Gaze and you will become stronger: starting from Doupo

Ji Ziyue covered her mouth and laughed, but saw Ye Fan frowning slightly, and his fingertips gently stroking the lines on the edge of the stone - those seemingly natural lines actually formed some kind of ancient array pattern.

"Nannan, you said this stone appears every once in a while?" Ye Fan squatted down and tried to make his tone softer. "When did it first appear?"

The little girl tilted her head, with some bread crumbs on her hair: "I don't remember. It seems to have started since last winter. Every time I woke up, there would be a small stone in my hand. Big brother, try it, it's really sweet!" She stretched out her dirty little hand, trying to break off a piece and hand it to Ye Fan.

At this moment, a green shadow flashed by, and Jiang Han was already standing in front of everyone. A faint light flew out from his sleeves, and he gently held Nannan's hand: "This stone is indeed edible, but it is not for mortals." He looked at Ye Fan, with a hint of deep meaning in his eyes, "Do you know that before the ancient emperor passed away, he sometimes condensed the Tao fruit into a physical entity?"

"Dao fruit?" Ye Fan's pupils shrank slightly, and he suddenly remembered the record in the ancient books that "one Dao fruit is equivalent to a thousand years of practice", "Could this be the Dao fruit left by the Great Emperor?"

Duan De almost bit his tongue when he heard this. "Gee hoo hoo! Little girl, who are you? Are all the stones you just picked up the Great Emperor's Dao Fruit?" He suddenly remembered something and slapped his thigh. "That's not right! The Great Emperor's Dao Fruit has always been regarded as a treasure by all the major holy places. How could it be in the hands of a little girl?"

Jiang Han did not answer, but stared at the faint golden pattern between Nannan's eyebrows. The pattern was shaped like a phoenix with its wings spread, and it would light up every time she was emotional. Heihuang suddenly barked and circled around Nannan three times. A trace of awe appeared in the dog's eyes - it had seen a similar aura in the mausoleum of Emperor Wushi.

"Causes in previous lives, results in this life." Jiang Han finally spoke, his voice as deep as a morning bell, "Some fates were planted long ago." He turned to Nannan, raised his hand and brushed across her head, a ray of lightning penetrated her brow, "You will follow us from now on, okay?"

Nannan looked up at the gentle old man in green robes, and suddenly remembered that the big bird in the dream had said, "Someone will come to protect you." She nodded heavily, and a long-lost smile appeared on her little face: "Okay! Nannan will have a family in the future!"

In the Jiang Family Square, silver scales gleamed like metal in the sun. The ancient creature stood with his hands behind his back, and the wolf head and crocodile head on his shoulders opened their mouths and let out a low roar. Jiang Taixu clenched his fists, and cold sweat oozed from his palms - when they fought just now, he used the fighting character technique and didn't even touch the corner of the opponent's clothes. With such strength, I'm afraid only the ancestor Hongjun can contend with it.

"You humans have really fallen." The ancient creature (Silver Scale King) swept across the crowd in the square, his gaze lingering on Fairy Caiyun for a moment, "Even women can cultivate to the level of saints. The world is really going downhill."

"What exactly is your purpose?" The head of the Jiang family took a step forward, and the bronze sword at his waist made a buzzing sound. "If you want to start a war, our Jiang family will fight to the end!"

The Silver Scale King suddenly laughed loudly, his voice like a bell, shaking the tiles on the square and cracking into spider web-like patterns: "Start a war? Are you humans qualified? I came here this time just to bring a message to the strongest person in the East Wilderness-" He raised his hand and threw out a blood-red jade slip, which exploded in the air, forming a line of burning ancient characters, "Three days later, on the top of Mount Buzhou, the six ancient tribes will return and invite you to witness the birth of a new order."

"How dare you!" The Holy Lord of Light Yaoguang shouted angrily, and the Light Yaoguang Mirror in his hand burst into a dazzling white light. "Back then, you were suppressed by the Great Emperor Huanggu, and now you dare to make a comeback?"

The Silver Scale King's eyes turned cold, and the wolf head on his shoulder suddenly spurted out black flames, swallowing up all the light from the shaking mirror: "The old man Huang Gu has already turned into yellow earth. Do you think you can defend your foundation with a few extreme holy weapons? Ridiculous! Go back and tell Hongjun that if you don't want the human race to be exterminated, then come to Buzhou Mountain and surrender obediently-"

“谁说本产不在？”

Before he finished speaking, the sky suddenly darkened, and countless lightning flashes moved like silver snakes. Jiang Han led Ye Fan and others to step on the thunder, his green robe bulging like a sail, and the shadows of the five strange phenomena vaguely appeared behind him. The pupils of the Silver Scale King shrank suddenly, and he felt a pressure that was more vast than that of the ancient emperor back then, as if he was not facing one person, but the entire world.

"Are you Hongjun?" The Silver Scale King tried to remain calm, but he involuntarily took a half step back. "I am following the orders of the six ancient tribes..."

