Chapter 441: Making a Move

Zhang Lie's face fell. He had thought Xueju cruel enough, but Xuechi was even worse. Xueju was just perverted—insanely so, but far better in comparison than Xuechi, who bathed in human blood.

The humans who escaped from the interior of the palace felt as though they had been granted a new lease on life.

Within Xuechi's treasury was a large number of valuable herbs, soulshards, weapons, and the like. Among them, part of the valuable ores and minerals was distributed to the rock spirits. Most of the herbs were given to the Yeluo for their recipes, the shinier baubles and trinkets taken by the crag eagles, and the rest divided by the humans.

Zhang Lie glanced at the map of the lands surrounding Xuechi and focused on a specific marker. "Could this be..."

The world federation was once again shocked.

"Astounding—Zhang Lie's made headlines again!"

"It's been a long time since we received news about Zhang Lie. I heard that he went to build a city—how did it go? I haven't heard anything."

"I'm sure he succeeded, of course! It isn't as if founding a city is anything too impressive. Zhang Lie could accomplish such a feat in his sleep!"

"Go on, keep boasting! Don't you know how much manpower and resources building a city takes? Look at the expense that it took to build our four human cities! How much did it cost, and how many people had to die for it?"

"A city can protect millions of denizens and act as shelter for ten times that number, so no matter what it costs, every race has tried their hardest to build cities for themselves. Do you think Zhang Lie alone can accomplish what it takes a whole race to do? That's ridiculous!"

"Well, he's already succeeded."

The two hunters were chatting away on a message board.

"Really? Zhang Lie left Qi with no more than three thousand people. How did he manage to assemble a workforce?"

"He compelled alien races to join the city and contribute to labor. Our city now has four major alien races in it!"

"Hold on, let's not talk about his city for the moment. Haven't you heard of what Zhang Lie's done lately? Go look!"

[Champion of mankind, Zhang Lie, takes down another sura kingdom!]

"What?! Is Zhang Lie so strong that he can take down these kingdoms at will now?"

"Does Zhang Lie have some sort of enmity against the sura? He's already claimed two kingdoms!"

"I've seen more sura kingdoms destroyed this year than in the last decade..."

"Well, that's because no one dared provoke the sura over the last decade! After all, they're the hegemons of the second realm, and no one would dare to mess with them. What can we humans do? The sura roam all over and treat us as nothing but food. All we could do was hide—the only one brave and foolhardy enough to attack their city is Zhang Lie!"

"That's why he's making history!"

"I already thought that Zhang Lie was bold and daring, but after seeing this piece of news, I'm realizing that he's completely fearless!"

"Not only did he take down a sura capital and build over it, he's taken down a second sura capital now. What's he going to do next, wage war against the sura?"

"Zhang Lie hasn't ever feared anything—I'm sure he'll welcome war with open arms."

"He's made massive contributions to the human race, hasn't he? Saving ten thousand prisoners from one sura kingdom, then twenty thousand from this one... He's a shoo-in for the interstellar peace prize!"

"That's hard to say. After all, he made waves for issuing a bounty on the Musi clan."

"Two sura kingdoms in a row... Zhang Lie's truly a hero!"

Within the palace of the sura empire of stars, a blood-red pillar of light flooded the skies, causing the entire kingdom to tremble.

"What did you say happened to my godson?!" the monarch of stars roared.

The official who had come to report to him trembled and shook like a leaf. "Your majesty, according to those survivors of the purge, Xuechi has fallen."

After taking down the capital of Xuechi, Zhang Lie had his men clean the entire kingdom of any rabble and rescue whatever prisoners remained.

Part of the sura, upon finding out that their capital had fallen, ran away silently in the night. Some of these sura sought refuge in the empire of stars, where the information they brought was transmitted to the emperor's ears.

The monarch of stars thundered, "Who did this?!"

"According to the sura refugees, a group of allied invaders who claimed that they came from a city called Renhuang."

The monarch of stars narrowed his eyes. "Renhuang, is it?"

The official replied, "I believe it's very possible that this is related to what happened to Xueju. Your majesty, I fear for King Xuechi. His whereabouts are unknown, and his kingdom was destroyed in his absence..."

The monarch of stars snorted. "Do you think my godson would lose to a human?!"

"No, your majesty!"

"I believe that those humans who are purportedly occupying the city are just a front. The true mastermind behind the affair is simply trying to disgust me. Nevertheless, we can overcome any ploy they have with brute strength."

"Yes, your majesty! You're absolutely right—brute strength trumps over everything! No nefarious plan or ploy can stop us. Your majesty, your intention is..."

The monarch of stars waved a casual hand. "If one godson is unable to deal with everything, send all seven over at once. Force this city of Renhuang to capitulate."

Opposite him, in the sura king's treasury, Zhang Lie saw a marker on a map that reminded him of that special location in his past life where a special peak-grade lifeform apparently lived. All he had heard of this location were rumors, and finding a hint to it here was an unexpected reward.

"Zhang Lie, look at this!"

Sun Mengmeng walked over with a book from the sura king's treasury.

Zhang Lie glanced at it and asked, "What's this?"

Unfortunately, he had no understanding of the sura script.

Sun Mengmeng replied, "I learned a little of the sura script from Xia Na. This is the journal of the sura king Xuechi himself, and he's recorded the whereabouts of a number of strong genetic lifeforms nearby.

As you know, there's an arena within the capital. The sura very much enjoy watching humans fight against these genetic lifeforms."