Locke's universe, within the Hongmeng Space, could perhaps be called the Luomeng Universe. Only those lifeforms who completely survived the Three Calamities and Nine Tribulations would possess the qualifications for eternal life.
And to survive the Three Calamities and Nine Tribulations, one needed, at the very least, the strength of an Invincible Godking.
Within the Magic Universe, that corresponded to the level of an Overgod.
As things stood now, among Locke's family, even the strongest—Death Chief Sovereign Lilia—was still a very long way from the Godking realm, let alone Loran, Veer, Grant, and Rena.
Although within the Magic Universe they had all completely comprehended a single set of Laws and reached the Paragon level, in the universe created by Locke, a Paragon who had only fully comprehended one set of Laws would, at most, barely be able to survive six of the Nine Tribulations.
If they couldn't even survive the final three tribulations, then there was no need to speak of facing the Three Calamities.
Before bringing his family into the Luomeng Universe, Locke had to ensure that all of them could perfectly survive the Three Calamities and Nine Tribulations there and become existences that would endure alongside his universe.
"Lilia..."
Locke softly called her name.
The next instant, Death Chief Sovereign Lilia appeared beside him.
Looking at Locke in confusion, she asked,
"Locke, were you calling me just now?"
"Mm."
Locke shifted slightly on his throne, making room for Lilia to sit beside him.
"Lilia, not long ago..."
"My strength broke through once again."
"What?"
Hearing Locke's words, Lilia covered her mouth in astonishment and looked at him in shock.
Locke had never hidden the truth about his strength from Lilia.
Thus, unlike everyone else—including even their son Loran, who believed Locke merely possessed strength comparable to an Overgod-tier Godking—Lilia knew that Locke had already completely surpassed the Overgods and reached the realm known as the Heavenly Exalt.
The only reason Locke was able to remain within this universe was because it was the universe that had given birth to him, much like how a Sovereign could remain within his native material plane.
Otherwise, if someone of Locke's current level entered another subsidiary universe of equal rank to the Magic Universe, it would be just like a Sovereign entering a material plane that wasn't his birthplace.
His mere existence would cause that subsidiary universe to collapse.
The carrying limit of a subsidiary universe was merely that of an Overgod equivalent to a Godking.
The essence of a Heavenly Exalt far exceeded what a subsidiary universe could bear.
Only a Primary Universe could accommodate a Heavenly Exalt.
And now...
Locke was telling her that he had broken through again.
Broken through to what?
Beyond the Heavenly Exalt?
What kind of realm was that?
Thinking of this, Lilia's curiosity surged.
"Locke."
"You call the Sovereign realm the 'Heavenly God,' the Overgod realm the 'Godking,' and the realm beyond the Overgods the 'Heavenly Exalt.'"
"These realms all feel like parts of the same cultivation system."
"I never really asked before..."
"But this time, you have to explain everything to me properly."
"Haha..."
Seeing Lilia's curiosity awakened, Locke couldn't help but smile.
It seemed persuading Lilia to accept this new cultivation path wouldn't be as difficult as he'd imagined.
"Lilia, you already know that within the Magic Universe, once someone cultivates a single set of Profound Mysteries to the Paragon level, they gain the qualifications to touch the Higher Laws."
"Comprehending ten percent of a Higher Law allows one to enter the Heavenly God realm."
"Completely comprehending one Higher Law—whether the Law of Space or the Law of Reincarnation—allows one to become a Godking."
"But to advance from the Godking realm to the Heavenly Exalt realm..."
"One must completely comprehend the Law of Time."
"And to break through beyond the Heavenly Exalt..."
"One must completely fuse the Laws of Space and Time, forge a Space-Time Body, and then one can shatter the shackles of the Magic Universe and leave it."
"What?"
"Leave the Magic Universe?"
Lilia was startled and immediately rose to her feet, staring at Locke in disbelief.
"Locke..."
"Could it be that you..."
"That's right."
Seeing that Lilia had already guessed the answer, Locke nodded openly.
"My original body has already left this universe and entered the space beyond it."
"It is a region filled with endless gray energy of unimaginable power."
"At this very moment..."
"My original body is creating a new universe there."
"Creating... a universe?"
"Locke..."
"The universe you're talking about..."
"You mean the universe we're living in right now?"
Lilia stared at Locke in utter shock.
