Gaze and you will become stronger: starting from Doupo

Facing an attack powerful enough to shatter stars, Jiang Han remained standing with his hands behind his back. He slowly raised both hands, his left hand pointing towards the heavens, his fingertips instantly conjuring countless illusory stars; his right hand gently pressed against the earth, miniature models of mountains and rivers appearing beneath his palm. The instant his hands came together, the stars of the heavens and the veins of the earth collided violently in his palms, erupting with an eternal light that transcended time and space. That light was not a physical entity, yet it was like the sharpest blade of the Heavenly Dao, slicing the beam of light formed from Yin and Yang energies inch by inch with a gentle slash.

"Clang—!" The metallic clang resounded throughout the eight regions. The second-story ruined tower was struck as if by a heavy hammer, sent flying backward. The runes on the tower instantly dimmed by seventy percent. The Yin-Yang Daoist groaned, a transparent palm print appearing on his chest. Golden blood gushed from the edge of the palm print, each drop exploding into a Yin-Yang fish pattern upon landing. He stared at Jiang Han in disbelief, fear appearing in his eyes for the first time—this mysterious youth's power could actually directly damage his connection with the ruined tower.

"A good opportunity!" the five giants shouted in unison. The Western Sect Leader's golden giant hand struck down first, its edge engraved with Sanskrit, carrying the aura of Buddha's light; the Black Gold Sparrow King's black feathers transformed into a rain of arrows piercing the clouds, each arrow wrapped with world-destroying black lightning; the Chaos True Man's chaotic energy condensed into a ten-thousand-foot-long dragon shape, its dragon eyes flashing with the ferocity of creation; the fourth giant's incomplete divine disc erupted with the phantoms of myriad spirits, the Taotie swallowing the sun and the Golden Crow bathing in fire, transforming into tangible traces of the Dao that rushed towards the ruined tower.

"Insolence!" The mysterious bone tower roared in fury, its body suddenly expanding a hundredfold, revealing its ancient and weathered true form. Countless chaotic sword energies shot out from the tower's windows, each containing the sword intent to cleave the heavens and earth. When they collided with the golden palm, they erupted with sparks, shredding the black feathers into dust and leaving deep sword marks on the chaotic dragon's body. "An artifact?" The tower spirit's voice was filled with endless mockery. "Do you know that this tower once suppressed the Ten Primordial Fiends? You are nothing but ants living in the cracks of the rules!"

In the chaos, the Yin-Yang Daoist was frantically circulating his power to heal his injuries and try to recall the ruined tower. He didn't notice Jiang Han's figure appear behind him like a ghost, his fist wreathed in black and white light, within which countless miniature black holes swirled and flowed. "This is... the Fist of the Dao?" The Yin-Yang Daoist realized this too late to react; the fist, carrying the power to crush everything, slammed into his back. There was no earth-shattering explosion, only a dull cracking sound—his indestructible divine body crumbled like glass, his golden blood being absorbed by the black holes before it even left his body.

"No—!" The Yin-Yang Daoist's primordial spirit transformed into a black and white figure, soaring into the sky, enveloped by Yin and Yang energies, attempting to escape into the void. However, Jiang Han gently pushed with his palm, and a spatial ripple spread out, like an invisible fishing net. The primordial spirit struggled within the ripple for half a second before the black and white energies exploded violently, leaving not even a trace of Daoist essence. This behemoth from the upper realm, who had lived for tens of thousands of years, was utterly destroyed, leaving only the gradually fading blood mist in the air.

The five giants froze in mid-air. The Western Sect Leader's golden palm stopped three inches away from the broken tower, and the Black Gold Sparrow King's feathered arrow hovered at the tower's tip. Everyone stared in disbelief at the dissipating black and white energies. They had fought alongside the Yin-Yang Daoist and knew the old monster's strength well, but they never imagined he would be so easily defeated by Jiang Han.

"Return!" The mysterious bone tower seized the opportunity, unleashing dozens of silver chains of light that coiled around the flying second-story remnant like serpents. The instant the two sections of the tower made contact, a melodious bell rang throughout the entire Medicine Capital. Black and white energies merged into the phantom of a nine-story pagoda, and the ancient runes on its surface lit up one by one, radiating an oppressive aura that suppressed the heavens. The five giants looked at the fused bone tower, then at the calm Jiang Han, and their eyes finally held no longer greed, but a deep-seated fear.

The woman with double pupils stood at a distance, her vertical eye between her brows gently closed. She recalled her brief encounter with Jiang Han not long ago, when she had sensed the terrifying power hidden within him. Now it seemed that this self-proclaimed Ancestor Hongjun had likely already surpassed the realm of the Escape One. The turmoil in the Medicine Capital had not subsided; the aura emanating from the fused Chaos Tower was attracting even more terrifying beings. But at this moment, the five giants had only one thought in their minds—to leave this place of trouble as soon as possible. After all, an existence capable of easily annihilating the Yin-Yang Daoist was far beyond their ability to contend with.

