Gaze and you will become stronger: starting from Doupo

Finally, he took a step and stepped onto the white jade bridge, walking step by step toward the land where the woman in white was.

The moment Jiang Han stepped onto that land, his heart jolted, and an expression of disbelief appeared on his face. The scene before him was completely different from what he had seen before. This was no paradise on earth; it was clearly a blood-red ground, piled high with bones, resembling a hellish landscape. The seemingly beautiful plants had roots embedded in the bones, absorbing their essence; the vibrant flowers were not stained with dew, but with dark red blood.

"You just woke up from your slumber?" Jiang Han's gaze swept across the ground, where he saw a broken cocoon emitting a faint light. There were also some remnants of molted remains around the cocoon, indicating that a creature had once emerged from it.

"Ten thousand years have passed, the world has changed, congratulations on your rebirth, fellow Daoist." The woman in white still had a smile on her face, giving people an incomparably stunning feeling. Her white clothes stood out particularly brightly in this blood-red hellish environment.

"You know me?" Upon hearing the woman in white's words, Jiang Han's heart skipped a beat, and his eyes filled with a hint of apprehension and inquiry. Beneath the radiant surface of this land lay such an eerie place, where flowers and corpses coexisted, and broken chains of divine order were scattered throughout. How could such a mysterious woman exist in such a strange place without making one wary?

"Thinking back to millions of years ago, when you became my disciple, how spirited you were, determined to reach the realm of the Immortal Emperor, full of passion and ambition. Now, how come you are so foolish and dull, with lifeless eyes? How pitiful." The woman in white's voice rang out like heavenly music. She looked at Jiang Han, shaking her head and sighing repeatedly, her eyes filled with regret.

"Uh?"

"Millions of years ago, I became your disciple?"

Jiang Han froze, completely stunned after hearing the woman in white's words; his mind went blank. In all his years, he had never had such a memory, and he knew nothing of what happened a million years ago. Was this woman telling the truth, or was she deliberately misleading him?
"A dream of immortality, an era of illusion and destruction, why don't you come and pay your respects to your master?" The woman in white suddenly became serious, and her tone carried an undeniable authority as she said, "Let your master help you awaken your innate wisdom and recall the cycle of reincarnation."

Jiang Han stared at the woman in a daze, fragmented and blurry images flashing through his mind: countless gods and Buddhas, a shattered starry river, and a blurry figure of a woman in white. Suddenly, he felt a wave of dizziness, as if his memories had truly been sealed away. Could it be that what the woman in white said was true?

"At the beginning of all things, the cycle of reincarnation requires understanding its origins. My poor disciple." The woman in white looked at Jiang Han, her beautiful eyes becoming incredibly deep, as if containing the vicissitudes of countless ages, with an expression of profound compassion. She slowly reached out her hand, reaching towards Jiang Han's forehead, wanting to touch his brow.

Jiang Han was torn. On one hand, his reason told him that this woman was dangerous and that what she said was likely a lie, a deception for some purpose. On the other hand, the sudden dizziness and the blurry images flashing through his mind made him wonder if he had truly lost an important memory. He looked at the woman in white's outstretched hand, unsure whether to believe her.

The surrounding crimson earth seemed to sense Jiang Han's inner struggle, beginning to tremble slightly. The bones creaked and groaned, as if mocking his hesitation; the plants rooted in the bones swayed wildly, urging him to make a decision. The five overlords and cultivators in the distance, though unable to see the exact scene, could sense the eerie aura emanating from above the Immortal Tomb. They all held their breath, anxiously watching the unfolding events.

Jiang Han's gaze shifted back and forth between the stunningly beautiful and mysterious face of the woman in white and the eerie surroundings, his heart wavering. He knew that his decision might affect his future, even determining whether he could uncover the secrets of the Primordial Chaos. Finally, he took a deep breath, his eyes hardening, and decided to temporarily set aside his doubts and see what this woman truly wanted to do.

"Did you hear the conversation between Ancestor Hongjun and that woman?" a cultivator asked in a low voice, excitedly pulling his companion aside, his eyes gleaming with gossip.

