Apocalypse Circular-Chapter 542 - 540: Breaking Through the Shackles of Eighth Order

The evening sky still harbored the sun, yet with the appearance of Lu Luo, the sun lost all its luster.

The World Devourer, the origin of energy absorption.

All light, heat, and even the Dark Energy scattered in the air.

Microorganisms and Exotic Species in the vicinity were being absorbed by the fine tendrils extended by Lu Luo.

He was like a black hole, greedily consuming everything around, taking in everything here.

Whether it was life or energy, under Lu Luo's absorption, everything turned into nothingness.

Lu Luo looked on indifferently, not knowing if his current state could be considered transcendent.

Yet, this feeling of disregard for life was stronger than any moment before.

[Your current state is a bit off, should you restrain yourself a bit?]

Lu Luo paid no heed to the Observer's prompt; his current state almost epitomized the notion of disregarding everything.

Everything before his eyes, he saw as nothingness.

Everything was particles, with no differentiation between life, matter, or even energy.

He could absorb all particles, control all particles, and even reshape all particles.

At this moment, he was God!

"Continue!"

Like a black hole, Lu Luo continued to madly absorb everything around him, and his gaze grew more indifferent with this absorption.

Such coldness could almost devour everything.

The Observer seemed to sense Lu Luo's will and ceased to speak, sincerely staying quiet, patiently waiting for Lu Luo's absorption!

Outside the walls of the Wasteland Alliance, in Meiqi's Upside-Down Sea, Leviathan suddenly appeared before Meiqi, who was resting.

"Do you feel it?"

Meiqi, who was feigning sleep, didn't seem to hear Leviathan's words, changed her position, and continued to rest, with her cheek propped up.

But at this moment, Leviathan naturally had no time to waste with Meiqi here.

He walked directly forward, taking Meiqi's arm.

"I'm talking to you, did you hear me?"

"What's the matter? There's no need to make a big fuss; it's just a breakthrough. Have you never had a breakthrough before?"

Meiqi's indifferent demeanor caused Leviathan to frown slightly. He felt that the woman before him was somewhat unreasonable.

"Don't you feel something's wrong? His power, it's clearly abnormal! He's absorbing everything around him, just like Xu once did!"

When mentioning Xu, fear was evident in Leviathan's eyes.

It seemed the former World Devourer had left an indelible impression on him.

"After more than 1,000 years, I can't believe you're still so afraid of him. With such a big gap in strength between you two now, don't you find it laughable?"

"What's so funny about that? Isn't its existence terrifying? It is the epitome of world destruction; its very existence meant to destroy this world. It is the true Destroyer."

Leviathan's voice grew louder, and by the end, there was an almost deafening quality to it.

The waves of the Upside-Down Sea surged with his voice.

This powerful impact caused all nearby creatures to shrink in place, shivering.

"There's no need to be so tense. It's just a breakthrough, as I've said before. Being an incarnation of Xu, it's natural for his breakthrough to have such intensity. Moreover, his breakthrough is actually good for us, understand?"

"An incarnation of Xu? Do you really think I don't know anything? Even the former Xu could not have been this powerful at the Eighth Order. Lu Luo's growth has become uncontrollable! Meiqi, don't you understand yet? His condition, his actions, have already gone beyond your initial control. Why do you still pretend to be unaware?"

Leviathan's questions rendered Meiqi slightly silent.

"Leviathan, you don't need to be so surprised. Everything is within my grasp. From the beginning, Lu Luo has been growing according to my plan. His trajectory hasn't surprised me, so I don't need to worry about anything. Do you understand now?"

Meiqi's tenacity made Leviathan sense something amiss. Logically, Meiqi's observational skills should be above his.

Although the Angel Envoys are ranked, their strength can grow over time and with resources.

He is the eighth Angel Envoy, and Meiqi is the tenth.

Yet Meiqi's accumulation and experience over the years undoubtedly surpassed his by a lot.

After all, she mastered the power of Netherflame, then cultivated a vast amount of resources and forces in the Upside-Down Sea.

