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

Chapter 254 The Hidden Power

Gu Yuan nodded in understanding: "I'll take Tong Xuan and Tong You to keep the others occupied, you and Zhen Shan can focus on dealing with this guy."

Lu Yu nodded solemnly, his hands forming hand seals. The Myriad Fires Burning Heaven Formation suddenly contracted, and countless fiery sword energies coiled upwards like crimson dragons, firmly sealing the Soul Hall Vice Hall Master, who was about to escape, within a radius of ten feet.

"Elder Zhenshan, now is the time!"

Gu Zhenshan understood immediately, and a dazzling golden seal condensed between his palms. The golden seal swelled in the wind, instantly transforming into the size of a mountain, and crashed down with the power to suppress heaven and earth.

"What kind of skill is it to outnumber the weak..."

A flash of resentment crossed the eyes of the Soul Hall's deputy hall master. He gritted his teeth and channeled all his battle qi, condensing a thick black barrier above his head. However, under the combined suppression of the sword formation and the golden seal, the barrier's surface quickly became covered with cracks, and finally shattered with a deafening roar.

At that moment, Elders Tongxuan and Tongyou were already locked in battle with three Soul Palace Half-Saints.

As Elder Tongxuan's sleeves fluttered, streaks of golden light shot towards his opponent like sharp swords; Elder Tongyou, on the other hand, moved erratically, his palm wind carrying a bone-chilling coldness, firmly restraining the other two half-saints.

On the other side, the battle between Elder Gu Yuan and that one-star Dou Sheng was even more earth-shattering. Every exchange between the two caused the space to tremble violently. Although Gu Yuan's cultivation was slightly inferior, he managed to fight his opponent to a standstill with his exquisite ancient clan fighting techniques.

Lu Yu and Gu Zhenshan exchanged a glance and simultaneously launched an attack on the Soul Hall's deputy hall master, who was trapped by the sword formation.

The Ten Thousand Fires Burning Heaven Formation, combined with Gu Zhenshan's fierce offensive, intertwined scorching sword energy and golden palm prints to form a net that forced the heavily injured deputy hall master to defend himself.

"puff!"

The deputy hall master barely dodged a golden palm print, but was struck on the shoulder by a fiery sword aura controlled by Lu Yu, instantly splattering blood across the sky. A trace of despair flashed in his eyes, but he still gritted his teeth and persevered, his body surrounded by surging black mist, trying to find an opportunity to break through.

However, Lu Yu and Gu Zhenshan's cooperation became increasingly seamless, with their sword formation and palm techniques complementing each other, completely sealing off his escape route.

Given this situation, the deputy hall master of the Soul Hall will surely be defeated and killed within a hundred moves!
Seeing the critical situation, a resolute look flashed in the eyes of the deputy hall master. He moved his hands rapidly in front of his chest, forming a series of strange hand seals. The black mist around him surged wildly as if boiling, and the temperature of the entire underground hall suddenly dropped to freezing point.

"Ten Thousand Souls Devouring Heaven Palm!"

With a roar, a gigantic black hand, obscuring the sky and the sun, suddenly materialized. On the palm print, countless twisted vengeful spirits struggled and wailed, emanating a terrifying aura that corroded the soul.

The power of this palm strike was so great that even a peak three-star Dou Sheng expert would not dare to withstand it head-on!

"Well done!"

Gu Zhenshan let out a long roar, his hair and beard standing on end. Golden light surged from his palms, and a dazzling golden sun appeared before him, its intense light dispelling the eerie black mist. Within the sun, countless golden flames could be faintly seen flowing, emanating a sacred aura that purified all things.

"The Great Sun Burning Heaven Palm!"

The golden sun and the giant black hand collided with a deafening roar. The energy shockwave spread out like ripples, distorting and deforming the surrounding space.

At the same time, Lu Yu pointed his sword, and the Myriad Flames Burning Heaven Formation rapidly contracted. Countless fiery sword energies transformed into crimson chains, coiling upwards like serpents, binding the giant black hand layer by layer.

The flames dancing on the chains and the vengeful spirit in his palm clashed and burned against each other, making a sizzling sound.

Under the combined attack of the sword formation and the golden palm, the Myriad Souls Devouring Heaven Palm finally could not withstand it, and spider web-like cracks appeared on its surface before it finally shattered with a bang!
"puff!"

