Nine Mansions
The Black Hole in Lin Ming's hand covered the Spirit Formation and the Stone Island together, and under this suction force, the Stone Island trembled.
The tremors were initially very subtle, but they quickly grew more and more intense, causing the entire Stone Island to tremble slightly. The broken walls and ruins on the island shattered and fell in fragments, which were then sucked into the Black Hole by its suction and disappeared before they could fall far.
Then, to everyone's astonishment, the Stone Island, like a pebble thrown into water, rapidly shrank, deformed, and twisted under the suction of the Black Hole, eventually transforming into a stream of light that disappeared into Lin Ming's palm and vanished completely into the darkness.
For a moment, the sky seemed to clear up, revealing the dome that had been obscured by the Stone Island. Grayish-white light shone down on the group, creating an unreal sense of emptiness.
It was actually sucked into the Black Hole by Lin Ming and disappeared completely.
North King and Xia Jia were still standing in the distance, their mouths slightly agape and their eyes filled with disbelief.
They had just witnessed Lin Ming swallow a massive Stone Island, several miles in circumference, with a single hand; the sight was more shocking than any words could describe.
The North King swallowed hard, his lips moved a few times, and finally he could only murmur, "My lord... this..."
He couldn't find the right words to describe what had just happened; he felt as if his understanding of the world had been completely overturned.
While the two were still in shock, Zi Yan looked at Lin Ming.
At that moment, Lin Ming also looked at Zi Yan, and then smiles appeared on both of their faces.
After taking the Stone Island into his Inner World, Lin Ming simply had a thought, and the protective array outside the island was instantly destroyed with a gentle touch.
The Spiritual Runes didn't even have time to resist before they all faded and disappeared, and the barrier of the entire Stone Island collapsed in an instant.
This is the absolute power within Lin Ming's Inner World, where his will is the supreme Law.
Everything Stone Island was instantly presented to Lin Ming's vision. His divine sense was like a fine net, covering every inch of the entire Stone Island.
However, the result was exactly the same as the previous three Stone Island. Most of the palaces on the island had collapsed, and the few remaining side halls were empty. Only in a half-collapsed Stone Chamber deep inside the Stone Island did he find two skeletons.
Lin Ming's heart stirred slightly, and then his gaze was drawn to a ring on the finger of one of the skeletons.
The ring was entirely dark silver, with an extremely simple design and no decorations on its surface, resembling the most ordinary copper or iron ring. However, Lin Ming instantly sensed that the ring was a storage ring with a single scan of his divine sense.
There was an extremely faint Spatial Fluctuations inside the ring. Although it was deliberately suppressed to the lowest level, it was as clearly discernible as a firefly in the dark under his keen perception.
With another thought, he broke open the space inside the ring.
The storage ring contained many items, among which a Long Halberd possessed the most concentrated Spirit Qi.
The Long Halberd is dark gold in color, with a long and straight blade. The blade gleams with a cold light, and the surface is engraved with fine Dragon Pattern. The faint sound of dragon roars can be heard coming from the halberd.
Its Spirit Qi energy intensity alone indicates that it is a Half-Sage Artifact, enough to become the prized possession of a sect in the outside world.
But Lin Ming didn't even glance at it; his gaze was entirely focused on an ordinary Jade Slip.
The Jade Slip was mixed in with a pile of miscellaneous items. Its surface was dusty and its Spiritual Energy fluctuations were so weak that they were almost negligible. It seemed to be on a completely different level from those spiritual objects.
However, when Lin Ming's divine sense probed into the Jade Slip, his pupils suddenly contracted.
This Jade Slip did not contain any extraordinary supernatural Cultivation Method, but rather an ordinary map.
But to Lin Ming, this map was like a priceless treasure.
The map, with its extremely detailed lines and markings, clearly indicated the division of various areas within the Ancient Heavenly Palace. Each area was accompanied by a brief text description and its corresponding functions and responsibilities.
From the outer Dragon Ascension Gate to the Nine Residences in the Inner Domain region, from the Five Halls in the center to the most core Heavenly Palace, every place is clearly marked.
Lin Ming scanned the map, and after a moment, he had a detailed understanding of the Ancient Heavenly Palace.
The Ancient Heavenly Palace, below the Heavenly Emperor, was further divided into Five Halls and Nine Mansions.
The Five Halls are the highest authority under the Heavenly Emperor of the Heavenly Palace, and are presided over by five Hall Masters at the Perfected Earth Sovereign, who are in charge of all core affairs of the Heavenly Palace.
The Nine Residences are the backbone of the Heavenly Palace. The Palace Masters are either Lower-Rank Earth Sovereign or Upper-Rank Earth Sovereign, and are responsible for managing the Heavenly Palace disciples, allocating cultivation resources, and enforcing the Heavenly Palace's laws.
The area where the Nine Residences are located is the large area they are currently in.
After sorting through the information, Lin Ming turned his attention back to the outside world and looked at the three people waiting beside him.
"From the Stone Island we just collected, we obtained a complete map of the Ancient Heavenly Palace," Lin Ming said, a hint of joy in his voice.
A complete map meant they no longer needed to blindly search for each Stone Island like headless flies; from then on, every step they took would have a clear direction.
Upon hearing this, everyone was overjoyed. Zi Yan's purple-gold eyes suddenly lit up, like a lamp that had been lit.
