Chapter 1274: Preparation to Leave  

Zhang Lie's stare was somewhat vacant. He looked in a direction where there was nothing to be seen, murmuring to himself, "Better that it be fast. If it has to end, it might as well be quick."

Zhu asked, "I worked hard to get everything on your list for you quickly, Zhang Lie, and I wouldn't have succeeded if not for the fact that the will of the realm's blessing caused herbs to spawn all over. However, it seems like you're somewhat upset. Did I do something wrong?"

Zhang Lie patted Zhu's head. "No, I'm very happy. Thank you for your hard work, Zhu."

Zhu replied, "But Zhang Lie, you don't look happy at all! What happened?"

"Nothing. I'm just a little unwilling to end things like this."

Zhu grabbed Zhang Lie's hands. "I'll miss you too, Zhang Lie! I wish I could leave with you."

Zhang Lie patted Zhu's head. "I'll miss you too, Zhu, but you're the ruler of the third realm now, and you can't head off with me before things have stabilized. You need to remain here to maintain law and order, and the fourth realm is very dangerous. I wouldn't be able to guarantee your safety there."

"I know you don't belong here, Zhang Lie, so I won't try to keep you behind. I hope you'll be able to move forward without any burdens, that you can proudly puff out your chest as you continue forth in your journey. We'll always be watching you from the back."

Zhang Lie kneaded her head, causing her to scream and giggle.

"It's way too early for you to be consoling me!"

Zhu smiled.

Zhang Lie continued, "I won't be leaving just yet. There are some preparations I'll need to make ahead of time, and I'll need some time to carry out the research for producing these limit-breaking potions as well."

Zhu instantly beamed. "Excellent! I was worried that you would ascend to the fourth realm immediately after I found the ingredients."

Every additional day that Zhang Lie remained in the third realm left Zhu at ease. Even if he weren't by her side, the fact that he was somewhere she could sense and touch calmed her.Along with Zhu, Zhang Lie headed toward the medicinal research laboratory of the draconian kingdom, which Zhang Lie had requested the draconian sage to construct.

Zhang Lie turned to her. "I heard that the high council of the third realm is about to be founded. As the council head, don't you need to be preparing?"

Zhu seemed gobsmacked. "What does the high council have to do with me?"

"Aren't you the head of the realm?"

"That's right."

"And didn't the draconian sage, Li Zongming, the Lie king, and Yun Bing all nominate you as the council head?"

"That's right."

"And you haven't been doing anything at all when the high council's about to be founded?"

Zhu replied naturally, "Why, being by your side is far more important than any of that!"

She knew that Zhang Lie was about to ascend to the fourth realm, and every additional second she spent with him was inordinately precious.

Zhang Lie grumbled, "You shouldn't shirk your duties like that..."

"Even if I did attend, I wouldn't be able to contribute anything. I know little of governance; on the other hand, the draconian sage, Li Zongming, the Lie king, and Yun Bing are easily able to take care of everything."

Zhang Lie rolled his eyes. "You're just going to let everyone else do all the work, then?"

"I learned from the best, after all!"

Zhang Lie had united the three thousand worlds and then tossed her the position of ruler of the unified world as he prepared to ascend to the fourth realm.

The governance of the third realm had been established by Zhang Lie and his allies, but Zhang Lie himself hadn't had to do a thing. He was precisely the role model whom Zhu had learned.Zhang Lie himself knew that he didn't have any right to criticize Zhu, and the two of them walked into the draconian kingdom's medicinal research laboratory.

The laboratory was far more crowded than it had been previously. Because of the unification of the world, the entire world had received the blessing of the realm, and all sorts of miraculous herbs had popped out of the ground, never before seen or recorded in history. Some herbs thought to be extinct had even made a reappearance.

All the pillmasters and herbalists of the unified world were working hard to research these herbs, and the laboratories all over the world were fuller than they had ever been.

As they entered the laboratory, Zhang Lie headed straight for the Yeluo chieftain.

The Yeluo chieftain had been the one to construct the medicinal research laboratory, and he was also the head scientist in charge.

His hair was in disarray and sticking haphazardly upward, and his eyes had huge bags. It was apparent he hadn't slept well for a long time, but he was clearly brimming with joy and excitement.

After the sudden, bewildering rise in the growth of herbs all over the world, the Yeluo chieftain had encountered herbs that he knew nothing about and had never seen before day after day, and the possibility of new discoveries invigorated him.

Upon seeing Zhang Lie, he grew even happier. "You're here now, Your Majesty! I've been looking for you and the draconian sage!"

Zhang Lie replied, "As I've said before, after ascending to the third realm, I'm no longer the king of the kingdom of Limit. There's no need for you to address me as royalty."

The Yelo chieftain replied, "We might be in the third realm, far away from your kingdom, Your Majesty, but the kingdom of Limit has remained in my heart all along. I frequently dream of it, of conquering the world with you, and you'll always be my king at heart."

Zhang Lie couldn't help but chuckle. "You've really learned how to flatter me, haven't you?"magic

Conquering the world—why, ever since the Yeluo clan joined the kingdom of Limit, they had focused all their efforts to researching the properties of plants and herbs. The number of battles they had participated in could be counted on a single hand.

The Yeluo chieftain smiled. "Blame those newbies. We've had a batch of new researchers recently. They're not very skilled at anything but flattery, though."

Only then did Zhang Lie notice the newcomers.

"This laboratory has really grown famous, hasn't it?"

The Yeluo chieftain's smile grew wider. "It's all thanks to your endowment, Your Majesty, along with the chance at development the draconian sage granted us. Otherwise, we would never have been able to build this laboratory or ascend to the third realm."

"As the head of the laboratory, you must manage over a thousand people now, yes?"

The draconian kingdom's medicinal research laboratory had produced significant and considerable results under the leadership of the Yeluo chieftain, and the laboratory had expanded to a significant extent since then. The fact that it controlled so much space within the capital itself was testament to its importance.

The laboratory was now a resource fully intertwined and integrated with the draconian kingdom.