"Ancestor Hongjun is indeed a figure from the Primordial Era! Moreover, he is actually that woman's beloved disciple!" His companion exclaimed in amazement, his tone filled with disbelief. "This is simply unbelievable. A figure from the Primordial Era still exists in the world, and both master and disciple are so extraordinary."

“So that woman really is an immortal!” another cultivator chimed in, a look of longing on his face. “Only an immortal could have such extraordinary abilities, taking on powerful figures from the ancient times as disciples and still surviving to this day.”

"No wonder Ancestor Hongjun appeared here; it turns out he came to find his master!" Everyone suddenly realized. They had been wondering why Ancestor Hongjun was so obsessed with this immortal tomb, but now they finally understood the reason. Their faces showed surprise and their expressions were filled with shock.

The discussions around the Immortal Tomb grew louder and louder. Based on the conversation between Ye Qingxian and Jiang Han, these cultivators kept filling in various scenarios in their minds, making the identities of Jiang Han and Ye Qingxian more and more legendary.

As for the five overlords—the Gluttonous King, the Ancient Golden Phoenix Clan Chief, the Old Celestial, the War Clan Chief, and the Immortal Palace Master—they were filled with deep suspicion. Having lived for countless ages, they had witnessed far too much deceit and intrigue, and were only half-convinced by the snow-clad woman's words. In their view, things were probably not as simple as they appeared; this suddenly appearing snow-clad woman possessed a mysterious identity, and her words and actions were full of strangeness, making it difficult to completely trust her.

"Haozi, your master is already incredibly powerful! You probably couldn't find anyone stronger than him in the entire Three Thousand Dao Continents! Who would have thought your great-grandmaster is even more terrifying—he's actually a true immortal!" The chubby boy, Cao Yusheng, stared wide-eyed, pointing a finger at the woman in white, his mouth agape, his voice filled with shock and envy. He looked at the little boy, feeling that his friend was incredibly lucky to have such a powerful master, and even a great-grandmaster at the immortal level.

"Master hasn't acknowledged her yet!" the little boy retorted, frowning. Although he also thought the woman in white was powerful, he couldn't fully believe her without his master's explicit confirmation. Moreover, he always felt there was something strange about the woman that made him uncomfortable. "You know the past, and can comprehend past lives?"

On the land above the Immortal Tomb, Jiang Han stared intently at the woman in white, pondering deeply. She could recount events from a million years ago and cause him to experience memory distortion—could he have encountered a forbidden being at the Immortal King level? Immortal Kings, after all, could glimpse the past and future, reverse time, and possess unfathomable power.

“Turning around is the past life, raising your eyes is the next life, holding onto a thought is the present life.” The woman in white clasped her hands together, her appearance solemn and dignified, her beauty unparalleled, and her purity incomparable, as if she were truly an immortal who understood everything in the world. Her voice was ethereal and otherworldly, carrying a unique Taoist charm that inspired awe in all who heard it.

"Your name?" This time, Jiang Han stopped probing and went straight to the point. He remembered all the illustrious beings in the Perfect Plane. As long as they gave their Dao names, he could know their background and thus take the initiative.

"In ancient times, I was known as the Supreme Female Immortal. As for my real name, it is Ye Qingxian," the woman in white replied earnestly, a hint of pride in her eyes, seemingly quite pleased with her title.

"You said your name is Ye Qingxian?" Upon learning the woman in white's name, Jiang Han was first taken aback, then his lips twitched involuntarily, and a strange look flashed in his eyes. He seemed to have heard that name somewhere before.

"It is indeed I, the immortal."

The woman in white remained enigmatic as she looked at Jiang Han, her tone carrying an undeniable air of authority: "Disciple, why don't you kowtow to your master?"

"Little Ye, you've given me a wonderful daughter!" After confirming the identity of the woman in white, Jiang Han finally remembered where he had heard the name before. He looked Ye Qingxian over again and couldn't help but laugh. Now he finally understood why there was a mysterious power on her that could prevent his divine sense from penetrating her. It wasn't because the woman in white was too powerful, but because she didn't belong to this era at all; she had crossed the river of time from the future. The mysterious power that prevented Jiang Han was the power of time, a manifestation of the laws of time. Even for him, forcibly penetrating it would require considerable effort.

