Gaze and you will become stronger: starting from Doupo

"The four supreme beings of the Imperial Pass have all arrived! Such a scene is truly a once-in-a-century event! All of this is thanks to the Ancestor Hongjun!"

……

Countless cultivators' gazes shifted back and forth between the four supreme beings: Jin Taijun, Meng Tianzheng, Wang Changsheng, and Zhao Haotian. Their eyes widened, their faces filled with disbelief. They simply couldn't imagine that they would be able to see the four most powerful figures in the Imperial Pass City simultaneously in their lifetime; this was an unimaginable adventure in their cultivation journey.

“Fellow Daoist Hongjun, although I do not know your origins, the events of that year are already settled, so let’s call it quits.” Wang Changsheng sighed softly, and purple primordial energy emerged behind him, with countless strange phenomena blooming within it. The aura emanating from it was extremely terrifying, as if it could easily destroy the entire Imperial Pass.

Jiang Han simply smiled faintly, ignoring Wang Changsheng's attempts to dissuade him. He slowly walked out of the battlefield and returned to the area above the Jin family's cave. Then, he gently waved his robes towards the sky.

"Buzzing—"

Instantly, the entire void began to tremble violently, as if some immense power was awakening. Then, an enormous scene, like a celestial canopy, was projected onto the distant sky. No matter where you were in Imperial City, even in the most secluded alley, you could clearly see everything in the scene simply by looking up.

The scene shown is above the Jin family's cave, including Jiang Han, Jin Taijun, Meng Tianzheng and everyone else. Their every move is clearly visible without any omission.

"Look at the sky! Where is that?! How can there be such a huge scene!" Inside the Imperial Pass City, a cultivator who was practicing was startled by the commotion outside. He looked up and was immediately stunned by the scene in the sky.

"That's...that's Elder Meng Tianzheng of the Heavenly God Academy! And Jin Taijun, Wang Changsheng, and Zhao Haotian! The four supreme beings are all there!" Another cultivator rubbed his eyes, and after confirming that he was not mistaken, he exclaimed in surprise.

"Why are the four overlords gathered together? Does this mean the borderlands are about to change?" someone said worriedly, with an uneasy look on their face.

"I recognize it! That's the Jin family's cave. Could it be related to that ethereal voice from before? Could someone really dare to provoke the Jin family of longevity? That's incredibly audacious!"

……

Almost instantly, within the Imperial Pass City and even in the surrounding areas tens of thousands of kilometers away, all the cultivators who were busy, cultivating, or resting stopped what they were doing and looked up at the image in the sky, their faces filled with undisguised shock and curiosity. They didn't know what would happen next, but everyone could sense that a storm sweeping across the entire Imperial Pass was about to arrive.

Jiang Han stood atop the Jin family's cave, his gaze calmly sweeping over the four supreme beings below, then looking at the scene in the sky, a meaningful smile playing on his lips. He knew that what was about to happen would completely alter the landscape of the Imperial Pass and unveil a secret that had been sealed away for countless years.

Jin Taijun's face had turned extremely ugly. She stared intently at Jiang Han, her eyes filled with vigilance and anger. She didn't understand what Jiang Han was trying to do, but she could sense that everything he was doing was heading in a direction detrimental to the Jin family.

Meng Tianzheng stroked his beard, his gaze fixed intently on the situation, a mixture of anticipation and worry in his eyes. He hoped the truth would come to light, but he also feared it would trigger greater turmoil, plunging the already turbulent Imperial Pass into an even more dangerous situation.

Although Wang Changsheng and Zhao Haotian looked young, their eyes were as deep as ancient wells. They stood there quietly, without saying a word, silently observing everything, as if waiting for a crucial moment to arrive.

The surrounding cultivators held their breath, afraid to even exhale, lest they miss a single detail. Their hearts were filled with excitement and trepidation; they wanted to know the truth of what happened back then, yet they also feared that the truth might be too cruel and overturn their long-held beliefs.

The entire Imperial City seemed to fall silent at this moment, with only the faint sounds emanating from the images in the sky and the pounding of everyone's hearts. A storm of "sinful blood" was quietly brewing, about to sweep across the entire Nine Heavens and Ten Earths.

