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

Chapter 255 Soul Annihilation: "The Soul Palace doesn't need evidence to do its work!"

Soon after,

Lingbaoge is located on the back of Tianmu Mountain.

A hidden spatial passage slowly opened, and Lu Yu led the group out. The Heavenly Flame Venerable, who had been waiting there for some time, greeted them alone, cupping his hands in a respectful gesture:
"Welcome back in triumph, Lord Pavilion Master and all of you!"

Lu Yu nodded slightly, his gaze quickly sweeping over the returning group. Although Little Fairy Doctor, Qinglin, and Xiaocai, along with their snake, appeared slightly disordered, they had no obvious injuries. They were smiling at each other, clearly relieved to have returned safely.

Among the ancient clan members, Gu Yuan, Elder Tongxuan, Elder Tongyou, and Gu Zhenshan were all safe and sound, though their expressions showed signs of exhaustion from the battle.

Elder Gu Yuan noticed Lu Yu's gaze, stroked his beard and smiled, "It is thanks to young friend Lu Yu's thorough planning that we were able to escape unscathed."

Lu Yu shook his head, his gaze sweeping over the members of the ancient clan, and said sincerely, "Elder, you flatter me. If it weren't for the strong support of everyone in the ancient clan, the Lingbao Pavilion alone would have had no chance of succeeding."

Venerable Tianhuo had already approached. He keenly noticed that the group was much thinner than when they set out, and his expression immediately became solemn: "Sect Master, this is..."

Lu Yu said in a deep voice, "We lost four Dou Zong elders and all seven Dou Zun puppets were destroyed."

Upon hearing this, Venerable Tianhuo's face flashed with regret, for these were the accumulated resources of the Lingbao Pavilion.

"Immediately and secretly arrange compensation."

Lu Yu continued to give instructions, his tone low and resolute, "Distribute the supplies according to the highest standards. You will personally handle this matter, and you must keep it confidential. Details of this battle are strictly forbidden to be divulged."

"clear."

Venerable Tianhuo nodded solemnly and said, "The Lingbao Pavilion will secretly provide lifelong support to the relatives of the fallen elders."

Lu Yu's gaze swept over every core member present, and his voice clearly reached everyone's ears: "Gentlemen, we have dealt a heavy blow to the Soul Palace this time, but it is far from the time to wage a full-scale war against them. Today's matter ends here. The Pavilion will remember the contributions of all participants and will reward them generously."

Everyone nodded knowingly and quickly and quietly dispersed.

……

After a few hours,

Inside the quiet room, Lu Yu waved his sleeve, and two heavily sealed black flames immediately appeared.

A jet-black flame, exuding an eerie aura that seemed to devour everything, was none other than the Void Devouring Flame Sub-Flame, a demigod-level creature.

The other flame, though also black, faintly contained the phantom of a phoenix, radiating an ancient and intense heat—it was the natal phoenix flame offered by Kunhuang, a powerful member of the Heavenly Demon Phoenix Clan.

"Xiao You, it's your turn."

As Lu Yu finished speaking, a dark shadow darted out from his sleeve, transforming into a small, exquisite, jet-black snake. Its vertical pupils were fixed on the two black flames in the air, which contained immense energy, and its forked tongue flicked out, revealing its desire.

Lu Yu formed hand seals, unleashing a surge of immense soul power, and carefully unsealed the two flames simultaneously.

The moment the seal was broken, the two black flames seemed to have a mind of their own and tried to escape, but they were firmly imprisoned by the battle qi cage that Lu Yu had prepared in advance.

"Swallow them!"

The little snake sprang to its feet and suddenly opened its mouth. A peculiar devouring power enveloped the two strange flames, beginning to refine and absorb them with great difficulty. The space inside the quiet room was slightly distorted by the confrontation between the two black flames; on one side was the nothingness that devoured all things, and on the other was the destruction that burned everything in its path.

This process lasted for three full days.

After Xiao You finally completely devoured the last trace of flame essence, its body became even blacker and shinier, as clear as obsidian. Its aura surged, and dark red patterns faintly appeared on the edges of its scales.

