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

Chapter 227 The Fire Spirit Appears, Seven Fires Unite, and the Divine Artifact Floating Pagoda is Formed!

The purple dragon hovered in the void, and Lu Yu stood in front of its massive head, his figure barely larger than a single dragon scale.

The dragon's scales were covered with spiderweb-like black lines, which intertwined to form mysterious runes, like a giant net that firmly sealed the Three Thousand Burning Flames.

"Is this the seal that Aunt Xuan and the others set up?"

A look of surprise flashed in Lu Yu's eyes. Then, with a slight thought, a purple-gold dragon seal appeared in his palm, bursting out with dazzling light.

The fire dragon's pupils suddenly widened, and before it could react, its body froze. A dragon seal rune identical to the one on Lu Yu's palm appeared on its forehead. The two marks echoed each other, radiating a dazzling light.

The next moment, Lu Yu's soul, connected through the dragon seal, directly pierced through the dragon scale barrier and appeared in a void filled with purplish-black flames. At the center of the flames, a miniature fire dragon was coiled with its eyes closed—this was the primordial fire of the Three Thousand Burning Flames.

"Another foolish human..."

The little dragon suddenly opened its eyes, its purplish-black flames flickering within them, its voice cold and mocking. Flames surged around it, its icy gaze locking onto Lu Yu.

This is the soul world of the Three Thousand Burning Flames. In its eyes, Lu Yu's voluntary entry into this place is simply walking into a trap.

“A beast is a beast…”

Lu Yu shook his head, saying nothing more. His Heavenly Realm soul power erupted instantly, condensing into a longsword wreathed in black flames. The sword vibrated, emitting bursts of thunderous sounds, directly shattering the surrounding purplish-black flames.

"Netherworld Thunder Sound Sword, go!"

As he pointed his sword forward, the flaming longsword suddenly split into countless forms, each sword shadow erupting with a piercing thunderous roar, carrying a soul-tearing power, sweeping towards the little fire dragon in an overwhelming wave.

The little fire dragon's pupils suddenly contracted, and its tail swept across with a whooshing sound, attempting to withstand the attack head-on. However, at that moment, Lu Yu's sword finger twirled lightly, and the countless sword shadows seemed to be drawn together by an invisible force, instantly merging into one, condensing into a black sword aura that pierced through the void.

Where the sword tip passed, time seemed to stand still, and only the destructive thunder could be heard in the world, booming endlessly and deafeningly.

"puff--!"

The black sword energy pierced through the void like lightning, precisely striking the core of the fire dragon.

"what?!"

Before the little dragon could even fully process its shock, the Netherworld Thunder Sword had already pierced through its body. Amidst its mournful howl, its dragon body flickered violently like a candle being swept away by a gale, its light dimming by more than half in an instant.

Lu Yu's expression remained unchanged; he was not surprised by the outcome. With his current Heaven Realm soul power, coupled with the Earth Rank soul skill created by the fusion of two Earth Rank soul techniques, it was only natural that he could severely injure this nascent spirit of the strange fire with a single sword strike.

With a flick of his sleeve, an ancient pagoda, entirely purple and gold, flew out from between his brows, growing into a hundred-zhang-tall tower in the wind, completely enveloping the severely damaged primordial fire.

"Spare me, Master... I, the little dragon, surrender!"

"late."

Lu Yu spoke calmly, fully activating the Floating Pagoda. The pagoda shone brightly, and the remaining intelligence of the fire dragon rapidly dissipated under its suppression, ultimately transforming into a pure, flawless purple flame that floated silently within the pagoda's interior.

Just as Lu Yu was about to refine this ball of primordial fire, the Floating Pagoda suddenly trembled slightly, and a black and red fire egg shot out from the pagoda, hovering beside him and emitting waves of yearning.

"You want to devour its dragon body?"

Lu Yu raised an eyebrow, nodded slightly, and said, "It was prepared for you anyway, go ahead."

