CHAPTER 410: CHAPTER 410: THE SERPENT OF DOOMSDAY VS. THE COLOSSAL BEAST OF THE FIRMAMENT (8K)

In the Inner Ring Sector, Luo Dan sat alone in her room.

She had the Priest prepare a large amount of food for her, fine wine, and even had her confidant bring some contraband over from the Fourth Ring.

The array of delicacies spread out on the table was far beyond the normal meal of a Transcendent.

At this moment, Luo Dan was eating voraciously.

Chicken legs, ribs—she nearly swallowed them whole, with a great deal of juice flowing down from the corners of her mouth.

Typically meticulous, Luo Dan was now showing no restraint, nor maintaining the demeanor of a proper lady.

She was just eating, eating crazily, eating without any hesitation.

It was as if by consuming this food, she could gain something.

[R0X mode activated, simulating taste buds!]

An electronic voice suddenly rang in Luo Dan’s ears. This mode was automated and had appeared more than once.

It was supposed to be intelligent, but it made her clench her fists suddenly.

She punched the table, and the force sent a mass of food splattering everywhere.

Luo Dan took several deep, angry breaths. But after a few, she touched her lips and nose somewhat despairingly.

Sitting down again, Luo Dan picked up the wine on the table and downed it in one gulp.

These were the most expensive foods and drinks in the entire Inner Ring at the moment.

Yet after consuming them, the intense sense of emptiness inside Luo Dan wasn’t filled in the slightest.

It had become even stronger than before.

Because of information recording and simulating taste buds, she could now taste some flavors when eating.

But she knew that these flavors were false.

Because she had once been a human, a real human.

She understood better than any machine what real food should taste like.

If she had always been a robot like Noah, then she might be happy with such a sensation.

But humans and machinery are completely different.

No matter how realistic the simulation is, it is still a simulation and can never become real.

These records were nothing more than Noah’s past accumulations.

Luo Dan sat there in a state of collapse, then picked up the contraband on the table.

Injecting, taking drugs—she tried all sorts of methods one by one.

But after all that, she put everything down again with a blank look on her face.

Am I upset? What am I upset about? What’s there to be upset about? Aren’t these things what I’ve always wanted? A forever firm consciousness unaffected by anything. Powerful strength, and the power to rule everything. Since I’ve achieved all these things, what am I still losing?

At this time, Luo Dan recalled what Noah had said before.

"Nothing, no entity, can compare to a life. Life itself is the greatest thing."

As soon as the thought crossed her mind, Luo Dan immediately cast it aside.

Perhaps Noah’s words make some sense, but I can’t say I am wrong. Without power, how can one realize their own ideas? Noah wants to become a lifeform because he has enough power. So, as long as one can obtain power, no channel is disgraceful! Power alone is truth!

Luo Dan calmed herself down once she realized all this.

She swallowed another large mouthful of food and began to chew slowly.

Closing her eyes, a mechanical bee perched on her fingertip, then flew away.

"Keep a good watch for me. See exactly what those guys are up to!"

...

Outside the Fourth Wall, Noah had been flying along the East Ring for a long time. When he reached the end of the Fourth Ring, he suddenly stopped, as if waiting for something.

RUMBLE!

The ground shook violently, startling the birds and beasts in the vicinity into flight.

But the local Exotic Species were crawling on the ground at this time.

Even though the ground had already begun to shake violently, they hadn’t moved a step.

It was as if their fear of something was far greater than that of the terrifying earthquake itself.

BOOM!

A gigantic hand burst forth from the soil, followed by a head, then a body.

The Eighth Order Monarch—Stone Mother—had finally appeared.

Stone Mother’s body was too large. If she pulled herself entirely out of the ground, she would stand over 600 meters tall.

That would be half the height of the high wall.

As one of the original Watchers, Stone Mother had endured a millennium of trials.

Only after absorbing enough Dark Energy and attaining sufficient enlightenment did she become what she was today.

Stone Mother looked at Noah, who was soaring in the sky, her murky eyes gradually starting to move.

"Are you leaving?"

"Yes, I am leaving."

Noah didn’t deny it. He had already received too much, for too long.

Hate, growth, accumulation, power.

All these things others yearned for, he had already obtained.