In the end, she even managed to infiltrate the Wasteland's interior with her abilities.

Though she wasn't successful, it was enough to show the magnitude of Meiqi's influence.

In such a case, how could she fail to notice something wrong with Lu Luo?

There must be an issue, and the issue lies with Meiqi herself.

"Meiqi, regarding Lu Luo, do you know something that I don't?"

"Leviathan, you're overthinking it. Not everything in the world is unknowable. Our births, our growth, they're all the same."

"Don't overthink it. Just recover properly; the battle will be upon us soon!"

Meiqi's hair swiftly turned into a snake's head, and Leviathan knew this was Meiqi's strongest combat state.

He had already enraged her, so it was best not to continue the conversation.

"Meiqi, as you said, our births are all the same. But over these thousand years, our purposes too have gradually changed. I don't know what you're ultimately pursuing, but regardless, I want you to know. Don't do things that go against the will of the Exotic Species. We have been waiting for a millennium. This world should belong to us now."

"I know. You can go now."

Meiqi's airy words left Leviathan feeling somewhat helpless.

He didn't understand why Meiqi would react like this.

However, he wasn't without a solution! Lu Luo. If he just killed Lu Luo, all problems would be resolved.

"I'm leaving. I wish you good luck."

"I hope so."

Leviathan departed, leaving Meiqi alone in the immense underwater world.

She sat on her throne, somewhat lonely.

With a slight gesture, a bottle of red wine appeared in her hand.

She poured herself a glass, then downed it in one gulp.

"More and more people are becoming aware. Lu Luo, how much time do you have left?"

In the Imperial Capital, holding a string of prayer beads, Con-vexity slightly lifted his head to look westward.

There was something there he detested, an energy that made him somewhat fearful.

"Another powerful human? It doesn't feel quite right... This aura, why does it have a scent of the Exotic Species?"

He sniffed the air, his gaze abruptly becoming stern.

"It turns out to be that kid, Lu Luo... How has it happened so fast? He's been summoned back again? What exactly is Meiqi doing?"

Con-vexity still had Meiqi's previous request: to learn as much as possible about Lu Luo when he was in the Imperial Capital and to ensure his safety.

But during the months Lu Luo spent in the Imperial Capital, the two of them didn't even meet face to face, and Con-vexity failed to fulfill any protective duties.

Being far away in the Doomsday Halo, Meiqi couldn't demand him to do anything.

But today's situation was quite clearly not normal.

Lu Luo's breakthrough speed was undoubtedly abnormal.

Even with the blessing of the Devourer, as the incarnation of Xu, his strength shouldn't be improving this fast!

An Angel Envoy's growth is not the same as a human's.

If you consider the tier points, human growth is generally incremental. It goes like 1+2+3+4+5... The higher the tier, the more energy, time, and insight are required.

The state of an Angel Envoy, however, is periodic. They go from 1+20 to reach the Lord state, then enter a period of immersion, +1+1+100, to reach the Monarch state. Following another period of immersion, they finally add +500 to enter the Angel Envoy form.

The direction of breakthroughs is different for each, but they all require some time to grow.

But Lu Luo is different; the terrifying aspect of him is that the time needed between each tier is almost the same.

Only the stage from the Sixth to Seventh Tier, breaking through from a mid-level being to a high-level being, takes a considerably longer time.

Otherwise, even the breakthrough from the Seventh Tier to the Eighth Order doesn't take an outrageous amount of time!

And the Eighth Order is the limit that normal humans can reach.

While Con-vexity was focused on the west, he didn't notice that deep within the palace, another pair of eyes was watching him.

Fortunately, after a while, these eyes shifted their gaze away and also looked in Lu Luo's direction.

At this moment, everyone was watching Lu Luo. Humans, Exotic Species, Angel Envoys alike.

Some were afraid, others expectant. They didn't know what they were anticipating, nor did they understand why they should feel fear.

Lu Luo, in the midst of his breakthrough, was oblivious to all of this.

At this time, he was completely immersed in his own world.

The Observer's hints seemed to have become unimportant.

In a sense, Lu Luo could now disregard the Observer, or rather, he had gained some measure of control over the Observer.

