Seeing the look on the Death Sovereign's face, the Life Sovereign, Wawaya, grew curious as well.
She took the violet crystal from Death Sovereign's hand and let her soul energy come into contact with the imprint inside.
"Locke… we've all underestimated you."
After experiencing the contents once, Wawaya spoke with unusual seriousness.
Meanwhile, Death Sovereign snatched the crystal back and tried it again—repeatedly reliving the sensation of casting World Freezing. A faint frown formed on her face.
Something wasn't right.
Why was it that Wawaya, after just one experience, could conclude that Locke had been underestimated—
while she herself, after trying multiple times, only felt that she could learn the technique?
"Wawaya, is there something wrong with this crystal?"
She asked directly.
As her "little sister," Wawaya shared a close relationship with her. Death Sovereign had never cared about maintaining any particular image in front of her.
"Sis…"
Wawaya sighed helplessly.
Both the Death and Destiny Laws had innate advantages when it came to the soul. Yet her elder sister had never liked studying such things. Even her combat style was crude and direct.
Perhaps that was one of the reasons she had never reached Paragon-level.
She had effectively abandoned her greatest strength—turning what should have been a "mage-type" path into brute-force combat.
Fortunately, she possessed many treasures—especially her innate divine artifact, the Netherworld Heart—which allowed her to rival Paragons despite not being one.
As for the crystal Locke had created…
It was so immersive that even Wawaya herself had been completely drawn into the profundities of the technique.
After experiencing it once, even she felt—
that she could learn it.
But that was impossible.
After all, the technique was fundamentally based on the Water Laws. Wawaya had no comprehension of the Water Laws whatsoever—how could she possibly learn it?
That contradiction—
was precisely what revealed how terrifying Locke truly was.
His mastery of the soul had reached a level where he could subtly influence perception itself, creating a false sense of understanding that defied the fundamental logic of cultivation.
"Sis," Wawaya said slowly, "did you feel… that after seeing Locke's technique, you could use it too?"
"Hmm…"
Death Sovereign stroked her chin, recalling what she had just experienced.
She raised her right hand—
and then froze.
If Wawaya hadn't pointed it out, she wouldn't have noticed.
Her current Sovereign body cultivated the Death Laws.
How could she possibly use a Water Laws technique?
Far away, within the Netherworld Mountain—
Death Sovereign's water divine clone raised its hand.
In an instant, pale white light spread outward, covering nearly half the mountain.
Layers of ice formed, freezing everything within that domain.
Lilya frowned.
The structure of the technique was identical to Locke's World Freezing—
yet the effect was vastly different.
What was going on?
Back in the spatial turbulence, Death Sovereign turned toward Locke.
"Locke, I just tried it with my water clone. The technique I used wasn't that different from what you sealed in the crystal—so why is the power so much weaker?"
Locke laughed.
"You actually tried it, huh?"
"I already said—this technique requires Water Laws Paragon-level mastery to even have a ten percent chance of learning it."
"If you're not a Paragon, your understanding of the Water Laws is incomplete. How could you possibly grasp the deeper mysteries?"
As he spoke, Locke gave her a subtle wink.
Death Sovereign immediately understood.
Wawaya might not know what those "deeper mysteries" referred to—
but she did.
Locke had already explained the concept of space laws to her.
This technique wasn't purely Water-based.
It touched upon something beyond—
something hidden.
But in the Coiling Dragon universe, space laws were concealed by Hongmeng itself.
Without reaching Paragon-level—and without even the concept of space laws—
it was impossible to truly grasp them.
Snowfall Sovereign was in the exact same situation.
Through the crystal, he believed he could master the technique in a thousand years.
But when he actually tried to use it—
he would realize:
The World Freezing he cast…
and Locke's World Freezing—
were fundamentally different.
At best, Snowfall might refine the technique enough to surpass ordinary Lesser Sovereigns.
He might even become a standout among them.
But reaching Locke's level—freezing a Sovereign completely?
Impossible.
That—
was the real price Locke had paid for sparing Celes.
If Snowfall hadn't tried to exploit him so shamelessly—
Locke would never have gone as far as declaring his promotion to Intermediate Sovereign.
Wawaya glanced between Locke and Death Sovereign, her gaze sharpening slightly—as if she had realized something.
"Alright, Locke," Death Sovereign said casually. "Head back to the Netherworld. I'll go visit the Life Divine Plane with Wawaya."
"Sure. Have fun."
Locke waved and turned, disappearing into the spatial currents.
Death Sovereign watched him leave.
Only after his figure vanished did she notice Wawaya staring at her—with a rather meaningful expression.
"…Hey, Wawaya. What's with that look? It's unsettling."
Even Death Sovereign felt a bit uncomfortable.
Wawaya raised her hand, mimicking Locke's earlier gesture.
"'Have fun,' huh…"
Death Sovereign rolled her eyes.
"Wawaya, you've gotten bolder."
Wawaya covered her mouth and laughed softly.
"No… it's just that you've changed a lot lately, Sis."
"And now… I think I understand why."
That had been the whole reason Wawaya invited her in the first place.
She had sensed something different about Death Sovereign—
and wanted to find out what had changed.
She hadn't expected the answer to reveal itself so quickly.
But along with that realization came unease.
How exactly had Death Sovereign and Locke met?
From how Locke handled Snowfall today, it was clear—
his mind, his temperament, his methods—
were all extremely formidable.
The other Sovereigns had always been wary of him.
To prevent him from growing stronger by refining Sovereign sparks, the three other Chief Sovereigns had already made arrangements regarding Water-type Sovereigns.
Wawaya had intended to inform Death Sovereign as well.
But now—
after realizing the possible relationship between her and Locke—
she hesitated.
Even their alliance…
no longer felt secure.
Yes, they had three Chief Sovereigns.
But Locke's side had—
Death Sovereign, the current strongest among them.
And Locke himself—
who needed only a single Water Sovereign spark to ascend beyond them all.
Everyone understood the situation.
When Destiny Sovereign Orloff moved the Water Intermediate Sovereign to the Celestial Realm—
it was already a statement.
The Chief Sovereigns' bottom line was clear:
Locke could at most refine a Lesser Water Sovereign spark.
And Locke knew that.
And they knew he knew.
The only question left was—
what would Locke choose?
Submit—
kill a Lesser Water Sovereign, refine their spark, and become equal to the Chief Sovereigns?
Or resist—
invade the Celestial Realm and kill an Intermediate Sovereign to become the strongest?
Yet for hundreds of thousands of years—
he had done nothing.
Which led them to one conclusion:
He was waiting.
Waiting—
for the Water Chief Sovereign spark.
And if that happened—
no one in this world could oppose him.
If Death Sovereign truly stood on his side—
would their resistance even matter?
After a long silence, Wawaya finally asked:
"Sis… aren't you worried?"
"What if Locke becomes so powerful that no one can stop him?"
"What would happen to the world then… would depend entirely on his will."
Death Sovereign stared at her.
For a long time.
So long that Wawaya's heart tightened.
She had never seen that look before.
Cold.
Distant.
Almost unfamiliar.
"Sis…"
Wawaya called softly.
"…Sigh."
The coldness faded from Death Sovereign's eyes.
"Wawaya," she said quietly,
"What do you think we are… to the beings of the material planes?"
Without waiting for an answer, she continued:
"There are countless material planes in the universe."
"The number of lives within them is beyond imagination."
"But to them—"
"Even a mere Saint from the higher planes…"
"…is already a being capable of bringing catastrophic destruction."
(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 1250 Powerstones