Apocalypse Circular-Chapter 491 - 489: Doomsday Sanctuary

After resting for a day, Lu Luo and Lu Xiaotian returned to the Inner Ring once again.

The Inner Ring had begun to make peace overtures with the Fourth Ring. Luo Xuemin and Shi Tingyu were busily arranging the news about the peaceful reforms between the Fourth Ring and the Inner Ring. Their propaganda concept was simple: equality, which was precisely what Lu Xiaotian had genuinely promised them.

Despite some hardships in recent years, the people of the Inner Ring were still relatively prosperous. Provided they weren’t robbed or forcibly conscripted, even if the Inner Ring and the Fourth Ring merged, they could still lead fairly decent lives. Therefore, what they needed was only fairness. As long as they were treated fairly, people from the Inner Ring always believed they wouldn’t live too badly.

"They’ve started to abolish the third-class citizenship system. In the future Wasteland Alliance, there will only be citizens, no class distinctions among citizens."

"A wise choice. Luo Xuemin is quite capable. Besides, he’s your father-in-law."

"Why do you always pay attention to these weird things? I didn’t even get involved in your negotiations."

"Who knows what you’re thinking! Maybe you really can’t stand your father-in-law and want to use my hand to finish him off."

Lu Luo was somewhat speechless. Lu Xiaotian’s thoughts were always a bit different from normal people. But since she wasn’t a normal person to begin with, Lu Luo had gotten used to it.

"What will you do next?" Lu Luo changed the subject.

"Do what next?"

"The direction of the Wasteland Alliance. Will it still be called the Wasteland Alliance in the future? If not, what will this place be called then? And if the Alliance system is abolished, would you become the Emperor here? You must have been quite concerned about this before, right? So, do you really want to be the Emperor?"

Lu Luo’s questions made Lu Xiaotian somewhat overwhelmed. She scratched her head irritably. "I haven’t figured out these things yet. They’re too troublesome, especially when it comes to institutional reform. The Inner Ring needs reform, and the Fourth Ring must follow suit. The main issue is that the Fourth Ring has already gone through a reform in recent years. If it undergoes major changes again after this meeting, I don’t know if there will be any adverse reactions. As for being the Emperor... I really do want to try it. After all, I am the Monarch of Exotic Species. But I’ve never been the Emperor of humans. That feeling must be pretty nice!"

Lu Xiaotian didn’t hide her ambition, at least not in front of Lu Luo. There was no need for her to do so. This was something Lu Luo greatly admired.

"If you want to be the Emperor, you’d better learn to delegate authority, or you’ll tire yourself to death."

"Do you think I don’t know that? I have experience. I’m going to be an Empress who only needs to cultivate and doesn’t meddle in external affairs. Yes, an Empress!"

"Okay, okay, stop dreaming about being an Empress. That’s enough now." Lu Luo cut off Lu Xiaotian’s self-indulgence and pulled her back to reality.

"Hmph, you’re no fun at all. Don’t you ever have such thoughts? An Emperor! As the Emperor, you could marry many concubines. The legal right to have multiple wives—don’t you want that?"

Hearing Lu Xiaotian say this, Lu Luo did start to entertain some thoughts. Legally having multiple wives, with no one criticizing or blaming you; they’d only encourage you to produce more heirs. What? Selection of consorts too! Stop, stop, stop! I, Lu Luo, am not that kind of person.

Uh...

"Lu Luo, Lu Luo? You look really ugly drooling like that."

"Cough, cough, no, I just zoned out."

"Don’t tell me you were imagining yourself as the Emperor?"

Damn, she guessed it already? Are all women this perceptive?

Lu Luo shook his head; this was not something he would admit.

"Let’s go. Let’s visit the First Ring. That’s a place you want to see, isn’t it?"

Hearing Lu Luo mention the First Ring, Lu Xiaotian’s gaze sharpened as well. After all, that was the real core area of the Wasteland Alliance. Unfortunately, after the battle between Fan Zhen and Bai Qingshuang, it was completely abandoned. Without the Dawn Disc, the chaotic Dark Energy there became a death knell for ordinary humans. Even for Transcendents, it was impossible to survive for too long in such an environment. Only superhuman powerhouses like Lu Luo and Lu Xiaotian could ignore the Dark Energy there for extended periods.

"Let’s go! I do want to take a look."

