If he really sent that information back, those two lords might be completely fine—while he, for knowing something he shouldn't, might end up being "suicided." That would be far too unjust.
In any case, his duty was only to inform Saint-level beings in the material planes about the Seven Divine Planes and the Four Higher Planes, and to send them there.
Everything else had nothing to do with him.
…
Compared to the Frostsnow Plane, the traces Locke had left behind in the Infernal Realm were far more numerous.
Of course, most of those traces were simply places where the expansion of a particular Fiend Castle had required his personal involvement.
Here, at last, Locke and Lilia began to feel something like a true "journey."
At their level of power, material planes were simply too fragile. A slight lapse in control could tear open space itself and cause catastrophic damage.
In the Infernal Realm, however, that constraint was far weaker.
Without using Profound Mysteries or willpower, even a Sovereign would find it difficult to tear apart the space of a Higher Plane.
"Up ahead is Bloodriver Prefecture."
Inside the metal lifeform, Locke smiled at Lilia. "If I remember correctly, this is where I first displayed strength beyond that of a Seven-Star Fiend."
"Oh?"
Lilia raised an eyebrow, puzzled. "Locke, if I recall correctly, even the most talented divine beasts back then could only reach the level of a Five- or Six-Star Fiend."
"Who was the Lord Prefect of Bloodriver Prefecture, to make you reveal strength beyond Seven-Star Fiend level?"
"In terms of strength, the Prefect of Bloodriver wasn't much different from the others," Locke replied.
"But at the time, Bella Kers—the Prefect—had three drops of Sovereign's Might."
"I think… that was when some Sovereigns first began paying attention to me."
"So, after that battle, I immediately went to the Water Divine Plane and contacted the Azure Dragon Sovereign, Redding. In exchange for the secret of the Four Divine Beasts' fused innate ability, I obtained his protection for one hundred million years."
At this point, Locke chuckled.
"Thinking about it now, the agreement was that he would prevent other Sovereigns from attacking me for a hundred million years."
"But it seems… not even ten million years have passed, and I no longer need his protection."
"I wonder—was that deal a loss for me, or a gain?"
Clearly, even Locke himself didn't realize how many times Redding had been dragged into trouble because of that agreement.
Lilia's expression darkened.
Just by establishing a single force, Locke had already drawn the attention of the Sovereigns.
No wonder—even after achieving dual-element Paragon—he still dared not reveal himself, and didn't even keep his divine clones in the same plane.
In Lilia's eyes, Locke's wariness toward the Sovereigns likely began at that very moment.
That Sovereign who had targeted him… deserved death.
…
A hidden divine sense spread from the spatial turbulence into the Amethyst Mountains, startling the Amethyst Sovereign who resided at its core.
"I wonder which Sovereign has arrived. Amethyst apologizes for failing to welcome you."
Her divine sense spread outward, shielding the amethyst vein beneath her.
The Amethyst Sovereign and her husband had been born from the amethyst mine itself.
After her husband's death, she used both his divine beast blood essence and her own to nourish the vein, hoping to give birth to their child.
Until that process was complete, this amethyst vein was her reverse scale—something absolutely not to be touched.
"It's me, Amethyst."
"The Death Sovereign?"
Recognizing the source of the divine sense, Amethyst was startled.
Why would the Death Sovereign of the Netherworld secretly contact her?
"Amethyst, I've come to ask you something."
"Please speak, my lord."
Amethyst lowered her head.
Among Intermediate Sovereigns, her strength ranked near the top.
But before the Four Edicts Sovereigns, she was still nothing more than an ant.
She dared not show the slightest disrespect.
"Millions of years ago, Locke encountered an opponent in Bloodriver Prefecture who possessed Sovereign's Might."
"Was that Sovereign's Might given by you?"
Amethyst's heart trembled.
From the Death Sovereign's tone, she sensed a dense killing intent.
At that moment, she had no doubt—if that Sovereign's Might had come from her, the Death Sovereign would kill her without hesitation.
"My lord, I swear in the name of the Edict Sovereign of Destruction—"
"The Sovereign's Might used by the Prefect of Bloodriver in that battle with Sovereign Locke was not given by me."
"If my words are false, may I perish immediately!"
