"Haiyue, answer me quickly, where is the Thunderforce Bead?" The childish voice betrayed a hint of panic. Clearly, he placed immense importance on the Thunderforce Bead.

But Zhuo Haiyue remained seated in lotus position, eyes closed, completely ignoring his calls.

Whoosh!

An invisible wave of power suddenly burst forth from Zhuo Haiyue's brow, forming a somewhat illusory figure in white robes.

He had a childlike face, appearing no older than four or five, with countless flashes of lightning dancing across his illusory robes.

"Haiyue!!" His seemingly innocent eyes fixed on Zhuo Haiyue, filled with confusion. "What's going on?"

Boom!

In that instant, Zhuo Haiyue's eyes snapped open, and a terrifying aura exploded from her body. Countless lightning bolts flickered, like writhing electric serpents, striking directly at the white-robed child's illusory form.

"Hmm? This is... the Thunder Annihilation Serpent. How did you learn to cultivate the Thunder Annihilation Serpent?" The white-robed child's eyes widened as round as saucers, his voice nearly a shriek.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

As he cried out, brilliant flashes of lightning erupted around the white-robed child's body, like a sphere of light detonating.

Crack! Boom!

The two forces of lightning collided violently. Those serpentine bolts of electricity instantly annihilated the white-robed child's defensive measures, invading his illusory form.

At such close range, and being caught off guard, the white-robed child's illusory body dissipated in an instant, leaving only those serpentine lightning bolts that flickered and circled around Zhuo Haiyue in the meditation chamber.

Silence fell.

“Is he finally dead?" Zhuo Haiyue murmured to herself. "You may be reborn in thunder, but you are ultimately too weak, and without the Thunderforce Bead... The Thunder Annihilation Serpent is your greatest bane."

She had spent thousands of years cultivating this secret art in secrecy, expending precious treasures, all for this very moment.

Though she appeared to destroy him effortlessly, the truth was that she had been meticulously preparing for this day for an incredibly long time.

Hum~

A faint yet vast aura suddenly rose from Zhuo Haiyue's body, and her gaze morphed drastically, turning frigidly cold in an instant.

Strands of invisible pressure emerged, and a majestic aura that seemed eternal and indestructible spread from her.

At this moment, if Wu Yuan were present, he would be shocked to discover that Zhuo Haiyue's soul aura seemed to have completely transformed, as if she were an entirely different person. Even those familiar with her might not recognize her.

"How naive. Did you think you could escape me so easily?" Zhuo Haiyue appeared to mutter to herself, her voice unchanged yet permeated with unprecedented coldness, carrying supreme and unquestionable authority.

The scene was rather eerie.

However, this strange state lasted less than a breath before the seemingly eternal aura radiating from her body swiftly receded.

Her gaze returned to normal as well.

Did I lose control again?

A hint of gloom flashed in Zhuo Haiyue's eyes as she sensed the recent change.

As expected, the imprint runs deep. I cannot escape it completely, only delay and seek a path to survival.

She quickly suppressed her aura, drawing back the lightning serpents that had been circling the meditation chamber.

The entire chamber fell utterly silent.

Silently, countless motes of light gathered, and a figure shrouded in black mist appeared.

"Overlord Xin Ya." Zhuo Haiyue rose and bowed respectfully.

"You succeeded?" Overlord Xin Ya's voice was gentle, ethereal and inscrutable. To Zhuo Haiyue, it seemed to echo from beyond the heavens.

"I destroyed that spirit," Zhuo Haiyue said flatly.

"That spirit was likely innocent. It may not have known the truth," Overlord Xin Ya sighed softly.

"Whether it knew or not is irrelevant," Zhuo Haiyue shook her head. "I had to eliminate it."

"Mm." Overlord Xin Ya nodded. "By destroying this spirit, the Thunder Saint's other imprint remnants can no longer constantly monitor your situation. By giving the Thunderforce Bead to Ming Jian, you've also greatly delayed the time it will take you to comprehend the Law of Thunder. ṚＡŊꝊ₿È𝘴

This is your chance.”

Zhuo Haiyue listened silently.

Over ten thousand years, she had long been making numerous arrangements in secret.

"The Thunder Saint was jointly slaughtered by the supreme beings of the Eldritch Court in ages past. However, the supreme beings are difficult to truly destroy. One thought can persist eternally, and he left behind many imprints. Even the Eldritch Court struggled to completely annihilate him," Overlord Xin Ya mused.

“I've heard of the battle that shook the megaverse. I never imagined that some of the treasures and artifacts he left behind would end up in Bloodforge's hands through various twists of fate.

And in the end, they found their way to you."

Overlord Xin Ya gazed at Zhuo Haiyue. "And your soul happened to be a perfect match for his imprint. I don't know if this was a contingency the Thunder Saint planned before the battle, or an arrangement of inscrutable destiny.

