Gaze and you will become stronger: starting from Doupo

"Are they repairing the formation to strengthen the seal? Or do they have other plans?" Shi Zhongtian clenched his fists.

"Neither." The Human Emperor shook his head. "They want to break the seal and leave the wasteland. But once the seal is loosened, the 'monster' in the cage will awaken and sweep across the world - that will be a catastrophe."

The hall was dead silent. The little guy seemed to understand and tugged at Jiang Han's sleeve. Jiang Han stroked his head gently, his eyes deep: "The so-called cage is nothing more than a chessboard for the strong to play. But no matter what, my disciple is destined to break this chessboard."

The Human Emperor raised his head, his eyes burning: "You have already surpassed the Venerable Realm. Perhaps... you can lead the Wasteland out of this predicament?"

Jiang Han chuckled, his fingertips passed through the void, and a space crack quietly emerged: "Dilemma? I have always been the one who breaks the dilemma. The Wilderness is about to be in chaos? Then let this chaotic world become a stepping stone for my disciple."

Outside the window, the night was deep. A storm sweeping across the wasteland was brewing in the darkness. The little one in Jiang Han's arms, with the runes of the Six Paths of Reincarnation flashing on his palm, had no idea that he was about to embark on a shocking journey that would rewrite the rules of heaven and earth.

The towering bronze gate slowly opened in the twilight, and the roar of the door hinges was like the roar of an ancient beast, shaking the moss on the stone steps outside the hall to fall. The nine jade lamps hanging from the dome lit up one after another, and the swaying halo made the runes on the coiled dragon pillars flicker, and the words engraved with the ancient Dao patterns twisted and squirmed as if they had come alive.

The Emperor stood on the jade steps, his black dragon robe rustling in the breeze. He raised his hand and brushed the Chixiao Sword at his waist. The gilded Taotie pattern on the tassel glowed coldly. When his fingertips rubbed the hilt, his knuckles turned slightly white due to the force. "Imagine," his voice was full of pressure, shaking the crystal bead curtain suspended in the hall, "the venerables we have seen now, including ourselves, are all of the same generation. Where did the venerables before go? Do you have any doubts?"

This sentence hit everyone's heart like a heavy hammer. King You subconsciously clenched the bone fan in his sleeve, and the human face pattern on the fan bone oozed dark red blood with his trembling fingertips; the jade ruyi behind Venerable Qianxi suddenly hummed, and the Kunlun jade inlaid on it cracked. Several venerables staggered back, knocking the bronze incense burner behind them to the ground with a bang, and the sandalwood smoke rose, twisting into a hideous ghost face in the light and shadow.

“Even the records about them in the books have gaps,” the Human Emperor paced forward, his black boots stepping over the blue bricks. Each step left a pale golden pattern on the ground that was fleeting. “It seemed to have disappeared overnight.” He turned abruptly, and the hem of his dragon robe swept across the candlestick. The flames suddenly surged three feet, making his eyes appear scarlet.

The hall fell into a dead silence, with only the crackling of the candle wick. After a long time, a white-haired old man came forward tremblingly with a dragon-headed cane, and the night-shining pearl inlaid on the cane flickered. "Human Emperor, what exactly is this catastrophe?" His Adam's apple rolled, and the fear hidden in his old voice was hard to conceal. His withered fingers gripped the cane tightly, as if it was a life-saving straw.

The Emperor looked up at the star map on the dome. Where there should have been stars, there was now only a large blank space. He shook his head slowly, and the pearls on the dragon crown collided, making a crisp but sad sound: "I don't know the details, I only know that this is a catastrophe targeting the Venerable. Below the Venerable, it's safe." He suddenly pointed to the Tianshen Mountain outside the palace, where the clouds and mist were strangely surging, and countless lines could be vaguely seen flashing in the clouds. "Looking at the movement of Tianshen Mountain, the catastrophe will be in the near future, and it will be extremely terrifying."

Venerable Qianxi stood up suddenly, and the jade pendant on his waist fell to the ground with a clang. His pupils shrank suddenly, and he stared at the Human Emperor and said, "Could it be that those venerables of Tianshen Mountain tried so hard to revive the ancient formation just to escape to the outside world and avoid this catastrophe?"

"It's not just Tianshen Mountain," the Human Emperor's voice was filled with endless fatigue. He stretched out his hand and pressed it on the cold jade table, his fingertips stroking the gap in the corner of the table - that was the mark left by the previous Human Emperor's death. "Those ancient Taoist masters are trying to escape." He laughed at himself, and his laughter was full of bitterness. "But even if they escape to the outside world, what does it matter? As long as they are still masters, it's useless to escape anywhere. They will still disappear and perish."