Terrified, Amethyst hurriedly swore an oath in the name of the Edict Sovereign. Only then did the Death Sovereign withdraw her killing intent.
"So, it really wasn't you."
"Then Amethyst, did you notice which Sovereign of Destruction came to the Amethyst Continent back then?"
At the peak of the Netherworld Mountains, the Death Sovereign frowned slightly, continuing her inquiry.
"My lord, if a Sovereign spreads their divine sense, I can sense its aura."
"But if they come in person and do not release their divine sense, I have no way of knowing which Sovereigns have appeared."
Amethyst replied helplessly.
This, the Death Sovereign already knew.
Without the Heart of the Netherworld, even she would have to spread her divine sense across the entire Netherworld to locate someone.
"Then… do you have any suspects?"
"Those who coveted Sovereign Locke's Fiend Castle back then were clearly after the faith power it could generate."
"As far as I know, at that time, only two Sovereigns in the Infernal Realm were in urgent need of faith power."
"One was the Bloodpeak Sovereign, Pash."
"The other was Sovereign Muya."
Amethyst spoke as she recalled the events.
"It's said that the first to target Sovereign Locke's Fiend Castle was Muya, who established the 'Thunder Punishment Castle' on the Bloodpeak Continent."
"And the one who later proposed that the Sovereigns collectively suppress the Fiend Castle was Pash."
"Muya… Pash…"
Feeling the Death Sovereign's divine sense withdraw, Amethyst finally let out a breath.
What an undeserved disaster.
But… why was it the Death Sovereign asking about Locke?
What exactly was the relationship between the two of them?
After a moment, another thought struck her.
If a Sovereign secretly entered her territory and caused trouble, she would likely be blamed.
So… were there other Sovereigns in her territory right now?
With that thought, her divine sense instantly spread across the Amethyst Continent.
And in that moment, she discovered Locke and the Death Sovereign's auras within Bloodriver Prefecture.
"Gasp…"
Amethyst drew in a sharp breath.
Hadn't the Death Sovereign just contacted her?
How was she now in Bloodriver Prefecture?
When she saw Locke raise his wine cup toward the sky in acknowledgment, she realized her divine sense had been noticed.
That only deepened her shock.
Now she understood—neither of them here were their true Sovereign bodies.
The Death Sovereign's main body was still in the Netherworld, and Locke's Fate Sovereign clone was stationed in the Water Divine Plane.
So, the ones here… were merely divine clones.
No—even Locke's Water clone still possessed the strength of an Intermediate Sovereign.
Withdrawing her divine sense, Amethyst began to form some guesses about their relationship.
…
Inside a tavern in Bloodriver Prefecture, Lilia noticed Locke suddenly raise his cup toward the sky.
She glanced upward but saw nothing, then looked at him in confusion.
"That was the Amethyst Sovereign," Locke said.
"Amethyst?"
Lilia frowned and snorted.
She had just spoken with Amethyst earlier, and now Amethyst was peeking in on her?
Could she be saying something bad about her to Locke?
"Locke, what do you think of the Amethyst Sovereign?"
Completely unconcerned whether Amethyst's divine sense was still present, Lilia asked directly.
"Amethyst Sovereign?"
Locke tilted his head, searching his memories.
"She seems… fairly decent, I suppose?"
His impression of her came from far in the future—from the mother of Reisgem.
Back then, she had shown concern for Reisgem and had given Linley a soulstone, saying it was to repay a favor owed to the Four Divine Beasts.
As for her current self, Locke didn't know much.
From Lilia alone, he had already learned that he couldn't judge present-day Sovereigns based on future impressions.
"Then do you think… the one who gave that Sovereign's Might back then could have been Amethyst?"
Locke paused.
Truthfully, if Lilia hadn't brought it up, he might have forgotten about it entirely.
Setting down his cup, he stroked his chin.
"Not very likely."
After a moment, he shook his head.
"The one who wanted to seize the Fiend Castle clearly saw the faith power it could generate."
"I'm not very familiar with the material planes."
"But from what I've seen in the Infernal Realm, the faith power harvested by the Amethyst Castle isn't weaker than that of the Fiend Castle."
"The two Amethyst Sovereigns would have little reason to act against it."
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