The dragon body of the Three Thousand Burning Flames was formed from the power of stars accumulated over thousands of years, its energy as vast as the sea. Even with his abilities, he could not completely refine it in a short time. He only needed to refine the primordial fire seed to control this strange fire. As for the massive dragon body on the outside, it was the best resource for the spirit of the strange fire to be nurtured.

"Buzz!"

Upon hearing this, the fire egg excitedly circled around him once, then transformed into a streak of crimson light and disappeared into the enormous dragon body outside.

The dragon's body, suspended in the star field, began to melt at a visible speed, and a vast amount of fiery energy surged toward the fire egg like rivers flowing into the sea.

At the same time, endless stellar power from across the star field converged and surged into the fire egg. Under the infusion of this dual energy, the fire egg's radiance grew brighter and brighter, faintly emitting a joyful buzzing sound.

Seeing this, Lu Yu nodded slightly, then sat cross-legged in the void, formed hand seals, and began to refine the suppressed primordial fire seed with all his might.

……

Time flies, and in the star field there is no sun or moon. In the blink of an eye, half a month has passed.

On this day, the aura flowing around Lu Yu gradually calmed down. He slowly opened his eyes, a hint of purple flickering in them before disappearing. After half a month of refining, he had completely mastered the essence of the Three Thousand Burning Flames.

He opened his palm, and a deep purple flame quietly appeared, sparkling with starlight and exuding a rich stellar aura.

Immediately afterwards, with a slight thought, three more strange flames emerged one after another—the noble purple-gold Floating Pagoda Flame, the blazing and violent cyan Earth Core Flame, and the chilling and bone-deep icy blue Ice Soul Frost Flame.

Four strange flames danced gracefully above his palm, intertwining and colliding with each other, finally merging completely into one amidst a dazzling burst of light!

A ball of four-colored flames burned silently in the void, presenting a perfect and strange intertwined form. The terrifying aura emanating from it had subtly broken through to a whole new level.

Half-Saint-level Strange Flame!
"Not bad..."

Seeing this, Lu Yu nodded in satisfaction. The Floating Pagoda itself would grow along with his strength, and this time, the Floating Pagoda Fire, which served as its core, was a different kind of fire at the Transcendent Realm level, just like the Three Thousand Burning Flames.

By further fusing the essence of Earth Core Flame and Ice Soul Frost Flame, its power was no longer a simple addition, but a qualitative leap, finally breaking through the limit of Dou Zun level and touching the mysterious threshold of Dou Sheng.

Almost as soon as his thoughts turned, a purple-gold pagoda appeared behind him. Bathed in the glow of the four-colored flames, the pagoda emitted a pleasant hum.

Upon closer inspection, the tower's body radiates inner light, and the originally ancient runes are now clearly visible, faintly resonating with the stars in the sky—in the half-month of refining the origin of the Three Thousand Burning Flames, this natal tower has continuously absorbed the essence of the star fire, and has also made further progress in the process of tempering.

At this moment, the pagoda hangs silently, exuding an aura that transcends heaven and earth.

It was already a near-divine artifact!

"What a bumper harvest..."

"Let's see how the spirit of the strange fire is doing..."

Lu Yu smiled calmly, took a step forward, and his figure appeared deep in the star field.

Before their eyes, the enormous purple flame dragon's body had vanished without a trace, replaced by a massive energy vortex hundreds of feet in diameter. Pure stellar power flowed like rivers converging into the sea, endlessly surging towards the center of the vortex.

At the center of the vortex, the black and red fire egg floated silently, emanating an aura several times stronger than it had half a month ago. Like a beating heart, it rhythmically absorbed and released the vast energy around it, each pulse causing the entire star field to tremble slightly.

However, that seemingly fragile eggshell was exceptionally tough, still firmly encasing the life within. Although the life force emanating from within was as powerful as the booming of war drums, as if it were about to break free at any moment, it was always lacking that final spark.

