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

Chapter 187 Punishment, The Ancient Clan's Invitation
boom!
Gu Qian's expression changed abruptly as he felt an indescribable, scorching force slam into his chest. Before he could even react, he was sent flying like a kite with a broken string, crashing heavily onto the ground dozens of feet away, looking quite disheveled.

He quickly regained his balance and looked at the figure surrounded by three-colored flames, his eyes filled with disbelief and horror.

"Three different flames?! A five-star Dou Zun?! What kind of secret technique is this?!"

Gu Qian gasped in shock, his heart filled with utter astonishment. Even within his ancient clan, with its profound heritage, such a secret technique could only be achieved by activating their clan markings, and it was something no ordinary member could possibly attain.

Seeing that Gu Qian did not seem to be seriously injured, Lu Yu's eyes flashed with a cold light, and he shouted again without hesitation:
"Heaven-Burning Transformation!"

Boom!

An even more violent and intense blood energy erupted from his body, and a layer of illusory blood-red armor suddenly appeared. Then, under the blessing of the Burning Heaven Transformation, it transformed into a more dazzling and solid golden battle armor at a speed visible to the naked eye!

Lava-like patterns flowed slowly across the armor, emanating a terrifying and chilling aura!
The Heaven-Burning Glazed Body has reached the Lesser Completion Golden Armor Realm!
At this moment, with the power of the Heaven-Burning Transformation and the Golden Armor, his physical strength is comparable to that of a mid-level Dou Zun!
"Come again!"

Lu Yu's fighting spirit soared, and he transformed into a golden streak of light, charging towards Gu Qian. His five-star Dou Zun cultivation combined with a physical body comparable to a mid-level Dou Zun gave him the confidence to directly confront a high-level Dou Zun!

Gu Qian's expression was extremely solemn, and he dared not underestimate him in the slightest. He unleashed his powerful battle qi as an eight-star Dou Zun without reservation, and threw a punch. His powerful battle qi condensed into a huge gray handprint, which met the figure wrapped in three-colored strange fire and dazzling golden armor.

boom!
Their fists and palms collided fiercely again, and terrifying energy ripples exploded instantly. Both of them swayed slightly and then staggered back more than ten steps.

Neither side gained an advantage in this exchange of fire.

However, Gu Qian's expression grew increasingly grim. He realized that despite possessing the immense power of an eight-star Dou Zun, he was unable to inflict any real harm on this young man.

The unique energy that combined three different flames was extremely strange. In an instant, it penetrated his battle qi defense and, like a bone-deep infection, burrowed into his meridians, burning wildly and bringing waves of needle-like pain.

Although not fatal, it greatly disrupted the flow of his fighting spirit, leaving him feeling restricted and extremely annoyed.

"interesting."

Lu Yu narrowed his eyes, feeling the surging power within his body and the solidity emanating from the golden armor, his fighting spirit intensified.

With the miraculous effect of the fusion of the three different flames and the defense of the partially completed Burning Heaven Glazed Body, although he was slightly inferior in cultivation, he was already qualified to confront an eight-star Dou Zun head-on.

"Elder Guqian, you have overstepped your bounds!"

Seeing that Gu Qian actually dared to attack Lu Yu, Xun'er, who was watching from the sidelines, was filled with boundless rage.

Her clear eyes instantly turned icy, her sharp gaze piercing Gu Qian like a tangible object, her aura turning cold and sharp with anger.

With a sudden flick of her wrist, an ancient jade slip, inscribed with profound patterns, instantly appeared in her palm. Powerful spatial fluctuations surged from the jade slip, causing the surrounding air to slightly distort. She clenched her fingers, seemingly about to crush the spatial jade slip!

"Xun'er, there's no need."

Just then, Lu Yu's calm voice quietly rang in her ear via telepathy.

"After I broke through to Dou Zun, I haven't had a chance to use my full strength yet. This person is a good opportunity to test my skills."

Xun'er paused slightly, and quietly withdrew the jade slip that had been held in her palm.

She gazed at the figure in the arena who was going head-to-head with an eight-star Dou Zun without being at a disadvantage. A hint of understanding flashed in her beautiful eyes, which then turned into undisguised pride.

“Brother Yu... he really never needs anyone to worry about him.”

She whispered to herself, her initial worry transforming into trust and pride. She nodded slightly, then transmitted her voice to Lu Yu, "Brother Yu, be careful."

Gu Qian was unaware that Lu Yu had used him as a whetstone to test his strength as a Dou Zun.

Seeing that the battle was dragging on without a clear winner, and that he was being subtly suppressed by a junior, he felt ashamed and his anxiety intensified.

Just as he was about to launch another strong attack, he saw a glint of light flash in Lu Yu's eyes. He opened his mouth and spat out a strange, deep thunderous sound that seemed to pierce directly into the soul!
Immediately afterwards, a phantom longsword burning with pitch-black flames materialized out of thin air, carrying a bone-chilling heat and an aura of destruction, and pierced into Gu Qian's brow at a speed that was impossible to detect with the naked eye!
"Netherworld Thunder Sound Sword!"

