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

Chapter 257 The Four Demon Saints of the Soul Clan, Soul Fiend!

The Great Celestial Venerable took a step forward, his body enveloped in surging black mist. His withered hands formed a seal in front of his chest, and a jet-black energy vortex condensed in his palms, containing destructive energy that caused the surrounding space to distort and crack.

"Soul-Devouring and Spirit-Extinguishing Palm!"

With a fierce shout, a gigantic black hand that blotted out the sky appeared out of thin air. Countless vengeful spirits howled and roared in the palm, and with a terrifying power that devoured everything, it slammed down on the protective array of the Spirit Treasure Pavilion.

With a deafening roar, the giant black hand collided violently with the protective light barrier, sending energy ripples spreading wildly. However, after the protective light barrier trembled violently, it actually withstood the attack, though its light dimmed slightly.

"Interesting." A cold glint flashed in the Great Celestial Venerable's eyes. "It seems that without using my true abilities, I can't do anything to your turtle shell. Then let me show you my true strength!"

Before he finished speaking, his aura suddenly surged, and the terrifying pressure of a two-star Dou Sheng erupted, causing the entire sky to tremble violently!

This is also why Hun Miesheng felt comfortable entrusting him with the great responsibility of becoming the Lord of the Earth Palace—after the death of the Deputy Palace Master, he had already broken through the previous bottleneck and his strength had reached a new level.

"not good……"

Upon seeing this, Venerable Tianhuo's expression changed drastically, and he hurriedly activated the Burning Heaven Blazing Fire Sword Formation with all his might. The crimson sword energy spun wildly, constructing a blazing wall of fire in front of the formation.

"late!"

The Great Celestial Venerable's chilling roar echoed through the heavens. The void above the Spirit Treasure Pavilion shattered, and a massive bone blade burst forth, its blade radiating an eerie aura. Countless skeletal phantoms swirled and howled around it. The bone blade aimed directly at the great formation, and with a force capable of tearing apart the heavens and earth, it cleaved down.

"call out!"

The moment the bone blade struck, a strange wave rapidly spread out, distorting the space in its path. This wave was as fast as lightning, giving Venerable Heavenly Fire no time to react, and had already reached the front of the great formation.

"broken!"

With that cold shout, the Blazing Sky Sword Formation let out a mournful cry of unbearable strain. Countless crimson sword energies shattered the moment they touched the bone blade, dissipating into countless specks of light.

The protective light barrier trembled violently, and then, with a deafening explosion, it was forcibly torn open with a terrifying gap that was thousands of feet long!
"puff……"

As if struck by a heavy blow, Venerable Heavenly Fire coughed up a mouthful of blood and was sent flying backward, crashing heavily into the mountainside behind him. Amidst the flying debris, his aura instantly weakened, clearly indicating that he had suffered a serious injury.

"kill!"

Upon seeing this, the Soul Palace army erupted in a deafening roar. Countless figures in black robes surged towards the breach in the formation like a flood bursting its banks. A chilling killing intent instantly enveloped the entire Tianmu Mountain.

Meanwhile, in a quiet courtyard inside the Lingbao Pavilion.

Mang Tianchi stared at the menacing gap in the sky, stamping his feet in frustration. He turned to Gu Yuan, who was leisurely sipping his tea, and said, "Old Gu, what time is it? You're still in the mood for tea? The sect's protective formation has been broken!"

He pointed at the imposing Grand Celestial Venerable of the Soul Palace in the sky: "You should at least try to stop that guy! When Lu Yu comes out of seclusion, we'll have something to say, won't we?"

Gu Yuan leisurely sipped his tea, glanced up at the sky, his brows furrowing slightly, and was about to raise his hand—

Suddenly, as if sensing something, a meaningful smile appeared on his face: "No need."

Just as he finished speaking, a clear, delicate shout came from the sky:
"Where did this old bastard come from? Take this punch from the Emperor!"

Before the sound arrived, the fist came first.

A streak of purple light tore through the sky, causing space to collapse inch by inch in its path, revealing a pitch-black void. The Great Celestial Venerable of the Soul Palace didn't even have time to react before the purple light, carrying world-destroying power, slammed into his chest.

"Click..."

A sharp, teeth-grinding cracking sound rang out. Before everyone's horrified eyes, the Great Celestial Venerable's chest visibly caved in, a massive fist-shaped imprint piercing through him. Immediately afterward, an incomparably violent power erupted from within him.

"Boom!"

Amidst a deafening roar, the Great Celestial Venerable's physical body shattered like broken porcelain, scattering blood and bone fragments everywhere. His withered face remained frozen in disbelief and terror before he exploded into a cloud of blood mist, leaving not even a single intact bone behind.

A phantom soul fled hastily from the blood mist, its body covered in cracks, clearly indicating that the residual force of the punch had damaged its very essence.

The entire world fell into a deathly silence.

Everyone stared in disbelief at the purple-haired figure slowly appearing in the sky. Zi Yan casually flicked her fist, as if she had merely swatted a fly, and pursed her lips:
"So easily defeated, yet you dare to cause trouble at Lingbao Pavilion?"

The crisp sound echoed in the silent sky above Tianmu Mountain, and everyone in the Soul Palace subconsciously took a step back.

"help me……"

The soul of the Great Celestial Venerable of the Soul Palace fled in panic towards the Soul Palace army, his soul body covered with spiderweb-like cracks, its light flickering uncertainly. However, just as he was about to touch the Three Celestial Venerables—

"puff!"

With a soft sound, the broken soul shattered completely like broken glass, turning into specks of light and dissipating into the air.

"The Great Celestial Venerable...is he dead?"

"Impossible! The Great Celestial Venerable is a two-star Dou Sheng!"

