While the player is in Battle Through the Heavens, the system is in The Great Ruler.

Chapter 148 Encirclement and Slaughter of the Heavenly Serpent, Defying the Dou Zun!

Tagor Desert.

In the vast desert, the scorching sun hangs high in the sky, like a burning fireball, relentlessly baking this golden sea of ​​sand.

The howling wind whipped up sand and dust, sweeping across the vast desert.

Since the migration of the Serpent People, this once dangerous land has become a treasure-hunting paradise for mercenaries. Countless mercenary teams, like sharks smelling blood, have flocked madly into the depths of the desert.

Although remote, this place was once the main battlefield where the Serpent People clashed with powerful humans. Countless warriors perished here, leaving behind countless ruins and legacies. As more and more mercenaries came to explore, one after another, the long-forgotten caves of these powerful warriors were unearthed, making the Tagor Desert's reputation ever more renowned…

On this day, a commotion suddenly arose on the distant horizon. A mercenary group that was resting stood up and squinted at the sky.

"Look! What's that?" a young mercenary exclaimed.

Dozens of figures streaked across the sky, with the leaders standing in mid-air – they were none other than Dou Zong powerhouses! Their uniform dark green attire was embroidered with ferocious serpent patterns.

"It's the Heavenly Serpent Mansion!" The mercenary leader gasped. "They've even mobilized a Dou Zong level expert!"

On the ground, more and more mercenaries noticed the strange phenomenon in the sky, and discussions arose one after another:

"The Heavenly Serpent Palace has mobilized its entire force? What are they planning to do?"

"I've heard that ancient ruins have been discovered deep in the desert..."

"Bullshit! My cousin heard in the city that they discovered a pool of the Seven-Colored Sky-Swallowing Python's essence blood!"

High above, the Lord of the Heavenly Serpent Palace swept his grim gaze over the mercenaries below, who resembled ants. The Grand Elder whispered, "Lord, the news seems to have spread..."

"It's alright," the Lord of the Heavenly Serpent Palace said coldly. "They're just a bunch of ants. Speed ​​things up and make sure we get to the ruins before sunset!"

At the very front of the procession, the Eight-Winged Black Serpent King lowered its head, a barely perceptible glint of something unusual flashing in its black vertical pupils. It subtly slowed its pace, maintaining a distance that was neither too close nor too far from the procession.

Meanwhile, dozens of miles away, behind a hidden sand dune, Lu Yu stood with his hands behind his back, a confident smile playing on his lips: "The fish has taken the bait."

Beside her, Little Fairy Doctor gently adjusted her purple veil, purple poisonous mist swirling around her fingertips: "The Heavenly Serpent Lord is personally leading the team; it seems he's quite interested in our 'generous gift.'"

Venerable Tianhuo stroked his beard and smiled, the power of space around him subtly fluctuating. "My Four Directions Locking Heaven Formation is ready, just waiting for them to fall into the trap."

The little Cai in Qing Lin's arms excitedly flicked its tongue, its eyes gleaming with greed. If it could devour the essence blood of a Dou Zun powerhouse, it would be of immense benefit to it.

Zi Yan curiously poked the earth demon puppet next to Lu Yu, tilted her head and asked, "Can this one-armed guy still fight?"

Lu Yu smiled calmly and said, "Of course, no problem. It's just a puppet. Losing an arm won't stop it from fighting desperately..."

Then, Lu Yu looked around at everyone, silently calculating the strength of his own side:

Zi Yan, an eight-star Dou Zong, possesses a terrifying ancient dragon body that is strong enough to rival a Dou Zun.

He himself was fighting against Hong Qi, the Earth Demon Puppet of the Seven Star Fighting Sect;

The Little Fairy Doctor, a two-star Dou Zong;

In addition, there is Venerable Tianhuo, who can set up a level four spirit array;
And Qinglin, who, although only a five-star Dou Huang, possesses the Seven-Colored Devouring Python, which has already advanced to the seventh rank of magical beast.

"Six Dou Zong level experts..."