"Disciple, what are you muttering about? I don't understand." The woman in white looked at Jiang Han in confusion, not understanding why he suddenly laughed and said some inexplicable things. Who is Xiao Yezi? And what does "good girl" mean?
"When still, he is peerless and isolated; when in motion, he is cunning and agile; and when boasting, he is so domineering."

Jiang Han crossed his arms and looked at the woman in white with a playful expression. Then he activated his divine sense to transmit his voice, a method that was extremely secretive and could only be heard by the woman in white: "You're so powerful, does Xiao Yezi know?"

"Little Leaf?" the woman in white murmured, her eyes filled with even more confusion. She frowned slightly as she tried to recall the name, but she couldn't remember it at all.

"Didn't that brat Ye Fan ever mention me, his master, to your precious daughter?" Jiang Han stared directly at the woman in white, a playful expression on his face. The Ye Fan he spoke of was his disciple from another dimension, Ye Qingxian's father. Back then, under his guidance, Ye Fan grew step by step, eventually achieving the position of Heavenly Emperor, his power shaking the myriad realms.

"You...you are..."

"No...impossible..."

Upon hearing the name Ye Fan, the snow-clad woman's previously unfathomable, otherworldly expression instantly turned ashen. Her composure vanished, replaced by utter terror and fear. Her eyes widened, staring at Jiang Han in disbelief, muttering to herself, her body trembling slightly with shock, as if she had suffered a tremendous fright. Ye Fan—this name was all too familiar to her; he was her father, the most respected and powerful figure in her heart. And this man before her was addressing her father by his childhood name and claiming to be his master—how could she not be shocked?
"Who would have thought that Little Ye's daughter would actually manage to fool me? It seems I've really trained a good disciple." Jiang Han continued to transmit his thoughts through divine sense, his smile widening as he looked at Ye Qingxian's panicked expression. He hadn't expected to encounter his grand-disciple here, especially since the other party was trying to impersonate his master. This was truly amusing.

"You...you are truly the Grand Master my father mentioned?" The woman in white looked at Jiang Han with suspicion, her eyes filled with uncertainty. She had indeed heard her father often mention that he had a master whose strength was unfathomable. According to her father, this Grand Master's cultivation had reached an inconceivable level. Even though her father was known as Emperor Ye and stood at the pinnacle of the world, he still couldn't fathom the Grand Master's strength. Moreover, her father was able to obtain the Thunder Fruit that led to his enlightenment thanks to this Grand Master. In different eras, this Grand Master had been called by different names: Lord of Heavenly Punishment, Nine Heavens Thunder Emperor, Netherworld Thunder Emperor, Mortal Thunder Immortal, and Ancestor Hongjun, and even more titles she didn't know. She truly couldn't imagine that the master her father had searched for for tens of thousands of years, even after becoming an Emperor, would actually appear here!

"Do you think I'm a con artist like you?" Jiang Han reached out and gently rubbed the snow-clad woman's forehead, his gesture carrying a hint of an elder's doting affection for a junior. Then, with a flick of his sleeve, a stream of light flew out, transforming into a flowing scene before the snow-clad woman's eyes. This scene clearly depicted how he met Ye Fan, how he took Ye Fan as his disciple, how he guided Ye Fan's cultivation, and finally, how Ye Fan grew up and fought alongside him in the forbidden zone of life. Every detail was incredibly realistic, as if it had just happened before her eyes.

"Great...Great Grandmaster, it really is you!"

As the scenes flashed before her eyes, the woman in white gasped in astonishment, her previous ethereal and otherworldly demeanor completely gone. Her eyes welled with tears, her heart filled with excitement and awe. Everything in the scenes was exactly as her father had always told her, even including details he had never mentioned. At this moment, she finally believed completely that the person before her was indeed her long-lost Grandmaster! (End of Chapter)