The two of them, one after the other, arrived at the First Ring, which was right above the Doomsday Sanctuary. After the shattering of the Dawn Disc, this place had completely collapsed. On their way there, Lu Luo and Lu Xiaotian didn’t encounter any signs of life. Perhaps this place is no longer suitable for living beings.

"Not a single living thing. It seems the problem with this place isn’t just the Dark Energy!"

"Let’s head inside. Together, we should be able to open the sealed sanctuary."

"What exactly is this ’sanctuary’ you’re talking about?"

"A place where ancient humans were kept, and history was recorded."

Following his memory, Lu Luo led Lu Xiaotian to the center of the ruins. He and Lu Xiaotian exchanged glances, and he gestured towards the ground beneath their feet.

"This should be the spot. All-out effort!"

"Got it!"

They pressed their foreheads together, ensuring they were as close as possible. Then, they suddenly threw punches. Netherflame and Qi He mixed together.

An instant explosion!

BOOM!

The ground of the First Ring cracked once more. Under the combined force of their attack, a walkway appeared before them.

"Is this the place?"

"Yes, the Doomsday Sanctuary. I’ve been here once before, but I was too weak back then. Under those circumstances, I was only focused on running for my life and didn’t properly explore. However, after such a battle, I wonder how much is left here."

Lu Luo looked at the doors of the Doomsday Sanctuary, recalling some things about the sanctuary and about the Judgment Chief, Bai Qingshuang.

"Let’s go inside and take a look. If the two of us can’t handle it, then no one else in the Inner Ring can."

"Mm."

Lu Luo nodded. Things were different now; he definitely had the strength to explore this place.

Bending down, he carefully descended the stairs, cautiously observing the walkway as he entered deeper into the Doomsday Sanctuary. In the pitch-black underground, Lu Luo and Lu Xiaotian remained relatively cautious. This was, after all, the place where the ancient sages were interred and the records of the Angel Envoys were kept. No one could be sure whether there might be some terrifying existence here. Perhaps another Angel Envoy? Who could know the secrets of the underground world!

"Are you scared?" Lu Luo asked.

Lu Xiaotian just gave him a look.

"If you’re scared, I can hold your hand," Lu Luo offered.

Lu Xiaotian simply stared.

"I am Nightmare Demon," she stated.

"Ah," Lu Luo mumbled.

"I’m Eighth Order," she continued.

"Mm-hmm..." Lu Luo trailed off.

"I nearly wiped out the Inner Ring before," she added.

"Alright, alright, I get it. You’re not scared," Lu Luo conceded. He had just wanted to crack a joke to ease the atmosphere of the dark environment. But now, it seemed that the joke was not very funny.

"We’ve arrived!"

Finally, after descending for a while, they arrived in a hall that was half-collapsed. This was the same hall that Lu Luo had visited before. Many coffins were placed in every corner of the hall. The place that once reflected the light of the Dawn Disc was now empty.

"This place... it records the past of the Dawn Church." Lu Luo touched the words on the walls, murmuring. Even though it was very dark around him, he could still see things in the darkness with the power of the Observer.

On the other side, Lu Xiaotian, who was exploring on her own, also found something. She looked at a stone tablet and asked with slight curiosity, "The Sect of Truth? What exactly is that?"

"It’s a group of people who protected the truth and followed the will of the forebears. Their duty was to seal and preserve the Dawn Disc stored here. But the power of the Dawn Disc was just too strong. It corrupted people’s hearts and led to the mutation of the guardians here. The people of the Church of Truth gradually forgot the King. They became the Dawn Church, slaves to the Dawn Disc."

Lu Luo shared what he knew, but to Lu Xiaotian, this information was simply explosive.

"Did you know about all this all along?"

"Yeah, I’ve known for a few years now. Why? Is there a problem?"

"If you knew, then why didn’t you say anything? Such information, if revealed, could deal a severe blow to the Church, couldn’t it?"

"What’s the use of saying it?" Lu Luo retorted.

"Why would it be useless? If the Church lost its foundation of faith, their combat strength would also decline significantly. The conflict between the Inner Ring and the Outer Rings wouldn’t have lasted so long."

Lu Luo shook his head. "You think that way because you’re Nightmare Demon, the Nightmare Demon Monarch, possessing absolute power. That’s why you believe you could utilize this information. But back then, I was truly too weak. There was only one thing on my mind every day: to survive. To survive well, and to ensure my friends and family survived with me. Our circumstances were fundamentally different. No one would believe the words of an unknown nobody; one-sided claims are meaningless. Besides, I didn’t want to offend a behemoth like the Church. So, what difference would it have made whether I spoke out or not?"

