"Do you know how Titus Skyflood and that Otherworld creature managed to get here?" asked Palace Lord Rowan of the Wood Temple.
"I'm quite curious myself," Evan Yang said suspiciously.
"They avoided this Immortal Realm's laws. If we do the same and evade that realm's laws, we can enter freely as well," Palace Lord Rowan explained.
Evan Yang frowned. "Isn't that really difficult?"
"Yes, it's definitely difficult. But Elder Woodspirit gave each of us a pill that lets us last a few hundred years," said Palace Lord Rowan.
After hearing this, Evan finally understood: to enter another world-realm, as long as you could evade that realm's laws, you could enter freely without restriction.
Curious, Evan Yang and Palace Lord Rowan arrived at a world-realm called the Thunder-Sky Realm. The place exuded a sense of comfort and tranquility as soon as they entered.
"This might be the world-realm Otherworld creatures fear the most—unless the Otherworld Progenitor himself comes," Palace Lord Rowan laughed after he and Evan Yang took a pill and arrived here.
"Why? Is there something here that Otherworld creatures are afraid of?" Evan Yang asked suspiciously.
"It's because of their attributes—especially the Lightning Temple. When Otherworld creatures encounter lightning, they're easily forced out of the host body, unable to hide. Not only that, their power is also weakened," explained Palace Lord Rowan.
Evan Yang was stunned by this. "Really?"
"Yes, what's wrong?" asked Palace Lord Rowan.
"Nothing," Evan Yang replied with a smile, but inside he was delighted. He hadn't expected lightning to inflict such damage on Otherworld creatures. With this in mind, he'd already made up his mind: before entering the Otherworld, he would definitely strengthen his lightning attribute to ensure he could walk safely there.
Palace Lord Rowan noticed Evan Yang's smile and felt something was up, but since Evan didn't say anything, he didn't ask further. He continued leading Evan until they arrived at a place called the Lightning Temple.
"Who goes there?" asked a guarding disciple.
"I am from the Wood Temple, here by Elder Woodspirit's order to visit Serena," said Palace Lord Rowan.
Hearing it was someone from the Wood Temple here to see Serena, the disciple said to the two, "Then follow me."
He led Evan Yang and Palace Lord Rowan to a palace. The palace was magnificent, and its edges shimmered with glowing lightning, as if protected by divine power.
Inside the main hall, it was empty. The disciple said, "Please wait here. I'll go inform Serena."
Palace Lord Rowan replied respectfully, "Thank you."
He left Evan Yang and Palace Lord Rowan in the palace.
Evan Yang asked curiously, "Palace Lord Rowan, what about that lightning outside?"
"That's part of the building itself. Some say the entire structure is actually a God-grade artifact, incredibly powerful, so no Otherworld creature dares approach. In ancient times, the Gods asked the God of this palace to join the siege against the Otherworld Progenitor, since everyone knew only this God's arts could restrain the Progenitor. What happened after, nobody knows," Palace Lord Rowan sighed.
"So Elder Woodspirit sent me here for...?" Evan Yang was curious about the purpose of coming to the Lightning Temple.
"I'm not sure. Elder Woodspirit only asked me to deliver something to Serena. Once she sees it, she'll know what to do to help you," Palace Lord Rowan explained.
Evan Yang nodded. "I see."
Just as Evan finished speaking, two women walked out from the rear hall. One was elegant and walked in front, the other looked like a maid and followed behind. The woman in front wore a mask covering the lower half of her face, leaving her eyes exposed.
The moment the two women saw Evan Yang—and Evan saw them—they all showed surprised expressions.
"It's her?" Evan Yang exclaimed in shock.
The two women were also startled inside. "It's him? How could it be him?"
"Serena, I am Palace Lord Rowan of the Wood Temple, here by Elder Woodspirit's request to visit you," said Palace Lord Rowan.
The elegant woman was indeed Serena. She recovered and said, "The Lightning Temple welcomes your arrival."
Evan Yang was now certain he knew this woman—she was the one who had given him his lightning attribute. Everything that happened back then was still vivid in his mind.
"Evan Yang, this is Serena. Hurry and pay your respects," Palace Lord Rowan urged when he saw Evan spacing out.
Evan Yang stepped forward with a smile. "We've met before."
"Met before?" Palace Lord Rowan looked suspicious.
"I never expected it. After so many years, to meet again, and inside my Lightning Temple no less—truly unexpected," Serena said with a laugh.
Palace Lord Rowan was confused. When had they met, and what was going on?
Evan Yang smiled, "I've met Serena before."
"No need to be so formal. Tell me, what brings you here this time?" Serena had only heard Elder Woodspirit was sending someone, so she was curious to see who it was. She hadn't expected to meet Evan Yang, making an ordinary matter much more interesting.