"It seems we still need some help."

Lu Yu stroked his chin, observed for a moment, and then with a thought, a crystal with dark gold color and dragon-shaped flame patterns appeared in his hand.

It was the eighth-tier Dragon Flame Crystal that Elder Zhuli had given to it before.

The moment the crystal appeared, a burst of intense energy imbued with pure dragon might spread out, creating a wondrous resonance with the fire egg's aura. With a flick of his finger, the Dragon Flame Crystal transformed into a stream of dark golden light, precisely piercing into the fire egg's core.

"Click——"

With a crisp cracking sound, a thin crack finally appeared on the eggshell. Dense black flames surged from the crack as if they were alive, instantly enveloping the entire Dragonflame Crystal.

Under Lu Yu's watchful gaze, the crystal shattered inch by inch, transforming into pure energy that was completely absorbed by the life within.

"Click, click..."

Immediately afterwards, a series of fine cracking sounds followed, and the cracks on the eggshell surface spread rapidly like a spider web. Streaks of black light shot out from the cracks, and an aura far more powerful than before spread out.

Finally, amidst a violent energy fluctuation, the top of the eggshell shattered completely with a "crack".

A tiny head timidly peeked out from the crack, its entire body as black as ink, as if formed from the deepest flames, its scales shimmering with a pure, dark light.

It blinked its vertical pupils, which burned with pure black flames, and looked around curiously, its eyes filled with the bewilderment and exploration of a newborn child.

When its gaze fell upon Lu Yu, who was standing not far away, it paused for a moment, then seemed to recognize something, and the wariness in its eyes instantly turned into affection.

It hissed softly, wriggled its tiny body happily, and eagerly broke free from the eggshell, transforming into a black streak of light that instantly swam to Lu Yu's wrist.

The little snake affectionately rubbed against his wrist, tilted its head back, and let out a clear, childlike call:
"Daddy!"

Lu Yu was slightly taken aback, then understood. This strange fire spirit had been imprinted with his soul since the beginning of its formation, and he had always kept it by his side and nurtured it. It was reasonable for it to regard him as a close relative at this moment.

He gently stroked the snake's cool scales with his fingertips and said softly, "Since you're so dark-skinned, I'll call you 'Xiao You' from now on."

As he spoke, his soul power had already subtly emerged. When he sensed the little fellow's cultivation level, Lu Yu was shocked—this nascent fire spirit had already reached the level of a high-level semi-saint!

"It was worth all the rare and precious materials I invested."

A hint of satisfaction flashed in Lu Yu's eyes as he remarked, "His cultivation level is even higher than mine, his father's."

Xiao You seemed to understand the praise, and happily twirled in his palm, affectionately rubbing against Lu Yu's fingers. Then, she transformed into a condensed black stream of light and instantly disappeared into his body.

"Xiaoyou loves Daddy! She wants to cuddle with Daddy!"

The innocent voice of a child echoed in my mind, and a surge of immense energy erupted.

"Don't……"

Lu Yu's eyes widened suddenly. Before he could finish speaking, he felt an unexpected surge of energy flowing back from Xiao You's body, causing his expression to change drastically.

He immediately sat cross-legged in mid-air, his hands instantly forming a hand seal. The Floating Pagoda within his body spun wildly at an unprecedented speed, and the Great Floating Pagoda Technique was pushed to its limit, fully channeling this violent energy.

Under the impact of this vast power, his cultivation level rose steadily, and in just a short while, he had already touched that mysterious and profound barrier of the Holy Realm.

"Click——"

With a crisp cracking sound, Lu Yu trembled violently, as if some invisible shackle within him had been completely broken.

Boom!

A deafening roar, as if the heavens and earth were being created, echoed through the meridians, and the seemingly indestructible semi-saint barrier shattered in response.

In an instant, a vast aura surged forth, and the previously sluggish meridians expanded several times over, with the acupoints throughout the body radiating brilliant light.

