Apocalypse Circular-Chapter 495 - 493: Stone Tablet

"It’s not bloodline suppression; to be exact, it’s hierarchical suppression among Exotic Species. The hierarchy of Exotic Species is far more rigid than in the human world. To an Eighth Tier, a Ninth Tier is an absolute ruler, an untouchable existence. Standing before it, I couldn’t even muster the will to resist."

Lu Luo gently patted her back, helping her feel a bit more comfortable.

"Your performance just now was alright, wasn’t it? You at least withstood it with your own willpower."

"That’s because I’ve become human these past few years. To admit something embarrassing, if I hadn’t practiced human Cultivation Techniques and embraced human will, even as an Eighth Order, standing before Meiqi could have suppressed me to the point of tears."

"That outrageous? But I’ve seen other Exotic Species who don’t seem that afraid of Meiqi. Did she use some special method to control you? Like Netherflame?"

These were Lu Luo’s doubts. If Lu Xiaotian truly had such a significant issue, then confronting a Ninth Tier Angel Envoy would require more careful planning.

"No, I used to wonder if it was a problem with Netherflame. But after repeated research and investigation, I confirmed Netherflame wasn’t the issue. The problem still lies in the tier disparity between us."

"Tiers?"

"Exotic Species are said to be products of Dark Energy mutation, but they have a strange characteristic: the absolute suppression of lower tiers by higher tiers. The more powerful the higher tier, the more extreme this suppression becomes. It’s as if we were inherently designed to be controlled by them. The feeling is utterly terrible."

What Lu Xiaotian described made Lu Luo frown slightly.

If it’s really as you say, then this condition is like...

"Like it was pre-programmed, right? I couldn’t understand it before, but after you mentioned the birth of the Angel Envoys, I distinctly felt it. The Angel Envoys, or rather, Exotic Species, are like artificially engineered beings. Our existence seems designed to serve the Angel Envoys, with no room for rebellion."

Lu Luo nodded slightly. If this was true, it was indeed distressing news.

"Do you have a way to solve it?"

"Yes, that is to practice human Cultivation Techniques and gradually become more human. By doing so, I can slowly escape the hierarchical suppression of Exotic Species. These past few years, I’ve focused entirely on practicing human Cultivation Techniques, not just because my Exotic Species form hit a bottleneck, but also for this reason. Moreover, I’ve had my subordinates do the same. I’m trying to help them become human so that if the Angel Envoys truly appear one day, they won’t simply become slaves to the Angel Envoys."

Lu Luo hadn’t realized that Lu Xiaotian’s efforts to guide her subordinates toward a human path had such profound underlying reasons.

"Haven’t you told them about these things?"

"What’s the point in telling them? Creating unnecessary panic helps no one. Whether they know or not, they can’t change anything. A Sixth Tier’s combat strength is considered powerful in many places, but before an Angel Envoy, they’re like ants—at best, slightly larger ants. I want them to become human simply to prevent them from losing themselves."

Lu Luo nodded. In this respect, Lu Xiaotian had indeed put in considerable thought and effort.

Nevertheless, even within Lu Xiaotian’s faction, there were those who didn’t wish to follow human will. For example, Tong Yuan, the black cat, perished in the Imperial!

"Sigh, I originally thought the constraints of being human were already numerous, but it turns out the constraints on Exotic Species are even more absurd."

"Let’s go. Talking about this is useless; it’s all nonsense. That creature should have left by now. Let’s take this opportunity to explore this place properly."

"What do you think was the meaning behind Leviathan’s appearance just now?"

"What else could it be? It was simply a warning. But it probably can’t enter here; otherwise, it wouldn’t have been just a warning."

Lu Luo nodded, agreeing with Lu Xiaotian’s assessment.

Then, the two of them began to slowly descend, soon arriving at ground level.

This so-called Floating City did exist, but it was now in a half-ruined state. And it doesn’t seem like normal decay. Could it be internal, or perhaps external, destruction?

"Did Leviathan’s impact just now affect this place?"

"I don’t know, but to destroy a city to this extent would require quite a number of impacts."

