If he could not find something capable of bearing the Profound Mysteries of Laws, then this kind of Sovereign artifact would remain nothing more than a concept in Locke's imagination.
After putting away the marriage contract, the grand gathering of water-element experts in the Netherworld—lasting only a hundred years—gradually came to an end.
With the disappearance of the marriage contract that had aided in comprehending the Profound Mysteries of Laws, many water-element deities began to leave the Netherworld, returning to their original planes.
Of course, some water-element experts chose to remain.
This time, when that water-element Sovereign married, he had spread a marriage contract across the entire Netherworld that helped all water-element beings comprehend the Laws. Then if this Sovereign were to have children in the future, would there not be another grand celebration?
Naturally, everyone knew that the stronger a being was, the lower the probability of producing offspring.
But low probability did not mean impossibility.
Just look at the Four Divine Beasts clan in Hell.
Didn't all four Sovereign ancestors successfully produce direct bloodline descendants?
The Azure Dragon Sovereign was even fortunate enough to have two direct descendants.
If staying in the Netherworld meant waiting for another such opportunity, then what was the harm?
…
The power of time always begins to reveal itself from the lowest levels.
No matter how brilliant one's achievements may have been during a certain era, once one's presence fades, the legends surrounding them will gradually lose their luster.
The marriage between Sovereign Locke and the Death Sovereign caused a stir throughout the Netherworld.
But as time stretched on, that hundred-year period slowly became nothing more than myth and legend.
Aside from a few individuals who possessed recording crystals capturing the phenomena in the sky at that time, most beings born afterward treated the entire event as little more than a fanciful tale.
They simply could not believe that something existed in this world that could grant profound insights into the Laws with just a single glance.
In the Divine Planes and the Higher Planes, one's knowledge was closely tied to one's strength or status.
For things they had never personally witnessed, beings would instinctively question whether they were real.
Of course, this only applied to the lower and middle tiers.
The most precious treasures were often unknown to ordinary beings, circulating only within small circles.
For example—the Netherworld Sovereign's Netherworld Fruit.
This was a treasure capable of allowing an ordinary Highgod to fuse five Profound Mysteries of Laws in a short period of time, elevating them to the level of a commander—one of the true top-tier experts.
Yet, fewer than ten people knew of its effects.
Locke and the Death Sovereign accounted for two.
The Death Sovereign's companion beasts, Inavy and Jin, accounted for another two.
The final two were Ryan and Rockpeak, whom Locke had now summoned back to the Netherworld from Hell.
"Lord Locke… is this real?"
Holding the dark-green fruit in their hands, both Ryan and Rockpeak were trembling with excitement.
For tens of millions of years, their strength had not improved in the slightest.
Ryan had been unable to find the point of compatibility for his fifth Profound Mystery.
Rockpeak's understanding of the Edicts of Destruction had been stuck at seventy-nine percent.
Combined with the enhancements from their physical strength, Ryan was considered one of the closest Seven-Star Fiends to the commander level, while Rockpeak had only just stepped into the Seven-Star Fiend tier—far from the weakest, but still near the bottom.
Seven-Star Fiends were already considered powerful in the Seven Divine Planes and Four Higher Planes.
But compared to commanders—true "super experts"—the gap in both strength and status was immense.
For tens of millions of years, Ryan and Rockpeak had served Locke in Hell.
Yet they had always worried—had Locke already forgotten them?
After all, as a Sovereign, Locke had no shortage of powerful subordinates.
Many commander-level experts would be willing to serve him.
Especially water-element experts.
After all, countless water-element powerhouses had remained in the Netherworld, waiting in hopes of witnessing once more the spectacle from tens of millions of years ago—when a marriage announcement filled with the profundity of water Laws spread across the entire plane.
Ryan and Rockpeak were merely Seven-Star Fiends. If not for the occasional envoys sent to collect the divine beast essence blood and natural treasures they gathered, they might have believed they had already been abandoned.
When Locke summoned them this time, they did not hesitate in the slightest, abandoning their tens of millions of years of foundation and rushing to the Netherworld Mountain as quickly as possible.
