The experiment—
Had succeeded.
Locke slowly sat upright. The vast reservoir of refined soul power that once filled the chamber had completely vanished.
In its place—
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 worked…"
"Under illusion-induced soul turbulence—forcing my soul's frequency to align with that of natural mutation—and with massive soul power support… I achieved artificial soul mutation."
A smile formed.
"Does this count as deceiving the world?"
"I deceived my soul… deceived reality itself…"
"It was illusion—but the result became real."
He dispersed the fusion power, feeling profound satisfaction.
"Below Paragon… I am invincible."
"And even against a Paragon—I now have the qualifications to fight."
His confidence in achieving Water Paragon rose dramatically.
Even if he fell short—
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 comprehension—
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 now—
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.
"…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.
"Bloodpeak…"
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 intervened—
At best, they could delay total coverage.
Still—
If he did nothing, others might join the fray.
Hell would descend into chaos.
Very unfavorable.
"This Bloodpeak organization… you suspect Pax Sovereign?"
"Most likely. Or at least his collaborator."
Meaning—
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"—
Almost certainly a Sovereign's Emissary.
Even under current cosmic rules—
Such an emissary would possess:
At least one Sovereign ArtifactAmple Sovereign's PowerMinimum Six-Star Fiend strength
With Sovereign Artifact defense—
Even Shura-level attackers would struggle to injure them.
If Sovereign's Power were used—
The battle would escalate further.
Ryan and Rockpeak, despite improvement, remained Six-Star at best.
Against a Sovereign Emissary?
Insufficient.
A thousand years ago—
Amethyst Continent was Hell's center.
Now—
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 there—
And established:
Thunder Punishment Castle.
Identical structure.
Identical ranking system.
But instead of Fiends—
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.
Until—
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 course—
Ryan and Rockpeak clearly possessed Six-Star combat strength.
But under Fiend Castle rules—
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 sense—
Concealment was pointless.
Ten years later—
His metallic lifeform crossed most of Amethyst Continent, traversed part of the Starmist Sea, and reached Bloodpeak.
He stepped out.
Within Haiyun Prefecture—
Ryan, Rockpeak, and gathered Fiends bowed deeply.
"Lord Locke."
The air shifted.
Across Bloodpeak Continent—
Thunder rolled faintly in distant skies.
A Sovereign-backed challenger awaited.
But this time—
Locke was no longer the same.
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