Gaze and you will become stronger: starting from Doupo

He recalled his decision to bring Wu Fang back to the Imperial Pass, his heart filled with both relief and lingering fear. He was relieved he hadn't offended this powerful figure, and fearful that if he had shown the slightest disrespect, he would likely have been reduced to ashes by now. Watching Wu Fang effortlessly annihilate the Jin family and severely injure two supreme beings, he felt his own Dao heart tremble. He finally understood that the gap between himself and Wu Fang was greater than the difference between heaven and earth. He opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but found himself unable to utter a complete sentence. He could only stand there, stunned, his eyes filled with awe.

The powerful figures, including the Gluttonous King and the Old Celestial, exchanged bewildered glances. They never imagined that the first thing Hongjun Ancestor did upon entering the Imperial Pass was to kill Jin Taijun, one of the four supreme beings of the Imperial Pass, and annihilate the entire Jin family. Furthermore, he had shattered the physical bodies of the other two supreme beings, Wang Changsheng and Zhao Haotian! The Gluttonous King, a burly man, now shrank back, his eyes filled with shock. He recalled his earlier attempt to act like an elder in front of Wu Fang, and a wave of fear washed over him; his back was instantly soaked with cold sweat. The Old Celestial stroked his beard, his eyes gleaming. He had lived for countless years and seen countless powerful figures, but he had never encountered such an unfathomable being as Wu Fang. He whispered to the Gluttonous King beside him, "This Hongjun Ancestor's strength has probably surpassed that of an ordinary Immortal King. The Imperial Pass has truly ushered in a turning point this time." The Gluttonous King nodded repeatedly, deeply agreeing. The other powerful figures exchanged glances, each pondering how to cultivate a good relationship with Wu Fang, while secretly rejoicing that they hadn't chosen to oppose him.

Unbelievable! This was the shared thought of everyone who witnessed this scene. Whether they were cultivators from the Imperial Pass or beings from the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths, all were awestruck by the power Wu Fang displayed. They couldn't imagine that one person's power could be so immense, easily deciding the fate of an immortal family and casually crippling a supreme being. Wu Fang's existence had surpassed their comprehension, making him a legendary figure.

"The truth about the Blood Sinner has been revealed. They are not descendants of sinners, but descendants of heroes! From this day forward, anyone who targets them again will be killed without mercy!"

At this moment, Wu Fang's calm voice echoed throughout the Imperial Pass, reaching the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths, lingering for a long time. Carrying an unyielding majesty, it shook the very soul of everyone present. His voice seemed to transform into the laws of heaven and earth, imprinted on the consciousness of every living being, preventing them from harboring even the slightest thought of disobedience. Those cultivators who had previously held prejudice against the descendants of the Sinful Bloodline instantly suppressed their malice upon hearing these words. They knew that Wu Fang meant what he said, and if they dared to target the descendants of the Sinful Bloodline again, destruction awaited them. The descendants of the Sinful Bloodline, on the other hand, were invigorated, their backs straightening even more. Wu Fang's words were like a powerful stimulant, filling them with confidence. The entire Nine Heavens and Ten Earths fell silent because of these words, everyone digesting their meaning, knowing that a new era might be on the horizon.

"Fellow Daoist Hongjun, how long will you remain at the Imperial Pass?" Meng Tianzheng asked tentatively. His tone carried a mixture of hope and worry. He hoped Wu Fang would stay at the Imperial Pass to stabilize the situation in the borderlands, but he was also worried that Wu Fang might leave at any time. The Imperial Pass had long faced threats from the border tribes. After the deaths of Jin Taijun and others, a gap had appeared in the borderlands' defenses. If Wu Fang could stay, it would undoubtedly bring a great sense of security to the Imperial Pass. He looked at Wu Fang, his eyes filled with anticipation, awaiting his answer.

"Rest assured, Jin Hong has been killed by me, and Wang Changsheng and Zhao Haotian have been severely injured. Naturally, I will not leave now. I will stay until the situation in the borderlands stabilizes." Wu Fang understood the underlying meaning in Meng Tianzheng's words and reassured him. Wu Fang's voice was calm and firm, instantly putting Meng Tianzheng's worries at ease. He knew that with Wu Fang's strength, as long as he remained in the Imperial Pass, the alien races in the borderlands would not dare to act rashly, and the cultivators of the Imperial Pass would have time to regroup and recover their strength.

