Apocalypse Circular-Chapter 494 - 492: Above the Sky

The two sat atop the ruins of the First Ring, Lu Xiaotian watching and Lu Luo digging.

He was excavating the earth where the Dawn Disc lay hidden.

"Have you found it yet or not? This is such a waste of time!"

"Almost there, I feel it. It should be soon, just around here."

Lu Luo was somewhat speechless too. This was only the second fragment. Why was it so hard to find?

"Found it."

Suddenly, Lu Luo grasped something that looked like a transparent crystal. He carefully prized the fragment from the soil and then placed it in the palm of his hand.

"This should be the second fragment."

"You’re saying there are 1,089 of these fragments in total? So here’s the thing, if you really want to restore the Dawn Disc, you probably won’t have enough time left, will you?"

The problem Lu Xiaotian raised was indeed what Lu Luo was contemplating at the moment.

The Dawn Disc was indeed a very powerful Divine Artifact.

It corresponded to the power of Holy Radiance and might even possess other special abilities.

But if he now tried to find all 1,089 fragments, the remaining ten days would definitely not suffice.

He didn’t have that much time to waste.

Qi Xinzhu and the others were still in the Imperial—if he didn’t return, his wife and children would be in danger.

He didn’t know what the Imperial would do to him—persecution, or imprisonment.

He didn’t dare take the risk, so the idea of searching for all the Dawn Disc fragments had essentially been abandoned by him.

"Yeah, in terms of time, it’s definitely not enough. But I just want to verify something."

"Verify what?"

"Whether the energy of Holy Radiance is released by the Dawn Disc, or if it’s the fundamental power of the Dawn Disc."

"Does that... make a difference?"

"The difference is huge. Previously, according to what Bai Qingshuang—or rather, Judgment Chief—said, the Dawn Disc actively releases Holy Radiance.

Holy Radiance enslaved everyone in the Wasteland Alliance, turning them into slaves of the Dawn Disc.

The existence of the Wasteland Alliance was to seal that disc.

Even apocalyptic entities like Meiqi and the colossal beast Leviathan were part of this seal.

From this, you can see that for many people, the Dawn Disc is something even more terrifying than an Angel Envoy.

So what would happen if I managed to repair it and then took it to the Imperial?"

This thought of Lu Luo’s was dangerous and strange, but Lu Xiaotian had no way to answer this question.

The question was beyond her!

"Your idea is kind of risky, but anyhow, Holy Radiance is a very powerful energy. I can clearly feel that. Even when compared to Netherflame, it’s pretty much on a par."

For someone as proud as Lu Xiaotian to admit the strength of Holy Radiance, no further description was needed.

However, Lu Luo felt that the power of Holy Radiance was definitely more than that.

"No, in my view, the power of Holy Radiance is stronger than that of Netherflame."

"Psh, in a head-to-head battle, they’re evenly matched. What makes you say that?"

Lu Luo shook his head; precisely because he also possessed Holy Radiance, he could say this with confidence.

"The power of Netherflame is indeed great, but its greatness is based on its destructive power. Considering the way Netherflame extracts life and death, Holy Radiance can easily do the same, and with much more ease. When I was very weak, I witnessed Qi Xinzhu and some members of the Church use the skill called Holy Resurrection Light. The effect of this skill could be described as overpowered. Instantly healing the injuries of those around—such efficacy cannot be simply explained by mere destructive power. And as far as destructive power itself goes, the effects of Holy Radiance are no less inferior to Netherflame. Moreover, the various auxiliary and layered effects of Holy Radiance are endless.

"The various Holy Seals of the Four Great Knights, aberrations, and mimics, are all actually a kind of energy utilization of Holy Radiance.

"No one has ever successfully mastered all the effects of Holy Radiance.

"So, the Holy Radiance we usually fight against is just a part of its energy.

"If all of Holy Radiance truly combined, the power it contains would probably be beyond imagination."

Hearing Lu Luo sing Holy Radiance’s praises, Lu Xiaotian pursed her lips.

Although she felt somewhat unhappy inside, she didn’t retort.

Because what Lu Luo said was true!

In a sense, Holy Radiance is perfect energy.

