A few minutes earlier, Alex was still deep in the process of absorbing the lightning energy around him. His Lightning God's Source Body and Lightning God's Source Bloodline were boiling fiercely, working nonstop to devour every single strand of lightning that entered his body.

This lightning energy was not ordinary. It had been born from the Lightning Source Essence, and so every thread of it carried a special power. This power was so pure and overwhelming that his body and bloodline seemed to go wild with hunger. They wanted more, more, and even more. Alex could feel his body shaking under this intense pressure. It was painful, but at the same time, it was strangely exciting.

Yet in that moment, something changed. Deep inside, Alex instinctively felt that the source of all this lightning energy, the very thing feeding him, was about to disappear. He did not understand why, nor did he have the chance to think it through. Before he could even react, his body moved on its own.

The Lightning God's Source Body and Bloodline suddenly erupted with extreme power. This power swept out of him automatically, like a flood bursting through a dam. The energy was so violent that it created a huge storm in the lake. The water churned wildly, waves rose up, and countless bolts of lightning lashed out in every direction. The entire lake shook as if it were going to collapse.

This sudden eruption of power shook even the Heavenly Essence Capturing Bottle. The suction force that had been pulling in the Lightning Source Essence was broken for just a moment. And in that instant, a small part of the Lightning Source Essence managed to slip away.

The escaped fragment of the Lightning Source Essence immediately tried to flee. It twisted and turned in panic, rushing toward the other side of the lake, desperate to escape from both Serena and the terrifying bottle. But fate had other plans. In its escape, the Lightning Source Essence brushed softly against Alex's body.

That single touch was enough.

The Lightning God's Source Body reacted like a starving beast that had finally tasted its favorite food. In an instant, it erupted with an even stronger sucking force, far greater than before. This force grabbed hold of the Lightning Source Essence fragment and pulled it directly into Alex's body.

The moment the Lightning Source Essence entered him, everything changed.

A huge transformation began inside Alex. His Lightning God's Source Body shook violently. Arcs of lightning flickered everywhere inside him, running through his veins like rivers of light. His blood boiled hotter than ever before, and his body felt like it was both burning and freezing at the same time. The power was overwhelming, but it did not destroy him. Instead, it merged with him. At the same time, a very comforting sensation ran through Alex's body and mind.

Simultaneously, his bloodline roared excitedly as well. His Lightning God's Source Body was evolving, and so was his Lightning God's Source Bloodline.

At this very moment, Alex's mind suddenly grew heavy. His vision blurred, and he felt like he was falling into a dream. His body was still there, but his consciousness was pulled somewhere else.

When his sight became clear again, he realized he was no longer inside the lake. Instead, he was standing on top of an endless sea. At first, he thought it was water, but the moment he looked closely, he realized this was not a normal sea. This was a lightning sea.

The waves of water were real, the ripples were real, but every drop of water glowed faintly with lightning. The entire ocean was filled with endless lightning energy, stretching as far as he could see.

Rumble~

BOOM!

Alex raised his head, only to see that the sky above him was completely grey. It was rumbling constantly, filled with black clouds that flashed repeatedly. Thunder echoed endlessly, shaking his heart. Every bolt of lightning that streaked through the clouds felt powerful enough to destroy worlds.

Yes, powerful enough to destroy worlds.

This was the feeling Alex instinctively felt.

Alex stood still on this sea in a daze. He was completely speechless. He could not understand what this place was or how he ended up coming here. He could feel the lightning in the waves, in the air, even in his own breath. It was surrounding him everywhere. It was terrifying, yet it was also strangely comforting.

When Alex shook off the dazed feeling, he slowly calmed his restless heart. The rumbling of thunder above him still shook the endless lightning sea, but his own breathing grew steady. His eyes became sharp and clear once more.

At that moment, he felt that his Lightning God's Source Body and Lightning God's Source Bloodline were no longer boiling wildly like before. Instead, they started to move in harmony. It was as if both body and bloodline had finally found the rhythm of something greater, something far beyond him.

Alex suddenly felt a strange connection. This connection was faint but powerful. It was like his body was breathing in tune with the sky itself, and his blood was beating together with the endless lightning sea.

And then, he suddenly sensed the presence of the Heavenly Dao of Lightning.

At first, he sensed just a tiny spark of Lightning Heavenly Dao. He could barely grasp it, like holding a strand of silk in the middle of a storm. But the more he focused, the stronger that sensation became, and the denser the presence of Dao of Lightning became in his perception.

Very soon, he could feel that the Heavenly Dao of Lightning was everywhere around him. It was in the roaring clouds, in the endless sea, in every flash of lightning that cut through the sky.

In fact, he suddenly found that this entire space seemed to be the manifestation of the Heavenly Dao of Lightning, and he somehow appeared in this place.

"Could it be...?"

Alex couldn't help but guess that this might be due to the Lightning Source Essence. Only that treasure could have caused such a great change and brought him here.

Alex could feel his Lightning God's Source Body shivering with excitement, while his Lightning God's Source Bloodline throbbed with power. Very soon, both his Lightning God's Source Body and Bloodline pulled his mind deeper and deeper, until Alex completely fell into a strange state of enlightenment.

He forgot the lake. He forgot Serena. He even forgot himself.

All that remained in his heart and mind was lightning.

In this state, Alex's thoughts slowed down, but his senses became sharper than ever. He could see every bolt of lightning in the sky. He could feel how they gathered in the clouds, how they twisted and danced before crashing down. He could feel the pain, the destruction, but also the life hidden within the thunder.

In that instant, Alex comprehended that lightning was not just destruction. It was also rebirth.

Every bolt of lightning that struck down split the world, but it also gave birth to something new. It shattered old things so new things could grow. Lightning was fierce, merciless, but it was also fair and unyielding. It treated all beings the same, whether weak or strong.

In that moment, Alex comprehended that the Heavenly Dao of Lightning was the law of judgment, the power of destruction, and also the source of change. It was the roar of the heavens that declared: "All things must face me equally."

The more he observed the Heavenly Dao of Lightning after falling into the state of enlightenment, the deeper he sank. His Lightning God's Source Body absorbed the endless lightning sea, while his Lightning God's Source Bloodline connected him to the Dao above. He felt his body melt into the lightning, and the lightning melt into him.

At first, the vastness of it terrified him. How could he, a single human, touch something so eternal?

But instead of pushing him away, the Dao of Lightning welcomed him. It was as if the Dao had been waiting for someone like him, someone with both the body and bloodline of Lightning's God's Source.

Bit by bit, Alex's mind seemed to begin to see some mysterious patterns. He felt that the arcs of lightning flickering intensely in the sky were not random; they seemed to be following some rules. He sensed that the thunder above carried a strange rhythm. The lightning sea below was not endless waves; it was like an ocean with its own order.

He traced the flow of lightning with his perception, followed it, and let himself become one with it.

Then, like a spark bursting into a flame, something inside him lit up.

A single trace of the Heavenly Dao of Lightning entered his heart and mind. In that moment, Alex had comprehended the trace of Heavenly Dao of Lightning, or should it be called the Source Law of Lightning.

The moment Alex comprehended a trace of the Dao of Lightning, his entire being shook violently. His blood roared like a thunderclap, and his bones rang with lightning itself. Even his soul was affected as it lit up by arcs of silver light.

It was also at this moment that Alex's enlightenment state ended. He opened his eyes as lightning flashed within them.

But then, as he looked around, he found himself back in the lake.