At most, there would also be some descendants born within the last million years.
As for those clan members in between, not even one in a hundred had survived.
Time was like waves washing away the sand. Any living being that could survive for more than a single Cycle possessed a mentality that could not be underestimated.
Locke sincerely hoped that his children and descendants would possess hearts of immortality capable of remaining by his side forever.
Otherwise, he didn't know how he would react if, one day, someone he deeply cared about appeared before him with empty eyes and no desire to continue living.
Just as Locke was immersed in his thoughts, the Death Chief Sovereign rolled her eyes at him.
"What do you think?"
"If it weren't for something this important, why would I have given you that thing?"
Locke smiled.
He naturally knew that the "thing" the Death Chief Sovereign was referring to was the Heart of the Netherworld.
However, Locke also knew that she was merely saying it out loud.
Had she known beforehand that the Heart of the Netherworld could help him break through the bottleneck of the Spatial Laws and reach Paragon, she would probably have handed it over for him to refine long ago.
Of course, Locke also understood that the timing of refining the Heart of the Netherworld was equally important.
If he had refined it before comprehending ninety-nine point nine percent of the Spatial Laws, there was still a considerable chance that he would have remained stuck before the final bottleneck.
"Father."
Holding hands, Loran and Levlenxia walked over to Locke and prepared to bow in greeting.
With a casual wave of his hand, Locke stopped Levlenxia's body, preventing her from bending over.
"That's enough, Xia. The thought is what matters."
"In your current condition, you shouldn't be bowing."
Loran straightened up and looked at Locke with a face full of grievance.
Father... I'm your son.
Is it really necessary to treat us this differently?
"Yes, Father."
Levlenxia covered her mouth as she laughed softly, thoroughly enjoying her husband's embarrassment.
After chatting together as a family for a while, the conversation gradually shifted toward cultivation.
After all, everyone in Locke's family except Levlenxia had already reached Paragon.
Furthermore, thanks to Locke, both he and the Death Chief Sovereign, Lilia, knew that cultivation could continue even after reaching Paragon by pursuing the higher Laws.
In this regard, both the Death Chief Sovereign and Loran had already achieved some results.
However, compared to Locke, their accomplishments were still far behind.
Especially now that Locke had completely comprehended the Spatial Laws and become a Godking-level expert whose status was equal to that of an Overgod, while both the Death Chief Sovereign and Loran had yet to fully comprehend even ten percent of the higher Laws derived from their own Paragon Laws.
Over more than sixty quadrillion years, both Lilia and Loran had remained stuck at ninety-nine percent of the first tenth, unable to make any further progress.
If the Death Chief Sovereign could take that final step, her strength would increase tenfold.
As for Loran, the improvement would be even greater.
Comprehending just ten percent of the Spatial Laws would already grant Loran strength comparable to that of a Lesser Sovereign.
Loran still remembered how, back when the family of three discussed cultivation at Mount Nether, Levlenxia had been so astonished that her mouth had hung open.
As the Water Chief Sovereign, aided by the power of faith within her Sovereign spark, she had already completely fused five Profound Mysteries of the Water Laws.
Yet she couldn't understand a single word of the cultivation topics being discussed by her husband, father-in-law, and mother-in-law.
Everything they said sounded completely incomprehensible to her.
Later, noticing the dazed look in his wife's eyes, Loran worried that she might think she was being deliberately excluded, so he directly explained to her that what they were discussing were the higher Laws that could only be cultivated after reaching Paragon.
Without becoming a Paragon first, one wasn't even qualified to come into contact with them.
And the person who had organized and established the cultivation path beyond Paragon...
...was none other than Locke.
It was from that moment onward that Levlenxia's admiration for Chief Sovereign Locke became impossible to put into words.
At the same time, she secretly rejoiced that she had become Loran's wife and Locke's daughter-in-law.
Otherwise, let alone becoming the Water Chief Sovereign, she would probably still be an utterly ordinary Five Star Fiend—or perhaps she might already have died somewhere long ago.
How could she possibly know secrets that even Paragons themselves were unaware of?
However, while Locke, Lilia, and Loran were enjoying themselves,
they had forgotten one thing.
This wasn't Mount Nether in the Netherworld.
This was the residence of the Life Chief Sovereign, Wawaya, in the Life Realm.
Levlenxia wasn't a Paragon, so she couldn't understand Locke's explanations to Loran and Lilia regarding the higher Laws of the Water Laws and the Death Edicts.
But Wawaya was different.
She herself was already a Paragon of the Life Edicts.
Over the countless years, Wawaya had naturally attempted to explore the cultivation path beyond Paragon.
As for the results...
One could only say they were extremely gratifying.
She had made absolutely no progress whatsoever.
Wawaya couldn't understand Locke's explanations regarding the higher Laws of the Water Laws.
But when Locke explained the higher Laws corresponding to the Death Edicts for the Death Chief Sovereign, Wawaya could actually understand parts of it.
After all, the higher Laws of the Four Edicts were fundamentally the same.
