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

Chapter 238 You bastard, that belongs to Pavilion Master Lu!
"It's the Kunhuang, one of the Three Heavenly Demon Phoenixes!"

"The Supreme Elder of the Heavenly Phoenix Clan!"

A gasp of surprise rippled through the crowd below. The terrifying pressure, far surpassing that of a half-saint, made everyone present feel breathless, and some of the weaker magical beasts even knelt on the ground, trembling all over.

The Grand Elder of the Nine Netherworld Python Clan also had a solemn expression, clearly recognizing the newcomer's identity.

However, faced with this earth-shattering power, Lu Yu merely raised his eyes indifferently, without the slightest ripple.

"Noisy."

The two words were uttered softly, yet they resounded like thunder. In an instant, the crimson sword formation that enveloped the heavens and earth emitted a deafening hum, and countless sword shadows burning with raging flames rose from the formation, converging into a dazzling river that stretched across the sky.

The sword light poured down like the Milky Way from the heavens, illuminating the entire Skeleton Mountain Range as if it were daytime.

"Rumble--"

Lu Yu formed a sword with his fingers and casually swung it. The vast river of swords responded and moved accordingly. Wherever it passed, the illusory black flame phoenix that blotted out the sky shattered inch by inch, emitting a mournful cry.

Kunhuang's expression changed drastically. Before he could react, he was blasted backward by the sword river, leaving a messy trail in the air before crashing heavily into the distant mountain wall, stirring up a cloud of dust.

The world fell into a deathly silence.

Everyone stared in disbelief at the scene, finding it hard to believe that a Dou Sheng powerhouse could be so easily defeated.

"Gulu..."

The Grand Elder of the Nine Netherworld Python turned pale, his heart trembling. That Kunhuang, also a late-stage One-Star Dou Sheng, had been repelled by a single finger from the Spirit Treasure Pavilion Master. If it were him…

"Junior! You are looking for death!"

A furious roar echoed from within the smoke and dust, as towering black flames coalesced once more, and the terrifying fluctuations of a Heaven-Rank Battle Technique began to brew. However, just as he was about to strike, a dark sword light flashed past.

Kunhuang froze, looking down in disbelief. A longsword burning with pitch-black flames was already at his neck, the black flames even more profound and terrifying than his Heavenly Demon Phoenix Fire, seemingly capable of devouring even light.

Lu Yu's figure appeared before him like a ghost, with a faint aura of dragon patterns still lingering around him, and a chilling dark flame flickering on his black longsword.

"If you move again, you will die."

Those four simple words plunged Kunhuang into an icy abyss.

Cold sweat beaded on his forehead, and he forced a smile: "Misunderstanding, young friend, I was just joking with you..."

Sensing the destructive aura emanating from her neck, Kunhuang unconsciously softened her voice: "The ruins of this Bone Mountain Range naturally belong to you, young friend. My Heavenly Phoenix Clan has no objection..."

"Hmm?" Lu Yu raised an eyebrow, and the black flames on the sword's edge suddenly rose.

Kunhuang hurriedly said, "How about we settle this matter amicably? I am willing to offer three eighth-grade spiritual herbs as compensation..."

Seeing that Lu Yu remained unmoved, he gritted his teeth and continued, "Add another scroll of low-level Heaven-rank combat skill!"

Lu Yu remained silent, but the black flames on his sword pulsed even more violently, as if they were about to devour the Kunhuang at any moment.

"Wait!" Kunhuang's face turned pale, and he finally made up his mind, "I am willing to offer a wisp of my natal phoenix flame!"

As he spoke, he endured the pain and forced a cluster of flickering, pitch-black flame from between his brows. Though small, the flame contained the pure essence of the Phoenix Clan, causing the surrounding space to slightly distort the moment it appeared.

Lu Yu's gaze lingered on the wisp of natal phoenix flame for a moment before he nodded slightly and sheathed his longsword: "Approved."

He wasn't afraid of the Kunhuang before him, but rather of the five-star Dou Sheng patriarch of the Heavenly Demon Phoenix Clan. Now was not the time to completely break ties with such a being.

"call……"

Seeing this, Kunhuang breathed a sigh of relief, his tense body finally relaxing. He quickly took out a scroll that shimmered with golden light from his bosom, and then carefully took out three crimson lingzhi mushrooms shaped like phoenixes spreading their wings from his storage ring.

