"A better choice?"

Lu Luo had carefully observed his surroundings; there was nowhere left to escape.

The routes above and below had collapsed due to the vibrations from a recent explosion, making it virtually impossible for him to flee to the deeper realms of the Heirs' land, or even the labyrinth.

At about 3.5 meters behind you, the thing being excavated should appear at this spot if nothing goes wrong. Do you need me to design a better escape route for you? For example, you dodge the opponent's heavy strike with a flash, and their attack creates a hole. You then slide into the hole.

"Other than sliding, can't we try something different?"

Get ready, it's almost time.

"That fast?"

Yes, the enemy has sped up.

Seeing the prompt, Lu Luo nodded slightly, and suddenly, he felt a faint vibration beneath his feet.

The vibration had a steady frequency, indicating that the enemy was very close!

Lu Luo hugged Qi Xinzhu tightly to his chest, his gaze firm, his body tensed, ready for battle.

"It seems our lives are not meant to end here!"

The internal dispute among the Church's high-ranking members had reached a fever pitch.

Even for Seventh Tier masters, their confidence stemmed from their own power.

Once they lost that power, they were utterly lost regarding the unpredictable future.

But in times of crisis, there were always those with strong wills who would stand out amidst the despair.

Luo Dan was one such person, but unfortunately, she was currently opposed to Lu Luo.

Now, she had become the hunter, and Lu Luo, the prey.

"You won't get away!"

Luo Dan's body suddenly moved. Although she also specialized in Holy Radiance, the peeling of Holy Radiance at this moment caused her a great deal of physical strain.

But what made her stronger than the old lady earlier was her extremely robust physical constitution.

After all, being a contemporary life Holy Knight, her Constitution was comparable to a youthful Mo Fan's.

Here she comes!

I know!

Steam, level five.

Lu Luo held Qi Xinzhu in one hand, the rolling steam already reddening her skin.

Without the protection of Holy Radiance, even with Qi Xinzhu's high Constitution of 150, she could not withstand the intense heat and steam assault from Lu Luo at this moment.

With the risk of accidents at any turn, Lu Luo couldn't afford to let her go, even if it meant hurting Qi Xinzhu.

Deliberate Bombardment Fist!

BOOM!

Lu Luo abruptly released a massive amount of steam, but with this punch, he didn't intend to hurt Luo Dan at all.

The reason for doing so was mainly to diffuse the steam fog as quickly as possible.

Lacking Holy Radiance, Luo Dan's perception ability was significantly reduced in the mist.

As long as she couldn't pinpoint him in the fog, both he and Qi Xinzhu stood a good chance of survival.

This was the opportunity Lu Luo had found after brief observation.

HISS! HISS! HISS!

Watching the rapidly spreading steam fog, Luo Dan clearly hesitated.

Lack of Holy Radiance meant her senses were dulled.

Reduced perception signified her inability to locate Lu Luo accurately in the fog.

What might lie within the layers of mist, no one could be sure.

But Luo Dan didn't hesitate for long; as a top Seventh Tier expert, her physical robustness alone was sufficient to be fearless.

Holy Radiance Cross Fist.

Luo Dan clenched her fist and punched forward, the vacuum created from her strike dispersing the fog in front of her.

Her use of vacuum punch was very similar to Yang Liya's combat skills.

The only difference was that Yang Liya practiced Six Paths strength while Luo Dan relied on not being able to use Holy Radiance now.

The gap between the two was truly incomparable.

WHOOSH!

The surge of air brushed past Lu Luo's cheek as he moved through one veil of fog after another, suddenly appearing in front of Luo Dan.

Thunder Breath, Sunder!

A flash.

The current emitted a sizzling sound as the Fenrir Greatsword split into five separate blades, each carrying a strong electric charge.

The currents snaked around Luo Dan's form.

Electricity controlled the blades, merging with the steam to repeatedly stab at the strongest member of the Church after the disappearance of Pope Fan Zhen and Bai Qingshuang.

"This swordsmanship! Separate."

