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

Chapter 175 Entering Tianmu, Xian'er Goes into Seclusion

Under Jin Shi's respectful guidance, the group passed through a dense, towering ancient forest that almost blocked out the sky.

Soon after, an extremely majestic peak, seemingly piercing the clouds, suddenly stood before us, its imposing presence overwhelming us.

"Sect Master Lu, esteemed lords, ahead lies our clan's sacred ground, the main peak of the Tianmu Mountains, Tianmu Mountain."

Jin Shi explained with a tone that was both respectful and proud: "And the Blood Pool of Tianshan is located on its summit."

Zi Yan blinked her big eyes, looked around curiously, and exclaimed in surprise, "This mountain is so tall! It's more magnificent than any of the mountains we've seen before!"

Venerable Tianhuo stroked his beard and nodded: "The mountain is majestic and the energy of heaven and earth is becoming increasingly abundant. It is indeed a treasure land."

When the group arrived at the foot of the mountain, they saw rows of large, robust rats with gleaming golden fur standing on both sides of the treacherous mountain path, bowing their heads respectfully in greeting.

“These are our tribe’s guards,” Jinshi explained. “They are responsible for guarding the mountain path on weekdays.”

Lu Yu nodded slightly, his gaze sweeping over the loyal guards, without saying anything more.

Jin Shi continued to lead the way, bringing the group to the mountainside. There stood a vast, expansive platform, meticulously constructed from neatly arranged giant rocks.

At the far end of one side of the platform, there is an ancient stone staircase that winds its way up to the misty mountaintop. The stone steps are mottled and exude an air of antiquity.

Jin Shi pointed to the platform, his tone filled with emotion, and introduced, "Sect Master Lu, this is the 'Tianshan Platform'. In previous Blood Pool competitions, only the young geniuses from all sides who successfully passed through this place were qualified to step onto these stone steps and go to the Blood Pool at the top of the mountain."

Hei Qing laughed gruffly, "That's quite interesting! Your little clan, guarding such a precious land, still has all the pomp and ceremony you need!"

Jin Shi gave an awkward smile, but dared not refute it.

Continuing onward, through the swirling clouds and mist, the group finally reached the summit of Tianmu Mountain. The sight before them left everyone in awe.

A massive volcanic crater came into view, surrounded by jagged rocks and a precipitous terrain. Inside the crater, a dense, multicolored energy, almost tangible, shimmered and shone brilliantly.

"What peculiar energy!"

The Fairy Doctor's beautiful eyes lit up, and she couldn't help but exclaim in amazement, "It can contain so many different types of energy at the same time, yet they are perfectly integrated."

The most eye-catching feature is undoubtedly the very center of the crater—a pool of vibrant red water, as if boiling blood, gently rippling and radiating immense energy.

"Sect Master Lu, look."

Jin Shi pointed to the blood pool, his voice filled with awe, and explained, "That is the Heavenly Mountain Blood Pool, the place that our clan has guarded for generations."

Lu Yu stared at the blood pool, a glint of light flashing in his eyes, and said calmly, "Indeed extraordinary, with vast and pure energy. However, if I am not mistaken, although the energy in this blood pool is abundant, after years of accumulation, it should contain a considerable amount of rather domineering fire poison, right?"

Upon hearing this, Jin Shi's face immediately showed a bitter expression, and he sighed in admiration, "Sect Master's insight is truly remarkable! Indeed... Alas, to be honest, Sect Master, this fire poison is extremely difficult to neutralize. After years of erosion, even I..."

He didn't finish his sentence, but a barely perceptible hint of gloom was clearly visible between his brows.

Lu Yu's gaze swept over Jin Shi, and with a slight probe of his powerful soul force, he clearly sensed that the fire poison in his body was deeply stagnant, not only stubbornly eroding his meridians, but also subtly shaking the foundation of his cultivation.

He didn't say much, but with a flick of his finger, a wisp of pure, golden-yellow Floating Pagoda Fire silently entered Jin Shi's body.

Jin Shi's body trembled violently. He felt a gentle yet domineering power flow through his limbs and bones. The Tianshan Fire Poison that had plagued him for years and caused him so much pain melted away as quickly as ice and snow meeting the sun!
A moment later, the burning pain from the fire poison completely disappeared, and he felt a sense of lightness throughout his body. A feeling of complete comfort that he had never experienced in many years welled up in his heart, and even his long-dormant fighting spirit seemed to become active again.

He was so excited that he could hardly contain himself and immediately began to bow deeply in worship, his voice choked with emotion: "Thank you so much, Lord Pavilion Master, for resolving this calamity! This kindness... this kindness is like being given a second life. My Gold-Eating Rat clan is eternally grateful!"

Lu Yu gently waved his hand, and a gentle yet irresistible force supported him, preventing him from bowing down.

"It's just a little bit of fire poison, nothing more than a small favor. There's no need for such a grand gesture."

"Now that you have led your clan to submit to me, I will naturally not stand idly by and watch my people suffer like this. Go down and take good care of yourself, stabilize your cultivation, and then serve my Spirit Treasure Pavilion with peace of mind."

Upon hearing this, Jin Shi repeatedly and respectfully agreed, bowing and thanking him before bowing and withdrawing.

After he left, Lu Yu turned to Venerable Tianhuo beside him and said, "Elder Yao, we still need your help in setting up the mountain-protecting spirit array. This array needs to be able to gather the energy of heaven and earth and provide comprehensive protection so that we can establish a foothold here."