"Sect Master Lu, this is the low-level Heaven-rank combat skill Phoenix Wing Soaring, and three eighth-rank spiritual herbs Phoenix Blood Ganoderma."

Kunhuang respectfully placed the treasure on the ground, her voice trembling slightly, "I have offended you greatly today, and I hope the Pavilion Master will forgive me."

Having said that, he dared not linger any longer. The black flames around him surged violently, and his entire body instantly transformed into a twisted black streak of light, shooting off into the distance at a speed almost as if he were fleeing for his life.

Their hasty escape was a far cry from their earlier imposing manner; they seemed terrified that a moment's hesitation would mean certain death. In the blink of an eye, they vanished into the horizon.

The Grand Elder of the Nine Netherworld Python saw all of this, and when he saw that Lu Yu was about to turn his gaze to him, his face turned deathly pale.

He turned around abruptly and, in full view of everyone, slapped the dark blue-scaled elder behind him hard across the face.

With a crisp, clear "snap," everyone present was stunned.

"Bastard thing!"

The Grand Elder's hair and beard bristled with rage, his face flushed crimson. "How have I taught you all? My Nine Netherworld Python Clan has always valued harmony! Who gave you the audacity to say that 'ruins appearing on our territory are ours'?" He grew increasingly angry, his voice rising even higher: "How could they be ours? They are the opportunities that Pavilion Master Lu obtained through his own abilities!"

The elder in the dark blue scale robe staggered from the blow, five clear red marks immediately appearing on his face. He dared not utter a sound of complaint, immediately kneeling on the ground, his voice trembling: "Elder, please calm your anger. It was a moment of confusion on my part… I know I was wrong…"

The Grand Elder then turned around, forced a humble smile at Lu Yu, and repeatedly bowed, his waist almost bent at a ninety-degree angle: "Pavilion Master Lu, please forgive us. The younger generation of our clan is ignorant and prone to talking nonsense. This relic should naturally be given to the capable. Our clan has absolutely no objection, absolutely no objection!"

With a blank expression, Lu Yu waved his hand, and the scroll of Heavenly Rank Battle Technique and the three Phoenix Blood Spirit Mushrooms transformed into streams of light and disappeared into the storage ring between his fingers.

Immediately afterwards, the ancient pagoda appeared in his palm. With a slight turn, the pagoda absorbed the wisp of his natal phoenix flame.

Having done all this, he looked up at the Grand Elder and said in a calm tone, "Grand Elder, you're too kind. Since we've met, there's something I need to trouble you with."

"Oh, no trouble at all, no trouble at all, please speak, Master!"

The Grand Elder immediately straightened his back, his face beaming with a fawning smile, "As long as it's something my Nine Netherworld Python clan can do, we will never refuse!"

Lu Yu nodded slightly, his tone calm yet carrying an undeniable air of refusal: "I would like to borrow the Nine Netherworlds of the Noble Holy Land for a while."

The elder's smile froze instantly, a hint of difficulty flashing in his eyes. The Nine Netherworld was a sacred place passed down through the clan for thousands of years, and outsiders were strictly forbidden from entering. He opened his mouth as if to politely refuse, but when his gaze met Lu Yu's deep eyes, he swallowed the words that were on the tip of his tongue.

His mind raced: the clan leader was in seclusion, and even if he emerged, he would only be a mid-stage One-Star Dou Sheng. The strength Lu Yu had just displayed was enough to easily suppress even the Kunhuang of the Heavenly Demon Phoenix Clan; if a fight broke out, he feared…

Thinking of this, the Grand Elder felt a cold sweat break out on his back. He immediately put on a smile again, his tone becoming even more respectful: "Since the Pavilion Master has spoken, we must naturally grant him this courtesy. May I ask when the Pavilion Master plans to travel? I will immediately order someone to make preparations."

"Now."

Lu Yu's answer was crisp and decisive, leaving no room for negotiation.

The Grand Elder's smile froze, but he dared not utter a single objection. He whirled around and sternly shouted at the dark blue-scaled elder still kneeling on the ground behind him, "What are you all standing there for? Quickly lead the way for Pavilion Master Lu!"

Upon hearing this, the elder in the dark blue scale robe hurriedly got up from the ground, not even bothering to wipe the palm print on his face, and hurriedly bowed to lead the way: "Sect Master Lu, please follow me."

After Lu Yu and his group left with the Nine Netherworld Python Clan experts, the experts from various races who had been watching from afar finally dared to breathe a sigh of relief and began to discuss among themselves.