Luo Dan grabbed two of the swords with her bare hands, the one in her right hand being the main sword of the sixth form.

Intense electricity erupted from Luo Dan's hands, but Luo Dan didn't care; even as her palms were scorched repeatedly, she never let go.

With a Constitution over 300, she had enough resistance to disregard such attacks without the aid of Holy Radiance.

SQUEAK! TWIST!

The Fenrir Sword in her hands had been bent to an unbelievable angle.

CLANG!

This greatsword, not in Lu Luo's possession for particularly long but touted as his strongest weapon, was finally broken by Luo Dan.

Without the main sword's guidance, the remaining four blades were like headless flies.

Before long, Luo Dan caught and broke some of them, while others were thrown directly into the fog.

PLOP!

Sword blades pierced through, and Lu Luo knew that Luo Dan had pinpointed his location because of his own recent actions.

Blood followed the dispersing fog, gradually transforming the mist into a blood fog as it spread from Lu Luo.

This was deliberate on Lu Luo's part.

His blood carried the exact same aura as himself, and in the state of the blood-colored mist, his figure became even harder to spot.

"Such a nuisance! If there's no solution, then just blow it away."

Luo Dan looked at the thick blood fog before her with some irritation. The dense fog could be dealt with, but it would require a bit of physical effort.

HISS! HUFF!

Luo Dan took a deep breath and then exhaled forcefully.

This breath wasn't just any exhalation, but one full of rotating rhythm that quickly spiraled.

The tip of the breath, like a spinning drill, cut easily into Lu Luo's blood fog.

The spiraling air cone punctured the unified fog, and the rotating air current compressed all the surrounding blood fog.

This move could be said to perfectly counter Lu Luo's fog state.

It left Lu Luo both admiring the combat talent of a Seventh Tier expert and somewhat concerned about his own safety.

Such strong adaptability. I wonder how Ludie would cope with this situation if he was here?

Lu Luo dealt with the situation while pondering.

Dust Devil was a skill created by Ludie, a powerful technique capable of contending with Nightmare Demons in his hands.

Although Lu Luo's current performance was decent, there was still a considerable gap compared to Ludie in releasing a Dust Devil that could shroud the skies.

Now his combat objective was simple: to survive.

"I really want to fight with you properly and learn the combat techniques of Seventh Tier experts in the process. But unfortunately, now's not the time. Sorry, Lady Luo Dan, I must go!"

"What? Go? Where can you go?"

After the fog dissipated, Lu Luo stood at a distance, at the corner of the wall, making eye contact with Luo Dan.

All the actions he had just taken—discarding the Fenrir greatsword and releasing the blood fog state—were to conceal the situation here amidst the mist.

The ground began to vibrate.

With a loud crashing noise, a drilling Mecha broke through the ground—it was the very thing Lu Luo had been trying to hide.

"What?"

Seeing the suddenly appearing Mecha, Luo Dan was somewhat at a loss.

How could a Mecha appear in the Doomsday Sanctuary at this time? Was this a contingency plan arranged by Lu Luo, or...?

Without another word, the Mecha fired over a dozen missiles at Luo Dan and the church members behind her.

These missiles weren't particularly strong in penetration, but their explosive power was definitely sufficient.

Triggering a big explosion in such an environment at this time seemed rather destructive.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

A strong vibration shook the room.

The already teetering ceiling suddenly collapsed.

Luo Dan was caught off-guard and felt helpless.

At this moment, she couldn't pursue Lu Luo anymore. She had to stop the collapsing ceiling.

Luo Dan soared into the air, using her body and strength to support the collapsing ceiling.

Other Seventh Tier Priests of the Church followed suit.

They were unclear about the situation above and had wanted to stay here for a while more, but now someone had demolished it with missiles. This person was just too malicious.

However, some looked at Luo Dan with discontent.

"Luo Dan, why did you have to provoke him?"

Luo Dan suddenly turned her head, glaring angrily.

She knew there would always be those who hindered progress, and while she was aware of this, it still infuriated her. If the circumstances had allowed, she would have already taken action.

With that thought, Luo Dan suddenly paused.

