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

Chapter 21 Ice Emperor Hai Bodong

After many days,

Mocheng, at dusk.

The afterglow of the setting sun bathed this desert city in gold, and the unique desert-style buildings standing on both sides of the street shimmered with a golden luster in the sunlight.

A young man dressed in a dark robe walked down the city street. His handsome appearance attracted the attention of passersby, who stopped to stare. Some of the more passionate young women even winked at him, their eyes filled with affection and expressions that were best left unsaid.

But Lu Yu kept his eyes straight ahead, ignoring those people, and relying on the information he had gathered, he walked straight towards a certain place in the city.

After turning a few street corners, a shop called "Gu Tu" came into view. It was already late, and the shop's door was half-closed, with a faint light shining through the crack and illuminating Lu Yu.

He stopped in front of the door, his gaze sweeping over the half-closed wooden door. He raised his hand and knocked three times lightly before pushing the door open and entering.

Inside the shop, a moonstone emitted a soft glow, illuminating the map scrolls covering the walls. Behind the counter, an elderly man with white hair was intently drawing a map, so focused that he didn't notice Lu Yu's arrival.

Inside the shop, a pretty young woman was helping out; her slender figure was particularly striking under the tight-fitting long dress.

Behind the girl stood four burly men, their aura clearly indicating they were Great Dou Masters, and not just any Great Dou Masters.

Hearing the door open, the girl casually glanced up. After seeing Lu Yu's simple clothes, a hint of disdain flashed in her eyes. She said indifferently, "Master Bing doesn't like to be disturbed when he's drawing, so please go out for a moment."

Lu Yu was taken aback, then his gaze swept over the four guards. He chuckled and said, "How domineering! Anyone who didn't know better would think it was the princess of the Jia Ma Empire who had arrived. May I ask how you are addressed, young lady? Do you have a Dou Wang (Battle King) in your family?"

"you!"

The girl's face darkened, then she raised her chin arrogantly and said, "I don't have a Dou Wang, but my father is the city lord of Mo City, a dignified seven-star Dou Ling expert!"

"Oh, that's really impressive."

"Why don't you go out, young lady? I'll keep an eye on things for Master Bing. It's not good for a young lady to stay out all night..."

Lu Yu raised an eyebrow and said in a calm tone.

"presumptuous!"

The young girl raised her eyebrows slightly, a dangerous glint flashing in her eyes. Her snow-white chin was held high with arrogance. The four guards immediately understood and surrounded Lu Yu with fierce expressions.

The burly man with the thick beard grinned maliciously, "Kid, it's not too late to get lost now!"

Before he finished speaking, the powerful aura of a Seven-Star Grandmaster suddenly erupted, and his fan-like hand reached out to grab Lu Yu's shoulder.

Lu Yu shook his head slightly, and with a wave of his hand, crimson light condensed in his palm, and a snake-shaped mark appeared, transforming into a crimson ray of light that instantly entered the big man's body.

"What is this..."

The burly man's pupils contracted sharply, and the color drained from his face instantly. He felt his fighting spirit draining away like a burst dam, and his aura rapidly diminished at a visible pace—

Six-Star Grandmaster!
Five-Star Grandmaster!
Four-star Grand Dou Master!
The whole process happened in the blink of an eye, and his cultivation level dropped from a seven-star Great Dou Master to a four-star Great Dou Master!

What's even more alarming is that this is only the basic serpent seal spell, and it hasn't yet been imbued with the power of the Floating Pagoda.

"Bang bang bang!"

In a flash, Lu Yu flicked his sleeve, and four crimson palm prints shot out in succession. The remaining three four-star Grand Dou Masters, along with the burly man with the bushy beard, were sent flying out of the door like kites with broken strings, crashing heavily onto the bluestone slabs in the middle of the street.

The girl in the red dress turned pale, and her legs went weak, almost causing her to kneel down.

"The Serpent Sealing Curse?!"

Just then, the white-haired old man, who had been silent all along, seemed to sense something, and suddenly looked up, his cloudy old eyes flashing with a sharp light.

The pen he was using to draw the map snapped in two with a "snap," and a chilling aura emanated from him.

"Kid, what's your relationship with Medusa?"

The white-haired old man had a gloomy face and exuded a terrifying aura!
A powerful fighting spirit!
"It's just what my master taught me. I don't know any Queen Medusa. I'm here today just to buy a map of the Tagor Desert."

"Is the old man trying to force a sale?"

"You should know that I've killed ice-attribute fighting spirits before!"