"Fellow Daoist's words are excellent!" Meng Tianzheng laughed heartily. In his view, this Ancestor Hongjun was far more reliable than Jin Taijun. Meng Tianzheng's laughter was filled with relief and joy. He had been worried that the Imperial Pass would fall into chaos due to the deaths of Jin Taijun and the others, but now, with Wu Fang's promise, he could finally breathe a sigh of relief. He looked at Wu Fang, his eyes filled with gratitude and admiration, feeling that Wu Fang was not only powerful but also responsible, the kind of strongman the Imperial Pass truly needed.

"Elder...Elder, the borderlands are in dire need of help! They...they are coming! Please...please go there!"

Just then, a long rainbow appeared in the distant sky in an instant. It was a powerful cultivator at the peak of the Self-Severing Realm, who had already stepped halfway into the Escape Realm. The rainbow was extremely fast, carrying a strong smell of blood and an aura of despair, flying towards the high platform where Meng Tianzheng and Wu Fang were. The cultivator's figure appeared and disappeared in the rainbow. His Daoist robe was tattered, and his body was covered with deep wounds that revealed the bone.

However, at this moment, he was covered in wounds, each one a shocking sight, seemingly unable to heal, as a terrifying energy eroded his life force. His skin was covered in black lines, which seemed to live on, constantly corroding his flesh and spiritual power. His face was as pale as paper, his lips cracked, and his eyes were filled with fear and despair, clearly indicating he had endured an extremely fierce battle. He flew with his last ounce of strength, each flap of his wings spitting out a mouthful of blood, which landed in the void and was instantly swallowed by the black energy, turning into a wisp of smoke.

Bang!
Before he even reached Meng Tianzheng, his words had barely left his mouth when his body exploded, turning into a cloud of blood that sprayed across the void. The explosion was extremely sudden, without any warning. The body of the peak-stage cultivator of the Self-Slaying Realm seemed to have been detonated by some invisible force, instantly shattering into pieces. The blood mist, mixed with fragments of broken bones and internal organs, scattered across the high platform, emitting a pungent, bloody stench. Even more chilling was the terrifying black energy permeating the blood mist. This energy, like a leech, instantly corroded black holes in the hard rock upon impact, emanating a cold, malevolent aura. The surrounding cultivators, seeing this, cried out in alarm and retreated, their eyes filled with fear. They could feel the terror of that black energy, knowing it was no longer the power of the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths, but rather from a foreign race beyond the borderlands! Meng Tianzheng's expression instantly turned grave. He looked at the blood mist, then towards the direction of the borderlands, his eyes filled with worry. Wu Fang's gaze sharpened as he sensed the exotic aura contained within the black energy, knowing that the alien races of the borderlands were finally about to arrive.

The so-called border wilderness is located at the southernmost part of the Imperial Pass City.

This land was completely different from the orderly city of Diguan. From the moment one stepped onto the city walls, a desolate and chilling atmosphere enveloped one. The wind here seemed sharp and angular, whipping up sand and gravel that struck the city bricks with a crackling sound, like countless tiny swords clashing. The air was thick with the lingering stench of blood, mingled with gunpowder smoke, sweat, and a strange, decaying odor from another land, making breathing heavy. The walls of Diguan appeared even more imposing here, each brick etched with the marks of time, some still bearing traces of black blood—marks of countless battles, silently testifying to the ceaseless fighting on this land. Banners fluttered atop the walls; those embroidered with words like "Defend" and "Fight" had long been faded by the wind and sand, yet they still stood tall, symbolizing the determination of the cultivators of the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths to protect their homeland. It was a boundless battlefield.

Looking out beyond the city walls stretched rolling sand dunes, their color not the usual golden hue, but a dark, brownish-red, as if soaked in blood for millennia. Occasionally, broken weapons, shattered armor, and even skeletons half-buried in the sand could be seen among the dunes, these remains appearing and disappearing in the wind and sand, silently bearing witness to countless battles of life and death. The battlefield met the sky, where there was no blue sky or white clouds, only a hazy, gray chaos, as if the sky itself had been stained with the oppressive color of the battlefield's killing intent. Occasionally, streaks of light would flash across the chaos—the energy erupting from cultivators in battle, fleeting and brilliant like shooting stars, yet carrying a deadly danger.

"Senior Meng has arrived!"