The vortex of spiritual energy above the Medicine Capital slowly subsided, and Jiang Han's figure floated down amidst the complex gazes of the five giants. Wherever his robes brushed past, ripples spread through the space. He stood beside the merging bone tower, a faint golden light flowing from his fingertips. It was the power originating from the source of chaos, which was guiding the two sections of the tower that had been separated for millennia, using Dao patterns as a guide.

"I will assist you in your fusion." Before he finished speaking, two beams of light shot out from his two fingers—one landed on the suspended two-story broken tower, the light patterns spreading like living things, polishing the rough stone at the break point into a warm and smooth jade-like texture; the other flowed into the mysterious bone tower on his shoulder, the tower body trembled violently, and the gray flames it spewed out suddenly turned into a bright white, with countless ancient runes emerging in the flames, which were the Daoist imprints of the Chaos Tower when it was complete.

As the two beams of light converged in the void, the black and white energies swirled like a reversed Milky Way, coiling into a spiral-shaped energy column. The broken tower and the bone tower simultaneously hummed, the jade-like texture at the fracture points gradually softening, seeping out a viscous, milky-white liquid—the essence of the tower spirits. The instant the liquid touched, the barrier of millennia shattered with a deafening roar; the two sections of the tower, like long-separated life forms, pressed and merged together, producing a clear, resonant sound like metal striking stone.

"Wait until I merge into one, then let's see who can do anything to me!" The Bone Tower roared with wild joy, its radiant white light growing ever brighter, even dimming the First Spiritual Root in the distance. The patterns at the point of fusion changed like flowing water, first presenting a Tai Chi Yin-Yang diagram, then transforming into a scene of the beginning of chaos, and finally condensing into a miniature phantom of a nine-story pagoda, suspended atop the fused entity.

The five giants' faces were ashen. The golden body of the Western Sect Leader rippled, the swastika mark on his palm flickering. The mist surrounding the Chaos True Man solidified, with surging lightning faintly visible within. The giant who had summoned the incomplete divine disc bit his lower lip, the myriad phantoms on the disc thrashing restlessly. They knew that once the Chaos Tower was complete, the space and chaotic laws contained within it would be enough to threaten the foundation of a Transcendent Realm cultivator.

"Merge!" Jiang Han shouted, thrusting out with both palms. The fused tower body, as if struck by immense force, shot into the sky, unleashing boundless divine light, and a pillar of light piercing through heaven and earth suddenly took shape. Within the pillar of light, the nine layers of the tower body appeared one after another, each layer engraved with different Dao patterns—the first layer with demon-suppressing divine patterns, the second layer with Taiji diagrams, the third layer with chaotic energy, and so on until the ninth layer, which was engraved with indescribable Dao imprints. The aura of the tower spirit surged several times over, no longer possessing the intelligence of an artifact, but containing the pressure of creation and destruction.

"Thank you for your help!" The tower spirit's voice deepened, becoming majestic and carrying the weight of time. It circled Jiang Han three times, the light rain falling from its body healing the battle scars of the Medicine Capital below. Then, the tower spirit abruptly turned to the Black Gold Sparrow King, its eyes flashing with a chilling light: "Black Gold Sparrow, you were the most ferocious in seizing the tower, and you're the one who injured my true form!"

Before the words were even finished, the Bone Tower had already transformed into a streak of light, instantly appearing before the Black Gold Sparrow. The hollow at the base of the tower opened, biting down like the jaws of a giant beast, the spatial fragments flying between its teeth hissing as they sliced ​​through the air. The Black Gold Sparrow, filled with shock and rage, transformed into its true form—a colossal black bird that blotted out the sky, its wings flapping out thousands of beams of dark light, each containing world-destroying lightning magic. However, the fused Bone Tower displayed terrifying innate abilities. It was surrounded by gray spatial ripples, and with each flash, it could appear anywhere, regardless of distance. The Black Gold Sparrow's dark light shot towards the tower, but was distorted and swallowed by the ripples; it flapped its wings to tear through the void, only to find that the surrounding space was imprisoned by the tower spirit, and each teleportation only allowed it to escape a few meters. "Delicious!" The tower spirit's voice was mocking, its body following closely, constantly gnawing at the Black Gold Sparrow's wings, the black feathers fluttering down, revealing the bleeding flesh beneath.

The four giants were dumbfounded by the chase. The leader of the Western Sect muttered, "This isn't a tower... it's clearly a madman!" Chaos True Man clenched his fist, the pupil of his third eye, which appeared in the mist, contracted. In a short while, the Black Gold Sparrow was half bald, most of its once glossy feathers had fallen off, and it dodged in the air in a disheveled state, its eyes filled with humiliated anger. The tower spirit, however, seemed to have had enough fun. It flashed back to Jiang Han's shoulder, proudly shaking its tower, a few black sparrow feathers still hanging from its tip.

