With the Sovereign's pressure gone, Locke finally breathed a sigh of relief.
"Hahaha, Liliya, talking to you like this really is much more comfortable."
"When you're in your Sovereign body, I feel uneasy all over."
Liliya laughed from the throne.
"Hahaha, Klo, you're quite interesting."
"Whether it's my Sovereign body or my Water divine clone, they're both still me."
"So why are you uncomfortable with my Sovereign body, yet completely relaxed with my Water clone?"
"That's different," Locke said, shaking his head.
"Your Water clone and your Sovereign body are both you, yes. But for me, they're completely different."
"My strength far exceeds your Water clone's."
"So, your Water clone poses no threat to me."
"Even if that clone attacked me, I could react instantly and kill it."
"But if your Sovereign body attacks me, I have absolutely no ability to resist."
"Without that sense of security, of course I feel uneasy."
"You…"
Liliya couldn't help but laugh helplessly.
Saying in front of a Sovereign that you could instantly kill their divine clone… was that polite?
But hearing Locke explain it like this also helped her understand his persecution paranoia better.
Still…
Her Water clone suddenly didn't feel very safe either.
Just as Locke had said, if he ever truly decided to kill that clone, it would have no way to resist.
In an instant, a trace of hostility rose within Liliya.
If Klo really dared to destroy her Water clone, she would personally watch him every day with her Sovereign body, making sure he never had peace for the rest of his life.
"Eh…"
Locke suddenly shivered.
It felt as though danger had brushed past him.
He glanced suspiciously at Liliya.
"Anyway, Liliya. You asked me to come to Netherworld Mountain, and I came."
"The matter of me offending you earlier… we can let that go now, right?"
The offense Locke referred to was when he had tried to erase Liliya's memory before realizing she was a Sovereign's clone.
Liliya had used that offense as the reason to drag him up Netherworld Mountain.
"Hm. As the ruler of the Netherworld, I naturally keep my word."
"As long as you stay on Netherworld Mountain, I won't pursue the matter."
Locke rolled his eyes.
That statement could just as easily mean:
If he left Netherworld Mountain, she would.
Still, Locke didn't intend to leave anytime soon anyway.
"I understand. If I ever want to leave Netherworld Mountain, I'll ask your permission first."
"Now I'll go find a place to live."
"And when you come to see me in the future, use your Water clone."
"Don't come in your Sovereign body."
After saying this, Locke didn't wait for a response.
He left the Sovereign Palace, spreading his divine sense.
Netherworld Mountain was only tens of thousands of meters high, not even as tall as the Undead Sacred Mountain.
But the Undead Sacred Mountain separated the Undead Plane and the Netherworld, while Netherworld Mountain was more like a vast mountain range.
Protected by Willpower, the mist covering the mountain had no effect on Locke.
His divine sense quickly scanned the entire region.
"Hm? No Netherworld Hotel?"
After checking the whole mountain, Locke realized that the Netherworld Hotel, which the Death Sovereign built in later epochs to entertain herself, didn't exist yet.
Then again, that made sense.
The hotel had been built only after Liliya became bored with the world and wanted entertainment from the joys and sorrows of living beings.
At this point in time, her strength hadn't yet reached its peak.
She wasn't bored yet.
"I remember the Netherworld Hotel being around the mid-mountain area."
Since it had been specially chosen by the Death Sovereign, the scenery there had to be exceptional.
If she hadn't built it yet…
Then Locke would claim the spot first.
However, after searching carefully, Locke noticed something strange.
There was no flat terrain with a lake anywhere.
"Ah… I'm an idiot."
After a moment, he shook his head.
For a Sovereign, if they wanted a certain environment…
They could simply create it themselves.
He had assumed it was naturally formed.
Creating the Lake Residence
Locke selected a location halfway up the mountain and flipped his hand.
BOOM!
With a thunderous explosion, he blasted a massive crater into the mountainside—
one hundred meters deep and nearly a kilometer wide.
Then he gathered vast amounts of water elemental energy, transforming it into flowing water.
Within seconds, the crater filled, forming a lake.
Descending slowly, Locke stepped toward the water.
As he walked, floating water steps formed beneath his feet, extending toward the center of the lake.
With a thought, the lake water surged upward again, forming a small house made entirely of flowing water.
"Not bad."
Locke nodded in satisfaction.
His aesthetic sense clearly hadn't failed him.
"Next… defenses."
The Mist Barrier
Dense mist began rising from the lake, quickly covering the entire area.
It expanded outward until it covered a thousand meters beyond the lake.
Within the mist was Locke's mastery of the Profound Mystery of Illusionary Fog
The outermost layer simply confused a traveler's sense of direction.The closer one came to the lake, the stronger the disorientation became.
If someone managed to push deeper, they would begin experiencing the effects of Celestial Dance Treasure Wheel, gradually losing their five senses.
And if they reached the lake itself…
The mist there carried true soul attacks, along with Locke's proud technique:
The Eighteen layers of Hell.
The closer one approached Locke's residence, the deeper the "hell."
Time perception would twist more and more severely.
Of course, since this version was carried through the mist rather than his full power, it wasn't as strong as when Locke used it personally.
But it was still enough to stop any being without Willpower.
Inside the Sovereign Palace, Liliya watched everything through her divine sense.
Seeing the thick mist around Locke's residence, she shook her head.
There was only one being on Netherworld Mountain who could threaten him.
Her.
So, who exactly was he defending against?
The answer was obvious.
Of course, Locke himself knew these defenses meant nothing against her.
Yet he built them anyway.
Which meant…
Deep down, he was still very wary of her Sovereign body.
Fortunately, he didn't feel the same way about her Water clone.
Though remembering why, he wasn't afraid of that clone made her want to punch him once or twice.
"Forget it," she muttered.
"Let him do what he wants."
"Once my Water clone gains enough insight from him…"
"And eventually reaches Great Perfection as well…"
"What kind of expression will he make then?"
The thought amused her.
But she still knew her priorities.
Her Death Sovereign body remained the most important.
All the faith power she collected was devoted to comprehending the Edicts of Death.
Her Water clone had just experienced a major breakthrough and didn't need faith power yet.
Besides…
With a Water Paragon living on the mountain, she could simply go ask him questions.
Until she reached Great Perfection herself, that would likely be enough.
At that very moment, Locke—who had just finished building his residence—had no idea that the Death Sovereign's Water clone intended to treat him like a walking experience farm.
Even if he knew, he wouldn't care much.
Great Perfection was not easy to achieve.
Even after more than a thousand epochs, there were only a handful of Paragons.
Even counting those who were merely suspected, there were fewer than thirty.
And among gods, the status of a Paragon was actually higher than that of a Sovereign.
There were two main reasons.
First, Sovereigns had an agreement not to kill gods without cause.
So, among gods themselves, the invincible Paragon represented the absolute peak of power.
Second, cultivators naturally respected those who had pushed Laws or Edicts to their absolute limit.
Even Sovereigns showed Paragons a certain degree of respect.
After all, even they—despite having massive faith power to aid them—had stopped just short of Great Perfection.
Still, many Sovereigns didn't particularly like Paragons.
After all, anyone capable of reaching Great Perfection usually possessed tremendous pride.
They often looked down on Sovereigns who had simply gained their power by luck through Sovereign sparks.
Only a few Sovereigns who were themselves Paragons received equal respect.
But no matter how proud Paragons were…
In front of absolute power, they still had to bow their heads.
If a Sovereign ever found a legitimate reason to act against a Paragon…
Many of them would not hesitate to erase that Paragon from existence.
After all, it was the oldest emotion in the world.
If I cannot reach it…
Why should you?
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