As the Three Great Elders transformed into three streaks of light that Space-Tearing and disappeared completely into the deep void passages leading in different directions, the magnificent main hall of East Dragon Island suddenly became much emptier and quieter.
The air still seemed to retain the lingering, chilling aura of supreme power from when the Dragon Emperor's Inverse Scale erupted, as well as the tense, urgent, and desperate atmosphere that permeated the air after that earth-shattering plan was devised.
Lin Ming stood alone in the center of the hall, his deep gaze seemingly able to pierce through the ceiling and look into the endless void.
It would take some time for Zhu Li, the Great Elder, and the Second Elder to each carry their carefully crafted "bait" to the Three Great Dragon Islands and successfully lure the three cunning and treacherous Dragon King there. This time, however, could not be wasted; it could be used to eliminate the threat posed by Qing Lin's Ancient Heavenly Serpent.
Lin Ming then turned his gaze away from the void and looked at the people beside him. His voice broke the silence in the main hall as he slowly spoke, "Brother Hei Qing, before the three elders return, there are a few urgent matters that require your assistance."
At this moment, Hei Qing, who stood silently like an iron tower, had long lost his inherent dullness. His gaze toward Lin Ming now held a more serious and obedient air.
After all, even the most powerful Great Elder and the Second Elder, had acknowledged Lin Ming's status as the one who held the Dragon Emperor's Inverse Scale and obeyed his orders. As a warrior of East Dragon Island, Hei Qing naturally had no reason to resist or question it.
So Hei Qing immediately said, "Just tell me what you need!"
In response, Lin Ming immediately said, "Take Qing Lin to the Dragon Tomb for me. She needs to use the Dragon Qi inside to refine the soul of the Ancient Heavenly Serpent."
"Don't worry, leave it to me!" Hei Qing nodded heavily and immediately said.
Lin Ming nodded and added, "And Xiong Zhan, you should also help him find a suitable place to cultivate! As a local on East Dragon Island, you probably know better than I what places are suitable for his cultivation."
Upon hearing this, Hei Qing nodded in agreement.
"Come with me." After responding to Lin Ming, Hei Qing immediately spoke to Qing Lin and Xiong Zhan.
After speaking, he turned around first and walked with heavy steps toward a deep passage on the side of the main hall that led to the depths of the island. Seeing this, Qing Lin and Xiong Zhan did not delay and immediately followed.
At this moment, Lin Ming watched the three figures disappear into the shadows of the passage. The vast and magnificent main hall finally fell completely silent, leaving only him alone in this empty, ancient space filled with the aura of Dragon Might and the passage of time.
Lin Ming slowly walked to the end of the main hall, to the Sect Master's throne, which was carved from a single piece of massive warm jade. However, he did not sit down. Instead, he reached out and gently stroked the cool and smooth jade armrest, as if he could feel the will of the powerful Dragon Clan throughout the ages contained within it.
Then, he let out a long, almost silent sigh of relief.
Continuous high-intensity travel, dealing with enemies at the Dou Sheng level, revealing the Dragon Emperor's Inverse Scale to stabilize morale, and setting the earth-shattering plan that concerns the fate of the entire clan...
This series of events was interconnected, and the mental and physical exertion was enormous. Even with Lin Ming's current peak Eight-Star Dou Venerate Soul Power and resilient mentality, he felt a deep sense of exhaustion at this moment.
However, now is far from the time to relax. Crises still lurk, and powerful enemies surround us. Only by increasing our strength can we better cope with what we will face in the future.
This rare moment of solitude and quiet is the perfect opportunity to process the enormous "harvest" obtained from the Ancient Ruins, which has been shelved and neglected for careful study due to a series of unforeseen events!
Thinking of this, the weariness in Lin Ming's eyes vanished instantly, replaced by anticipation and fervor.
Immediately, with a thought of his own, a gentle yet powerful stream of light shot out from the Storage Ring on his hand, landing lightly on the main hall as if it had a life of its own.
As the light slowly faded, a complete human skeleton, its entire body exhibiting a warm, jade-white hue, stood silently there.
The skeleton remained in a cross-legged sitting posture. Although it had endured countless years of weathering, and its flesh and blood had long since vanished into the River of Time, each bone was still crystal clear, as if carved from the finest jade. It exuded an indescribable, boundless energy and a unique, almost immortal aura.
Faintly, there seemed to be a faint, yet profoundly powerful, Saintly Might, like wisps of smoke, lingering around the skeleton, telling of its owner's extraordinary life.
This was the very same Dou Saint Remains that Lin Ming had managed to retrieve intact from the Ancient Ruins, amidst the covetous gazes of numerous powerful figures, thanks to his precise timing and formidable methods!
Unlike in the original story, this set of remains was blasted to pieces during a fierce struggle, resulting in several factions each obtaining a portion of it.
The body Lin Ming held in his hands at this moment was completely intact and undamaged! This meant that the essence of Dou Sheng energy contained within it, as well as the complete inheritance of the Heaven Tier Dou Technique, would belong solely to Lin Ming!
