"I just facilitated the union of the Alliance Council, and I still share some goodwill with these council scions. So this time, perhaps we can use this opportunity to gain entry."

Qi Xinzhu frowned slightly. "Is that the method you mentioned earlier?"

Qi Xinzhu objected to Lu Luo seeking help from another woman; she had already tolerated two women and didn't want to tolerate a third.

Lu Luo knew what Qi Xinzhu meant and realized he needed to explain.

"No, of course not. My initial idea was to use the Nightmare Power of the Infernal Source Seed to tempt the Wall Guardians. By using the Nightmare Power's suggestions and seductions, I could enter the Second Ring. But if I did that, my aura and abilities would certainly be exposed. There are too many people around right now. If someone recognized me, there would be certain risks. So, if we can enter the Second Ring through Shi Tingyu, it would definitely be much safer and more convenient than me using the Nightmare Power."

Qi Xinzhu finally understood. "I see... It's just..."

"We're an old married couple; is this still an issue? If you're worried, I can still use the Nightmare Power."

"No, no, you should go find her."

Low-grade feigned retreat. A woman in love is beyond help.

「 」

Shi Tingyu had a strong presence. It was clear the Church's members didn't dare cause any more trouble after she arrived. The tremors in the Second Ring continued, and the fluctuations of Holy Radiance, far from stopping, seemed to be intensifying.

Shi Tingyu looked back at the high wall, feeling puzzled. Is this battle's fluctuation from the Judgment Chief? Who could stand against the Judgment Chief for so long without losing?

Shi Tingyu didn't consider the Pope; after all, the Pope had been asleep for many years.

Just as her presence intimidated the onlookers, Lu Luo arrived before Shi Tingyu with Qi Xinzhu.

"What a coincidence, Miss Shi Tingyu."

Shi Tingyu looked at the middle-aged man before her with a strange expression. She had a good memory but no recollection of this man. "Who is this person?"

"Sir?"

Just as she was about to ask Lu Luo's identity, a strangely familiar aura emanated from him.

This man... is he Lu Luo?

"You are..."

"Shh. Miss Shi Tingyu seems to have already realized who I am. However, it's quite clear my identity shouldn't be revealed right now, don't you think?"

Lu Luo tilted his head slightly and stroked his fake beard.

However, Shi Tingyu's attention wasn't on him but on Qi Xinzhu beside him. Initially, Shi Tingyu was merely drawn to Qi Xinzhu's figure: her full and firm chest, slender waist, and long legs. Such a woman made Shi Tingyu want to tease Lu Luo, who, despite already having Bai Yuetong, still flirted elsewhere. But when she saw Qi Xinzhu's face, she was visibly stunned.

Beauty that outshines the moon and shames the flowers, an allure that could topple cities and kingdoms. Such a stunning woman, even more so than Bai Yuetong!

Puzzled, Shi Tingyu turned her gaze back to Lu Luo. Isn't she Saintess Qi Xinzhu, the Priest the Church spoke of previously? So the rumors were true. Qi Xinzhu and Bai Yuetong are indeed with a man from the Fourth Ring. This is really...

After thinking it over, it didn't seem so wrong for these two women to be with Lu Luo. Even though Lu Luo was from the Fourth Ring, his wisdom, abilities, and strength already surpassed his peers. Even in the Inner Ring, it would be hard to find anyone who could rival Lu Luo. Even looking ten years ahead, to the generation of Chen Mo and Han Shiyu, very few could achieve what Lu Luo had already accomplished. Even Shi Tingyu herself had a very favorable impression of Lu Luo. Therefore, Lu Luo being with Qi Xinzhu or Bai Yuetong wasn't enough to surprise Shi Tingyu.

But for Lu Luo to have both of them... that was galling. How could the young masters of the Inner Ring show their faces now!

"Are you headed to the Second Ring?" Shi Tingyu asked.

"Yes. Thank you for your trouble, Miss Shi Tingyu," Lu Luo replied.

Shi Tingyu nodded slightly. Lu Luo had facilitated the re-alliance of the Council. Whether for official reasons or a personal desire to connect with Lu Luo, Shi Tingyu had no reason to stop him. She waved to the Wall Guardians behind her. "Let these two through."

"Thank you," Lu Luo said.

"Thank you," Qi Xinzhu added.

Qi Xinzhu and Lu Luo thanked her and were about to move forward when some discordant voices came from behind.

"Why should they be allowed to pass at this time?"