Lu Luo looked at the ruins before him and nodded. "Indeed, considering the intensity of that impact, it would have taken thousands, if not tens of thousands, of hits to reduce this place to complete ruins. If that’s the case, then why would Leviathan want to destroy this place?"

"Perhaps there’s something here it wants to bury."

"Something to bury? That’s indeed a possibility."

At this point, the two stayed close together, as the dangers here were likely several levels higher than even the Doomsday Sanctuary. Who knew what special creatures might be lurking.

Devour the World’s Core!

Lu Luo clasped his hands together, directly summoning the Devourer’s strongest form.

A multitude of tendrils burst from the ground, some even sprouting directly from the void. Then he began to use these tentacles for a very promising task... moving bricks.

"Your Sequence is quite useful."

"Of course. If I were moving bricks, one of me would be worth ten others."

Lu Luo cracked a rare joke, and Lu Xiaotian actually smiled. Her mood had been grim ever since she saw Leviathan. Thankfully, Lu Luo was there; otherwise, she might have become completely withdrawn by now.

"Found anything?"

After a few hours of moving bricks, Lu Xiaotian asked Lu Luo.

Lu Luo, after discarding a huge stone slab, shook his head slightly in disappointment. "The destruction here is too severe. Although traces of civilization are evident, this level of devastation has ruined the city’s very foundations."

"Is that so? Does that mean we’ll come out empty-handed?"

Lu Xiaotian sounded somewhat disappointed, and Lu Luo shook his head helplessly. "It’s hard to say right now, but it’s true we haven’t found anything. Perhaps we really will leave empty-handed."

"Well, that’s alright. As long as we know there’s a problem here, that’s enough. If there were no issue, Leviathan wouldn’t have bothered with all this trouble."

Lu Luo nodded, then continued to move bricks, a task he was quite adept at.

Initially, he had tried to preserve some stone blocks, but he gradually began to simply destroy them. Demolition was always much simpler than careful extraction. He was short on time, so he needed to act quickly.

Lu Xiaotian guessed his intentions, so even when she saw Lu Luo causing some destruction, she didn’t stop him.

Lu Luo’s demolition continued for a long time. If time could be measured here, a full day would likely have passed.

Their exploration began in the center of the ruined city. Using the center as a reference point, Lu Luo had already covered a significant area.

Just as he was about to lose hope and prepare to leave, THUD! A muffled sound echoed through the ruins.

Lu Luo felt a sharp pain at the tips of his tendrils. Something here was much harder than his tendrils!

"What’s that sound?"

"I hit something hard."

"A hard object?"

"Yes, very hard!" Lu Luo knew the strength of his tendrils well, so he felt a flicker of anticipation for what lay beneath.

"Let’s hope it doesn’t disappoint us."

Hearing Lu Luo say this, Lu Xiaotian’s eyes also lit up. They had been on the verge of giving up when, unexpectedly, they made a promising discovery!

"Quick, dig it out and let’s see."

"Don’t rush; I’m afraid of damaging it."

Although Lu Luo knew the object below was very hard and unlikely to be damaged by brute force, he still proceeded with caution. After all, this might be their only significant find.

"Here it comes!"

Lu Luo carefully dragged the hidden object out from the wasteland debris.

The object was large and heavy. According to the perception of Lu Luo’s tendrils, it seemed to be rectangular.

Soon, a huge black monolith appeared before them. It was densely inscribed with a large amount of text and illustrations.

Even though Lu Luo couldn’t recognize the script, he immediately realized. "Could this be a hero’s monument?"

"Yes, it’s a hero’s monument. It records the past deeds of this place’s heroes."

Lu Xiaotian’s voice trembled slightly. Lu Luo looked at her curiously, "Do you recognize the script?"

"Yes, I do. Although I don’t know why I recognize it, I just do! This records some of the Angel Envoys’ past—their true past!"

Lu Luo could understand Lu Xiaotian’s excitement. Perhaps the suppression from the Ninth Tier had placed immense psychological pressure on her, or perhaps she saw in it the hope of breaking through to the Ninth Tier. In any case, this monument was clearly significant.

"What does it say? Tell me."

