Joining Lord Locke's side and becoming one of Lord Locke's people.
Such a thought had never occurred to Theresia even when he was a Paragon.
After all, as a Paragon, Theresia had been an invincible Paragon. So long as Sovereigns did not intervene, the only person who could contend against him was Dunnington, who lived in seclusion within the Chaotic Sea of the Infernal Realm.
But after becoming a Sovereign, Theresia discovered that among Sovereigns, he really amounted to nothing.
Indeed, Paragon Sovereigns were extremely rare and tremendously powerful.
But among Sovereigns, strength was everything.
A Paragon Lesser Sovereign was merely comparable to an Intermediate Sovereign.
Among the forty-three Sovereigns who had just arrived, the six elemental Chief Sovereigns, the three Edict Chief Sovereigns, Lord Locke himself, and the absent Death Chief Sovereign alone totaled ten individuals whose strength exceeded his by more than a hundredfold and who could kill him instantly.
Among the remainder, there were another thirteen Intermediate Sovereigns whose strength was comparable to his own.
Under such circumstances, Theresia saw things very clearly.
If he didn't choose a faction to join, he would likely become the target of the other Sovereign factions.
Especially that Wind Chief Sovereign, Bayer.
Theresia strongly suspected that Bayer was jealous of his status as a Paragon and might do something dangerous to him.
Although the Sovereign Pact existed as a restraint, Theresia had only just become a Sovereign and was not yet certain how effective that agreement truly was.
Since that was the case, he might as well sell himself to Lord Locke.
After all, judging from the attitudes of the other Sovereigns toward Lord Locke, Theresia already knew that Lord Locke's status was in no way beneath that of the Four Edict Chief Sovereigns.
After all, whenever the Sovereigns paid their respects, they habitually mentioned Lord Locke's name before those of the other three Edict Chief Sovereigns.
"Join my side?"
Hearing Theresia's words, Locke couldn't help but laugh.
Ever since becoming a Sovereign, he had never once considered establishing a faction.
He merely stood together with the Death Chief Sovereign.
"Forget it. I already feel like I don't have enough time for cultivation. How could I possibly spare extra effort to manage a force?"
Shaking his head, Locke rejected Theresia's offer of allegiance.
"How could this be?"
Theresia was shocked.
He was a Sovereign now, and not just a Lesser Sovereign either—his effective strength placed him a level above ordinary Lesser Sovereigns.
Yet Lord Locke had actually rejected him?
"Don't worry. Although I don't intend to take you under my command, I won't go back on my word regarding what I promised to teach you."
"If you truly wish to thank me, then pay a little more attention to Loran's situation for me."
"After all, I spend most of my time cultivating and haven't given him enough care."
"Understood, Lord Locke. I will look after Loran properly."
Theresia nodded solemnly.
Although Lord Locke had rejected his allegiance, Theresia had no intention of giving up so easily.
As long as he continued doing things for Lord Locke outside, which Sovereign would think he wasn't one of Lord Locke's people?
Besides, Loran was also his friend. Even if Lord Locke hadn't asked, Theresia would have kept an eye on Loran anyway.
Returning home in glory while keeping it hidden was like walking at night in splendid clothes.
Now that Theresia had become a Sovereign, he naturally wanted to show off a little before those he knew.
Among them, Loran was undoubtedly the perfect target.
Ignoring whatever Theresia was thinking, Locke waved his hand.
Immediately, white light spread from Locke's body, blocking all divine senses that the other Sovereigns might send over.
"Theresia, I will only say this once."
"How much you can comprehend will depend entirely on yourself."
"Yes, Lord Locke!"
Before instructing Theresia, Locke asked him a question.
"Theresia, do you think there are any other Laws in this world besides the Seven Elemental Laws and the Four Edicts?"
The question caused Theresia's heart to tremble.
Indeed.
He had never really considered such a question.
Besides the Seven Elemental Laws and the Four Edicts, were there other Laws?
Whether one looked at the Seven Divine Planes and Four Higher Planes, or at the seven elemental Sovereigns and four Edict Sovereigns, everything seemed to indicate that only the Seven Elemental Laws and Four Edicts existed within the universe.
And over the past five trillion years, only gods cultivating the Seven Elemental Laws and Four Edicts had appeared. No gods of any other Laws or Edicts had ever emerged.
Thus, anyone with even a basic understanding of cultivation could answer Locke's question without hesitation.
However, Theresia knew full well that Lord Locke would never ask something so simple.
Which meant that the answer he had always believed to be correct was actually wrong?
Thinking this, Theresia lowered his head and pondered.
But no matter how hard he thought, he could not imagine what other Laws might exist beyond the Seven Elemental Laws and Four Edicts.
