Gaze and you will become stronger: starting from Doupo

……

The sentries stared in astonishment at Wu Fang and his group, their eyes filled with confusion. Standing atop the highest point of the city wall, their eyesight far surpassed that of ordinary people, they could clearly see many unfamiliar faces among the crowd that had come with Meng Tianzheng. Some possessed imposing auras, clearly powerful cultivators, while others appeared somewhat naive, their eyes filled with curiosity and wariness towards the borderlands. But what surprised them most was Wu Fang. He walked beside Meng Tianzheng, the distance between them neither too close nor too far. Although Meng Tianzheng's expression remained serious, it lacked the arrogance of a superior; instead, it carried a subtle respect. This caused a stir among the soldiers. They knew that Meng Tianzheng held an extremely high position in the Imperial Pass, and anyone who commanded such respect from him was no ordinary person. A young soldier couldn't help but tug at the sleeve of the veteran beside him: "Old man, do you know that person? He doesn't look very old. How come he's walking with Senior Meng?" The veteran squinted at Wu Fang and shook his head: "Never seen him before, but for Senior Meng to value him so much, he must be a big shot. Maybe he's a powerful figure from some hidden holy land."

"Brother Meng, why are you alone? Where are Jin Taijun, Brother Wang, and Brother Zhao?" As soon as Meng Tianzheng landed on the city wall, a Supreme Being stepped forward to inquire. This Supreme Being was tall and imposing, with a resolute face and a scar running from his forehead to his chin—a remnant from a battle with an immortal from another realm. The scar gleamed faintly silver in the sunlight. He approached Meng Tianzheng urgently, his tone filled with worry. He knew the battle situation in the borderlands was on the verge of collapse. He and another Supreme Being were struggling to hold on, already at their limit. If Jin Taijun and the others could arrive in time, perhaps they could still turn the tide.

"Jin Taijun is dead. Wang Changsheng and Zhao Haotian's physical bodies are shattered, so they can't come either," Meng Tianzheng said calmly. His voice wasn't loud, but it was like a thunderclap on the city wall, instantly silencing the surrounding cultivators. Meng Tianzheng's face didn't show much expression, but those who knew him could see a trace of heaviness in his eyes. Although Jin Taijun acted domineeringly, he was, after all, a force to be reckoned with in the Imperial Pass. His demise was undoubtedly adding insult to injury for the borderlands.

"What?! What's going on?! Is there someone inside the Imperial Pass who could have injured them?" Upon hearing this, the two Supreme Beings were stunned, their faces filled with disbelief. Their eyes widened instantly, and the scars on their faces twisted in shock. In their eyes, Jin Taijun, Wang Changsheng, and Zhao Haotian were all Supreme Beings, the top combat power of the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths. How could anyone inside the Imperial Pass have killed Jin Taijun and shattered the physical bodies of Wang Changsheng and Zhao Haotian? One of them subconsciously took a step back and exclaimed, "Could it be that people from other realms have infiltrated the Imperial Pass? But how could they have bypassed the restrictions of the Heavenly Abyss..." The other stared intently at Meng Tianzheng, hoping to get a negative answer from him. After all, this news was too shocking and almost overturned their understanding.

"This is a long story, you'll find out when you have time. As for our fighting strength, you don't need to worry, with Fellow Daoist Hongjun joining us," Meng Tianzheng said, glancing at Wu Fang beside him. Meng Tianzheng knew this wasn't the time to explain the details; the battle in the borderlands was imminent, and the most urgent task was to stabilize morale. He stepped aside, letting Wu Fang stand in front of him, his eyes filled with trust. Although he wasn't entirely clear about Wu Fang's background, after witnessing firsthand how easily Wu Fang had killed Jin Taijun and severely injured Wang Changsheng and Zhao Haotian, he believed that with Wu Fang there, the situation in the borderlands would surely be brought under control.

