With that thought in mind, Locke flipped his hand.
At once, a seven-colored Sovereign spark radiating brilliant light appeared in his palm.
"Locke, what are you—?"
The moment Liliya saw the Lesser Fate Sovereign spark, her expression changed.
It was obvious she already understood what he intended to do.
She had only asked the question casually just now.
After all, she knew Locke had once said there were still things he needed to accomplish while remaining a Deity.
So why had he suddenly decided to become a Sovereign now?
At that, Locke nodded.
"Yes, Liliya. I want to become a Sovereign."
"My strength is advancing too quickly."
"I originally planned to do a few things while still remaining a Paragon."
"But from the way things are developing, I probably don't have much time left to remain at the Deity level."
"In that case, I might as well ascend now."
"You could say it's also giving an answer to those who've followed me all this time."
Locke smiled as he explained, earning a dramatic eye-roll from Liliya.
Switching to his Fate divine clone, Locke let a drop of blood fall onto the Sovereign spark.
In an instant, the spark fused into the soul of his Fate clone, replacing the Highgod spark that had originally resided there.
A surge of Will—ten thousand times stronger than that of a Paragon—washed over Locke's soul like the Laws of Heaven and Earth themselves.
This baptism caused both his Water divine clone and his original body to each gain nearly one full share of Will.
In other words, aside from the Fate Sovereign clone, both his Water clone and his original body now also possessed power on the level of a Lesser Sovereign.
"So powerful…"
Only after truly becoming a Sovereign could one fully comprehend what Sovereign-level strength really meant.
It was different from the power brought by profound mysteries.
The strength of a Sovereign lay in Will.
And Will was the greatest force in the Coiling Dragon universe, amplifying one's abilities in every possible aspect.
"Congratulations, Sovereign Locke."
At that moment, Liliya's dress instantly shifted from water-blue to a regal violet, while her pupils turned a deep crimson.
This was Liliya's true Sovereign body—
the Death Sovereign.
Back when Locke had still been a Deity, the Death Sovereign had always met him through her water divine clone, fully aware of his tendency toward excessive caution.
But now that Locke had become a Sovereign, she naturally came to him in her true body.
"It's not bad."
Locke nodded.
"But in my normal state, my strength is only around the level of a Laws Sovereign. Compared to you, I'm still far behind."
Locke himself was already a Fate Paragon.
After refining a Lesser Fate Sovereign spark, that alone placed him at the level of an Intermediate Sovereign.
Meanwhile, the fusion of his dual-system Laws and Edicts amplified his strength by a thousandfold, already bringing him to a level ten times stronger than an ordinary Laws Sovereign.
But just as he said, compared to the Four Edict Sovereigns, he was still lacking.
"Heh. I'm the Death Sovereign."
"If I were surpassed so easily by a mere Lesser Sovereign, then the title of strongest Edict Sovereign wouldn't mean much, would it?"
"That's true."
"If I want to surpass you, I'd at least need a Chief Sovereign spark."
"I remember the Water Chief Sovereign was killed by the Four Divine Beasts during the last Sovereign war."
"Did that Water Chief Sovereign spark end up in the hands of the Four Divine Beasts, or was it taken by Wind Sovereign Diya?"
Locke looked toward Liliya.
If he could obtain another Water Chief Sovereign spark, then once his Water divine clone refined it, his strength would reach—or even surpass—that of the Four Edict Sovereigns.
After all, his Water clone already possessed:
one share of Paragon Willone share of Sovereign Willplus the strength of fused Laws
"Most likely it's with the Four Divine Beasts."
"After they used their fused innate divine ability to kill the Water Chief Sovereign, Wind Sovereign Diya immediately fled."
"With Diya's cautious nature, when facing a life-or-death crisis, there's no way he would have stayed behind to snatch the Sovereign spark."
"Is that so?"
Locke remained skeptical.
"Do you want me to ask?"
Liliya offered.
A Sovereign spark was arguably the most precious treasure in the Coiling Dragon universe.
Even though the Death Sovereign was the strongest among the Edict Sovereigns, no one who possessed a Sovereign spark would simply hand it over because of her strength.
No one would ever sell such a thing.
"There's no need."
Locke shook his head.
"Just saying it aloud, that's all."
Whether it was with Wind Sovereign Diya or the Four Divine Beasts, it was highly unlikely that it would ever fall into his hands.
With his current strength, so long as the Four Edict Sovereigns did not personally intervene, even if he faced the Four Divine Beasts or the Light Chief Sovereign, he was confident in victory.
