Apocalypse Circular-Chapter 498 - 496: Passing the Test

Meiqi’s eyes lit up. "Disgust? Has it come to that point already? It seems you have made quick progress!"

"Uh, are you not angry, Lady Meiqi? After all, that creature is your pet."

"Haha, I’m too happy to be angry. How could I be?"

"Why?"

"You two are of the same origin energy, and even your biological organisms are very similar, despite the great disparity in your forms. In a certain sense, you two are mutual origins. Devouring and evolution—those are the real themes between you two. At this moment, it still holds affection for you, whereas you have already entered into disgust. This means that your personal progress has far outstripped the giant creature’s growth, and that is a good thing. I am looking forward to the day when you turn it into nutrients."

Although Meiqi’s words were lively, her speech was filled with a chilling murderous intent. She seemed to be encouraging Lu Luo to engage in a real slaughter with the giant creature, to see who would be the ultimate winner.

However, Lu Luo definitely wouldn’t fall for her bait at this juncture. At a time like this, he couldn’t afford to reveal his power in front of Meiqi.

"Is that so? Since Lady Meiqi says so, I can rest easy. I’ve wanted to kill it for a long time. But now is not the time. I’ll sort it out properly after returning from the Imperial."

Lu Luo’s choice to evade at this moment, rather than kill the giant creature outright, seemed to disappoint Meiqi a bit. But Lu Luo’s decision couldn’t be said to be wrong. After all, he did need to deal with the Imperial Family next, which was the truly important matter.

As for the giant creature... It was always just a monster raised in the Upside-Down Sea. For Meiqi and Lu Luo, after receiving permission, it was simply fodder—Lu Luo’s food supply.

"Hehe, there will be a chance!" Meiqi lowered her voice, like a serpent from the netherworld.

This feeling made Lu Luo somewhat nervous, but he did not show much. He simply nodded to Meiqi and said, "Well then, if Lady Meiqi has no further business, I’ll take my leave."

"Go ahead!"

This meeting turned out easier than Lu Luo had expected; at least, he didn’t feel any substantial threat.

After Lu Luo left, Meiqi stood at the edge of the water curtain, silently watching his retreating figure, without saying a word.

At this moment, the giant creature swam over, extending its head and forlornly shaking its tentacles in front of Meiqi. But Meiqi acted as though she didn’t see it and calmly said, "Do you sense something off about him?"

The giant creature seemed not to understand Meiqi’s meaning; it nodded its head, then shook it.

Seeing this reaction, Meiqi was somewhat disappointed. "Time has given us an absolute advantage, but time is also our greatest limitation. Without the accumulation of time, an Exotic Species like you would require hundreds of years to grow. It would take centuries for you to grasp inheritance, conception, and culture. Another few centuries before you can possess the same thinking as a normal human—such a slow pace is unbearable. But humans are different; they are like cursed beings. Despite their fleeting lifespans, they possess a learning ability unmatched by any other race, which shouldn’t be possible. Why is fate so unfair? Why are they inherently blessed with that which we spend lifetimes chasing after? After being silent for so many years, after preparing for so long, it’s time for a result."

Meiqi inserted her fingers into the forehead of the giant creature, causing it pain, but it dared not show any sign of it in front of Meiqi. It didn’t even dare to move its body at this time. Just like with Lu Xiaotian before, the hierarchical suppression among the Exotic Species was even more outrageous than one could imagine. This suppression was like some kind of innate shackle. Angel Envoys, it seemed, inherently possessed the ability to suppress, and even control, other Exotic Species. This was also an innate talent.

"I’m hurting you here, and you don’t even have the will to resist; you won’t even twitch. This is the difference—the gap between you and Lu Luo. The chasm between you is not about strength, size, or the energy you’ve accumulated. I believe it won’t take many years for Lu Luo’s power to completely crush you. You’ve been struggling for so long, don’t you find it laughable?"

Hearing Meiqi’s words, the giant creature before her seemed confused; it appeared to understand something, but at the same time, not quite. Clueless as it was, it could only stay put, quietly watching Meiqi, waiting for her next words.