But they had not expected that the moment they met Locke, he would present them with such a gift.
"Haha, Ryan, Rockpeak—we've known each other for so many years. How could I deceive you?"
Locke chuckled lightly. "You should know, this Netherworld Fruit is the most precious treasure of the Netherworld Sovereign."
"One fruit can rapidly create a commander-level expert."
"I paid quite a price to obtain these two."
In truth, these two Netherworld Fruits had been arranged with the Death Sovereign tens of millions of years ago.
However, the fact that the Netherworld Sovereign was essentially the Death Sovereign's other half was something Locke did not wish others to know.
Thus, outwardly, he claimed he had exchanged a favor for them.
"No, Lord Locke, I didn't mean—"
Hearing this, Ryan's heart jolted.
His earlier words had sounded like he was questioning Locke.
That was a grave offense.
Moreover, this treasure had been obtained at great cost by Locke himself.
To question the fruit was to question Locke.
"Lord Locke, I'm not doubting the fruit's effect. It's just… hard to believe."
"Mm, Lord Locke, I feel the same."
Ryan raised his head and sighed bitterly. "Lord Locke, I've followed you since the early days."
"After learning the secret of fusing Profound Mysteries, I never stopped cultivating…"
"And yet in the end, I had to admit—fusing four Profound Mysteries is already my limit."
"But today, I realize that tens of millions of years of cultivation… can't even compare to a single fruit."
Rockpeak fell silent.
Ryan felt this way—how could he not?
If he weren't so shocked, he wouldn't have spoken words that sounded like doubt.
"Alright, enough sighing."
Seeing their expressions, Locke shook his head.
"Ryan, Rockpeak—while the Netherworld Fruit can allow you to fuse five Profound Mysteries, it is not without side effects."
The two immediately straightened, listening intently.
Such a treasure having side effects was understandable.
The question was—what were they?
Given Locke's emphasis, they assumed the drawbacks must be severe.
"Ryan, Rockpeak—you both know that once all the Profound Mysteries of a single Law are fully fused, one becomes an invincible Paragon."
"Even Sovereigns must show such a being some respect."
"If you consume the Netherworld Fruit, although you will gain the strength of a commander… just like those who become gods by fusing divine sparks…"
"Once you eat it, your potential will be locked. You will never have the chance to advance further."
Ryan and Rockpeak nodded, continuing to listen.
But after waiting for a long time, they heard nothing more.
Finally, Ryan couldn't help but ask, "Lord Locke… what exactly is the side effect?"
"Hm?"
Locke blinked. "Didn't I just say it?"
"The side effect is that once you eat it, you lose the possibility of further advancement—you can no longer become an invincible Paragon."
"And… anything else?"
"That's all. There are no other side effects."
"Ah?"
Both Ryan and Rockpeak stared at him in astonishment.
"Ryan, Rockpeak—I know that becoming a Paragon is the lifelong pursuit of nearly all beings."
"By consuming the Netherworld Fruit, you gain commander-level strength, but you lose the chance to become a Paragon."
"I hope you think carefully about whether you truly want to eat them—"
Before Locke could finish, Ryan and Rockpeak swallowed the fruits in one bite.
"Hahaha, Lord Locke—you think too highly of us."
After swallowing the fruit, Ryan laughed.
"An invincible Paragon—that's a realm only someone like you could reach."
"I know my limits."
"Without this fruit, even if I lived for countless years, I would remain a Seven-Star Fiend."
"Same here," Rockpeak added with a grin.
"In fact, I'm even worse off than Ryan."
"He truly fused four Profound Mysteries."
"I only reached this level through the strength of my body."
"For someone like you, losing the chance to become a Paragon is a devastating drawback."
"But for me, it's not a drawback at all."
"Because without the fruit, I would never reach the commander level anyway—how could I even dream of becoming a Paragon?"
"…Looks like I overthought it."
Locke paused, slightly stunned.
Perhaps because his own progress in fusing Laws had always been so smooth, he had underestimated just how difficult it was for others.
(End of Chapter)
⭐ 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 1400 Powerstones