What's going on? Why has my temper and personality suddenly become so impulsive? This is a bit abnormal, right?

Luo Dan felt that something was off at this moment, but she couldn't pinpoint exactly what was wrong.

She vaguely sensed a sudden change in her personality, even experiencing some uncontrollable emotions, which might be related to the disappearance of Holy Radiance.

Maybe this state was her original personality. The existence of Holy Radiance was the element that suppressed her explosive side. Now that Holy Radiance had completely vanished, even unable to be produced again, her original personality was revealing itself at this time. If I am like this, then what about the others? The entire Inner Ring? The Alliance? If Holy Radiance truly can never appear again, what will become of the future Wasteland Alliance?

In an instant, Luo Dan thought of many things: her own situation, the future of the Alliance, the Church!

But just as she was about to clarify many crucial matters, Lu Luo's voice suddenly interrupted her.

"The things hiding in the mist may not be my hurried, fleeing figure. But it's possible they are the lurking threats."

"If I kill you, there will be no hidden dangers."

"Senior Luo Dan, there are some things you may not understand. I'll give you something to ponder, and when we meet again, I'll seriously study Seventh Tier combat skills with you."

Luo Dan, holding up the ceiling, frowned slightly:

"What are you talking about?"

"Heh, when you get older, there are some things you can't just blurt out; there are taboos in them. You're aging and don't understand the rules here. Some words, once spoken, can alter the track of your thoughts in the unseen. A seemingly simple statement can affect your entire life. You don't have the power to control it, so listen to my advice. Retract what you just said, and let me speak."

Luo Dan: ???

"What do you want to say?"

Lu Luo's previously lighthearted expression suddenly turned serious.

"When I see you again, I'll kill you and put you in a bottle as a specimen. If I kill you, there will be no crisis!"

If it were someone else, Luo Dan might have just laughed it off.

A Seventh Tier expert, how could they fear someone's verbal threat? Especially someone of her caliber, a top-tier expert.

But even as a Seventh Tier expert, upon hearing Lu Luo's threat, Luo Dan felt a slight chill in her heart.

This kid, too young! With such talent, such strength, becoming a Seventh Tier was almost a certainty. If I really can't catch him, then the outcome...

Thinking this, Luo Dan nodded slightly and suddenly smiled at Lu Luo.

"Alright, I'll wait for you, for your revenge. When the time comes, I hope you won't disappoint me."

"I definitely won't. I made a mistake coming to the Inner Ring this time. I won't entrust my fate to others again. Next time I come to the Inner Ring, I hope you'll like it."

After saying this, Lu Luo reached out and grabbed the Mecha beside him.

The Mecha's drill started turning again, carrying Lu Luo and Qi Xinzhu into the ruins of the Doomsday Sanctuary and disappearing.

「...」

In the dark tunnel drilled underground, Lu Luo's gaze penetrated the protective glass of the Mecha and fell on the driver inside.

The identity of the person surprised him slightly.

"Zhang Yifan?"

Zhang Yifan, sitting in the cockpit, heard Lu Luo's doubt and pursed his lips in slight annoyance.

You've finished your act, and now you remember to look at me? Always hugging another woman, do you know how worried Miss is about you?

Zhang Yifan felt it was unfair to Bai Yuetong, and he couldn't understand what was so good about Lu Luo, why she liked him so much.

Just as Zhang Yifan was looking sullen, Lu Luo actually started knocking on the glass.

THUD! THUD! THUD!

"Zhang Yifan? Zhang Yifan, can you hear me?"

Lu Luo's actions were robust, making Zhang Yifan even feel there was a risk of Lu Luo shattering the Mecha's glass.

Zhang Yifan, feeling helpless, finally opened the window of the cockpit.

"Lu Luo, what on earth do you want to do?"

Once Lu Luo saw Zhang Yifan speaking, he immediately began to greet him with a smile.

Although there had been various stories and even some conflicts between him and Zhang Yifan, the man was after all here to save him.

Lu Luo could guess that Zhang Yifan must have come at the request of Bai Yuetong.

