Arman's worries, however, proved unfounded almost immediately.
The bandit leader—one of the Golden Turtle Tribe's former high-ranking members from hundreds of thousands of years ago—suddenly made his move. With brutal decisiveness, he struck down the most vocal of the opposing gods.
"Claude!"
Arman cried out in anguish at the sight.
Claude was one of the most talented figures among the tribe's younger generation. Already a God, he had been someone Arman personally groomed as the future leader of the Golden Turtle Tribe.
Yet now, that promising future leader lay dead in the council chamber.
"Lord Locke!"
Seeing this scene, Arman pleaded desperately. "Please, I beg you—save—"
Boom!
Before he could finish speaking, an overwhelming pressure descended upon him.
The force was irresistible. It crushed him straight to his knees.
"Puh—!"
The power pierced through his body, gravely injuring him and forcing a mouthful of blood from his lips. Terror flashed across his eyes.
Only then did Arman truly understand.
Who was he, and who was Locke?
He was merely a subordinate recently recruited by Lord Oakes.
But Locke… Locke might very well be a Sovereign.
And he had just dared to ask such a being for help.
What arrogance!
"Arman."
"Yes, Lord Locke. I'm here."
"You mentioned earlier that the rise of the Golden Turtle Tribe began when its leaders became bandits, plundering the wealth of other tribes to support your own."
"That means everyone in the tribe benefited from stolen wealth—including you."
"You cannot erase that truth simply by claiming you've cut ties with the past."
"The rest of the tribe, including you, may not have personally taken part in those raids. But the resources that allowed you to grow came from those very robberies."
"So, in my eyes, the entire Golden Turtle Tribe is a bandit tribe. That is not an accusation—it is simply the truth."
To Locke, Arman and the Golden Turtle Tribe were no different from the feudal landlords of his previous life.
They had all lived off the labor and suffering of others.
Such a foundational sin could not be washed away simply by deciding to change later.
There was a saying in Buddhism: "Lay down the butcher's knife and become a Buddha instantly."
But to Locke, that was nonsense.
Why should ordinary people have to endure endless hardships and suffering in pursuit of enlightenment—often without success—while villains could simply abandon their wrongdoing and instantly achieve redemption?
No.
What Locke preferred was the principle of heavenly retribution.
What is owed must be repaid.
Locke's gaze turned toward the projection of the Golden Turtle Tribe.
The Edicts of Fate flowed through his eyes.
A drop of Sovereign's Might erupted within him, pushing the power of the Edicts of Fate to its absolute limit.
Then Locke spoke.
His voice became the sentence of judgment.
"The Golden Turtle Tribe has fed upon the suffering of other tribes for over three hundred thousand years."
"Therefore, I pronounce the following judgment."
"All deity-level members of the Golden Turtle Tribe shall lose their self-awareness for the next five hundred thousand years."
"They will become blades wielded by Fiend Castle in the hunt for bandits."
"If they survive five hundred thousand years, their past crimes will be wiped clean."
"If they perish while fighting bandits, then that too shall be their fate."
As Locke finished speaking, a white sphere of light formed in his palm.
Under his control, the light merged into the projection before him.
Following the pathway of the spell, it traveled across immeasurable distance—arriving above the Golden Turtle Tribe.
Within the projection, a small white sun formed in the sky above the tribe.
Every living being who looked up at that sun instantly heard Locke's judgment echo within their hearts.
Once the message had spread to all who witnessed it, the sun shattered into countless beams of white light.
Each beam descended upon a deity of the Golden Turtle Tribe.
When the light faded, the gods' eyes had lost all vitality.
Their consciousness had been sealed.
They could still perceive the outside world—but they could no longer control their bodies.
What Locke left them was only the most primitive instinct for battle.
Moments later, the gods transformed into streaks of light and shot away from the tribe, scattering across Hell in search of bandits to kill.
Seeing this, despair filled Arman's eyes.
He felt he had made a terrible mistake.
Even as a bandit tribe, the Golden Turtle Tribe had at least been protected by its god-level experts.
As long as their crimes remained hidden, they would face little danger.
Even if exposed, the tribe's strength might have allowed them to survive two rounds of Fiend Castle's extermination missions.
That would have bought them thirty years of life.
