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

Chapter 284 Gu Yang, Traitor?
Soon after, inside an elegant bamboo house.

"Young friend, please have a seat."

Gu Dao, Gu Yuan, Gu Lie, and Lu Yu sat around a bamboo table. The aroma of tea wafted from the table, a stark contrast to the tense atmosphere of the martial arts arena just moments before.

Lu Yu calmly took his seat, his gaze sweeping over the three top experts of the ancient clans before finally settling on Gu Dao: "Senior's palm strike just now seemed incredibly powerful, but in my opinion, it seems..."

He didn't finish his sentence, but the doubt in his eyes said it all.

Gu Yuan poured tea, a slight smile playing on his lips. Gu Lie stroked his beard and chuckled. Gu Dao coughed lightly, a hint of embarrassment flashing in his eyes, and said, "It was all that old fellow Gu Yuan's idea..."

"I did not wish for this to happen either, young friend, please forgive me..."

As Gu Dao spoke, he shook his head helplessly, "If I had known earlier that you were so capable, young friend, I would never have agreed to this guy's request..."

As he finished speaking, he suddenly seemed to remember something, a mischievous glint in his eyes: "He himself is on Tianmu Mountain..."

"Cough cough!"

Gu Yuan coughed a few times and quickly interrupted. He glared at Gu Dao, then turned to Lu Yu, his expression returning to normal: "There's no need to bring up the past. I've invited you here today to discuss something else."

"The wedding date has been set for next month."

Gu Yuan gently pushed the teacup in front of Lu Yu and continued to explain, "According to the ancient clan's customs, the groom must prepare a betrothal gift before the wedding."

Gu Lie took over the conversation, speaking in a gentle tone: "I've heard that you are skilled in alchemy, young friend. Several elders in our clan have stagnated in their cultivation for a long time. I wonder if you could refine a few Grade 9 Profound Pills? The medicinal materials will naturally be provided by the Gu Clan."

Gu Dao also put away his joking expression and said seriously, "If it is successfully refined, one of them will be your betrothal gift, which will also fulfill this beautiful story."

As soon as he finished speaking, all three of them turned their gazes to Lu Yu, waiting for his reply.

Upon hearing this, Lu Yu raised an eyebrow, shook his head, and said, "I'm sorry to disappoint you, senior. I have already prepared the betrothal gifts."

Having said that, he took out two ancient jade boxes and gently placed them on the bamboo table. The first jade box was opened, revealing three golden ribs with mysterious patterns flowing on them: "This is the Heavenly Rank Battle Technique, Great Creation Palm."

He then pointed to the second jade box, in which a crystal-clear jade slip emitted a faint glow: "As you all know, our Lingbao Pavilion is renowned for its array formations. This array formation inheritance at the Dou Sheng level records the layout and essentials of array formations from beginner to Dou Sheng level."

"As for the third betrothal gift,"

Lu Yu closed the jade box and said calmly, "It is a grade nine precious pill called the Supreme Pill, which is a miraculous pill used to help a half-saint powerhouse break through to the Dou Sheng realm. I have already asked Xian'er to deliver it to Xun'er."

After speaking, Gu Yuan pondered for a moment, then nodded and said, "I have seen your skill in formations, lad; it is indeed extraordinary."

Gu Dao stroked his beard and pondered, "This betrothal gift is quite unexpected."

Gu Lie stared intently at the jade slip, his tone filled with barely concealed anticipation: "Excellent! My Gu Clan has a profound heritage, but our skills in formations and weapon crafting have been incomplete since ancient times. I never expected to see a complete Dou Sheng-level formation inheritance today. You're quite the expert, kid!"

The three exchanged glances, and all saw satisfaction in each other's eyes.

Gu Yuan pondered for a moment, exchanged a glance with Gu Dao and Gu Lie, and then said, "Since you are so sincere, my Gu clan cannot take advantage of you, kid."

With that, he waved his sleeve, and nine jade boxes, each exuding a rich medicinal fragrance, appeared neatly on the bamboo table. Each jade box shimmered with light, and the outlines of the rare medicinal herbs inside were faintly visible.