But even if it was Bai Yuetong's request, Zhang Yifan was still the person who brought Lu Luo that glimmer of hope amidst the crisis.

This favor, Lu Luo would remember in his heart. But favor aside, there were other matters at hand, and Lu Luo did have something important right now.

"Hehehe, Zhang Yifan, my good brother, look at this... Things aren't looking good, so could you maybe give me a hand?"

Lu Luo pointed to Qi Xinzhu in his arms, his wife in a comatose state. Naturally, Lu Luo was concerned.

His body was strong enough, so even if he encountered some rock blasts or injuries, it didn't matter.

But Qi Xinzhu was different; she had suffered a backstab from Li Ming, and she was right in the very center of the Inner Ring.

The closest position to the Dawn Disc.

It could be said that the shock Qi Xinzhu had suffered was the strongest among all the Believers.

It was only because her Holy Radiance wasn't very powerful, her Constitution was strong enough, and the Healer's powers were timely, that she hadn't died.

But even so, Qi Xinzhu was very weak now.

Lu Luo simply couldn't bear to see her suffer like this, so he swallowed his pride to ask Zhang Yifan for help.

Seeing Qi Xinzhu, Zhang Yifan felt an instinctive urge to refuse.

This was the woman who was competing with Bai Yuetong for Lu Luo. How could he possibly save her? Okay, even if Bai Yuetong was willing to save this woman, he, Zhang Yifan, would definitely not save her. But if he didn't save her, and she died, then Lu Luo would become angry. If Lu Luo became angry, Bai Yuetong would be upset... Zhang Yifan really didn't want to see Dumb Hair upset; oh, this was just too hard.

"Forget it, forget it, bring her in."

"Thank you so much!"

Lu Luo beamed with joy as he placed Qi Xinzhu into the cockpit.

This was a normal thing to do, and Zhang Yifan naturally wouldn't say anything. To save the weak was indeed very righteous! But that wasn't the issue, the problem was that after Lu Luo put her down, he just didn't leave...

"What are you doing?"

"What are you doing?"

He wants to steal your seat.

Both of them said it at the same time and then the cockpit fell into a weird silence.

After being silent for a few seconds, both spoke up again:

"Will you get out?"

"Will you get out?"

Hurry up and run! Lu Xiaoluo wants to steal your seat.

Lu Luo's expression was natural, but Zhang Yifan's expression turned to one of embarrassed anger!

This is my Mecha! I came over here with good intentions to save you, braved the dangers, crossed the crises, and now you're telling me to get out? Damn Lu Luo, this is outrageous!

Zhang Yifan glared at Lu Luo furiously.

"Lu Luo, make it clear, this is my Mecha!"

Lu Luo looked around for a bit, as if trying to think of some excuse.

But the cockpit was too clean, not even a cockroach to be found, leaving him quite troubled.

Tch, have you gone crazy? Isn't your wife right here? Why even look for a cockroach?

Right, Observer truly lived up to his name, always able to give effective advice when it was tough to decide. The Grade S Sequence—its reputation was well-deserved.

Looking at the indignant Zhang Yifan, Lu Luo naturally pulled up Qi Xinzhu beside him.

"This is my wife."

Zhang Yifan: ???

"What do you mean?"

Feeling that Zhang Yifan's reaction was a bit slow, Lu Luo thought the man was too dull, no wonder he couldn't find a girlfriend.

So he repeated himself.

"This is my wife, and now my wife is unconscious in your cockpit. I can't just leave her be, can I?"

Zhang Yifan hesitated for a moment, Lu Luo's words seeming to make some sense.

But upon closer thought, it seemed there was something not quite right.

"But..."

Zhang Yifan hadn't quite articulated his point when Lu Luo quickly interrupted him.

"No buts, first think about whether this makes sense, whether she is my wife or not?"

"She's your wife..."

"My wife needs rest, doesn't she?"

"Looking at her like this, she indeed needs rest."

"Since my wife needs rest, doesn't that mean I should be the one to take care of her?"