The backlash from the broken fighting technique dealt another heavy blow to the deputy hall master, who coughed up a mouthful of blood and staggered backward. Seeing that his last resort was also futile, a look of madness flashed in his eyes, and his fighting spirit began to reverse wildly, with wisps of blood mist seeping from the pores of his body.

"Since we can't escape death, let's all be buried with him!"

The hoarse roar carried a chilling determination, and violent energy fluctuations began to rage from him, causing the air to groan under the strain.

"No, he's going to blow himself up!"

Gu Zhenshan's expression changed drastically; the rapidly expanding energy pressure made his scalp tingle.

Just then, a cold glint flashed in Lu Yu's eyes, and an invisible lightning sword, poised to strike, shot out from between his brows, accompanied by a piercing thunderclap, straight into the Vice Hall Master's mind!
"Netherworld Thunder Sound Sword!"

The purple electric snakes coiled around the sword tore through the air, emitting a sharp, soul-piercing shriek. They struck first, then instantly pierced the Vice Hall Master's brow.

"what!"

Amidst a piercing scream, the deputy hall master clutched his head and roared wildly, blood spurting from all seven orifices. The self-destructive energy, already at its limit, was forcefully severed and backfired by this lightning sword that struck his very soul, surging wildly through his meridians and causing him to completely lose control of his body.

How could Gu Zhenshan let go of this fleeting opportunity? His body erupted with golden light, and his palms, as if carrying the power of mountains, firmly struck his opponent's chest!
"puff……"

The deputy hall master coughed up blood, his ribs shattered, and his aura instantly weakened to the extreme. Taking advantage of the situation, Lu Yu formed a hand seal, and a profound sealing spell entered his body like a stream of light, completely sealing his remaining cultivation.

"Pagoda, suppress!"

An ancient pagoda flew out from between Lu Yu's brows, growing to a hundred feet tall amidst the wind, exuding a majestic aura that suppressed heaven and earth. A golden light shot out from the base of the pagoda, sucking the Soul Hall's vice hall master, who had lost the power to resist, into it, completely suppressing this three-star Dou Sheng.

As the runes on the tower shifted, the last vestige of resistance was completely extinguished.

"Clean up the small fish."

Lu Yu's voice was devoid of any emotion. He exchanged a glance with Gu Zhenshan, and the two of them flashed simultaneously, transforming into two deadly streaks of light that rushed into the remaining Soul Hall experts.

Gu Zhenshan's palms flew, and with each burst of dazzling golden light, a Soul Hall elder would cough up blood and fly backward, his protective battle aura shattering like paper.

Lu Yu was like a ghost, his fingers circulating yin and yang energies. With each flick of his finger, a figure turned to ashes amidst a shrill scream.

Without their leader, the Soul Palace members were routed, and within a dozen breaths, there were no more enemies standing in the arena.

"Leave no one alive." Lu Yu delivered the final verdict in a calm tone.

The Lingbao Pavilion and the powerful members of the ancient clans swept through the Soul Palace like a tidal wave, and wherever they went, those who resisted were all annihilated. The deafening shouts and mournful cries gradually subsided into silence, and the Soul Palace's main hall, which had once dominated the region, had become a living hell in the blink of an eye.

Once the last trace of resistance was completely eliminated, Lu Yu's gaze, sharp as lightning, suddenly fell upon the eerie, towering palace not far away.

boom!
Lu Yu raised his hand and unleashed a palm strike, a massive fiery palm hundreds of feet long that shattered the black palace, revealing countless black chains within. Each chain ended with a cluster of soul light imprisoned within; as the palace collapsed, the chains snapped.

Countless orbs of soul light slowly awoke, looking around blankly before erupting into waves of ecstatic joy—they had finally felt the breath of freedom. These souls, imprisoned for countless years, had even longed for death.

"Let's go, don't let us fall into the hands of the Soul Palace again."

Looking at these souls who were almost trembling with excitement, Lu Yu said calmly.

Upon hearing this, the souls in the sky knelt and bowed to Lu Yu, then transformed into streaks of light that broke through the space and eagerly rushed towards the free world.

After the countless souls dissipated, Lu Yu's gaze turned to the deepest part of the ruins. There, a faint, almost imperceptible fluctuation, yet one that stirred even his soul, emanated from there.

