Qing Yanjing

Inside the tower, Zi Yan and the other two had been waiting for Lin Ming.

At that moment, the blue light suddenly surged and then disappeared, and they saw Lin Ming's figure emerge from the vanished light.

In an instant, Zi Yan was the first to step forward. Her purple-gold eyes swept over Lin Ming, and seeing that although his face looked somewhat tired, his eyes were bright, she knew that he had successfully passed the third test.

She didn't ask any more questions, but simply reached out and gently squeezed his hand. The gesture was natural and tender, like a weary traveler finally welcoming their returning loved one.

"I've got the Star Residence Token," Lin Ming said briefly.

He took out the three tokens from his sleeve and showed them to the three people. The silver, light gold, and star blue lights shone brightly in his palm, like a miniature star blooming in his hand.

North King and Xia Jia exchanged a glance, their eyes filled with barely suppressed excitement.

Having obtained the Star Residence Token means that they have now collected the Nine Residences Tokens for this trip.

The Azure Wood Seal of the Lin Residence, the Dragon Spirit Pearl of the Dragon Mansion, and the Star Residence Token of the Star Residence.

Moreover, as the head of the Nine Residences, obtaining the Star Residence's token is undoubtedly the most crucial and difficult step.

But now that the Star Residence Token has been obtained, it's only a matter of time before the remaining six palaces are acquired as well.

After emerging, Lin Ming frowned slightly.

"What's wrong?" Zi Yan noticed Lin Ming's unusual behavior immediately and asked.

Lin Ming immediately said, "Someone's coming. New auras are entering the Ancient Heavenly Palace from the direction of the Dragon Ascension Gate. And there's more than one. The number of these auras is increasing, surging in from the Dragon Ascension Gate like a tide, each aura carrying its own unique Spiritual Energy imprint. It seems that the forces outside that received the news have also arrived in the Far Western Lands and begun to enter the Heavenly Palace through the Dragon Ascension Gate."

Lin Ming was able to perceive these things because he had received the inheritance of the Master of the Star Residence.

The formations of the Ancient Heavenly Palace were all set up by the Master of the Star Residence, so Lin Ming was naturally able to detect the anomaly in the formation at this moment.

Upon hearing this, the expressions on their faces all changed.

Meanwhile, a large number of people had already gathered before they even reached the Dragon Ascension Gate.

People from various forces on the Sky Luo Continent were scattered in twos and threes around the mountain where the Dragon Ascension Gate was located. Some were talking in hushed tones, some were closing their eyes to regulate their breathing, and some were staring intently at the huge Stone Door.

The three ancient characters on the Stone Door gleamed with a cold, eerie light under the gray-white sunlight, like a pair of eyes that had been asleep for millennia watching over these newcomers.

Among the crowd, some people had already begun the assessment for Dragon Ascension Gate. A middle-aged man in a gray robe walked out of the Stone Door. His face was somewhat pale, and he held a White Wolf Token in his hand. The wolf pattern on the token was dim and plain.

He looked down at the token in his hand, sighed slightly, and was clearly not satisfied with the result.

But he still put the token into his sleeve, walked to the side, sat down cross-legged, and adjusted his breathing.

Some people in the crowd cast glances at him, some with sympathy and some with relief, while most turned their attention back to the Stone Door, waiting for the next challenger to appear.

At this moment, a young girl stepped towards the Dragon Ascension Gate. She wore an elegant long dress, her face was beautiful yet aloof, and her features were as exquisite as a meticulously sculpted jade statue.

Her figure was slender and upright, like a snow plum tree standing proudly in the cold wind.

There was a very faint silver Spiritual Runes on her forehead. The Spiritual Runes was like a miniature starry sky engraved between her eyebrows, radiating an extremely restrained yet profound fluctuation.

She walked to the Stone Door with calm and steady steps, without any hesitation.

Upon seeing the girl, people in the crowd immediately began to discuss her.

"Look, it's Qing Yanjing, the goddess of the Buddha Ancient Clan. It seems she'll be able to obtain the Golden Dragon Token."

His tone carried a mixture of certainty and reverence.

The Buddha Ancient Clan is one of the oldest races on the Sky Luo Continent. Their clan inherits an extremely pure ancient bloodline, and their goddesses throughout the ages have all been exceptionally talented.

Qing Yanjing is the most outstanding genius among the current generation of the Buddha Ancient Clan, and has already made a great name for himself among the younger generation at a young age.

She came to participate in this "Dragon Ascension Gate" test, which many people considered a sure thing for her to win the Golden Dragon Token.

Amidst the murmurs of the crowd, Qing Yanjing stepped through the Stone Door. Her figure was gently enveloped by the light emanating from the Stone Door and vanished within its massive Stone Door.

A murmur arose from the crowd, all eyes fixed on the Stone Door, anticipating the appearance of the golden pillar of light and the dragon's shadow.

Time passed slowly. The runes on the Stone Door shimmered and shifted, like stars being awakened and flickering on the stone surface.

Among the waiting crowd, some began to whisper among themselves, while others closed their eyes to meditate, but most people's eyes never left the Stone Door.

About half an hour later, the Stone Door suddenly shook, and an extremely loud dragon roar came from the depths of the Stone Door. The dragon roar was high-pitched and clear, like a sharp sword cutting through the gray sky.

