My Apocalypse Territory

In the distance.

Seeing the rift that suddenly appeared and then disappeared, and feeling that suffocating, fleeting, terrifying aura, Director Jin and the others stood frozen in place, stunned for a long time.

"…Is it over?" someone murmured.

Before them was a scene of devastation, partly due to the surging energy tides when the spatial passage formed, but mostly, it was the aftermath of the battle between the Extreme Martial Arts Hall and the Skeletons, blasted out by the fighting.

The neighboring villas had become ruins, some of the ground was blasted into holes, others turned into an Ice Snow World, shimmering under the sunlight.

Tall, tower-like buildings in the distance flickered a few times and then vanished.

"This time, we were fortunate that Hall Master Tang and the others were here, or it might have ended in a major disaster. Captain Lei, find out which member suggested we seek the Extreme Martial Arts Hall's help, and be sure to commend them," Director Jin said with a smile slowly emerging on his face.

"Ah, oh."

Captain Lei returned to his senses, nodded, and then watched as Director Jin straightened his clothes, walked to the edge of a pit, and jumped in.

…

"…The rewards we promised will be delivered to the Martial Arts Hall tomorrow. Additionally, to thank the Extreme Martial Arts Hall for their help, we will open access to some restricted trade items."

"Oh?" Tang Yu turned around, "Can item number 003 be traded?"

The corner of Director Jin's mouth twitched slightly, "Those items are the most precious within the Sanctuary, and even I usually do not have the privilege to see them. However, it might be possible to trade some of the later-numbered items in the Sanctuary; I will try to negotiate this for Hall Master Tang."

He spoke sincerely, clearly resolved to foster a good relationship with the Extreme Martial Arts Hall.

Their Security Bureau, responsible for the internal security of the Sanctuary, would greatly benefit from a good relationship with the Extreme Martial Arts Hall for any extraordinary incidents that might arise in the future.

Most importantly, Director Jin thought, fostering a good relationship might also mean getting some discounts on the usual fees; paying the full price was simply too expensive.

As the daylight began to fade, remote searchlights emitted a bright white light, allowing every grain of sand and pebble to be clearly visible.

Tang Yu and Director Jin, along with others, approached the Altar.

After the explosive conflict of energy nodes, a significant part of the Altar was destroyed, and the remnants of the Rune Array on it also dimmed and lost their light.

A noise came from the edge of the pit.

Several researchers, with the assistance of Awakeners from the City Defense Army, descended into the pit. Their eyes shining with frenzy, they hurriedly ran forward, some stumbling over stones. If not for the quick reflexed Awakeners nearby catching them, they could have had their heads bloodied.

This Altar, made of high-level stone, now had researchers lying on the intact half of the stone platform, examining it with magnifying glasses, measuring instruments, and other tools, continuously exclaiming in amazement.

Given the official stance of Luoxia, the entire Lanxing Community, or at least the northern part of the community, would be completely sealed off.

'The high official in control of Lanxing Community's ownership might suffer heavy losses this time—well, maybe not, leveraging the owner's identity, he might still manage to profit first. Anyway, when it comes to interests, squabbling amongst the upper echelons of the Sanctuary is inevitable.'

The Luoxia Sanctuary, being a convergence of powers from three major cities surrounding it, has many high-level figures, far more than the Lindong Sanctuary. He knew of more than twenty, each wielding substantial power, authority, and wealth.

Tang Yu glanced at the seemingly amiable Director Jin beside him.

As the Director of the Security Bureau, managing most of the areas within the Sanctuary, his authority, channels of information, and wealth were not to be underestimated, even though his own strength might be slightly weaker.

If Director Jin knew what Tang Yu was thinking at this moment, he would be deeply distressed.

Is he weak? Compared to the non-human monsters like Black Skull and the expert fighters of Extreme Martial Arts Hall, he seemed a tad weaker. However, several Ancestor Dragon Experts had been killed instantly by Black Iron Skull, yet Director Jin had only sustained minor injuries after taking a hit. This was a testament to his strength.

Securing the position of Director of the Security Bureau wasn't something one could achieve merely with connections.

Tang Yu stroked his chin and looked at Director Jin, "I would like research rights to this altar, if that's alright?"

The northern part of Lanxing Community would be completely sealed off, not only for security reasons but also to study the altar.

The most straightforward approach would naturally be to destroy the altar. Despite its incredible hardness, with the Sanctuary's power, destroying it wasn't impossible. Yet, preserving it, despite the risks, the altar and the rune array on top held immense research value.

The government of Luoxia wanted to research it, and so did Tang Yu.

If it was classified by the level of transmission arrays, this was a portal capable of crossing world barriers, no, it should be said, a permanently open gate.

Director Jin was stunned for a moment before replying, "Of course, Hall Master Tang. You and your team are the heroes this time. As long as it doesn't affect or damage the altar, researching it shouldn't be a problem."

He paused, then added, "However, I don't have much sway over the science academy. Those scientists are quite proud, and sometimes they don't even acknowledge conversations with them."

Director Jin spoke diplomatically, but Tang Yu instantly understood.

Was it just… worried that he might pry the research results on the altar from the researchers? Once this place was accessible to him, the officials of Luoxia would surely instruct those researchers to keep tight-lipped.

But did he need to?

With Ruoxia's foundations in rune studies, he, Lord Tang, would wager a Source Crystal that even given a month, these people wouldn't achieve much.

But his Master Kevin was a different story.

"I wonder if through this sole existing rune array, we could figure out the origins of the demonized beasts and these skeletons."

…

…

The next day.

Tang Yu didn't return to Green Shadow but stayed overnight at the martial arts hall, taking advantage of the training equipment to closely feel the increase in strength his breakthrough had brought.

Although the Extreme Martial Arts Hall had been founded not long ago, it had already become famous within Luoxia's Sanctuary. The martial arts circle now saw the Extreme Martial Arts Hall replacing the once-dominant Zhentian Martial Arts Hall, and again forming a pattern where the Five Great Martial Arts Halls stood in mutual opposition.

In fact, because of the high-end facilities and the strong skills of the masters teaching at Extreme Martial Arts Hall, its reputation was quickly approaching that of One Punch Martial Arts Hall, the leader among the Five Great Halls.

It was now early morning, the martial arts hall had just opened, and numerous students arrived one after another, using the hall's facilities to start a new day of training.

Some high-level equipment even required queuing. They came so early each day for a few extra minutes of access.

Feeling their own progress, everyone was full of energy.

While training, some started talking about what happened yesterday at Lanxing Community.

The area was officially sealed off, yet the second-hand news that spread was fantastical.

Suddenly, there was a commotion at the entrance of the martial arts hall.

Then someone shouted in panic, "People from One Punch Martial Arts Hall are here to cause trouble!"