An elderly wolf clan member with white hair stroked his beard and sighed, "This Lingbao Pavilion Master is truly remarkable! Even the Supreme Elder of the Heavenly Phoenix Clan could only bow his head and submit before him, offering up his life-bound Phoenix Flame to save his life..."

The leopard clan expert beside him chimed in, "To intimidate two Dou Sheng with a half-saint cultivation level, such strength should probably be renamed Heavenly Flame Saint! From now on, Central Continent will likely have another peak expert."

"Humans are truly blessed with exceptional talent in cultivation," a powerful tiger-clan member remarked. "To have such cultivation at such a young age..."

Everyone nodded in agreement, and they all looked in the direction Lu Yu had left, their eyes filled with awe.

A powerful fox clan member said to his companion in a deep voice, "From today onwards, the name of the Lingbao Pavilion Master will surely spread far and wide. When you return, you must immediately warn your clansmen that whenever they encounter anyone from the Lingbao Pavilion, they must treat them with courtesy and must not show the slightest negligence."

These words caused a stir among the crowd. The powerful figures from each race exchanged nods, all having made up their minds to inform their clans of this matter immediately upon their return.

It is foreseeable that news of this earth-shattering battle will soon spread like wildfire throughout the entire continent, and the title "Master of Lingbao Pavilion" will become something that all forces must take seriously.

……

Several days later, led by the Nine Netherworld Python Clan, Lu Yu and his group arrived at a massive underground fissure. A dense, chilling aura emanated from the fissure, and winding stone steps could be vaguely seen descending.

"Sect Master Lu, this is the entrance to the Nine Nether Abyss," the Grand Elder said respectfully. "Passing through this passage, we can reach the underground world where our clan resides. Our clan's main branch and many vassal clans live there, and this entrance is heavily guarded by our clan year-round."

Cai Lin gazed at the deep entrance to the abyss, her brows furrowing slightly: "The chilling aura of this underground world is somewhat similar to that of my Serpent Clan's sacred land."

Zi Yan curiously peered inside: "It's so deep underground, don't you find it troublesome to go in and out?"

The elder explained with a wry smile, "Young lady, you may not know this, but our clan's bloodline is becoming increasingly thin, and we can only maintain our cultivation by relying on the Yin veins underground. Although it is inconvenient to travel in and out, it is a last resort."

The group slowly descended along the winding underground passage, passing several large snake-people tribes along the way. Qinglin noticed that many of the tribespeople possessed mixed auras and couldn't help but ask softly, "Young Master, the bloodlines of these snake-people seem quite..."

Lu Yu nodded slightly, his gaze sweeping over the surroundings, and said, "Although the Nine Netherworld Python clan ranks among the three great demonic beast overlords and has the largest number of members, its bloodline is gradually becoming diluted due to overpopulation. If there is no turning back, it may really become an ordinary demonic beast in a few hundred years."

After traversing layers of underground space, the scene before them suddenly opened up. A vast underground world, stretching as far as the eye could see, unfolded before them, with countless caves nestled among the winding mountain ranges, from which one could vaguely sense the powerful aura emanating.

The group was standing atop a prominent mountain peak. The Grand Elder proudly introduced, "This is the core of our clan, the Nether Serpent Vein. The purest Yin veins beneath the earth are found here."

Upon hearing this, Lu Yu and the others looked up, curiously observing the strange underground world around them.

Cai Lin's gaze was drawn to the scene on the plain below the mountain—where countless snake-people tribes were densely packed together. A hint of surprise flashed in her beautiful eyes: "I didn't expect to see such a large snake-people tribe here. Compared to the tribes in our Tagor Desert, the scale here is many times larger."

She said thoughtfully, "I vaguely remember that my clan's genealogy records that our tribe migrated to the Tagor Desert from elsewhere a long time ago. I just don't know if we migrated from this Beast Realm..."

Upon hearing this, the elder's gaze lingered on Cai Lin for a moment, a strange light flashing in his eyes: "Forgive my boldness, but the bloodline aura on this young lady is quite special, seemingly related to the legendary Devouring Python lineage."

He explained calmly, "In ancient times, among the snake-type magical beasts, only the Ancient Celestial Serpent and the Devouring Python truly deserved to be called royal bloodlines. In the end, our Nine Netherworld Python clan is merely a descendant who inherited a portion of their bloodline."

(End of this chapter)