The Observer had become a part of his body. A true talent Sequence!

After what seemed like an eternity, the devouring finally stopped.

[Unity]

Many iridescent scales flashed across Lu Luo's body.

When he slowly opened his eyes, he could hardly believe what lay before him.

Void, nothingness!

Beneath his feet was a huge pit. Judging by its shape, it must have been the result of the Devourer expanding outward from him as its center, absorbing everything.

Everything around had disappeared.

Lu Luo couldn't even feel the air around him.

However, from the Observer's perception, after he finished devouring, the surrounding air had started moving in his direction.

Living creatures, however, still dared not approach.

All living matter that had existed within the range of his devouring had become nothingness at this moment, turning into nourishment for Lu Luo's breakthrough.

The Eighth Order, achieved so naturally!

Lu Luo stretched out a hand, and strange patterns appeared on his palm.

Lu Luo remembered; these should be the Sequence patterns from the Doomsday Disc.

By this time, they had materialized onto his body.

Not just on his palms, but on his body, legs, and even his eyeballs, similar patterns could be found.

The power of the Sequence could now be exerted to its utmost by him.

"What's my current state?"

[Above the Sequence, I cannot answer.]

Lu Luo was slightly stunned—this answer seemed a bit like shirking responsibility.

"I can't even check on myself anymore?"

[To be precise, that's indeed the case.]

Lu Luo smiled, not pressing the Observer for answers, but slowly raising his head to look up at the sky, still regaining its color.

"Are you really welcoming me? What is the ultimate purpose?"

Lu Luo murmured to himself, as if querying some presence.

But he received no response.

Lu Luo didn't mind. He glanced at his naked body and suddenly made a motion of grasping at the void with his bare hands.

CRACKLE!

Suddenly, Lu Luo's body moved a distance out of thin air, leaving a blurred afterimage in his original spot.

"Interesting!"

Having sensed the power of instantaneous movement, Lu Luo clenched his fists again.

Countless tentacles appeared out of nowhere and instantly obliterated a distant mountain.

Steam and toxin sprayed from the pores of the tentacles, all part of Lu Luo's own abilities.

Originally, these abilities and the power of the Sequence were totally unrelated.

But now, under the influence of the Doomsday Disc and his own Essence of Life, all his Sequences could manifest Lu Luo's own powers.

That is to say, his tentacles could now unleash Deliberate Bombardment Fist, or even perform abilities like Soul Sunder Strike.

This sounded significant, but Lu Luo knew it was actually meaningless now.

He had come to understand some things that he should have always known but had been unaware of.

It seemed... it was time for him to make a choice.

Flashes of the past flickered through Lu Luo's mind.

"Truly nostalgic!"

In the afternoon, Lu Luo changed into a new set of clothes and returned to the Half-Mountain Villa.

As soon as he entered the door, Bai Yuetong ran over with a triumphant face.

"Lu Luo, Lu Luo, I have great news for you."

"You're pregnant?"

Lu Luo blurted out. Bai Yuetong froze. How could her meticulously prepared surprise be guessed so easily?

"How did you know?"

"I have some special abilities that let me know about your pregnancy in advance. Plus, with the look on your face, you're clearly overjoyed. Even if you didn't tell me, I could have guessed. The only thing that could make you this happy would be if you were pregnant."

"Hmph, that's no fun."

Dumb Hair turned her head away, but at this moment, Lu Luo took her hand.

"We're finally going to have a child, Dumb Hair."

"Yes, husband, we're finally going to have a child."

Dumb Hair pressed her forehead against Lu Luo's back, embracing him from behind.

She rarely called Lu Luo 'husband', but today's joy had completely taken over her mind.

She just wanted to be intimate with Lu Luo, to feel his warmth and... passion!

"While it's still okay... how about it?"

"Really? Are you sure?" Lu Luo looked at Bai Yuetong doubtfully.

"Yes, it is."

"Then I'll be careful."

Soon, melodious tunes filled the villa, and even Qi Xinzhu, who was busy educating her child, slightly frowned.