The Soul Palace members stared in horror at the scene, their faces filled with disbelief. Someone reacted first, shouting hoarsely, "Run!" The entire Soul Palace army was thrown into chaos, countless figures in black robes fleeing in all directions.

In the midst of this chaos, a crisp cracking sound suddenly rang out between heaven and earth, as if something invisible had been crushed. The entire sky was plunged into darkness.

It wasn't that night had fallen, but rather that the light in the entire sky had been completely swallowed up by some terrifying force.

A suffocating pressure descended from the sky, as if the deepest hell had opened up. The fleeing Soul Palace experts froze in place as if they had been frozen in place, and even breathing became difficult.

"waste."

A chilling voice echoed deep within everyone's soul. In the void, a figure shrouded in pitch-black flames slowly emerged, the space solidifying with each step he took. When he fully appeared, the entire world seemed to be paying homage to him.

The Lord of the Soul Palace, Soul Extinction, has personally arrived!
He hovered in the void, the pitch-black flames surrounding him seemingly capable of incinerating everything, yet emanating a chilling aura that sent shivers down one's spine. His deep eyes swept across the area below, and wherever his gaze fell, space itself seemed to distort slightly.

"I underestimated the Lingbao Pavilion."

"A Five-Star Dou Sheng?"

"No wonder they dared to offend my Soul Palace..."

Hun Miesheng's lips curled into a cold smile, and his aura surged like a volcanic eruption. The pitch-black flames transformed into a pillar of light that shot straight into the sky, dyeing the entire sky black.

"What a coincidence, I am also a five-star Dou Sheng." His tone suddenly turned cold, and a chilling glint flashed in his eyes. "However... there are differences even among five-star Dou Sheng!"

The moment the last word fell, Zi Yan's figure tore through the void and appeared before him. There were no fancy moves, no powerful energy fluctuations, just a simple punch thrown out.

"boom!"

Wherever the fist passed, space collapsed layer by layer. Hun Miesheng's pupils shrank sharply. Before he could even make any defense, he was sent flying like a kite with a broken string, leaving a trail of blood in the air before crashing heavily into a mountain wall several miles away.

"Boom——"

The entire mountain collapsed with a crash, boulders tumbling down, and dust billowing into the sky. Amidst the ruins, Hun Miesheng rose into the air in a disheveled state, his magnificent black robe tattered, a streak of blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. He laughed in fury, his voice filled with overwhelming killing intent:
"Very well! I'd like to see just how much this five-star Dou Sheng is really worth!"

"Ten Thousand Souls Devouring Heaven Palm!"

With a fierce shout, the world suddenly changed color. Countless vengeful spirits surged forth from the void, blotting out the sun, their mournful howls sending chills down one's spine. These vengeful spirits frantically converged, coalescing into a pitch-black palm print that covered the entire sky.

On the palm print, thousands of distorted faces struggled in agony, exuding a suffocating aura of death.

This is one of the Soul Palace's signature techniques, a mid-level Heaven-rank combat skill!

However, even in the face of this earth-shattering attack, Zi Yan simply threw a punch. This punch, seemingly slow, pierced through the void in an instant, the simple and unadorned fist colliding violently with the sky-covering palm print.

"Boom!"

Amidst a deafening roar, the pitch-black palm print shattered, and countless vengeful spirits let out extremely mournful screams before turning into wisps of black smoke and dissipating into the world.

The terrifying energy shock sent Hun Miesheng flying backward, coughing up blood. This time, even the black flames around his body dimmed considerably, indicating that he had suffered serious internal injuries.

However, Zi Yan gave Hun Miesheng no chance to catch his breath. In a flash, she reappeared in front of him, her right fist shimmering with purple-gold light, carrying a terrifying power that made one's heart tremble. She was about to unleash another powerful punch.

"Wait a minute!"

Soul Extinction's expression changed drastically. He hurriedly raised his hand to stop him, forcing a very weak smile: "My friend, I have been presumptuous this time. How about we settle this amicably? Soul Palace is willing to compensate Spirit Treasure Pavilion for all its losses..."

"No."

Zi Yan abruptly interrupted him, her fist unleashed with even greater force. Hun Miesheng dodged awkwardly to the side, the force of the punch grazing his cheek and leaving a bloody gash on his face.

"You!" Soul Extinction was both shocked and furious, taking several steps back, his face horribly grim. "You forced me to do this!"

He suddenly pulled a pitch-black spatial jade slip from his robes and crushed it without hesitation. The instant the jade slip shattered, a strange black light shot into the sky, forming a massive spatial vortex in the air.

"Since you refuse to give up, then don't blame me for breaking the rules!"

The instant the spatial vortex formed, an aura several times more terrifying than Soul Extinction suddenly descended. The entire world seemed to groan in agony, and amidst the violent distortion of space, a figure slowly stepped out.

It was a burly figure carrying a dark red, ghost-headed broadsword on his shoulder. The blade exuded a nauseating, bloody aura, and the eerie patterns seemed to be forged from the flesh and blood of countless wronged souls. One could faintly hear mournful howls.

The newcomer's scarlet eyes seemed to surge like a sea of ​​blood; a mere casual glance was enough to send shivers down one's spine.

"Lord Soul Fiend!"

Upon seeing this, Hun Miesheng breathed a sigh of relief and quickly bowed in respect.

Soul Fiend, one of the Four Demon Saints of the Soul Clan!
His bloodshot eyes swept downwards, finally settling on Zi Yan. A cruel smile curved his lips, and he licked his lips with his scarlet tongue.
“A good prey… It’s been a long time since I’ve encountered an opponent that interests me.”

(End of this chapter)