She knew Locke was powerful.
But she had never imagined he had become powerful enough to create a universe.
"What are you so surprised about?"
Seeing her expression, Locke stood up and lightly tapped her on the head.
"In the Magic Universe, with the assistance of Sovereign sparks, the seven Sovereigns of a single element can create a Divine Plane."
"The Overgods can independently create the Higher Planes."
"My current realm is two or three major levels above that of the Overgods."
"So creating a universe isn't something difficult to understand."
Lilia nodded blankly.
Indeed...
By Locke's reasoning, it did seem to make sense.
But in reality...
Creating a universe was anything but easy.
Even Hongmeng had relied on the Hongmeng Golden List's absolute control over Hongmeng energy and spent more than five hundred calendrical cycles before finally developing the method for creating a universe.
Only afterward did Hongmeng create the Hongmeng Primary Universe and its four subsidiary universes.
From the moment Hongmeng created the universe until he met Linley...
One thousand four hundred and fifty-plus calendrical cycles had passed.
That was why Hongmeng had said he had been lonely within the Hongmeng Space for nearly two thousand calendrical cycles.
The reason Locke had perfected his own method of creating a universe so quickly wasn't because his comprehension surpassed Hongmeng's by some enormous margin.
Rather...
Hongmeng had pioneered the path from zero to one.
Locke, however, already had Hongmeng's universe as a reference and specialized in the Laws of Space and Time.
Naturally, creating a universe was far easier for him than it had been for Hongmeng.
It was much like in Naruto.
The Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, spent three years creating the Rasengan.
Naruto Uzumaki, meanwhile, learned the technique in only a week.
"Alright."
"So, Locke..."
"The reason you're telling me all this today..."
"Is because you're preparing to leave this universe?"
"Not yet."
Locke shook his head.
"My universe still needs some more time before it is fully formed."
"During that time..."
"I want you and the children to become accustomed to the rules of the universe I've created."
"After all..."
"In the universe I created, only those at the level of an Invincible Godking have any hope of attaining eternal life."
"Right now..."
"Neither you nor the children are anywhere close to the Godking realm."
"When the time comes..."
"If you haven't reached the Godking realm, I absolutely will not allow you to enter the universe I've created."
Lilia understood this completely.
Without sufficient strength, entering Locke's universe would only mean dying sooner rather than later.
It would be better for them to remain within the Magic Universe.
Even if they ended up living in different universes, with Locke's strength, he would still be able to return frequently to visit them.
Soon afterward, after receiving Locke's message, Loran, Ver, Grant, and Rena all arrived at the Sovereign Palace.
"Father."
"Mother."
"Grandfather."
"Grandmother."
"Great-Grandfather."
"Great-Grandmother."
"Great-Great-Grandfather."
"Great-Great-Grandmother."
After entering the Sovereign Palace, all four respectfully bowed to Locke and Lilia.
"Alright."
"I've called you here today because I have something to tell all of you."
"I've already transcended the Hongmeng Universe and created a brand-new universe outside it."
"Right now..."
"I can recreate a miniature plane within the Sovereign Palace that is almost identical to the universe I've created."
"You may bring whatever living beings you wish to take with you into that miniature plane to cultivate."
"Once the universe I've created has completely evolved..."
"You may then choose whether to remain here or enter my universe to continue cultivating."
"But let me make one thing clear."
"In the universe I've created..."
"If your strength doesn't reach a sufficient level, your lifespan will have a limit."
"So..."
"Any lifeform that enters my universe but fails to break through before reaching the end of its lifespan..."
"Will die."
"Father has actually become powerful enough to create a universe?"
"The realm Grandfather has reached..."
"I can't even imagine how far beyond mine it is..."
"As expected of Great-Grandfather."
"If I hadn't received Great-Grandfather's blood essence, I probably wouldn't even have broken through to the Heavenly God realm."
"Great-Great-Grandfather..."
"You said you've already transcended this universe."
"Then what exactly does the world beyond this universe look like?"
Loran, Veer, and Grant were all shocked by Locke's strength.
Only Rena's attention wasn't focused on how powerful Locke had become, but instead on what lay beyond the universe.
Hearing the reactions of her descendants, Lilia wasn't surprised in the slightest.
Locke gave Rena an approving glance.
As for Loran, Veer, and Grant...
