Naturally, the allegiance of these forces was a good thing for Locke.
Take, for instance, the divine beast blood essences he needed—those from creatures with space-type innate abilities. Lilia hadn't provided those. Locke had gathered them himself.
The sheer quantity he had accumulated was proof enough—his network of subordinates might well rival, or even surpass, the Sovereign Legions in scale.
Although Lilia was deeply curious about Locke's faction, she had no desire to disrupt the unspoken understanding between them.
"There's no need," Locke said, shaking his head. "If I had to hide even this from you, that would be a betrayal of the trust you've placed in me."
Lilia turned her head slightly, a faint smile touching her lips.
Locke then spread his divine sense, quickly locking onto Oakes and the others, guiding them toward him. At the same time, he parted the mist around the Water Estate, opening a clear path so they wouldn't be hindered.
"Lord Locke."
"Lord Locke."
After crossing the floating bridge and arriving behind him, Oakes, Ryan, and Rockpeak dropped to one knee in salute.
Locke didn't immediately bid them rise. Instead, he introduced Lilia.
"This is the master of Netherworld Mountain—and a Sovereign. You may address her as 'Sovereign.'"
He knew Lilia's pride well.
In the entire universe, those who knew her name could likely be counted on one hand—Destruction Sovereign Wordred and Life Sovereign Wawaya among them.
So, he revealed only her status, not her name.
Oakes and the others didn't doubt him for a second.
They bowed again.
"Oakes."
"Ryan."
"Rockpeak."
"We greet the Sovereign."
Lilia waved a hand casually. "Go on with your business. Pretend I'm not here."
"Rise," Locke said.
"Yes, Lord Locke."
As they stood, the tension that had weighed on them throughout their journey vanished.
From the way this Sovereign interacted with Locke, it was obvious—their relationship was anything but ordinary.
"Oakes, Ryan, Rockpeak," Locke said. "What's happened that made you come to me in such haste?"
"Lord Locke," Ryan said, stepping forward and presenting an interspatial ring.
"These are the divine beast and special lifeform blood essences we've collected over the years."
He explained their method—entering the Celestial Realm under the guise of mission-taking Fiends, gathering corpses from battlefields, extracting blood essence.
"Lord Locke, this is everything we've gathered."
"You've done well," Locke said, nodding.
He accepted the ring, then looked up.
"And?"
Ryan scratched his head sheepishly.
"As expected of you, Lord Locke… you saw right through me."
"This time… I caused trouble."
He recounted everything—Frank, the conflict, the killing.
Then he fell silent, waiting for judgment.
Locke burst into laughter.
"I thought it was something serious."
"So, you killed one of Pash's battalion commanders. That's all?"
He waved a hand dismissively.
"Relax. It's nothing."
"Even if you gave Pash a hundred times the courage, he wouldn't dare step into the Netherworld."
"The Sovereigns haven't personally entered the war yet."
"But once they do…"
Locke's gaze sharpened slightly.
"I'll go to Hell myself and settle accounts with Pash."
"After all, he killed my pet back then. I haven't forgotten."
"Oh?" Lilia raised a brow. "You plan to fight Pash?"
"I've considered it."
"But before that…"
Locke's tone turned calm—almost casual.
"I plan to kill a Water-type Sovereign or a Fate Sovereign first."
"To let my divine clone ascend."
Otherwise, if Pash fled into spatial turbulence, Locke would have no way to pursue him.
At present, Locke could kill a Lesser Sovereign—but only by activating the Four Divine Beasts' fused innate ability.
And in spatial turbulence, he could survive—but not move freely.
In the past, he had aimed for the Water Sovereign spark of a Paragon-level Sovereign.
But now, with his focus on forging the Dijiang bloodline and pursuing the Laws of Space, his goal had changed.
Even a Lesser Sovereign spark would suffice.
With his mastery of the fused innate ability, he would still stand at the peak—just below the Four Edicts Sovereigns.
Perhaps…
even capable of threatening them.
Oakes, Ryan, and Rockpeak stood frozen.
They had come seeking protection.
Instead…
they had just heard Locke casually discuss hunting Sovereigns.
The revelation shattered their understanding of the world.
Sovereigns—those supreme, untouchable beings—
spoken of as if they were prey.
Oakes, in particular, felt his long-held assumptions begin to waver.
Could it be…
that Lord Locke truly possessed a hidden Sovereign identity?
"Ryan, Rockpeak," Locke said, his tone softening, "I'm very satisfied with what you've done over the years."
"Since you're in the Netherworld now, stay here for the time being."
"I estimate that within a few hundred thousand years, the Sovereigns themselves will enter the battlefield."
"At that point, the Netherworld will be the safest of all the higher planes."
"Once the war ends, you can return to Hell."
"Yes, Lord Locke."
After seeing them off, Locke heard a faint tsk from beside him.
"Hmm. You trust them quite a bit," Lilia said.
"You even told them about your plan to kill a Sovereign."
There was a trace of something unusual in her tone.
Almost… displeased.
Even she noticed it.
Locke shook his head.
"You're overthinking it."
"I only decided on that plan after they arrived."
"They've followed me since my early days in Hell. Because of them, I was able to focus on my cultivation."
"They've always believed I was a Sovereign."
"That's why they came to me for protection."
"If I couldn't give them a clear answer now, they'd lose faith."
"Since I can protect them, I should give them confidence."
Lilia listened.
She didn't fully understand—
but she felt better.
"Then tell me this," she said. "You said the Sovereigns will personally enter the war in a few hundred thousand years."
"Why?"
Locke smiled faintly.
"Because faith power has limits."
"The Sovereigns pursue it to accelerate the fusion of Profound Mysteries."
"But what they don't realize…"
"Is that faith alone cannot bring one to complete fusion."
"Especially for those who relied on it from the beginning—Paragon is forever out of reach."
"When they finally realize that no amount of faith power will let them break through…"
"They'll lose interest."
"And once that happens—whether the war continues or not…"
"…won't matter to them anymore."
Lilia nodded slowly.
That made sense.
For Sovereigns, faith power was only a tool.
And once it proved useless—
it would no longer be worth fighting for.
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