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

Chapter 179 Burning Heaven Blood Armor, Two-Star Dou Zun!

A few days later,

As dawn broke, clouds and mist swirled around the summit of Tianmu Mountain. Lu Yu sat cross-legged before the Azure Phoenix Cauldron, having already thoroughly understood the medicinal properties of all the herbs needed for this alchemy.

With a slight thought, a strange fire rose from his palm, transforming into a leaping golden flame that gracefully landed in the cauldron. The Azure Phoenix Cauldron instantly became translucent, its radiance flowing, emitting a scorching aura.

"Dragon bone, Heavenly Lingzhi, Dragon Blood Grass..."

Lu Yu silently recited the names of the medicinal herbs in his mind and steadily added them one by one.

The spine of a thousand-year-old dragon was the first to enter the furnace, emitting a low hum as it was enveloped in the strange fire; then the powder of the Heavenly Spirit Mushroom fell, its bright white light sparkling like stars; the Dragon Blood Grass and several other seventh-order spiritual herbs followed closely behind, disappearing into the blazing medicine cauldron.

The medicinal properties gradually blended under the tempering of the strange fire, transforming into a pool of crystal-clear liquid that slowly swirled within the cauldron. A hazy glow filled the air, a unique fragrance permeated the atmosphere, and the entire mountaintop was enveloped in a strange energy fluctuation.

Lu Yu closed his eyes slightly, his mind immersing himself in the medicine cauldron, precisely controlling the changes in the heat.

Three days passed, and the medicinal liquid inside the cauldron became increasingly pure, its color gradually turning into a brilliant golden-red. Lu Yu occasionally cast spells to guide the medicinal power to perfectly blend together.

On the seventh day, the medicine cauldron suddenly trembled slightly, and dazzling light shone through the cracks in the lid.

Just then, the sky suddenly changed. Thick dark clouds gathered from all directions, lightning flashed in the clouds, and three-colored lightning intertwined and swirled, suddenly descending on the top of Tianmu Mountain!
Lei Zun Zhe, who was standing guard to the side, looked solemn and couldn't help but mutter, "The momentum of this Dan Lei... is stronger than expected."

The Sword Master nodded silently, his right hand unconsciously resting on the hilt of his sword, a faint sword aura emanating from his body, as if facing a formidable enemy.

Suddenly, a blinding bolt of lightning cleaved through the clouds and struck the medicine cauldron!
Lu Yu opened his eyes, golden flames igniting in his pupils. Without hesitation, he activated the Nine Heavens Lightning Summoning Technique, drawing the violent lightning power towards himself.

The first lightning bolt entered his body, causing him to tremble violently. The golden pagoda flames flickered wildly, and his clothes were instantly charred black. Countless lightning snakes burrowed into his meridians, scraping his bones like a thousand blades, causing the veins on his forehead to bulge, yet he still gritted his teeth and circulated his cultivation technique.

Sword Venerable took a half step forward upon seeing this, but Thunder Venerable pressed him down again: "No! The master said this is his cultivation method!"

The second wave of tribulation lightning followed immediately, this time with two bolts striking simultaneously. Lightning pierced his body, and a trickle of blood escaped from the corner of Lu Yu's mouth. The azure light surrounding him flickered. Looking inward, he saw the power of the lightning tearing through his flesh, yet new skin was being regenerated under the nourishment of his abundant blood and qi. He could faintly hear the resounding thud of his own heartbeat.

“Almost there…” A glint flashed in Lu Yu’s eyes.

The third wave of lightning struck down with even greater power than before, engulfing the entire mountaintop in its light. Lu Yu let out a long roar and actually went to meet the lightning head-on.

In a flash of golden light, his skin was torn and bleeding, yet new, crystalline flesh rapidly regenerated amidst the lightning and fire. Every inch of his flesh seemed to be tempered in a furnace, the extreme pain containing a transformative metamorphosis.

