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

Chapter 156 Lei Zun Zhe's Mediation: Becoming Friends?

The moment the dragon's might erupted within Zi Yan

Lu Yu moved swiftly, already blocking her path. His sharp gaze locked onto Feng Qing'er, a hint of seriousness appearing between his brows.

It wasn't that she was afraid of hurting Zi Yan. After all, Feng Qing'er was only a Dou Huang at the moment, and even if she tried her best, she probably wouldn't be able to break through Zi Yan's defense.

What Lu Yu was truly worried about was that she would reveal Zi Yan's identity as the Ancient Dragon of the Void to the Heavenly Demon Phoenix Clan.

After all, it is common knowledge that the Ancient Void Dragon feeds on the Celestial Phoenix. Conversely, if the Celestial Phoenix could devour the Ancient Void Dragon, it would undoubtedly gain unimaginable benefits—this is the ironclad law of the jungle in the world of Warcraft.

"boom!"

Suddenly, a brilliant purple light emanated from Zi Yan's body, and dragon roars resounded from within her. The pure energy contained within the Phoenix Blood Grass erupted within her. Driven by this energy, her cultivation level began to rise steadily.
Eight-star Dou Zong peak... Nine-star Dou Zong... Finally reaching the peak of Nine-star Dou Zong!
The raging dragon's might spread like a tidal wave, and the energy shields surrounding the treasure vault, filled with various precious items, lit up with blinding silver light. However, under this pressure, these shields trembled violently and made cracking sounds.

Ultimately, the dozen or so protective shields could not withstand the pressure and burst open, turning into specks of light and dissipating into the air.

"Who dares to be so insolent in my Wind and Thunder Pavilion?!"

With a thunderous roar, a blinding silver bolt of lightning tore through space. The figure of the Thunder Venerable suddenly appeared, his body wreathed in raging lightning power. As his sharp gaze swept across the scene, his pupils contracted sharply.

"Ancient Void Dragon?!"

Lei Zunzhe's voice was tinged with surprise and uncertainty, tinged with seriousness. He first glanced at Zi Yan, who was releasing her dragon's might, then turned to Lu Yu with a complicated expression: "Master Lu, this..."

“Zi Yan is my friend. If the Pavilion Master intends to harm her, please forgive my rudeness.”

Lu Yu's expression remained unchanged. He took a step forward, and the golden pagoda flames around him suddenly surged. The scorching fire waves churned within the treasure vault, instantly raising the surrounding temperature several times over.

As he spoke, he made a grasping motion with his right hand, and a golden longsword formed from the Floating Pagoda Flame took shape. Wherever the sword's edge pointed, even space itself distorted slightly.

At the same time, with his left hand behind his back, he had secretly formed a hand seal, ready to activate the Floating Pagoda at any time to protect the two women as they left.

The atmosphere inside the treasure vault instantly became tense, on the verge of exploding.

"Master, what are you doing? It's a misunderstanding, a misunderstanding..."

Lei Zun Zhe quickly waved his hand, his face full of smiles.

Offending a half-step eighth-rank alchemist, or even one with the potential to reach the eighth rank, is a price that even the Wind and Thunder Pavilion, one of the four great pavilions of the Central Plains, cannot afford.

Moreover, the power of the pill lightning that Lu Yu unleashed when refining pills a few days ago was clearly visible throughout the entire Fenglei Mountain Range.

If he were to attack Lu Yu and his group today, not only would his reputation as Venerable Lei be ruined throughout the Central Continent, but the Wind and Thunder Pavilion would likely find it difficult to even hire a seventh-grade alchemist in the future.

"I was merely curious when I saw the Ancient Dragon of the Void appear in the world."

As Lei Zun Zhe spoke, he looked at Feng Qing'er with a complicated expression, sighed deeply, and said in a deep voice, "Qing'er, I know that the Heavenly Demon Phoenix and the Ancient Void Dragon are sworn enemies. But could you please not tell the clan about today's events for my sake?"

Feng Qing'er's delicate body trembled slightly, a struggle flashing in her purplish-brown eyes. After a long while, she gently bit her lip and slowly nodded: "Disciple... obeys."