Lin Ming then continued, "Judging from the map, we are currently in the first layer of the ancient Heavenly Palace's inner domain, which is also the area where the Nine Palaces are located. Beyond the Nine Palaces lies..."
"I wonder if this is Heavenly Pool?" the North King asked before Lin Ming could speak.
His tone carried an unusual urgency, and his tiger-like eyes gleamed with an almost burning light.
"Huh, even you know about the North King?" Lin Ming asked, somewhat surprised. He hadn't expected the North King's knowledge of the Ancient Heavenly Palace to extend to the Heavenly Pool.
Upon hearing this, the North King nodded and said, "I would say I vaguely know. The ancient texts record that there was a Heavenly Pool within the Ancient Heavenly Palace. While the strength of the Heavenly Emperor was certainly a major reason why the Ancient Heavenly Palace could be considered the overlord of the Sky Luo Continent, the existence of the Heavenly Pool was also a contributing factor. At that time, countless geniuses joined the Ancient Heavenly Palace with the aim of receiving the baptism of the Heavenly Pool."
He paused for a moment, the light in his tiger-like eyes growing even brighter, and his tone becoming more solemn.
"It is said that the Heavenly Pool Baptism can truly transform a person, refine their Spiritual Energy, and even elevate their Supreme Dharma Body. Legend has it that some people at the Tier 9 Peak broke through to the Earth Sovereign directly during the baptism."
Upon hearing this, Xia Jia's expression was deeply moved. A barely concealed shock crossed her charming face, her eyes widened slightly, and her lips moved slightly.
She knew perfectly well how difficult it was to advance to the Earth Sovereign level, even though she hadn't reached that point yet.
After all, the exact number of Supreme Beings in the Northern Domain is already impossible to count. They are scattered throughout the Northern Domain, like scattered stars, numerous yet each dim in its own way.
However, those who can break through the Supreme Realm and advance to the Earth Sovereign are extremely rare.
It can be said that most of the countless Tier 9 Supreme in the world are unable to cross that step in their entire lives, just like countless rivers that dry up and cease before reaching the sea, never able to flow into that vast ocean called Earth Sovereign.
This demonstrates just how difficult it was to achieve this breakthrough.
The Heavenly Pool Baptism could allow someone to break through from the Tier 9 Peak to the Earth Sovereign directly, an effect far exceeding any elixir or miraculous medicine she knew of.
Lin Ming, after reviewing the brief description on the map, knew that the rumors the North King had mentioned were somewhat exaggerated.
The Heavenly Pool Baptism does indeed possess a similar function, but its effects are far less miraculous than rumored. The map only contains a few words about the Heavenly Pool, but Lin Ming deduced from them that the Heavenly Pool Baptism does not directly allow people to break through their realm, but rather uses an extremely pure Origin Power to cleanse the cultivator's roots and Spiritual Energy, giving those Tier 9 Supreme who have been stuck at their bottlenecks for many years a chance to break through to Earth Sovereign.
This opportunity is extremely precious, but whether one can seize it ultimately depends on the individual. Even so, the value of that Heavenly Pool is enough to drive any cultivator mad.
At this moment, Lin Ming nodded slightly and said, "However, not just anyone is qualified for the Heavenly Pool baptism. According to the rules of the Ancient Heavenly Palace, only disciples of the Ancient Heavenly Palace who have been recognized by the Nine Residences and possess the tokens of the Nine Residences can enter the Heavenly Pool."
Then, Lin Ming's tone became more solemn as he continued, "Although the Ancient Heavenly Palace has undergone great changes, these rules probably still remain, just like the Dragon Ascension Gate. Therefore, before that, we still need to find the location of the Nine Residences and obtain the Nine Residences Tokens."
"Then what are we waiting for? Where is the nearest Nine Residences? Let's go there right away!" Upon hearing this, Zi Yan immediately exclaimed excitedly.
Flames danced in her purplish-gold eyes, and she was like a young phoenix whose fighting spirit had been ignited, exuding an aura of eager anticipation.
As soon as Zi Yan finished speaking, Lin Ming looked up and said in the northeast direction, "According to the map, the closest of the Nine Residences to us is the Lin Residence, which is not far in this direction. We can go and explore it."
The Lin Residence is one of the Nine Residences, and its lord is a Lower-Rank Earth Sovereign. A mansion presided over by an Earth Sovereign should contain real treasures.
"Let's go, let's set off right away!" Zi Yan's eyes were burning with enthusiasm. Without any hesitation, she took to the air and transformed into a golden-red streak of light, heading in the direction Lin Ming pointed out.
With a clearly defined route, Lin Ming and his group stopped in less than fifteen minutes.
At that moment, a Stone Island appeared in front of them.
The Stone Island was not large, only a few miles in circumference, and smaller than any other Stone Island they had searched before.
Apart from a few scattered bamboo stalks, there was nothing particularly remarkable about the island.
Those green bamboos were several meters tall, their slender and upright stems gleaming with a cool, ethereal green under the greyish-white sunlight.
There are no magnificent palaces, towering pavilions, or stone bridges spanning the edge of the Stone Island, and not even a decent stone pillar can be seen.
The entire Stone Island is like an ordinary rock casually discarded in the sky, quiet and simple, like a deserted island forgotten in a corner.
However, no one could have imagined that this seemingly inconspicuous Stone Island was actually the location of the Lin Residence, one of the Nine Residences.