This bizarre attack, specifically targeting the soul, caused Gu Qian's body to stiffen abruptly, his eyes to lose their light instantly, and he let out a muffled groan of extreme pain!

"The Serpent's Sealing Spell!"

The next moment, taking advantage of the opportunity, Lu Yu formed a hand seal, and a dark green energy snake suddenly roared out from his palm. At the same time, a black pagoda phantom exuding a suppressive aura condensed and appeared behind him!

Countless black runes suddenly shot out and merged into the snake shadow. The next moment, the snake shadow shone brightly, transforming into a ferocious black energy python, carrying a terrifying will to suppress everything. It instantly coiled around Shang Guqian's body, and countless profound runes were imprinted on it!

Gu Qian felt as if his fighting spirit was completely locked down, and his cultivation level was forcibly suppressed from the eight-star Dou Zun level to the six-star level!
Before he could recover from the double blow to his soul and cultivation, Lu Yu's figure swept in like a whirlwind! Fists wrapped in three-colored strange fire rained down on his body and face!
boom! boom! boom!
The dull thuds of blows continued. Despite his high level of cultivation, Gu Qian was powerless against the overwhelming speed and power, forced to endure the blows in a sorry state, his protective aura flickering unpredictably.

A look of madness flashed in his eyes, and the remaining fighting energy within his body surged wildly. He formed hand seals, clearly attempting to unleash some extremely powerful fighting technique to reverse the tide of the battle.

"Still trying to turn the tables?"

Lu Yu snorted coldly, discerning his intentions. The momentum of his punch suddenly changed, transforming into a finger. A finger gust of strange fire, refined to its extreme, struck first, precisely at the point where his battle qi was circulating!
"puff!"

Gu Qian's gathered fighting spirit was instantly shattered, and the backlash surged into his heart. In addition, the heavy punch finally broke through his defense and slammed hard into his face!
He immediately let out a muffled groan, blood spurting from his mouth and nose. He flew backward like a broken sack, crashing heavily to the ground. He struggled for a few moments but couldn't get up.

"You old bastard! I've had my eye on you since Wutan City!" Lu Yu stepped forward, his voice icy.

"Stop acting all high and mighty!"

"Whose hopes are you trying to dash!"

Gu Qian struggled to lift his head, his eyes bloodshot: "You little beast...you..." "Slap!" Lu Yu retaliated with another palm strike imbued with strange fire, slapping him hard across the face and interrupting his words.

"How dare you... I am an elder of the ancient clan..." Gu Qian felt extremely humiliated and tried to struggle.

"Snapped!"

Another, even heavier slap landed, making him dizzy. Lu Yu then pressed forward, his fists, enveloped in strange fire, raining down like drops of water, each punch accompanied by a long-suppressed roar.

Gu Qian initially tried to retaliate with angry words, but each time he opened his mouth, he only suffered a heavier blow, and soon he could only let out painful groans and could no longer speak a complete sentence.

Meanwhile, high in the sky, amidst the clouds, two indistinct figures stood silently, quietly observing everything unfolding below. Their auras were restrained to the extreme, as if they had merged with heaven and earth.

One of the elders had a kind face and clear eyes; he was the more enlightened Tongxuan Elder among the ancient clans. The other had a gloomy face and sharp eyes; he was known as Tongyou Elder and was a supporter of the faction to which Gu Qian belonged.

Both of them were half-saints. They came here for two reasons: first, they sensed that Gu Qian and Gu Xu had left the boundary without permission and needed to bring them back; second, they had also received orders from their clan to examine the young man who had captured Miss Xun'er's heart—Lu Yu.

However, Elder Tongyou's original intention was to support Gu Qian. In his view, a mere outsider Dou Zun was not qualified to accompany the ancient clan's goddess. Moreover, Gu Qian's actions this time had already received the tacit approval of a certain elder in the clan.

If Gu Qian could forcibly bring Xun'er back, he would naturally be happy to see it happen.

However, he never expected that Gu Qian would be so disappointing, being publicly humiliated by a junior and completely losing face.

Seeing the one-sided slaughter below, Elder Tongyou's face turned ashen, and he cursed under his breath, "Useless!"

Elder Tongxuan stroked his beard and smiled, saying, "Tongyou, since Gu Qian is so disappointing, let's proceed according to the elders' decision. Let's give Lu Yu a chance and see if he can seize it."

Tong You snorted coldly, but had nothing to say.

An eight-star Dou Zun was so humiliated by a junior, who was also an eighth-grade alchemist. Even the proud Gu Clan had to admit that this young man had earned their respect.

The next moment, Elder Tongxuan chuckled, took a light step, and his figure disappeared silently into the clouds like a ghost.