"now it's right!"

Lei Zunzhe clapped his hands and laughed, trying to ease the tension: "It is true that the Ancient Dragon of the Void and the Heavenly Demon Phoenix are sworn enemies, but you two have no personal grudges. You might even be able to become friends. Why make the situation so tense..."

Lu Yu shook his head inwardly upon hearing this. Given the deep-seated animosity between the two races, the possibility was extremely slim.

"Lord Lei."

Lu Yu suddenly interrupted him, changing the subject and asking, "Do you have a way to contact Venerable Feng?"

"The Venerable Wind?"

Lei Zun Zhe was slightly surprised, but still replied, "Our Four Directions Pavilion holds a 'Four Pavilions Heaven' competition every four years, and the Pavilion Masters of the Four Pavilions naturally have ways to contact him. Does the Master have something to discuss with him?"

“Exactly.” Lu Yu nodded and added, “I have important matters to discuss.”

"But what about the other two medicinal herbs that the master needs to collect?"

"Blood Essence Demon Fruit and Evergreen Spirit Vine?"

After a moment's thought, Venerable Lei asked in return.

“Exactly.” Lu Yu nodded again.

Lei Zun Zhe laughed heartily: "This is not difficult. I will send a message to the other three pavilion masters. With the favor of a seventh-grade peak alchemist, I think those three old fellows will have no reason to refuse."

Lu Yu pondered for a moment, then said, "Actually, there is another request. A senior of mine has a long-standing friendship with Venerable Feng, and I hope to pay my respects to Venerable Feng in person. I would appreciate it if you could introduce me to him."

"Oh?"

Upon hearing this, Venerable Lei raised an eyebrow, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes. He thoughtfully examined Lu Yu, his fingertips unconsciously tracing the lightning patterns on his sleeve: "Master, you actually have such a connection with Feng Xian?"

"That's quite a coincidence, but since the master has asked, I will gladly oblige."

"But the Starfall Pavilion is far away in the southern region of Central State. Even if we use the special communication method of my Wind and Thunder Pavilion, it will take some time to get a reply."

He pondered for a moment, then said in a deep voice, "How about this, I will immediately use a secret method to send a message, and I will receive Feng Xian's reply in three days at the earliest and five days at the latest."

Lu Yu's eyes lit up, and he cupped his hands in thanks, saying, "Thank you for your trouble, Pavilion Master."

"It doesn't matter. It doesn't matter."

Lei Zunzhe waved his hand and said with a smile, "I should be thanking the master for this alchemy."

……

A few days later,

At the summit of Leishan Mountain, on a training ground of Fenglei Pavilion.

boom!
A deafening collision resounded through the sky, and two figures, one gold and one purple, passed each other like shooting stars in mid-air.

The golden figure was surrounded by blazing flames, while the purple figure exuded an ancient dragon's might. Every collision between the two stirred up astonishing energy ripples.

"boom!"

After another fierce exchange of blows, the two figures finally separated.

Lu Yu landed heavily on the ground, the bluestone beneath his feet instantly cracking. His golden flame armor shattered upon impact, but as the strange fire within him surged, it quickly reformed, transforming into an even more robust suit of armor, with dazzling golden flames flowing endlessly across it.

On the opposite side stood a stunningly beautiful woman, dressed in a magnificent golden armor, the exquisite dragon and phoenix patterns on the armor gleaming in the sunlight.

Her long, flowing purple hair cascaded down to her waist and hips like a waterfall, making her already slender figure appear even more graceful.

What is most eye-catching are the pair of purple-gold wings that gently flutter behind her. The wingspan is about ten feet, and each flap brings with it a sound like thunder and lightning, with tiny ripples of space faintly visible flowing around the wingtips.

This is Zi Yan after her breakthrough.

At this moment, she was slightly frowning, gently blowing on her slightly reddened, fair fist, and muttering, "Your flames are too domineering..."

