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

Chapter 202 King’s Arrival!

Yunshan frowned slightly, but his tone remained calm: "It is not that our sect is being negligent. The original plan was not to be so rushed. Launching a major war suddenly will inevitably cause backlash from all sides, and the plan is also prone to errors."

"Hmph, the plan has changed!"

The voice from within the black mist sneered, "The order came directly from the Celestial Venerable! The Northwest Branch Hall is tripled the number of soul bodies to be submitted this year. If you fail to submit the required amount on time, the consequences... you should know very well."

"Why has the number suddenly increased so much?" A hint of doubt and seriousness flashed in Yunshan's eyes.

"Hmph, isn't this all because of the trouble caused in Zhongzhou!"

The figure in the black mist spoke with anger, "It is said that a branch hall has been secretly keeping the souls of two eighth-grade alchemists, and has not handed them over, attempting to embezzle them."

"This matter has alarmed the higher-ups. Several Celestial Venerables were furious and ordered a thorough investigation of all branch halls. The result... Hmph, they found that there were more branch halls harboring soul bodies than they had imagined!"

It paused, then continued, "In their anger, the Celestial Venerables ordered a comprehensive increase in the number of souls collected, as a warning to others and to make up for the deficit. Our Northwest Branch is no exception, and Lord Demon Rain has personally come to oversee this matter. Therefore, you must speed things up and spare no effort to collect enough souls!"

Upon hearing this, a look of understanding flashed across Yunshan's eyes, which was then replaced by deep solemnity. He remained silent for a moment before slowly saying, "This sect understands. Since it is the Heavenly Venerable's order, Yunlan Sect will naturally do its utmost."

The figure in the black mist swayed slightly, seemingly satisfied with the answer, before slowly merging into the shadows and disappearing, leaving only the increasingly cold air in the hall and the eerie light flickering in Yunshan's eyes.

----------------------

Deep within the Yunlan Sect, in a secluded hall.

The soft lamplight swayed gently in the breeze, casting a pale yellow glow that barely dispelled the chill that permeated the hall.

Yun Yun walked heavily into the hall and slumped weakly onto the prayer mat. Her once dignified and noble face was now shrouded in an indelible sadness.

"Married to Furukawa?"

Just recalling Yunshan's words to her sent a chill down Yunyun's spine. Now, driven by his unrealistic ambitions, where was there even a trace of the kind and benevolent master she remembered?
Recalling all the difficulties and obstacles she had encountered since taking over as sect leader, she unconsciously clenched her fair hands, a deep sense of confusion appearing in her eyes.

In this seemingly endless moment of gloom, a figure suddenly appeared in her mind—the boy who descended upon her like a ray of light when she was poisoned and at her most vulnerable and helpless.

She didn't even know his name, only remembering his clear and determined eyes... That brief encounter became one of the few warm memories she had in recent years.

But now, all of this has turned into an unattainable dream.

Yun Yun's lips curved into a very faint, bitter smile, and she let out a barely audible sigh.

Having been raised by the sect since childhood, she is now to be married off to Gu He by her master. She cannot disobey her master's orders, and she fears that she will never see him again in this life.

----------------------

After a few days,

The Sky-Supporting Mountains are thousands of miles away from the Black Corner Region.

In the central square of Tianya City, a huge black spatial vortex with a diameter of about ten zhang was slowly rotating. Dense spatial power was constantly overflowing from it, forming visible twisting ripples around it and emitting a heart-palpitating fluctuation.

Suddenly, the rotating spatial wormhole shone brightly, and violent spatial fluctuations spread out like ripples. Immediately afterwards, several figures stepped out from the deep passage.

Leading the group was Lu Yu, dressed in a black robe. Behind him, Hei Qing's massive, towering body exuded a wild aura. Zi Yan's bright eyes curiously surveyed their surroundings, while Hai Bodong's expression was cold and his gaze sharp as lightning.

Further back were several solemn-looking, surging fighting spirit elders of the Lingbao Pavilion.

The moment this group appeared, an immense and vast aura spread out without reservation, like an invisible boulder thrown into a calm lake, instantly causing a huge commotion in the entire square!
"What a terrifying aura!"

"Who exactly are these people? They've actually made my battle qi flow sluggishly!"

"A Dou Zun! Definitely a Dou Zun expert! And not just one! When did so many Dou Zun experts appear in the Northwest Continent?"

Exclamations and whispers erupted instantly. Pedestrians in the square, and even the guards protecting the wormhole, all showed expressions of horror and awe, instinctively stepping back to make way for a large open space.

In this Northwest Continent, Dou Zong is already a powerful force, and Dou Zun is a legendary existence. The appearance of several of them at once is an unprecedented shock.

However, Lu Yu and the others seemed oblivious to the commotion around them. Lu Yu gazed towards the direction of the Black Corner Region, his tone calm yet undeniable: "Go directly to the Black Corner Region, Demon Flame Valley."

As soon as the words fell, several figures soared into the air again, tearing through space and rushing towards the Black Corner Region, leaving behind a group of people on the square who had not yet recovered from their shock.