And more, much stronger than what most had gained.

Now, there was nothing left for him to pursue here—he simply wanted to see what lay beyond this world.

To see what exactly was out there, beyond this world!

And the Watchers of the high wall—aside from these stone statues, was there anything else?

"The land here is ample. Why leave?"

Stone Mother’s gaze became clearer, her tone tinged with reluctance.

Yet, the relationship between her and Noah seemed somewhat special. Their connection appeared to be more complex than mere friendship.

"Life always needs some pursuit. I wanted to pursue something, so I did.

Just like that, just as you no longer wish to continue being a Watcher.

I have grown tired of being the Intelligent Machine Monarch."

"Well, with your power, there’s no one in this world who can stop you anyway."

Stone Mother’s tone seemed a bit petulant.

If it had been before, Noah really would have said a few softer words because he was a robot that valued politeness.

But now things were different. He was a living being—perhaps not a pure human, but definitely a pure life form.

He had developed his own personality, and it no longer allowed him to act as he once did.

"Take care."

Having said that, Noah flew towards the Fifth High Wall. By this time, the surroundings were filled with giant Watcher statues.

But due to the presence of Stone Mother, they hadn’t moved an inch closer.

To the giant Watchers, Stone Mother was always the core of their will. This fact remained unchanged even after her complete betrayal.

The giant Watchers had no way to change that.

Noah flew slowly towards the wall, and as he crossed over the high wall, Stone Mother finally spoke again.

"Teacher!"

"Hmm?"

"May you find success!"

Noah nodded slightly. With this farewell, his relationship with the Wasteland Alliance might come to an end.

Perhaps those intelligent machines still wanted to follow him, but he now faced new challenges.

"Off I go!"

Noah didn’t look back, flying directly beyond the wall.

As he left the high wall, a hazy fluctuation enveloped him,

making the Eighth Order Exotic Species Monarch disappear completely from the sight of the Watcher statues.

A giant statue approached Stone Mother, slowly asking,

"What will he face?"

"He will face the gods."

The Watcher statue was startled. The gods?

They were all intelligent machines, artificial life forms created by humans, and possessed highly transcendent qualities. However, the idea of them being gods was truly bizarre.

Even the rock giants didn’t believe that gods existed in this world.

"Do gods really exist?"

Stone Mother shook her head.

"That depends on what you consider a god to be!"

...

Noah looked at the surrounding halos, his expression gradually becoming solemn.

He had negotiated with Nightmare Demon many times and had even fought her on several occasions.

To him, Nightmare Demon was like a child who hadn’t yet grown up.

In many decisions, she still carried some childlike traits.

Although she grew rapidly, her character still had many deficiencies.

Noah didn’t like to quibble with Nightmare Demon.

But quibbling aside, and child aside, these were all matters of personality which Noah could overlook.

However, strength was different; Noah never underestimated the power of Nightmare Demon.

Her talent and her growth were undoubtedly astonishing.

From the initial stages of her mutation, it took her only eight years to become a dominant force in the Wasteland.

The opportunities that Nightmare Demon had might even be more outrageous and terrifying than those of Lu Luo.

Especially Netherflame. That power, which transcended life and death, even instilled fear in Noah, the Intelligent Machine Monarch.

And now, Netherflame had filled the area around Noah.

This Netherflame was even denser than the Netherflame on Nightmare Demon, flowing like a tangible liquid.

Although the Netherflame wasn’t burning him, he stood still with reverence, not moving at all.

He was waiting for the arrival of the master of Netherflame!

Time ticked away, and the Netherflame continued to burn, seemingly draining the life from around Noah’s body.

But the master of Netherflame still did not appear.

Noah was starting to get a little anxious. If this continued, the burning Netherflame would slowly consume his life.

He would die!

"Your Excellency, I mean no offense. I just want to leave the Wasteland Alliance. If I have done anything wrong, please say it directly!"

The Netherflame in front of him seemed to grow more intense.

Just when Noah thought his call would go unanswered, a delicate arm suddenly reached out from the Netherflame and grabbed his neck.

"UGH!"

Noah was the monarch of the Exotic Species. When had he ever been treated like this?

But it wasn’t that he didn’t want to fight back; he couldn’t.