Upon hearing this, Lu Yu felt a tingling sensation in his arm and couldn't help but twitch his lips slightly. He couldn't help but think to himself, "After you broke through to the Nine-Star Dou Zong realm, your strength has become astonishing. If I didn't use my strange fire to protect myself, I probably wouldn't even be able to withstand one of your punches..."

Just as he was pondering this, Zi Yan's wings suddenly flapped behind her, and her figure vanished instantly. When she reappeared, she was already hovering above Lu Yu's head, her slender hands transforming into sharp claws, carrying the power to tear through space as she attacked the top of his head.

Lu Yu took a deep breath and traced mysterious trajectories with both hands in front of his chest. Floating Fire surged from his left palm, condensing into a dazzling golden Yang Sword; Ice Soul Flame flowed in his right palm, transforming into a chilling Yin Sword.

"The two elements return to their origin, yin and yang harmonize!" With a clear shout, two fire swords with completely different attributes intertwined in the air. The blazing golden yang sword and the icy blue yin sword entwined with each other, and a dazzling white light burst forth at the point where the sword blades met.

This extreme contrast between ice and fire actually amplifies the power of the sword!

Just as Zi Yan's claw shadow struck, the Yin-Yang Twin Swords suddenly merged. Extreme heat and extreme cold energies erupted at the point of convergence, producing a terrifying annihilation effect.

A tiny black crack was torn open in space, completely swallowing up Zi Yan's attack.

"Boom!"

Amidst the deafening explosion, Zi Yan was forced to retreat more than ten steps, her purple-gold wings flapping rapidly to barely steady herself. To her astonishment, she discovered that her formidable power, which she was so proud of, was temporarily suppressed by the fusion of ice and fire in this sword technique.

Lu Yu did not press his advantage, but instead stared thoughtfully at the twin swords in his hands that were gradually dissipating, muttering to himself, "Among the five kinds of strange fire, the Yin-Yang Returning Origin Sword, formed by the fusion of the Floating Pagoda Fire and the Ice Soul Cold Flame, is the most powerful. It seems that elemental counteraction is not necessarily a bad thing..."

He paused, then sighed softly, "It's just hard to maintain that for long; I need more practice..."

"No more fighting!"

Zi Yan angrily folded her wings and stomped her little foot lightly on the ground, causing the ground within a radius of several feet to tremble.

"You always rely on these strange and unusual flames. If you're so capable, why don't you have a fair and square contest of strength!"

"This is so unfair! They're taking advantage of me because I don't have a different kind of fire..."

But as she spoke, the anger in her eyes gradually faded, replaced by a barely perceptible gentleness. Her memory involuntarily returned to a few days ago—in the treasure vault, when the terrifying pressure of the Thunder Venerable surged like a tidal wave, it was Lu Yu who unhesitatingly stood in front of her.

At that time, he had just broken through to the eighth-star Dou Zong realm, yet he did not retreat an inch in the face of Lei Zunzhe's oppressive aura...

"Hey!"

Zi Yan suddenly looked up, her purple-gold eyes staring straight at Lu Yu, "Next time you encounter an old guy like Lei Zun Zhe, don't be stupid enough to rush forward again."

She turned her face away, her voice gradually lowering, "I...it's not like I can't beat them..."

Lu Yu was slightly taken aback, then chuckled. This little girl was clearly worried about him, but she insisted on saying it in such an awkward way.

But this is the real Zi Yan, the proud and loyal little princess of the Ancient Dragon of Taixu.

"I understand. But now that you know your identity, what are your plans?"

Lu Yu smiled faintly and asked inquiringly.

Zi Yan was taken aback by his words. She subconsciously kicked at the pebbles beside her feet, her voice unusually hesitant: "Plans? I...I haven't thought about it yet..."

She subconsciously touched the small jade bottle hanging at her waist—it contained the pills Lu Yu had given her last time, and she still had two left to take.

Since following this guy, she's been constantly showered with rare and precious herbs and elixirs, and in just two years, she's soared from Dou Wang to the peak of the Nine-Star Dou Zong. Thinking of this, she secretly glanced at Lu Yu's profile before quickly looking away.

