Were the Divine Planes and Higher Planes truly this terrifying? Locke had only been away for a little over two million years, yet his strength had already far surpassed Celes'.
"Locke… what are the Divine Planes like now?"
In the end, Celes couldn't suppress his curiosity and asked.
"The Divine Planes?"
Locke shook his head.
"Celes, if you're thinking of going there, I'd advise you to wait a few million years."
"The current situation between the planes is already on the brink of war because of faith power. Within a million years at most, full-scale conflict will erupt."
"And when that happens…"
Locke paused slightly, then added calmly,
"Even if your strength were a hundred times greater than it is now, you might barely have a chance to survive."
"But at your current level… you wouldn't last long."
Celes sucked in a cold breath.
A few million years ago, he had been a captain in a Sovereign's army. His strength might not have been extraordinary, but killing him had never been easy.
And now?
His power had increased tenfold—yet his chances of survival had plummeted.
"Don't think I'm exaggerating," Locke continued.
"With your current strength, you're roughly at the level of a Five-Star Fiend."
"Above that are Six-Star, Seven-Star, and the strongest—Paragons."
"The gap between each tier is more than tenfold."
"If you encounter someone stronger than yourself, there's no room for escape."
Celes quickly connected this classification to the fusion of Profound Mysteries.
Having fully fused two mysteries himself, he had no reason to doubt Locke's words.
It was just—
Had he really fallen this far behind in just two million years?
"Alright, Locke," Celes said after a moment.
"I'm no longer an emperor. I passed on the throne long ago. Just call me Celes."
"Then what about you? With your strength, you're at least a Six-Star Fiend, if not higher."
"Even someone like you has to retreat to a material plane to avoid danger?"
"To avoid danger?"
Locke fell silent briefly, then shook his head.
"No."
"I came back… to see something."
"And perhaps… to make up for something."
Seeing Oakes and his family had stirred old memories.
His parents had lived ordinary lives, and he had respected their wishes, never interfering—even after their deaths, he had not sought them out in the Netherworld.
But his younger brother…
That was different.
Over the years, Locke had come to feel a trace of guilt.
Cole's cultivation technique had come from the Ruchi Merchant Guild after he married into them. Even the territory Locke left to him had been more for Locke's own convenience—to free up time for cultivation.
In the end, he had even cut off Cole's path to becoming a Saint.
"What do you plan to look at?" Celes asked.
"My brother's descendants."
"If there's anyone worth nurturing, I may stay here for a while."
"If not… this will probably be my last visit."
"I see."
Celes nodded.
"Then go take a look at Locke Territory. All these years, it's remained under your family's control. Even the Radiant Church has been wary of you—they've never dared send troops there."
"Then I suppose I should thank the Pope properly."
After parting with Celes, Locke's divine sense spread instantly, locking onto the Radiant Pope.
In the next moment, water elements gathered before the Pope, forming Locke's figure.
"Well now, long time no see, Your Holiness."
"You?!"
The Pope's expression darkened immediately.
"So, you're still alive. I thought you'd died in the Divine Planes long ago."
"In that case—today, you'll repay the humiliation you caused me back then!"
A terrifying pressure erupted from him.
His Divine Realm expanded outward—this time, as a Highgod.
In two million years, the Pope had advanced from Demigod to Highgod.
"Easy now," Locke said lightly, stepping forward and patting his shoulder as if nothing was amiss.
"Old friends shouldn't be so hostile."
The Pope's eyes widened in shock.
His Divine Realm—
Had been effortlessly nullified.
Not only that, but he himself was now being suppressed instead.
This wasn't a Divine Realm.
It was something… greater.
For a moment, he felt as though he had returned to his Saint-level days—utterly powerless before a true god.
But he was a Highgod now!
What kind of power could suppress him so completely?
"Locke… I never touched your family," the Pope said stiffly, choosing survival over pride.
He didn't dare gamble.
Two million years ago, Celes had been the strongest in the plane, and he had needed the Pope's existence to mask his own siphoning of faith power.
But now?
Even Celes likely wouldn't dare oppose Locke.
If Locke killed him, no one would stop it.
"I know."
Locke smiled.
"That's why I came to thank you."
"Hmph. What kind of thanks looks like this?"
"This kind."
With that, Locke withdrew his pressure and took out a golden spear from his spatial ring.
It was the very Highgod artifact he had taken from the Pope all those years ago—the Rising Sun Spear.
Back then, it had been his trump card.
Now… it was nothing more than a relic.
After removing its blood-binding, Locke tossed it back.
"Here. I borrowed this from you back then."
"Consider it returned—with thanks for leaving Locke Territory alone all these years."
The Pope caught the spear, his expression complicated.
He had long since acquired better artifacts. This one held no practical value anymore—only memories.
"Well then," Locke said, already dissolving into water,
"until we meet again, Your Holiness."
—
Above Locke Territory, high in the sky, Locke hovered in silence.
His divine sense spread outward, taking in everything.
Though more than two million years had passed, the territory had flourished.
Because both the Frostsnow Empire and the Radiant Church had deliberately avoided it, Locke Territory had become a neutral haven—thriving with trade and prosperity.
Merchants from all over treated it as sacred ground.
With commerce flourishing, development had followed naturally.
And beyond that—
The Locke family itself had endured.
Though none had reached Saint-level, each generation produced several warriors of the eighth or ninth rank—enough to preserve their legacy.
"..."
A quiet sigh escaped him.
From the faint resonance of bloodline alone, Locke could tell—these were still descendants of his younger brother's line.
But after seeing the standards of the Divine Planes, where even the weakest were Saints…
Looking at them now—
They all seemed utterly ordinary.
Dull.
Unremarkable.
Yet in truth, this was normal.
In a material plane, among billions of living beings—humans, magical beasts, and more—
Such people were the rule, not the exception.
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