After hearing Ryan's request, the Sovereign soldiers exchanged glances. A squad leader among them nodded and spoke to Ryan.
Ryan wasn't surprised that they made no immediate move.
Soldiers stationed as gate guards were typically required to possess divine clones. This way, no matter what unexpected situation occurred, they could instantly relay the message through their clone.
Sure enough, less than ten minutes later, Ryan felt a powerful aura rapidly approaching.
Looking up, he saw a figure descending from the sky.
"Lord Adelman!"
The Sovereign soldiers immediately bowed deeply, their faces filled with fervent reverence.
"Hahaha! Sir Ryan, I've heard much about you."
"I am Adelman, commander of the Muya Legion."
"So, it's Commander Adelman." Ryan clasped his hands politely. "Five-Star Fiend Ryan of Fiend Castle greets you."
Ryan was inwardly startled.
The commander of a Sovereign's legion was a Seven-Star Fiend–level expert.
Although that level of power often relied on the enhancement of a Sovereign artifact, strength ruled above all in Hell.
No matter how someone achieved their strength—if they possessed power at that level, then they belonged to that level.
Ryan himself had recently made breakthroughs during seclusion, reaching the level of a Six-Star Fiend. With the resilience of his special lifeform body, he could even rival Seven-Star Fiends in battle.
But Ryan had no illusions about challenging Adelman.
Most importantly, he knew he couldn't withstand the attack of a Sovereign artifact.
"Come," Adelman said. "Lord Muya has been waiting for you for quite some time."
"Very well. Lead the way, Lord Adelman."
Under Adelman's guidance, Ryan quickly crossed the Coldwind Mountains and arrived at Muya Sovereign's palace.
"Lord Sovereign, Ryan the Fiend has arrived."
"Ryan greets Lord Sovereign."
Inside the palace, after Adelman spoke, Ryan immediately knelt on one knee and bowed respectfully.
"I have waited over twelve hundred years for Locke's message."
Muya's voice carried a faint trace of ridicule.
"It seems Locke's ability to manage his subordinates is rather lacking."
Ryan wanted to refute those words, but no defense came to mind.
After all, Xiao Bai's actions—while not outright betrayal—had indeed caused serious consequences.
A Sovereign's projection had personally descended to investigate.
How could that be considered trivial?
"Enough," Muya said. "Present the item Locke sent."
"Yes, Lord Sovereign."
Ryan removed a violet crystal from his spatial ring and raised it with both hands.
With a casual motion, Muya drew the crystal into his palm.
"Hmm? Willpower?"
The moment he grasped the crystal, Muya immediately sensed the willpower sealed inside it.
That discovery further confirmed his earlier speculation.
So far, aside from Sovereigns, he had never encountered anyone else possessing willpower.
"Very well. Adelman, take Ryan away for now. I have matters to discuss with the other Sovereigns."
"Yes, Lord Sovereign."
"Ryan, come," Adelman said with a grin. "I'll take you to the Muya Legion's training grounds. You can see the might of our legion for yourself."
"I would be honored."
Since Muya had clearly stated he needed to discuss matters with other Sovereigns, Ryan naturally didn't dare linger in the palace. He accepted Adelman's invitation and left.
The moment they departed, Muya spread his divine sense across Hell and contacted the other Destruction Sovereigns.
"Muya, it seems Locke's item has arrived, hasn't it?"
As the voice sounded, a divine clone formed from the Edict of Destruction condensed inside Muya's palace.
"Oh? Pax. You're quick."
Soon afterward, a second, third, fourth, and fifth Sovereign clone appeared.
"Greetings, Lady Violet Thorn. Greetings, Lord Stars."
Aside from the Destruction Overlord Utrede, who did not appear, the remaining six Destruction Sovereigns of Hell gathered here.
Including Muya, all of them bowed respectfully toward two figures: a woman among a married pair and a strange young man in a dark-purple robe, a short violet horn protruding from his forehead.
Within any Sovereign element, there was:
One OverlordTwo Intermediate-SovereignsFour Lesser-Sovereigns
With Utrede absent, authority naturally fell to the two Intermediate-Sovereigns.
In Hell, those two were the Violet Thorn Sovereign and the Stars Sovereign.
"All right, Muya. Take out the item Locke sent."
"I'm curious to see what the creator of Fiend Castle has left behind."
Stars Sovereign waved his hand casually.
"Yes, Lord Stars."
