"Bell?"
Allen looked puzzled.
"He's very strong. Remember, if you run into him again, turn around and leave immediately." Roger narrowed his eyes.
That Bell...
We agreed back then that he would flee in another direction.
Instead, the bastard actually found his way to my home base.
Roger was thoroughly annoyed.
"Got it!" From Roger's expression, Allen knew this Bell was no ordinary man.
"As for everything else, nothing major has happened. But the patrol teams that don't report directly to me are usually pretty lax. I can't really say whether they've spotted any other suspicious people..."
The Nether Luo Tribe, as it stood now.
On the surface, everyone was under Roger's command.
In reality, however, the forces directly under Roger weren't the strongest.
Aside from Roger himself.
The forces directly under Hagson were actually the strongest.
Naturally, that was because Hagson had given the Middlegod Godhead he had obtained earlier to a trusted subordinate to refine.
Together with the old members of the Fire Rhino Tribe.
That gave Hagson the largest number of direct subordinates.
Roger's faction came second.
Previously, this hadn't been much of an issue.
After all, Hagson knew how strong Roger was and followed his arrangements without question.
Hagson's direct subordinates naturally obeyed a powerful man like Roger in every respect as well.
But when it came to Allen, the nominal chief steward of the Nether Luo Tribe.
They often paid lip service to his orders while ignoring them behind his back.
Especially during this past year, when Roger, Hagson, and Beverly had been out patrolling all the time.
The problem had become particularly pronounced.
"In that case..." Roger pondered for a moment, then took out two Godheads.
"Allen, take these two Godheads. The first is a Dark Lowgod Godhead, and the second is a Dark Middlegod Godhead. Find a loyal Sanctuary magical beast, sign a Master-Servant Contract with them, and then have them refine both Godheads."
"That way, you'll have an absolutely loyal Midgod subordinate. Whether you're protecting yourself or going out on business, things will be much easier."
"Thanks, brother!"
Allen accepted the Godheads and said happily, "With a Midgod subordinate, even one who got there by refining Godheads, I'll be much better off than before."
In the Netherworld, strength always ruled supreme.
Although everyone in the tribe knew that Allen and Roger were very close.
Behind the scenes.
There were always people who only partly carried out Allen's orders.
Especially the fellow who had refined the Middlegod Godhead, along with some veteran Lowgods.
They considered themselves fairly strong.
They had simply been unlucky and failed to build a good relationship with Roger from the start.
That was the only reason they now had to take orders from someone else.
Things were better when Roger was around, since they didn't dare go too far.
But when Roger went away on business.
They grew increasingly brazen.
Roger understood that this was simply human nature.
So he wasn't surprised.
Of course.
He couldn't very well punish them over such minor matters.
That would make him seem petty and reflect poorly on how he handled things.
The solution was simple, too.
Once Allen, who acted as Roger's representative, became strong enough, everything would fall into place.
Just like now.
"Hehe, I'll be off, then. I happen to have a suitable magical beast to enslave. She's a dark-aligned Sanctuary Black Dragon, so these two Godheads will be perfect for her."
After chatting a little longer, Allen happily left with the Godheads.
With that matter settled.
Roger returned to his quarters.
Mia was already lying on the bed. "Master, come over and have some fun~"
After his training over this period, Mia had discovered the pleasures involved.
Now, aside from cultivating, all she wanted to do every day was spar with Roger in bed.
"Haha, you're not shy at all anymore." Roger laughed as he climbed on top of her.
He still remembered the beginning.
This cool, beautiful Nether Fox woman had been terribly shy...
After a bout of vigorous exercise.
Roger leaned against the headboard. "Mia, keep this Interspatial Ring."
Mia was a little puzzled as she accepted the Interspatial Ring engraved with a pale eye.
But at Roger's prompting glance, she still dripped blood onto it to claim ownership.
"Master... there are so many Soul Gold Beads inside! And a suit of Midgod Artifact armor... is all of this for me~?"
Over the past six months, Mia had learned a great deal.
Naturally, she now knew what Soul Gold Beads were and how valuable those glittering golden beads could be.
"Yes, it's all for you. Thanks for all your hard work lately. Have some extra Soul Gold Beads to replenish yourself."
Roger smiled. "They'll help your cultivation, too. If you reach Midgod sooner, you'll be a great help to me."
"Mm~ then I won't hold back. Thank you, Master~"
Mia spoke in a sugary voice, with none of the cool reserve she had shown when they first met.
"Get some rest. I'm going to the secluded chamber."
Roger got up, preparing to head to the secluded chamber and refine all the Sanctuary souls he had obtained that day into Soul Gold Beads.
Mia was very obedient.
She stayed quietly in bed, watching Roger leave.
The chamber doors closed.
Roger began the refining process he had repeated countless times.
Several days later.
The chamber doors opened.
Roger now had over fifty additional Soul Gold Beads in his Interspatial Ring. After taking out ten percent to distribute among his subordinates.
Roger began cultivating in seclusion.
This time.
Roger intended to gain an initial understanding of every remaining branch of the death edict!
Meanwhile, after receiving enough Soul Gold Beads, Mia strengthened the souls of both her saint domain true body and her death god divine clone to their limits.
As a result.
Mia's cultivation progressed much faster.
Although she still hadn't broken through her bottleneck, she had gained an initial understanding of another branch, and her cultivation speed had increased greatly.
In the blink of an eye.
Time slipped away.
Several decades passed.
Inside the secluded chamber.
Roger opened his eyes.
After decades of secluded cultivation.
He had fully fused the profound mysteries of "Fast" and "Slow" within the laws of wind, and had also gained an initial understanding of the "Profound Mystery of Dimensions." His progress had been good.
After mastering the mysteries of speed, Roger had completely eliminated his weakness in that area, turning it into a decisive advantage instead.
After all, the laws of wind inherently excelled at speed.
Roger had tested it. In terms of pure speed, his wind divine clone was more than ten times faster than his death god divine clone!
In other words.
Roger's current speed could easily rival that of many Highgods.
"My progress with the laws of wind has been good, but my progress with the death edict has slowed."
Roger lowered his head in thought.
Over these years.
His death god divine clone naturally hadn't been idle. Aside from the most mysterious and difficult branch, "Soul Space," which he had yet to grasp, he had cultivated every other branch to its limit and was only one step away from fully comprehending them.
"How exactly am I supposed to gain an initial understanding of this 'Soul Space'...?"
Roger had read Charles's cultivation notes, which also recorded the insights Charles had gained at the time.
But on the path of cultivation.
What someone else comprehended ultimately belonged to them.
Roger had studied the notes many times, but Charles's method didn't suit him.
As a result, Roger had been stuck for decades, unable to gain even an initial understanding.
"Humm!"
Suddenly.
A tremor flickered deep within Roger's consciousness.
"It's the Jade Disc!"
Roger hurriedly sent a sliver of his consciousness to investigate.
"It's already been a hundred years since the Jade Disc appeared. I've nourished it with divine power and soul power for a hundred years, too. To think it would finally evolve again today."
As he felt the mysterious energy within the Jade Disc flow along his soul power into his own soul and begin its familiar transformation.
Roger suddenly felt that the bottleneck before him was no longer much of an obstacle...
Before you continue