What made her frown wasn't Lu Luo and Dumb Hair, but the thought that she might not have anyone to help her with the child in the future.

Thinking about it now, Bai Yuetong was quite useful most of the time.

"What a pity, we're down one laborer!"

"Mom, are you talking about Little Mom?"

"How did you know? Because you always say Little Mom is dumb, but isn't she known as the smartest person in the entire Circular? And isn't Little Mom older than you? Why is she called Little Mom?"

Qi Xinzhu's eyes narrowed slightly, as if she was reminiscing, yet also savoring a victory.

After a while, she slowly said, "Because your Little Mom lost to me, that's why she's Little Mom! As to why I say she's dumb, she really is dumb! If she were smart, she wouldn't have lost to me—she would have at least had a chance to get ahead."

Lu Xiaofang looked at Qi Xinzhu. She rarely saw her mother with this kind of smile. It was somewhat mischievous!

"Alright then, although I don't know why Mom is so confident, it seems that the result is just that!"

In the following days, Lu Luo spent quality time with his family.

Bai Yuetong had the happiest time of her life as well.

Until the afternoon of the seventh day, when Zhang Changming made a call.

"Hello, is this Lu Luo?"

"Old Zhang, what's up?"

"A few more princes and princesses have died..."

Zhang Changming's tone was somber, and Lu Luo also frowned slightly.

Because his previous judgment was that the Angel Envoy in the palace needed to consume the life force of the royal family and decrease their numbers to achieve Awakening.

His seal was likely related to the number of princes and princesses.

"Old Zhang, do you know if there are some members of the royal family who are not crowned with the titles of princes or princesses?"

"I'm aware of that. What about it?"

"Help me check their current situation."

Zhang Changming wasn't quite sure why Lu Luo was suddenly inquiring about this, but since he had asked, with his current abilities, he certainly had the means to investigate.

"It's not hard to look into, but there are a lot of them, and the relationships are somewhat complicated. I estimate it'll take about one day."

"One day is fine, just make it quick."

"Got it. Can you come back now? The situation in the Imperial Capital is unstable. Without you, Wu Yi and Princess Wu Ye Ji are somewhat at a loss. They want to align with some Imperial Family members, but at this time, no one is willing to believe them. His Majesty the Emperor is absent, the Elder of the Bai Family hasn't appeared, and the Director-General hasn't shown up either. To these people, the matter of the Angel Envoy is just a rumor, holding no decisive significance. Lu Luo... we..."

Zhang Changming's anxiety was something Lu Luo could completely understand. He too had felt the same anxiety twenty days ago.

But at that time, no one could sense his anxiety.

However, by now, he wasn't that anxious anymore.

"Hmm, rest assured, I'll be back soon. Tell them to relax too. If it's not possible to arrange an alliance, then don't make too many moves. Because right now, we don't know who is human and who is a ghost."

Zhang Changming understood what Lu Luo meant. He was suspecting that there were traitors among the royal family.

"Would the human royals actually side with the Angel Envoy?"

"Why not? All the royal offspring are fighting for the positions of the four great princes and the Emperor, creating conflict and disputes. And the outcome for the losers isn't good. They are treated like commodities by the victors, sold, or even given away. Under such circumstances, those who know they cannot win might side with the Angel Envoy for a future. There's nothing inappropriate about that. Because by siding with the Angel Envoy, at the very least you won't lose, and even if you do lose, it won't be as terrible. What do you think?"

Zhang Changming nodded.

"I got it. So next I should just help you check on the news of the royal offspring, right?"

"That's right, in detail. Then wait for me to return."

"Okay."

Zhang Changming hung up the phone and stared at it, lost in thought.

Somewhere along the way, Lu Luo had become their pillar of strength.

And he didn't feel the slightest bit of dissonance with this change.

It seemed as if Lu Luo was naturally born a leader, their leader.

How did this guy start ordering me around? And why don't I find it strange? Really, is there such a thing as personal charisma?

Zhang Changming walked out, somewhat frustrated, and began the investigation about the royal offspring as Lu Luo had requested.