The most basic reason was that the other party’s strength was greater than his!

This was actually a very absurd situation.

The figure of Meiqi gradually materialized out of the Netherflame.

Different from the sweet smile she wore when meeting Lu Luo,

at this moment, Meiqi’s face was icy, and the power radiating from her twisted the surrounding air unnaturally.

"I know you... little robot!

You’ve abandoned your past, huh? This method of gaining life is indeed quite curious.

But this is not where you belong."

Meiqi blew a breath at Noah, a little wisp of Netherflame.

But when the Netherflame touched Noah, it began to burn slowly.

ARGH!~

Looking at the expressionless Meiqi, Noah’s gaze also grew sharp.

If compromise was ineffective, then the only option left was to resist! He was Noah, the Intelligent Machine Monarch. Meekly submitting to capture and waiting for death had never been his style. If you wanted to kill him, he would kill you first!

"Gray Sound!"

Scales of gray suddenly lit up on Noah’s captured neck.

These scales were actually a type of metal, neither exceptionally hard nor particularly tough.

But this metal had one very special characteristic.

It was extremely, cryogenically cold!

As the Gray Sound metal spread across Noah’s neck, frost also appeared on Meiqi’s palm.

The metal’s ability to absorb temperature was so effective that it could even temporarily suppress an Angel Envoy, showcasing its mighty power.

But would Meiqi be afraid? Of course not.

An Angel Envoy is an Angel Envoy. In terms of individual power, they are the strongest in this world.

They are the ceiling of independent life forms.

Even if humans can seal an Angel Envoy, it’s only achievable through group efforts.

Netherflame ignited instantaneously on her skin, burning off the ice layer by layer.

Noah seized the opportunity, transforming into molten iron and slipping quietly through the gaps of Meiqi’s fingers.

When Meiqi’s palm struck the air in front of where Noah had been, the previously stable air began folding in on itself.

The black death force in Meiqi’s hand started to spread in this folded space.

This proliferation had already surpassed the concept of speed.

Even if Noah’s figure seemed to teleport, he was unable to escape the propagation of this spatial folding energy!

Turning around abruptly, Noah gathered an extremely unstable energy in his hand.

He pushed it toward the folded space before him.

"Fission!"

BOOM!

A massive mushroom cloud rose outside the Fifth High Wall, and the members of Circular working on the tunnel excavation all witnessed this astonishing sight.

"Brother Kane!"

"I’m looking at it!"

Watching the mushroom cloud in the sky, Zhou Kai frowned slightly.

This fluctuation is probably beyond Lu Luo’s level already. Has another big shot come onto the scene?

Zhou Kai may not be very strong, but his knowledge was broad.

Particularly because he often hung out with Lu Luo, listening to Lu Luo boasting about high-level prowess, he naturally had a clear concept of high-end combat strength.

The current battle fluctuations were obviously beyond the ordinary level.

Probably even the battle where Nightmare Demon killed the Seventh Tier in the Inner Ring paled in comparison to the aftermath of this one.

The days are getting scarier!

"Brother Kane, should we go have a look?"

"Go over for what? To court death?"

Zhou Kai rebuked. Spectacles like this were not meant for small fry like them to witness.

Even an extra glance could mean death.

The struggles between top-tier Transcendents were not something regular beings could interfere with.

Since they now had permission to enter and exit the Fifth High Wall, it was best to just focus on their work.

It was clear that the battle’s aftermath involved a struggle between the mighty and the Wall Guardians.

If you don’t court death, you won’t die!

"Everyone, keep on working!"

"Yes."

The others gradually resumed their work, while Bai Yuetong, sitting inside the Mecha, was still gazing at the sky.

Fission? What exactly is that?

"Dumb Hair, what are you looking at? Our task is very important!"

"Shut up, I’m busy!"

"Alright."

Zhou Kai could chastise the others, but he had to be deferential in front of Dumb Hair.

Although he usually gave commands, Dumb Hair was the project manager for this operation.

After shooing Zhou Kai away, Dumb Hair continued to look toward the mushroom cloud in the sky.

This energy gave her great inspiration.

Or rather, she had never thought that materials could be used in such a way.

This thing, perhaps...

Outside the Fifth Wall, Meiqi looked at Noah lying on the ground, her expression somewhat astonished.

