Ultragene Warlord

Chapter 268: The Imminent Disaster

The moment Zhang Lie stepped down from the array, he pushed all the children from the alien races in Zhang Hong's direction.
He strode around the dojo to raise the disciples' spirits, then quickly pulled Zhang Hanxiang into a training chamber.

They were there for two whole days.

He had had to leave momentarily to take care of the Void Throne, which the hosts of the Void Cup had just sent over, but had otherwise remained in the training chamber with his sister in an attempt to restore her paralyzed legs.

In his past life, Zhang Lie had carefully inspected Zhang Hanxiang's legs before.
The problem wasn't with her legs, but rather with a disconnect related to her central nervous system, so that had to be Zhang Lie's target.

This was why he had had to acquire the fruit of life at all costs, because this miraculous fruit would have the ability to restore function to his sister's legs.
What he had to do now was to concoct a potion with the fruit of life, have his sister ingest it, and to guide the medicinal energy in the potion to her legs by directing it with his genetic energy.

This was a long and tedious process, but as Zhang Hanxiang's brother, Zhang Lie couldn't help feeling a sense of satisfaction and joy.
After all, what was a few days of hard work compared to his sister's ability to walk?

In the afternoon of the second day, as he glanced at the golden potion in his hands, Zhang Lie shouted in triumph, “I've succeeded, Hanxiang, I've succeeded!” 

Zhang Hanxiang's eyes slowly widened as she glanced at the potion.
“Brother, does that mean that I'll really be able to stand on my own two feet?”

She clutched her wheelchair, wracked with a sudden bout of nerves.
After eighteen years of being bound to a wheelchair, would she finally be able to stand?

As Zhang Lie glanced at her trembling body, he handed her the potion.
“Drink this.
I'll need to probe your body with my genetic energy to direct the potion's effects, but if everything works, you should be able to walk on your own two feet.”

“I-In that case, brother, pl-please begin!”

“Get ready.” Zhang Lie helped transfer her to a stool, then placed his hands on her back.

Zhang Hanxiang inclined her head and swallowed the potion in a single gulp.

Zhang Lie began kneading her back, sensing the tendrils of energy from the potion, guiding them toward her neck and spine.
Though this was the first time Zhang Lie had ever taken part in such a procedure, everything went smoothly.
Zhang Lie hardly had to do anything beyond the initial prompting before the medicinal effects of the potion took hold.

From where he stood behind her, he saw one of Zhang Hanxiang's legs begin to tremble.
The motion was so weak that it was barely perceptible, but it had happened. 

For the first time in eighteen years, Zhang Hanxiang was able to sense her legs.
Tears welled up in her eyes, and she suddenly began to cry.

Zhang Lie turned to her front and hugged her, patting her back and telling her that everything would be fine.

It took Zhang Hanxiang half an hour before she could calm down from the burst of emotion she had displayed.
In fits and starts, her legs had regained sensation, and she slowly tried to stand up.

Almost immediately, she stumbled, but Zhang Lie caught her before she could fall.

As he helped her back into her wheelchair, however, Zhang Hanxiang smiled.
She was certain that it was only a matter of time before she would be able to walk on her own, to free herself of the wheelchair that had been her constant companion for her entire life.

“Brother, thank you!” She didn't know just how rare this fruit of life was, but she did know that, if she were alone, it would have been near-impossible for her to find a way to free herself of her paralysis.

Hearing her words, however, Zhang Lie frowned.
“What's there to thank? I'm your brother!”

“That's why I'm only saying it once, Brother—thank you!” Her eyes glistened with tears as she beheld her brother anew.

Zhang Lie sighed.
“We'd better prepare a training regimen for you to get used to your legs.
In a few days' time, I think we'll even be able to take a walk together.”

“Yes, Brother!”

Over the next week, Zhang Lie spent whatever time he could spare with Zhang Hanxiang, helping her with all sorts of exercises and brewing tonics and potions for her, until she really was able to walk unaided.
At present, the two of them were slowly walking around the inner courtyard of the Zenith Dojo.

“Brother, how am I doing? It's all thanks to you!” Her legs were visibly trembling from the effort, and she still wasn't able to walk particularly quickly, but even that amount of recovery in the span of a week was nothing short of miraculous.

Zhang Lie smiled.
“You're doing very well, Hanxiang.”

She turned around to face him.
“In that case, Brother, do you think I'd be able to become a hunter, just like you?”

“Ah, well, there's no rush.
Once you've fully recovered, and once we've drilled some fundamentals into you, I'll certainly let you enter the dimensional world for yourself.”

For some reason, Zhang Hanxiang seemed to be particularly devoted to becoming a hunter after she learned that she would be able to walk again, but in truth, Zhang Lie didn't want to let her take such a risk.

The reason that Zhang Hanxiang wanted to enter the dimensional world as quickly as she could was to grow strong, strong enough to help her brother, but she had no clue how massive the difference in strength between her and her brother was.

Furthermore, as far as Zhang Lie was aware, now that the Void Cup was over, there was a disaster-grade lifeform slated to make an appearance in the first realm of the dimensional world, and it would be the most dangerous period for new hunters.

“Hanxiang, trust me when I say that now's not the time.
I promise you, I'll allow you to head in the moment I know it's safe, but before then, I expect you to listen to me.
Do you understand?”

Zhang Hanxiang sighed but nodded.
“I'll wait patiently, Brother.”

Zhang Lie didn't remember when exactly the incident had occurred, only that it had happened soon after the end of the Void Cup.
It was for that reason that, even after becoming the champion of the Void Cup, Zhang Lie still hadn't headed into the second realm. 

That disaster-grade lifeform was to be Zhang Lie's final target in the first realm.
It was a lifeform that had yet to be discovered to date.
As a disaster-grade lifeform, it was even stronger than the peak-grade moonlight wyrm that Zhang Lie had faced. 

In fact, the very designation of “disaster-grade” came from the fact that it had been a disaster for all the hunters of the first realm, none of whom were able to deal any damage to such a lifeform.
Only attacks imbued with spiritual energy of greater potency than those lifeforms possessed would even be able to damage them.

Zhang Lie hadn't mentioned the existence of a diaster-grade lifeform to the members of Team Zenith, because he knew that they still wouldn't be strong enough to handle such a foe.
Although he had slated the disaster-grade lifeform as his own target, he had no idea whether he would actually be able to do so.
If not for the fact that he knew that this disaster-grade lifeform would arrive in the first realm heavily wounded, he would hardly have dared to try.

The only reason Zhang Lie thought himself able to face such a creature was because it would be terribly wounded, and it would have its powers suppressed by the will of the world.
It was a significant risk, but also a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, one that Zhang Lie had no intention to give up.

If he really were able to take down the disaster-grade lifeform, then Zhang Lie's achievements and number of gene fragments as a first-realm hunter would be unparalleled by any hunter, past or future, to come.