Soon after,

In the Black Corner Region, at the former site of Demon Flame Valley, a massive, invisible array rose from the ground, like a slumbering ancient beast, constantly absorbing the energy of heaven and earth within a radius of hundreds of miles, emitting a chilling fluctuation.

A startling phenomenon appeared in the sky—three illusory golden suns, almost tangible, hung in a triangular formation, gathering all the sunlight and condensing it into three dazzling pillars of light that firmly protected the entire valley, radiating an awe-inspiring power that dared not be looked at directly. Just then, without warning, a huge rift was torn open in the space in front of the formation, and several figures stepped out.

Leading the group was Lu Yu, and the overwhelming aura emanating from them instantly alerted the guards of the formation.

"Enemy attack?! Be on alert!" the guard captain shouted, and the array suddenly lit up.

However, when he saw the leader stepping out from the spatial rift, the tension on his face instantly turned into unbelievable ecstasy!

"It's the Pavilion Master! Pavilion Master Lu is back! Quick! Open the array gate!"

The guards reacted instantly, their voices trembling with excitement, and they hurriedly manipulated the formation. The invisible light curtain that enveloped the valley quickly rippled open, revealing a passageway.

Lu Yu and his entourage entered slowly, and the captain of the guards immediately stepped forward, knelt on one knee, and bowed respectfully: "Welcome, Pavilion Master!"

Lu Yu nodded slightly, his gaze sweeping over the well-functioning array, before asking in a deep voice, "Where is Centipede Cliff?"

An elder at the peak of the Douhuang level rushed over upon hearing the news and stepped forward, his face also filled with excitement and awe. He bowed and said, "Reporting to the Pavilion Master, Lord Wuya is seriously injured and is recuperating in the quiet room. I will guide you."

"Lead the way," Lu Yu said succinctly.

Led by the Douhuang elder, the group quickly headed deeper into the valley.

The atmosphere was heavy in a heavily guarded quiet room deep within the base.

Lu Yu and his group approached the bedside, their gazes falling on Wu Ya. His face was deathly pale, his breath extremely weak, and his body was entangled in strands of dark energy, these eerie energies constantly eroding his life force.

His injuries were clearly extremely serious; if he hadn't relied on the powerful fighting spirit of a Dou Zong expert to sustain himself, he would probably have already perished.

"Sect Master..." Sensing the movement, Wuya opened his eyes with difficulty. Seeing that it was Lu Yu, a trace of excitement and guilt flashed in his eyes. He struggled to get up.

"Do not move."

Lu Yu's expression darkened slightly. He stepped forward and gently placed his palm on Wu Ya's chest. The pure, purple-gold Floating Pagoda Battle Qi slowly flowed into his body. The stubborn, entangled, and life-eroding dark energy, under the impact of this power, melted away as quickly as ice and snow meeting the sun.

In a short while, the deathly pallor on Wuya's face gradually faded. Although he was still weak, his life was no longer in danger.

Lu Yu withdrew his hand, a cold glint flashing in his eyes, and said in a cold voice, "This kind of sinister and vicious power is definitely not something the Yunlan Sect can possess. It seems that something hiding in the shadows can no longer hold back."

He turned to Hai Bodong behind him and instructed, "Elder Hai, you and the other elders stay here and strengthen the defenses. No one is allowed to leave without my order."

"Leave it to me." Hai Bodong solemnly accepted the order, his body radiating a chilling aura of battle.

Immediately, Lu Yu's gaze fell on Hei Qing, who was brimming with fighting spirit, and Zi Yan, who was eager to try, beside him.

“Senior Hei Qing, Zi Yan.” His voice was calm but contained a chilling killing intent. “Come with me.”

"Where?"

Hei Qing grinned, clenched his fist, which was as big as a bowl, and his knuckles made a crisp sound.

"Yunlan Sect."

Lu Yu uttered three words calmly, and with a wave of his hand, a huge, dark rift was torn open in the space beside him once again.

"Since they dare to take action, there is no need for them to continue existing."

As soon as the words were spoken, the temperature in the quiet room seemed to drop suddenly, and an invisible chill seeped into everyone's hearts.

While everyone was still reeling from the shock of the chilling killing intent, Wu Ya, who was lying on the couch, forced himself to sit up halfway, bowed in the direction Lu Yu had left, and said in a hoarse but extremely respectful voice:

"This old man respectfully bids farewell to the Pavilion Master on his triumphant return!"

This shout immediately startled everyone present. Hai Bodong and the elders quickly came to their senses, bowed, clasped their hands, and shouted in unison:
"Respectfully bidding farewell to the Pavilion Master! May the Pavilion Master return in triumph!"

The unified sound echoed in the quiet room, filled with awe and anticipation.

Lu Yu did not stop walking. He simply turned his back to the crowd, nodded almost imperceptibly, and then stepped into the dark spatial rift.

Hei Qing and Zi Yan followed closely behind, and the three figures instantly disappeared into the distorted void.

The cracks slowly closed, and the quiet room returned to calm, with only the lingering fighting spirit remaining.

(End of this chapter)