Lu Yu muttered to himself, "To deal with one Dou Zun, eight Dou Zong elders, and dozens of Dou Huangs from the Heavenly Serpent Palace..."

A soft laugh came from beneath Little Fairy Doctor's purple veil: "With Senior Heavenly Fire's Four Directions Locking Heaven Formation, plus the poisonous miasma we set up beforehand, we still have a very good chance of winning..."

Lu Yu nodded and said, "Leave the Heavenly Serpent Palace Master to me. Zi Yan is responsible for restraining the three seventh-tier peak demonic beast elders. Senior Tian Huo will cooperate with the great formation to hold off the other three. Earth Demon Puppet and Little Fairy Doctor will deal with the two human Dou Zong. Xiao Cai will cooperate with Qing Lin to eliminate Dou Huang."

His gaze suddenly turned cold. "We are outnumbered in this battle, so there's no need to hold back. Kill without capturing, prioritize your own safety, and leave no survivors!"

Everyone nodded in unison, their eyes blazing with fighting spirit. In the distance, a sandstorm was forming, and dozens of figures could be vaguely seen hurtling through the air.

"They've arrived. Proceed according to plan!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Venerable Tianhuo's expression turned solemn. He suddenly waved his wide sleeves, and in an instant, the entire desert changed color. A violent hurricane swept up clouds of yellow sand, like thousands of angry dragons soaring into the sky, completely obscuring the entire heavens.

"No, there's an ambush!"

High in the sky, the Lord of the Heavenly Serpent Palace's expression changed drastically, and he immediately tried to use his spatial power to evacuate everyone.

However, amidst the sandstorm, the majestic voice of Venerable Heavenly Fire boomed like thunder: "Four Directions Lock the Sky, Arise!"

Four dazzling beams of light shot into the sky from the depths of the desert, instantly dividing the entire battlefield into several independent spatial cages.

The Lord of the Heavenly Serpent Palace's expression changed drastically. He was horrified to discover that the space of this world had been completely sealed off, and he couldn't even mobilize a trace of spatial power.

In a flash, he turned his head and saw the Eight-Winged Black Serpent King, who was leading the way, transform into a black streak of light and flee rapidly into the distant sandstorm.

"court death!"

By this point, how could the Lord of the Heavenly Serpent Palace not know that the Black Serpent Emperor had already betrayed him?
In an instant, a sharp streak of battle aura shot out. The black light paused abruptly in mid-air, then exploded, turning into a rain of blood that pelted the yellow sand.

As the Lord of the Heavenly Serpent Palace killed the traitorous Eight-Winged Black Serpent Queen with a single palm strike, he was suddenly struck by the eerie silence that had descended upon him. Amidst the swirling sandstorm, the elders who had been following closely behind had vanished without a trace.

"Pretend to be a ghost!"

He roared, his fighting spirit surging, and nine giant energy pythons burst forth from his body, circling around him in a watchful manner.

"Lord of the Heavenly Serpent Palace, I've kept you waiting."

A clear, cold voice pierced through the sandstorm. A figure in azure robes descended from the sky, each step accompanied by the blooming of dazzling fire lotuses beneath its feet.

Lu Yu raised his right hand slightly, and golden flames surged in his palm. An ancient, fiery red rune merged into it, instantly condensing into a crimson-gold flame longsword.

Wherever the sword's edge pointed, the raging sandstorm retreated.

"Who are you?"

The Lord of the Heavenly Serpent Palace narrowed his eyes, and the veins on his bronze arms bulged.

Lu Yu casually twirled his sword, the fiery lotus-shaped sword energy flowing around him: "You've certainly put in a lot of effort to lure the Lord into this scheme."

"You think you can compete with a mere Seven-Star Dou Zong?"

The Lord of the Heavenly Serpent Palace sneered, but his heart was filled with turbulent waves. With his Dou Zun cultivation, he couldn't see through the true nature of the great formation set up in this world.

"Shh!"

A flash of sword light appeared! Lu Yu suddenly made his move, a fine golden-red line, condensed to the extreme, tearing through the sky.

