Gaze and you will become stronger: starting from Doupo

"How could this be? Wasn't it said that the conscription would only happen once every thousand years? It's only been less than a hundred years since the last conscription!"

"Could something have happened in the borderlands? And something serious at that!"

"Impossible! The borderlands are guarded by countless ancestors and powerful figures from various forces. How could they be summoned again so soon!"

……

Upon hearing the horn, the cultivators' expressions instantly froze, their shock and curiosity replaced by solemnity and worry. They even stopped paying attention to Jiang Han and his group, turning to look in the direction of the horn, their eyes filled with unease. A border conscription meant an urgent border war, requiring a large number of cultivators to go and provide support. Every conscription meant countless people would die on the battlefield, and very few would return alive.

call out!
A dazzling divine rainbow shot out from above the long river, moving with lightning speed, instantly traversing a vast distance and appearing near the Immortal Tomb.

In an instant, the divine rainbow dissipated, revealing a hunched old man. Although his hair was completely white, as white as snow, he was vigorous and his eyes were bright and piercing. The aura he unconsciously released was no weaker than that of the five overlords, and even showed signs of surpassing them, clearly indicating that he was a powerful expert at the peak of the Escape Realm.

"Demon King, you're still alive!" Upon seeing the hunched old man, the old celestial being exclaimed in surprise, his face showing disbelief. Demon King was a veteran powerhouse of the borderlands, who was said to have perished in the last borderlands war; it was unexpected that he was still alive.

"You're the one who's dead! I was merely secretly summoned to the depths of the borderlands to carry out a mission!" Upon hearing the old celestial's words, the Demon King snorted coldly, his tone tinged with dissatisfaction and disdain. He glanced at the old celestial, then swept his gaze over all the cultivators present, speaking in an icy voice.

"What is the purpose of your horn call? Has something truly terrible happened in the borderlands?" The Palace Master of the Immortal Palace frowned and asked, his tone grave. He knew the Demon King's character; he would never sound the horn to summon the borderlands unless it was something serious.

"Nonsense, of course I'm here on behalf of the lords over there to summon you!" the Demon King said irritably, clearly in a bad mood. His gaze swept over the Gluttonous King, the War Clan Chief, and countless cultivators, his voice suddenly rising, carrying an undeniable authority: "The situation in the borderlands is critical, a great war is imminent, and we've reached a point of life and death! Gluttonous King, War Yuan, Gu Jinluan... all cultivators above the Severing My Realm, come with me to the borderlands! Those who disobey will be executed without mercy!"

The chilling words, carrying a bloodthirsty killing intent, sent a shiver down the spines of all the cultivators present. The Demon King uttered no more words, turning into a divine rainbow and flying towards the borderlands, seemingly unconcerned that these conscripted individuals wouldn't come. He had the confidence and the strength to do so; anyone who dared disobey the borderlands' conscription order would only face death.

A deathly silence fell over the arena. All the cultivators above the Transcendent Realm exchanged hesitant glances, their faces showing hesitation and fear. Going to the borderlands meant a slim chance of survival, but disobeying orders meant certain death. They were caught in a dilemma, unable to make a decision for the moment.

The five overlords—the Gluttonous King, the Ancient Golden Phoenix Clan Chief, the Old Celestial, the War Clan Chief, and the Immortal Palace Master—exchanged grave glances, each seeing deep worry in the other's eyes. The Demon King's appearance and words made them realize that the situation in the borderlands might be worse than they had imagined. They knew that as top experts from the Three Thousand Dao Provinces, they had an inescapable responsibility to go to the borderlands to provide support.

"Let's go!" the Gluttonous King spoke first, his voice deep and firm. With that, he transformed into a streak of light and chased after the Demon King in the direction he had gone.

The other four major powers also followed suit without hesitation.

Seeing this, the other cultivators above the Transcendent Realm had no choice but to bite the bullet and transform into streams of light of various colors, following the five overlords as they flew towards the borderlands. They knew they had no other option.