Zhang Yifan hesitated slightly, but he couldn't find fault with Lu Luo's question, so he nodded again.

"Indeed, at this time, she really does need someone to take care of her."

It's over, this kid is hopeless, carry him away, next one please.

"Then why aren't you leaving? What are you doing staying here?" Lu Luo glowered, saying as if it was the most natural thing.

Zhang Yifan: ???

How did it quickly come to him having to leave?

"Wait, Lu Luo, is there something wrong with our conversation?"

"What's wrong? This cockpit can only accommodate two people. Don't worry, I know how to operate the Mecha; I won't damage it. You go on out."

"I..."

Zhang Yifan struggled for a long time, but Lu Luo pressured him to the point where he couldn't even utter a single word.

Right, Lu Luo's wife was seriously injured; it was only natural for Lu Luo to take care of his wife. It was inappropriate for him to be in the cockpit, so naturally, he had to leave. But... why did he feel so reluctant? What exactly was wrong?

Zhang Yifan racked his brain but still couldn't figure out why he was so unhappy.

Lu Luo cajoled and wheedled, forcefully dragging Zhang Yifan out.

Then he secured Qi Xinzhu's position and sprinkled some little red bottles on her body.

He also fed her two bottles.

Lu Luo didn't know if what he was doing had any effect, but doing something had to be better than doing nothing at all. They needed to get out as soon as possible now, find a safe environment, adjust their condition, and only then think about other matters in the long term.

"Hold tight!"

BOOM! BOOM!

The Mecha's engines roared loudly, and Zhang Yifan, clinging to the Mecha's exterior, was silently tearful.

At this point, he still couldn't understand.

How did he, who was perfectly fine inside the Mecha bay, get kicked out? And why did he feel it was reasonable for him to leave? What was happening?

「...」

Since Zhang Yifan had already cleared the path earlier, Lu Luo was driving the Mecha swiftly through the tunnel.

But he wasn't doing nothing else.

After traveling a distance, Lu Luo fired all the missiles mounted on the Mecha.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

After a series of intense explosions, the passage behind them had completely collapsed.

Although this carried the risk of collapsing the tunnel, Lu Luo still did it.

The members of the Church's Seventh Tier were indeed too dangerous; he didn't want to gamble, and he couldn't afford to gamble. As he had said before, from now on, he wouldn't leave his fate in the hands of others.

BANG!

The Mecha burst through the earth, appearing before the Luo Family's special task force.

Bai Yuetong looked at the Mecha somewhat excitedly because she felt Lu Luo's presence.

And the dusty and disheveled Zhang Yifan was still hanging on the outside of the Mecha.

"Lu Luo!"

He had come back, finally.

The hatch opened, and Lu Luo jumped down with Qi Xinzhu in his arms.

At that moment, Bai Yuetong's tears broke free; she rushed towards Lu Luo and started crying loudly.

And Lu Luo also embraced Bai Yuetong in his arms, without saying a word.

Standing aside, Zhang Yifan thought his heart might feel sour, but watching Bai Yuetong cry out loud, all he felt was bitterness.

The sky slowly started to drizzle, but because of the clear sky blasted out earlier by the Judgment Chief.

The light rain actually brought out some rainbows.

With the persistent drizzle, Lu Luo touched Bai Yuetong's head, not knowing what to say.

Judgment Chief Bai Qingshuang... Lu Luo somewhat couldn't face Dumb Hair; after all, the Judgment Chief was Bai Yuetong's mother. And they hadn't even sat down to have a proper meal together. Or to chat about family trivialities. Well, maybe the Judgment Chief wouldn't have chatted with them about family matters, anyway. But a normal meeting with the parents and self-introductions had never taken place. And all this, Qi Xinzhu had already experienced. So Lu Luo always felt that there was something missing in the process between him and Bai Yuetong.

"Dumb Hair."

"Stop talking, I can see everything. This is all her own choice. Since she doesn't regret it, we mortals have no right to say anything."

Bai Yuetong's expression was very calm, but Lu Luo could still feel her sadness at that moment.