Venerable Tianhuo stroked his beard and nodded, replying heartily, "Don't worry, Pavilion Master, leave this matter to me."

Having said that, Venerable Tianhuo vanished in a flash, heading straight to survey the earth's veins and begin setting up a massive spirit array that would cover the entire Tianmu Mountain. Meanwhile, Zi Yan, unable to contain her curiosity any longer, cheered, "Lu Yu, I'm going to find treasure!"

Before she finished speaking, she transformed into a lithe purple light and excitedly darted into the depths of the mountains to search for the rare and precious materials nourished by the energy of heaven and earth.

Seeing this, Hei Qing shook his head helplessly, but his huge body took off without hesitation and followed closely behind, taking on the responsibility of guarding.

After everyone had left, Lu Yu turned his head to look at the elegant and aloof Little Fairy Doctor beside him, a gentle smile playing on his lips, and extended his hand, saying:
"Xian'er, although this blood pool is located in the crater of a volcano and its energy is intense, it contains an extremely large amount of Heavenly Mountain Fire Poison deep within. This substance may be a deadly poison to others, but for your afflicted poison body, it is a rare and highly nourishing substance. Would you like to come down with me to find out more?"

Little Fairy Doctor smiled gently and gracefully placed her slender hand into Lu Yu's palm.

Lu Yu scooped her lithe body up in his arms and then plunged into the pool of bright red blood without hesitation.

The moment they entered the blood pool, an intensely pure energy, so dense it was suffocating, enveloped them from all directions. With a slight thought, Lu Yu's golden Floating Pagoda Flame surged from his body, swirling around the two of them and gently isolating them from the viscous, blood-red liquid.

He didn't rush to absorb the energy. After sensing it briefly, he whispered to the little fairy doctor in his arms, "Although the energy here is quite pure, the amount of fire poison is far from enough for you. Let's go down and explore the depths of the pool."

After saying that, he moved and swam straight into the deeper part of the blood pool with Little Fairy Doctor in his arms.

The liquid in the pool was unusually viscous, resembling real blood, greatly obstructing vision and movement; even an ordinary Dou Zong would likely find it difficult to move an inch here. But this resistance posed no obstacle to Lu Yu.

In just a few minutes, they had already reached the bottom of the pool.

The ground here is covered with pits and depressions of varying sizes, resembling a honeycomb. From these pits, large amounts of gray smoke constantly bubble up, filled with a chilling gray fire poison that is both foul-smelling and scorching hot.

At this moment, the viscosity of the surrounding crimson energy had reached a terrifying level, and it was mixed with countless dense dark gray light spots. Each light spot faintly emitted an aura of extreme violence and corrosiveness—that was the essence of the Tianshan Fire Poison that had been precipitated and compressed for countless years.

"Such potent fire poison; even an ordinary seven-star Dou Zong wouldn't be able to withstand it, but it's perfect for me..."

Upon seeing this, Little Fairy Doctor's eyes lit up, and she said with some delight.

Upon hearing this, Lu Yu nodded, a slight smile playing on his lips, and said, "It's good that it's useful. If you can absorb all the accumulated fire poison here, it will not only greatly benefit your cultivation, but the energy in this blood pool will also become purer and more peaceful after the impurities are removed, perhaps creating a more suitable blessed land for cultivation."

His gaze swept over the surrounding gray poisonous mist, and he continued, "This is a win-win situation for both you and Lingbao Pavilion. You can absorb the poison here in peace, and I will protect you outside."

Upon hearing this, Little Fairy Doctor nodded slightly, without the slightest hesitation. Her slender hands swiftly formed a profound hand seal, and the Great Floating Pagoda Technique quietly began to operate.

In an instant, the dark gray fire poison that permeated the surroundings seemed to be drawn by an invisible force, transforming into visible streams of gray energy that continuously flowed into her body. With the infusion of this immense fire poison, her aura became increasingly solid and profound at a visible speed.

Seeing that Little Fairy Doctor had completely entered a meditative state, Lu Yu quietly got up and walked out of the blood pool.

He didn't go far, but found a rocky platform near the blood pool with extremely abundant energy. With a wave of his sleeve, countless spiritual seals shot out, merging into the surrounding world to form an extremely profound array.

"rise!"

With a low shout, a small spirit-gathering array was instantly activated, humming and frantically drawing energy from the surrounding world. Dense energy rapidly converged, forming a hazy, almost tangible mist that completely enveloped his figure.

Immediately, Lu Yu sat cross-legged in the center of the formation, slowly closed his eyes, and completely immersed his mind in his body, beginning his secluded cultivation.

half a month later.

Lu Yu awoke from his deep meditation, slowly opening his eyes, a fleeting glint of light flashing within them. He sensed the increasing battle qi within his body, and a thought stirred within him:

"Although the energy concentration in the Tianmu Mountains is far less than that in the inner region of the Pill Tower, it is comparable to that in the outer region. If you cultivate here and combine it with this level-five spirit-gathering array, you can roughly increase your cultivation level by one star in about three months."

"If I cultivate diligently step by step, it should take me about two years to reach the peak of Dou Zun..."

"However, this speed is still too slow."

"Fortunately... I have a cheat code!"

Immediately, a thought struck him, and a pale blue light screen slowly opened before his eyes, emanating a familiar aura.

"Come on, emulator, start it!"

The next moment, the pale blue light screen began to change.

(End of this chapter)