Thunder Venerable and Sword Venerable held their breath, watching Lu Yu being repelled time and time again by lightning, yet he stepped forward to meet it again and again. They were both shocked and filled with respect.

After a long while, the thunder subsided and the dark clouds dispersed.

Lu Yu slowly opened his eyes, golden light swirling within them. He clenched his fist slightly, feeling the power surging within him, his blood and qi flowing like a long river, his bones and muscles resonating, producing a clear sound like the clash of gold and jade.

Even more astonishingly, a layer of solid, blazing crimson armor spontaneously materialized as his blood and qi circulated, enveloping his entire body. The armor radiated a powerful, terrifying aura, emanating from it!

This is the sign that the Burning Heaven Glazed Body has entered the fourth realm, the "Burning Heaven Realm"!

This armor of qi and blood is not only indestructible, greatly enhancing defense, but it can also be activated at will, adding strength to his punches and kicks. Now, with his physical strength alone, he is already comparable to a Dou Zun powerhouse!

"I've finally entered the Burning Heaven Realm."

A thoughtful look flashed in Lu Yu's eyes as he thought to himself, "According to the description of the Burning Heaven Glazed Body, the entry level is Blood Condensation Armor, the minor completion level is Gold Transformation Armor, and the major completion level is Glazed Armor. Now that I have just completed the Blood Armor, I should be able to face off against a low-level Dou Zun with my physical body alone."

"As for their exact comparable level to a Dou Zun, that still needs to be verified in actual combat. These Dou Zun old monsters are all beings who have lived for hundreds of years, with profound foundations and countless cultivation techniques. There's no guarantee that some of them specialize in body-cultivating techniques. Killing them will be no easy task..."

As Lu Yu's thoughts raced, a sense of感慨 arose in his heart.

He vaguely remembered that in his previous life, after Yan Di became a Dou Zun, he used the Heavenly Fire Three Transformations to only advance from a one-star Dou Zun to a three-star Dou Zun. In the end, he was able to defeat the five-star Dou Zun Old Ghost Zhai Xing by relying on the Heavenly Rank Dou Technique Great Heaven Creation Palm.

This shows just how difficult it is to completely kill a Dou Zun powerhouse.

Defeating them might not be difficult, but to completely annihilate them would be extremely difficult unless one's strength reaches a level of absolute dominance.

Calming his mind, Lu Yu flipped his hand, and a pill the size of a longan, surrounded by three-colored patterns, appeared in his palm. The rich medicinal fragrance instantly filled the air, invigorating everyone.

He handed it to the Sword Venerable who was protecting him, and said calmly, "I have not failed in my mission. This pill is complete."

Upon seeing this, Sword Venerable's eyes flashed with barely concealed excitement and joy. He took a deep breath, solemnly accepted the pill, and said in a deep voice, "Thank you very much, Master Lu, for your great help! With the help of this pill, my breakthrough to the four-star Dou Zun is just around the corner! I will remember this kindness forever!"

"Sword Master, you flatter me."

Lu Yu waved his hand and said calmly, "This is something I promised to do, to repay a previous favor. It's not a matter of gratitude."

"Master Lu is too modest."

Sword Venerable's expression turned serious, and he insisted, "How precious is an eighth-grade pill that can help me break through my bottleneck? It cannot be compared to an ordinary favor. I, Sword Venerable, will definitely repay this favor in another way."

Seeing his insistence, Lu Yu knew that this Sword Master was stubborn and that further refusing would only create distance, so he smiled helplessly and said no more.

Seeing this, Thunder Venerable stepped forward with a loud laugh and grabbed Sword Venerable's arm: "Alright, alright, what are you two still being so polite about! Old man, you've obtained such an opportunity and are about to break through. It just so happens that I also broke through not long ago. Come, come, have a good spar with me!"

Without saying another word, he grabbed the Sword Venerable, whose expression had suddenly changed, and headed towards the training ground in the distance.

"Shameless! You're already a four-star Dou Zun, and I'm only three. What kind of sparring is this? If you're so capable, wait until I break through..."