On the walls of the Imperial Pass, a soldier cried out in alarm as several streaks of light flashed past in the distance, numbering in the hundreds. His face was stained with sand and dried blood, the edges of his armor worn, revealing strong arms beneath. His eyes, previously weary from long battles, suddenly lit up, as if seeing a glimmer of hope. His voice, slightly hoarse yet full of power, instantly shattered the silence on the walls. With his cry, the surrounding soldiers turned to look, following his gaze into the distance. A slight relaxation appeared on their tense faces, and even their hands gripping their weapons trembled slightly—Meng Tianzheng, the guardian of the Imperial Pass, was already their pillar of strength; his arrival always brought life to the despairing battlefield.

"Woo——"

On the city walls, the horn blared ever louder. Countless warriors, their expressions solemn, stood in armor, weapons in hand, ready for battle. The horn's sound was deep and resonant, like an ancient war song echoing across the desolate frontier. This was not the first time the horn had sounded; each time it blared, it signified an escalation of the battle, the imminent arrival of more enemies. Hearing the horn, the warriors straightened their backs, their previously somewhat unfocused eyes sharpening into razor-sharp ones. Their armor was covered in scratches, some even bearing traces of undried blood, but no one bothered to wipe them away. These marks were their medals, proof of their defense of their homeland. Their weapons were gripped tightly, the blades and spear tips gleaming coldly in the gray light of the day, reflecting on their resolute faces. Some warriors gently stroked the notches on their weapons, marks left from battles with foreign cultivators, each notch representing a life-or-death moment.

On the other side of the city wall, on the desolate battlefield, shouts of battle shook the heavens, and countless dazzling lights flashed. The shouts were not chaotic clamor, but powerful roars, filled with cries of "Defend the border!" and "Repel the alien races!" These sounds converged, forming a mighty aura that seemed to shatter the sky itself. Within the light, there were golden Buddhist lights, cyan sword energy, red flames, and blue water light; various colored energies intertwined and collided on the battlefield, erupting with deafening roars. Each flash of light was accompanied by the fall of a cultivator or the cry of an enemy; the aftershocks of energy spread out, hurling sand dunes and blasting deep craters into the ground. Occasionally, a cultivator would fall from the light, crashing to the ground with a resentful roar, instantly buried by the sandstorm or torn apart by the subsequent energy shockwaves.

"Huh? Why is it only Meng Tianzheng? Where are Wang Changsheng, Zhao Haotian, and Jin Taijun? Didn't the guy who went back to report the emergency?" Two early-stage Supremes stood on the city wall, their brows furrowed with seriousness. Both Supremes wore heavy battle armor, engraved with defensive runes, yet still covered in the marks of battle. One of them had his left arm hanging limply, clearly injured. Their gazes were fixed on the divine rainbow flying in the distance. When they saw that only Meng Tianzheng was leading the way, and the other three Supremes were nowhere to be seen, their seriousness deepened. The border battlefield was already at a critical juncture. If all four Supremes could have arrived simultaneously, perhaps the situation could have been stabilized. But now… One of them couldn't help but frown and whispered to his companion, "Could something have happened inside the Imperial Pass? Otherwise, given Jin Taijun's personality, she would never be absent at a time like this." The other shook his head, his eyes filled with confusion: "I don't know, but the situation is probably worse than we imagined."

Previously, Wu Fang had tried to project the battle with Jin Taijun onto the borderlands, but a mysterious force there prevented it. As a result, the cultivators guarding the borderlands were unaware of Jin Taijun's death. This mysterious force permeated every inch of the borderlands, like an invisible barrier that not only blocked the projection but also interfered with divine sense detection. It was said that this force was related to the Heavenly Abyss, a naturally emanating restrictive force that protected the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths while also isolating the flow of information between the inside and outside. Because of this, the cultivators of the borderlands were completely unaware of the changes within the Imperial Pass. They were still hoping that Wang Changsheng, Zhao Haotian, and Jin Taijun would arrive to provide support as soon as possible, unaware that one of the three supreme beings was already dead and two were injured, making it impossible for them to set foot in the borderlands in the short term.

"Those guys are all unfamiliar!"

"They should all have just been recruited from the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths."

"Who is that person? He's walking side-by-side with Senior Meng, and judging from Senior Meng's demeanor, he seems quite polite to him!" (End of Chapter)