Yet there was something else Locke had said that left Lilia hesitant.
She wasn't sure—if she asked, would Locke look down on her?
Sensing her hesitation, Locke spoke first. "What is it, Lilia?"
"...Well…"
She lightly kicked the railing beside the floating bridge, sending ripples across the water below.
"Locke… what you said earlier—about how using faith power to comprehend Laws makes it impossible to reach Paragon… is that true?"
"Of course it's true."
From that alone, Locke understood what she was worried about.
Unfortunately, there was nothing he could do to change it.
"Whether it's fusing Profound Mysteries or comprehending the Edicts, faith power is indeed an excellent aid. But no matter how good something is, overuse diminishes its effect."
"If you're just one step away from becoming a Paragon, then using a massive amount of faith power might help you break through that final barrier."
"But if you've already used faith power to break through earlier bottlenecks…"
"…then reaching Paragon later is simply impossible."
On this point, Locke was absolutely certain.
After all, nearly two thousand cycles had passed—yet among the first generation of Sovereigns, those who weren't Paragons still hadn't become one.
"I see…"
Hearing this confirmed again, Lilia felt a trace of regret.
She shouldn't have chased speed back then.
"You don't need to dwell on it," Locke said.
"The essence of becoming a Paragon is to grow stronger."
"With your current strength—even if the other three Edict Sovereigns all reached Paragon…"
"…they still wouldn't surpass you."
This wasn't consolation—it was fact.
Even before revealing Paragon-level mastery, Lilia was already the strongest in the universe.
Sovereign-level will. Sovereign artifact-grade body. These were the baseline for the three Edict Sovereigns—Destruction, Life, and Death.
That alone already placed them far above Law Sovereigns.
And Lilia possessed more.
Her supreme treasure, the Heart of the Netherworld, could still draw upon a portion of the Netherworld's power even outside its domain—amplifying her strength dozens of times.
On top of that, she had the 0.8 portion of willpower from her other half—the Netherworld Sovereign.
Even if the other three became Paragons…
they would still fall short of her.
Only someone like Orloff—after creating a Sovereign artifact-level body—could truly stand on equal footing with her.
"Others pursue Paragon because without it, their strength can't increase any further," Locke continued.
"But you've already reached the very peak of Sovereigns."
"If you became a Paragon as well… what would be left for the others? Just give up on life?"
Lilia paused—then laughed softly.
"That… actually makes sense."
Her earlier regret began to fade.
But Locke knew—
this lingering dissatisfaction wouldn't disappear so easily.
Among the Four Edict Sovereigns, if three became Paragons while she remained the only exception…
it would weigh on her, sooner or later.
If he wanted her to truly move past it—
there was only one way:
increase her strength further.
And for a Sovereign, the best path to that…
was a tenfold victory in the Planar Battlefield.
Locke stroked his chin thoughtfully.
If the Celestial Realm could achieve it—
why not the Netherworld?
Of course, the Planar Battlefield only opened once every trillion years. That timeline likely began from the creation of the Seven Divine Planes.
Which meant…
his own ascension to Sovereign might have to be delayed.
Originally, after Oakes and the others arrived, Locke had planned to hunt a Water Sovereign and a Fate Sovereign during the great war.
But now…
perhaps there was no need to rush.
"By the way, Locke," Lilia said suddenly, interrupting his thoughts.
"How do you know the Sovereigns will personally enter the war in a few hundred thousand years?"
"You said it yourself—once they realize faith power is useless, they'll stop interfering."
"At that point, they'd care even less about the battles between gods."
"Even if all the gods died, they wouldn't bother looking."
"So why are you certain… that the Sovereigns themselves will descend?"
Locke paused.
Then he smiled faintly.
"Lilia… I already told you."
"Sovereigns harvest faith power because they believe it can help them break through their final bottleneck."
"But what if…"
"…in a few hundred thousand years, a rumor spreads among them?"
"A rumor that says—"
"That Sovereigns with multiple divine clones, if they refine another Sovereign spark and become dual-element Sovereigns…"
"…would gain an additional portion of willpower in both clones."
"—and increase their strength nearly tenfold."
Locke glanced at her.
"Do you think… they could stay still after hearing that?"
Lilia didn't remember how she returned to her palace.
But one thing was certain—
her admiration for Locke had deepened to an almost terrifying degree.
Insight. Strategy. Foresight.
The only thing he lacked…
was the title of Sovereign.