From the Laws of Reincarnation that Locke was describing, Wawaya could clearly sense their connection with the Life Edicts.
Immediately, the Life Chief Sovereign quietly moved behind the Death Chief Sovereign, sat down, and began listening to Locke's instruction.
Naturally, Wawaya's actions couldn't escape Locke's notice.
The moment she moved, Locke immediately realized that they were, after all, on Wawaya's territory.
However, after only a moment's thought, Locke made no attempt to stop his explanation.
First, Locke felt that regardless of how his family had ended up discussing cultivation here, if Wawaya was able to hear it and gain some understanding from it, then that was simply her fortune.
Or rather...
Her destiny.
Second, under Locke's explanations, both his son Loran and the Death Chief Sovereign, Lilia, had already entered states of faint enlightenment.
The flashes of inspiration within their souls had become extraordinarily active, constantly providing them with new insights.
Under such circumstances, both Loran and the Death Chief Sovereign had a very high chance of breaking through.
If Locke were to stop explaining the Spatial Laws and the Laws of Reincarnation now, then the spiritual inspiration within their souls would likely suffer a severe backlash, making it impossible for them to achieve another breakthrough for a long time.
Therefore, whether because of destiny, or because he wanted his wife and son to break through, Locke had no intention whatsoever of stopping his explanation of the higher Laws.
As for Loran and the Death Chief Sovereign, there was no need to say more.
From Wawaya's perspective, however, as she listened to Locke's explanations, she could clearly sense that this was indeed the cultivation path beyond Paragon.
She could feel that her own Life Edicts possessed countless subtle connections with the unknown Laws Locke was describing.
Yet no matter how hard Wawaya tried to comprehend them, she couldn't grasp even the slightest trace of these mysterious Laws.
She could see them.
She could not touch them.
It was like scratching an itch through a boot—frustrating beyond measure.
Naturally, Locke also noticed Wawaya's predicament.
However, his main focus at the moment remained the flashes of inspiration within the souls of Loran and the Death Chief Sovereign.
Whatever he said that made the inspiration within their souls become more active, he would continue emphasizing.
As for the Life Chief Sovereign...
Perhaps after Loran's and Lilia's cultivation session ended, Locke would explain to Wawaya how one should use Paragon Laws to begin touching the higher Laws.
But for now...
No matter how uncomfortable Wawaya felt,
she would simply have to wait.
A faint dark-gray glow shone within Locke's eyes.
Compared to more than sixty quadrillion years ago, Locke's soul realm had advanced tremendously once again.
Back then, when he had used the Eyes of the Soul above the Planar Battlefield to observe the flashes of inspiration within the souls of those fighting below, merely being sensed by the other Sovereigns had been enough to shake their minds.
Now, however, Locke's control over his own power had reached an extreme level.
Even Levlenxia, who sat directly opposite him, merely felt that Locke's pupils had become slightly brighter.
She couldn't sense the slightest trace of the soul power hidden within his eyes.
Judging from the flashes of inspiration within Loran's and the Death Chief Sovereign's souls, Locke knew that Loran's breakthrough would probably come before Lilia's.
In terms of cultivation talent, the Death Chief Sovereign far surpassed Loran.
After all, Loran's attainment of Paragon was inseparable from Locke's many arrangements.
Without the many Prefects that Locke had prepared for him, Loran's limit would merely have been that of an ordinary Five-Star Fiend.
The Death Chief Sovereign, on the other hand, had her early cultivation delayed by the influence of faith.
After Locke removed the effects of that faith, she had relied entirely upon herself to become a Paragon of the Death Edicts.
The same held true for her cultivation of the higher Laws.
Loran carried Locke's bloodline.
After reaching Paragon in the Water Laws, he could directly come into contact with the Spatial Power hidden within his bloodline.
The bloodline cultivation system and the Laws cultivation system advanced side by side, constantly verifying one another, making Loran's cultivation of the Spatial Laws exceptionally smooth.
The Death Chief Sovereign, Lilia, was different.
She had single-handedly reached the higher Laws by relying solely upon her own Paragon Death Edicts.
Even Locke himself hadn't known she had advanced that far until she personally demonstrated it to him.
It was precisely by copying the Death Chief Sovereign's comprehension of the Laws of Reincarnation that Locke had easily used his own Paragon Fate Edicts, together with the copied Paragon Death Edicts, to comprehend even more of the Laws of Reincarnation than she had.
However, although Loran's cultivation talent was inferior to Lilia's,
it had to be said that his luck was truly exceptional.
At this moment, Locke had already completely comprehended the Spatial Laws.
Whatever the flashes of inspiration within Loran's soul lacked, Locke could immediately explain precisely that point, allowing Loran's inspiration to flourish and granting him even deeper understanding.
The situation on the Death Chief Sovereign's side was different.
Locke's own comprehension of the Laws of Reincarnation had only just barely reached fifty percent.
Many times, he had to explain his understanding of the Laws of Reincarnation over and over again from different perspectives before he could keep the flashes of inspiration within the Death Chief Sovereign's soul active.
(End of Chapter)
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