"This is called the Hongmeng Golden List."
"It is a treasure that was born alongside me within Hongmeng Space."
"As long as one leaves the imprint of their soul aura upon it, they become a Hongmeng Controller, capable of completely controlling the Hongmeng energy throughout Hongmeng Space."
"For Hongmeng lifeforms, the greatest benefit of becoming a Hongmeng Controller is that one can use that control over Hongmeng energy to create universes and cultivate the Xuanhuang Indestructible Body."
"As for that ability..."
"...it's probably of little use to you."
Hongmeng did not conceal the function of the Hongmeng Golden List from Locke.
"After all, you're someone capable of independently creating a universe without relying on control over Hongmeng energy."
"For the Hongmeng Golden List, it isn't that you need it."
"It's that it needs you."
"So..."
"Second Brother, would you like to leave your name upon the Hongmeng Golden List?"
Locke looked up at Hongmeng.
From Hongmeng's tone, he could clearly sense that Hongmeng sincerely hoped he would leave his name upon it.
"Big Brother."
"Ever since I began cultivating in the Material Planes, I've only had a single goal."
"That is..."
"...to advance step by step until I reach the very pinnacle of cultivation."
Hongmeng nodded.
As the creator of the Magic Universe, although he could not see through the fate of someone like Locke whose destiny lay beyond calculation, he could piece together Locke's life through the countless people whose lives had intersected with his.
Indeed.
From the moment Locke first embarked upon cultivation until today, he had always advanced one step at a time, ultimately cultivating the Space-Time Body and transcending the Magic Universe.
"Although I've learned much about Hongmeng Space from you, Big Brother..."
"...I still don't believe that the Xuanhuang Body and the Xuanhuang Spirit represent the limit of cultivation."
Setting down his wine cup, Locke's eyes shone with an ambition so great that even Hongmeng was shaken by it.
"Big Brother..."
"I want to go one step further beyond the Xuanhuang Realm."
"I want to see..."
"...whether there exists an even higher world beyond Hongmeng Space."
Looking into Locke's eyes, Hongmeng fell silent.
He had been nurtured by Hongmeng Space itself.
From birth, he had been a Hongmeng lifeform.
Later, after creating the method of opening universes, he obtained Xuanhuang energy and cultivated a Xuanhuang Body and Xuanhuang Spirit, both superior to the Hongmeng Body.
From then onward, he devoted himself to nurturing the lifeforms within his universes, hoping that more beings would one day break free of their universes and enter Hongmeng Space to become his "brothers."
Yet...
Hongmeng had never once thought about what might exist beyond Hongmeng Space.
After hearing Locke's dream, Hongmeng suddenly realized that he himself was astonishingly similar to the countless lifeforms within his own universes.
The only difference was...
Hongmeng Space was filled entirely with Hongmeng energy.
While the universes he created contained the various Laws born after Hongmeng energy evolved into worlds.
At present, he was waiting for the lifeforms within his universes to grow and enter Hongmeng Space.
Then...
Beyond Hongmeng Space...
...could there also exist even greater beings waiting for him to break through?
"So, Big Brother..."
"I'm sorry."
"To me, the Hongmeng Golden List seems very similar to divine sparks and Sovereign sparks."
"Until I understand whether leaving my name upon the Hongmeng Golden List will affect my future cultivation..."
"...I don't wish to inscribe my name upon it."
"I understand."
"Second Brother, you've rekindled my own passion for cultivation."
"As for what you said..."
"...whether an even higher world exists beyond Hongmeng Space..."
"...I'm also extremely curious."
"In that case..."
"...let's see which of us brothers breaks through first."
"As for the Hongmeng Golden List..."
"...just as you said, you can wait until we've confirmed whether it affects future cultivation before leaving your name upon it."
"Otherwise..."
"...if this thing were to rob you of the possibility of advancing even further..."
"...then I would bear a tremendous guilt."
After speaking, Hongmeng beckoned with his hand.
The Hongmeng Golden List immediately rolled itself back up before disappearing into his grasp.
"Thank you for understanding, Big Brother."
Locke nodded toward Hongmeng.
Locke was not someone who failed to appreciate kindness.
Hongmeng's invitation for him to leave his name upon the Hongmeng Golden List came entirely from goodwill.
Hongmeng had endured loneliness for far too long.
Nearly two thousand epochs of solitude had caused Hongmeng to pour an enormous amount of emotion into Locke, the first person to appear in Hongmeng Space after him.
Hongmeng wished nothing more than to share everything he possessed with Locke.
Locke could clearly feel that sincerity.
However...
For the sake of ensuring that his future cultivation would not become shackled...
...Locke still resolutely declined the opportunity to inscribe his name upon the Hongmeng Golden List.
Besides...
Just as Hongmeng himself had said, the identity of a Hongmeng Controller would not provide Locke with much benefit.
Admittedly...
The current Locke was at the weakest stage of his existence.
Unable to control Hongmeng energy, if he left Hongmeng's small world now and encountered a Hongmeng Tide, he would likely be swept away to some unknown region of Hongmeng Space.
