Gaze and you will become stronger: starting from Doupo

A semi-transparent ripple spread out from him, distorting and folding space wherever it passed. Jin Taijun's violent divine power slid instantly, as if trapped in quagmire within the ripple. The next second, Jiang Han and Jin Taijun vanished from their spots, leaving only the still-cracking void as proof that the terrifying eruption had truly occurred.

They were transported to a far more distant battlefield—a desolate star field where no stars could be seen, only endless darkness and massive meteorites floating in the void. Far removed from the heavens and earth, at the edge of the universe, even if the two fought with all their might, no living beings would be affected.

"I will kill you! I will tear you to pieces, so that you will never be reincarnated!"

As soon as she regained her footing, Jin Taijun roared at Jiang Han like a madwoman. Her eyes were bloodshot, and her once snow-white hair stood on end like burning flames. She clutched her slapped left cheek tightly, the clear handprint growing redder and redder with her rage, as if it were about to bleed.

In millions of years, she has never suffered such a humiliation!
Back then, when she first ascended to the supreme position, she single-handedly ventured into the Demon Abyss beyond the realm, slaying the Demon Lord and refining his soul into lamp oil, which was then hung above the Imperial Pass as a warning to all races. Later, when a supreme being from another race defied her authority and questioned her power, she crushed that supreme being's Dao Fruit in full view of everyone, causing him to fall from the clouds and become a mortal. At the Imperial Pass, her words are like imperial edicts. Not to mention slapping her in the face, even speaking too harshly would result in having one's cultivation stripped and being cast into the Nine Nether Hell.

But today, not only were four of her own children killed right under her nose, but she was also slapped hard across the face in front of millions of cultivators!

This isn't just slapping her in the face; it's trampling on her millennia-old dignity and challenging the bottom line of the entire Jin family!
"Kill me?" Jiang Han spoke calmly, his voice devoid of any emotion. "You think you can?"

"Arrogant!" Jin Taijun roared, her battle aura surging. Her previously hunched body straightened instantly, and the supreme blood energy within her burned like a volcano, transforming into a gigantic golden phoenix phantom behind her. The phoenix spread its wings, blotting out the sky and emitting a clear cry that resounded throughout the universe. Every feather gleamed with a sharp luster, clearly indicating that it had used its most powerful trump card.

"Burning Phoenix Dance!" Jin Taijun roared, her figure merging with the phoenix phantom, transforming into a golden streak of light, carrying an intense heat capable of incinerating everything, as she charged towards Jiang Han. Wherever she passed, even the void itself was ignited, turning into a golden sea of ​​fire.

Jiang Han remained unfazed, his feet firmly planted in the void. He slowly raised his right hand, palm facing upward. With this movement, a powerful force surged from his body—the perfect fusion of the power of the Tremor-Tremor Fruit and the power of faith from all heavens. A pale golden aura of tremor swirled in his palm, emanating a rhythm that made the very space tremble; a blue-green band of faith surrounded it, like countless believers whispering prayers, radiating a warm yet powerful aura.

"Well done!" Jiang Han shouted, slamming his right hand down like a piece of the sky crashing down on the golden phoenix.

"Boom!"

A deafening roar echoed through the desolate star field. Jiang Han's palm collided violently with the golden phoenix's head. In an instant, endless golden light and blue-green faith power intertwined and collided, erupting with a brilliance even more dazzling than a supernova explosion.

The surrounding meteorites were instantly vaporized, even the hardest fragments of stars turned to dust. The golden phoenix let out a painful cry, its massive body trembling violently, and the flames on its body rapidly dimmed.

After a long stalemate, the phoenix phantom that Jin Taijun had transformed into could no longer hold on, letting out a mournful cry before collapsing with a deafening roar. Jin Taijun's true form flew backward from the phantom, spitting out a mouthful of golden blood in mid-air before crashing into a massive meteorite, shattering it to pieces.

She struggled to her feet, her eyes burning with even greater rage. She had lived for millions of years, never losing to anyone in a clash of power, yet today, she had been forcefully repelled in the very art of blood energy combat she excelled at!

"I'm not reconciled!" Jin Taijun roared, preparing to gather his strength again and launch another attack.

But at that moment, Jiang Han made a move.

He appeared before Jin Taijun in an instant, as if shrinking the distance between them. At this moment, Jin Taijun had just dissipated her phoenix phantom, and was in a gap where her old power was exhausted and her new power had not yet been generated, so she had no time to make any defense.