The instant Xiao You completed her breakthrough, an extremely pure energy surged back into Lu Yu's body like a flood. His cultivation, originally at the peak of a one-star Dou Sheng, was propelled by this power, breaking through barriers with unstoppable force and ultimately stabilizing at the early stage of a two-star Dou Sheng!
Lu Yu slowly opened his eyes, feeling the new power surging within his body, and a satisfied smile finally appeared on his lips.

"A two-star Dou Sheng... has finally taken this step."

He gently clenched his fist, feeling the powerful battle qi flowing through his fingertips, then turned his gaze to Xiao You, who was perched to the side and whose aura had become much stronger. "Well done, this time it's all thanks to you."

Xiao You affectionately rubbed against his wrist, conveying her joy.

Lu Yu gently stroked the snake's head, a glint of light flashing in his eyes: "However, a breakthrough in cultivation alone is not enough."

With a flick of his wrist, the wisp of soul essence collected by the Floating Pagoda floated in front of him. "Since the Soul Palace has given us this 'gift,' we should make the most of it."

This mass of soul essence appeared as a chaotic grayish-white color, containing a vast and boundless soul power.

However, upon closer inspection, one can discover that countless black threads are entwined within the ball of light. These are the resentment, bitterness, and other negative emotions left behind by countless imprisoned souls before their complete annihilation. Direct absorption of these threads would inevitably affect one's mind.

"Xiao You, burn it."

At Lu Yu's command, the small black snake immediately darted to the soul light cluster. It already possessed the ability to temper the soul, and now, after devouring the Void Devouring Flame Sub-Flame and its natal Phoenix Flame, its power was clearly greater than before.

The black flames gently enveloped the ball of soul light, melting away the lingering negative emotions like spring snow. Refined by the flames, the grayish-white ball of light gradually became crystal clear, eventually transforming into a pure, milky-white halo, radiating a gentle and pure soul energy.

"well-done."

Lu Yu nodded approvingly, and Xiao You then withdrew the flames and affectionately coiled around his wrist.

He formed the cultivation hand seals again, and the pure essence of his soul instantly transformed into a warm torrent that flowed into his brow.

The whole process was incredibly smooth. Lu Yu could clearly feel his soul power growing rapidly, his soul perception becoming unprecedentedly sharp, and his sense of the energy of heaven and earth becoming increasingly clear.

……

After a few days,

Lu Yu slowly opened his eyes, purple lightning swirling within them. Sensing the surge of soul power within his mind, a smile involuntarily curved his lips. "Late stage of the Heavenly Realm… I've finally broken through."

Feeling the vast, ocean-like power of the soul within his mind, a sharp glint flashed in his eyes: "Now, I am finally qualified to touch a Grade Earth Spirit Array."

Lightning crackled at his fingertips, and he couldn't help but recall the predicament he had when setting up the Earth-grade Spirit Array. Back when his soul power had just entered the mid-stage of the Heaven Realm, he had tried many times to set up the Earth-grade mid-level Zhou Tian Xing Chen Locking Spirit Array.

However, each time, they failed at the last moment due to insufficient soul power.

Those obscure and complex array diagrams demanded an extreme level of precision and endurance in soul power. It now seems that a late-stage Heaven Realm soul realm is practically the minimum requirement to truly reach the level of a Grade Earth Spirit Array Master.

The difficulty involved is comparable to that of a ninth-grade Xuan Dan in alchemy. Looking across the entire continent, which of the grandmaster alchemists qualified to refine ninth-grade Xuan Dan, such as Hun Xuzi and Shennong Laoren, doesn't possess a terrifying soul realm at the Great Perfection of the Heavenly Realm?
Although Earth-grade Spirit Arrays and Ninth-grade Profound Pills follow different paths, they ultimately require the same amount of soul power.

"Now, we can finally try again."

Lu Yu took a deep breath, clearing his mind of distractions. He raised his slender fingers in front of him, and with a slight thought, a vast amount of soul power surged forth from between his brows like countless invisible threads, precisely outlining and weaving in the void.

This time, the feeling was completely different from before.

The diagram of the Celestial Star Locking Spirit Array was no longer obscure and difficult to understand in his "eyes." Countless previously blurry nodes and trajectories became crystal clear. Tens of thousands of spiritual imprints danced and condensed at his fingertips, as if they were his own arms.