The hall was in an uproar. Several venerables stumbled back, knocking over the bronze wine jar on the table. The wine spilled on the ground, and wisps of green smoke rose. "What? Can't we escape this catastrophe even by escaping to the outside world?" A burly venerable roared, and the spiritual energy around him rioted, shaking the cushion in front of him into powder.

The Human Emperor looked at the distraught looks of the crowd and suddenly chuckled, but his laughter was more frightening than his crying: "The catastrophe is sweeping everywhere in the world, and there is no time difference. Perhaps people from outside the domain are still thinking of escaping to us." His dragon robe moved without wind, and the picture of mountains and rivers embroidered on the cuffs was quietly fading.

“Human Emperor, how did you know this secret? Is it alarmist?” The white-haired old man spoke again, his turbid eyes full of doubt.

The Emperor was silent for a long time, then reached out and took out a yellowed ancient book from his sleeve. As the pages turned, countless mournful howls suddenly rang out in the hall, as if coming from the Nine Nether Hell. "The royal family's Dao book records," he said in a low voice, "this is a reincarnation. There were great disasters in the ancient times, the primeval times, and the ancient times. In the end, they were like grass, some died, some disappeared." He closed the Dao book, and the wailing in the hall stopped abruptly, "We can't escape this disaster either."

"What's even more ridiculous is that when the catastrophe is over, all the truth will be erased, and the major powerful clans will be unaware and in a daze." The Human Emperor muttered to himself, his figure gradually fading under the light, as if it would disappear at any time.

Everyone felt as if they were falling into an icy cave, with the chill running straight up from the soles of their feet to their heads. At this moment, Shi Zhongtian suddenly turned around and bowed deeply to the man in white in the corner: "Benefactor, how much do you know about the great catastrophe that the Human Emperor mentioned?"

Everyone's eyes instantly focused on that figure. The man in white was leaning on the jade couch, shaking the white jade teacup in his hand. The tea in the cup was rippling strangely, reflecting the faint smile on his lips. The robe he was wearing was embroidered with dense star patterns, and each star was moving, but always arranged in a mysterious pattern.

Jiang Han put down the teacup, and the cup hit the table, making a clear sound. He looked up at the Human Emperor, his gaze like a sharp sword, piercing through the other party's forced calmness: "Do you know how many realms there are outside the Desolate Realm?"

The Human Emperor calmed himself and said in a loud voice: "This great world consists of eight domains, namely the Heaven, Earth, Mysterious Universe and Great Desolation. The area of ​​each domain is extremely vast. If you want to reach another domain, you must either use supreme magical powers to break through the barriers, or use the ancient formation to teleport." Although his voice was steady, his clenched fists revealed his inner tension.

"That's right." Jiang Han stood up and paced. Every step seemed to shatter the space, leaving behind a string of illusory star tracks. "You can regard these eight regions as the lower world, and above this is the upper world." He raised his hand and waved it. The space in the hall suddenly twisted, and a magnificent picture appeared in front of everyone: countless huge continents were floating in the endless galaxy, and each continent was emitting dazzling light. "For the upper world, the lower world is a cage. In the eyes of the upper world, the people in the lower world are no different from prisoners." As he spoke, the scene in the picture became clearer. Everyone was horrified to find that the eight regions of the lower world were just a drop in the ocean in front of the vast upper world. Those so-called stars revealed their original forms under Jiang Han's magic power - some were broken magic weapons, some were the corpses of ancient strongmen, and some were actually sealed ancient battlefields.

"In the eight realms of the lower realm, the laws are incomplete, the great ways are incomplete, and all kinds of order are unstable." Jiang Han pointed to the starry sky outside the palace. Under his gaze, the stars collapsed one after another, revealing the twisted space cracks behind them. "Look at the starry sky. Only a few sparse stars are real, while more are condensed by the magic power of the ancient supreme beings, and most of them are projections of the galaxy in the upper realm."

Venerable Qianxi stumbled back, knocking over the bronze tripod behind him. He shook his head in disbelief: "There is such a thing as an upper realm? What kind of place is that!"

"The upper realm is vast and boundless, thousands of times more vast than the eight realms," Jiang Han said calmly, but every word was heart-piercing. "Even some ancient sects can trace their heritage back to the Creation Era, and there are countless powerful people. You so-called venerables can't even make a splash in the upper realm, and are no different from ants."

"Senior, what exactly is this catastrophe?" everyone asked in unison, their voices filled with despair and expectation.

Jiang Han chuckled, and a stream of light suddenly flew out from his sleeves, turning into a bloody scroll in the air. In the scroll, countless giants in golden armor crushed the stars. Wherever they passed, the continents of the lower world collapsed and all the lives were destroyed. "It's just some giants from the upper world coming to the lower world to massacre." His voice was as cold as ice. "If they like you, you may be able to survive and be taken to the upper world; if they don't like you, they will be killed on the spot."