Lin Ming stared intently at the jade-white skeleton, his heart pounding uncontrollably.
Heaven Tier Dou Technique! Even in the vast and powerful Middle Continent, this is a supreme treasure that can cause countless top forces to fight fiercely and stir up endless bloodshed!
The emergence of each Heaven Tier Dou Technique signifies the potential rise of a new top-tier powerhouse. This "Great Heaven Creation Palm," renowned for its unparalleled and terrifying destructive power, is the culmination of the life's work and rules of its master, the so-called "Creation Saint"!
Stepping forward, Lin Ming extended his finger and gently touched the jade-white skull. It felt cool to the touch, unlike the roughness and coldness of ordinary bones. Instead, it felt like the finest, most flawless white jade, smooth and warm, providing an extremely comfortable and wondrous tactile experience, as if he were touching not a skeleton, but a work of art created by heaven and earth.
Lin Ming's gaze swept lightly over the skeleton, and finally settled on three ribs that, upon closer inspection, were slightly different from the others.
There are three ribs there, also jade white in color, but upon closer inspection, one can discover that beneath the warm, smooth bone, countless ancient characters, as fine as mosquitoes and flies, are spread out, strange and mysterious!
These characters, winding and curving, contain some Supreme Principle the universe, giving people an extremely obscure and profound feeling. Just by looking at them, one's soul seems to be drawn into a Chaos realm of creation.
"This is it..."
Lin Ming took a deep breath, suppressing his excitement, and carefully condensed his Dou Qi at his fingertips, forming a thin and sharp energy blade. Then, he found the connecting line and, with slow but unusually steady movements, broke off the three ribs covered with strange characters at the root.
Throughout the entire process, he was completely focused, afraid of damaging even the slightest indentation on his ribs.
Lin Ming carefully retrieved the remaining intact skeleton, which still contained immense energy, back into his Storage Ring for safekeeping. In his hands, only these three strange ribs, which looked like they were made of white jade and were covered with mysterious characters, remained.
Looking at the three ribs in his hand, and sensing the seal set by the Creation Saint on them, Lin Ming did not hesitate and immediately opened his palm. With a thought, a wisp of dark purple flame rose from his palm.
As soon as the dark purple flames appeared, the temperature inside the hall rose sharply, the air instantly became incredibly dry, and even emitted a faint "crackling" sound, which was the sound of the moisture in the air being evaporated instantly.
The terrifyingly high temperature caused the space around Lin Ming to begin to distort slightly.
At this moment, he controlled the flames, completely enveloping the three jade-like ribs in his palm, and began a continuous burning process.
"Sizzle!"
The terrifying Dark Purple Flame, like the most loyal craftsman, frantically scorched the three ribs.
However, these seemingly fragile, jade-like bones remained completely still under such high temperatures, and even their jade-white color did not change in the slightest. It was as if the flames that could melt gold and iron were nothing more than a warm spring breeze to them.
Lin Ming was not surprised at all by this situation; instead, he showed a "I knew it" expression on his face.
Within these three ribs, there must be a powerful seal set by the Creation Saint before his death to protect the inherited information. If the seal set by Dou Sheng Expert could be broken so easily by brute force, it would seem far too childish.
Lin Ming remained absolutely calm in the face of this, neither impatient nor discouraged, and increased the continuous output of his powerful Dou Qi to support the burning of the New Purple Extreme Annihilation Flame.
At the same time, he began to rhythmically increase the output and temperature of the flames, continuously and patiently roasting the three ribs.
Inside the quiet and spacious hall, only dark purple flames burned silently, the leaping firelight casting shifting shadows on Lin Ming's focused face.
The three ribs within the flames, under such sustained high temperatures, began to emit a faint, soft white light, as if something within them was being gradually activated.
This uninterrupted calcination continued from noon until sunset and dusk.
At this moment, after Lin Ming spent nearly three hours using the New Purple Extreme Annihilation Flame to burn the three ribs for such a long and frantic time, the changes finally began to appear to the naked eye!
The original pure white color began to fade slowly, as if the impurities within were being refined away little by little. In its place, a deep, restrained, yet more mysterious dark gold color quietly emerged!
Upon closer inspection, the dark golden bones were shrouded in a subtle, ever-flowing golden light, with strange energy fluctuations, like ripples on water, quietly spreading out from within the bones, forming a peculiar conflict and fusion with the surrounding Dark Purple Flame.
"Laugh!"
Just as dusk completely enveloped East Dragon Island, and the main hall was illuminated by luminous pearls, a faint yet clear, strange sound, like the flow of liquid, suddenly emanated from the blazing Dark Purple Flame!
Lin Ming, who had been sitting cross-legged like a stone statue for nearly three hours with complete concentration, suddenly opened his tightly closed eyes. His eyes instantly burst with uncontrollable joy and burning light as he stared intently into the flames in front of him!
On the surface of those three dark gold ribs, the mysterious and strange characters seemed to come alive, beginning to move like small snakes, and the bones themselves seemed to be softening under the high temperature!