Of course, with Locke's current strength, even being caught within a Hongmeng Whirlpool would pose no real danger.
However...
Finding his own universe again within the vastness of Hongmeng Space would be no easy task.
Fortunately...
That situation would not last for long.
Locke raised his head and looked toward the several universes outside.
Within the endless gray expanse of Hongmeng Space, the six universes radiating white light were the most eye-catching sights.
There were six universes in total.
Five large, and one small.
The largest was the universe Locke had created, which had yet to complete its gestation.
Slightly smaller than it was Hongmeng's Primary Universe, only half the size of Locke's.
Beneath Hongmeng's Primary Universe floated four subsidiary universes, each only one percent the size of the Primary Universe.
Among these six universes, Locke could see clearly only into the one he himself had created.
His sight was blocked by the cosmic membranes of the five universes Hongmeng had created, preventing him from observing what lay inside them.
However...
Once Locke's universe finished gestating, he would undergo an enormous transformation.
At that time, he would truly become an existence fully comparable to a Hongmeng Controller...
...or perhaps even one that surpassed a Hongmeng Controller.
"Hahahaha..."
Within the spatial turbulence of the Magic Universe, Light Chief Sovereign Augusta laughed loudly.
Although the Water Divine Plane had received reinforcements from the Sovereign Armies of two Destruction Sovereigns, the moment the Light Sovereigns committed their Angel Legions to the Planar Battlefield...
...the outcome of the war had already been decided.
At this moment, the Light Sovereigns' side had completely defeated five Sovereign Armies belonging to the Water Sovereigns and seized control of one of the Galaxy Passages within the Planar Battlefield.
How could Light Chief Sovereign Augusta not be delighted?
Although the two Destruction Sovereign Armies that had come to reinforce them had already suffered losses exceeding half their numbers and were now hurrying, under their Sovereigns' orders, toward the other Galaxy Passage...
...the Light Sovereigns still had four Sovereign Armies remaining on this battlefield.
Once those four Sovereign Armies reached the second Galaxy Passage...
...the Light Divine Plane would still possess seven Sovereign Armies.
Meanwhile...
Even after adding the Infernal Realm's reinforcements, the Water Divine Plane's side would still have fewer than five Sovereign Armies remaining.
It could be said that...
Unless something unexpected happened, the Light Divine Plane's chances of victory in this Planar Battlefield had already exceeded ninety percent.
It was precisely because of this that Augusta laughed so arrogantly.
"Hmph!"
"Once this Planar War ends and I obtain the reward for achieving a second ten consecutive victories..."
"...let's see what excuse the Destruction Chief Sovereign will have left to prevent me from becoming a Rule Chief Sovereign!"
As he laughed, Augusta cast a sidelong glance toward Destruction Chief Sovereign Wodred.
Having his promotion to Rule Chief Sovereign vetoed by Wodred had made Augusta feel like the greatest laughingstock among all the Sovereigns.
If not for the disparity in strength...
...Augusta would have long since wished to torture Wodred to death to vent his hatred.
"Just wait..."
"If I can achieve two streaks of ten consecutive victories in the Planar Battlefield..."
"...then I can achieve a third."
"A fourth."
"And when my strength surpasses that of the Destruction Chief Sovereign..."
"...that will be the day he pays for ever looking down on me."
"But before that..."
"...I'll amuse myself by dealing with the Yulan faction first."
Although Chief Sovereign Locke had previously stated that Linley possessed the potential to cultivate to his level...
...Locke himself had spent an extraordinarily long time reaching his current realm.
A Planar War occurred once every trillion years.
Within a single epochs—sixty quadrillion years—there would be six thousand Planar Wars.
If he planned things properly...
Augusta refused to believe he couldn't engineer several streaks of ten consecutive victories.
In the past, once a Divine Plane achieved seven consecutive victories, it would immediately become the target of every other Divine Plane.
At that time, each Divine Plane possessed only five or six Sovereign Armies.
Merely three reinforcing Sovereign Armies joining the battlefield was enough to end any winning streak.
But now...
Augusta controlled Wind Chief Sovereign Diya and the Dark Chief Sovereign.
Combined with the Light Sovereigns' Angel Legions, he could field eighteen Sovereign Armies...
...nearly five times as many as a single Divine Plane normally possessed.
If Fate Chief Sovereign Orloff provided him with further support...
...that number could rise to twenty-three Sovereign Armies.
That amounted to nearly one-third of all Sovereign Armies in existence.
By then...
Unless the Sovereigns of the other four Divine Planes and the three Higher Planes all united against him...
...the ten consecutive victories of the Planar Battlefield would practically become his exclusive possession.
From Locke's intervention today, Augusta had already realized something.
Chief Sovereign Locke's perspective had long since risen beyond the level of Sovereigns.
No matter how much trouble the Sovereigns caused...
...as long as they obeyed the rules established by Death Chief Sovereign and Chief Sovereign Locke...
...Locke would never personally intervene.
Moreover...
When Locke had saved Linley earlier, he had already made it perfectly clear.
His protection of Linley...
...would happen only that one time.
If Linley encountered another crisis in the future...
...Chief Sovereign Locke would not interfere again.