Lu Yu remained calm, a ball of crimson flame appearing in his palm, radiating an extremely hot aura that could vaguely rival the extreme cold aura emanating from the old man!
"This power... could it be the legendary strange fire?"

The white-haired old man's pupils suddenly contracted, and his face showed surprise. However, his vigilance relaxed slightly. To be able to subdue a strange fire at such a young age and even fight against a fighting spirit, the Jia Ma Empire probably could not cultivate such a genius.

This boy is probably an outsider and most likely has no connection with Medusa of the snake-people tribe.

Thinking of this, the old man suddenly calmed down and put on a kind smile: "Please forgive me, young friend. It's just that this sealing technique is quite similar to the method of one of my enemies, so I couldn't help but be suspicious."

"All sealing techniques in the world lead to the same goal, so it's understandable that you might make a mistake, sir. I've only come to buy a map." "Since you don't welcome me, sir, then I'll take my leave."

After saying that, Lu Yu's expression was indifferent, and he immediately turned and left.

In the instant he turned around, Lu Yu stared at the approaching gate, maintaining a cold expression, but silently counting in his mind:

"Ten, nine, eight, seven..."

As I silently counted my steps toward the door, just as I reached seven, a hurried voice suddenly came from behind me.

"Little friend, wait a minute!"

"May I borrow that sealing technique for a moment?"

Hearing Hai Bodong's hurried voice behind him, Lu Yu paused slightly, and a barely perceptible smile appeared on the corner of his mouth as he turned away from Hai Bodong.

When he turned around, his face had returned to its indifferent expression, his brows furrowed, and he said with some resistance, "Old sir, this sealing spell is very valuable. If you want to borrow it, I'm afraid you can't afford the price!"

Before he could finish speaking, Hai Bodong had already strode forward.

An eager look appeared on the old man's face, his fingers unconsciously stroking the storage ring on his hand, and a complex light flashed in his eyes: "Young friend, if you have any conditions, please speak freely. I have been operating in Mo City for many years and have some wealth."

Lu Yu looked Hai Bodong up and down, then feigned hesitation and asked, "Does the old gentleman possess any Earth-rank cultivation techniques?"

"Well... I really don't have any." Hai Bodong looked embarrassed and rubbed his fingers awkwardly.

"What about Earth-rank combat techniques?"

"Uh...nothing..."

"Surely you have some seventh-grade pills?"

Upon hearing this, Hai Bodong slowly lowered the hand that was stroking the storage ring and sighed, "To be honest, I am under a strange seal, and my cultivation has been suppressed at the Dou Ling realm for many years."

He raised his cloudy eyes and said sincerely, "I borrowed the sealing spell this time in order to break my own seal. If you can lend a hand, I will repay you handsomely once I have recovered my strength."

"Does the old man mean you want to freeload?"

Lu Yu frowned slightly and said in an unfriendly tone.

"I……"

Upon hearing this, Hai Bodong's face instantly turned bright red, and his withered fingers unconsciously clenched.

To think that he, the mighty Ice Emperor, was so powerful when he dominated the Gama Empire, is now being openly mocked by a mere brat for freeloading.

The most frustrating thing is that, now that I'm down on my luck, I really can't refute them with a straight face.

"Fine, I'm just being kind. Old sir, please extend your hand and let me see what kind of seal it is and whether I can break it."

Lu Yu hesitated for a moment, then finally sighed and said in a rather helpless tone.

"Very well, young friend, I, Hai Bodong, will never forget your great kindness. If the seal can be broken, I am willing to do ten things for you!"

Hai Bodong was overjoyed upon hearing this and quickly stretched out his withered wrist.

After examining it carefully for a moment, Lu Yu slowly withdrew his hand, looking troubled: "This seal is not complicated, but in my opinion, it was probably set up by a Dou Huang expert. With my current cultivation level, I'm afraid I'll have to proceed slowly and it will take a long time to break it."

"how long will it takes?"

Hai Bodong's breath hitched, and his heart leaped into his throat.

"Six months."

Lu Yu said without changing his expression.

In fact, he could have cracked it from the beginning, but he had finally encountered a Dou Huang fighter like Hai Bodong, so he couldn't let him go so easily.

"Half a year?"

Upon hearing this, Hai Bodong immediately breathed a sigh of relief.

He had no doubts about Lu Yu's words. It was astonishing that a mere Great Dou Shi could break a Dou Huang seal.

Half a year is but a blink of an eye for a Dou Huang powerhouse.

(End of this chapter)