"Fellow Daoist, you're really making things worse!" Zhao Haotian, the ancestor of the Zhao family, a lineage of immortals, glanced at the crystal-clear image in the sky. Every detail in the image silently spoke of the cruelty of the past. When he turned his gaze back to Jiang Han, his brows furrowed tightly, and his tone carried a barely perceptible worry. He knew all too well that once these long-buried events were fully revealed, the Imperial Pass would inevitably be plunged into unprecedented turmoil.

"This is exactly what I wanted! The bigger the commotion, the better!" Meng Tianzheng burst into hearty laughter, a release of pent-up emotions. He stepped forward, his figure shifting, and he stood side by side with Jiang Han. At that moment, a subtle change occurred in his aura, as if he had made a long-considered decision, without the slightest hesitation.

Jiang Han nodded slightly to Meng Tianzheng, acknowledging his support. Then, he flicked his finger, and several more scenes unfolded like a scroll in the sky, presenting vivid and cruel scenes to everyone.

The first scene.

It was a remote and tranquil Stone Clan tribe, surrounded by dense jungle, the air filled with the fresh scent of earth and vegetation. In the center of the tribe, a child of about six years old was surrounded by his fellow tribesmen, his face beaming with an innocent smile. Not long ago, this child had successfully opened up ten grotto-heavens within his body, a talent extremely rare in the entire history of the Stone Clan. The tribesmen were holding a simple yet solemn celebration ceremony for him, and laughter filled the entire tribe.

However, just as the festive atmosphere reached its peak, the sky suddenly changed color, and a group of knights riding ferocious beasts descended from the heavens, their roars shattering the tribe's tranquility. The leading knight, clad in magnificent armor and with an arrogant expression, held aloft a golden decree and coldly proclaimed that the six-year-old child must immediately go to the frontier battlefield to fight the enemy.

Upon hearing this, the smiles on the Stone Clan members vanished instantly, replaced by anger and resentment. They knew how perilous the border battlefield was; for a six-year-old child to go there was tantamount to throwing himself into the lion's den. The Stone Clan chief stepped forward, attempting to reason with the knights and plead with them to rescind their order.

But the knights ignored them completely, their eyes flashing with cold indifference. The moment the Stone Clan members clearly resisted and refused to obey the order, the leading knight's eyes turned cold, and with a wave of his hand, several sharp beams of light shot out. With a few muffled "thuds," several Stone Clan members were killed on the spot, their blood gushing out and staining the ground beneath their feet. The horrific scene terrified everyone present.

Finally, the six-year-old child, gazing at his parents' gradually cooling corpses on the ground, his eyes filled with fear and despair, was forcibly taken away by the knights amidst heart-wrenching cries. His cries pierced the sky, filled with endless sorrow and helplessness, yet unable to change this cruel ending. (Second scene)

On the desolate border battlefield, flames raged and shouts of battle were deafening. The fighting was extremely fierce, and the situation had reached a critical point, urgently requiring the dispatch of elite warriors from various tribes to provide support. Thousands of knights clad in black armor, exuding an imposing aura, once again descended upon the Stone Clan tribe. Their faces were cold and stern, and without uttering any unnecessary words, they directly selected one hundred of the strongest Stone Clan members from among the tribe.

Although these Stone Clan warriors were filled with reluctance to leave their tribe, they resolutely accepted the assignment in order to protect their homeland. However, when they were sent to the battlefield, they were placed on the front lines, the most intense and dangerous place, where they faced the constant threat of death.

What's chilling is that the knights from the same camp stand far behind, watching without a trace of worry or pity. Even when Stone Clan warriors are fighting valiantly on the front lines, severely wounded and struggling in pools of blood, the knights remain indifferent, letting them die in despair on the battlefield, as if the lives of these Stone Clan warriors were worthless.

The third picture.

An elderly man dressed in a long robe with a large "gold" character printed on his back descended upon the Stone Clan tribe with a powerful aura. He spoke arrogantly and casually, declaring that he wanted to refine a supreme elixir and needed a human as a catalyst, claiming that he had come to "borrow" a human.