Soon, the once bustling area around the Immortal Tomb was left with only Jiang Han, Xiaobudian, Ye Qingxian, and a few cultivators below the Self-Slaying Realm. These cultivators watched the departing figures of the powerful figures heading towards the borderlands, their eyes filled with awe and worry, silently praying for their safe return.

Jiang Han frowned slightly as he watched this scene. The early conscription in the borderlands clearly indicated that the war there had reached an extremely critical point. Even Ye Fan's illusory image was conjuring up a future, brutal battlefield, which made him feel vaguely uneasy. He knew that a storm that would sweep across the entire Three Thousand Provinces and might even affect a wider world was about to arrive.

"Master, they've all gone to the borderlands. Is it dangerous there?" The little boy looked up at Jiang Han, his eyes filled with curiosity and worry.

Jiang Han patted the little one's head and nodded: "Yes, it's dangerous there, but it's also full of opportunities. When you're older and stronger, maybe we'll go there to take a look." He knew that the little one was destined to experience trials and tribulations in the future, and the borderlands were an essential lesson on his path to growth.

Ye Qingxian nodded. She had learned about the borderlands from her father's fragmented memories and knew that it was a good place for training and the place where people could grow up quickly.

Jiang Han glanced at the Immortal Tomb, then at the distant borderlands, a resolute glint in his eyes. He knew his current strength wasn't enough to directly participate in the great war in the borderlands and the future turmoil of darkness. But he would strive to improve himself and nurture Little One, preparing for the future crisis.

"Let's go too," Jiang Han said, then turned and flew away from the Immortal Tomb and the Long River, leading Little Dot and Ye Qingxian. They wanted to find a quiet place so that Little Dot could cultivate in peace, and so that Jiang Han could digest and absorb the gains from this trip to the Immortal Tomb and improve his own strength.

The Immortal Tomb still stands there, now empty, but it has witnessed too many secrets and legends. That drop of Ye Fan's essence blood, the scene that unfolded from that illusory figure, the urgent conscription in the borderlands...

The five overlords and the group of sect leaders who had been named in the "Slaying Self Realm" exchanged glances, their eyes filled with complex emotions. They looked at each other, their faces filled with hesitation and resentment, but in the end, they gritted their teeth and followed in the footsteps of the Demon King.

It wasn't that they genuinely wanted to go to the perilous frontier battlefield, but rather that they had no choice. If they didn't go, the race and power they represented would be utterly annihilated by the ancestors stationed on the frontier. This was a blatant, indirect threat, leaving them no room for resistance.

In the Three Thousand Continents, they are supreme overlords, controlling their respective realms and revered by countless cultivators. However, all of this is predicated on the absence of their ancestors who have guarded the borderlands for millennia. Once those ancestors return, these so-called overlords are utterly insignificant. It is said that among those ancestors who have guarded the borderlands for countless years, a few have already ascended to the Supreme Realm, possessing unfathomable strength, capable of annihilating a powerful race with a mere wave of their hand. Such beings are simply beyond their ability to contend with. Therefore, even with a thousand unwilling thoughts, they can only obediently comply and head to the borderlands.

"Borderland Conscription? What kind of place is that?" Gazing in the direction where the five overlords and the others had left, the little boy blinked his clear, large eyes, looking up at Jiang Han with puzzled curiosity. He had never heard of this place before; from the discussions of those cultivators, it seemed to be a very dangerous yet important place.

"You'll know once you get there," Jiang Han said calmly, patting Little Dot's head. With that, he waved his hand, creating a gentle spatial ripple that enveloped Little Dot, Cao Yusheng, and Ye Qingxian. The next second, the four vanished from their spot, disappearing into the void.

"Master, this place is so eerie!" The little boy gripped Jiang Han's hand tightly, glanced warily at his surroundings, and couldn't help but shrink back. The chubby boy, Cao Yusheng, also changed his usual playful demeanor, becoming inexplicably timid, following closely behind Jiang Han with uneasy eyes.