Almost at the same instant, on the battlefield below, Lu Yu's fist, burning with three-colored strange fire, was about to fall again when his movement suddenly froze.

An indescribable feeling suddenly gripped him—not from hearing a sound, nor from seeing a figure, but as if the surrounding space, the flowing energy, and even the flames he stirred up with his punch all became stagnant and slowed down at that moment.

He turned his head sharply and saw that less than three feet behind him, an old man in a white robe with a kind face had quietly stood there, smiling at him.

The old man appeared without warning, without causing any spatial fluctuations or energy ripples. Even his spiritual soul failed to detect him beforehand, as if he was meant to be there, integrated with heaven and earth.

"Young friend," the old man said with a smile, his voice gentle yet clear, "you've vented your anger and taught the other person a lesson. Now, the fire in your heart should have subsided a bit, right?"

His gaze swept over the disheveled and exhausted Gu Qian on the ground, a helpless, bitter smile flashing in his eyes. He then looked at the wary Lu Yu, his tone still calm, and said in a conciliatory manner:
"It was indeed Gu Qian who acted rashly first. However, young friend, could you please spare me this matter for the sake of my old face and let it go? I guarantee that nothing like this will ever happen again in the Gu clan."

Upon hearing this, Lu Yu slowly stood up, his expression becoming serious, and cupped his hands in greeting, asking, "May I ask who you are, senior...?"

"I am Tongxuan, one of the elders of the ancient clan. I have come here on behalf of the elders to establish a good relationship with you, young friend."

Upon hearing this, Lu Yu's expression returned to calm. He bowed respectfully to Elder Tongxuan and said, "Junior Lu Yu greets Elder Tongxuan. I hope the elder will forgive my previous rudeness."

Elder Tongxuan smiled slightly and waved his hand, saying, "It's alright. Young people are full of vigor and vitality, especially since Gu Qian was the one who was rude first."

His gaze shifted to Gu Qian, who was struggling to his feet and looking disheveled, and Gu Xu, who was being subtly locked onto by Venerable Tianhuo and Yao Chen. Although his tone remained calm, it carried an undeniable authority: "Gu Qian and Gu Xu, you two have trespassed and attempted to forcibly take Miss away, violating clan rules. You are hereby punished to return to the Ancient Realm and be confined for three hundred years to reflect on your mistakes!"

Gu Qian and Gu Xu's expressions changed abruptly.

Three hundred years may not be fatal for a Dou Zun with a long lifespan, but they are already old and their remaining lifespan is not much. This three hundred years of confinement is tantamount to depriving them of their last moments of freedom, which can be described as torture.

However, under the calm yet imposing gaze of Elder Tongxuan, the two, though extremely unwilling, could only lower their heads with difficulty and reply in a hoarse voice, "...As you command, Elder."

After dealing with the two, Elder Tongxuan looked at Lu Yu again, flipped his hand and took out a jade slip engraved with mysterious runes and exuding an ancient aura, and handed it over: "This is a formal notification jade slip from the Ancient Clan Elders Council."

His expression turned slightly solemn as he continued, "My trip here is also on behalf of the Elders' Council, to offer you, young friend, an opportunity, and also a test."

"Nine years from now, it will be the coming-of-age ceremony for our ancient clan. The elders have specially invited you, young friend, to attend the ceremony."

Elder Tongxuan looked at Lu Yu with profound eyes, "If young friend can reach the Half-Saint realm within nine years..."

He paused, then spoke clearly and forcefully: "My ancient clan will no longer obstruct your relationship with Xun'er, and acknowledges your right to marry her. What do you say? Young friend, do you dare accept this invitation?"

As soon as he said this, all eyes in the room immediately focused on Lu Yu.

Nine years, from a two-star Dou Zun to a half-saint!
This is an almost impossible challenge for ordinary people!
After all, the path to sainthood after reaching the peak of Dou Zun is so difficult that it stumps 99% of the Dou Zun powerhouses in the world. Even someone as powerful as Yao Lao, who once amazed the continent, spent hundreds of years on it and still couldn't achieve it.

Under the watchful eyes of countless people, Lu Yu merely smiled faintly. He reached out and took the heavy jade slip, casually putting it away without even glancing at it, as if he were not taking on a heavy burden, but a trivial matter.

He looked up at Elder Tongxuan, his gaze calm as still water, yet carrying an admirable confidence and serenity:
"Nine years is too long."

"Why wait nine years? Two years from now, I will personally go to the Ancient Realm and marry Xun'er in a grand and glorious manner."

His voice wasn't loud, but it clearly reached everyone's ears. There were no grand pronouncements, but it carried an undeniable certainty, as if the realm of half-saints was not an insurmountable barrier for him, but merely a stepping stone that he would eventually conquer.

At this moment, even Elder Tongxuan's eyes flashed with a hint of barely perceptible surprise.

(End of this chapter)