Time seemed to stand still within the central cavity of the Thunder Sovereign's remains. Soft crystal light illuminated this tranquil space, a stark contrast to the raging sea of lightning outside. Pure, ancient thunder energy permeated the air, and every breath seemed to cleanse the soul and strengthen the body.
Lin Ye's palm remained pressed against the enormous, slowly pulsing dark-gold "heart" crystal-the [Heart of Ten Thousand Jun]. A torrent of memories and insights into the laws, as vast as a sea of stars, continued pouring into his consciousness.
He "saw" the name of this ancient Thunder Sovereign-[Wan Jun]. It was not a self-proclaimed title, but recognition of his authority by the laws of the universe.
He "lived through" [Wan Jun]'s glorious yet lonely life: commanding thunder, patrolling the stars, shaping galaxies with supreme power, and punishing those who profaned the laws... His strength came from the universe's most fundamental thunder of creation and destruction, pure yang and unyielding, unmatched in its overwhelming might.
He also "felt" [Wan Jun]'s resolve as he attempted to reach a higher realm... and his eventual helplessness. It was not a lack of power, but a flaw in his path. [Wan Jun]'s power was too extreme. He pursued absolute destruction and creation, yet never truly embraced and balanced the supreme laws that united opposites-life and death, light and darkness, space and time. At the final moment, the backlash of the laws and his nemesis's ambush erupted simultaneously. Though the memory was hazy, that aura of deathly stillness and resentment shared the same origin as the Bone Monarch's. His efforts failed at the brink of success, his body disintegrated, and his core fused with the wondrous cosmic tree born alongside him, becoming these Thunderstorm Ruins.
Deep within these ruins lay an even older secret... one that