Chapter 743: The History of the Worlds

Duan Gen no longer had any eyes, but his circumstances meant that his ears had grown far more sensitive.

Upon realizing that his copper coins had been stolen, he hurriedly picked up his walking stick and hobbled into the alley where the thugs had disappeared.

Crippled though he had become, his body still possessed no small amount of physical strength.

The moment he rushed into the alley, however, he was met with yells. "Damn beggar! Who do you think you are to chase us down like this?!"

One club after another smashed into Duan Gen's face, causing him to crumple to the ground. Another thug snatched away his walking stick while the others pummeled him until he was bleeding and bruised all over.

The five thugs spat on Duan Gen's prone body, and one of them finally pulled out three copper coins. "Here, I'll even fund your medical expenses for you."

Duan Gen trembled as he arduously picked up the copper coins like a flea-bitten dog desperately scrounging for a bone.

Li Qianlin cried out, "Those thugs!"

Zhang Lie smiled. "What's the matter? Do you pity him?"

Li Qianlin sighed. "No. If not for Duan Gen's current straits, I'd have been the first to volunteer to cripple his other leg, too!"

Dong Mingxing also sighed. "I know what he's done, but seeing what's happening to him now..."

Zhang Lie shook his head. "You women are far too sympathetic to villains."

Dong Mingxing replied, "In fact, I very much doubt that that beggar is truly Duan Gen. Given how prideful he is, he shouldn't be willing to become a beggar even if the alternative was death. Just how did you manage it?"

For a prince to suddenly become a pauper, especially a prince like Duan Gen—Dong Mingxing couldn't believe it.

"I have a few tricks. You're welcome to guess at them," Zhang Lie offered.

In the alley, Duan Gen slowly got up and hobbled away.

Dong Mingxing frowned. "I suppose he really had no other choice... but would a man like him really be able to accept it?"

Li Qianlin hummed thoughtfully. "Do you mean that, now that he's a beggar, he has no choice but to remain one?"

Zhang Lie shook his head.

Dong Mingxing ventured, "What else would he do? Mourn the past?"

Li Qianlin turned to Zhang Lie. "We can't guess what you did. Will you tell us?"

Zhang Lie shook his head with a smile. "I changed my mind. Don't be too nosy."

Li Qianlin: ...

Dong Mingxing: ...

Li Qianlin changed the topic. "Given how he's doing, I doubt he'll be able to hold out for much longer."

Zhang Lie's smile widened. "Don't worry. I won't let him die so easily."

Killing Duan Gen would be a trivial affair for Zhang Lie, but that would be far too kind for someone like Duan Gen.

Zhang Lie had to exact his revenge through slow, deliberate torture.

Zhang Lie continued, "When he's about to starve to death, someone will bring him porridge. When he's about to freeze, someone will generously donate him a blanket. Don't worry—he won't die."

Li Qianlin's eyes narrowed. "Were you responsible for those thugs just now, too?"

Zhang Lie smiled faintly. "Am I so vulgar? That was clearly a random occurrence."

Zhang Lie denied the claim, but neither Li Qianlin nor Dong Mingxing believed him. They even began to pull their chairs farther away.

They swore to themselves never to rouse Zhang Lie's ire in the future, or they might very well be subject to his cruel vengeance.

The two women had been curious about what would happen to Duan Gen, only to realize that the rest of his life would be lived out in abstract misery. Despite what he had done, the two women were starting to pity him...

Zhang Lie changed the topic. "Right, has your father told you what he plans to do with the west?"

Li Qianlin countered, "Do you know how a large world forms?"

"From the original three thousand that this realm possessed?"

"No, not quite. There were three thousand worlds in all in this realm—all of which you would consider small worlds. There were no medium-sized or large worlds around."

Zhang Lie's eyes widened. He understood, now—"As the worlds warred with each other, the victor absorbed the loser, and some worlds grew larger by accretion!"

Li Qianlin nodded. "Exactly so. My father even had his own hypothesis regarding the formation of the realm. He believed that the third realm originally consisted only of one large world, which then split into three thousand due to some unknown event."

Zhang Lie found this explanation surprisingly plausible. The first and second realms had been composed of a singular large world, so the three thousand worlds of the third realm did seem rather unusual.

Dong Mingxing ahhed in understanding. "In that case, your father's trying to merge the worlds of east and west to form an even larger world? And that might only be his first step."

Li Qianlin rolled her eyes. "He does want to form a larger world, yes, but your insinuation about realm domination is completely unfounded.

The position of king of the realm is a cage. The only way someone would be able to combine all the worlds into one is if they weren't a king of the realm but was nevertheless able to kill all the kings of the realm..."

Li Qianlin and Dong Mingxing both turned to Zhang Lie as one. Well, here was one such person.

Zhang Lie leaned in. "Oh? How do you combine multiple worlds together?"

Li Qianlin replied, "You simply have to merge two proofs of kingship together with your genetic energy."

"Let's try that if we get the opportunity, then. Alright, you've both had a chance to see how this bastard ended up. It's time for us to depart now, I think."

There was no reason for the three of them to remain in the world any longer.

Just as they exited the teahouse, however, they found Ren Kunjing rushing over.

Zhang Lie leapt over to Ren Kunjing's side, whereupon Ren Kunjing called out in a panic, "Zhang Lie! I've finally found you!"

Zhang Lie frowned. "What's wrong?"

.

"Something's happened to the humans!"

Zhang Lie's brows rose, and a wave of power gusted out from him. Like a hurricane, that wave of power swamped the entire street, sending the passersby flying away. "Any who dare to attack the humans shall perish!"

So immense was the pressure surrounding Zhang Lie that the nearby houses began to creak and groan, and Ren Kunjing, who was standing right beside him, was almost forced to the ground. He wheezed, "Zhang Lie, I can't speak properly!"

Zhang Lie hurriedly reined in his energy.

Ren Kunjing continued, "This is information I received from the Milky Way. Apparently, the world on which the human settlements are located is currently under attack."

Zhang Lie was unable to return to Earth, but the other aliens under his control were able to do so themselves and return with corresponding information.

"Ever since the humans figured out where you were located, they've been trying to send out delegations to reach you, but the human world isn't on good terms with its neighbors. The humans wanted to make use of a wormhole connected to a neighboring world, but they ended up clashing with the race located there!"