However, just as the array was about to take shape, a tiny energy node suddenly became unbalanced due to bearing too much stellar power!
"Buzz!"

The entire spirit array, which was about to take shape, trembled violently, and the starlight became violent and unstable, on the verge of complete collapse.

Lu Yu's gaze sharpened, but he remained calm. His mind raced, and his soul power surged forth like a tide, precisely calming the turbulent point while simultaneously adjusting the energy output of the hundreds of surrounding spiritual seals.

"As expected, even with a sufficient soul realm, the complexity of this Earth-grade spirit array far exceeds expectations, allowing no room for error."

A look of understanding flashed in Lu Yu's eyes. If he hadn't cultivated the Thunder Emperor Book, a high-level Heaven-rank soul technique, and his soul power was far more refined and condensed than others of the same rank, he would never have been able to attempt to set up an Earth-rank spirit array at the late stage of the Heaven Realm.

"Come again!"

He spoke in a deep voice, and his soul power surged forth once more, redrawing the mysterious star array.

……

Just as Lu Yu was focused on breaking through the Earth-grade Spirit Array, far away at the Soul Palace headquarters, in the core of the Heavenly Hall of the Heavenly Gang Hall...

"Hallmaster."

A dark figure appeared silently in the center of the hall, kneeling on one knee. On the throne, Hun Miesheng, shrouded in black flames, slowly opened his eyes, his icy gaze fixed on the newcomer.

"What was found?"

"Reporting to Your Highness, the murderer cleaned up the mess extremely well, leaving no clues at the scene... For now... for now, no definite target has been found."

"waste!"

With a flick of his sleeve, Hun Miesheng sent the kneeling figure flying backward as if struck by a heavy blow. The figure crashed into a pillar of the hall with a dull thud.

"If you can't even figure out such a small matter, what use are you to the Soul Palace?"

A chilling rebuke echoed through the hall, while black flames surged around Soul Extinction, making his face appear even more sinister. The Soul Hall experts standing on either side held their breath, not daring to even breathe loudly.

"Since we can't find the murderer, let's try a different approach."

Hun Miesheng's icy gaze swept over the crowd, his voice as cold as the depths of hell, "Which forces have dared to oppose the Soul Palace recently? List them out."

An elder of the Soul Hall hurriedly stepped forward, trembling as he presented a scroll: "Reporting to the Hall Master, there have indeed been several short-sighted forces recently. The Xuanbing Sect of the Northern Continent killed one of our Hall's protectors last month; the Burning Heaven Valley of the Southern Continent robbed a batch of our goods half a month ago; and..."

Hun Miesheng took the scroll, his gaze sweeping across the list before finally settling on the name at the very top.

“Lingbao Pavilion…” He tapped the name lightly with his fingertips, each tap sending shivers down the spines of everyone present. “Is that the Lingbao Pavilion that captured Gu You alive and killed four Heavenly Venerables of my palace?”

"Indeed." The elder bowed in response, his voice tense. "Besides, there are three other forces that have recently clashed with our temple."

Hun Miesheng snorted coldly and casually tossed the scroll to the ground.

"Since we can't find the real culprit, then let everyone who opposes the Soul Hall pay the price. Pass down the order: leave no one on the list alive."

At this moment, an older Soul Hall Venerable mustered his courage and spoke up: "Hall Master, this... to start a massacre without solid evidence might draw criticism from other forces..."

“Shouldn’t we investigate this further…” another person whispered in agreement.

"enough!"

As Hun Miesheng's black flames surged, the temperature of the entire hall suddenly rose, yet it also carried a bone-chilling cold.

"Why would my Soul Palace need evidence to conduct its business?"

His voice was like a sharp blade, cutting through all hesitation: "On this Dou Qi Continent, the Soul Hall's words are the evidence! The Soul Hall's will is the rule!"

He slowly raised his hand, and dark flames condensed in his palm into a hideous skull.

"Since someone dares to challenge the authority of the Soul Hall, then let's use blood to tell them—the consequence of opposing the Soul Hall can be summed up in one word..."

The skull suddenly opened its massive jaws, letting out a silent roar.

"……die!"

(End of this chapter)