It possesses all the properties that every Transcendent dreams of.

The downside is that it is very difficult to master all the features of Holy Radiance.

"Although you’re singing its praises quite enthusiastically here, I still want to ask, what do you plan to do next?"

"Let’s just leave it here for now. Anyway, I don’t have time to find all the fragments. I guess... I’ll have to wait until I return next time to resolve this."

Lu Xiaotian nodded. Lu Luo saying this basically confirmed that he was going to leave soon.

"What about going up to the heavens? What’s your plan?"

"Rest a bit, then set off immediately."

"Now?"

"What, is there a problem?"

Lu Luo’s incisiveness made Lu Xiaotian laugh. "I just love men who are quick, like you."

"Cut the crap, my stamina is the best in the world."

No sooner had he said this than he regretted it. Lu Xiaotian wasn’t just anyone; she wasn’t one of his women. Such a crude joke was a bit too much.

"Err, I didn’t mean anything else, just wanted to refute you a bit."

"Mhm, I got it, Mr. Lu Luo, with the world’s best stamina."

After eating something and taking a short rest, they turned their attention to the sky.

"It’s about time. Are you ready?"

"Mm, let’s get ready. Go!"

One after the other, they took off, flying quickly. Without any interference, they reached the cloud layer in a very short time.

Then, Lu Luo began to use the Observer’s Eye to discern their current location and direction.

"The Floating City you spoke of, where is it?"

"According to the murals and the indications from the bubble, the Floating City should be above the Wasteland Alliance. Leviathan wanders the skies every time, precisely to avoid the Floating City’s presence. But the Floating City isn’t above the First Ring. Based on my judgment, it should be between the Third and Fourth Rings."

As Lu Xiaotian analyzed, she tried to pinpoint the location of the Floating City.

Lu Luo nodded. Now that they had a rough estimate, the next thing was to look for it. 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

"Let’s go to the border of the Third and Fourth Rings first. The sky offers an unobstructed view; aside from the clouds, there should be nothing we can’t see. Once we get there, we should be able to find it quickly."

"Yeah, let’s go!"

The two of them headed toward the area between the Third and Fourth Rings, but after searching for a long time, they didn’t find the location of the Floating City.

"Were we wrong?" Lu Luo quietly asked.

Lu Xiaotian’s expression was a bit grim. She had pointed out the location herself, and now, after searching for so long with no sign of it, she felt helpless.

"I don’t know either. Logically, it should indeed be in this area!"

"Then why isn’t it there?"

Lu Luo was no longer asking Lu Xiaotian this time, but himself.

He was also pondering: if this place was correct, then why was there no sign of the Floating City recorded within the bubbles?

Was it because... they hadn’t flown high enough?

But the air here was already so thin that if they were to climb any higher, soon they would have no air to breathe at all.

Although, as beings of such formidable strength, they could already survive a considerable length of time without breathing.

However, the problems they would face without air were not limited to breathing alone.

"I feel that the so-called Floating City should be in a higher place."

"A higher place?"

Lu Xiaotian followed the direction Lu Luo indicated, looking upward.

Higher up, there was no blue sky anymore, only the void!

A pitch-black void.

And below them spread a blanket of dark clouds.

The dark clouds obscured the scenery underneath, making it impossible for them to know what lay beneath.

The darkness above also made them hesitate.

Nothing in itself is terrifying; the only truly terrifying thing is the unknown.

And to continue ascending would mean facing the unknown.

"What do we do now?"

"The void! I was a bit hesitant before, but then I thought of the situation with Meiqi."

"Meiqi’s situation?"

"The place where Meiqi is, is a sea hanging upside down. So could it be that the place where Leviathan resides is an upside-down sky?"

Lu Luo’s idea caught Lu Xiaotian off guard. An upside-down sky?

If they were to surpass these obstacles and reach that place, would their entire beings be turned upside down?

"Um, wait, my brain is struggling to cope. If we get to that place, are you saying we would be turned upside down?"

Lu Luo also tried to visualize the issues with an upside-down sky. There were too many points to consider.

The direction of gravity, the rules—everything might be different from the sky they knew.

"Let’s go. Let’s fly holding our breath for a while. If it doesn’t work out, we can always come back."