Yet somehow—
that had become his greatest advantage.
From an ordinary human in a material plane…
to this.
Lilia felt that no one—past, present, or future—could ever match him.
Even if future gods reached Paragon, at best they would achieve what Locke called the limits of Laws and limits of divine power.
But the limits of the body and the soul?
Those were beyond them.
And more importantly—
Locke now held a technique capable of threatening Sovereigns.
She knew he had learned many of her secrets through her blood essence.
But she hadn't realized—
he even knew about her connection with the Netherworld Sovereign.
And that secret…
was the key to igniting a Sovereign war.
A single thought—
and storms would rise.
No one but her knew that, in a few hundred thousand years, Sovereigns would slaughter one another over a single rumor.
In Locke's eyes, even these exalted beings were like fish in a pond—
drawn in by bait he casually cast.
For a fleeting moment—
Lilia saw it.
Sovereigns falling.
Planes collapsing.
And in the shadows—
a lone figure silently killing two Sovereigns before vanishing into darkness.
No one would ever imagine…
that all of this was orchestrated by a god whom they had never even regarded as a threat.
Seated upon her throne, her garments shifted into deep violet as she resumed her true Sovereign form.
"Locke…"
A smile curved her lips.
Taking him back to Netherworld Mountain…
was the best decision she had ever made.
Since his arrival—
she had never been bored.
And yet…
she still couldn't let go of one thing.
Her inability to become a Paragon.
Because she was already so powerful, she had never taken cultivation too seriously.
After becoming a Sovereign and discovering faith power could accelerate her comprehension, she hadn't actively pursued it—
but she hadn't rejected it either.
She hadn't expected…
that it would come with such a cost.
Now, in front of Locke—
it felt as though everything she had, aside from her strength…
was insignificant.
For the first time—
she felt a faint sense of inadequacy.
And when Locke became a Sovereign—
even a Lesser Sovereign—
he would stand just beneath the Four Edict Sovereigns.
At that point…
would he see her as worthless?
The thought surfaced—
and took root.
That day, Lilia did not go to the Water Estate.
After spending so many days fishing together, her absence felt strange.
But Locke quickly adjusted.
His third Water Profound Mystery had found resonance with the Edict of Fate.
Their fusion progressed steadily.
His Water–Space fusion advanced just as smoothly.
And his research into the Four Divine Beasts' fused innate ability continued uninterrupted.
Though he had already replicated it—
the best technique…
was always one tailored to oneself.
Just as Wordred's Time-Space Disorder and Orloff's Transcending Reincarnation were likely derived from it—
yet uniquely their own.
The original fusion technique was centered on the Azure Dragon, with the others assisting—a soul-based attack.
And that was the path Locke had taken.
Because in terms of soul strength—
he believed himself unparalleled in the universe.
Even Pash, whose soul surpassed most Sovereigns—
was inferior to him.
Thus, in Locke's hands, the soul-based fusion technique was even more terrifying than in the hands of the Four Divine Beasts.
But he wasn't satisfied.
He needed more.
Before his body reached Sovereign artifact-level strength—
he wanted a defensive technique.
One centered on the Black Tortoise.
In his view—
defense mattered even more than offense.
Because only by surviving…
could he kill a Sovereign.
If he struck first, the fusion technique could lock space and ensure death.
But if he were attacked first—
he needed a defense that could be activated in an instant.
Only then could he survive…
and counterattack.
"Strength…"
Locke exhaled softly—and returned to his research.
The Azure Dragon-centered technique was powerful—
but not perfect for him.
With his own spatial bloodline, a fusion centered on the White Tiger and Black Tortoise—
that was his true path.
The only issue…
was limited blood essence.
After reserving ten drops for actual combat, he only had three drops of Black Tortoise essence left for research—
and one final drop reserved for extracting its innate bloodline.
But that wasn't a real problem.
With a thought—
four drops of crimson blood floated before him.
Not real essence—
but constructs formed through Mirror Flower, Water Moon.
Illusions.
Yet with his understanding, they were indistinguishable from the real thing.
More than enough for experimentation.
Locke closed his eyes.
Maintaining the illusion at full strength—
phantoms of the Four Divine Beasts emerged around him.
A roar echoed.
Then another.
Azure Dragon. Vermilion Bird. White Tiger.
At last—
Black Tortoise.
Their cries resonated—
and a mysterious force began to weave the four essences together.
The foundation of a new technique…
had begun to take shape.
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