His face was filled with undisguised disappointment.
From their words alone, Locke could already tell that among all of them...
Only Rena possessed the ambition to climb to the very highest peak.
The other three...
Loran was somewhat better.
As for Ver and Grant...
Their upper limits had already been decided.
Without Locke's help, the two of them probably wouldn't even reach the Godking realm.
Locke remembered that after becoming the creator of a universe, one could forge Heavenly Exalt Spiritual Treasures containing the complete Law of Time.
After receiving the recognition of the universe's creator, anyone who refined such a Heavenly Exalt Spiritual Treasure would immediately comprehend the complete Law of Time contained within it.
With time accelerated countless times over...
A Godking could become a Heavenly Exalt in only a few breaths.
If Veer, Grant, and the others still failed to reach the Invincible Godking realm before their lifespans expired within Locke's universe...
Then Locke would probably have no choice but to let them walk the same path as the Artisan God Chehouyuan.
Only...
If that happened, Veer's and Grant's achievements would forever stop there.
If possible...
Locke still hoped that his descendants could attain even greater accomplishments—
Perhaps even stand shoulder to shoulder with him one day, discussing together how to pursue even higher realms of cultivation.
But from the looks of it...
Among his family...
Only Lilia and Rena had the greatest chance.
Loran might also have some hope.
As for Veer and Grant...
There was no point talking about them.
Rip!
Suppressing the thoughts in his heart, Locke casually tore through space.
Immediately...
A spatial rift over two meters long appeared within the Sovereign Palace.
Yet, contrary to everyone's expectations...
What poured from the crack wasn't the familiar multicolored spatial turbulence.
Instead...
Gray mist flowed out.
Although Locke's original body and his other divine clones were absent, his comprehension of the fused Laws of Space-Time was shared across all his souls.
With the strength of his water divine clone, tearing open the membrane of the Magic Universe was naturally no difficult feat.
The instant they saw the gray mist...
Everyone present, including Lilia, changed expressions dramatically.
From that gray mist...
They sensed overwhelming terror.
It felt as though...
Before this gray mist...
They possessed absolutely no ability to resist.
"Locke..."
"What exactly is this gray substance?"
"Why do I feel it's even more dangerous than you are?"
In a flash, Lilia appeared before Loran and the others, shielding them behind her as she asked Locke with a solemn expression.
The reason Lilia felt Hongmeng energy was more dangerous than Locke wasn't because Locke was weaker than it.
Before Locke had completely fused the Laws of Space and Time, the destructive power of Hongmeng energy had indeed surpassed his own.
But now...
Having fully fused the Laws of Space-Time, Locke had already surpassed Hongmeng energy and could even shatter it.
It was simply because Locke had never fully released his aura before Lilia and the others that she had such an impression.
"Lilia."
"Loran."
"Veer."
"Grant."
"Rena."
"This..."
"...is what exists beyond the universe."
"Outside the Magic Universe..."
"There is nothing but this endless gray mist, filled with terrifying power."
"Even a Heavenly Exalt—someone stronger than an Overgod—wouldn't survive long before being dissolved by this force."
"In other words..."
"If you wish to step beyond the universe in the future..."
"You must first possess strength surpassing that of a Heavenly Exalt."
"Haha..."
"Father, isn't that a bit too exaggerated?"
Loran laughed awkwardly.
"My comprehension of the Law of Space has only reached twenty-five percent."
"You know I don't possess Paragon divine clones of earth, wind, and fire."
"I can't even become a Godking."
"A Heavenly Exalt is completely out of the question."
"Surpass a Heavenly Exalt..."
"Hmph!"
Rena snorted coldly.
She clearly disagreed with her grandfather Loran's discouragement.
Even so...
She had to admit that within the Magic Universe, becoming a Godking wasn't easy, even with Great-Great-Grandfather's assistance.
"Indeed."
"Within the Magic Universe, comprehending the Laws of Space and Time is extremely difficult."
"But..."
"I never said you had to cultivate within the Magic Universe."
As he spoke...
White light spread from Locke's hand.
In an instant, the eight fundamental forces of Qian, Kun, Xun, Gen, Zhen, Kan, Dui, and Li evolved into existence, forcibly carving out a miniature universe prototype directly upon the membrane of the Magic Universe.
(End of Chapter)
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