Chapter 943: Preparations for the War

Nevertheless, obtaining peak limit fragments would simultaneously confer many hidden benefits for the members of Team Zenith to discover themselves.

Sun Mengmeng asked, "Captain, you mentioned that you called us here for three things. The first was the development of the peak limit-breaking potion. What are the other two?"

Zhang Lie replied, "The second matter is that the death spirits have made their move."

The draconian sage frowned. "The death spirits, whom you said were intending on destroying the three thousand worlds?"

Sun Mengmeng nodded. "Yes, the race associated with the black spirits."

However, the members of Team Zenith and the draconian sage weren't as shocked as Zhang Lie had expected.

Yang Ze replied, "While on the battlefield, I've noticed the black spirits in the neighboring worlds behaving abnormally. Are they finally making their move?"

Sun Xiaowu asked, "Captain, does this mean that the death spirits are unable to wait any longer?"

Li Feng suggested, "In that case, the death spirits are planning to recall all the black spirits and trigger a war that will destroy all three thousand worlds?"

Zhang Lie blinked in surprise. "None of you seem all too shocked. Did you know something beforehand?"

"A little," Sun Mengmeng replied. "We served as vanguards in the invasion of neighboring worlds, so we've had to interact with the black spirits a little."

"A little?" Zhang Lie frowned, feeling as though they were hiding something.

Yang Ze shrugged. "Or rather, we've been pushing the black spirits back all along."

Sun Xiaowu added, "After all, Captain, you didn't specially point out worlds we had to target, so we simply chose to fight against the black spirits. After learning about the death spirits from you, we decided it would be best to forestall their invasion."

Fang Yi continued, "The black spirits tried to invade the draconian world in the past, too, so it would be sensible for us to retaliate regardless."

Zhou Ying seemed taken aback. "All of you did that, too?"

The members of Team Zenith nodded.

Sun Mengmeng said, "No wonder! I was so puzzled as to why the black spirits in the vicinity have all vanished. I thought that the death spirits were simply recalling their forces in preparation for something big."

Yang Ze likewise remarked, "No wonder I haven't been able to find any of the black spirits recently! I thought they were making a move, but it was just the rest of you!"

Zhang Lie clutched his head. He finally understood why the death spirits had pushed up their invasion so far forward—it really was a butterfly effect caused by his actions.

Zhang Lie had wondered just which of his actions could have caused the death spirits' errant behavior. Even if the flapping of a butterfly's wings in South America were to cause a typhoon in the eastern hemisphere, there had to be a chain of events between the first and the last.

It was inconceivable that there could be spooky action at a distance. The events had to be linked somehow, and Zhang Lie had only interacted with the black spirits when they invaded the draconian world.

His successful defense shouldn't have prompted such a response. There were a large number of black spirits scattered over the three thousand worlds. The destruction of a middle-sized black spirit world would be all but irrelevant to the death spirits' plans, and there was no reason that they would rush their planned invasion forward by almost a decade as a result.

Zhang Lie now understood that what had caused the death spirits' adverse reaction wasn't his own actions, but rather those of the members of Team Zenith. Upon revealing what he knew of the death spirits to the members of Team Zenith, the future had changed.

It had felt good to share what he knew of the future back then, but the consequences of his actions were now catching up to him.

Zhang Lie couldn't help but ask, "How many of the black spirit worlds did you all attack?"

"Two," Sun Mengmeng replied.

"Three," Yang Ze said.

"Five." Fang Yi.

"One." Sun Xiaowu.

"Two." Li Feng.

"One." Zhou Ying.

Fourteen in all—fifteen, if the world that Zhang Lie had freed from the black spirits' invasion was included.

Zhang Lie almost spat out a mouthful of blood. No wonder the death spirits had moved their plan forward! They had surely found that their outposts were being destroyed at a remarkable, unprecedented rate—all because of what the members of Team Zenith had been doing!

𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

In the past, Zhang Lie had informed the members of Team Zenith about the death spirits' plans. This caused the members of Team Zenith to target the black spirits' worlds while invading the worlds neighboring the draconian world. Combined, they had destroyed fourteen black spirit outposts.

It had taken the death spirits a tremendous amount of resources to send the black spirits out into the three thousand worlds under the scrutiny of the superior worlds, but fifteen of them had been destroyed in an instant.

Zhang Lie himself would be incensed, let alone the death spirits.

Sun Xiaowu seemed confused by Zhang Lie's expression. "What's wrong, Captain?"

Zhang Lie raised his head to the sky and murmured, "Nothing. I've just realized how complicated time and fate are."

"There's nothing to fear about the black spirits—and I can't imagine the death spirits are that strong, either. Captain, we don't have to worry,"

Sun Mengmeng consoled Zhang Lie after witnessing his abnormal expression.

Zhang Lie shook his head. "The death spirits are hardly as weak as you think. The death spirit king himself is a fiend—after consuming large quantities of the world's energy, he might as well be the strongest existence in the third realm."

In Zhang Lie's past life, the death spirit king had only been killed by the nine other superior kings working together in concert—and even then, five of the nine had perished in battle.

"Stronger than you, Captain?" Sun Mengmeng asked.

Zhang Lie shrugged. "I've never fought him before. How would I know?"

Sun Mengmeng continued, "What's the third matter you wanted to speak to us about, Captain?"

Zhang Lie replied, "Actually, the second and third matters are linked. Now that the death spirit king is making his move, there'll soon be a war that encompasses all three thousand worlds. Get ready."

The members of Team Zenith nodded.

Now that they had all consumed the peak limit-breaking potion, Zhang Lie was more confident in their ability to survive and contribute during the upcoming battle.

He instructed, "I'll be sending out commands for the warlords to retreat from the frontline and to start preparing for the upcoming battle. All of you should tie up any loose ends and prepare for the war to break out at any point as well."

The members of Team Zenith nodded firmly.

Zhang Lie was about to continue describing the death spirits' potential plans when the draconian sage suddenly interrupted, "Zhang Lie, your girlfriend is looking for you."

"My girlfriend? Li Qianlin, you mean?"

He spread out his senses and noticed Li Qianlin and Dong Mingxing walking over. He immediately turned to the members of Team Zenith. "Alright, we're done here. I have other affairs to take care of, so I'll be leaving now."