The experimentā
Had succeeded.
Locke slowly sat upright. The vast reservoir of refined soul power that once filled the chamber had completely vanished.
In its placeā
Was a soul several times stronger than before.
With a single thought, Water divine power and Fate divine power merged for the first time within him.
Fusion divine power.
Ten times stronger than either single element alone.
"It workedā¦"
"Under illusion-induced soul turbulenceāforcing my soul's frequency to align with that of natural mutationāand with massive soul power supportā¦ I achieved artificial soul mutation."
A smile formed.
"Does this count as deceiving the world?"
"I deceived my soulā¦ deceived reality itselfā¦"
"It was illusionābut the result became real."
He dispersed the fusion power, feeling profound satisfaction.
"Below Paragonā¦ I am invincible."
"And even against a ParagonāI now have the qualifications to fight."
His confidence in achieving Water Paragon rose dramatically.
Even if he fell shortā
He could simply deceive the world once more.
Repeat the illusion.
Turn false into true.
A lie repeated enough becomes reality.
That was his revelation.
Sometime later, Locke sensed something unusual.
His Fate Law comprehensionā
Was slowing.
At first, he dismissed it.
Cultivation naturally became harder at higher realms.
Still, by his calculations, Paragon should be only four thousand years away.
Yet nowā
He hadn't even reached Seven-Star Fate comprehension.
Strange.
He summoned Little White.
"Lord Locke."
"Has Fiend Castle's expansion encountered difficulties?"
Little White blinked.
"ā¦You already know?"
"I planned to report it later."
Locke's expression remained calm.
"Speak."
"Three hundred years ago, a super expert emerged on Bloodpeak Continent. He defeated five Prefecture Lords consecutively and halted Fiend Castle construction within five prefectures."
"He established an organization mirroring ours."
"Development on Bloodpeak has stalled significantly."
Locke rubbed his chin.
"Bloodpeakā¦"
He had anticipated rival organizations.
The Sovereigns would never ignore a faith-harvesting engine like Fiend Castle.
But they acted late.
Now Fiend Castles bloomed across Hell's seven continents.
Even if Sovereigns intervenedā
At best, they could delay total coverage.
Stillā
If he did nothing, others might join the fray.
Hell would descend into chaos.
Very unfavorable.
"This Bloodpeak organizationā¦ you suspect Pax Sovereign?"
"Most likely. Or at least his collaborator."
Meaningā
At least two Sovereigns were involved.
"Have you issued counter-missions?"
"Yes, Lord Locke. But effect is limited."
"Prefecture Lords are prioritizing their own expansions to earn Sovereign's Power. Few are willing to divert elite forces."
"The strongest reinforcements there are Lord Ryan and Lord Rockpeak."
Locke understood immediately.
His own Sovereign's Power mission created this imbalance.
Every Prefecture Lord was racing to complete construction.
No one wished to delay their reward.
Advantages and disadvantages.
Overall, still advantageous.
"Prepare a metallic lifeform. I'll go personally."
"Yes, Lord Locke."
Locke privately exhaled.
Good thing his soul mutation was complete.
The so-called "super expert"ā
Almost certainly a Sovereign's Emissary.
Even under current cosmic rulesā
Such an emissary would possess:
At least one Sovereign ArtifactAmple Sovereign's PowerMinimum Six-Star Fiend strength
With Sovereign Artifact defenseā
Even Shura-level attackers would struggle to injure them.
If Sovereign's Power were usedā
The battle would escalate further.
Ryan and Rockpeak, despite improvement, remained Six-Star at best.
Against a Sovereign Emissary?
Insufficient.
A thousand years agoā
Amethyst Continent was Hell's center.
Nowā
Bloodpeak Continent held that title.
Three hundred years prior, a super expert appeared.
He defeated the Youlan Prefecture Lord Grandy effortlessly and claimed the position.
He demolished Fiend Castle thereā
And established:
Thunder Punishment Castle.
Identical structure.
Identical ranking system.
But instead of Fiendsā
They called themselves Thunder Punishers.
One to Seven-Star Thunder PunishersTitle Thunder Punisher (equivalent to Shura)
Shameless copying.
Yet under overwhelming force, five prefectures purged Fiend Castles entirely.
Untilā
Ryan and Rockpeak arrived.
They fought a Six-Star Thunder Punisher for a full day and night.
Stalemate.
Public opinion shifted slightly.
Fiend Castle members mocked:
"A Six-Star Thunder Punisher can't even crush Five-Star Fiends?"
Of courseā
Ryan and Rockpeak clearly possessed Six-Star combat strength.
But under Fiend Castle rulesā
Only someone one rank higher could certify.
And only one such individual existed:
Locke.
Thus, they remained Five-Star in badge.
Thunder Punishment suffered reputation damage.
To compensate, the conquered Prefecture Lords were immediately certified Six-Star Thunder Punishers.
Political maneuvering.
Locke Arrives
Locke did not conceal his departure.
With Sovereigns monitoring via divine senseā
Concealment was pointless.
Ten years laterā
His metallic lifeform crossed most of Amethyst Continent, traversed part of the Starmist Sea, and reached Bloodpeak.
He stepped out.
Within Haiyun Prefectureā
Ryan, Rockpeak, and gathered Fiends bowed deeply.
"Lord Locke."
The air shifted.
Across Bloodpeak Continentā
Thunder rolled faintly in distant skies.
A Sovereign-backed challenger awaited.
But this timeā
Locke was no longer the same.
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