So, whether he obtained that Water Chief Sovereign spark made little difference.
"…Alright."
The Death Sovereign let out a soft sigh.
She had wanted to do something for him.
Even back when Locke was not yet a Sovereign, there had been very little she could truly help him with.
Now that he had become one—
it felt as though there was even less.
Most things Locke could solve on his own.
And the few things he couldn't solve…
even she might not be able to handle.
That feeling made Liliya uneasy.
Would Locke leave this place?
As if sensing her unease, Locke paused before speaking.
"Oh, right, Liliya."
"Now that so many people are coming to Mount Nether in search of a Sovereign…"
"If you don't mind, I'd like to establish a Sovereign Army here."
"Really?"
Her eyes lit up instantly.
If Locke wanted to establish a Sovereign Army here, then that meant—
even after becoming the Fate Sovereign, he had no intention of leaving Mount Nether.
"Yes."
"No problem."
"Forget one Sovereign Army—even if you want to establish two or three, that's fine!"
"Do you need me to help advise you?"
"I'd be grateful."
The Death Sovereign immediately brightened, enthusiastically launching into a discussion about matters related to Sovereign armies.
As he listened to her experience, Locke quietly spread his divine sense toward Shadowmoon Prefecture, sending a message to Oakes.
"Oakes, what's wrong?"
In Shadowmoon Prefecture, Yagonia noticed Oakes suddenly pause in the middle of his meal.
Immediately setting down her chopsticks, she looked at him with concern.
"Nia… Lord Locke just contacted me through divine sense."
"He asked whether I want to continue serving as the Prefecture Lord of Shadowmoon…"
"…or become the commander of a Sovereign Army."
"Hm?"
At the side, Figroya's eyes nearly popped out of his head.
Lord Locke.
In his memory, that man was a terrifying existence beyond imagination.
His father was the Prefecture Lord of Shadowmoon in the Netherworld.
Over the past several million years, countless experts had come to challenge him.
But every one of them had been crushed by his father's overwhelming strength.
In Figroya's heart, his father had always been the strongest person in the world.
Yet that day—
because of his own arrogance and ignorance—
he had witnessed what true power looked like.
In front of that man, even his father had been utterly powerless.
And to save him, his father had been forced to become one of that lord's subordinates.
But now, what was he hearing?
Who exactly was this Lord Locke?
How could he casually offer his father the position of commander of a Sovereign Army?
"A Sovereign Army commander…"
Yagonia's heart skipped a beat.
"Oakes, could it be…?"
As Oakes's pillow companion, Yagonia had naturally been told what Locke had said back when Oakes had accompanied Ryan and the others to Mount Nether.
"…Yes."
Oakes nodded, confirming her guess.
Their group had taken over a decade to travel from Mount Nether to this place.
Yet Lord Locke had been able to contact him directly with divine sense.
What that implied was self-evident.
Lord Locke had now become one of the lofty Sovereigns.
"Lord Locke also told me that whether I take the position or not, he'll reserve a place for me as a Sovereign emissary."
"He told me to think about what kind of Sovereign artifact I want, and once he finishes forging it, he'll grant it to me."
"A Sovereign artifact…"
Figroya quietly continued eating, ears perked high.
Lord Locke… was actually a Sovereign?
His father was about to become a Sovereign emissary?
"So, what will you choose, Oakes?"
Yagonia asked softly.
"Lord Locke said he recommends a material-defense Sovereign artifact."
Setting down his chopsticks, Oakes continued,
"According to him, I already possess fused divine power, which gives me an edge in offense over other Asura Prefecture Lords."
"If I also have a material-defense Sovereign artifact, then the offensive Sovereign artifacts of other emissaries won't pose much threat to me."
"It would greatly increase my survivability."
"He also said that with a material-defense Sovereign artifact, I can survive in spatial turbulence."
"If I ever encounter an enemy I can't defeat, I should shatter space and flee into spatial turbulence."
"He said he'll personally come retrieve me from there."
"In that case…"
Yagonia nodded firmly.
"Then listen to Lord Locke and choose a material-defense Sovereign artifact."
Although they served under Locke, neither she nor Oakes had ever once felt wronged.
On the contrary, they had only ever been cared for by him.
Even now, in considering making Oakes a Sovereign emissary, Locke's first thought was not what Oakes could do for him—
but Oakes's safety.
To serve a lord like that…
both Yagonia and Oakes felt deeply honored.
"Then it's settled."
Oakes nodded.
"I'll inform Lord Locke right away."
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