Gaze and you will become stronger: starting from Doupo

"Do not--!"

Jin Taijun let out a desperate wail, and the last glimmer of light in her eyes went out completely.

"Oh!"

Jiang Han threw a punch.

There was no earth-shattering explosion, only a dull thud.

The once supreme Jin Taijun, under this punch, her body exploded like a watermelon struck by an invisible force, turning into a sky full of golden blood mist. Her already cracked primordial spirit had no time to escape before it was completely shattered by the shockwave and spatial power contained in the punch, not even a wisp of her primordial spirit could escape.

The golden blood mist lingered in the air for a moment before being quietly absorbed by the energy emanating from the Tai Chi diagram, leaving no trace.

As Jin Taijun perished, the Taiji diagram suspended in the center of the battlefield slowly contracted, and the primordial energy and the mother energy of all things separated again, eventually transforming into two streams of light that merged into Jiang Han's body. The red seed trembled slightly before disappearing into Jiang Han's brow.

The battlefield gradually fell silent.

Only Wang Changsheng and Zhao Haotian, whose necks were gripped by the giant hand in the distance, remained frozen in terror, not daring to move.

The cultivators inside the Imperial Pass also fell silent.

Whether it was the cultivators outside the Jin family's cave, the stone people in the Stone Clan's ancestral land, the powerful cultivators at the Escape One Realm, or the mortals from the lower realm... everyone held their breath, staring blankly at the scene in the sky, as if they had been frozen in place.

The earth-shattering punch, the cold and indifferent words, the complete annihilation of the supreme being... all of this was too shocking, and for a moment they forgot to react.

In an instant, the entire heavens and earth fell into a deathly silence.

Even the movement of the wind and the rotation of the stars seemed to stop at this moment.

Only Jiang Han's dark figure remained standing in the center of the desolate star field, like an unchanging monument, proclaiming the end of an old era and the beginning of a new one.

On the battlefield, everything fell silent. The wind seemed to freeze, the swirling dust hovered in mid-air, the air, thick with the pungent smell of blood, ceased to move, and even the lingering energy turbulence on the distant horizon softened, as if choked by an invisible hand. The deafening sounds of battle, the clanging of magical artifacts, and the dying screams of cultivators vanished without a trace, leaving only a near-vacuum of deathly silence, oppressive to the chest. Above the Imperial Pass, countless cultivators held their breath, their eyes fixed on the center of the battlefield, feeling that even blinking was a waste—the earth-shattering, awe-inspiring battle was now ending in an eerie calm, and beneath this calm lay a shock far more intense than any clamor.

The Wang family's Xuanyuan Battle Halberd and the Zhao family's Ten Realms Map, two great immortal artifacts, hung silently in the void, emitting a hazy glow. The Xuanyuan Battle Halberd was entirely golden, with nine lifelike golden dragon phantoms coiled around its shaft. The dragon scales swirled in the light, as if they might break free and soar into the sky at any moment. However, at this moment, the golden dragons no longer roared ferociously; instead, their heads were lowered, the luster on their scales dimmed, and the once sharp, star-like edge of the halberd tip was much restrained, faintly emitting a mournful cry. The Ten Realms Map was a scroll painting flowing with seven-colored light. Mountains, rivers, the sun, moon, and stars were vaguely visible in the painting, and even blurry realm phantoms could be seen rising and falling within it. But now, the light at the edges of the scroll was dimming inch by inch, and the once stable realm phantoms were becoming distorted and fragmented, as if they might peel away from the scroll at any moment and scatter into the void. These two celestial artifacts, renowned throughout the heavens and earth, now seemed to have had their souls ripped away, leaving only their empty shells hanging there, silently recounting their master's humiliation and crushing defeat.

Holding the Immortal King's Shroud, Meng Tianzheng stared in shock at Wu Fang's retreating figure, speechless. The Immortal King's Shroud was his most prized possession, its surface shimmering with a faint celestial light. The star patterns embroidered upon it had once unleashed protective power during the great battle. Yet now, the shroud trembled slightly, as if sensing an unparalleled pressure far beyond his comprehension. Meng Tianzheng's fingers gripped the edge of the shroud tightly, his knuckles turning white from the force. His eyes, which had seen through the vicissitudes of time, were now filled with disbelief. He recalled Jin Taijun's arrogant and domineering demeanor wielding her golden spear not long ago, the overwhelming dominance of Wang Changsheng and Zhao Haotian when the two supreme beings joined forces, and Wu Fang's effortless and nonchalant attack—in mere breaths, a peak supreme being had fallen, and the physical bodies of two unparalleled supreme beings had shattered. This kind of power had exceeded his understanding of "supreme beings" and even "immortal kings." He opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but found his throat was blocked, and in the end he could only let out a silent sigh, which dissipated in the wind.