Jiang Han's hand reached out again.

This time, he held nothing back. In his palm, the Tremor-Tremor Fruit spun rapidly, its rhythm causing the surrounding space to tremble regularly; several emerald green, leaf-shaped lights surrounded the Tremor-Tremor Fruit, the primal aura of the Devil Fruit Tree, allowing the Tremor-Tremor power to unleash its full potential; the outermost blue-green power of faith surged like a boiling tide, radiating a gentle yet irresistible pressure, the condensed will of billions of living beings, representing an unquestionable judgment.

"Snapped!"

Another crisp sound rang out, this time louder and more awe-inspiring than the last.

Jiang Han's palm struck Jin Taijun squarely on the right cheek.

The power of the tremor and the power of faith erupted simultaneously the moment they came into contact! The power of the tremor caused half of Jin Taijun's face to tremble violently, as if it were about to be peeled off her head; the power of faith, on the other hand, pierced her sea of ​​consciousness like countless tiny needles, making her feel a kind of suppression and judgment from the depths of her soul.

Instantly, a clear handprint appeared on Jin Taijun's right cheek, symmetrical to the one on her left, looking utterly comical. She spat out another mouthful of golden blood, this time mixed with fragments of broken Dao principles—clearly, this slap was not only a physical humiliation but also a severe blow to her Dao foundation. Jin Taijun stood there, stunned, her cheeks burning with pain, the crisp sound of the slap still echoing in her ears. Looking at Jiang Han's calm, expressionless face, the anger in her eyes was gradually replaced by a deeper emotion—bewilderment, disbelief, and a fear she hadn't felt in millions of years…

She finally understood that the man before her was someone she could not contend with. His two slaps were not only to humiliate her, but also to declare to the entire Nine Heavens and Ten Earths that even the so-called supreme being was nothing more than this before him.

In the desolate star field, only Jiang Han's calm gaze and Jin Taijun's distraught figure remained. In the distance, from the direction of the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths, faint commotion could be heard. Clearly, the two crisp slaps had resounded throughout the entire universe like thunderclaps.

If it were an ordinary cultivator, even one who had just touched the threshold of the Supreme Realm, they probably wouldn't even have time to react to Jiang Han's slap, which was imbued with the essence of Zhenzhen and the faith of all the heavens. Their heads would explode into a bloody mist like a glass lamp struck by a heavy hammer, and their primordial spirits would shatter inch by inch under the resonance of Zhenzhen's power, leaving them no chance for reincarnation.

But Jin Taijun was ultimately the supreme being standing at the pinnacle of the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths. Millions of years of tempering had fused her physical body with the Great Dao, making it so hard it could withstand the bombardment of celestial artifacts. The instant the palm touched her cheek, the golden blood energy within her surged like a tsunami, and countless fine golden runes instantly appeared on her body—the most exquisite defensive technique in the True Immortal lineage, the "Golden Immortal Robe." The runes intertwined into a net, firmly containing most of the power of the palm strike. The resonance of the shockwave was forcibly suppressed, and the pressure of the power of faith was largely dispersed by the blood energy.

Even so, the brutal force still caused half of her face to distort violently, and golden blood gushed down from the corner of her mouth, dripping into the void. Each drop turned into a tiny golden flame, scorching the surrounding space.

"Ah—why! Why is this happening!"

Jin Taijun suddenly roared, her voice filled with a near-collapse madness. Her hair was disheveled, and her once fierce old woman face was now twisted like a vengeful ghost. Her bloodshot eyes were fixed on Jiang Han, as if she wanted to rip out his soul.

She couldn't figure it out.

From the time she could remember, she was the most favored disciple under the True Immortal. The True Immortal personally cleansed her marrow, nourished her Dao foundation with immortal spring water, and bestowed upon her the unparalleled cultivation technique, the *Golden Palace Immortal Scripture*. Millions of years ago, she spent a thousand years cultivating at the place where the True Immortal passed away, breaking through to the Supreme Realm in one fell swoop. Afterward, she roamed freely across the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths, never suffering a defeat. In the Imperial Pass, her name was synonymous with majesty; even the Heavenly Dao showed her respect. She always believed that she was only one step away from becoming a True Immortal, and that no one below her was comparable.

But the man before her, who called himself "Ancestor Hongjun," though his aura was also at the Supreme Realm, was like an insurmountable mountain, pressing down on her until she could hardly breathe. His divine power was too strange—his power of trembling could make the space tremble at his will, as if he were the pulse of heaven and earth; his power of faith was gentle yet carried an irresistible majesty, it was the condensation of the will of billions of living beings, and was not any kind of Great Dao energy in the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths at all.

