Then, Grait's own body also exploded into a cloud of blood, blooming into a crimson firework in the sky.
Inside the metallic lifeform, Locke withdrew his palm.
Two Highgods and eight Gods—before Locke, they did not even have the slightest ability to resist.
"Little White, go collect those divine sparks and their spatial rings."
"Then, among the Fiends, look for a few Gods whose attributes match the divine sparks and whose potential has already been exhausted. Ask whether they are willing to truly join the Fiend Castle."
"If they agree, select two and bestow those two Highgod divine sparks upon them."
"Yes, Lord Locke."
Outside the chamber, Little White received Locke's soul transmission. He bowed slightly toward the door, then transformed into a gust of wind. As the metallic lifeform passed over the battlefield, he swept the divine sparks and spatial rings into the vessel.
Although he had refined a divine spark to become a Highgod, Little White was a wind-element Highgod. His flying speed had already reached five thousand meters per second.
That was precisely why Locke had him handle the cleanup.
On this metallic lifeform, only Little White could accomplish such a task.
Even Locke himself—limited by his realm—had yet to exceed two thousand five hundred meters per second in flight speed.
In some aspects, the gap between Highgods and Gods truly was enormous.
In Hell, Saints were like newborn infants—fragile, easily snuffed out by the slightest disturbance.
Demigods were children who had learned to walk, able to endure a bit of wind and rain, yet still unable to withstand real hardship.
Gods were adolescents, possessing some ability to protect themselves and endure risks.
Only Highgods were truly mature beings, capable of genuinely surviving in Hell.
Highgods surpassed Gods not merely in strength, but in comprehensive evolution.
After all, to the beings of the Coiling Dragon universe, Highgod already represented the pinnacle of cultivation.
Sovereigns were not a realm one could reach through cultivation alone.
They were existences condensed by Hongmeng from the origin of the universe's laws—symbols of authority over Heaven and Earth.
Any being who cultivated independently to Highgod level could instantly claim Sovereign status upon obtaining the corresponding Sovereign spark.
Among the current generation of Sovereigns, some had obtained their sparks through sheer strength.
But most had relied on fortune.
That was why many later Great Perfection experts looked down upon a portion of the Sovereigns.
If Sovereign sparks were allocated purely by strength, among the seventy-seven Sovereigns of Heaven and Earth, perhaps only seven or eight would truly qualify.
The rest would have been eliminated long ago.
Yet sometimes, luck itself was part of strength.
Locke even believed that even if those Sovereign sparks had not fallen into the hands of the current seventy-seven Sovereigns initially, after countless twists and turns, they would still have ended up with them.
Because that was their destiny.
Before those beings were even born, their fates had already been fixed.
The seventy-seven Sovereigns were all people of predetermined fate.
The seven Divine Planes would be jointly created by forty-nine elemental-law Sovereigns, stabilizing the Coiling Dragon universe itself.
Shaking his head, Locke dismissed these thoughts.
With three Highgods under his command upon reaching Buckley City, things should become much easier…
After that encounter, Locke's group no longer ran into any bandits.
At this stage of Hell's history, Highgods still enjoyed extremely high status.
In any city, as long as one was willing to serve the city lord, positions such as vice city lord or commander of the city guards were readily available.
Most Highgods who became bandits likely did so only on a temporary whim.
A week later, Locke's group arrived at Buckley City.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Two Highgods, more than two hundred Gods, and five hundred Demigods appeared neatly outside Buckley City, frightening the city guards badly.
Rumble—
Before Locke's group even reached the city gates, a blue, translucent divine-power barrier suddenly rose around the city.
The open gates slammed shut.
The scene looked even more exaggerated than if the city were under attack by an enemy faction.
Locke glanced at the forces behind him and suddenly realized that, without noticing, he had already become a terrifying existence in the eyes of these city guards.
At that moment, they seemed to have forgotten that city rules were set by the Sovereigns themselves.
If anyone dared to attack a city, it would be tantamount to grinding the Sovereigns' dignity into the dirt.
At the very least, seven massive Sovereign projections would immediately descend upon the city.
It could only be said that the pressure brought by Locke's group was simply too great—so great that the city guards momentarily forgot that this was their own territory.
"To activate the city's defensive array just to guard against me… how extravagant."
Locke shook his head slightly.
As a close associate of Rockpeak City's lord, Locke knew that beneath every city lay a defensive magic array.
Once activated, it could form a divine-power barrier around the city, blocking attacks of a certain magnitude.
However, such arrays consumed enormous amounts of divine power.
At minimum, they required the combined divine power of a hundred Gods to maintain—and even then, they could only block God-level attacks.
A single strike from a Highgod would punch a hole straight through.
"Everyone ahead, halt!"
"This is Buckley City. I am Darkro, commander of the city guard. Please state your purpose clearly."
"Otherwise, I will lead all of Buckley City's guards in attacking you."
Little White glanced at Locke. After seeing him nod, Little White immediately released his aura and flew to the front of the group.
"A Highgod?!"
Although the guards had already suspected it, seeing a Highgod step forward still caused their expressions to change drastically.
Buckley City's defensive array could not withstand a Highgod's assault.
If a fight truly broke out…
"Esteemed commander,"
After flying to the city gates, Little White first cupped his hands politely before speaking:
"We come from the Fiend Castle of Rockpeak City, with the intention of establishing a new Fiend Castle in Buckley City."
"We are not malicious bandits and will not bring harm to Buckley City."
"Rockpeak City? Fiend Castle?"
Hearing this, the guards atop the city walls relaxed considerably.
"I've heard of Rockpeak City. Supposedly, there are Fiends there who wipe out all nearby bandit forces."
"So that's what Fiends are—members of a faction."
"Fiend Castle… I feel like I've heard that name somewhere…"
Although the Fiend Castle was an enormous force within Rockpeak City—rivaling even the Violet Thorn Castle—it had only existed for ten years.
To the gods of Hell, ten years was no different from a blink of an eye.
That was far too short for the Fiend Castle's reputation to spread far.
Nearby cities might have heard vague rumors, but few knew any details.
Now, Locke's arrival finally introduced Buckley City to the existence of the Fiend Castle.
"Please wait here. I will report to the city lord immediately."
After hesitating briefly, the guard commander decided not to act on his own authority.
"No need. I'm already here."
Before he finished speaking, a voice sounded beside him.
A burly, white-bearded old man appeared, hands clasped behind his back, his expression aloof.
Boom!
Vast divine power surged outward, forming a unique pressure that swept toward the Fiends outside the city.
Little White also erupted with divine power. The two pressures collided, stirring the air into violent turbulence.
Pop—
Like a bursting bubble, the clashing pressures dissipated.
Little White's figure wavered slightly.
The Buckley City lord did not move at all.
Clearly, in this clash of pressure, Little White had been at a disadvantage.
"Hmph."
After sensing Little White's strength, the white-bearded city lord let out a disdainful snort.
"I don't care where you came from or what you intend to do."
"But remember this—this is Buckley City. Here, you obey Buckley City's rules."
"Otherwise…"
He did not finish the sentence, but the threat was obvious.
"And because of you, Buckley City has suffered certain losses. From now on, all of your entry fees will be increased one hundredfold!"
"City Lord!"
Seeing their lord act so forcefully, the guards erupted with excitement, raising their weapons to bolster his authority.
"Oh? A hundredfold increase in entry fees?"
However, before their cheers could last long, Locke's voice crushed them mercilessly.
Everyone on Buckley City's side who heard that voice felt an icy terror surge from the depths of their souls—
As if something utterly horrifying had appeared before them.
(End of Chapter)
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