On the other side, Wang Changsheng and Zhao Haotian, the two supreme beings, were still gripped by the necks of two giant hands, staring wide-eyed at the scene ahead, motionless, their eyes filled with terror. The two giant hands were not physical entities, but rather formed from pure primordial energy. A chaotic halo flowed along the edges of their palms, and the lines resembled the trajectory of a galaxy, with countless stars rising and falling within each line. The giant hands, seemingly small, contained an overwhelming power. The force gripping their necks wasn't strong, yet it caused their supreme essence to stagnate inch by inch, even their primordial spirits imprisoned by an invisible force, unable to even muster the thought of struggle. Wang Changsheng felt the icy touch on his neck; the touch didn't come from primordial energy, but from the threat of death. He recalled the years he had roamed the nine heavens and ten earths after becoming a supreme being, the glory of his ancestors, but now, before this giant hand, everything he was so proud of had become a joke. Besides terror, Zhao Haotian's eyes held a hint of despair. His Ten Realms Diagram floated nearby, yet he couldn't even muster a sliver of its power. That giant hand seemed to have severed his connection to the immortal artifact, and also his connection to life itself. Their pupils dilated as they stared intently at Wu Fang's back. That back wasn't particularly tall, yet it resembled a divine mountain spanning countless ages, filling them with an insurmountable sense of powerlessness.

"As I said, you two may be spared the death penalty, but you cannot escape punishment."

Wu Fang's calm yet authoritative voice shattered the deathly silence of the battlefield, followed by a gentle wave of his sleeve. His voice, though not loud, seemed to contain the laws of heaven and earth; each word transformed into golden runes that exploded in the void, causing the eardrums of the surrounding cultivators to buzz. These runes did not dissipate but instead merged into the primordial energy of heaven and earth, making the air in the entire Imperial Pass heavy. His movements were slow and gentle, as if he were merely brushing away dust, yet with the wave of his sleeve, the surrounding primordial energy began to converge wildly, forming visible vortexes of air. At the center of these vortexes were the two giant hands gripping the necks of Wang Changsheng and Zhao Haotian. The vortexes spun faster and faster, emitting a whistling sound, like the low growl of an ancient beast, or the pronouncement of the heavens.

Before Wang Changsheng and Zhao Haotian could recover from their fear, the two giant hands suddenly clenched and tightened, revealing a sky full of stars within their palms. The instant the giant hands closed, an irresistible pressure surged through them; Wang Changsheng and Zhao Haotian could even hear their bones cracking. Their supreme essence surged like boiling water, yet was firmly locked down by the giant hands, unable to release its power. Cracks began to appear on their bodies, from which golden blood seeped—supreme-level essence blood, each drop brimming with immense life force, yet now it was rapidly draining away. Within the giant hands, countless illusory stars suddenly lit up. These stars were not illusory, but contained real stellar power. They rapidly rotated, forming a miniature star array, its sharp edge aimed directly at the two men's bodies.

Bang!
A series of synchronized explosions resounded across the battlefield, echoing throughout the heavens and earth! These explosions weren't shrill roars, but rather a deep, penetrating tremor, as if striking the very core of everyone's heart. The light from the explosions instantly tore through the void, forming two enormous pillars of light that shot straight into the sky, shattering the clouds above the Imperial Pass. Within these pillars, countless dazzling raindrops of light sprayed out. These were not ordinary rays of light, but fragments of the primordial essence formed from the shattered physical bodies of Wang Changsheng and Zhao Haotian. Each fragment shimmered with supreme-level spiritual light, yet carried an aura of destruction. The raindrops of light covered an extremely wide area; those that landed on distant mountains leveled peaks, and those that fell into rivers instantly evaporated the water, demonstrating the terrifying energy they contained.

