"Lord Locke."
"It's been a long time, Rockpeak. Ryan."
Just as they had a thousand years ago—waiting at the gates of Nightblaze Prefecture—
Now, a thousand years later, Rockpeak and Ryan stood waiting at the gates of Bloodriver Prefecture.
Seeing them, Locke smiled in satisfaction.
Compared to a millennium ago, both men had grown far more composed.
But what pleased Locke most was their strength.
Ryan had completely fused two Profound Mysteries and was now searching for the point of convergence for a third.
His power had reached the peak of a Five-Star Fiend.
With the support of his formidable physical strength, even against a Six-Star Fiend he would not be defeated in a short exchange.
Within Fiend Castle, aside from Locke and Krurus, Ryan was now unquestionably the third strongest.
Rockpeak lagged slightly behind.
Though he had improved greatly over the past thousand years, he still hadn't crossed that final threshold.
However, Locke felt that if Rockpeak maintained his current state, reaching Six-Star Fiend level within ten thousand years would not be difficult.
In this respect, the Edicts truly held an advantage over the Laws.
If Ryan found the resonance point of three Profound Mysteries within ten thousand years, he would break through the barrier between Five-Star and Six-Star Fiend and become a true Six-Star Fiend.
If not—
He might remain trapped at Five-Star Fiend for a very long time.
Perhaps even for life.
Of course, at Locke's current level of power, even if the two reached Six-Star Fiend, they would not greatly aid him.
But they had been the first to pledge loyalty.
Locke genuinely hoped they would grow stronger.
Locke understood the structure of the Coiling Dragon universe clearly.
Unless one became a Sovereign, Fiend Castle could never stand as an independent military force. At best, it would remain a third-party institution.
And Locke had no intention of forming an army.
Fiend Castle was merely a cultivation method—a way for him to reach Paragon in the Edicts of Fate.
However, while he did not wish to build an army, that did not mean he did not wish to build influence.
As someone remembered by Sovereigns, even if he became a Paragon, Locke did not believe he could survive direct confrontation with a Sovereign.
But he had long prepared for this.
He would not even need one hundred million years.
Within one hundred thousand years, once Fiend Castle spread across all seven continents of Hell and gained universal recognition, Locke would let his Water divine clone disappear from public view.
After that, the one walking the world would be his Fate Paragon clone.
With altered appearance and concealed soul aura, even a Sovereign face-to-face would not recognize him.
He would sever himself cleanly from Fiend Castle.
Until then—
He must avoid exposing his soul aura as much as possible.
Rockpeak and Ryan were the pillars he intended to cultivate.
The stronger they became, the more affairs they could handle for him—
And the better he could remain hidden.
"Let's enter the city," Locke said calmly.
"I imagine the Prefecture Lord of Bloodriver can't wait any longer."
"Mm."
Just like in Nightblaze Prefecture, Locke did not conceal himself upon arriving in Bloodriver Prefecture.
As he approached the city, numerous Highgods who had gathered specifically to witness the duel flew into the sky to catch a glimpse of the legendary Seven-Star Fiend.
Locke did not hide.
The aura of divine power—nine times stronger than ordinary Highgods—radiated outward from him.
Every god who sensed it changed expression.
Seeing Locke fight through scrying stones was one thing.
Witnessing him in person was another entirely.
They finally understood—
The scrying stones had not captured even a fraction of his presence.
All gods knew:
The strength of divine power reflected the strength of the soul.
Most gods could only draw divine power from within ten meters of the Divine Power Sea.
Stronger ones might reach twenty or thirty meters deep, gaining two or three times the power of peers.
That was the limit for most.
Very few exceeded fourfold strength.
Yet from Locke's aura alone, they could sense—
The gap was overwhelming.
Ninefold divine power.
Each fused Profound Mystery only multiplied strength by ten.
The difference between Lowgod, God, and Highgod was only tenfold.
That meant—
On divine power alone, Locke rivaled a Four-Star Fiend.
What kind of monster was that?
More terrifying still—
Divine power strength reflected soul strength.
If Locke unleashed a soul attack—
Who could withstand it?
From the sealed soul energy within Fiend Castle's amethysts, everyone knew his soul attainments were terrifying.
Seven-Star Fiend?
That was merely his lower limit.
As for his upper limit—
No one knew.
Was it Commander level?
Or beyond?
Highgods across Bloodriver Prefecture quietly lowered their altitude in respect.
Locke and his party headed directly for the Violet Castle.
Though not yet officially inaugurated, the Bloodriver Fiend Castle was fully constructed and ready.
Once Locke placed the guiding amethyst and the massive face construct, operations would begin.
But he did not rush.
A thousand-year agreement was a thousand-year agreement.
He would honor it.
If Nightblaze Prefecture had been intense—
Bloodriver Prefecture was madness.
In Nightblaze, spectators arrived the night before.
In Bloodriver—
Some had occupied seats in the combat arena a hundred years in advance and never left.
Those who mocked them before now offered hundreds—thousands—of times the original price for a seat.
Many made fortunes.
Many refused all offers.
To witness Locke fight—
That alone was priceless.
Without question, Locke was now the brightest star in Hell.
Some had begun attaching titles such as "Strongest" and "Invincible."
Though some bristled at these labels—
No one could refute them.
Among gods, none shone brighter.
If he could casually defeat Prefecture Lords—
Was "strongest" truly inappropriate?
When Locke stepped onto the dueling platform, thunderous cheers erupted.
Most spectators were registered Fiends.
Even those from distant Prefectures had first registered in Fiend Castle cities before traveling here.
The Fiend medallion had become a symbol of elite status.
Whatever their personal opinions—
All benefited from Fiend privileges.
And that traced back to Locke.
"You've arrived."
"Then let our battle begin."
Vishto Belloso, Prefecture Lord of Bloodriver, descended onto the arena.
He glanced at the massive crowd with a sneer.
They were all waiting to see him killed in a single strike.
But what if—
He killed Locke instead?
Wouldn't their expressions be amusing?
They didn't know, did they?
Locke had offended a Sovereign.
Seven-Star Fiend?
Meaningless.
With just a few drops of Sovereign's Might granted to him—
He could kill Locke effortlessly.
Yet when Vishto spoke—
Locke did not respond.
Instead, he raised his gaze to the sky.
During his duel with Krurus, he hadn't noticed.
This time, he was certain—
Sovereigns were watching.
At minimum, the Four Divine Beast Sovereigns.
They might not come personally.
But their divine senses would descend.
Thus, upon entering the arena, Locke had activated his soul perception.
Soon—
He detected emotional traces in the sky.
Curiosity.
Cold detachment.
Mockery.
Seven distinct presences.
"Seven emotional fluctuations…"
"Besides the Four Divine Beast Sovereigns, three more Sovereigns of Hell are observing?"
"Two must be the Violet Sovereigns."
"This is the Violet Continent. They would naturally pay attention."
"And the third?"
"Is that emotion mockery… or indifference?"
Lost in thought—
Locke ignored Vishto.
The Prefecture Lord's expression darkened.
Such disregard only hardened his resolve.
Soon—
He would grind Locke beneath his heel.
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