Ever since learning that Locke had always been alone, Lilia felt that something between them had subtly changed.
Her relationship with him… was no longer the same as what she had with Viviya.
Suddenly—
Lilia shot up from the steps, her gaze snapping toward the mountainside, shock filling her eyes.
Just moments ago, she had sensed a trace of Locke's soul aura leaking out.
That level of soul power…
Could a god even possess such a thing?
Soul power represented the strength of one's soul.
Even Sovereigns were only powerful because of their Will.
With the amplification of Will, their divine sense could cover entire planes.
But their soul itself did not undergo a qualitative transformation.
Yet the soul aura Locke had just revealed—
Its quality surpassed that of a Sovereign's by dozens of times.
What exactly had he cultivated?
Without hesitation, Lilia turned into a streak of blue light and descended onto the mountainside.
Seeing Locke, whose presence now carried an even more refined brilliance, her heart inexplicably calmed.
She didn't ask what he had done.
Instead, she smiled.
"Congratulations, Locke."
"It seems your strength has improved quite a bit."
"Hahaha…"
Locke laughed, genuinely pleased.
For all these years, this was the first time someone had congratulated him on a breakthrough.
He immediately took out a jug of wine.
"I haven't tested how much stronger I've become, but I did make up for some of my lacking foundations."
"And since you're the first person to congratulate me…"
"Today, I'll treat you to a drink."
"Oh? My taste is quite picky. If your wine isn't to my liking, I might just turn hostile."
Lilia sat down across from him without ceremony, watching as he poured.
"Haha, turn hostile if you want. I wasn't afraid of you before—now I'm even less so."
"Hmph."
She snorted, but didn't bring up using her Sovereign clone to suppress him.
The two clinked cups.
Locke took a small sip.
"Tsk."
Unlike him, Lilia drained hers in one gulp.
"Not bad," she admitted, then glanced at him with disdain. "But you're too restrained. I finished mine, and you barely took a sip."
"You don't understand. That's like a cow chewing peonies."
"Drinking isn't just about the wine—it's about the person you're drinking with."
"The feelings. The mood."
"With you, it's better savored slowly."
"Yeah right, as if you've drunk with many people before."
Lilia shot back instantly.
Even so, she didn't gulp the next cup.
Instead, she followed his lead, taking small sips.
Soon, a soft, languid warmth rose within her.
Comforting.
Almost intoxicating.
"…You're surprisingly good at enjoying life."
She narrowed her eyes slightly.
This felt far better than her usual ways of passing time.
If life could always be like this… how could it ever feel dull?
Then she realized—
Ever since Locke came to the Necropolis Mountain, she had rarely felt bored.
"Hey, Locke."
"Hmm?"
"Your Laws are already fully fused, right? You've reached Paragon."
"That should be the end of the path."
"So, what exactly are you still cultivating?"
"If you're not a Sovereign, then you're already at the absolute limit of gods, aren't you?"
Under normal circumstances, she would never have asked this.
But in this relaxed state, the question slipped out naturally.
As if it weren't probing a secret—
Just simple curiosity.
And somehow, she felt certain Locke wouldn't refuse.
"…You're right."
"In most cases, I've already reached the peak of what a god can achieve."
"But, Lilia…"
"I don't believe this is the end."
He didn't hide anything.
After all, it wasn't really a secret.
And… walking alone for too long did get lonely.
Perhaps having someone to share the path with wasn't so bad.
"I divide cultivation into four aspects."
"Soul. Body. Laws. Energy."
"Laws—fully fusing one path to reach Paragon. That's the limit of this world."
"Energy—Sovereign power. That's the ceiling."
"Body—certain divine beasts and special lifeforms can reach the durability of a Sovereign artifact. That's the limit."
"Soul—if even a mortal's refined soul essence can restore a god's soul…"
"Then refining a god's entire soul into pure essence would be the ultimate limit."
"If someone reaches the limit in all four aspects—"
"They would be the strongest possible 'god.'"
"Previously, I had reached the limit in Laws."
"For Energy, I can extract Sovereign power from currency—so that's also at the limit, more or less."
"This recent seclusion…"
"…was to refine my soul."
"Now, my entire soul has been condensed into pure essence."
"I call this state—Soul Golden Core."
"Of the four limits, only the body remains."
"But I already have a direction."
"With enough essence blood from divine beasts or special lifeforms with Sovereign-artifact-level bodies…"
"I am certain I can create a method to elevate my body to that level."
"…!"
Lilia inhaled sharply.
Her gaze toward Locke now carried unmistakable admiration.
Each of these "limits"—
Reaching even one could make someone invincible among gods.
Yet Locke had already achieved three.
Even her Sovereign self…
By his definition, only her body truly reached that level.
Will and Sovereign power came from her godhead—not her own cultivation.
"Locke…"
"If you were a Sovereign—even a Lesser Sovereign…"
"You could rival a Chief Sovereign-level powerhouse."
She sighed.
It felt… unfair.
A Water Paragon as a Sovereign could rival an Intermediate Sovereign.
Add a Sovereign-artifact-level body—
Even a Paragon couldn't easily kill him.
And with that terrifying soul…
Even Sovereigns would have to be cautious.
If he were a Intermediate Sovereign—
He could rival the Four Edict Sovereigns.
If he became a Paragon Sovereign…
Even they might not match him.
That thought sent a chill through her.
Would he still treat her the same then?
She quickly shook it off.
Impossible.
All seventy-seven Sovereign positions were filled.
No matter how strong Locke became, he couldn't kill a Sovereign as a mere god.
Still…
She felt a trace of guilt for even thinking that way.
"Locke," she said suddenly, "if you need essence blood from such beings… I can provide some."
"But—"
"It can only be used by you."
"It must not be lost or exposed."
"Can you agree to that?"
"…Huh?"
Locke blinked, genuinely surprised as he looked at her.
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