Chapter 1012: BesottedIn the white world, covered by frost and ice, shadowed in perennial darkness, over which a raging blizzard howled with no sign of stopping, grew a remarkable race, the frost spirits.
The frost queen, seated within her ornate palace on a throne of frozen jade, likewise sensed the appearance of two new superior worlds. She immediately stood up and frowned. "Two more...?"
Outside the palace, a blizzard continued to rage. She pondered for a moment, then decided, "Now's not the right time. The war against the death spirits is still ongoing. I'll make plans once it's over."
In the world of black fog, wreathed in the eponymous black fog, a humanoid figure could barely be seen in the distance. The fog gradually condensed into a human's face.
"Two more superior worlds... but in the Zongming world's jurisdiction? I'll give up on them for the moment, then."
The face of black fog dissipated.
At the acme of space and time in the third realm, in an environment of pure darkness, floated a massive palace. The palace was removed from the superior worlds, and even from the third realm at large. It existed in an alcove in spacetime, in the liminal space between the third and fourth realms.
In the dim, dark hall that rested within the folds of time, there echoed the low, frenzied beat of a madness-inducing drum, the hollow, monotonous howls of a demonic flute. Countless monsters of myriad forms danced in the hall, nebulous as aether. Women of beauty, sparkling with golden luster, draped in darkness, snake and dragon and man alike...
Despite their differing appearances, they shared one thing in common: to the last, they were each on the level of a superior king.
Countless existences on the level of a superior king danced within a dim, dark hall. On a raised platform at the end of that hall was seated a frightening, awe-inspiring figure, the source of darkness, the origin of a primordial chaos, the end and beginning of all matter. It had no definable boundaries and was difficult to even discern.
The ultimate sin from the deepest chaos, the core and heart of the abyss, the lord of spacetime, who lay beyond human understanding.
Those at the peak of the third realm knew it as the primordial chaos, the king of chaos, the strongest of the known kings.
In truth, it had long since ascended beyond the level of a superior king, and it had given up that position of ruler in the world of primordial chaos. Even so, it still commanded that world, and it wouldn't be difficult for it to take over the third realm at large.
However, it felt that doing so would be meaningless. Only remaining in this palace in the depths of spacetime could still bring it even the slightest enjoyment—and yet this unfathomable existence was smiling now.
"More and more interesting things are happening, aren't they...?"
The evolution of the world succeeded.
A crack appeared on the surface of the giant egg covered by the rainbow pillar of light. As the crack propagated, an illusory dragon soared into the air and revolved around the draconian world. Runes of natural law appeared in the sky where it passed, manifesting for mere moments to the naked eye.
As natural law danced around him, as the world's energy condensed, a rainbow-colored corona appeared behind the draconian sage. He looked down on all who gathered around him, as though he stood at the peak of the world.
He had grown quite a bit younger in the process. The draconians raised their heads, their eyes burning with admiration as they stared at their leader draped in rainbow light.
His rainbow scales were like an ornate robe, and the light that surrounded him and manifested from his every action made him look like a dragon from the heavens. A formless pressure bore down on them all. The draconian sage, who had just ascended, was yet unused to controlling his new strength. Countless aliens knelt on the ground, and the nearby genetic lifeforms keened and howled.
Bolstered by the world's energy, the draconian sage's strength had increased dramatically. He exuded an unparalleled aura. Natural law surrounded him, as blinding as the sun, and the aliens couldn't help viewing him with fear, awe, and respect.
The members of Team Zenith stood where they were, raising their heads to witness the draconian sage in the sky, their faces calm.
"Rise." The draconian sage wrested his aura back and beckoned with an arm. The kneeling aliens were raised back to their feet by an incredible strength.
Sun Mengmeng strode forward. "It looks as though the merger of the worlds has been a success. Congratulations, draconian sage."
The draconian sage slowly landed by the members of Team Zenith. "It's all thanks to your help. Without you here, without Zhang Lie here, the draconians would have been destroyed by the Mengtai."
To the members of Team Zenith, the draconian sage remained unfailingly polite, without displaying the arrogance of a superior king.
The draconian sage had to treat the human hunters as equals, because behind them stood Zhang Lie. As long as Zhang Lie remained in the third realm, the draconian sage would treat them with his fullest respect.
Without the members of Team Zenith and the warlords of the Milky Way taking down world after world, the draconians wouldn't have had a chance to evolve their world. Without Zhang Lie giving them an opportunity, the draconian world would have been attacked by other worlds during its evolution.
The draconian sage keenly understood that his success today could be attributed in large part to the humans.
He smiled. "All this was thanks to your hard work. I won't forget what the humans did, and I hope you'll help defend the superior draconian world from now on as well."
Yang Ze replied, "Sage, I expect you'll be more than our equal in combat."
Before the ascension, the draconian sage didn't have strength comparable to that of a superior king, and the members of Team Zenith had grown beyond him.
The draconian sage remained smiling. "You jest, Yang Ze. I'm still not familiar and practiced with my strength, and I don't expect I'll be an opponent for you for quite some time."
Sun Xiaowu smiled as well. "Since you've ascended, Sage, shall we have a big celebration?"
The draconian sage continued to smile. "Exactly so. I've already made preparations for a banquet to be held within the draconian capital, but I'm waiting for the human warriors to arrive."
Sun Mengmeng glanced at the sky. "I wonder how Zhang Lie's doing...?"
Sun Xiaowu sighed. "That's the 56th time..."
Yang Ze shook his head. "No, already the 60th."
Fang Yi nodded. "And if we include the two words 'Zhang Lie', it's the 180th time in all." Sᴇaʀᴄh the ɴ0velFɪre.nᴇt website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of nøvels early and in the highest quality.
Sun Mengmeng blinked at them, bewildered. "What are all of you talking about?"