Locke didn't delve too deeply into the finer details of the situation.
"I'm Nien. And what should I call you, young brother?"
The attitude of this Violet Bramble squad leader put Locke somewhat at ease. It seemed Celes' identity token was far more useful than he had anticipated.
"Captain Nien, just call me Locke."
Just as Nien saw the teleportation array flare up again, he waved his hand back, and instantly, a lower god from his squad leapt up to guide the newly arrived beings from the material plane into Hell.
Nien himself stepped in front of Locke, patting him on the shoulder.
"Hahaha, Locke, young brother. If you have any questions, just ask me directly."
"Then I'll trouble you, Captain Nien."
Locke accepted Nien's friendliness with a smile, acknowledging the gesture.
"Captain Nien, I've heard that there's a treasure in Hell called 'Amethyst,' capable of restoring a being's soul power."
"And that treasure is located in the Violet Mountains, where the Violet Bramble Sovereign resides."
"So I'd like to ask you how one could obtain Amethyst."
"Oh? Locke, young brother, you need Amethyst?"
"Yes. When I ascended to godhood, I chose external godhood, so my soul power is extremely weak. I've come to Hell specifically to seek Amethyst to restore it."
Locke did not conceal his situation.
And truly, there was no need to. After all, for divine beings, those seeking soul-restoring treasures were either victims of a devastating soul attack or beings like Locke who had chosen external godhood.
"Sigh… Locke, young brother, you're so foolish!"
Nien shook his head, his tone carrying a hint of exasperated frustration.
"Now I understand why your senior didn't directly give you a treasure to restore soul power, but instead let you search for it yourself."
"It seems your senior must have told you to choose internal godhood, but you didn't listen. So your senior wants to teach you a lesson."
"Oh?"
Locke glanced at Nien, confirming that he was not being deceived. Nien truly believed that internal godhood was superior.
This sparked a flicker of curiosity in Locke. Could internal godhood have advantages he hadn't known?
Without hesitation, Locke asked Nien directly.
"Captain Nien, what do you mean by that?"
"Let me explain, Locke, young brother."
"Choosing internal godhood means that after ascension, your being is already at its peak."
"Choosing external godhood may seem to give you an extra godly body, an extra life, but the weakness caused by splitting your soul far outweighs the benefit of having that extra body."
"Demigods who choose internal godhood, with complete souls, can comprehend Law Mysteries just as efficiently as they did in the Saint realm. Once they sense a second Law Mystery, within at most ten thousand years, they can master it to the Sanctum's limit, possibly even ascend to a god in that time."
"Those who choose external godhood, due to weakened souls, are far slower in comprehension."
"During the period of soul weakness, beings with external godhood are vastly inferior in both power and potential compared to those with internal godhood."
"Without any soul-restoring treasures, relying only on their soul's natural recovery, it would take at least ten million years!"
"Imagine ten million years—those with internal godhood, if gifted, might already have ascended to Highgods, dominating their realms."
"While those with external godhood would barely be complete demigods..."
Nien shook his head at this point.
Though he didn't explicitly say it, Locke understood. Two beings of the same era, one with less innate talent, could surpass the other dramatically due to this choice at ascension.
What caught Locke's attention wasn't the ten-million-year reversal between internal and external godhood.
As someone who understood part of the mysteries of the Coiling Dragon Universe, Locke knew: internal godhood set the future and the upper limits, while external godhood still held that one-in-a-billion chance to reach higher realms.
What truly concerned Locke was Nien's mention of how long it would take a soul to self-recover after choosing external godhood.
Ten million years!
Locke had once thought soul weakness would recover in about a thousand years. But Nien's explanation revealed that, without soul-restoring treasures, the weakening caused by an extra godly body could take ten million years to mend.
Locke inwardly breathed a sigh of relief.
It was fortunate he hadn't spent a thousand years idling in the Wakanda Plane. Otherwise, if his soul still hadn't recovered after that time, he would have wasted a thousand years of prime cultivation opportunities—a regret beyond measure.
Both elemental affinity and Law affinity grow fastest during that crucial thousand-year period.
Even for the highest affinity, the longer one waits, the more accustomed one becomes, making comprehension of other Law Mysteries far more difficult later.
"I see… thank you for your explanation, Captain Nien."
Locke nodded, a hint of frustration on his face.
"Captain Nien, I now have no other choice but to search for treasures that can restore my soul power."
"If you know how to obtain Amethyst, please guide me. I would be deeply grateful."
"Ah, ah, ah, that's clear, that's clear."
Though Nien said "clear," his smile grew even wider.
Why had he shared so much with Locke? Simply so that Locke would say these few words in reply.
Often, a single word from a superior could carry immense weight for those below.
Locke already had an Highgod senior behind him.
And having earned that senior's favor, it was clear Locke's talent was exceptional.
Even if Locke were mediocre, he could at least ascend and become a god level powerhouse.
And if he could obtain sufficient Amethyst to restore his soul power, his chances of becoming an upper god would be very high.
Nien was self-aware.
He knew his own talent probably wouldn't progress much further.
(End of Chapter)
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