"cough……"

Zi Yan suddenly cleared her throat and said casually, "Anyway, I don't know any Taixu Ancient Dragons, and I don't know if those guys recognize me or not... So... so I might as well follow you for now."

Her voice trailed off as she spoke, until it was almost a mumble, "At least the food here is pretty good..."

Looking at the girl in front of him who clearly wanted to stay but insisted on making excuses, Lu Yu's eyes revealed a knowing smile.

He deliberately dragged out the words: "Oh... so our Miss Ziyan is after my elixir..."

"Who, who's got their eye on this!"

Zi Yan instantly bristled, her little face turning bright red. "I'm... I'm just making sure you cultivate properly! So you won't overdo it again next time!" She even waved her little fist as she spoke, but the suspicious red tinge on the tip of her ear completely betrayed her.

Lu Yu smiled and shook his head, then turned and walked out of the training field. "Let's go, Xian'er should have finished cooking. There should be Ganoderma lucidum soup today..."

"Wait for me!"

Zi Yan's eyes lit up, and she hurriedly chased after him, grabbing Lu Yu's sleeve. "Is there my favorite Dragon Blood Lingzhi soup? You said last time you wanted Sister Xian'er to make it!"

"Really? Why don't I remember?"

"Yes, yes!"

"It's obvious you want to drink it..."

As they chatted and laughed, they walked further and further away, the setting sun casting long, long shadows of them...

……

A month and a half later,

East Pavilion of Fenglei Pavilion.

The top of Thunder Mountain.

On the majestic plaza, thousands of disciples of the Wind and Thunder Pavilion stood in neat rows, their robes fluttering in the wind. Everyone held their breath, their eyes fixed intently on the sky, as if awaiting the arrival of some great figure.

Sudden--

"call out!"

A piercing sound tore through the sky, and a silver giant sword, ten zhang long, came hurtling through the air. The sword was wrapped in sharp sword energy, and even the space itself rippled slightly wherever it passed.

The giant sword suddenly stopped in mid-air above the plaza, then transformed into countless silver specks of light, and an old man dressed in coarse linen clothes floated in. He was thin and slightly hunched, looking like an inconspicuous old man among the masses.

Sword Master of the Myriad Swords Pavilion!
The next moment, a sinister, hoarse laugh suddenly rang out, and a jet-black light appeared out of thin air.

"Hahaha, old swordsman, your sword control technique has become increasingly refined!"

Space was forcibly torn apart, and an old man in black robes stepped out into the air. His pale face was marked by two eerie eyes, one black and one white, and he exuded a chilling aura.

Yellow Springs Pavilion, Venerable Yellow Springs!
Just as everyone was astonished, a deafening dragon's roar suddenly echoed from the sky. A blue whirlwind swept in, and an old man in a blue robe floated in.

The old man stood with his hands behind his back, stepping through the air, a warm smile on his face. Even though he was old, one could still see his handsome appearance from his angular features.

Starfall Pavilion, Venerable Wind!
"Where is Old Man Lei?"

The Venerable Yellow Springs glanced around, a hint of impatience flashing in his yin-yang eyes. "Wasn't it him who summoned us here for a meeting? Why..."

Before he finished speaking, the entire Leishan Mountain suddenly shook violently!
"Boom!!!"

A silver lightning pillar, tens of meters in diameter, shot into the sky, piercing the heavens. The violent power of the lightning swept across the entire area, causing giant rocks on the mountaintop to tumble down.

The three Venerable Ones present changed their expressions slightly and began to circulate their battle qi to resist this terrifying pressure.

"Hahaha, old man of the underworld, it's been many years, and your impatience hasn't changed at all!"

Lei Zunzhe stepped out from the pillar of lightning, his feet resting on thunderclouds, revealing the overwhelming aura of a four-star Dou Zun. Silver lightning danced in his hair, his robes fluttered without wind, and every move he made carried a suffocating sense of oppression.

"I've kept you waiting for a long time."

He stood with his hands behind his back, lightning flashing in his eyes, his voice filled with undisguised smugness, "I was just consolidating my four-star Dou Zun realm, so I neglected all of you distinguished guests."

……

(End of this chapter)