What had Blackstone Tribe been like ten thousand years ago?
And what had it become now?
The one who brought about this transformation—was it truly Oakes?
No.
More than Oakes, it was Lord Locke.
Perhaps from the very moment Oakes pledged his loyalty, Locke had already planned to take him away one day.
Otherwise, why would he have provided the tribe with so many suitable God and Highgod divine sparks?
That had never been simple generosity.
It was preparation.
Preparation to remove Oakes's burdens.
Yagonia had sensed this long ago.
But since Locke had never stated his intentions outright, she had kept her thoughts to herself.
Now that the moment had arrived, she could not allow Oakes to make the wrong choice.
Everything Blackstone Tribe had gained—
Was Locke's investment in Oakes.
And if Oakes refused to follow him…
Who could say whether that investment would be taken back?
The fate of Amane's Golden Turtle Tribe stood as a warning.
Taking a deep breath, Oakes met Yagonia's eyes, gratitude flashing within them. Then he turned to Locke.
"Lord Locke… I am willing to follow you to the other divine planes."
"Mm."
Locke nodded, unconcerned by Oakes's earlier hesitation.
It was only natural.
"Then that's settled."
"Dismissed."
"Oakes, you and Yagonia should settle the affairs of Blackstone Tribe. We leave in three years."
"Yes, Lord Locke."
Three years later, a metal lifeform departed from Blackstone Tribe.
Inside were only three people.
Locke. Oakes. Yagonia.
As for Amane, Oakes had left him behind as the new leader of the tribe.
There was no helping it.
At present, all of Blackstone Tribe's Highgods had reached that level by refining divine sparks.
If a true threat appeared, they would have little ability to resist.
Amane, however, possessed Four-Star Fiend strength, and his fusion of two profound mysteries of the Earth Laws had already reached its limit.
Once he broke through, he would immediately step into the Five-Star Fiend level.
Even if he didn't, his current strength was more than enough to protect the tribe.
Moreover, before leaving, Oakes had handed over all the divine sparks he had obtained over the past ten thousand years.
If disaster struck, Blackstone Tribe could produce dozens of Highgods in the shortest time possible.
"Lord Locke, which plane shall we visit first?"
Inside the metal lifeform, Oakes asked respectfully.
"It doesn't matter."
Locke shook his head.
"You decide."
He had no fixed plan.
Wherever they went, he would simply find a sufficiently powerful force and have them gather information on divine beasts and their essence blood.
"However,"
After a brief pause, Locke added,
"Anywhere but the Netherworld."
His tone was calm—but firm.
After his encounter with the Chief Sovereign of Death, Locke had made up his mind.
Until he became a Sovereign himself, it was best not to set foot in the Netherworld again.
The Chief Sovereign of Death controlled the Heart of the Netherworld.
Within that plane, she could observe all living beings.
Even undead in the Necropolis could have their memories restored ahead of time.
If Locke's Saint body or Fate divine clone entered the Netherworld and was discovered again…
He would have no leverage left.
"I understand, Lord Locke."
Oakes and Yagonia exchanged a glance.
They could both sense it—
Even someone like Locke harbored caution toward the Netherworld.
"In that case…"
"Our first destination will be the Divine Wind Plane."
"Fine."
Time in the Coiling Dragon universe held little meaning for the inhabitants of the divine and higher planes.
Yet, quietly, without anyone noticing—
Locke had already established forces across the Seven Divine Planes and Three of the Four Higher Planes.
Of course, due to varying levels of trust, he did not grant Sovereign's Might directly to these forces.
Instead, he offered a transaction.
For two trillion units of local currency, he would refine one drop of Sovereign's Might for them.
Over the years, the changes in Hell had spread to other planes.
Under the coordination of their respective Sovereigns, organizations similar to Fiend Castle had emerged—
The Wind Hunter Association, the Fate Seer Church, and others.
Like Fiend Castle, they classified strength from One-Star to Seven-Star, with the highest title being Shura.
However, even now—
Across all Seven Divine Planes and Four Higher Planes—
Only Hell possessed a true Shura.
Locke's battle projections had spread through interplanar merchant groups.
And with them, his title—
"The Legendary Shura."
In an era where Six-Star Fiends were already considered supreme experts, Locke's strength stood on an entirely different level.
Especially after that battle—
Where he faced five Sovereign Emissaries, all empowered by Sovereign's Might—
And defeated them alone.
That single feat cemented his legend.
Even in his absence, his name echoed across the planes.
"Legendary Shura, still taking it easy today, I see."
In the Netherworld, Lilia once again arrived at Locke's water palace.
Just as Locke had expected—
Although she gained some insight each time she observed it, she still couldn't find the key to fusing a sixth profound mystery of the Water Laws.
And every time she struggled…
Seeing Locke leisurely fishing only made it worse.
There were moments when she genuinely wanted to beat him up.
Just to clear her mind.
But after weighing the difference in strength between her current clone and Locke…
She gave up.
There were times she considered using her Sovereign body.
But then she would recall Locke's… overactive imagination.
If she attacked him with her Sovereign body, who knew what conclusions he would jump to?
Perhaps after she left, he would retaliate by destroying her Water divine clone.
After all these years, she had finally found someone she could speak to as an equal.
She had no intention of losing that.
Yes—
After tens of thousands of years, Lilia had already begun to regard Locke as a friend.
Whether Locke felt the same was… irrelevant.
Locke's battle projections had long since spread to the Netherworld.
Through them, Lilia had confirmed his identity.
Though whether that identity reflected his full strength—
She remained skeptical.
The Locke shown in those projections and the Locke she personally experienced…
Were not on the same level at all.
Still, she enjoyed teasing him.
"Legendary Shura."
It was a grand title—
But compared to a Paragon, it still fell short.
Hearing her mockery, Locke didn't react.
Lilia's stagnation was entirely expected.
Even if she found the path to fusing six profound mysteries…
The final step would still stop her cold.
If becoming a Paragon were easy, their number wouldn't be rarer than Sovereigns by such a margin.
Every Paragon received equal respect from Sovereigns—
At least in attitude.
Of course, if a Paragon truly overstepped…
A Sovereign wouldn't hesitate to erase them.
Locke sometimes wondered—
Whether the recorded number of Paragons was so low because some had simply been… removed.
"You call this leisurely?"
Locke glanced at Lilia but didn't bother explaining.
Instead, he stretched lazily and sighed.
"What can I do, Lilia?"
"I've already reached the limit of the Water Laws."
"Even if I wanted to train, all I have to do is think, and the complete mysteries of the Water Laws appear in my mind."
"There's nothing left to cultivate."
"…You're insufferable."
Lilia clenched her fists.
This was the very definition of imbalance.
She struggled endlessly just to take a single step forward—
While Locke had the Laws laid bare before him.
It was infuriating.
After venting her frustration, she gave up staring at the water palace.
Instead, she walked over, took out a fishing rod, and sat beside Locke on the floating bridge.
"If I can't beat you, I'll copy you."
Locke chuckled.
"Not bad. You've got some insight."
"Fishing calms the mind."
"It teaches you to remain unmoved by gain or loss… to keep your heart steady, no matter what comes."
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