Ultragene Warlord

Chapter 600: Renaming the Realm

Behind Team Zenith were the members of the Yeluo clan, seated in a carriage. As thanks for their contribution in developing the Yeluo poison, Zhang Lie gave them a prominent spot in the procession.

Above them, the flying crag eagles traced out rainbows in the air.

The rock spirits, each as large as a walking castle, followed behind the Yeluo tribe. They were accompanied by the wood spirits, who shone with a glittering green glow.

The four races that had been with Renhuang since the very beginning were treated with respect befitting their station.

As the dragon carriage finally looped around the city and stopped at the newly constructed palace, Yun Bing and the others formed an escort in two orderly rows as they waited for Zhang Lie to step down from the carriage.

Zhang Lie saw many familiar faces—the lord of Qi, Zhou Liao, Xia Na, and so on. He raised his head and glanced at the palace as he steadily walked onward.

The palace had been built in the style of ancient Chinese architecture but updated with modern principles, and it had clearly taken painstaking effort.

Following Zhang Lie were the Yeluo chieftain, the shaman of the wood spirits, the members of Team Zenith—all those who had contributed to Renhuang from the very beginning.

As they were nearing the top of the ?castle, a slender figure in a black cloak emerged. Her cloak was embroidered with a dragonwolf, one that seemed to be caught mid-leap. It was clearly the work of a talented artisan.

Zhang Lie's eyebrows rose. "You've arrived at the second realm already?"

Zhang Hanxiang stuck out her tongue. "I heard you were going to be crowned king, so I worked hard the last few months hoping to give you a surprise.

Well? Did it succeed?"

"Of course! I'm very glad you could be here for the most illustrious point in my career as a hunter to date."

Zhang Lie took in the sight of his sister that he hadn't seen in years. He flicked her nose and asked her casually, "How are your gene fragments looking?"

Zhang Hanxiang wrinkled her nose. "Sister Mengmeng has already arranged for me to cap my regular and mutated gene fragments, and I just have superior and peak ones left."

Zhang Lie nodded. "There's no need to rush. It won't help you if you take in too many gene fragments without learning how to make use of your new strength appropriately or efficiently."

"Yes, Brother!" Zhang Hanxiang nodded, then clasped a cloak around Zhang Lie's back. She stood back and watched on as Zhang Lie ascended to the dais in front of him, her eyes filled with pride and adoration.

Atop the dais was a crown. At this point in the ceremony, someone was supposed to place it on him, but no one in the second realm dared to claim that honor.

Zhang Lie had no choice but to put in on himself; it was a great honor, but also one saddled with heavy responsibility.

That said, the crown felt surprisingly light on his head.

Zhang Lie summoned his blade Guicang from his soulspace and raised it high into the air. A pillar of light emanated from the blade and shot into the heavens, shining even more brightly than the sun. As the sword flashed, the sky began to crack.

Zhang Lie made what seemed like a series of aimless strokes, but by the time he was done, one word was displayed prominently in the sky for all to see: Limit.

Carved out of Zhang Lie's sword energy, the word didn't dissipate, even after quite some time had passed. It seemed as though it would remain forever above the sky of Renhuang.

Zhang Lie sheathed his sword and announced, "Witness the rise of our new kingdom—the kingdom of Limit!"

His reservoir of genetic energy allowed his voice to be carried far and wide throughout the realm. It felt as though Zhang Lie's words were ingrained in everyone's heads.

"Limit, the kingdom of Limit!"

"We've suffered through a terrible war, but in doing so, we've vanquished the sura and ended their tyranny over the second realm. From today onwards, I announce that the second realm shall be named the limit realm!"

His domineering voice shook the entire realm, along with the lifeforms and the will of the world within. The news that Zhang Lie had just founded a kingdom and renamed the entire realm quickly spread across the Milky Way, shocking everyone who heard it.

The hunters' forums were quickly peppered with posts suggesting that Zhang Lie didn't have the capacity or authority to do so.

"Not even a monarch has the right to change the name of the realm! Who gave you that authority?"

"If you want to be a king, so be it—but what makes you think you can change the name of the realm just like that? I'm not buying it!"

"Right? It's almost as though Zhang Lie's becoming a sura monarch himself!"

Of course, there were those who sided with him.

"Actually, isn't it reasonable? After all, we've all but hunted the sura to extinction. When the sura ruled the second realm, they called the realm the sura realm. Since Zhang Lie's now our de facto ruler, doesn't it make sense that he can rename it too?"

"Exactly! Don't you think it's ludicrous to continue calling the second realm the sura realm if there are no sura within it?"

"No, I disagree! The people who actually should get to decide the name of the realm should be the inhabitants of the second realm, not us inhabitants of the Milky Way! Only they have the right to name their realm—we're nothing more than passersby to whom the second realm is just a stop on our journey to the third realm. On the other hand, those who were born in the second realm are tied to that realm, and only they should have the opportunity to name their home."

"He's not wrong. Zhang Lie's not an inhabitant of the second realm, and he has no right to name it."

"Oh? Talk to Zhang Lie about it, then—or become as strong as he is, first!"

"Why should Zhang Lie listen to the likes of you?"

"That said, how did the second realm end up being called the sura realm in the first place?"

"Apparently, by the time the first hunters made it into the second realm, it was already dominated by the sura, who called it the sura realm. These inhabitants are now Zhang Lie's citizens, so Zhang Lie's choice of name does reflect the second realm's inhabitants' will!"

The decision caused quite a stir, but most people agreed that Zhang Lie had such a right.

While it would be a stretch to say that the entirety of the second realm belonged to Zhang Lie, he did control a significant majority of it. As the ruler of all that land, he had a say in the name of the realm.

Furthermore, as long as the original inhabitants of that land accepted the new name, there was no problem at all.

After the ceremony was over, Zhang Lie finally allowed himself to lounge lazily within the palace. Just as he sat down, however, Zhang Hanxiang came over to find him.

"I can't believe you didn't tell me before coming to the second realm," Zhang Lie groused.

"Don't be like that, Brother. I just wanted to give you a surprise—you didn't tell me you were going to be crowned king, either! I'm your only kin now, and of course I have to attend such an illustrious ceremony."

Zhang Lie scratched his head in embarrassment. "To be honest, I find these ceremonies quite annoying. I only did it on Yun Bing and the others' request to demonstrate the might of mankind. In fact, I don't plan to ever host such ceremonies again."

Zhang Hanxiang shook her head seriously. "No, Brother, you have to! You know how proud our parents would be to see you like this."

"Oh? If that's really the case... very well." Zhang Lie caressed Zhang Hanxiang's head, his voice gentle and endearing.

Zhang Hanxiang suddenly raised her head. "Wait, Brother, if you're a king, then am I a princess?"

Zhang Lie rubbed his sister's head again. "If you were a princess, then I'd be a prince, not a king."

"Oh, that's true. In that case, I'd be—"

"I suppose you'd still be a princess, though each planet has its own, unique designation. Princesses and princes are still quite standard on the whole, though."

Zhang Hanxiang smiled. "Very well, Brother, ?I'll be the princess of Limit!"