Apocalypse Circular-Chapter 544 - 542: Battle in the Deep Palace

Nolan was stunned as well. How could this man, who dared to massacre within the Imperial Palace, be ignorant of that presence?

How was that possible? Even if there were gaps between their power tiers, their perception shouldn't differ too much. If she herself could sense the other's presence, why couldn't this old man feel it?

"You don't sense his presence?"

Nolan's surprised expression made Aotu believe she wasn't spouting nonsense. But he truly hadn't felt any other dangerous individuals within the Imperial Palace.

As an Angel Envoy, breaking through the palace's seal had taken him a full 600 years. Fresh from breaking the seal, he was still very weak. Thus, for the remaining 400-plus years, he had remained covert, seeking development and gradually enhancing his own strength. Only in recent years had he recovered to 80% of his former level. That was when he dared to initiate his plan, beginning to kill members of the Imperial Family to weaken their power, thereby completely lifting the seal.

The process went smoothly, at least that was what Aotu believed. He skillfully evaded the power of the Imperial Family, dancing on a knife's edge. In his own view, his deeds were more artistic than those of Meiqi and Leviathan. Although his period of growth hadn't been as long as theirs, and his strength wasn't as formidable, Aotu was certain of one thing. Once he fully broke through the seal and seized control of the Imperial Family's power, he would reach an unprecedented height! By then, both Meiqi and Leviathan would be groveling at his feet.

"Heh heh, although I don't know if what you're saying is true or false, right now, I still need to deal with you first!"

Aotu's speed suddenly increased, his old and hunchbacked body bursting forth with power more terrifying than that of an Eighth Order Exotic Species in its prime.

Lady Nolan frowned slightly, and a mirror appeared before her. The radiance emanating from the mirror blocked Aotu's assault.

Aotu discarded his cane, his hands suddenly grabbing the mirror. The sturdy mirror was instantly pierced by him, cracks spreading like shattered ice. Gripping the mirror, Aotu's body began to twist and distort. Fangs started to extend from his mouth, and his limbs gradually became thicker!

SQUEAK! SQUEAK! SQUEAK!

With a monstrous howl, this hunchbacked old man finally revealed his demi-human state: a rat, an enormous rat! Its cone-shaped mouth began to gnaw at the mirror. The powerful biting force and cutting power were too much for the mirror's energy to contend with.

Nolan's defenses were steadily pushed back; among Eighth Order cultivators, she was one of the weakest. Even though she was human, an Imperial Concubine wielding supreme energy and aided by powerful equipment, she couldn't possibly contend with an Angel Envoy. Even a greatly weakened Angel Envoy was stronger than Nolan, an Eighth Order human.

Watching her mirror get slowly destroyed, the usually calm Nolan couldn't help but feel a hint of panic. That trace of panic was immediately caught by Aotu. He stretched out his tongue, worming it into the cracks of the mirror, and wrapped it around Nolan, pulling her toward him.

Seeing Aotu open his blood-filled maw, Nolan knew what would happen if she were dragged to him. Even being reduced to bones would be considered fortunate! Aware of the danger, she hurriedly deployed her last resort: the Emperor's Heart Guardian Stone!

It was a treasure given to her by Emperor Wu Handing when he was young, capable of releasing an absolute defense for about one minute. The ability of absolute defense might sound mediocre; after all, beings strong enough to defeat you generally wouldn't mind waiting an extra minute. For most people, the effect of the Guardian Stone was merely one more minute of life. But for a member of the Imperial Family, the Guardian Stone was a true Divine Artifact. Imperial Family members frequently encountered assassins! If an Imperial Family member could delay an assassin for one minute, support from the Imperial Capital should have arrived.

So Nolan had always kept the Guardian Stone. She was a person who greatly cherished her own life. The person she cherished most was herself! This was the moment for the Guardian Stone to shine brilliantly.

BUZZ!

White light illuminated the earth. The Guardian Stone's radiance caused Lu Luo, not far away, to stare in a daze. He felt the fluctuation of the Dawn Disc. This power shared the same source as the Dawn Disc.