As the Sword Master was being pulled along, he couldn't help but mutter in a low voice, his tone full of helplessness.

Upon seeing this, Lu Yu raised an eyebrow slightly, then shook his head and chuckled.

With the Sword Venerable obtaining Hei Qing's high-level Earth-rank body-refining technique, coupled with the pills he refined, his breakthrough this time is practically guaranteed.

Lei Zun Zhe probably saw something, which is why he used the guise of sparring to deepen their friendship.

Looking at the Four Directions Pavilion now, apart from that Venerable Yellow Springs, it probably won't be long before the other pavilion masters are all mid-level Dou Zun level experts...

Just then, seeing that Lu Yu had finished refining the pills, Little Fairy Doctor pulled Zi Yan forward.

"What's wrong?" Lu Yu asked upon seeing this.

Zi Yan took out the Phoenix Blood Flame Crystal from before and handed it to Lu Yu, pouting as she said, "Lu Yu, please take a look at this for me! It's so hard, even Uncle Hei can't handle it, I can't absorb it at all, can you help me refine it?"

Hei Qing, who had followed along, crossed his arms and added in a gruff voice, "This crystal is exceptionally hard. If I were to forcibly crush it, I'm afraid I wouldn't be able to control my strength and might damage the wisp of ancient phoenix essence blood sealed within it, which would be such a pity."

Lu Yu took the crystal, which was warm to the touch yet subtly hot, and nodded, saying, "Leave it to me."

A brilliant golden flame rose again from his palm, coiling around the Phoenix Blood Flame Crystal like a living thing, completely enveloping it.

The intense heat caused the surrounding air to distort slightly, yet the crimson crystal remained unmoved under the continuous scorching of the pagoda fire, its surface shimmering with light, showing no sign of melting whatsoever.

Lu Yu was slightly taken aback, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes. With a thought, the golden flames in his palm suddenly surged, the flames danced wildly, and the temperature soared.

Even so, the crimson ore remained suspended quietly in the flames, its entire body crystalline, radiating a scorching yet stable energy fluctuation, showing no signs of softening.

"Indeed troublesome..."

He frowned, his expression turning serious. The next moment, with a thought, his aura changed, and golden Floating Pagoda Flame, blue Ice Soul Frost Flame, and cyan Earth Core Flame emerged from his body one after another.

Lu Yu swiftly formed a profound hand seal and uttered a low shout: "Merge!"

The three-colored flames seemed to be drawn by an invisible force, no longer repelling each other, but slowly approaching, intertwining, and finally beginning to merge in a strange way. A terrifying energy fluctuation far exceeding the previous one suddenly spread out, even causing the surrounding space to tremble.

It is the secret technique of spirit fusion!

"Three kinds of strange fire..." Upon seeing this, Hei Qing's eyes flashed with surprise.

Little Fairy Doctor and Zi Yan, however, seemed to have already gotten used to it.

Amidst the raging flames, Lu Yu flicked his finger, and the fused strange fire completely enveloped the Phoenix Blood Flame Crystal.

This time, the crimson ore finally began to change. Under the continuous burning of extreme high temperature, it gradually softened and eventually separated into two clumps of essence: one was a blood bead that was deep red and exuded ancient pressure, and the other was a crimson flame that burned fiercely and contained the power of the earth.

“Success.” Lu Yu floated the two items in his palm.

Zi Yan's eyes lit up, and she grabbed the drop of eighth-tier Heavenly Phoenix essence blood that emanated a powerful aura, beaming with joy: "Great! This will be extremely useful to me! As for this ball of Earth Core Molten Essence..."

She tilted her head and looked at it. "You can have it. I don't need it anyway. I need to go into seclusion to absorb this drop of essence blood. I'm off!"

Before she finished speaking, she had already transformed into a purple shadow and disappeared from the mountaintop.

Hei Qing looked in the direction Zi Yan had left, shook his head helplessly, then turned to Lu Yu and said in a deep voice, "Thank you very much this time, young friend Lu. Your fire control technique is indeed extraordinary."