"But I still feel that some things shouldn’t be avoided."

"This isn’t avoidance; it’s a wise choice. You haven’t experienced the weakness I faced, so don’t accuse me of avoiding it."

Disagreement flickered between them, and an air of conflict began to build. In the end, neither of them offered further explanation. Lu Xiaotian didn’t speak anymore either, seemingly sulking.

Lu Luo turned back and continued to explore the place, with no desire to explain further. Some things, one explanation is enough.

*The Observer noted: Go deeper. There’s some stray Holy Radiance. How strange.*

Following the Observer’s prompt, Lu Luo walked in the indicated direction. Upon arriving in a new room, Lu Luo discovered that it was still relatively intact, probably unaffected by the earlier conflict.

"Holy Radiance!" Lu Luo exclaimed, spotting a floating point of light in the room.

Holy Radiance hadn’t appeared in the Inner Ring for several years. The last of the Holy Radiance was the fragment of the Dawn Disc inside Qi Xinzhu’s body. But that fragment had been taken to the Imperial by Qi Xinzhu. So what exactly was this Holy Radiance here?

Lu Luo observed for a while before slowly approaching.

*The Observer assessed: It should be fine.*

This bit of Holy Radiance, like a firefly, floated in the center of the room. Occasionally it would drift, but more often than not, it remained motionless. Lu Luo’s fingers gently touched the speck of Holy Radiance.

The moment he made contact, Lu Luo sensed fragments of information. These fragments did not have a strong mental impact, but they still provided Lu Luo with some very clear images.

"A nascent will, fear, despair, struggle. It yearned to see the light but was incapable of resisting. Ultimately, this led to the birth of the Dawn Disc."

"What does that mean?" Lu Luo was confused. Are these information fragments too vague?

*The Observer reported: Above Sequence. Cannot be evaluated.*

Alright, same old story, Lu Luo thought.

He looked at the point of light in front of him. After extracting all the Holy Radiance, the source of the light was revealed. It was an extremely small fragment. Lu Luo was almost certain this was a fragment of the Dawn Disc. The reason it appeared here was probably that it was a small piece that had broken off and drifted away during the previous battle.

Lu Luo grabbed the fragment, wrapped it in a tissue, and put it in his pocket.

Can this be considered a find? he murmured to himself. He then turned to look back in the direction where Lu Xiaotian had been, only to find that the girl had disappeared.

Getting separated in a place like this is risky. That girl... she’s young but has quite a temper.

*The Observer prompted: Should you go look for her?*

Lu Luo was somewhat displeased but, after thinking it over, he nodded. After all, there was no fundamental conflict between him and Lu Xiaotian anymore. Their strength, status, and even personalities were quite compatible. This wasn’t the time to create a rift over a minor issue.

"Let’s go, let’s look for her."

...

Meanwhile, Lu Xiaotian stood in a room, a look of surprise on her face. At her feet were numerous corpses of crawlers. They were charred black, clearly having been scorched by powerful Netherflame.

"These Exotic Species... they can’t even be called Exotic Species anymore. They’re more like some kind of unconventional creatures. Their Dark Energy signature is completely different from that of normal Exotic Species. Quite interesting."

As an Exotic Species Monarch, Lu Xiaotian was very knowledgeable about their constitution. The creatures before her clearly couldn’t be considered normal Exotic Species. Of this, she was certain. If they weren’t Exotic Species, nor regular animals, and certainly not human, then these unintelligent monsters that didn’t even know fear were hard to categorize.

"Strange places always breed strange creatures. How disgusting." Lu Xiaotian clapped her hands, dusting them off, and began to survey the room.

Floating near the ceiling of the room were some bubbles. They were the same consciousness bubbles that Lu Luo and Qi Xinzhu had once seen. With Lu Xiaotian’s current strength, she could even stand outside the bubbles and see some of the events recorded within them.

"A battle from ancient times? Back then, Exotic Species don’t seem as powerful as they are today! Indeed, all creatures are continuously progressing, just like me."

Even when analyzing things, she didn’t forget to sing her own praises. That was quintessentially Lu Xiaotian.

She floated slowly in the air, carefully observing the bubbles before her. Eventually, she stopped in front of a bubble that contained a fish.

"The Sky-Curtain Behemoth – Leviathan?"