Upon hearing this, the Stone Clan members were immediately filled with indignation. They knew that the so-called "using people as bait" actually meant sacrificing the lives of their clansmen, something they absolutely could not accept. The Stone Clan elder stepped forward and righteously rejected the old man's request.

Upon hearing this, the old man's face instantly darkened, a ruthless glint flashing in his eyes. In a fit of rage, his powerful aura erupted, instantly killing several Stone Clan members. Blood stained his robes, but he paid no heed. Finally, he forcibly selected eight powerful Stone Clan cultivators, leading them away triumphantly, leaving the Stone Clan tribe in a state of mourning and indignation.

……

The ninth image.

It was still the Stone Clan tribe, but the atmosphere was unusually tense. Six warriors dressed in identical attire, exuding the powerful aura of the True First Realm, were besieging a middle-aged man. Although the middle-aged man fought back fiercely, he was no match for their numbers, and several wounds had appeared on his body, with blood flowing continuously.

Behind the middle-aged man stood a boy of about ten years old. Although the boy was still young, he had already entered the Inscription Realm. Such talent was unparalleled in the entire Imperial Pass.

However, even for such a gifted young man, another cold imperial decree descended, ordering him to go to the extremely dangerous front lines to slay foreign villains.

Just then, a group of people suddenly appeared in the distance. The leader, a young man, possessed an extraordinary air and sharp eyes. Upon seeing this, he raised his hand without hesitation, unleashing a powerful force that instantly killed three of the attacking warriors. Then, with a roar, he drove back the other three, thus saving the lives of the middle-aged man and the boy.

"Aren't all the people in these images stone people?"

"Even if they are descendants of sinners, they shouldn't be treated like this! Such gifted children, sent to the battlefield like this, is simply a waste of their talents!"

"For tens of thousands of years, they have sacrificed their lives on the frontier battlefields, making contributions no less than ours! Why should they suffer such unfair treatment!"

"What deep-seated hatred exists between the Jin family and the Shi family? Those prodigies of the Shi family all have the potential to become supreme beings! It's such a pity that they were killed off like this!"

"Perhaps the Jin family is worried that there will be traitors among the descendants of this sinful bloodline! That's why they nipped these talented prodigies in the bud early on, not allowing any mistakes, even at the cost of sacrificing these geniuses."

……

Inside the Imperial Pass City, all the cultivators craned their necks, staring intently at the scenes unfolding in the sky, their eyes gradually filled with deep sympathy. They seemed to have personally witnessed those cruel scenes, their hearts brimming with pity for the Stone Clan and bewilderment at the Jin Family's actions.

At this moment, the Stone Clan members standing behind Jiang Han, witnessing these scenes, instantly had bloodshot eyes. Their fists clenched so tightly that their knuckles turned white. Their bodies trembled slightly with rage, their hateful gazes fixed on the Jin Clan cultivators, as if they wanted to devour them alive. These scenes in the sky were the various atrocities committed by the Jin Clan against the Stone Clan over tens of thousands of years, each one deeply piercing their hearts.

"Old Lady Jin, are these all your orders? Good! No wonder the once-mighty royal family hasn't produced a single supreme being in tens of thousands of years; it turns out these monstrous talents were stifled by you from a young age! I guard the frontier, fighting bloody battles to protect the peace of this imperial pass—is this your explanation to me?!" Meng Tianzheng, watching the scenes, could no longer contain his rage and let out a deafening roar. A terrifying aura emanated from him, and behind him, a vast world seemed to slowly emerge, radiating a suffocating pressure.

Jin Taijun's face was ashen, her lips pressed tightly together. She didn't reply, only letting out a cold snort, but her extremely ugly expression betrayed her inner turmoil.

"This is my business, and you have no need to interfere." Jiang Han turned his head, glanced at the agitated Meng Tianzheng, and said calmly, his voice carrying an undeniable power.

As the calm voice faded, the images of the stone race being treated unfairly in the sky vanished instantly. In their place appeared a scene of exceptionally brutal battle, a chilling atmosphere pervading the air. (End of Chapter)