Way had performed on limit fragments, along with various Potions #1 that other Milky Way races had developed for their respective hunters.
He was the honorary president of the limit-fragment research laboratory, and it was trivial for him to obtain any research reports he wanted.
The Yeluo chieftain said, "I need to study these reports carefully so that I can be of assistance in developing the potion."
Zhang Lie replied, "Coincidentally, the high council of the unified world of the third realm will be founded tomorrow. Zhu will be there, and I intend to attend as well. Why don't I come back in two days?"
"Very well. I'll use the intervening day to finish my current tasks and then devote all my attention to helping you with Potion #5, Your Majesty."
Zhang Lie and Zhu left. The next day was the day the high council of the third realm was about to convene for the first time.
Yun Bing, the draconian sage, Li Zongming, and the Lie king had all finished their preliminary preparations ahead of schedule. The council headquarters had been constructed by none other than Chu Feng himself, right beside the dragon palace.
This was a symbolic decision; Zhu and Zhang Lie had saved the three thousand worlds and performed the unification process that had restored the third realm.
The headquarters was in the shape of a pentagon, with huge doors embedded in the wall.
A number of statues stood upright before those doors; the one in the center, with the most majestic appearance, was none other than Zhang Lie.
He wore golden armor, with the sword Guicang in his left hand. His right hand blazed with fiery scales.
Zhang Lie frowned. "Who did this?"
Below the statue was carved a line of words: Hope has never been extinguished—our savior, Zhang Lie.
Zhu saw a sculpture of herself beside Zhang Lie. She was hanging in mid-air, her hands outstretched toward the sky. Countless fragments of various worlds were assembling between her hands. Beneath her statue was another line of words: For that man, I reach toward the skies—the ruler of the world.
Zhang Lie's lips twitched. "I thought my inscription was embarrassing enough, but yours..."
The sculpture had been displayed prominently before the high council of the third realm, but Zhang Lie didn't mind—because someone was suffering worse than he was.
As long as he didn't have to suffer alone, he was perfectly happy with what had been done.
Behind the high council's headquarters was a mountain on which four giant heads had been carved out: Yun Bing, the draconian sage, Li Zongming, and the Lie king.
"Naruto...? No, this is supposed to be a parody of Mt. Rushmore?"
Just as Zhang Lie was wondering who had done something so ridiculous on such a grand scale, Chu Feng suddenly emerged from the bushes. "Long time no see, Zhang Lie!"
"Who dares launch a sneak attack on me?!" Zhang Lie kicked Chu Feng away.
Chu Feng rolled across the grass as he landed. Zhang Lie had held back, and he naturally wasn't injured. If Zhang Lie had put some actual force behind his blow, Chu Feng would be nothing more than a pile of flesh by now.
Zhang Lie relaxed his foot. "I was wondering who would emerge from the brush like that—and it turned out to be you, Garen!" [1]
Chu Feng cried out, "I'm not Garen—I'm Chu Feng!"
"That's what I said, Garen."
"I told you, I'm Chu Feng..."
Zhang Lie pointed at the two sculptures before the high council's headquarters, and the facsimile of Mt. Rushmore behind it.
"Is this your work?"
Chu Feng grinned. "Well? What do you think? I've grown far stronger after the trials of the second realm."
Zhang Lie rolled his eyes. "You really aren't scared of what might happen, are you?"
"Scared of what?"
"If genetic hunters from a certain country find out and cause trouble for you back in China..."
Chu Feng smirked. "There's nothing for me to worry about. Everyone knows that the Zenith Dojo's backing me up—who in the Milky Way is willing to rouse its ire? Furthermore, if I don't say anything, no one will know that I'm responsible. You might not know this, but the aliens were very pleased with my design. In fact, the draconian sage, Li Zongming, and the Lie king all applauded and have decided to emulate this construction."
Zhang Lie: ...
"Where's Yun Bing?"
Chu Feng rolled his eyes. "She's going crazy with work. There are a lot of affairs from the Zenith Alliance she has to deal with, as well as the high council. She doesn't have time for anything like this—and she wouldn't care, at any rate. You should know—you were the one who pushed so many things onto her plate to begin with!"
That... was eminently reasonable.
Yun Bing certainly didn't have time to relax.
After she became the prime minister of the Limit kingdom, she seemed to have grown besotted with power to some extent. Rather than improve her stagnating cultivation, she had decided to focus on political power instead.
In this respect, Chu Feng and Yun Bing were the same. They had both worked hard on cultivation as first-realm hunters, but the competition had grown stiff in the second realm. Even among the aliens, there were many that were able to suppress them, and they witnessed true strength in the form of the members of Team Zenith and Zhang Lie.
Chu Feng and Yun Bing both realized that the members of Team Zenith and Zhang Lie were far beyond their reach.
If they couldn't compete in terms of strength, they would focus on other fields instead, like governance and architecture. Both hunters were skilled in their respective domains, and their talents quickly blossomed.
Everyone had decisions of their own to make, and not everyone was destined for the battlefield. By striving toward auxiliary roles, they too could change the dimensional realm.
Of course, everything was founded on strength. If Chu Feng and Yun Bing hadn't thrown in their lot with the members of Team Zenith and Zhang Lie, no matter how talented they were, they wouldn't have a chance to display that talent.
Chu Feng was very pleased with himself. "Are you happy with the sculpture of you, Zhang Lie?"
"It's acceptable." All I can promise is that I won't shatter it.
Chu Feng continued, "I had no clue what to inscribe at the base of your statue, and I ended up asking the members of Team Zenith as well as many others. In the end, I adopted what Li Qianlin said, which I felt to be the most admirable aspect of your legend. When the three thousand worlds were about to collapse, you said, 'Hope has never been extinguished.'"
"That's what Qianlin said?"
1. A League of Legends reference. ☜
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