"Yeah, that woman is also from the Church! Why should they be allowed to pass?"

"You haven't taken a bribe, have you?"

Hearing these voices, Lu Luo shook his head slightly and took out an envelope. "Everyone, apologies, but I have an official order from the Third Ring."

Of course, the envelope didn't contain any such order; he was just bluffing. However, Lu Luo had clearly underestimated their current state of mind. They didn't care whether he held a real order or not. They were simply expressing their discontent.

"Order or no order! If the Council's orders are valid, why aren't the Church's?"

"Yeah, you, the female Believer next to him, take off your hood!"

"You wouldn't happen to be a wanted criminal, would you?"

At such a tense juncture, once someone started inciting the crowd, things often spiraled in a terrible direction. Lu Luo was the last person who wanted trouble at this moment. He shook his head somewhat helplessly.

It seems impossible to just pass through like this... under these circumstances...

"Lu Luo, what do we do?" Qi Xinzhu asked.

"There's no other way. We can't afford to delay."

Lu Luo turned around, the Infernal Source Seed quietly activating. This time, when he released the Nightmare Power, it was somewhat different. A much larger eyeball slowly opened above Lu Luo's head. When this eyeball's gaze swept over the Believers, they immediately showed signs of confusion, even stupefaction. With just one look, their minds and attention were completely controlled by Lu Luo.

The Observer's amplifying effect on the Nightmare Power was truly terrifying. But Lu Luo wasn't happy. He hadn't intended to use the Observer's Sequence Force in the first place, and this situation had completely exceeded his expectations. In other words, Lu Luo's Sequence Force had gone out of control once again. And it happened in front of so many people.

Shi Tingyu, standing beside him, felt the fluctuations of power emanating from Lu Luo. But Lu Luo's Observer's Eye wasn't targeting her, so she didn't know exactly what was happening. However, when she saw nearly everyone opposite them with dumbfounded and dazed expressions, even the usually composed Shi Tingyu sensed something was amiss. These people weren't just stunned; some even began to drool and lose control of their bladders and bowels.

This isn't just a simple loss of reason, is it?

"Lu Luo, what did you do to them?"

Lu Luo covered the eye that had unleashed the Nightmare Power, barely retracting his Sequence Force, and looked at Shi Tingyu apologetically. "I'm sorry. I may have caused some... unpleasant consequences. But while they're still incapacitated, please, I need your help!"

Shi Tingyu looked at Lu Luo, frowning. "Will these people recover?"

Lu Luo looked at the group. The Nightmare Power's effect was likely to warp their minds. Typically, people affected by Nightmare Power would gradually recover over time. However, that was under normal circumstances. These people were no longer in a normal situation. Lu Luo was somewhat uncertain whether their sanity would eventually recover. No one knew the extent of the destruction caused when the Observer's Sequence Force amplified the Nightmare Power's effects.

"I can't give you a definite answer as to whether these people will recover. All I can say is, if the situation were normal, they would recover. But this time, it might take quite a while."

Shi Tingyu nodded slightly. Letting Lu Luo leave now might cause considerable trouble for her; after all, there were nearly two hundred people here. Two hundred people at the Wall's ascent point collectively turning into imbeciles without a reasonable explanation would indeed be hard to justify. Yet, whether out of compassion or a desire to curry favor with Lu Luo, Shi Tingyu ultimately chose to let them pass.

"Alright, go on. I'll handle things here."

Lu Luo looked at Shi Tingyu, somewhat embarrassed. "Thank you, Miss Shi Tingyu. I'll remember this favor."

The corners of Shi Tingyu's mouth lifted slightly. "That's good to hear. If one day the Council is no more, I could bring the Shi Family to seek refuge with you. I just don't know if Mr. Lu Luo would be willing to forget past grievances and spare our Shi Family's Lan Tian Biotech."

Shi Tingyu didn't know why she had said such a thing. But when she witnessed the energy collision in the Second Ring, she had already started to worry. Few in the entire Inner Ring were capable of collisions of such energy intensity. Shi Tingyu had a faint suspicion about the situation in the Second Ring.

The Pope and the Judgment Chief have really made their move.

If this suspicion was true, then perhaps the Church would indeed become what Lu Luo had predicted: a unified will. Although this outcome had been anticipated when they established the new Alliance, the sudden battle in the Second Ring still startled Shi Tingyu. All of this had happened too quickly.

Lu Luo nodded solemnly to Shi Tingyu. "Definitely."