He took a step forward, and his figure appeared at the heart of the ruins. With a flick of his sleeve, countless rubble and tiles were pushed aside by an invisible force, revealing a hidden altar beneath.

Above the altar, a nearly liquid, slowly flowing, grayish-white ball of light radiated a soft yet vast glow.

"The origin of the soul..."

Even with Lu Yu's composure, a hint of satisfaction flashed in his eyes. This was precisely one of the most important goals of his trip. He could feel the intense longing emanating from his own soul.

Immediately, with a slight thought, the Floating Pagoda flew out from between his eyebrows, and a golden light shot out from the bottom of the pagoda, steadily taking in the precious soul essence.

Just then, Elder Tongxuan and Little Fairy Doctor arrived together.

Tongxuan stroked his beard and chuckled, "Young friend Lu Yu, the inventory of this Soul Palace has been fully inventoried. I discovered this item on a half-saint elder..."

"He must be an alchemist..."

The Little Fairy Doctor gracefully stepped forward, presenting a jade box bound by runes. Inside the box, a black flame burned silently, emanating an eerie aura that seemed to devour all things.

“It’s a Void Devouring Flame Sub-Fire at the Half-Saint level,” Tongxuan added. “In addition, we found several other beast flames, but unfortunately… we didn’t find any sub-fires at the Dou Sheng level.”

The old man's tone carried a hint of regret.

Lu Yu took the jade box, examined it briefly, and nodded slightly. Just as he was about to order a retreat, his brows furrowed slightly. His gaze swept over the ruins of the Soul Palace, and a trace of doubt rose in his mind.

Logically, quite some time should have passed since the deputy hall master crushed the distress jade slip. Although they ended the battle with lightning speed, nearly half an hour had still elapsed.

Given the strength of the Soul Palace Master and the importance of this place, he should have already torn through space to rush to the rescue.

Why has there been no movement at all so far?

Unless... he was forcibly held back by someone or something?
The thought flashed through Lu Yu's mind, but he didn't say it aloud. Instead, he suppressed his vigilance and said in a deep voice, "That's enough. Elder Tongxuan, issue the order to retreat. We shouldn't stay here any longer."

With a flick of his sleeve, towering flames shot into the sky, the blazing fire raging like an angry dragon, completely engulfing the Earth Hall, one of the three main halls of the Soul Palace, in a sea of ​​fire.

"go!"

At Lu Yu's command, everyone stepped into the spatial passage without hesitation. Just as the passage was about to close, he vaguely sensed a terrifyingly powerful pressure rapidly approaching from afar.

……

About fifteen minutes later, just as Lu Yu and the others had left, the previously peaceful space was suddenly torn open by a huge rift. A figure shrouded in black flames stepped out, and the oppressive aura emanating from him caused the still-burning flames to pause.

The Lord of the Soul Palace, Soul Extinction, has personally arrived!
He hovered above the ruins of the underground palace, gazing at the still-burning flames below, his expression beneath the mask turning extremely grim.

"Okay, very good..."

The icy voice echoed in the air, carrying a chilling killing intent.

He was indeed delayed—just as he received the distress signal, a palm print appeared out of nowhere and struck through the air. Although it did not cause him any real harm, it cleverly interfered with the spatial coordinates around him, forcing him to spend more time repositioning himself.

"No matter who you are... I will make you pay the price."

With a sudden flick of his sleeve, Hun Miesheng unleashed a surge of immense soul power that swept across the entire ruins, attempting to find traces of the enemy within them.

However, no matter how he investigated, all traces of the battle and the remnants of the aura were burned away by the strange fire, leaving not even a trace to follow.

He hovered in mid-air, black flames flickering around him. The devastated ruins silently recounted what had just happened, the charred walls occasionally crackling softly in the embers, as if mocking his belated arrival.

"Very good..." Soul Extinction's deep voice suppressed boundless rage, "To be able to destroy the Earth Palace to this extent in such a short time, and even have your soul essence taken away..."

He slowly raised his hand, and a ball of pitch-black flame condensed in his palm. As the flame flickered, it devoured even the surrounding light.

"Send orders to all branch halls," Hun Miesheng's voice was icy cold, "even if you have to search the entire Central Continent, find these people for me."

As he finished speaking, several dark figures silently appeared behind him, bowed to receive the order, and then disappeared into the air again.

……

(End of this chapter)