"Life?" Jiang Han raised his hand and waved it lightly. The Silver Scale King was struck by lightning and spurted out a mouthful of blood and flew backwards. "In the past, your Saint Ancestor would always address me as 'Senior'. Who do you think you are? How dare you mention the word 'life' in front of me?"

The square was silent, and everyone held their breath. Jiang Taixu looked at Jiang Han's back, and an indescribable shock surged in his heart - he had thought that he was only a hair's breadth away from the realm of the Great Emperor, but now he realized that this hair's breadth was like a chasm between heaven and earth.

"Go back and tell your master." Jiang Han looked down at the embarrassed Silver Scale King, and the lightning condensed into an ancient word "Seal" on his fingertips. "If you dare to step into the East Wilderness again, I will seal you and the entire Taikoo clan back into the Nine Nether Hell."

The Silver Scale King trembled all over, no longer caring about his dignity, and turned into a silver light and fled to the sky. Before leaving, the crocodile head on his shoulder suddenly spoke, roaring in obscure ancient language: "Hongjun, can you protect the human race for a while, can you protect them for a lifetime? The secret of the ancient forbidden land will eventually be revealed-"

Before he finished speaking, the crocodile's head was shattered by thunder, and the figure of the Silver Scale King disappeared in the clouds. Everyone in the square dared to breathe a sigh of relief. Ji Ziyue wiped the cold sweat from her forehead and said softly: "So this is the strength of the ancestor. I'm afraid only the emperor can describe it."

Late at night, in the Jiang family’s secret room.

Ye Fan looked at the colorful Taoist fruit suspended in the stone plate, with a myriad of thoughts in his mind. Nannan had fallen asleep under the care of Fairy Caiyun, with a faint smile on her face. Heihuang was dozing off in the corner, his tail occasionally wagging, sweeping off a few sparks.

"What are you thinking about?" Jiang Han's voice suddenly sounded, scaring Ye Fan.

"Master, is Nannan's life experience related to the ruthless emperor?" Ye Fan got to the point directly. "I have read in ancient books that the ruthless emperor, in order to find his brother's reincarnation, once used his obsession to turn into Tao fruit and scattered it in the world."

Jiang Han stared at the Dao Fruit, a trace of pity flashed in his eyes: "You guessed half right. Nannan is indeed the product of the ruthless emperor's obsession, but she is not a Dao Fruit, but a 'container' of the Dao Fruit. The real Dao Fruit is the Phoenix bloodline hidden in her body."

"Phoenix bloodline?" Ye Fan was shocked. "But according to legend, the Phoenix clan has long been extinct."

"It is the body that is extinct, not the soul." Jiang Han explained, "When the ruthless emperor killed Dao and became an emperor, she accidentally discovered that the residual soul of the Phoenix Clan was trapped in reincarnation. She felt pity and used her great magical power to reshape the residual soul into a spirit child, that is, Nannan. But doing so violated the laws of heaven, so Nannan would lose her memory every once in a while to cover up her aura." Ye Fan suddenly realized, and remembered Nannan's words "forget the past", and his heart couldn't help but sour. He suddenly remembered something and asked, "Then why did Duan De say that she was the reincarnation of the emperor?"

Jiang Han chuckled: "Duan De, that guy, only has treasures in his eyes. He thought the Dao fruit was Nannan's previous life, but he didn't know that this Dao fruit was the 'key' specially left by the ruthless emperor——" He raised his hand and pointed at the Dao fruit, "The key to open the ancient forbidden land."

Suddenly, a crisp sound was heard in the secret room. It turned out that Black Emperor knocked over the candlestick in shock. Ye Fan felt his scalp tingling. The ancient forbidden land was the most mysterious existence in Beidou. Legend has it that it suppressed the shocking secrets from ancient times. Could it be that Nannan's existence was to open the forbidden land?
"Master, what exactly is the 'secret of the ancient forbidden land' that the ancient creatures mentioned?" Ye Fan asked in a deep voice.

Jiang Han was silent for a long time before he slowly spoke: "That is the truth of another era. Before the Great Emperor Huanggu passed away, he left behind a remnant soul to guard the forbidden area to prevent something from coming into the world. And Nannan's phoenix bloodline is the key to awakening the remnant soul."

He stood up and looked at the starry sky outside the window: "The appointment at Mount Buzhou in three days is a provocation from the six ancient tribes on the surface, but it is actually directed at Nannan. They want to snatch the Dao fruit, forcefully open the forbidden area, and release something that shouldn't exist."

Ye Fan clenched his fists, feeling a heavy responsibility. He suddenly remembered Nannan's innocent eyes when she handed him the stone, and her satisfied smile when she ate the buns. A warm current surged in his heart: "Master, I will protect her. Even if it costs my life, I will not let those monsters succeed."

Jiang Han nodded approvingly, and a jade slip flew out from his sleeve: "This is the Phoenix Nirvana Sutra, you should study it carefully tonight. Nannan's bloodline needs someone to guide it. From tomorrow on, you will be her guardian."