The abilities of supreme beings are truly unfathomable," Overlord Xin Ya shook his head slightly.

Destinies intertwined, making everything uncertain. Yet, supreme beings stood beyond the ordinary concept of destiny, free from its bounds. Not even the samsara cycle of heaven and earth could restrain them.

"In truth, if you had chosen to submit, you would have had a sliver of hope for survival... At the very least, when he returns, you will not be completely annihilated," said Overlord Xin Ya.

"But the path you've chosen now leads either to life or death. To be frank, your hope for survival is very slim," Overlord Xin Ya sighed.

In terms of raw combat strength, he was already very close to the supreme level. But the closer he got, the more keenly he sensed the vast gulf that remained.

"Overlord, you speak of a sliver of hope for survival, but when that day truly comes, would I still be myself?" Zhuo Haiyue shook her head, resolve burning in her eyes. "If I am no longer myself, I would rather die."

Overlord Xin Ya nodded, understanding Zhuo Haiyue's thoughts.

As powerhouses, they all possessed their own pride. They could submit to those stronger than themselves. But very few were willing to surrender completely, becoming slaves or servants.

Moreover, if Zhuo Haiyue had followed the prescribed path, her ultimate fate would have been even more tragic than becoming a slave in some ways. Her choice to resist and struggle was only natural.

In reality, not long after Zhuo Haiyue arrived at the divine court headquarters and revealed her talent, she had already been noticed by the upper echelons of the divine court, who then made corresponding arrangements.

It could be said that Zhuo Haiyue's path to this point, including her journey to the Spacetime Island and destruction of the Thunder Spirit, had the shadow of the Taiyuan Divine Court behind it.

"I will follow the True Saint's instructions and send you to the Violet Night Universe. Among the many rivers of space and time, it is a place most conducive for cultivating the Law of Thunder, worthy of being called the birthplace of all lightning in the entire megaverse. It holds many types of supreme-level divine lightning," said Overlord Xin Ya.

"How far you’ll go, whether you can further break free from the Thunder Saint... That will have to depend on you alone. No one else can help you," Overlord Xin Ya said.

"In just over nine thousand years, the Megaverse Crossroads will open. That too will be an opportunity for you."

"This junior understands," Zhuo Haiyue nodded heavily.

"These two steps account for seventy percent of your chance for survival," Overlord Xin Ya looked down at Zhuo Haiyue. "The remaining thirty percent of your hope lies with Ming Jian."

"Ming Jian?" Zhuo Haiyue said quietly.

Choosing Ming Jian was partly her own wish, and partly due to Overlord Xin Ya's subtle suggestion.

"The Megaverse Crossroads will soon open. In this era of great contention, many peerless geniuses are emerging from the various rivers of space and time," said Overlord Xin Ya. "But he is the only one with the ability to genuinely help you."

"Mm." Zhuo Haiyue nodded.

"Go then! Your trip from the Ling Jiang Universe to the Violet Night Universe will take you across multiple rivers of space and time. It will take some time," said Overlord Xin Ya.

"After arriving in the Violet Night Universe, you'll need to adapt to the Greater Laws of that universe. All of this requires time."

…

Zhuo Haiyue departed, seeking her own path forward.

Meanwhile, Wu Yuan's qi refiner self remained in seclusion on the Spacetime Island, continuing to cultivate. Besides his usual cultivation, he devoted part of his attention to examining the Thunderforce Bead.

It was a very special object. Wu Yuan didn’t notice it at first, but as he delved deeper into deciphering it, he became aware of the Thunderforce Bead's unique properties.

My qi refiner self possesses two other high-grade Dao Instruments: the Black Devil Blood Hollow and the Devil Subduing Tome.

I still can't fully control the Devil Subduing Tome to this day, only able to employ a fraction of its power through the Devil Realm.

Wu Yuan mused.

As for the Black Devil Blood Hollow, though I've deciphered it and claimed ownership, it's still difficult to unleash its power.

It's the same for my body refiner self. The Hundred Stars Saber was sealed by Astral Monarch Wan Lei with immense mana. Currently, I can only exert a small portion of its might.

In other words, the power of high-grade Dao Instruments surpassed what High Immortals and High Deities could control. Without sealing their Dao essence and making corresponding alterations, Wu Yuan still wouldn't be able to truly manifest their power even if his Dao comprehension reached the Sovereign level.

There was only one reason for this: insufficient mana.

It was like a five or six-year-old child - no matter how skilled they were in combat techniques, they still couldn't wield an iron staff weighing a thousand catties.

But the Thunderforce Bead was different.

In terms of the pure Law of Thunder, I'm still some ways off from the Archimmortal level.

Wu Yuan marveled inwardly.

And yet, I can actually activate this Thunderforce Bead?

Though the power unleashed was weak, he had indeed successfully activated it.