Immediately, the runes on the Stone Door lit up to their fullest brightness, and an overwhelming golden light burst forth from the Stone Door. A slender figure, accompanied by a golden dragon shadow, emerged from the golden light.

Qing Yanjing stood in mid-air, her Elegant Long Skirt fluttering in the golden light. The silver Spiritual Runes on her forehead shone brightest at that moment, like a miniature starry sky swirling between her brows.

Beside her, a hundred-foot-long golden dragon coiled and circled, its head held high, its eyes like two golden suns, its entire body formed from pure golden light, exuding an aura of dominance over all things.

The golden dragon circled around Qing Yanjing several times, then let out a deep roar, its body rapidly shrinking and transforming into a beam of golden light that condensed in front of her.

After the golden light dissipated, an ancient token floated in front of Qing Yanjing. A golden Giant Dragon coiled on the token, its head held high and its claws spread out like pillars supporting the sky, radiating a powerful and majestic aura.

Golden Dragon Token.

At this moment, everyone was stunned. Although they had guessed that Qing Yanjing would be able to obtain the Golden Dragon Token, they were still shocked to see it in person.

The light emitted by the Golden Dragon Token bathed the entire ice plain in a dazzling gold, like a miniature sun illuminating the gray-white sky.

A chorus of barely suppressed gasps and exclamations erupted from the crowd, their eyes filled with envy and awe.

Qing Yanjing reached out her jade-like hand and took the Golden Dragon Token into her palm. She glanced at it, and then a very faint smile curved her lips.

She landed from the air and walked to the side, her gaze fixed on the gray-white sky beyond the crowd, a thoughtful glint in her clear, cold eyes.

What was happening outside was naturally invisible to Lin Ming and his companions, who were already inside the Ancient Heavenly Palace. However, Lin Ming could sense the fluctuations of the formation.

So he said to Zi Yan and the other two, "Let's go, let's hurry to the next of the Nine Residences. Now that someone from the outside world has arrived, we probably only have one more place left to search."

Upon hearing this, a thoughtful look flashed across Zi Yan's purple-gold eyes. She turned to look at Lin Ming and asked, "Which manor shall we go to?"

Zi Yan's voice carried a hint of eagerness, but also a sense of urgency about the time.

The gains from the Dragon Spirit Pearl and the Star Residence inheritance filled her with anticipation for the remaining Nine Residences, but she also knew that time no longer allowed them to search them one by one at their own leisure as before.

Lin Ming pondered for a moment, then took out the Jade Slip map and unfolded it in his palm. His gaze swept back and forth across the star map marking the locations of the Nine Residences, his mind rapidly calculating the best option.

Thunder Residence ranks second among the Nine Residences. Its lord is Upper-Rank Earth Sovereign. His mansion must contain extremely powerful Sacred Artifact and inheritances. However, the dangers within it also far exceed those of Lin Residence and Dragon Mansion.

With their current strength, if they spend too much time in Thunder Residence, they might be overtaken by those who come later from outside, and then they would be in trouble if they were attacked from both sides.

His gaze shifted from Thunder Residence to Spirit Residence and Abyss Residence. Spirit Residence ranked fourth among the Nine Residences, and its lord was Middle-Rank Earth Sovereign. Abyss Residence ranked fifth, and its lord was also Middle-Rank Earth Sovereign.

The difficulty of these two prefectures is moderate, and the rewards will inevitably be more abundant than those of the Lin Residence and Dragon Mansion. The timing might just be right. As for the Feng, Huo, and Shan prefectures, they are ranked lower. Although the risks are the lowest, the rewards may not be much better than those of the Lin Residence. For them, who already possess the Azure Wood Seal, the Dragon Spirit Pearl, and the Star Residence Token, the cost-effectiveness is not high.

"Go to Thunder Residence." Lin Ming finally pointed to the location of Thunder Residence on the map.

His voice carried a resolute determination, and the map's brilliance was reflected in his dark, unfathomable eyes, with a faint, eerie light slowly flowing within his pupils.

"Although Thunder Residence ranks second among the Nine Residences, its dangers far surpass those of Lin Residence and Dragon Mansion. However, we now possess the Star Residence Token. As the token of the head of the Nine Residences, the Star Residence Token exerts a certain suppression and resonance on the Nine Residences mansions. With the Star Residence Token in hand, we might be able to save a lot of effort in breaking through the formations when entering Thunder Residence. Moreover, the Sacred Artifact of Thunder Residence are bound to be more powerful than those of Spirit Residence and Abyss Residence. If we can obtain them, our ability to protect ourselves in the remaining Nine Residences will be significantly stronger." He paused, put the map Jade Slip into his sleeve, and glanced at the three of them.

"As for time... let's speed things up and try to take over the Thunder Residence before those who come later catch up."

Zi Yan nodded upon hearing this, and neither the North King nor Xia Jia had any objections.

Although the two were somewhat wary of the dangers lurking in the Thunder Residence, they had developed absolute trust in Lin Ming's judgment after their journey together. If Lin Ming said it could be done, then it definitely could be done.

As soon as he finished speaking, Lin Ming took the lead and Zi Yan followed closely behind Lin Ming. North King and Xia Jia also activated their Spiritual Energy and pushed their speed to the limit.

Four streaks of light lined up in a straight column under the gray-white sky, rapidly approaching the direction of Thunder Residence.