This young man’s strength is indeed quite interesting.

Noah’s strength had indeed exceeded her expectations.

What’s that, you say Noah at 400 years old doesn’t count as a young man?

That depends on who you compare him to.

As the Tenth Angel Envoy, Meiqi existed even before the Doomsday Halo appeared.

Though the years didn’t leave any marks on her, she had been around for well over a thousand years.

So it was perfectly reasonable for Meiqi to call Noah a young man!

Meiqi slowly walked towards Noah. The bloodstains on her arm indicated she hadn’t escaped completely unharmed.

But compared to Noah lying on the ground, Meiqi’s condition hardly affected her combat strength.

"You’re not bad."

"You flatter me!"

"Enough. Be on your way."

He was letting me go? Noah had thought he would die here, but to his surprise, after all this, Meiqi was actually letting him go!

"Senior?"

"The term ’senior’ makes me sound old, but indeed, you have passed the test."

"Thank you for your favor, senior!"

After Noah got up, he immediately left.

He didn’t know what Meiqi meant, but fearing she might change her mind, he didn’t want to delay any further here.

The world outside, here he comes!

Watching Noah leave, Meiqi floated back above the Nether River.

She gazed into the sky where on the edge of the dark clouds, the colossal figure of Leviathan was faintly visible.

Its massive body obscured the sun and sky.

In front of Leviathan, Meiqi above the Nether River seemed as insignificant as an ant.

Yet Meiqi didn’t shrink back due to the vast difference in size between them. She stared at Leviathan and declared loudly,

"Did you come here just to warn me? Since when do I need your comments on my actions?"

ROAR!

The voice of Leviathan shook heaven and earth, as if roaring in anger at some of Meiqi’s actions.

But Meiqi stopped talking as the fabric clinging to her body began to fall off gradually.

Her skin started to crack!

Her body swelled increasingly, her tail growing longer and thicker!

The Nether River started to flow backwards, not circling anymore but moving actively towards Meiqi in mid-air.

The waters of the Nether River reshaped Meiqi’s body,

turning a beautiful and radiant Medusa swiftly into a serpent, a gigantic, almost indescribable Orochi.

The Serpent of the Apocalypse.

The Nether River wasn’t really a boundary between life and death.

It was Meiqi’s true body.

To cross the Nether River was to cross Meiqi, and only those who could get past Meiqi could come out from the Doomsday Halo.

Meiqi was the gate of life and death of the Doomsday Halo.

Her body grew larger and larger. Its diameter quickly swelled to the point where it could rival the High Walls.

Suddenly, the giant Orochi leaped into the sky and flew towards Leviathan, roaring furiously, then completely wrapped around its body.

The two giant beasts began to wrestle in the sky of the Fifth Ring.

Their bodies were intermittently visible through the clouds.

Due to their immense strength, the surrounding clouds started to dissipate gradually.

Zhou Kai was eating his boxed lunch when it clattered to the ground.

"Hey, everyone come out!"

"What’s up, Brother Kane? We’re working here!"

"Cut the crap! Come out and see God!"

The battle between the Serpent of the Apocalypse and Leviathan had already been fully witnessed by Zhou Kai and his crew.

Just as Zhou Kai wanted to record the battle with his recording device, Bai Yuetong stopped him.

"It’s better not to record."

"Why? If I record it now, I can show it to Lu Luo later."

"Do you really think that monsters like these can’t sense us, or do you think they won’t get angry?

Don’t try to understand these monsters with our mentality, and don’t provoke them."

Bai Yuetong’s words left Zhou Kai somewhat confused, and even Bai Yuetong herself couldn’t explain it very clearly.

All she could feel was that both behemoths had sensed them.

Moreover, they had released some kind of aura, locking onto them.

Whether recording would anger these two monsters, Bai Yuetong wasn’t sure.

But her intuition told her that it was best not to do so.

"Alright, I got it."

Zhou Kai obediently put away his recording device and continued to spectate.

Witnessing such behemoths in real life indeed made it hard for anyone to keep their composure; Zhou Kai and the other Circular members were no exception.

After wrestling for a while, the giant Orochi and Leviathan unleashed potent energies that began corrupting the sky.

What does a corrupted sky look like?