"This is a letter Elder Woodspirit asked me to bring. You'll understand once you read it," Palace Lord Rowan said, handing a letter to Serena.
Serena took it, opened it, and after reading its contents was very surprised. Then the letter vanished automatically—it was a one-time paper, disappearing after being read.
Evan Yang didn't know what was written inside, but from Serena's expression, it was clearly something important.
After regaining her composure, Serena smiled. "I've received the information. Go back and tell Elder Woodspirit I won't disappoint his expectations. He should just wait for the outcome."
"Thank you so much. I'll head back now," said Palace Lord Rowan gratefully. Then he turned to Evan Yang with a smile, "Congratulations! I'll take my leave."
Evan Yang snapped out of it and replied, "Safe travels."
"Yes, goodbye," Palace Lord Rowan said, then disappeared in a flash.
Now, only three people remained in the palace: Serena, her maid, and Evan Yang.
The three of them stared at each other for a long time, until Evan Yang finally smiled and said, "How long do you plan to keep staring?"
The maid laughed, "You really are lucky, and your abilities aren't bad either. In just a few short years, you've already reached peak Emperor Realm."
"Thanks for the compliment," Evan Yang said with a smile.
"Do you know why Elder Woodspirit sent you here?" asked Serena.
"To attempt a breakthrough to Immortal Sovereign," Evan Yang replied.
"So you already know. That's right—it's to break through to Immortal Sovereign. But do you realize how difficult it is? If you fail, you'll fall back to the Emperor Realm, or even suffer permanent damage," said Serena.
"Oh? It's that serious?" Evan Yang frowned.
"Exactly. Think about how many Emperor Realm cultivators there are in a world, but how many Immortal Sovereigns actually emerge? The ratio is huge—maybe one in a million, or even one in several tens of millions. You can imagine how low the odds are," Serena explained the risks.
"But if you never try, you'll be stuck at Emperor Realm forever. What's the point of that?" Evan Yang replied directly.
"You're pretty open-minded. But you know, attempting a multi-attribute breakthrough means the odds are even lower—almost negligible," said Serena.
"Elder Woodspirit didn't send me here just to listen to you talk about impossible odds. He sent me here to attempt the breakthrough," Evan Yang said with a laugh.
Serena smiled. "You really are something. All right, since Elder Woodspirit asked, I won't just stand by. Besides, your body still holds the Lightning Marsh attribute. I'll help you unseal it now. You've unsealed other attributes before, so you know there's a chance involved."
"Yeah, none of them are fully unsealed yet," Evan Yang said.
"This time might not be a complete unsealing either, but once you reach Immortal Sovereign, you can keep trying. One day you'll fully unlock it," said Serena.
"Thank you," Evan Yang replied.
"All right, let's go," said Serena, then led Evan Yang away, with the maid following.
"Wow, you really are lucky," the maid teased.
"I never expected you two to be such high-level figures from the Lightning Temple, and one of you is Serena herself," Evan Yang said helplessly, thinking back to how clueless he'd been back then.
"Back then, I thought Miss made a mistake giving you the Lightning Marsh attribute. But now, I see I was wrong. You're truly someone no one can see through," the maid said with a laugh.
"Oh? Is that so? Good thing you're not your Miss, or I wouldn't be so lucky," Evan Yang joked.
"You brat, you even dare tease me," the maid laughed.
Evan Yang smiled, "I wouldn't dare."
"You two, stop talking. We're almost there, so quiet down," said Serena, though she almost wanted to laugh at their banter. Then a lake appeared before them.
"Where is this?" Evan Yang asked.
"This is the lake you visited years ago. To be precise, both sides are connected. I saw you here back then," Serena said with a smile.
Evan Yang stared in surprise at the lake. Was this really the place he had stumbled into years ago? Thinking back, it felt like a miracle.
"Alright, go on in. Here, your Lightning Marsh attribute will be activated. Whether you can unlock it depends on your luck," said Serena.
Evan Yang smiled, "Then I'll go in." With that, he leapt into the water.
Suddenly, powerful currents of electricity gathered around him, acting directly on Evan Yang's body. Not only did he feel no numbness, he actually felt comfortable, even absorbing the lightning into himself.
"It's been so long since I've encountered lightning this pure. It feels invigorating," Evan Yang murmured to himself.
Seeing Evan Yang's changes in the lake, the maid laughed, "His luck really is pretty good."
"This is just the beginning. He'll have to stay in there for seven days to know if it's truly unlocked," said Serena.
"What happens if it doesn't unlock?" the maid asked curiously.
"Like I said, if it doesn't unlock, he'll have to wait until he reaches Immortal Sovereign, then try to break through on his own," replied Serena.