"These are three sets of medicinal materials for refining a Grade Nine Profound Pill."

Gu Yuan explained, "My ancient clan hasn't had an alchemist capable of refining ninth-grade Xuan Dan for a long time. These medicinal herbs have been piling up in the warehouse for many years, and today I'm handing them over to you to deal with."

As he spoke, he took out three ancient-looking prescriptions and dozens of jade boxes containing auxiliary materials: "These are the corresponding three prescriptions and auxiliary materials."

Gu Dao smiled and nodded, saying, "Regardless of whether the pill is successfully refined or not, these medicinal herbs are all yours."

Gu Lie added, "This is just a small token of our appreciation from us old folks."

Upon hearing this, Lu Yu's face flashed with astonishment, and he said, "How can this be? The ingredients for a Grade 9 Profound Pill are so precious, not to mention these three Profound Pill formulas."

His gaze swept over the medicinal herbs radiating immense energy, and he said sincerely, "The betrothal gifts I prepared were originally intended to express my feelings for Xun'er. If I were to accept these as well, it would be too greedy."

Gu Yuan waved his hand, his expression gentle: "Take them. These medicinal herbs are just gathering dust in the warehouse. It's better to hand them over to you, a master of profound pills, so that they can realize their true value."

Gu Dao also laughed and said, "Consider this a congratulatory gift from us old folks to you."

Upon hearing this, Lu Yu gave a wry smile, then solemnly cupped his hands and said, "Then this junior will accept it without being impolite. I will remember this generous gift."

Subsequently, all the medicinal materials and prescriptions were stored in the storage ring.

Seeing this, Gu Yuan nodded in satisfaction, then seemed to have thought of something and continued, "There is one more thing. Because of her bloodline, Xun'er needs to maintain her primordial yin body before breaking through to the Dou Sheng realm. We originally prepared a prescription for a ninth-grade precious pill to help her stabilize her bloodline in advance."

"However, since you gave her the Supreme Pill, she should be breaking through to the Dou Sheng realm this month, so she won't need that prescription."

Lu Yu straightened his expression and said, "This junior understands."

He pondered for a moment, then finally decided to speak: "There is one more thing... I think you are aware of this, senior. I once devoured the sub-flame of the Void Devouring Flame and am quite sensitive to its aura and characteristics."

"Today in the martial arts arena, I vaguely sensed a similar aura on Elder Gu Yang."

A glint flashed in Gu Yuan's eyes, and he exchanged a solemn glance with Gu Dao and Gu Lie. The three elders' expressions immediately turned serious, and the atmosphere inside the bamboo house became heavy.

"Void Devouring Flame..."

Gu Yuan slowly put down his teacup, his voice low, "This is the Soul Clan's inherited strange fire." Gu Dao stroked his beard and pondered, "No wonder Gu Yang reacted so strongly to this marriage today."

Gu Lie immediately stood up and said, "I'll go catch him..."

Seeing this, Lu Yu couldn't help but be a little surprised: "The three seniors... you believe what this junior says so much?"

Gu Yuan's expression turned solemn: "Now that you have become the son-in-law of my Gu clan, you are family. Besides..."

He paused, then said, "You have no reason to make up such a lie."

Gu Dao nodded slightly: "Gu Yang's behavior today was indeed abnormal. Now that I think about it, there are strange things going on everywhere."

Gu Lie said in a deep voice, "It's better to believe it's true than not. If he really is a spy for the Soul Clan, we must eliminate him as soon as possible."

Lu Yu's heart stirred; he hadn't expected these three high-ranking members of the ancient clan to trust him so much.

"I'll go..."

Gu Lie's fighting spirit fluctuated slightly, clearly indicating that he was ready to make a move.

"Wait a minute."

Gu Yuan raised his hand to stop him, saying, "It's not wise to alert them."

He gazed intently into the distance, and slowly said, "If I'm not mistaken, the Soul Clan has come for that thing..."

"You mean?"