The Lord of the Heavenly Serpent Palace hastily raised his arm to block, his sleeves instantly turning to ashes, revealing his arm with a metallic sheen. The aftershock of the sword energy left a white mark on his skin.

"The physical body of an eighth-tier magical beast is indeed extraordinary."

Before he finished speaking, Lu Yu's swordplay suddenly changed. The crimson-gold longsword trembled slightly, instantly splitting into countless forms. Each sword light transformed into a roaring fire dragon, illuminating an area of ​​a hundred feet in radius like a furnace.

If someone familiar with the situation were here, they would realize that Lu Yu's sword strike was clearly an incorporation of the low-level Earth-rank combat skill "Heavenly Dragon Flame Finger" into his swordsmanship—the sky full of fire dragons were actually formed from countless sword energies!
He had already mastered this Earth-rank combat skill, and now when he used it, he was no longer limited to simple finger techniques!

"Roar!"

Fire dragons roared in unison, and sword energy soared into the sky!
"Insanity!"

The Lord of the Heavenly Serpent Palace was furious. "A mere Dou Zong dares to attack first when I don't run away?"

With a flick of his sleeve, nine gigantic energy pythons roared as they met the sword light. Each one contained the terrifying pressure of a Dou Zun level expert. However, the moment the sword light collided with the pythons, the entire space trembled violently.

With the combined blessing of the Flame Ancestral Symbol and the Strange Fire, this seemingly casual sword strike actually hinted at the threshold of a high-level Earth-rank combat skill!
"Boom!!"

Amidst the deafening explosions, the nine giant python phantoms shattered one after another. The Lord of the Heavenly Serpent Palace finally paled; he never imagined that he, a dignified Dou Zun, would be unable to suppress a mere Seven-Star Dou Zong in a direct confrontation?
"Dou Zun is a strong man?"

Lu Yu suddenly sheathed his sword, tilted his head to look at his opponent, then shook his head and said, "Almost there..."

He casually dismissed his longsword and lightly pushed forward with his right palm. Nine layers of fiery ripples flowed in his palm, and the ancestral runes shone with dazzling light. In the blink of an eye, a fiery palm print that blotted out the sky condensed and took shape, the palm lines clearly visible, each line flowing with a molten lava-like luster.

"A high-level Earth-rank combat skill?!"

The manor lord's pupils constricted sharply. The power of this palm strike was several times more terrifying than the sword strike just now, having already reached the true high-level Earth Rank!

"Nine Revolutions, Burning Heaven."

With a casual tone, the giant fiery hand slowly pressed down. Wherever it passed, space twisted and cracked, revealing dark void fissures.

The palm fell, and the world fell silent.

"Roar!"

The Lord of the Heavenly Serpent Palace could no longer restrain himself. His body suddenly swelled, revealing his true form, which transformed into a giant, dark green serpent a hundred feet long.

A colossal, dark green serpent coiled in the air, its single, jade-like horn gleaming with a chilling light. Its entire body shimmered with a metallic sheen, and its triangular, vertical pupils flashed with cold light. The flickering of its tongue exuded a suffocating pressure.

"boom!"

The giant fiery hand collided with the serpent's body with a deafening roar, unleashing a violent energy storm. When the smoke cleared, the serpent's scales were only slightly charred, indicating that it had only suffered minor injuries.

"A mid-level Earth-rank body-refining technique?"

Lu Yu raised an eyebrow, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes, followed by a look of understanding.

Unlike Dou Zong, Dou Zun was already among the top tier of powerhouses on the Dou Qi Continent when Dou Sheng was no longer around.

After all, even at the Dou Zong level, there are shortcuts like the Breakthrough Pill, which has created many who are all show and no substance. But at the Dou Zun level, there has never been any shortcut like the "Breakthrough Pill." Every true Dou Zun powerhouse is someone with exceptional talent, unwavering will, and who has undergone countless trials and tribulations.

It's not surprising that such a strong person knows how to utilize their advantages.

(End of this chapter)