Seeing that the giant creature had no intention of responding, Meiqi felt bored. "How boring. Torturing you elicits no reaction. Humans are much more interesting; no wonder that guy AoTu is so fond of the Imperial Capital. It’s really too much fun to meander among a group of humans, disguising oneself as one of them. It’s not just fun, but also a way to learn about human culture and their cunning. This is what we should truly cherish!"

Meiqi licked her fingers while smiling contently at the deep sea. But soon, she sensed that something was amiss.

BOOM!

The entire Upside-Down Sea shook for a moment, and then a tall figure appeared behind Meiqi.

Upon seeing this figure, the giant creature became even more fearful. Instinctively wanting to flee, it couldn’t find a way to escape from this place.

"They went to the Floating City. What have you been doing?" Leviathan’s voice came from behind Meiqi. The tall and robust man was indeed the World Devourer Leviathan. In some sense, his strength was even more formidable and terrifying than Meiqi’s. And in the water, it was his home field.

"For you to be so arrogant here, I didn’t expect that. Daring to question me in my own territory? Do you still want to fight me?"

Clearly, Meiqi was not buying what Leviathan was selling. Especially after Leviathan made his intentions and attitude clear, Meiqi immediately revealed her sharp fangs and the sinister venom on them. Angel Envoys were not friendly toward each other. They might have connections, even cooperate closely. But cooperation among Angel Envoys was also always accompanied by competition. The relationship between Meiqi and Leviathan was exactly that.

Leviathan knew he was at fault, and being in Meiqi’s domain, he became somewhat restrained. However, his tone didn’t change much; speaking again, he still sounded accusatory. "You should keep an eye on your people. At the very least, you shouldn’t let them into the Floating City."

"How would I know where they would go? How can I control where they go? Do you want me to enter the Circular? You want me to die, right? If you’ve discovered it, then you go stop them yourself. Lacking the ability yourself, you come here to blame me. How could there be a Devourer as disgusting as you?"

"I am a Devourer, not a fish."

"I don’t care what you are. Just don’t make trouble here."

After a bout of arguing, the atmosphere between them gradually eased. Neither of them were pushovers, but they both knew the importance of the situation at hand. For Leviathan to come here at this time indicated the seriousness with which he regarded the recent events. And Meiqi, too, had to take it seriously. Angel Envoys were rare, yet they were powerful and ancient enough to understand the significance of unity. So, even if the two were at odds, they would set aside previous grudges and state their cases.

"They passed through the Suffocation Domain and went to Sky Island. I don’t know what they found there, but from what I observed, they stayed there for at least one day. One day is enough to do a lot of things," Leviathan said.

"One day is enough for what? To make love twenty times and then have a child?" Meiqi jested once more.

"Meiqi, be serious. I’m talking about a serious matter," Leviathan said, a bit angry now.

Seeing him get riled up, Meiqi suddenly turned around and started to caress Leviathan’s body with her slender fingers. Her long, forked tongue licked continuously over Leviathan’s body.

"Alright, alright, don’t be so angry. I only just found out about this too. The things on Sky Island are nothing more than the methods to seal you. You’ve been crashing into Sky Island for years and should have shattered it. Therefore, they shouldn’t be able to get their hands on those things," she said reassuringly.

"The stele is made from Boundary Stone; it won’t break at all. If they have mastered the method to seal me, then the risks for me going forward will increase significantly. After all, Lu Luo is still in the human world, and nobody knows whether he’s still one of us or not," Leviathan pointed out.

Meiqi ceased her actions, her gaze becoming sharper. "Lu Luo is of course one of us. At least he’s my person, do you understand?"

"Hmph, you really do see yourself as human now, don’t you? Meiqi, that’s truly laughable. Have you forgotten what it was like when humans imprisoned you? You were as ugly as a foul-smelling snake, constantly beaten and abused. Do you consider Lu Luo your Second Brother? Impossible. Second Brother is dead and will never return. He has been turned into a drifting consciousness by humans and will never be resurrected. Don’t delude yourself," Leviathan scoffed.