After all, it was her own birth mother—it wasn't as simple or as easy as she was making it out to be.

"Let's go, let's head back for now. The Inner Ring isn't safe these days."

"Yes, let's go back."

Bai Yuetong gathered her strength because her mother was strong, her father was strong, and Lu Luo was strong as well.

Since everyone else was strong, she naturally had to be strong too.

A group of people returned to the Third Ring in silence, to the Luo Family's residence.

By this time, Luo Xuemin was already standing at the gate of the Luo Family waiting for them.

In such times, this kind of waiting seemed to carry a different significance.

Standing next to Luo Xuemin was a very tall and slender man, looking to be about his age.

This man was Chairman Shi Haoxuan.

And beside Shi Haoxuan was the leggy Shi Tingyu.

"They're back."

"Hmm."

As the two at the peak of political power in the Inner Ring, Shi Haoxuan and Luo Xuemin had much cooperation and power play between them.

Although the Shi Family was nominally more powerful than the Luo Family, Shi Haoxuan himself understood that in many cases, Luo Xuemin saw further than he did.

Now that the council had re-formed the Alliance, some matters could be set aside and discussed.

Lu Luo's group stopped at the doorway, and as they exited the hatch, Lu Luo, carrying Qi Xinzhu, headed into the house.

The group of Luo Xuemin who were blocking their way raised their hands, wanting to say something.

But Lu Luo had no intention of stopping and walked straight in.

Leaving Shi Haoxuan's hand hanging in mid-air, looking very awkward.

"Huh?"

"Hahaha, young people care more about the things they care about. Let's wait."

Luo Xuemin's laughter also served to break the ice for Shi Haoxuan and eased the awkwardness.

He nodded his head.

"Alright then."

Seeing that Shi Haoxuan was not angry, Luo Xuemin motioned to Zhang Yifan to come over.

"Yifan, come here."

"Family Head?"

Zhang Yifan was covered in dust and dirt but appeared to be in good spirits. After Luo Xuemin examined Yifan, he nodded slightly.

"Take a quick wash, and then please go invite Judge Qi Lin and his wife over. Tell them their daughter is with me."

"Should I speak the plain truth?"

Zhang Yifan was referring to Qi Xinzhu's unconsciousness.

"Tell the plain truth. Many people are probably already aware of the Holy Radiance issue."

As the pinnacle of Inner Ring power, Luo Xuemin would have known instantly about the issue with the Dawn Disc. Even if he did not feel it himself, his subordinates would have informed him at the first opportunity.

Not only him, but most of the council members had already received the news at the first instance.

As part of the Alliance, they had discussed it over the phone.

There was a hint of schadenfreude among some of the council members.

But Luo Xuemin did not have such thoughts. On the contrary, he was somewhat worried.

If the Church really lost its power, the result would be an unimaginable loss for the entire Inner Ring. In a certain sense, the power of the Church is the power of the Inner Ring. The Church losing power means the entire Inner Ring is losing power. The current Wasteland Alliance is segmented internally and externally. The Fourth Ring would not dare to make hasty moves, and the hidden enemies of the Fourth Ring have shown no anomalies. The main reason is the power of the Inner Ring's Church. The Dawn Church is simply too powerful, whether it's the Judgment Chief or the Pope. Their power is different from the ordinary Seventh Tier. Their presence is the backbone of the entire Inner Ring of the Wasteland Alliance. But now everything is gone, vanished. The inner confidence of the Inner Ring no longer exists. So, should the Fourth Ring discover the Inner Ring's weakening, what would they do? If the Fourth Ring senses the weakness of the Inner Ring, will they launch an attack on the Inner Ring, or establish a new political system? If humanity becomes utterly divided, will the real human war break out? These are problems that Luo Xuemin needed to consider.

"What are you thinking about?" Shi Haoxuan looked at Luo Xuemin and couldn't help but ask.

"I'm thinking about the future of humanity."

This might seem like an empty statement, but coming from Luo Xuemin, it was anything but empty.

"Do you feel confused about the future of humanity?"