"call"

He exhaled a scorching breath, tinged with tiny black sparks. As he exhaled, the strange phenomena caused by the energy overload around Lu Yu gradually subsided, and his skin shone with a warm, jade-like luster.

"This is the realm of a semi-saint."

Lu Yu slowly lowered his head, staring at his palm, a look of surprise flashing in his eyes. Although he had just broken through to the initial stage of half-saint and was still quite a distance from becoming a true Dou Sheng, he could clearly sense that the threshold that had once seemed insurmountable was now open to him.

Little You nestled obediently around his wrist, emitting a tender ripple. Lu Yu gently stroked its cool scales, a flash of understanding crossing his eyes.

He could sense that there should be no more barriers between the Half-Saint and the Battle Saint realms. As long as he accumulated enough energy, breaking through to the Battle Saint realm would be a natural outcome.

"That's true. The hardest part of breaking through to Dou Sheng is probably the ninth level of Dou Zun. Once you've passed the ninth level, the difference between Half-Saint and Dou Sheng is that they are both at the Saint level. In other words, if you cultivate step by step, you can break through..."

With this thought in mind, a glint flashed in Lu Yu's eyes. He stroked his chin thoughtfully and said, "So, I now possess two semi-saint level strange flames."

"Xiao You, come here!"

With a call from him, Xiao You, which was wrapped around his wrist, immediately swam out. Under Lu Yu's precise control, Xiao You began to merge perfectly with the other four strange flames.

Five-colored flames intertwined and flowed, eventually transforming into a slowly rotating fire lotus that enveloped the pagoda.

"It really works."

Lu Yu gazed at the fire lotus, sensing the immense energy it contained. Under the continuous tempering of the five-colored fire lotus, the runes on the surface of the pagoda gradually lit up, and the structure of the pagoda underwent subtle yet fundamental changes.

After an unknown amount of time, the Floating Pagoda suddenly trembled slightly, and the aura it emitted suddenly rose to a higher level—finally stepping from a quasi-divine artifact into the threshold of a divine artifact.

"It finally happened..."

Lu Yu's eyes lit up, and he was overjoyed. With the successful advancement of the Floating Pagoda into a divine artifact, he clearly felt that his battle qi had begun to undergo a qualitative change, and its purity was comparable to that of a true Battle Saint.

In addition to the abundant reserves gained from cultivating the Great Floating Pagoda Technique, he is confident that he can fight even a true Dou Sheng powerhouse!
Just then, Xiao You sent out a longing thought. Lu Yu was slightly taken aback, then understood its thoughts—this little guy actually wanted to devour the other four strange flames.

After a moment's thought, Lu Yu nodded in agreement: "Since it's beneficial to you, then go ahead."

As soon as he finished speaking, the five-colored fire lotus that enveloped the pagoda separated and transformed back into four dazzling flames that floated in mid-air.

Xiao You happily twisted her body and eagerly rushed towards the four strange flames.

It first circled the flames curiously, then opened its small mouth and gently inhaled. The Floating Pagoda Flame, the Earth Core Flame, the Ice Soul Cold Flame, and the Three Thousand Burning Flames seemed to be drawn by an invisible force, transforming into four streams of light that were continuously swallowed into its mouth.

With each strange fire it absorbed, the black flames on Xiao You's body grew brighter. When the last flame entered its body, it let out a satisfied burp and spat out a string of black sparks.

Then it suddenly froze in mid-air, its body surrounded by black flames that rippled like water, and the aura it emitted kept rising, finally breaking through an invisible boundary—officially entering the Dou Sheng level!

After breaking through, Xiao You swam happily in the air, sometimes coiling into circles, sometimes stretching her body, and finally landing lightly on Lu Yu's shoulder, affectionately nuzzling his cheek.

Feeling the warm touch on his shoulder, Lu Yu couldn't help but smile: "Now it's all right, you little one, all by my side."

(End of this chapter)