About half of the sky was still a clear blue, while the other half had turned into a black void.

The fractured sky kept expanding, and the giant Orochi and Leviathan, entwined with each other,

both fell into the void.

"That’s nuts! The two of them fighting punched a hole in the sky!

Such a pity I didn’t record it for Lu Luo."

Zhou Kai looked at the sky with some regret, but Bai Yuetong by his side didn’t feel sorry at all.

Instead, she breathed a sigh of relief.

"Good, they’re finally gone."

"Why are you so scared?"

Zhou Kai saw the sweat beads on Bai Yuetong’s forehead and didn’t understand.

And Dumb Hair couldn’t be bothered to explain any further to Zhou Kai.

It’s a blessing to be safe; safety itself is a fortune!

"Stop talking and get back to work. Lu Luo and the others are making quick progress; we can’t fall behind."

"Alright, work, work!"

...

On the main road from Dong’an City to the Coal Capital, Lu Luo, Li Er, and Li San were by the side, staring with fascination at two women bathing.

Lu Luo himself actually wasn’t interested in such things.

But on a long journey, one should add a bit of color to life.

This place was all Gobi desert; a river was hard to come by, so naturally, they had to enjoy the scenery.

The two women bathing were merely an obstruction to his view.

Li Er and Li San by his side were more interesting, though. Lu Luo thought that these two brothers had quite progressive ideas!

"You’ve been looking for five minutes; it’s my turn now."

Li San snatched the binoculars from Li Er and began to look with an expressionless face.

This expression didn’t seem like he was watching women bathe but as if he were researching a very serious scientific project.

Having lost the binoculars, Li Er felt somewhat bored and asked,

"San, didn’t you say being single is quite good? Why are you peeking at women bathing?"

"I need to look at beauties every day; it makes me happy, body and soul. This has nothing to do with being single."

Li San spoke with logic and conviction, making even Lu Luo nod along.

"So, will you look for a wife in the future?"

"I am against marrying on principle, so I probably won’t get a wife in the future."

"Then why do you spend half your salary every month on finding a ’little sister’?"

The conversation between the two men was heating up!

"Finding a ’little sister’ has absolutely nothing to do with getting married. Women are too much trouble. Getting a wife would only slow down my cultivation.

Finding a ’little sister’ is different. A considerate and cute ’little sister’ who gives you massages won’t bother you, won’t disturb you, won’t pressure you.

She only asks for 300 bucks a night. Why would I get married?"

Li San was still making his case with reason and evidence, but Li Er had a different opinion.

"If you don’t get married, when you’re old and die at home, nobody will know until your body starts to stink."

"And what good would discovering it do? Can you come back to life?"

This guy’s way of thinking is rather unusual!

Lu Luo nodded slightly, agreeing that Li San’s way of thinking was indeed not like that of ordinary people.

But at first listen, it seemed to make some sense.

"Logical and convincing."

...

On the other side of the river, Yang Di clutched her chest, constantly looking in the direction of Lu Luo and the others.

Even though the water here was clear and cool, and it was comfortable to be in, she was still a bit concerned.

"Are you worried about being spied on?" Man Ni asked.

"Uh, why? Is that not okay?" Yang Di replied with some defiance.

"There’s nothing to see, what are you afraid of?"

What do you mean there’s nothing to see? Yang Di felt humiliated and immediately puffed out her chest.

Then she pointed at the two little bumps on her chest.

"What do you mean nothing? Aren’t these here? Are you blind?"

Man Ni covered her mouth and giggled at Yang Di’s flustered anger.

But soon her face changed because the river water was gradually turning black.

"Hey, little flattie, back off!"

"What?"

Seeing Man Ni’s reaction, Yang Di was also startled.

The two women hurriedly backed away, slowly making their way to the riverbank.

The river water indeed turned black, but the blackness wasn’t due to something contaminating it.

It was due to densely packed black hair!

The thickness of these hairs had reached an astonishing level.

"These look like hair?"

"Indeed, they’re hair."

"What’s going on?" Yang Di was a bit scared.

However, Man Ni pointed towards a distant spot.

"Look over there."

Yang Di followed Man Ni’s pointed finger to see a woman with an indistinct face, floating on the surface of the water.