He paused briefly, his gaze sweeping over Lu Yu, as if sensing the restrained yet powerful energy within him. He then said, "Moreover, the body-refining technique you cultivate is quite extraordinary, with a solid foundation and abundant energy. If you have some free time in the future, you might as well come and spar with me. It's been a long time since I've really exercised my body."

Upon hearing this, Lu Yu thought of the terrifying physical strength of the Ancient Dragon Clan and couldn't help but smile awkwardly. He quickly declined, saying, "Senior Hei Qing, you flatter me. How dare I show off my meager body-refining skills in front of you? I'm afraid I can't even withstand one-tenth of your strength. Let's skip this 'practice'."

Upon hearing this, Hei Qing burst into laughter, his voice booming like thunder. He forcefully patted Lu Yu's shoulder and said, "You little rascal, you're quite the slippery one! Fine, fine, I won't force you. Come find me anytime you feel the urge to get back to me!"

His large, fan-like hand slammed down, carrying a chillingly heavy force even without using any fighting spirit.

Even though Lu Yu had already broken through to the Burning Heaven Realm, he felt a slight weight on his shoulders, which strengthened his resolve not to easily "spar" with this humanoid dragon.

After Hei Qing left, Lu Yu's gaze fell on the still blazing "Essence of Earth's Core Molten Fire" in the air.

With a flick of his hand, the crimson flame drifted over and hovered above his palm.

The moment they came into contact, the immense earth fire energy contained within the flames caused the Earth Core Flame within his body to stir with excitement.

"Don't worry, it's all yours, no one will take it from you."

After calming down the Earth Core Flame within his body, Lu Yu didn't linger any longer. He nodded slightly to Little Fairy Doctor, then flashed away to find a secluded stone chamber to begin his secluded cultivation.

—————————————————————

Inside the stone chamber, Lu Yu sat cross-legged in meditation.

With a flick of his sleeve, the azure Earth Core Flame instantly appeared, transforming into a lifelike azure fire dragon. It let out a deep roar and pounced towards the crimson Earth Core Molten Essence floating in mid-air.

The moment the two came into contact, it was like dry wood meeting a raging fire, instantly unleashing an astonishing energy surge.

The Earth Core Flame greedily devoured the essence of the earth fire, which was of the same origin but much purer and more powerful. The temperature of the entire stone chamber rose sharply, and the walls were scorched red. Lu Yu's figure was completely engulfed by the surging blue and red flames.

This process of absorption lasted for three full days.

When the last trace of earth fire essence was completely fused, the Earth Core Flame suddenly trembled violently. The original blue flame suddenly surged, its color becoming even deeper, and the pressure it emitted underwent a qualitative leap. The scorching and violent energy almost broke the stone chamber!

Having absorbed the essence of the molten earth's core, the Earth Core Flame has broken through its own bottleneck and become a "Dou Zun-level Strange Flame" capable of threatening even Dou Zun powerhouses!
As for the advancement of the strange fire, its owner, Lu Yu, was naturally the biggest beneficiary.

As the Earth Core Flame transformed into a stream of light and entered his body, an incomparably pure and vast energy instantly surged out, like a torrent bursting through a dam, wildly flowing into his limbs and bones.

Under the infusion of this power, Lu Yu's aura, which was already close to the peak of a one-star Dou Zun, began to surge wildly. His meridians were further widened, and the Dou Qi in his dantian boiled, condensed, and surged at an unprecedented speed.

"Crack!"

As if some kind of barrier had been broken, an aura several times stronger than before swept out from his body, violently impacting the defensive barrier of the stone chamber and causing it to emit a series of buzzing sounds.

Lu Yu slowly opened his eyes, a flash of azure flame seemingly appearing and disappearing within them. He carefully sensed the powerful battle qi surging within his body like a mighty river, and a satisfied smile involuntarily appeared on his lips.

Two-star Dou Zun, done!
(End of this chapter)