Jiang Han glanced at the Bone Tower with a chuckle, then turned his gaze to the five giants. His calm voice carried an undeniable pressure: "The first spiritual root, who else wants to compete for it?" As soon as he finished speaking, seven ripples appeared in the void behind him, and seven figures that looked exactly like him slowly walked out. Each clone wore the same blue robe, but their eyes were different—some were as fiery as a raging fire, some as cold as ice, and some as deep as the starry sky.

The seven avatars stood side by side, simultaneously releasing their auras. These were seven terrifying pressures, no weaker than those of the Escape One Realm, intertwined to form a substantial aura, causing the blood and qi of the five giants to surge. For the first time, cracks appeared on the golden body of the Western Sect Leader, and most of the mist surrounding the Chaos True Man was dispersed. Everyone was horrified to discover that the strength of these seven avatars was actually superior to theirs!

“It’s impossible for him to just be a clone,” the Black Gold Sparrow King rasped, but was struck by the gaze of one of Jiang Han’s clones and nearly fell from the sky. The five giants exchanged bewildered glances, their previous greed replaced by fear. They knew that Jiang Han’s main body alone could kill the Yin-Yang Daoist, and now with seven more powerful enemies, resistance would be tantamount to throwing an egg against a rock.

Seeing no one respond, Jiang Han turned and walked towards the floating first spiritual root. This spiritual herb was crystal clear, its seven-colored leaves swaying and emitting an alluring life essence. Its roots twisted like living things, clearly sensing the threat. "Sizzle!" Dozens of root strands suddenly shot out, each containing the power of the Escape One Realm, emitting a piercing shriek as they tore through the air.

Everyone suddenly realized—why had the giants of the upper realm repeatedly failed to win the battle? This First Spiritual Root was itself an existence comparable to the Escape One Realm! If it weren't for its Dao injury, it would probably have already ravaged the battlefield. However, Jiang Han ignored this and continued to stride forward. Just as the root was about to touch his body, the void behind him suddenly distorted, and a giant tree exuding an ancient aura slowly emerged.

This is an ancient tree beyond description: its trunk twists and turns like a dragon, and its branches are laden with thousands upon thousands of spiral fruits. The fruits are all the same size, yet their colors are incredibly varied—some burn like flames, some are frozen like ice, some are covered in runes, and some flow with the light of laws. The ancient tree's branches sway, humming, and thousands of colors ripple from its crown, sometimes transforming into mountains and rivers, sometimes coalescing into divine and demonic battle formations, and the air is filled with a refreshing and invigorating aura.

"That's... the Devil Fruit Tree?" the woman with double pupils exclaimed in surprise, her vertical eye twitching violently. She had seen records of it in ancient books; it was a wondrous tree born at the beginning of chaos, capable of nurturing fruits containing various laws, and an existence even more ancient than the First Spiritual Root.

The first spiritual root's tendrils suddenly stopped mid-air, as if sensing the presence of its natural enemy. The Devil Fruit Tree swayed gently, and countless fruits simultaneously emitted strange light. The light converged in the air into a long rainbow, shooting towards the first spiritual root with the power to cleave the heavens and the earth. Wherever the rainbow passed, space was annihilated inch by inch, revealing the chaotic origin behind it.

The First Spiritual Root launched a full-scale counterattack, its roots bursting forth with dazzling light as it met the rainbow. However, the instant the two forces clashed, with a "ripping" sound, the root strands snapped like fragile spider silk, and a thin crack appeared on the main trunk of the spiritual root, which was over ten meters thick. This was not even a contest between people of the same level! The First Spiritual Root let out a mournful cry, its light dimming, clearly indicating that it was no match.

The Devil Fruit Tree ceased its attack, instead lowering its branches to envelop the First Spiritual Root. Endless green light flowed down from the leaves, enveloping the spirit herb's body. To everyone's astonishment, the First Spiritual Root's roots actively coiled around the ancient tree's branches, and together they transformed into streams of light, disappearing into Jiang Han's brow.

[The host has successfully acquired the first spiritual root. The side quest reward will be distributed upon returning to the Xuanhuang Continent.]

As the system notification sounded in his mind, Jiang Han looked inward and saw that the Devil Fruit Tree at the center of his mind was growing more and more luxuriantly. Beneath it grew the Bodhi Tree and the Enlightenment Tree, and now the First Spiritual Root had also appeared. This spiritual herb took root obediently beside the ancient tree, its seven-colored leaves swaying gently, as if it were submitting to the ancient tree.

A deathly silence fell over the Medicine Capital. The five giants stood frozen in mid-air, their faces etched with disbelief. From the fusion of the Bone Tower to the appearance of the Devil Fruit Tree, and then to the submission of the First Spiritual Root, this series of events had overturned their understanding of the Upper and Lower Realms. The leader of the Western Sect murmured, "Just what kind of being is Hongjun Ancestor?" The Chaos True Man clenched his fists, feeling for the first time a sense of awe towards the Lower Realm. (End of Chapter)