Ye Fan took the jade slip and felt it was as smooth as fine jade. He suddenly remembered what Nannan said during the day, "Big brother is very kind." It turned out that everything was causal. The ruthless emperor had set up such a big game after Wan Gu in order to repay his brother's kindness, and he, Ye Fan, had become the key piece in this game.

Outside the window, the Big Dipper twinkled as usual, as if unaware that a horrific catastrophe was approaching. Ye Fan looked at the Dao Fruit in his arms, and suddenly remembered what Jiang Han said, "Causes in the previous life, results in this life." Perhaps fate has already been determined, but he believed that as long as he had justice in his heart, he would eventually be able to find his own way in the fog of cause and effect.

At the same time, in a cave on an unnamed mountain in Zhongzhou, Duan De was muttering to himself in front of a bronze mirror. The mirror reflected Nannan's image, and the colorful Taoist fruit was spinning above her head like a small sun.

"Phoenix bloodline. The obsession of the ruthless emperor. Ancient forbidden land." Duan De stroked his chin, greed and fear flashed in his eyes. "My goodness, this little girl is simply a walking treasure trove! But the old man Hongjun is watching, so I have to be careful."

Deep in the Netherworld Blood Sea, the Silver Scale King knelt in front of a bone palace, and the wolf head on his shoulder was growing again: "Master, Hongjun's strength is far beyond our expectations. We are afraid..."

"Waste!" The shadow on the throne shouted angrily, "How could he alone break the trap set by the Holy Ancestor? Tell the other royal families to proceed according to the original plan. As long as they get the Phoenix bloodline, even if Hongjun is the guardian of the Heavenly Dao, he can't stop the reincarnation from restarting!"

Outside the ancient forbidden land, a woman in white (the mysterious woman mentioned above) looked at the meteors streaking across the sky and sighed softly, "Brother, you are finally involved in this dispute. Back then, you protected the human race at the cost of your own foundation, and now you have to do it for this little girl. Is it worth it?"

She raised her hand and threw out a jade butterfly, which turned into a stream of light and flew towards the direction of the Divine City: "I hope you still remember that once the things in the ancient forbidden land are released into the world, even you and I cannot control them."

In the Jiang family of Shencheng, Nannan smiled in her sleep. She dreamed of the firebird again, and this time the firebird spoke, with a voice as gentle as the spring breeze: "Don't be afraid, Nannan, your older brothers are all great people."

Throughout the Big Dipper Star Region, countless pairs of eyes looked up at the night sky, waiting for the appointment at Mount Buzhou three days later. No one knew that this seemingly ordinary "re-entry ceremony" would reveal a shocking secret from the ancient times, and the fate of a little girl would become the fulcrum that would pry the entire heaven.

The wind blew from the East Wasteland to Zhongzhou, carrying a slight smell of blood. Ye Fan stood at the door of the secret room, looking at the sleeping girl in his arms, and suddenly remembered Jiang Han's words: "Heaven and earth are unkind, and treat all things as straw dogs. But there are always people who are willing to fight for straw dogs."

He clenched his fists, his nails almost piercing his palms. No matter if there were mountains of swords, seas of fire, or hell ahead, he, Ye Fan, would protect this little girl and complete her path - even if it meant making the whole world his enemy.

The bluestone slabs of Jiang Family Square reflected the arrogant figure of the Silver Scale King. The wolf head on his shoulder licked his lips, making a tooth-grinding "clucking" sound, and the crocodile head sprayed a foul mist at Jiang Taixu and others. Fairy Caiyun clenched her fists, her nails almost piercing into her palms - she had heard Jiang Taixu say that in ancient times, the human race was regarded as "blood food", and women were often captured as sacrifices.

"The language of the ancient gods?" The head of the Ji family murmured to himself, and suddenly remembered the era of "the common leader of all races" recorded in the clan's secret book. At that time, the human race really needed to learn the so-called "divine language" to survive. "I didn't expect that after thousands of years, these descendants would dare to mention the shame of the past."

The Silver Scale King swung his tail impatiently, and the friction between his scales sounded like metal hitting metal: "Stop talking nonsense! Tell Hongjun to come out and die——"

"boom!"

A flash of lightning suddenly split the clouds, and Duan De's shouting and cursing rang out like thunder: "You son of a bitch! Your Taoist master is here! With your filthy appearance, are you worthy of mentioning the name of the ancestor?" He stood in the lightning and raised his middle finger, his fat belly shaking with his breathing, just like an angry Vajra.

Black Emperor squatted on his shoulder, grinning and showing his sharp teeth, barking: "Woof woof! You bastard, you dare to be so presumptuous in front of the ancestor!"

The pupils of the Silver Scale King suddenly shrank. He felt the power of the law contained in the lightning, which was somewhat similar to the Great Ancient Emperor who suppressed the Ancient Clan. But soon, he was aroused by Duan De's insults, and a fierce look flashed in his eyes: "How dare you, a lowly human, insult the royal family--"

Two dark beams shot out from his eyes, with ancient spells wrapped around their surfaces. The air was distorted wherever they passed, and the ground was burned into gullies several feet deep. (End of this chapter)