"Once I've negotiated terms with the other three Sovereigns," Locke said calmly, "I will reveal the secret to all four of you together."
Redding studied him for a long moment before exhaling slowly.
"Very well. Your reasoning is sound."
"Give me their names. I will bring them here."
Locke bowed slightly.
"Sovereign Redding, the other three are:
Sovereign Eres of the Wind Divine PlaneSovereign Nemo of the Fire Divine PlaneSovereign Bowen of the Earth Divine Plane
"If you inform them that their strength can rise dramatically, I believe they will come willingly."
Redding snorted softly but did not argue.
Unlike refining a godhead—
Where a Saint who refined a Demigod spark could later refine a God or Highgod spark—
Sovereigns were different.
Once a Sovereign refined a Sovereign spark, their rank was fixed forever.
A Lesser Sovereign could never refine an Intermediate Sovereign spark to advance.
Their ceiling was absolute.
True, among the seventy-seven Sovereigns, there were temporary disparities due to faith power accumulation. It was possible that a Lesser Sovereign had fused five profound mysteries while a Chief Sovereign had fused only two.
But everyone knew—
Given enough time, the hierarchy would assert itself.
The gap would widen.
A Lesser Sovereign could never overturn a higher-ranked Sovereign.
And Sovereigns did kill each other.
As one of the weakest Lesser Sovereigns, Redding constantly feared that a High Sovereign might one day covet his Sovereign spark.
Thus he and the others had aligned themselves beneath their respective Chief Sovereigns.
But if the four of them truly gained power comparable to a Chief Sovereign—
They would no longer need protection.
They would become their own faction.
"Wait here," Redding said. "I'll bring them."
Without hesitation, he tore open a spatial rift and stepped into the spatial turbulence.
His urgency was obvious.
For a Lesser Sovereign to travel alone through spatial turbulence was dangerous. Encountering a hostile High Sovereign could mean death.
Fortunately, half an hour later—
The space inside the Azure Dragon Temple split open again.
Redding returned.
With him came three Sovereigns.
Locke bowed deeply.
"Locke greets Sovereign Redding, Sovereign Eres, Sovereign Nemo, and Sovereign Bowen."
They were unmistakable.
Eres — white-haired, smiling faintly, youthful in appearance.Nemo — crimson hair rising like flame, even his brows burning red.Bowen — brown-haired, relaxed, appearing like an idle middle-aged man.
These were the future legends of the Four Divine Beasts.
"So," Nemo said, voice blazing like his element, "you are the Highgod who claims to possess a method allowing us to rival a Chief Sovereign?"
"Yes, Sovereign Nemo."
"Once you know this secret, you will not only rival Chief Sovereigns… you may even kill them."
The hall fell silent.
Eres nodded slightly.
"Your courage is admirable. I believe you possess something of substance. To deceive one Sovereign is suicidal. To deceive four…"
Locke laughed lightly.
"I have no death wish, Sovereigns."
"Now then—what will you offer in exchange?"
The four exchanged glances.
They had already discussed this on the way.
Redding spoke.
"State your terms."
Locke did not hesitate.
"I require:
Twenty drops of divine beast blood essence from each of you.Five hundred drops each of Earth, Wind, Water, and Fire Sovereign's Might.One material defense Sovereign artifact from Sovereign Bowen.One material defense Sovereign artifact from Sovereign Redding.One soul defense Sovereign artifact from Sovereign Nemo.One offensive Sovereign artifact from Sovereign Eres."
The hall grew heavy.
Sovereign artifacts and Sovereign's Might were trivial.
But blood essence?
That was different.
Divine beast blood essence was foundational.
It fueled innate divine abilities.
Extracting it was costly.
Even for them—
One drop required a thousand years to refine.
Recovery took ten thousand more.
Twenty drops meant weakness for nearly a million years.
They conferred silently.
"In the long term, trivial."
"If the method is real, a million years of weakness is nothing."
"Agreed."
Redding stepped forward first.
"Accepted."
A mass of crimson blood essence, radiating terrifying pressure, condensed from his fingertip.
Locke immediately stored it in his interspatial ring.
He had intended to suggest gradual payment over one hundred million years—
But since Redding was generous—
Why refuse?
Soon, Eres, Nemo, and Bowen followed suit.
Then came Sovereign's Might.
Then Sovereign artifacts.
Locke's smile widened.
He swiftly drew three drops of blood and refined the three artifacts on the spot.
At last—
He possessed the full Sovereign artifact triad.
Material defense.
Soul defense.
Offense.
His sense of security surged.
Still—
Before a Sovereign, he remained powerless.
"You have what you asked for," Redding said coolly.
"Now speak."
Locke inclined his head.
"The key lies in your innate divine abilities."
"Dragon's Roar. Tiger's Roar. Phoenix's Cry. Tortoise's Howl."
"They can be perfectly fused."
The four stared.
"Fused?"
Locke continued calmly.
"Just as fusing profound mysteries multiplies power tenfold or hundredfold, fusing your innate abilities multiplies their destructive force."
"Together, your combined ability can severely wound—perhaps even kill—a Chief Sovereign."
"You may test this immediately."
"Remain united, and even Chief Sovereigns will fear you."
The revelation stunned them.
Innate abilities could fuse?
Unheard of.
But Redding believed him.
After all—
Only after becoming Sovereigns had they learned that profound mysteries could fuse.
Locke had discovered it independently.
Why not this as well?
Without hesitation, Redding tore open space again.
"Let us test it in the spatial turbulence."
The others agreed.
They left instantly.
In the spatial turbulence—
Everything below Sovereign level was annihilated.
But to Sovereigns?
It was harmless.
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