Lu Xiaotian took a deep breath and then sat down beside the stone monolith. Touching the inscriptions with her finger, she began to translate for Lu Luo: "In the year 941 of Ai Qiya, the Fourth Angel Envoy, Rothias the Fusioner, appeared."

"Rothias the Fusioner?"

Lu Luo knew S-04 was the Fusioner, but this was the first time he’d heard its full name. So, it was once called Rothias, the Fusioner.

"What then?"

"The place where Rothias appeared is called Gangze, an abandoned swamp. Its power is to fuse all things, converting them into energy and flesh. In Gangze, about 900,000 aberrant creatures initiated a spontaneous sacrifice. Among them were seven Eighth Order creatures. These creatures, as if guided by someone or some unseen force, unwittingly built a special sacrificial altar from their own flesh and blood. This altar was called the Skyfall Altar. And the purpose of this altar was to facilitate the birth of Rothias the Fusioner."

Upon hearing this, Lu Luo was incredibly baffled. 900,000? What did that number even mean? 900,000 aberrant creatures... that had to mean 900,000 Exotic Species, right? If there were truly seven Eighth Order Exotic Species among them, that force would be powerful enough to nearly destroy the entire Wasteland Alliance. And all of this for a single sacrifice? From what Lu Xiaotian was saying, this sacrifice would consume the lives of all 900,000 of them! This was simply too outrageous!

"Hey, hey, wait a minute. Are you serious? Nine hundred thousand Exotic Species? Even if they were 900,000 pigs, it would take days to slaughter them all. Sacrificing 900,000 Exotic Species?"

Hearing Lu Luo’s doubt, Lu Xiaotian turned her head and glanced at him. "Are you going to listen or not? If you don’t want to, I won’t continue."

"Alright, alright, go on. I won’t interrupt you."

Lu Luo was somewhat speechless. Couldn’t one even ask a question at a time like this? These people were truly unreasonable.

Lu Xiaotian turned back around and continued to translate the text on the monolith.

"In mid-July, the 900,000 aberrant creatures finally gathered, piling up beside the altar to await the descent of Heavenly Fury. Heavenly Fury instantly ignited the altar, incinerating all the aberrant creatures. Rothias the Fusioner was born at that exact moment. It symbolized chaotic power, the corruption of bloodlines, and ultimate fusion. It was terrifying. To defeat Rothias, the Imperial dispatched a large number of troops and enlisted the aid of three enlightened Supreme Sages. Ultimately, they defeated Rothias by the shores of the Lake of Eternal Sleep and sealed it away."

Lu Xiaotian’s account was very detailed, or rather, the monolith recorded it with great precision.

Being a hero’s monument, it also recorded the names of the heroes who defeated Rothias. Besides these heroes, the casualty numbers of the regular army were also noted. To seal the Fourth Angel Envoy, Rothias, they sacrificed 130,000 ordinary soldiers, 15,000 Transcendents, including over ten Seventh Tier individuals. Fortunately, no Eighth Order masters were lost.

The information on this monolith was remarkably comprehensive, giving Lu Luo and Lu Xiaotian a clearer understanding of the Angel Envoys’ power.

"The Angel Envoys are really powerful!"

"Yes, and they are becoming stronger and stronger."

"Hmm. In the past, an Angel Envoy was an ’it.’ Now, an Angel Envoy is a ’he.’"

Lu Luo used a personifying term, which Lu Xiaotian understood as well.

Just as recorded here, the Angel Envoys of the past were mindless. Being mindless, they were relatively easy to deal with. Through overwhelming force, there was always a way to defeat and seal them. Humanity merely needed to develop its own strength sufficiently to keep them contained.

However, after a millennium of being sealed, the Angel Envoys were no longer just about raw power. Their intelligence had also grown over the years.

Ancient wisdom, combined with formidable power—that’s what makes the Angel Envoys truly terrifying now. Perhaps their ability to learn isn’t as quick as humans’, and maybe their intellect isn’t as sharp. But their true strength lies in their incredibly long lifespans and their virtual immortality. Under these circumstances, humanity faces an enormous disadvantage.

"This is preposterous!"