Muya nodded and retrieved the violet crystal Locke had sent.
"Hmm? Willpower?"
When the Sovereigns sensed the willpower sealed inside the crystal, they all looked toward Muya.
Although Muya had long claimed that Locke was the divine clone of some Sovereign, the others had still harbored doubts.
But now—
Feeling that unmistakable willpower, their suspicions vanished.
After all, willpower was the very symbol of Sovereign power.
Only Sovereigns possessed it.
However, their brows soon furrowed.
The message within the crystal had been wrapped in Locke's willpower. To read it, one needed willpower as well.
Rule-based clones could perfectly wield a Sovereign's understanding of the Edict, but they could not bear willpower.
Thus, to read the message, they had only two options:
Either their true Sovereign body must come…
Or they must use a Sovereign projection, which could carry a portion of their willpower.
"Muya," the Violet Thorn Sovereign suddenly said, "only you can read it here. Simply tell us what it says."
"If anyone doubts you later, they can come examine the crystal themselves."
Truthfully, the faith power from Fiend Castle meant little to her.
After seeing Fiend Castle's success, she had already concluded that if her own Violet Thorn Castles spread across Hell, they would likely gather similar faith power.
The other Sovereigns naturally understood her intentions.
But only she could accomplish it.
After all, the Violet Thorn Castles had already spread throughout Violet Thorn Continent long ago.
And since Fiend Castles were typically built near Violet Thorn Castles, the latter had gained fame along with Fiend Castle's expansion.
In truth—
Fiend Castle faced resistance as it spread.
But Violet Thorn Castle would face none at all.
Such was the deterrent power of a Intermediate-Sovereign.
Still, none of the Sovereigns objected to her proposal.
They were all Sovereigns—Muya wouldn't lie to them.
"Very well, Muya," Stars Sovereign said.
"Let's hear what Locke left behind."
"Understood."
Muya activated his willpower and penetrated the crystal's seal.
Moments later, he spoke.
"Locke says I am to represent him fully in distributing the faith power of Fiend Castle."
"He also says…"
"Thirty percent of the faith belongs to Overlord Utrede."
"The Violet Thorn Sovereign and the Stars Sovereign each receive fifteen percent."
"The remaining share will be divided among Muya, Pax, Bifu, and the other Violet Thorn Sovereign—each receiving ten percent."
When Muya finished reading, the palace fell silent.
None of the Sovereigns objected to the distribution.
What truly shocked them was something else.
Locke's knowledge of Hell's Sovereigns.
At this time, Sovereigns of each element largely hid within their own planes to avoid being hunted by others.
Outside their own elemental planes, they knew little about Sovereigns elsewhere.
Yet Locke had accurately identified all seven Sovereigns of Hell, including their hierarchy.
How could that not astonish them?
It implied that Locke's true Sovereign body had once visited Hell and spread its divine sense across the plane—without any of them noticing.
Could Locke's true self actually be an Overlord?
After a long silence, the Violet Thorn Sovereign smiled faintly.
"I have no objections to this arrangement."
"However, since Fiend Castle was created by that lord, my husband and I will each contribute two percent of our share to him."
"I'll also take only thirteen percent," Stars Sovereign said. "The remaining two percent can go to him."
"Same here."
"Same."
"I'll take only eight percent."
"No—I'll keep seven and give him three."
At this point, Pax Sovereign's expression turned somewhat ugly.
If he had known Locke would merely harvest an initial wave of faith and later distribute the rest—
He would never have schemed with Muya back then.
Muya, at least, had challenged Locke openly through his divine clone.
Pax, however, had supported the creation of Thunder Punishment Castle on Bloodpeak Continent—a move that clearly revealed his intentions.
Thus, while the other Sovereigns each gave up two percent of their share, Pax reluctantly gave up three percent, hoping to avoid future retribution.
In the end, Locke's final share of Fiend Castle's faith power rose to thirteen percent—equal to that of the Intermediate-Sovereigns.
With Locke's authorization and the approval of the six Destruction Sovereigns, the faith power gathered by Fiend Castle immediately began to split into separate streams.
(End of Chapter)
⭐ Enjoying the story?
You can read ahead and support the translations by joining my Patreon! Your support helps me update faster and take on more projects. Thank you for reading!
Read up to 50 chapters ahead!
patreon.com/AminaSims
Next Bonus Chapter at 350 powerstones.