But now…
Because he had tried to escape the tribe's fate as bandits, every god of the tribe had become a puppet in Locke's war against bandits.
Without divine protectors, the Golden Turtle Tribe would be devoured by neighboring tribes within three days.
Locke glanced at Arman's despairing face and frowned slightly.
Arman was Oakes's subordinate.
If Locke handled this too harshly, Arman might grow resentful toward Oakes.
That didn't matter much to Locke himself.
But since Arman was Oakes's first recruited subordinate, Locke did not want to undermine Oakes's authority.
With a flick of his hand, Locke consumed another drop of Sovereign's Might.
Within the projection, he traced a circle around the Golden Turtle Tribe.
A white barrier appeared, completely enveloping the tribe before gradually fading from sight.
"Since you now serve under Oakes, I will leave a path for the mortals of the Golden Turtle Tribe."
"If they remain within the tribe and do not leave, they will be safe."
"But if they step beyond the boundary of the tribe…"
"Under the judgment of fate, they will suffer ten thousand years of slavery."
"Thank you for your mercy, Lord Locke!"
Arman was overwhelmed with relief.
Despite his injuries, he repeatedly kowtowed.
He had not expected such a turn of events.
Out of consideration for Lord Oakes, Locke had given the Golden Turtle Tribe a chance.
As long as the tribe's people remained within the barrier, they would be safe.
Perhaps in the future, if he served Oakes loyally, Oakes might even plead on their behalf and persuade Locke to lift the punishment entirely.
Locke dismissed the projection with a wave of his hand.
"That is enough. You may leave now."
"Yes, Lord Locke."
Only after leaving the castle did Arman dare to spend divine power to restore his body.
"I may now serve under Lord Oakes, but he hasn't given me any specific orders."
"And according to what Lord Oakes said, he's heading to Tian Mountain Prefecture on the Bloodpeak Continent."
"In that case, I'll register as a Fiend and travel there to wait for him."
"Before that, I should return briefly to the Golden Turtle Tribe and inform everyone that as long as they remain within Lord Locke's barrier, they won't be enslaved."
Arman had no doubt about Locke's words.
After all, the power he had witnessed today had been utterly terrifying.
Inside his cultivation chamber, Locke sighed softly.
"I acted too impulsively."
He had originally planned to quietly develop his influence within Hell.
But Arman's arrival had disrupted that plan completely.
The commotion he had caused at the Golden Turtle Tribe would likely attract the attention of the Sovereigns.
Still, Locke did not regret what he had done.
Power existed so that one could decide for oneself what to do—and what not to do.
Otherwise, what was the point of becoming stronger?
Although his actions might draw the attention of the Sovereigns, Locke remained confident in his ability to conceal himself through soul techniques.
For now, they would not find him.
But the incident had reminded him of something important.
Plans could never keep pace with change.
No matter how carefully one planned, a single unexpected variable could overturn everything.
The Chief Sovereign of Fate, Orloff, was the perfect example.
Look at Orloff.
He had hidden himself perfectly.
He was the strongest being in the Coiling Dragon universe and the first to suspect that the universe itself might be controlled by a higher existence.
For over a thousand cycles, he had pursued transcendence step by step—and achieved remarkable progress.
Yet in the end, everything collapsed because of a single twelve-winged angel.
His clone was slain.
And he ultimately became nothing more than the stepping stone that allowed Linley to comprehend the fusion of the four fundamental Laws—earth, fire, water, and wind.
Reflecting on Orloff's fate calmed Locke's mind.
"After today's events, I can't remain in Hell much longer."
"When Oakes returns, I'll take him to the Divine Plane of Water."
"Until the War of Faith begins, I'll hide there for several million years and slowly develop my forces in secret."
"At the same time, I'll gather information on every divine beast with innate time or spatial abilities… and establish a stable supply of their blood essence."
Locke knew he could not follow Linley's path of four-element soul mutation.
But that didn't mean he had abandoned the idea of transcending the Panlong universe.
Even if transcendence proved impossible…
There was nothing stopping him from continuing to grow stronger.
Unlike Orloff, who had stumbled blindly through the darkness, Locke possessed knowledge of the universe beyond.
And that knowledge was his greatest advantage.
⭐ 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 450 powerstones.