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

Chapter 236 Heavenly Demon Phoenix and Nine Netherworld Python!
At the same moment that Lu Yu subdued the remnant of the ancient Heavenly Phoenix, undercurrents were already surging on the outskirts of the Bone Mountain Range.

Even though the beam of energy that shot into the sky earlier had dissipated some time ago, it still attracted the attention of the major powerful clans of the Beast Domain. At this moment, a five-colored light screen could be vaguely seen on the outskirts of the ruins; it was the Five Elements Annihilation Array set up by Lu Yu.

"This is... the emergence of an ancient ruin!" an elder of a transformed magical beast exclaimed. He tentatively took a step forward, but was violently pushed back by an invisible barrier.

Another elder beside him said with a solemn expression, "The power of this protective formation is probably comparable to the peak of a ninth-level Dou Zun! To be able to set up such a formation, this place must at least be a Dou Sheng ruin!"

The news spread like wildfire, shaking the entire Beast Realm.

Countless magical beast races dispatched their elites to investigate, and when they confirmed the terrifying array fluctuations around the ruins, the entire beast realm was in an uproar.

"Quickly! Send a message back to the clan immediately!"

An elder of the Nine Netherworld Python Clan, who had just arrived, shouted sternly, "Send the clan leader to send his elite troops immediately to completely seal off this place!"

He surveyed his surroundings, his gaze sweeping over the powerful figures from various races who had rushed to the scene upon hearing the news. His tone was filled with undisguised arrogance: "Since this relic has appeared on my territory, it should belong to my Nine Netherworld Python clan. How could such an opportunity be coveted by your small clans that don't even have a Dou Sheng?"

Before the words were even finished, a streak of crimson light suddenly illuminated the sky. A figure descended from the heavens, enveloped in a scorching aura, landing without raising a single speck of dust. The newcomer wore a long crimson robe, had fiery red hair, and possessed an innate arrogance in his brows.

With a slight flutter of his sleeves, the faint phantom of a demonic phoenix swirled around him, revealing him to be a powerful member of the Heavenly Demon Phoenix Clan.

"What arrogance!" The red-haired man's lips curled into a mocking smile. "Ancient ruins have appeared in the world and are unclaimed. How dare your clan monopolize them? Your Nine Netherworld Python has a Battle Saint, but does my Heavenly Phoenix Clan not have one?"

Upon hearing this, the powerful figures from the surrounding minor clans immediately fell silent. Indeed, throughout the entire Beast Domain, only the three major demonic beast overlords—the Nine Netherworld Python, the Heavenly Phoenix Clan, and the Ancient Void Dragon—had a Dou Sheng (Battle Saint) expert guarding them.

As for the other clans, even if they exert all their strength, they can only cultivate a peak Dou Zun at most, and are simply powerless to contend with these three overlords.

After all, magical beasts are not like humans; their cultivation path relies too heavily on bloodline inheritance. If one's bloodline is mediocre, even with a thousand times the effort, it's difficult to break through that innate constraint. However, the three dominant races all possess powerful bloodlines originating from ancient times, a chasm that other races can never overcome.

Elder Nine Netherworld Python's face was gloomy, but he didn't dare to be too forceful. He just snorted coldly, "Since that's the case, then let's see who has the best skills!"

In an instant, countless communication jade artifacts transformed into streaks of light and shot towards the territories of the two races.

The atmosphere above the entire Skeleton Mountain Range instantly became tense. Powerful figures from the two dominant clans each occupied a corner, awaiting the arrival of their respective clan's Battle Saint experts.

Seeing this, the other powerful figures from various races, though unwilling, wisely retreated to a distance. Some stood atop the mountain, while others hid in the clouds, all harboring the intention of watching the spectacle unfold.

After all, they couldn't get involved in a fight at this level, so they might as well stand aside and watch to see which of the two overlords would prevail.

……

At this moment, inside the ruins...
As Lu Yu extinguished the illusory image of the Heavenly Demon Phoenix with a wave of his hand, the lingering will of the Ancient Void Dragon immediately restrained its dragon might, and its deep dragon roar carried an instinctive fear.