It was a power that transcended the rules of this world. Like a chess player suddenly entering the game, all her moves and calculations became laughable and futile in the eyes of her opponent.

Being slapped twice in public was no longer a contest of victory or defeat, but a blatant humiliation. She could imagine the gazes of all the cultivators in the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths at this moment—those powerful figures of all races who had once bowed down to her, those disciples of sects oppressed by the Jin family, were probably all secretly laughing. After this battle, even if she remained a supreme being, the name "Jin Taijun" would be stained with an indelible mark, and the prestige accumulated over millions of years would vanish.

Looking across the heavens and the earth, from the ancient times to the present, in millions of years, which supreme being has ever suffered such humiliation? Even the Demon Lord who was besieged and killed back then, he died standing!
"The Ancestor Hongjun has become so powerful!"

Outside the Jin family's cave, a young cultivator carrying a giant sword muttered to himself, his hand gripping the hilt so tightly it turned white. He had once seen this supreme being from afar at Jin Taijun's birthday banquet. At that time, Jin Taijun sat atop a cloud, her gaze sweeping over all who dared not meet her eyes. But now, this high and mighty being was being slapped like a wronged child.

"They showed no respect for Lady Jin, slapping her twice in front of all the cultivators at the Imperial Pass!" An elderly man in black robes took a deep breath, his voice filled with undisguised shock. "This isn't a fight; this is tearing down the Jin family's reputation!"

"Jin Taijun has stood at the pinnacle of the Supreme Realm for many years, yet she is still no match for Hongjun Laozu. Could it be that Hongjun Laozu has already become an immortal?" A cultivator couldn't help but speculate, his eyes filled with awe. In their view, only a true immortal could so easily crush a supreme being.

"He may not become an immortal, but he is definitely connected to the Seven Kings of the Borderlands!" A lame old soldier suddenly spoke up. His left leg had been severed by demon soldiers during the Great War of the Borderlands. Now, he was leaning on his cane, looking at the scene in the sky, his eyes gleaming with excitement. "Have you forgotten? The Jin family participated in the siege of the Seven Kings of the Borderlands back then! The fact that Ancestor Hongjun is targeting Jin Taijun like this must be because he has come to avenge the Seven Kings!"

"If that's really the case, then Lady Jin deserves to die!" The old soldier's words instantly resonated with the surrounding cultivators. The Seven Kings of the Borderlands died in battle on the outer battlefields to protect the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths, yet they were falsely accused of treason by some, with the Jin family being one of the most vocal in their claims. Over the years, many cultivators who knew the truth harbored resentment towards the Jin family, but dared not act out due to Lady Jin's imposing presence.

At this moment, not only outside the Jin family's cave, but throughout the entire Imperial Pass, and even in every corner of the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths, countless cultivators were looking up, gazing intently at the sky.

The once clear sky now resembled a giant water mirror, clearly reflecting the battle scenes in the desolate star field—from Jin Taijun's astonishment when she was slapped for the first time, to her frenzied counterattack fueled by her burning blood energy, and then to Jiang Han's calm and collected response, every detail was vividly displayed.

This was Jiang Han's doing. From the moment the battle began, he used the power of faith as a medium to project the battlefield onto every inch of space in the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths, including the spiritually sparse lower realms of the Three Thousand Dao Provinces. He wanted everyone to see how fragile the so-called supreme ruler and the so-called majesty of the Jin family were in the face of absolute power and justice.

In a remote town in the lower realm, a group of children who had just begun to cultivate their inner energy surrounded an old man with white hair, pointing at the scene in the sky and exclaiming, "Master! That old lady has been beaten!" The old man stroked his beard, looking at Jiang Han's figure in the scene, a tear flashing in his cloudy eyes—his grandfather had been a soldier under the Seven Kings of the Borderlands, and had died in that falsely accused siege.

Three thousand provinces, the ancestral land of the Stone Clan. Countless stone figures gazed at the sky, their previously stiff stone faces glowing with excited red light. The Stone Clan, once nearly wiped out by the Jin family for their close ties with the Seven Kings of the Borderlands, now witnessed Jin Taijun being so humiliated. They couldn't help but cheer softly, their voices converging to form a faint power of faith, flowing slowly along the veins of heaven and earth towards the battlefield where Jiang Han was. (End of Chapter)