"Hey, Locke."
"What is it?"
Locke turned his head to look at Lilia.
"Your so-called paranoia… is it because your family was once implicated because of you? Is that why you think anyone stronger than you might kill you at any time?"
She was genuinely curious.
Paranoia, as Locke had described it, was a state common among the weak when facing the strong.
That wasn't strange.
But someone like Locke—already the strongest beneath the Sovereigns—yet still hiding himself so cautiously?
That, she had never seen before.
"How could that be?"
Locke chuckled lightly.
"When I was still in the material plane, I never encountered any real danger."
"The biggest incident was when my younger brother tried to betray the nation. I was summoned and reprimanded by a divine-level expert… I was so frightened at the time I thought I might be killed."
At those words, Corwell lowered his head even further.
"Then why," Lilia pressed, "would you pay such a price to have me find your brother… but not an even greater price to retrieve your wife and child?"
Locke blinked.
In that instant, he understood her true intention.
"Lilia, I know what you're trying to do—get me to owe you more favors."
"But unfortunately, I have no wife. And no children."
"As for my parents, they refused resurrection even while they were alive."
"So, your plan is destined to fail."
"No wife?"
"What about your family?"
"The family bears my name, yes—but it's my brother's bloodline."
"My connection to them isn't enough for me to pay such a price."
"Hmph."
Lilia snorted and turned away, once more immersing herself in comprehending the Water Laws within the residence.
That left Corwell in an awkward position.
She hadn't told him to rise, and he didn't dare move.
He remained kneeling at the entrance.
Fortunately, Lilia did not stay long. Once she withdrew from her state of comprehension, she left.
Only then did Corwell finally dare to stand.
But now, the way he looked at Locke carried even more fear.
After all, the casual attitude Locke displayed before a Sovereign's divine clone told him one thing—
This younger brother of his had reached a level he could never even begin to imagine.
—
In the sky, a young woman in fitted leather armor flew gracefully through the air.
Whenever she passed over towns or villages, people would look up in awe.
Flight—something only Saints could achieve.
And Saints were the true elites of the Frostsnow Plane.
Soon, the girl descended onto a mountain and stood respectfully behind Locke, who faced two graves.
"Teacher."
"Mira, you're here."
"Yes. As soon as I received your message, I came immediately from Locke Territory."
Though now a Saint, Mira's respect for Locke had never diminished.
"Mira… I'm leaving."
"Leaving?"
Panic flashed across her face.
"Teacher, if I've done anything wrong, you can punish me—"
"This has nothing to do with you."
"I simply have matters elsewhere that require my attention."
"I called you here today… to show you how vast the world truly is."
Locke turned and glanced at her.
In that instant, everything he knew—the Seven Divine Planes, the Four Higher Planes, the mysteries of the Laws—was transmitted directly into Mira's soul through illusion.
"A thousand years…"
As Mira fell into the illusion, Locke let out a soft sigh.
His figure dissolved like foam and vanished.
At the same time, he appeared before the plane transfer array, activated it, and left the Frostsnow Plane.
—
Back in the Netherworld, Locke's water divine clone went to Shadowmoon Prefecture and collected the soul-restoring resources Oakes had gathered.
Then he returned to his residence and merged back into his main body.
It was precisely because his original body had sensed Oakes's return that he recalled his clone.
A thousand years had passed.
Corwell had long since refined his divine sparks, becoming a Highgod of Death, and had already left the region.
Once more, only Locke remained.
"It's about time."
Spreading his divine sense, he informed Lilia that he would enter seclusion—and that he was not to be disturbed.
Then, he began.
—
From his spatial ring, Locke released vast quantities of soul-restoring treasures.
He extracted their essence, refining them into countless streams of violet soul liquid that enveloped him completely.
The sheer volume far exceeded what he had used during his soul mutation experiments.
If anything went wrong, he could instantly replenish his soul.
Seated cross-legged, Locke expanded his Will.
He wrapped his consciousness within it—
And began refining his own soul.
"Ugh!"
A muffled groan escaped him.
Even after greatly reducing the intensity, the sensation was like millstones grinding repeatedly over his very being.
It was agony.
Of course, he could have blocked out the pain entirely.
But for this first refinement, he chose not to.
Instead, he heightened his perception—seeking to understand the soul at its deepest level.
Under the refinement of his Fate divine clone, faint points of light began to emerge within his soul.
These were its purest essences.
As the process continued, those points grew brighter—
While the rest of the soul dimmed.
Whenever his soul neared collapse, the violet liquid surged in, restoring it.
Again and again.
Breaking. Restoring. Refining.
Over time, the luminous points expanded.
—
Centuries passed.
Eventually, the refinement could no longer produce any effect.
Locke's entire soul had turned completely golden.
At that moment—
He knew.
The process was complete.
His Fate clone withdrew, releasing his consciousness.
"Boom!"
His soul power surged—at least tenfold.
At the same time, he felt a profound sense of completion.
A name surfaced naturally in his mind.
Soul Golden Core.
Though his soul did not resemble a literal core, there was no doubt—
He had reached the level known in the primary universe as the Soul Golden Core.
Though gods in the Coiling Dragon universe were comparable to upper divine beings of the main universe, this was still a subsidiary cosmos.
Its foundation was inherently weaker.
But now—
By refining his soul into pure essence, Locke had bridged that gap.
His soul had reached a higher tier.
The enhancement in both soul realm and soul power elevated his affinity for the Laws once more.
A bottleneck that had not budged for a million years—
Now felt fragile.
Breakable.
Without hesitation, Locke continued his seclusion.
Until he fully fused the second profound mystery of the Water Laws with the Edicts of Fate—
He would not emerge.
—
"What on earth is Locke cultivating…?"
Outside the Sovereign's palace, Lilia gazed toward the mountainside.
For gods, Paragon was the limit.
Once all profound mysteries were fused, the path ended.
There was no further road.
So, what… was Locke doing?
She was curious.
Tempted to see.
But in the end, she restrained herself.
She had a feeling—
If she interrupted him now…
Their relationship would shatter beyond repair.
And she did not want to lose him.
A friend.
Yes—
A friend unlike any she had known before.
"…So boring."
"Maybe I should go fish near his place…"
"As long as I don't disturb him, it should be fine…"
She stood up—
Then sighed and sat back down, staring silently into the distance.
Lost in thought.
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