This lingering thought had long lost its intelligence, leaving only the most primal instincts. Faced with the terrifying pressure emanating from Lu Yu, it instinctively chose to retreat.

"Brother Lu Yu, please let me try," Zi Yan said softly, her eyes pleading. "Although it has lost its intelligence, it is still an elder of my clan..."

Lu Yu nodded slightly, withdrawing his imposing aura: "Go, be careful."

Zi Yan stepped forward slowly, her body radiating the pure aura of ancient dragon blood. The remnant spirit of the Primordial Ancient Dragon sensed the shared aura, lowered its head slightly, and let out a soft moan filled with longing.

Soothed by their shared bloodline, the enormous dragon shadow gradually became illusory, eventually transforming into specks of golden light and dissipating into the world.

"It... has returned to the world," Zi Yan said softly, her tone tinged with melancholy.

Lu Yu gently patted her shoulder: "Dust to dust, ashes to ashes, this may not be a bad thing for it."

"At least, the legacy he left behind has found the right people for him."

"Hmm." Zi Yan nodded, but she was still somewhat sullen. This was the first time she had witnessed the fall of a senior member of her clan. Although this senior had passed away many years ago, the sorrow of being connected by blood still lingered in her heart.

Seeing this, Lu Yu sighed softly and raised his hand to put the Dragon-Phoenix Origin Fruit along with the strange little tree into the Floating Pagoda.

His gaze then fell upon the two enormous skeletons on the plain, a thoughtful glint in his eyes. These two ancient beast remains, after countless years, still contained such immense energy; there must still be some essence remaining.

After all, if he remembered correctly, in his previous life, the Heavenly Demon Phoenix clan brought back the remains of the ancient Heavenly Phoenix and transplanted them into Feng Qing'er, directly helping her reach the realm of a third-level Dou Zun.

Of course, for an alchemist, transplanting bones is naturally the least efficient method.

and so……

"Zi Yan, I need the essence blood from these two skeletons."

Lu Yu looked at Zi Yan and explained gently, "I have a prescription called 'Dragon and Phoenix Supreme Pill,' which requires the essence blood of the dragon and phoenix clans as the main ingredient. Although these two ancient remains have gone through countless years, some essence blood should still be able to be extracted from them, which will allow me to familiarize myself with the properties of this type of material."

He looked at the Dragon-Phoenix Origin Fruit floating in the pagoda, his tone turning solemn: "As for this Origin Fruit, the energy it contains is extremely vast. According to my judgment, if it is perfectly refined, it may even reach the level of a ninth-grade Xuan Dan."

"But I haven't even refined a ninth-grade precious pill yet. I can use this essence blood to practice first, and then try to refine this Dragon-Phoenix Origin Fruit after my skills are perfected."

"Once I successfully refine the Dragon-Phoenix Supreme Pill, it will greatly benefit both of our cultivation."

Zi Yan nodded gently upon hearing this, "Brother Lu Yu, please do as you wish." After receiving Zi Yan's consent, Lu Yu waved his sleeve, and a dark flame rose from his palm.

He flicked his finger, and the cluster of flames shot towards the two enormous skeletons like a meteor. During its flight, the flames split in two, landing precisely on the skeletons of the Primordial Void Dragon and the Ancient Celestial Phoenix.

The moment the dark flames touched the skeleton, they instantly transformed into a raging inferno that completely enveloped it. Under the tempering of the Dou Sheng-level strange fire, the skeleton began to melt at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Zi Yan watched this scene intently. She could feel Lu Yu's exquisite control over the flames, which preserved the purest blood essence in the bones while completely incinerating the impurities.

Such a seemingly effortless refining technique is indeed masterful.

After three full hours of tempering, it finally condensed into two crystal-clear drops of essence blood in mid-air—one drop was a brilliant gold, exuding the majesty of the Ancient Void Dragon; the other drop was a magnificent seven-colored hue, containing the divine charm of the Ancient Heavenly Phoenix.

"Ninth-tier magical beast essence blood!"

Upon seeing this, Lu Yu's eyes lit up. It was worth the effort he had put in to compress all the essence of the two skeletons to the extreme; the energy contained in these two drops of blood essence was even purer than he had expected.