There were gasps in the hall. King You shouted angrily, and the bone fan suddenly opened. The human face pattern on the fan shed tears of blood: "Damn it! It turns out that this catastrophe was man-made!"

"We have no grudges against each other, so why are these giants from the upper realm trying to kill us!" A female venerable screamed, and her robes broke apart, revealing the hideous scars on her back.

Jiang Han took back the scroll, his expression calm: "In their eyes, everyone in the eight realms of the lower realm is a sinner. As for this sin, you will know it when that day comes. There is no point in me saying more." He turned and walked towards the little guy in the corner. The breeze brought by his clothes blew past everyone, making them feel a biting cold.

"Let's go. I'll take you to meet your parents." Jiang Han reached out and gently stroked the little one's head, with a soft light glowing in his palm.

The little boy was shocked and tears welled up in his eyes. He was separated from his parents when he was born in August. All he remembered were the green mountains and waters of Shi Village and the smiling faces of the villagers. At this moment, those blurred faces suddenly became clear in his mind, his mother's gentle touch, his father's firm embrace, and the lullaby he would never hear again...

"Daddy, Mommy, are you all right?" The little one murmured to himself, tears dripping onto the ground and turning into transparent lotus flowers. He clenched his fists, his nails digging deep into his palms, "I'm finally going to see you."

Jiang Han turned and left with the little one, their figures gradually blending into the darkness. The venerables in the hall stood there in a daze, as if their souls had been taken away. Only the flickering candlelight cast their distorted shadows on the wall, like weeds about to be harvested, shivering in the strong wind.

The twilight dyed the Holy Cliff amber. The little kid stood on tiptoe, his tender fingers tightly grasping the corner of Jiang Han's clothes, his eyes dancing with anxiety and expectation: "Master, where are my father and mother?" He raised his head, his eyelashes still stained with undried tears. The blood bond that was missing during his years in Shi Village now flooded his heart like a tide.

Jiang Han stood with his hands behind his back, his dark robe rustling in the strong wind, the star pattern embroidered on his sleeves looming. He stared at the rolling sea of ​​clouds in the distance, his Adam's apple moving slightly: "Bulao Mountain." The three words were wrapped in the vicissitudes of time, and the bronze wine cup in Shi Zhongtian's hand fell to the ground with a clang. The fingers of the Human Emperor holding the jade pendant on his waist suddenly turned white, and cracks spread along the jade lines.

"What? They went to Xuanyu!" Shi Zhongtian staggered half a step, and the dragon-patterned cloak behind him swept across the jade table, shaking off the ancient scroll on the table. The outline of the Bulao Mountain gradually became clear in his pupils - it was the main peak of the Five Elements Mountain Range in the chaotic secret land of Xuanyu, suppressing the world like a palm. The pressure of the ancient Taoist tradition spanned thousands of miles, but it still made people palpitate. Little bit's mother, the legendary Saint of Bulao Mountain holding the Jade Lotus, is she now deep in the clouds?

Shi Zhongtian clasped his fists together, his knuckles turning white from the force: "My benefactor, could you take me with you?" The Human Emperor behind him tightly grasped the Chixiao Sword, the sword body vibrated and made a dragon roar, but in the end he did not dare to ask for help.

"Of course." Jiang Han raised a faint smile at the corner of his lips, and as he waved his sleeves, ripples appeared in the void like a mirror. The bronze incense burner on the holy cliff suddenly fell over, and the sandalwood smoke condensed into a vortex, swallowing up the three figures.

——Xuanyu——

Colorful lights poured down like the Milky Way, and the runes on the holy cliff flowed in the void, turning into thousands of fireflies. Shi Zhongtian's knees weakened, and he almost fell to the ground. He stared at the faint star tracks under his feet, and a suppressed sob came out of his throat: "This... this is..." The Five Elements Mountains in the distance were like a dormant dragon. In the purple mist, the outline of the main peak that looked like a palm was swallowing and exhaling the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, and even the air was floating with tiny Taoist patterns.

"Five Elements Mountain Range." Jiang Han crossed his arms, and the star pattern in his sleeves suddenly exploded, illuminating the entire sky. Shi Zhongtian looked at the tall figure, his Adam's apple rolling up and down, swallowing his shock dryly - the wall of the region was as strong as the shackles of heaven, and it took dozens of days for the sky-breaking ship to travel, but it was crushed by the person in front of him in three steps!

At this moment, the main peak of Bulao Mountain suddenly trembled, and golden light streams gushed out from the cracks in the mountain, condensing into ancient seal characters in the air. "Boom!" The sky cracked like porcelain, and auspicious colors burst out from the circular gap. Twelve magic tools such as the bronze ancient bell and the jade ruyi flew out in a rotation, and the sound of the bell shook the auxiliary peaks below and rocks fell. (End of this chapter)