His words pierced Meiqi’s heart like a knife. She lashed out violently, her sharp nails piercing Leviathan’s heart in an instant. The poison corroded Leviathan’s body, and then she ripped his heart out directly.

SPURT!

"If you don’t speak, no one will assume you’re mute!" Meiqi snarled.

"Flying into a rage from shame? How laughable," a voice issued from Leviathan’s corpse on the ground. It was still speaking, though the body quickly shriveled, transforming into the likeness of another person. It appeared to be an ordinary human Transcendent. Their strength was only around the First to Second Tier.

"At least I don’t go gallivanting around in a fake body all day like a clown," Meiqi retorted.

"Meiqi, I don’t want to engage in this pointless argument with you. I’ve told you what I know about them. That Nightmare Demon has definitely rebelled; she’s developed a human mind. She’ll no longer be under your control. Moreover, her progress is very fast. While possessing Exotic Species powers, she also has human traits. In a sense, she and Lu Luo are of a type. If she can rebel, Lu Luo can too. We can’t know what happened on Sky Island. However, one thing I am certain of is that your Lu Luo has definitely kept a lot of things from you. Am I right?"

Meiqi’s gaze was somewhat unfocused. Regarding Sky Island, Lu Luo had indeed not spoken to her about it. This shouldn’t be the case! Such important information. Lu Luo should have told her. Could it be true, as Leviathan said, that he had already betrayed them? But how could the power of the Doomsday Disc be so easily escaped? Not to mention that sealed inside the Doomsday Disc was a monster that even they feared—the one who would destroy the world! The common enemy of all living beings, a Destroyer even the Exotic Species wouldn’t want to associate with. If Lu Luo could escape even these, then naturally he could also escape her control and AoTu’s. So, had Lu Luo really betrayed them?

"I will take this matter to heart."

"Taking it to heart is useless. You need to take more practical actions. You understand what I mean, right?"

"More practical actions? Don’t think I don’t know what you’re thinking. Leviathan, I, Meiqi, don’t need you to educate me on how to do things, got it? Go back to your heaven!"

"Hmph. I hope one day you won’t be killed by your little man. I’m leaving."

Leviathan’s voice gradually faded away, but after a while, Meiqi spoke again, "Didn’t you say you were leaving? Why are you still here?"

A majestic voice came from the deep sea, which was Leviathan’s original tone. "No matter what, I have to tell you, that kid is not Second Brother, never will be. The World Devourer you’re looking for no longer exists. He is Lu Luo, and you must treat him as Lu Luo so as not to fall into his trap."

After saying that, Leviathan truly left.

For a while after it left, the giant creature behind Meiqi carefully moved its body. The recent conversation had been too terrifying, overflowing with the pressure of two Angel Envoys; it did not dare to move at all. If it had moved, it might truly have been killed. And killed very brutally at that!

Could what Leviathan said be true? Meiqi seemed to be asking the giant creature, yet also seemed to be talking to herself.

Leviathan was not wrong; the two of them were actually on the same side. Despite their clashing personalities and various conflicts, including past fights. But no matter what, Meiqi and Leviathan were a community of interest. Their conflicts were emotional, but in terms of interests, they were always an Alliance. Leviathan’s reminder was very important and, to a certain extent, awakened Meiqi.

This matter does indeed need to be thoroughly investigated.

Meiqi’s fingers caressed the waves of the Upside-Down Sea. Unseen, ripples spread out, also sending a signal to AoTu’s envoy: "Help me investigate Lu Luo. See if he’s still one of us."

It was a simple request, but Meiqi knew that in AoTu’s hands, it certainly wouldn’t be that simple. Given his character, it was very likely he would capture Lu Luo, even torture him, to fulfill the request.

Meiqi didn’t hesitate much. As a superior, one must make decisions befitting a superior. This was not the time to be soft-hearted.