"Yes, very confused; I don't know what the Inner Ring will become in the future."

After a period of silence, Shi Haoxuan finally asked,

"Did the Judgment Chief truly pass away?"

As the head of the Council, Shi Haoxuan rarely used honorifics when speaking to others.

But for Judgment Chief Bai Qingshuang, he still used respectful language.

While Bai Qingshuang was still around, she indeed made the entire Inner Ring feel suffocated.

However, because of Bai Qingshuang's presence, even someone like Shi Haoxuan, who was almost always opposed to the Church, had never been worried about the safety of the Inner Ring.

Bai Qingshuang was too powerful; her strength was a cornerstone, a stabilizing force.

It gave the entire Inner Ring a sense of stability.

But if Bai Qingshuang were no longer around, or had died, would the Inner Ring still be that absolutely safe?

Faced with Shi Haoxuan's question, Luo Xuemin was silent for a while.

The image of Bai Qingshuang's naive appearance once again surfaced in his mind.

Well, perhaps her appearance hadn't changed much in these past decades; it seemed like the only person who was aging was himself. But he still missed that past.

"I don't know if she is dead, but I feel that a person like her shouldn't die so easily."

Shi Haoxuan looked at the nostalgia on Luo Xuemin's face and suddenly felt that he had asked the wrong person.

Luo Xuemin was an observer for most matters, except for Bai Qingshuang. In Luo Xuemin's heart, Bai Qingshuang was special, his Bai Yueguang, something sacred and inviolable.

"Alright, maybe I shouldn't have asked you."

Shi Haoxuan walked towards the house, Shi Tingyu gave Luo Xuemin a glance, and then followed inside.

Left alone, Luo Xuemin let out a bitter smile.

"Does everyone think I am just reminiscing about her?" he murmured, his voice barely audible. "But I...I really feel she isn't dead! How could someone like her die so easily? She's supposed to be the queen of the Wasteland!"

After murmuring to himself and digesting his thoughts, he headed towards the family villa.

「...」

"The First Ring has already become ruins, and Holy Radiance has indeed not responded again. If the Dawn Disc has truly been destroyed, then we should start thinking about the future as well."

Luo Dan sat in the Pope's seat, with a Priest beside her holding a set of papal vestments that belonged to her.

However, Luo Dan had not put them on; she still wore her own set of Life Holy Knight armor.

The atmosphere in the Church's prayer room was eerily silent.

For Luo Dan's refusal to wear the Pope's attire, the rest of the Church's higher-ups were also contemplative.

"Luo Dan, as of now, you are the best candidate for the Church. The Church cannot become leaderless and chaotic like the Council. The more people there are, the more opinions there will be, and the harder it is to accomplish anything."

The person speaking was an old woman; her Tier was only Sixth Tier, but everyone here still respected her.

She was the original teacher within the Dawn Church's Inner Ring.

Even someone as exceptional as Luo Dan had grown under her tutelage.

"Teacher, I am not refusing to become the Pope; I just feel that before becoming the Pope, there are still some things we need to finish."

"Oh, what things?"

"We are currently very weak, and many people like to see our weakness. But the more it comes to such times, the more we need to show the determination of our Church. For example, bringing back those two Grade S Sequences."

The position of Pope? Luo Dan didn't really care about it. She also knew that becoming the Pope now would make her a target for everyone. But she couldn't outright refuse, so she had come up with this excuse. Compared to the nominal title of Pope, which held no real substance, the two Grade S Sequences of Lu Luo and Qi Xinzhu were what she truly wanted.

"That's not unreasonable, but whom do you have in mind to send?"

"I have a fairly good candidate in mind."

「...」

In a guest room, Lu Luo carefully laid Qi Xinzhu on the bed.

Now that all Holy Radiance had lost its effects, there was no longer any need to seek out a Church Priest.

Qi Xinzhu didn't even have a wound on her body; her unconsciousness was more a result of the energy backlash and shock.

"Lu Luo, the doctor is here."

After Lu Luo put down Qi Xinzhu, Bai Yuetong quickly brought a private doctor for him.