Zi Yan felt the surging energy in the blood essence and exclaimed softly, "The blood essence of a ninth-order magical beast is enough to be used as a material for refining a ninth-grade pill."

Lu Yu carefully collected the two drops of essence blood into the jade bottle, his gaze sweeping over the now silent plain: "Now that this matter is settled, we should go and see other places."

Upon hearing this, everyone nodded in agreement. After leaving the plain, the group continued their exploration in the ancient forest, gathering all the rare and high-grade medicinal herbs they could find.

They then returned to the intricate network of passageways and corridors.

"Young Master, where do we go next?" Qinglin asked softly, gazing at the crisscrossing passages before him.

Lu Yu's gaze swept across the deep passage, and he pondered for a moment: "Let's split up and explore; that will be more efficient."

Upon hearing this, Zi Yan clapped her hands excitedly: "That's a great idea! I was just thinking of going for a stroll by myself!"

Cai Lin frowned slightly: "The dangers here are unknown. Is it appropriate to split up?"

"It's alright." Lu Yu took out three jade slips emitting spatial fluctuations from his bosom. "These are specially made spatial jade slips. If you encounter danger, crush them immediately, and I will arrive right away."

In truth, aside from the Dragon-Phoenix Origin Fruit and the Soul Infant Fruit, the other items within these ruins weren't of much value to him. However, since he wasn't alone, thoroughly searching the ruins to accumulate more resources for the Spirit Treasure Pavilion was a good thing.

“Then I’ll go through the passage on the left.” Zi Yan took the jade slip and jumped out impatiently.

"I'll go in the middle." Cai Lin chose a direction and carefully put away the jade slip.

Qinglin nodded obediently: "I'll go explore the right side."

The three women each chose a passage and sped away, quickly disappearing into the deep passageway.

Several hours later, when everyone reunited, they had indeed each gained something.

Zi Yan held a pile of glittering ores, Cai Lin found several scrolls of fighting techniques, and Qing Lin held a small, snow-white beast in her arms. The beast resembled a kitten, but was exceptionally plump, and curled up in her arms, appearing very docile.

In Lu Yu's hand was an ancient animal skin map, on which the various areas of the ruins were clearly marked.

"What an adorable little guy." Zi Yan curiously approached, but Qing Lin cautiously protected her.

“I found it in a pill hall,” Qinglin explained softly, “Although it looks ordinary, but…”

Looking at the little beast in Qinglin's arms, Lu Yu smiled and explained, "If I'm not mistaken, this should be a pill beast. Only pills of grade eight or above with seven-colored pill lightning have a very small chance of transforming into pill beasts during tribulation. To possess such spirituality, it must have experienced eight-colored or even nine-colored pill lightning, and it's only one step away from the ninth grade."

However, he did not show much surprise, but smiled and said, "This kind of pill beast is indeed rare. It is a stroke of luck that Qinglin was able to find it."

As a Heavenly Realm Soul Expert and possessing the inheritance of a Heavenly Grade Alchemy Master, he would have already begun refining Grade Nine pills if it weren't for the lack of suitable medicinal materials. Although the pill beast before him was rare, it was not enough to make him lose his composure.

Lu Yu looked around at everyone and asked in a gentle voice, "Are you satisfied with the gains here?"

The three women exchanged a smile and nodded slightly.

With their current cultivation level of Dou Zun, ordinary treasures are hardly of much interest to them anymore; finding these is already quite good.

Zi Yan played with the ore in her hand, Cai Lin flipped through the scroll in her hand, and Qing Lin gently stroked the pill beast in her arms. They were all quite satisfied with what they had obtained.

“In that case,” Lu Yu unfolded the map in his hand, lightly tapping a mark with his fingertip, “why don’t we go and take another look at the main hall?”

Zi Yan immediately perked up upon hearing this: "Great! The most mysterious place in this ruin must be the main hall!"

Cai Lin closed the ancient book in her hand, a slight smile playing on her lips: "I'd like to see what good things a Dou Sheng powerhouse could be hiding in the main hall."

Qinglin replied softly, "I will leave it to you, young master."

Seeing that everyone agreed, Lu Yu put away the map and took the lead: "Then let's set off. According to the map, the main hall should be not far ahead."

(End of this chapter)