Was the Dawn Disc truly something that once belonged to the Empire? Exile? Seal? What was the Dawn Disc's purpose, exactly? Could it be as I speculated and inferred before? Is it evil? Lu Luo had doubted it before, but now, standing at his current height, he had a different view. The so-called exile and seal seem too far-fetched. The power of the Dawn Disc must be more than just these functions. Its purpose for being left in the Doomsday Halo is more than these!

Lu Luo quietly watched Aotu and Nolan, his thoughts unreadable. Yet his silence did nothing to hinder the efficacy of the battle between the two. Nolan relied on the Guardian Stone's radiance, waiting for reinforcements. But after forty seconds, everything around remained silent, as if no one had arrived at the Imperial Palace. There was no sign of support.

Nolan felt a sense of desperation, not understanding what had become of the Imperial Palace, the Imperial Capital, or even the Empire itself. Why, as an Imperial Concubine, had she fallen to such a state? "Why? Why? Why has no one come? Where is everyone?" Nolan shouted angrily. She couldn't comprehend why not even the Inspection Department had sent someone, nor had her own son, the Seventh Prince, come. Why? Had she simply been abandoned?

Aotu paced around the Guardian Stone's aura, mentally counting the seconds. As soon as sixty seconds were up, he immediately extended his finger!

PSCHT!

Sharp nails easily pierced through Nolan's chest. This beautiful and elegant noblewoman gasped for air before Aotu, her despairing eyes scanning the surroundings, as if hoping someone would arrive at this moment to save her.

Lu Luo, who had been daydreaming, finally snapped back to reality. He looked at the blood on the ground and the despairing Nolan. He shook his head slightly. "It seems Gu Tianfeng isn't planning to come. Entrusting the matter to him should have been fine."

Lu Luo's voice sounded as if he were talking to himself, yet also as if he were confirming something, or perhaps more like announcing his arrival.

What are you thinking? The Observer seemed unable to sense Lu Luo's thoughts at this moment.

Lu Luo had no intention of answering the Observer. "Nothing much. Just a bit emotional, thinking about how my path has led me to this point."

What do you mean?

Lu Luo remained silent, quietly walking towards the two locked in battle. As an Eighth Order expert, Nolan was, frankly, somewhat weak. Compared to the Eighth Order individual from the Inspection Department Lu Luo had encountered before, she lacked the will for a life-and-death struggle. Although her energy intensity might slightly exceed Hei Ya's, if a real battle occurred, Hei Ya would undoubtedly kill Nolan. Such was the impact of willpower.

By the time Lu Luo reached Aotu, his physical form had manifested in reality. Desperation flickered in Nolan's eyes, a glimmer of hope that quickly faded. She felt that even with Lu Luo's appearance, he lacked the capability to save her from the Angel Envoy's grasp. However, she didn't pause to consider how Lu Luo could appear out of thin air, or why Aotu hadn't detected Lu Luo, even as he approached them.

Nevertheless, Nolan's gaze was caught by Aotu. He didn't know if Nolan was trying to deceive him or if she genuinely saw some hope, until he saw Lu Luo's reflection in Nolan's pupils!

"Who?" Aotu yelled, suddenly throwing Nolan aside. Having always focused on cautious development, Aotu naturally understood the importance of his own safety. Lu Luo's silent approach to his side signified a danger far greater than Nolan could ever pose. Killing Nolan was merely an incidental part of his plan; there was no need for him to endanger himself to kill an Eighth Order individual.

After throwing Nolan, Aotu's expression turned strange as he recognized Lu Luo. "You are... Lu Luo?"

Lu Luo nodded and even waved at Aotu. "Yes, I am Lu Luo. We finally meet, Lord Aotu. The mark you left on me was indeed quite memorable!" Lu Luo pointed to his shoulder. During his fight with Wu Handing, Aotu had left a mark on him. This mark had forced him to ally completely with Meiqi, compelling him to accept the path she had designed for him, and had inevitably led him to this day. In a way, Aotu's mark was the root of everything that had happened. So, Lu Luo's feelings towards Aotu were simple: a grudge, a deep grudge, one that absolutely had to be avenged!

"When did you get here? How did you make no sound at all?" Although Aotu had some inkling of Lu Luo's strength, he still found it somewhat unbelievable. He couldn't believe Lu Luo's power had already reached such a level! Lu Luo's current state gave him a familiar feeling, a feeling like… Second Brother? No, not Second Brother. Even if it were him, he wouldn't be this fast, this strong! There's definitely something wrong with Lu Luo!

