The strand of Sovereign's Power was far too little.
And it remained in a constant state of dissipation.
In barely an instant, the overwhelming force faded away.
After experiencing that terrifying surge of strength—
Returning to normal left Locke feeling hollow.
As if he had fallen from a mighty dragon into a fragile ant.
An intense lack of security gripped him.
"Sovereign's Power amplifies a god's strength far too much…"
Locke contemplated silently.
"Right now, Seven-Star Fiends stand at the peak in Hell. Even Prefecture Lords, relying on innate abilities and physique, barely reach Six-Star levels."
"But the Sovereigns have not yet fought their great war."
"The Four Overgods have not yet forced all Sovereigns to sign the Sovereign Pact."
"In such an era…"
"If even one Sovereign chooses to bestow Sovereign's Power and Sovereign artifacts upon their subordinates…"
"A mere Five-Star Fiend could rise to Seven-Star strength."
"A Six-Star Fiend could surpass ordinary Asura."
Locke's gaze darkened.
"I have no Sovereign backing me."
"And I have no intention of becoming a Sovereign Emissary."
"In the short term, refining Sovereign's Power is my fastest path to greater strength."
"But extracting Destruction Sovereign's Power from Inkstones…"
"May draw the attention of Hell's Destruction Sovereigns."
"And I may enter their sight sooner than expected."
He fell silent.
From the moment he chose to establish Fiend Castle and spread it across Hell—
He had known.
When it grew large enough—
The seven Destruction Sovereigns of Hell would inevitably notice him.
In this era, before the Sovereign Pact—
Locke did not wish to interact with Sovereigns.
But…
This was a chance to reach Fate Paragon.
How could he abandon such an opportunity for fear of risk?
Fate Simulation
Locke closed his eyes.
Fate divine power circulated within him.
His consciousness sank into the depths of Fate.
Within his mind—
He wove another "self" using Fate.
Then allowed this simulated self to develop Fiend Castle according to his current plans.
Transparent threads of destiny stretched outward.
Interweaving.
Forming a vast net.
Guiding the simulated Locke along predetermined trajectories.
This was—
Fate Simulation.
Inspired by simulation games from his past life—
Locke used Fate to model potential futures.
Of course—
Its accuracy was limited.
His Fate comprehension was incomplete.
And powerful beings could distort outcomes.
But—
It could detect hostile destiny already converging upon him.
And help him deduce incoming threats.
Within the simulation—
For a thousand years, no crisis.
But in the battle a millennium later—
The Blood River Prefecture Lord appeared.
His entire body engulfed in black flames.
And he crushed Locke.
Boom—
When simulated Locke's destiny shattered—
Reality's Locke coughed blood.
Though only a simulation—
Peering into Fate still invoked backlash.
Simulated death meant real-world repercussion.
Fortunately—
The backlash was manageable.
After consuming some Fate divine power, Locke suppressed it.
He opened his eyes slowly.
"Black flames…"
"That was Sovereign's Power."
"A mere Blood River Prefecture Lord would not attract Sovereign attention on his own."
"If he uses Destruction Sovereign's Power against me…"
"Then a Sovereign has already approached him."
"And the target is me."
His eyes sharpened.
But he was not alarmed.
Fate Simulation was based on his current state.
Right now—
Four Water profound mysteries were nearly fully fused.
Within a thousand years—
He could fully fuse four.
Five would approach completion.
Six would surpass halfway integration.
With:
Four fully fused mysteries
• Six mysteries over half fused
• Ninefold Highgod divine power
His strength would reach Asura-tier.
At that point—
Even if the Blood River Prefecture Lord used Sovereign's Power—
Locke would not be helpless.
And once that Sovereign's Power ran out—
He could crush him with a single palm.
But Locke understood clearly—
The Prefecture Lord was merely a probe.
A pawn.
Even if he killed him—
There were 106 more Prefecture Lords waiting.
Today, they bestow Sovereign's Power.
Tomorrow?
Offensive Sovereign artifacts?
Defensive Sovereign artifacts?
Soul-defense Sovereign artifacts?
Perhaps even a fully equipped Sovereign artifact trio?
The Sovereigns hesitated only because—
They believed Locke had one backing him.
In their eyes—
Fiend Castle was a faith-harvesting engine.
If the title "Fiend" became universally acknowledged—
Its hidden Sovereign would gain enormous faith power.
Perhaps enough to challenge the final step.
No Sovereign wished that.
But none dared act rashly.
No one wanted to provoke an unknown Sovereign who might have fused five profound mysteries.
Everyone was wary.
"It seems…"
"I must begin preparing."
If the Sovereigns became too threatened—
They might intervene personally.
To prevent that—
They must become occupied elsewhere.
Locke's gaze pierced the horizon.
Toward a place in Hell.
The Heaven Sacrifice Mountains.
"The Four Divine Beasts…"
Without them—
Hell was incomplete.
Across the Four Divine Planes and Seven Divine Planes—
There was no legend of them yet.
Which meant—
They had not yet united.
They had not yet discovered their fused innate ability.
They had not yet realized—
That together, even as Low Sovereigns—
They could threaten a Sovereign.
"If my plan succeeds…"
"The Sovereigns of Hell will have no time for me."
To them—
Locke was a child playing games.
If they truly intervened—
A sneeze would annihilate him.
But if Sovereigns from other planes entered Hell—
Hell's seven Destruction Sovereigns would not remain calm.
At present—
Sovereigns stayed within their own planes.
But if outsiders arrived—
It would be considered invasion.
And that—
Would draw their full attention.
During that chaos—
Locke would move.
Establish Fiend Castles across all seven continents.
And by the time they noticed—
He would already be Fate Paragon.
Unless they faced him directly—
They could not threaten him.
And if he entered a material plane—
Even Sovereigns would have to lower their heads.
Should they anger him—
He would not hesitate to publicly beat their projection and strip their dignity.
With his plan set—
Locke's Water divine clone quietly left Ye Mu Prefecture.
With his current strength—
Unless a Sovereign stood before him—
No one could track him.
Even though Sovereign divine sense could cover all Hell—
They still needed one's soul aura to locate a specific individual.
And Locke—
Though unable to alter his soul aura—
Could perfectly conceal it.
The board was set.
The pieces were beginning to move.
And the true game—
Had only just begun.
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