In the Inner Ring, due to the presence of Priests, the profession of doctor isn't particularly in demand.

Most doctors also serve as Priests, like Han Shiyu.

In the era when Holy Radiance was prevalent, Priests' healing was faster, more effective, and more economical than that of doctors.

Under the oppression of the Healer Priests with Holy Radiance, the profession of traditional doctors was almost on the brink of extinction.

The remaining doctors either turned to biological science or to pharmaceutical studies.

It had to be said that Luo Xuemin's foresight in preserving a traditional doctor in such an environment was quite remarkable.

The doctor was an old man with graying hair.

Perhaps only people like him were still holding on to the traditional path of medicine under the pressure of Li Ming's Holy Radiance.

"Doctor, thank you for your troubles."

"Hmm," the elder nodded.

As someone with experience from a past life, Lu Luo did not interfere with the doctor at this time but quietly stood aside, waiting for the doctor's diagnosis.

After a series of examinations, the elder stood up with a calm expression on his face.

Looking at his expression, Lu Luo let out a slight sigh of relief.

His powers of observation were rather good; the elder did not show any signs of shaking his head helplessly at this time, which meant that Qi Xinzhu...

"Although I'm not clear about what happened to her, what I can confirm now is that her condition is extremely weak. It feels as if a normal person has lost certain internal organs; this girl seems to have lost something as well. And her body is very dependent on this thing, that's why she is in the current condition."

The old doctor's explanation was simple, allowing Lu Luo to understand without any obstacles.

"So when will she wake up?"

"Probably within three days. Oh right, forgive me for my presumptuous question."

At this time, the old doctor's eyes held a different kind of gleam.

Lu Luo frowned slightly, but out of respect, he still responded,

"Please speak directly, Doctor."

"Did this young lady become like this because of the Holy Radiance?"

The old doctor pretended to be calm, but his slightly trembling fingers betrayed his current emotions.

The disappearance of Holy Radiance was no small matter.

As a private doctor of the Luo Family, the old doctor also had certain channels of information.

The disappearance of Holy Radiance was a catastrophe for many, but for traditional doctors like him, it was undoubtedly the greatest dawn.

This was not just a dawn for him alone, but for the entire profession.

If Holy Radiance truly disappeared, then these traditional doctors would be the biggest beneficiaries.

This profession could then truly continue.

After all, medical care is an eternal demand.

In any era, healers are needed.

In the past, healers were completely overshadowed by Priests with Holy Radiance, and traditional doctors couldn't even raise their heads.

But now, it seemed they had finally seen the dawn.

Lu Luo could understand the old doctor's excitement, but while understanding is one thing, feelings are another.

Qi Xinzhu's life and death were uncertain, and here the doctor was jubilant; how could Lu Luo be happy about that?

"I respect you as a doctor, but I think that in front of a critically injured patient, a doctor still needs to maintain their mindset. Only then can they make an accurate diagnosis, don't you agree?"

Looking at Lu Luo, whose eyes were slightly cold, the doctor gave a sheepish laugh.

"Sorry, I was at fault just now. But don't worry, this young lady should be out of mortal danger. Her Constitution is really strong; it's hard to imagine such a physique in a human."

"That's good to hear. Does she need medication?"

"Rather than medicine, I think it would be better to use some potent nutritional biological agents. They could help her recover more swiftly."

"I see, thank you, Doctor."

After the conversation, the doctor left, and Bai Yuetong slowly walked in.

Her expression was also haggard, which made Lu Luo feel even more self-reproaching.

"Yuetong, are you okay?"

Lu Luo knew that Dumb Hair must be feeling terrible at this time, but besides that, he couldn't think of anything better to say.

However, Bai Yuetong seemed to be much stronger than Lu Luo had thought; she gently shook her head.

"Don't think I'm that fragile. I'm just like this because I haven't slept for a long time."

"The Judgment Chief..."

Lu Luo's expression was one of regret, but at this time Bai Yuetong calmed down.

"Don't worry, Lu Luo. My mother...she's not dead."

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