"Lord Aotu, before you ask me these questions, you should consider how you're going to survive. You've been living on borrowed time for so many years. Today, that time is up!"

Although Lu Luo's presence was incredibly imposing at that moment, Aotu still felt that Lu Luo was being somewhat presumptuous. "Lu Luo, Lu Luo, don't think you can do as you please just because you've acquired some legacy and power. You have no idea how powerful a fully-fledged Angel Envoy truly is."

THUMP! THUMP! As he spoke, Aotu's bones twisted. He suddenly grabbed the ground, his body beginning to swell! Ten meters, twenty meters, one hundred meters, three hundred meters! An astonishingly giant rat appeared before Lu Luo. Yet, as Lu Luo gazed upon its massive form, his eyes held only indifference and mockery. By now, he understood that such size, before him, was merely a large target.

"Since you wish to hasten your own death, I can only oblige you, Lord Aotu!"

No sooner had Lu Luo's words fallen than a dozen tentacles, each as thick as Aotu's thigh, burst forth from the ground. The tentacles moved incredibly fast, wrapping around Aotu's body before he could react. Spikes pierced Aotu's tough skin, and blood instantly gushed out like a fountain. Aotu screamed and howled amidst the tentacles, trying to escape Lu Luo's Devourer, but he lacked the strength.

Lu Luo frowned slightly, a trickle of blood running from his nose down his lip. The power of an Angel Envoy was indeed formidable. Even one like Aotu, sealed for years, lacking sufficient accumulated power, and not having fully broken the seal, could possess such might. It was so potent that even with the Doomsday Disc empowering him, Lu Luo couldn't completely suppress his opponent.

Nevertheless, his current performance had completely stupefied the severely injured Nolan nearby. "Lu Luo, when did you become so strong?"

Lu Luo still paid no attention to Nolan, just as he had ignored the Observer earlier. At this moment, he had fallen into a strange cycle, one entirely his own. The world he saw was no longer congruent with that of others. The things he wanted to do were no longer the same. However, his current objective was clear: to utterly destroy Aotu, his former nemesis and the main culprit behind the deaths of the Imperial Family's offspring.

Lu Luo clasped his hands together, the Doomsday Disc appearing behind him. Sequence glyphs roamed every corner of his body. Lu Luo's hair began to turn white rapidly, as if losing its vitality. All this vitality was drained by the Devourer tentacles and channeled into them, augmenting their power to kill Aotu. Upon receiving this life force, the Devourer tentacles immediately emitted intense steam. The spikes had already penetrated Aotu's bones! They tightened incessantly; the kill was imminent!

In his struggles, Aotu could feel the changes in the Devourer tentacles. He felt he had to do something; otherwise, he truly might be killed on the spot by Lu Luo! How could this fellow's strength become so terrifying? Lu Luo? What on earth are you trying to do? Lu Luo? Xu? Second Brother? Aotu, terrified of death, was starting to babble incoherently. But he hadn't given up on survival.

When Aotu cried out "Second Brother," Lu Luo glanced at him with slight surprise. It was this momentary hesitation that seemed to give Aotu a chance to escape. Large chunks of flesh were torn from him as a tiny rat leaped from the giant creature's forehead. The body of a Ninth Tier Angel Envoy, containing four hundred years of accumulated energy, was thus forsaken by Aotu. Perhaps doing so would cost him over four hundred years of accumulation, forcing him to start over from scratch. But starting anew was still better than death.

Angel Envoys were said to be immortal, and that was generally true. However, Aotu was well aware that their immortality was relative. He knew of only two beings capable of killing an Angel Envoy: one was the Destroyer, and the other was the Devourer. The Lu Luo before him was undoubtedly an incarnation of the Devourer. He was truly capable of killing him. So, flee! He had to flee!

As the small rat leaped into the sky, its body flickered and then vanished into thin air. Lu Luo did not immediately pursue it. Instead, he stared at the giant, abandoned body in the sky, once again falling into a daze. After a while, as if awakening from a nightmare, he slowly lifted his arm.

"Devour!"