"Alright!"

After a brief discussion, the two of them began to ascend further.

This time, their flight was much more decisive. Even when facing the void, the two did not hesitate much and just kept flying, on and on.

They flew for probably more than five hours.

Suddenly, a strong sensation of suffocation assailed them one after the other.

They subconsciously clutched at their own necks.

But they quickly realized that this feeling of suffocation was not related to air.

They were both very strong, not to the point where abstaining from breath for five hours would lead to suffocation.

This feeling of suffocation was clearly coming from somewhere else.

"Hang in there!" Lu Luo signaled to Lu Xiaotian.

Although the feeling of suffocation was extremely uncomfortable, they should still be able to endure for a while longer.

Based on his condition, the Observer would alert Lu Luo.

"No problem," Lu Xiaotian also signaled back.

The two continued to fly upward. After another ten-odd minutes...

WHOOSH!

A clear sensation suddenly filled their minds, and the pressure on their bodies dissipated in an instant.

Lu Luo let out a sigh of relief instinctively.

Although he didn’t know what had happened, for now, it seemed they had been saved.

"Hey, Lu Xiaotian, it looks like we’ve arrived..."

"I know, do I need you to tell me that?"

They were still experiencing the same gravity as before, but they soon realized something was amiss.

Indeed, after breaking through the Suffocation Domain, the direction of their gravity had completely shifted.

With a SWOOSH, the two of them began to fall upwards.

Or rather, the sky here had reversed from what it was before.

It was an inverted sky.

"Steady!"

They didn’t rush to land but stopped midair in the void.

Then they started to adapt to their physical state; the sudden shift had still caused them some discomfort.

Fortunately, their strength was considerable, and this feeling of discomfort was quickly alleviated by their robust physical condition.

"Okay, feeling much better now. How about you?"

Lu Luo asked Lu Xiaotian, but Lu Xiaotian didn’t answer him at this moment.

Lu Luo subconsciously grabbed Lu Xiaotian’s hand and realized that she was trembling.

What was she afraid of?

"What’s wrong?"

Lu Luo followed Lu Xiaotian’s gaze and instantly felt a tingling sensation on his scalp.

He shuddered, his body momentarily frozen.

Because, at the end of the void, he saw a huge eyeball, easily hundreds of times larger than the Observer’s Eye he had created.

What was even more terrifying was that the eyeball was moving, blinking.

When it blinked, the gigantic iris resembled a vast net.

As the eye opened, the figures of Lu Luo and Lu Xiaotian were reflected in its pupil.

"This... it..."

Lu Luo didn’t know what to say. But soon, the owner of the eyeball gave them a warning.

BOOM!

A strong vibration filled the void.

Somewhat at a loss, Lu Luo held onto Lu Xiaotian. If this was the sky, then why was it shaking?

This completely defied normal principles.

Unless this void—or rather, this space—was independent, capable of being touched by some entity.

"Ugh!" Lu Xiaotian’s fingers were drenched in sweat—clearly, the entity exerted some form of mental pressure on her.

This pressure was far more overwhelming than what Lu Luo was experiencing.

So she was having a much harder time resisting it.

Thankfully, the owner of the eyeball left soon after. From the faint shadow that lingered, Lu Luo determined its identity.

Scales covered its body, a tremendous tail, and... a dorsal fin like a mountain peak.

"The true body of Leviathan? It’s so massive, even larger than the ones I’ve seen in the Wasteland Alliance. This must be its complete form!"

"GASP... GASP..."

Lu Xiaotian panted heavily, exhausted. After Leviathan departed, she leaned weakly against Lu Luo.

This time, Lu Luo did not push her away, feeling Lu Xiaotian’s body temperature.

He even felt that Lu Xiaotian seemed particularly frail at this moment.

"Are you okay?"

Lu Xiaotian wiped the sweat from her forehead and turned around to look at Lu Luo, her expression unreadable. "Now you should understand why I want to break through the Ninth Tier, right?"

Lu Luo was momentarily startled. Why break through the Ninth Tier?

He thought about Lu Xiaotian’s reaction just now, and a sudden realization dawned on him: "Bloodline suppression?"