Jiang Han did not choose to go to the borderlands alone, but like all the other summoned leaders, he was led by the Demon King. Of course, he did not stay with the main force, but instead took the three little ones and hid far away in the void, following the main force like ghosts, so that he could not be discovered and could clearly observe everything in front of him.

The ancient land they were in, though filled with towering trees, lush foliage, and verdant vegetation that blocked out the sun, was eerily silent, devoid of any sound. Not a single bird could be seen flying by, not a single roar of a beast could be heard, and not even the smallest ant could be found.

The air here was filled with a faint smell of blood and decay, making one want to vomit. The trees around were strangely shaped; some trunks were covered with hideous burls, like distorted, pained faces; others had leaves that were an eerie dark red, as if stained with blood.

This place doesn't seem like a vibrant, dense forest, but rather a desolate, lifeless Gobi Desert. It's too quiet and too eerie, sending a chill down one's spine.

"what--!"

Suddenly, a bloodcurdling scream rang out from ahead, filled with endless pain and fear. It pierced the deathly silence and sent a shiver down everyone's spine.

"Demon King, what's going on!" After the shrill screams, the Taotie King's roar, filled with rage, rang out. His voice was full of shock and confusion, clearly indicating that something unacceptable had happened to him.

Just now, a sect leader whose strength had reached the Self-Severing Realm suddenly let out a scream without any warning. Then, as if something had instantly drained all his life force, he turned into a shriveled corpse and fell straight down from the sky.

Almost instantly, a powerful and vigorous sect leader had all his blood drained by some unknown substance, his bones melted away, and his internal organs were devoured, leaving only an empty shell, which looked extremely bizarre.

"What a fuss over nothing. It's obviously my first time in the borderlands."

The Demon King glanced disdainfully at the Taotie King and other overlord-level powerhouses, his tone filled with contempt. He seemed to be used to this situation, and said indifferently, "During the last border war, many creatures from other realms broke into the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths. After their defeat, they were not completely wiped out, but instead hid in these mountains and forests, making a living by hunting our cultivators."

At this point, the Demon King reached out and pointed towards a dense forest in the northwest.

The group of cult leaders and the five overlords hurriedly looked in the direction the Demon King was pointing. When they saw the scene there, their pupils shrank, their faces showed deep horror, and they gasped.

On the branches of a massive ancient tree in sight hung more than a dozen desiccated corpses. Although these bodies had lost all life, they still emitted a faint glow, clearly indicating they were all incredibly powerful beings in life, at least at the peak of the Self-Slaying Realm, and possibly even experts at the Transcendent Realm. Their deaths were extremely gruesome; some had their bellies ripped open, some had their necks snapped, and some looked as if they had been gnawed on, mutilated beyond recognition.

"What kind of creatures are those in the borderlands? How could they be so ferocious!"

The Gluttonous King frowned as he looked at the Demon King, his tone tinged with seriousness and confusion. He simply couldn't imagine what kind of creature could kill so many powerful beings and then display them in this way. As soon as he finished speaking, with a soft hiss, a seemingly ordinary withered blade of grass suddenly trembled, transforming into a blur as it hurtled towards him with lightning speed.

In an instant, a chill ran through the Taotie King's heart, and the threat of death enveloped him. He dared not hesitate for a moment, his divine power surging wildly within him, his figure flashing like a ghost, narrowly avoiding the sudden attack.

Boom!

A deafening roar resounded as the withered grass that had missed the Gluttonous King slammed into a towering black mountain in the distance. That mountain was incredibly hard; even a full-force attack from a cultivator at the Transcendent Realm could only leave a shallow crater. But before this withered grass, it was like paper, instantly reduced to dust. The explosion shimmered with eerie runes and emitted a pungent odor.

"who!"

Not only the Gluttonous King, but also the Old Celestial, the Palace Master of the Immortal Palace, the Ancient Golden Phoenix Clan Chief, the War Clan Chief, and other overlords shouted in unison, their faces filled with vigilance and solemnity. That seemingly insignificant withered grass had just unleashed enough power to injure them! This was simply unimaginable! (End of Chapter)