Wang Changsheng and Zhao Haotian's physical bodies exploded simultaneously, transforming into a dazzling rain of light. Their physical fragments dissipated within the light, leaving not a trace of flesh behind; only the primordial light remained, floating in the void. Fortunately, their primordial spirits remained, though swaying precariously and their aura chaotic, clearly indicating severe injury. Two semi-transparent primordial spirits slowly coalesced within the light rain, their appearance identical to their former selves, only appearing extremely ethereal, as if a gust of wind could disperse them. The surfaces of their primordial spirits were covered with fine cracks, from which gray mist constantly seeped, signs of damage to their primordial spirit essence. Wang Changsheng's primordial spirit light flickered. He tried to stabilize himself, but found his primordial spirit completely uncontrollable, swaying only with the flow of the light rain. He could clearly feel his cultivation level rapidly declining, plummeting from the peak of the Supreme Being realm, almost falling out of the Supreme Realm altogether. Zhao Haotian's primordial spirit groaned in pain. There was a clear crack at the core of his primordial spirit, a wound left when the giant hand gripped it tightly. The crack was constantly radiating a tearing pain in his primordial spirit, making it extremely difficult for him to even stay conscious.

"This is none of your business."

Wu Fang's calm voice rang out again as he tossed the Xuanyuan Battle Halberd and the Ten Realms Map to Wang Changsheng and Zhao Haotian. His voice was devoid of emotion, as if he were merely shooing away two troublesome flies. With his gesture, the Xuanyuan Battle Halberd and the Ten Realms Map, suspended in mid-air, trembled violently, as if drawn by an invisible force, transforming into two streams of light that flew towards the primordial spirits of Wang Changsheng and Zhao Haotian. The Xuanyuan Battle Halberd emitted a low, mournful cry as it flew, its golden dragon phantom dimmed, clearly sensing its master's injury. The edges of the Ten Realms Map were even more tattered, the primordial realms within almost completely vanished, leaving only a few faint rays of light barely holding it together. Wang Changsheng's primordial spirit trembled as he reached out, managing to grasp the Xuanyuan Battle Halberd with all his might as well. The instant he held it, he could feel the sorrow and anger emanating from the halberd, yet he could only manage a bitter smile—how could he, struggling to protect himself, possibly console the lament of a celestial artifact? Zhao Haotian's primordial spirit staggered as he caught the Ten Realms Map. The scroll was icy cold to the touch, like a block of ice, making his primordial spirit tremble.

Wang Changsheng and Zhao Haotian exchanged a glance, said nothing, and took their respective immortal artifacts, leaving the battlefield and disappearing into the sky. Their eyes were filled with humiliation and resentment, but even more so with fear. They dared not look at Wu Fang again, not even linger for a moment, lest that terrifying being change his mind and annihilate them completely. The two streaks of light moved with incredible speed, vanishing from the horizon of the Imperial Pass in the blink of an eye, leaving only two faint energy trails that slowly dissipated in the void. They did not depart from the Wang or Zhao family's territory, but rather fled into the depths of the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths, clearly intending to find a secluded place to heal their wounds, and would not dare to set foot in the Imperial Pass again for some time.

Meanwhile, above the Jin family's cave, the early-stage Supreme beings from the Zhao and Wang families who had arrived first exchanged glances before vanishing. These early-stage Supreme beings had originally come to support Wang Changsheng and Zhao Haotian, or perhaps to claim a share of the spoils after the battle. However, after witnessing the horrific destruction of Wang Changsheng and Zhao Haotian's physical bodies, they were filled with boundless fear. Looking at Wu Fang's retreating figure, they felt as if he were a demon god from chaos, and that with a single thought from him, they would suffer the same fate as Jin Taijun. Their eyes, filled with fear and relief, were a mixture of relief and fear. They were thankful they hadn't impulsively rushed forward. Without hesitation, they used secret techniques to conceal themselves, fleeing like stray dogs, leaving not a trace of their presence. Their disappearance was extremely abrupt, as if they had never been there at all; only a few wisps of chaotic energy lingered in the air, proving they had once been there.

On the battlefield, after the two giant hands transformed back into primordial energy and returned to Wu Fang's body, silence fell once more. The process of the primordial energy's return was extremely mysterious. It didn't directly merge into Wu Fang's body, but instead transformed into streams of chaotic energy, swirling around his body once, as if sorting out his aura, before slowly seeping into his body and disappearing. As the giant hands dissipated, the surrounding天地元气 (heaven and earth energy) gradually calmed down, no longer surging violently. However, the lingering smell of blood and the aura of destruction in the air still told the story of the fierce battle that had just taken place. The cultivators of the Imperial Pass dared not breathe, their gazes fixed on Wu Fang, their eyes filled with awe, worship, and a hint of barely concealed fear. They knew that from this moment on, the heavens of the Imperial Pass had changed. (End of Chapter)