All this black hair belonged to her.

"Can a woman’s hair actually grow this long? This length, it must be over 30 meters, right?

Could it be a supernatural entity?"

And indeed, Yang Di had guessed right.

Qin Wanyu had become a supernatural entity.

They watched each other warily, not caring that they were completely naked, and slowly retreated to the shore.

Just then, a Swift Shadow arrived beside them.

Seeing the newcomer, Yang Di cried out in shock,

"Lu Luo, what are you doing? You’ve seen everything!"

Man Ni beside her frowned slightly. Peeking from afar was one thing, after all, that was more ambiguous. But running up to two naked women like this was a bit too much!

However, Lu Luo paid no attention to the two women. His gaze was entirely focused on the figure floating on the river.

She’s not dead yet!

Lu Luo nodded slightly, jumped into the water, and scooped up Qin Wanyu.

The steam in his hand vibrated slightly, instantly dispersing the droplets of water from Qin Wanyu’s body.

Just this alone was enough to astonish Man Ni who stood by.

This guy’s strength! It’s unfathomable!

Such a technique, using frequency vibrations to disperse mist, would be impossible without exceptional control of strength and immense power.

Man Ni was well aware that Lu Luo’s strength could very likely far surpass her own.

After Lu Luo brought Qin Wanyu back, Man Ni and Yang Di quickly dressed and followed.

The group formed a circle around Lu Luo and Qin Wanyu, and a slightly odd and sorrowful expression crossed Yang Di’s face.

At this moment, Lu Luo must be somewhat worried, right? He had never shown any similar emotions towards me. In front of Lu Luo, I feel like an invisible person.

Yang Di glanced at her own unremarkable chest and then at Qin Wanyu on the ground.

Forget it, there’s no point in comparing.

"Lu Luo, do you know this person?"

Yang Di had been in contact with Lu Luo for a while.

She knew very well that although Lu Luo always smiled, his nature was very indifferent.

He cared little about the people and things around him, and his smile was nothing more than a facade.

Lu Luo was not too clear about why Qin Wanyu would appear here.

How did she get past the Fifth High Wall, and how did she come to be attacked like this? Normally, Qin Wanyu would be with Tong Yuan. Since Qin Wanyu is here, where is Tong Yuan?

"Yes, I know her."

Seeing that Lu Luo was reluctant to talk, Yang Di did not probe further.

Lu Luo’s strength was too great; she could not influence a person like him.

Most of the time she spent beside Lu Luo, she merely served as a tool for his needs.

This was a fact Yang Di knew all too well.

Although hard to accept, it was the truth.

The atmosphere gradually turned cold with the unfolding of these events.

Lu Luo carried Qin Wanyu to their vehicle.

After cleaning Qin Wanyu’s wounds briefly, Lu Luo placed her in the back seat.

[She’s awake!]

No sooner had the Observer’s prompt appeared than strands of hair sharp as blades were already against Lu Luo’s neck.

Qin Wanyu’s condition was very poor, and this defensive action was purely instinctive.

When she groggily raised her head, her breath hitched!

Am I hallucinating because of the severe injuries? It seems like I can’t hold on much longer. Seeing Lu Luo here, in such a place? And Lu Luo having saved me? Frankly, I wouldn’t even dare to dream about it.

Before she lost consciousness, she had wondered if she would be able to see Lu Luo again, but that was nothing more than wishful thinking.

The Imperial Inspection Department had collected their scents. They could not escape the pursuit of those people.

Lu Luo was not at all afraid of Qin Wanyu’s threat, but if she continued to use her energy like this, she really would not be far from death.

"What nonsense are you talking about? Can you put down the knife?"

Qin Wanyu was stunned. This attitude... is this really Lu Luo?

"Are you really Lu Luo?"

"Have you seen a fake one?"

A flash of joy sparkled in Qin Wanyu’s eyes, but it was fleeting. Tears soon began rolling down her cheeks.

The low sobbing made Lu Luo somewhat irritable.

Seeing Qin Wanyu’s condition and her injuries, Lu Luo could roughly guess what had happened.

"Did Black Cat die?"

Qin Wanyu was silent for a while. Her vacant gaze gradually focused, and she looked at Lu Luo.

"I want revenge!"