Like emissaries of doom, the tentacles began to consume the body Aotu had left behind. The flesh and blood of the giant rat were absorbed bit by bit until Lu Luo had drained it completely!

This scene made Nolan's scalp tingle! To her, it looked as if he was eating! Lu Luo was consuming Aotu, eating a terrifying Angel Envoy. This was no longer as simple as Lu Luo defeating Aotu. At this moment, what kind of creature had Lu Luo become?

"Lu Luo, what are you doing?"

Lu Luo had once again entered a state of daze. Perhaps it wasn't daze, but to an outsider, he appeared somewhat absent-minded. Regardless, it looked very strange. Hearing Nolan's words, Lu Luo turned his head to look at the woman to whom he had made a promise. A flash of crimson appeared in Lu Luo's eyes!

Devour! That was the thought in his heart, but at this moment, he restrained himself once more. Even if devouring an Eighth Order human would be greatly beneficial for him, even if his current desires were swelling to an almost uncontrollable extent, he still did not do it. He maintained a human heart. Humans can eat many species—various meats and vegetables. Even if one were cruel enough, eating another human is unthinkable. That is the bottom line, a special kind of rule. If I cannot bind myself with this rule, then I am no longer human.

"You should go back," Lu Luo said. "Staying here is very dangerous."

The danger Lu Luo referred to was not actually Aotu. Although Aotu was powerful, having abandoned his body, his combat power was less than a tenth of its original strength. Even with Nolan severely wounded, Aotu might not be able to defeat her at this moment. The danger Lu Luo hinted at was actually himself. He could still control himself for now. But if Nolan remained, Lu Luo couldn't guarantee he wouldn't do something... untoward. I can exercise restraint, but it's best not to test it. Testing tempts the evil in a person's heart. Testing risks revealing the abyss!

Nolan, slumped on the ground, was also a very sensitive woman. She had clearly seen the red glimmer in Lu Luo's eyes. At that moment, her heart had filled with fear. But she didn't scream. Although she didn't know why Lu Luo had become like this, the fact that Lu Luo had saved her remained true. As a smart woman, Nolan knew she shouldn't question her rescuer. Even if he seemed problematic now, she shouldn't contradict him, especially given the disparity in their strength.

"I understand. Thank you, Lu Luo. I will remember your kindness."

Lu Luo didn't speak again. He simply waved his hand, signaling Nolan to leave quickly. Nolan didn't dawdle. At this point, there was nothing left in the Imperial Palace to hold her attachment. She cast a deep look at the Imperial Palace, her gaze lingering on its deepest recesses for a while. Then she looked back at Lu Luo, seeming to hesitate, but in the end, said nothing and left the Imperial Palace.

She had something to say to you, but she didn't, the Observer commented.

Lu Luo nodded slightly. She probably wanted to tell me about what's inside the Imperial Palace!

You already know?

Not exactly. It's more like a guess. There aren't many things that could appear in the Imperial Palace.

Is the Emperor dead?

Not sure. Let's go inside and see. Lu Luo was well aware that Nolan most likely wanted to inform him about the situation in the deepest part of the Imperial Palace. Connecting this with her previous conversation with Aotu, Lu Luo could deduce one piece of information: the being monitoring Nolan was not Aotu. There was another powerful existence within this Imperial Palace! This existence was not the Emperor but something that also made Nolan feel endangered. Moreover, this being could perfectly shield its presence from all of Aotu's perceptions. This level of power was very likely above Aotu's.

Therefore, what Lu Luo needed to do now was to fully devour and absorb Aotu's abandoned body, further enhancing his own power to confront this other entity!

With that in mind, Lu Luo looked at the giant rat's body in the sky, still entangled by the tentacles. A soulless body would possess greatly diminished energy. But even so, this was a genuine Angel Envoy's body. The torso of the Ninth Angel Envoy had finally fallen into Lu Luo's hands!

An unprecedentedly powerful energy flowed into his body bit by bit, nourishing his physique while also streaming towards the Doomsday Disc, making its power even stronger! The energy flowing into Lu Luo's body didn't pause; it began to actively enhance his physique without him even needing to control it.

Thus, Lu Luo continued walking, absorbing energy as he headed towards the deepest part of the Imperial Palace!