Gu Dao's expression hardened, clearly understanding what Gu Yuan meant.

Gu Lie sat down again, his brows furrowed: "If it's for that thing, then it makes sense."

Gu Yuan pondered for a moment, his fingertips lightly tracing patterns on the table: "It seems the Soul Clan has grand ambitions..."

"If it's for that thing, I'm afraid that old bastard, the Soul Emperor, will also make a move..."

Soul Emperor?
Upon hearing this, a look of solemnity flashed in the eyes of both Gu Dao and Gu Lie.

Gu Yuan's expression turned serious, and he immediately made a decision: "Gu Dao, go and invite Gu Yang over. Tell him that you want to discuss opposing the marriage alliance, and make sure he doesn't suspect anything."

"Gu Lie, immediately and secretly seal off all exits of the Ancient Realm, lay a tight net, and do not let him escape."

He stood up, a cold glint in his eyes: "I will personally go to the ancestral hall to check if that item is safe. Before confirming, we must not alert the enemy."

"I will make my move against Gu Yang after I have it in hand."

Gu Lie solemnly accepted the order: "I will make the arrangements right away, and I guarantee that not even a fly will be able to get out."

Gu Dao also said solemnly, "I will go and invite Gu Yang right away. I will be careful to avoid arousing his suspicion."

The two nodded to each other, then their figures flickered and disappeared from the bamboo house.

"Please wait here for a moment, I'll be right back..."

After giving Lu Yu a few words of advice, Gu Yuan also transformed into a streak of light and departed. The large bamboo house was now left with only Lu Yu, who gazed thoughtfully in the direction the three had gone.

He immediately shook his head and sighed softly, "Alas, I finally managed to dedicate myself to developing a spirit array comparable to a Seven-Star Dou Sheng, but it turns out it's all useless..."

He picked up the teapot and poured himself a cup of tea: "Alright, let's drink the tea..."

Several hours later, a sharp whistling sound suddenly shattered the tranquility of the ancient realm, followed by the sounding of alarms, plunging the entire ancient realm into chaos.

"Soul Emperor! How dare you do this!"

Gu Yuan's furious roar came from the sky, the sound waves rolling and shaking the entire world. Lu Yu immediately got up and walked out of the bamboo house, only to see that the sky above the Ancient Realm was already tense and ready to fight.

The originally sturdy barrier light screen suddenly cracked open with a huge spatial rift, and countless black-robed figures surged out like a tide, darkly obscuring half of the sky.

At the same time, streams of light shot into the sky from the depths of the Ancient Sacred Mountains, and countless powerful figures from ancient clans appeared. Vast auras intertwined and surged in the sky, and countless figures formed a solid defensive line.

Looking at this awe-inspiring lineup, Lu Yu couldn't help but gasp.

Meanwhile, high in the sky, Gu Dao and two powerful members of the ancient clan were engaged in a fierce battle with four men in black robes, their battle energies colliding and creating deafening roars.

At an even higher vantage point, Gu Yuan was facing off against a middle-aged man dressed in a scholar's robe. The man who looked like a scholar was none other than the Soul Emperor, whom he had met once before!
The Soul Emperor stood with his hands behind his back, seemingly calm and collected, yet exuding a suffocating aura. He held a white-robed elder in his grasp—the Grand Elder guarding the ancestral hall, a powerful expert at the early stage of a six-star Dou Sheng!
At this moment, this usually dignified elder appeared so powerless in the hands of the Soul Emperor.

Behind him, the traitor Gu Yang stood respectfully beside the Soul Emperor, a fawning sneer on his face.

"I want him dead..."

The Soul Emperor's voice was calm and undisturbed, yet it clearly resonated throughout the entire Ancient Realm, each word striking a heavy blow to everyone's hearts.

“Exchange it for the ancient jade of Tuoshe.”

His expression was indifferent, as if he were talking about a trivial matter. The captured elder struggled to raise his head, wanting to say something, but under the suppression of the Soul Emperor, he couldn't utter a single word.

(End of this chapter)