"My apologies, Lord Locke."
Theresia smiled bitterly and shook his head.
"Aside from the Seven Elemental Laws and Four Edicts, I truly cannot think of any other Laws that exist in this world."
"Is that so?"
Seeing this, Locke raised his hand and pointed toward the dazzling spatial turbulence around them.
"Then tell me, Theresia. What are these things surrounding us?"
"This is spatial turbulence, Lord Locke."
Theresia answered.
Spatial turbulence was something even ordinary gods knew about, much less Sovereigns.
After all, any expert at the level of a Six-Star Fiend could tear open the space of Divine Planes and Higher Planes.
Within material planes, Highgods could easily create spatial tears thousands of meters long.
The shallow layers of space were black.
The deeper layers were the colorful spatial turbulence surrounding Locke and Theresia now.
"Correct. This is spatial turbulence."
"Then, Theresia, have you ever considered that these currents of spatial turbulence are actually spatial elements, just like the seven elements and four Edicts?"
"Spatial elements?"
Theresia's pupils contracted.
Yes.
Why had he never thought of this before?
"If these currents are spatial elements, then the Law beyond the Seven Elemental Laws and Four Edicts you mentioned, Lord Locke... could it be the Spatial Laws?"
"Correct."
Seeing that Theresia had reacted, Locke nodded in satisfaction.
"Theresia, after becoming a Sovereign, you should have learned from your Sovereign spark that the Seven Divine Planes were all created by Sovereigns, correct?"
"Yes."
"Although when creating Divine Planes, Sovereigns merely provide Sovereign power, while the rest is accomplished by the Sovereign spark itself through some method of world creation."
"But from the fact that the seven elemental Sovereign sparks possess the ability to create Divine Planes, perhaps there exists a Law that stands above the Seven Elemental Laws."
"And that is—the Spatial Laws!"
These words were only half true.
Above earth, wind, water, and fire stood the Spatial Laws.
Above light, darkness, and lightning stood the Temporal Laws, which transcended even the Spatial Laws.
However, Locke also knew that as a Wind Paragon, Theresia could at most touch twenty-five percent of the Spatial Laws.
Telling him about the Temporal Laws—which he could never touch—would undoubtedly be the cruelest thing possible.
"The Spatial Laws..."
"That's right. The Spatial Laws."
Locke raised his hand, and an invisible fluctuation spread from it.
Immediately, Theresia felt the surrounding space generate an enormous pressure that bound him completely.
No matter how hard he struggled, he could not move in the slightest.
Because of his soul mutation, Locke's Fate Sovereign clone could also utilize the Spatial Laws.
However, his Fate clone's Spatial Laws had not fused with the Edicts of Fate, and its soul strength had not reached the level of his original body with its infant soul.
Therefore, in terms of pure Spatial Law power, Locke's Fate clone was undoubtedly the weakest of his bodies.
Still, with the amplification provided by a Lesser Sovereign spark's Will, the difference between it and his Water divine clone or original body was not very large.
How could Theresia, whose power was merely at the Intermediate Sovereign level, possibly break free from Locke's "Spatial Lock"?
"However, not everyone is qualified to cultivate the Spatial Laws."
Dispersing the spatial power binding Theresia, Locke calmly said:
"Just as beings within material planes must possess affinity with one of the seven elements or four Edicts in order to have talent for cultivation..."
"Only by possessing the corresponding elemental or Edict affinity can they absorb those energies into their bodies, refine them, grow step by step, and ultimately completely comprehend the Laws or Edicts and become gods."
"Without the corresponding affinity, a lifeform cannot absorb the natural elements and can only rely on bodily strength, reaching at most the level of a sixth-rank warrior."
"The relationship between the Spatial Laws and us is like the relationship between the seven elements and four Edicts and ordinary mortals of the material planes."
"However, compared to ordinary people, we lifeforms possess one advantage."
"Affinity with the Spatial Laws can be acquired after birth."
"Paragons?"
Before Locke could continue, Theresia blurted the answer out.
"Correct!"
Locke was extremely satisfied with Theresia's comprehension ability.
"Ordinary lifeforms—even Sovereigns—do not possess affinity with space."
"But Paragons are different."
"The complete Laws of a Paragon are our affinity toward spatial elements."
"Through the complete elemental Laws, we are able to come into contact with spatial elements."
"Absorb spatial elements, comprehend the power of space, and ultimately, step by step, master the Spatial Laws that stand above the Elemental Laws!"
"So that's how it is."
Theresia closed his eyes.
The complete Wind Laws of a Paragon began circulating around his body.
(End of Chapter)
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