"Go on."

As the two boarded the cable lift, Shi Tingyu watched their retreating figures silently, whispering to herself. If the Judgment Chief really killed the Pope, and the Church's will becomes unified, will there still be a need for the Alliance Council? Even though we've united, does the current leaderless Council truly have the power and resolve to contend with the Judgment Chief?

Shi Tingyu's murmuring was a form of self-questioning. And if this question remained unanswered, the outcome would be dire. Perhaps, as she had jokingly suggested earlier, the Alliance Council could suddenly cease to exist.

I hope he can do something.

No sooner had she thought this than Shi Tingyu let out a self-deprecating laugh. Heh, it's rather laughable for me to hope a Fourth Ring individual can do something.

As Shi Tingyu watched Lu Luo and Qi Xinzhu depart, no one noticed a figure in the crowd also staring at their retreating backs. Her gaze was now firmly locked onto Lu Luo. Clearly, this person had noticed when Lu Luo released the Nightmare Power and his Sequence Force went out of control.

Such strong Sequence Power, yet he hasn't fully mastered his own strength? It seems he's newly ascended... Fourth Ring Lu Luo!

Her voice was ancient, creaking like an old, weathered tree trunk when she spoke. If one were to look past the cloak she wore and see her face, they would be shocked by her decrepit visage. Age spots covered most of her skin. Her hair, eyebrows, and even eyelashes had all fallen out. Her turbid eyes showed no sign of life. Folds of skin covered her entire body as if she had no muscles. When she opened her mouth, one could see she had no teeth. If she weren't standing here speaking, it would be hard to imagine such a person was still "alive."

Yet, this somewhat out-of-place figure seemed to go unnoticed by everyone as she moved through the crowd. She passed directly by Shi Tingyu, who was whispering, and her body began to slowly ascend. The entire process was devoid of any energy fluctuations, as if she were naturally capable of flight. Shi Tingyu and the Wall Guardians below her seemed unaware of the decrepit old woman's presence.

The decrepit woman floated slowly to a position behind Lu Luo and Qi Xinzhu.

At this moment, Lu Luo, standing on the cable lift, frowned slightly and turned to look behind him. All he saw was the Third Ring's ground far below and the air around him. Nothing else.

An illusion? Lu Luo wondered.

Perhaps it is, perhaps it isn't! the Observer responded.

The Observer's ambiguous answer made Lu Luo frown more deeply, but Qi Xinzhu interrupted his thoughts.

"What's wrong, Lu Luo?"

"I feel something is off... as if someone is watching us."

"Someone is watching us? Did you sense them? Where are they?" Qi Xinzhu immediately became alert.

The entire Circle Studio trusted Lu Luo's observational skills unconditionally. Even if they couldn't sense, see, hear, or perceive it themselves, as long as Lu Luo said something was there, they would believe him. This was common knowledge within the Circle Studio.

This time, however, Lu Luo himself was uncertain. He pointed to a patch of empty air behind them, his face filled with confusion. "They... seem to be there!"

SWISH!

The moment Lu Luo finished speaking, Qi Xinzhu launched a burst of Sword Qi in that direction. But the Sword Qi simply flew through the air uneventfully, causing no discernible effect.

Qi Xinzhu didn't question Lu Luo just because her attack missed. Instead, she asked, "Are they still there?"

Lu Luo stared at that spot in the air, quietly activating his Sequence Force. A bloodshot eyeball appeared slightly higher up. Yet, even so, Lu Luo still discovered nothing.

"It seems like they're gone."

Lu Luo shook his head slightly. Even though he said that, he didn't believe it. Many great Transcendents, including Ludie, had said that once you feel something is wrong, it means a terrible situation has already occurred. As a Transcendent, you should trust your intuition. If your intuition tells you there's danger, then there definitely is danger. Lu Luo always kept these words in mind. And the current situation was likely just as those words described.

An enemy he couldn't detect, even after becoming aware of their presence and possessing the Observer Sequence, must be a fearsome opponent.

Under what circumstances can the Observer not detect an enemy? Lu Luo asked internally.

The great Observer cannot obtain information about an enemy under three circumstances. First, the opponent possesses a disk. Second, the opponent has a Sequence of the same grade that can shield information. Third, the opponent's strength, along with their own developed Sequence Force, has reached a level where they can evade a Grade S Sequence.

I see. Now I understand, Lu Luo thought.

Next chapter will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.