"Fellow Daoist Hongjun?" The two Supreme Beings exchanged a glance, their eyes filled with bewilderment and incomprehension. Having lived for hundreds of thousands of years, they had never heard of such a being. In their understanding, they were familiar with the top experts of the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths, but the name "Hongjun" had never appeared in any ancient books or legends. One of them couldn't help but sized up Wu Fang. Seeing that he was dressed plainly and his aura was restrained, he looked like an ordinary cultivator, without any of the imposing presence of a top expert. A trace of doubt arose in his heart: "This fellow Daoist... I wonder what his cultivation level is?" His tone was probing, after all, the borderlands were not a game, and if the "expert" they had invited was not living up to his reputation, the consequences would be unimaginable.

"Is this the frontier...?"

Upon first seeing the Gluttonous King, the Golden Luan Clan Chief, the Immortal Palace Master, the Old Celestial, and other cultivators of the Borderlands, they stared blankly at the other side of the city wall, utterly shocked. Most of them came from various powerful forces across the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths, accustomed to a life of luxury. Although they had experienced battles, they had never witnessed such a brutal and magnificent battlefield. The Gluttonous King's mouth gaped open, forgetting to wipe his drool. He had thought himself well-traveled, but the scene before him still deeply shaken him. The Golden Luan Clan Chief's golden robes fluttered in the wind; his face was somewhat pale, clearly stimulated by the bloodshed of the battlefield, but his eyes were filled with excitement—for the warlike Golden Luan Clan, such a battlefield was both dangerous and alluring. The Immortal Palace Master, on the other hand, frowned, his gaze grave as he observed the battlefield situation, silently analyzing the disparity in combat strength between the two sides. The old celestial being stroked his beard, sighed, and looked on with pity. He had witnessed the fall of too many young cultivators, and a heavy feeling welled up in his heart.

It was a vast desert, boundless and seemingly without end!

The desert dunes were taller than they had imagined, like slumbering behemoths, stretching endlessly to the horizon. Their shapes constantly shifted, sculpted by the fierce winds into bizarre forms; some resembled sharp blades, others gaping maws, as if ready to devour everything at any moment. Beneath the dunes lay countless dangers: some were bottomless quicksand traps, others still held remnants of battle-related energy barriers—a single misstep could lead to annihilation. Occasionally, the wind would howl across the dunes, a mournful sound like the wails of the dead, sending chills down their spines.

Deep in the desert, a star field stretches across the sky, like a divine punishment.

That star field was no ordinary starry sky; it hovered above the desert, exuding an aura that was both sacred and sinister. The edges of the star field shimmered with faint starlight, while its center was pitch black, creating a stark contrast. Its existence shattered the boundaries between heaven and earth, as if a piece of the starry sky had been forcibly torn apart and embedded into the desolate sky, giving people an eerie and oppressive feeling. From afar, that star field resembled a gigantic scar, stretching across the heavens and earth, constantly reminding people that this was the battlefield where two worlds clashed.

The Gluttonous King, the Old Celestial, and all the other cultivators were stunned, gazing up at the star field. It resembled both demonic clouds and celestial mist, pure white and dark intertwined, like yin and yang embracing each other! The pure white mist emitted a soft halo, within which one could vaguely see flowing celestial light, as if containing the breath of life; while the black mist exuded a chilling aura, like the purest destructive power, within which grotesque phantoms flashed intermittently. These two completely different mists intertwined and devoured each other, yet maintained a delicate balance, forming a bizarre and magnificent scene. The Gluttonous King rubbed his eyes, wondering if he was seeing things. He had never seen such a peculiar sight before, two extreme forces coexisting in such a way. The Old Celestial's eyes flickered; he sensed a familiar aura in the black and white mist, seemingly related to some ancient legend.

Most importantly, it formed a huge circle, turning into a terrifying vortex and creating an abyss!
The vortex was a thousand miles in diameter. The mist at the edges spun slowly, but the closer to the center, the faster it spun, creating a powerful suction force. At the center of the vortex was pure darkness; nothing could be seen, yet a chilling power could be felt, as if it could devour all light, all energy, and all living things. Standing on the city wall and gazing at this vortex would induce a dizzying sensation, as if one were about to be sucked in and plunged into endless nothingness.

However, this abyss leads to the sky and plunges into the boundless unknown, rather than leading to the underground.

This was completely different from the abyss they knew. Ordinary abysses extended downwards, leading to the depths of the earth, but this one did the opposite, opening its massive maw upwards, connecting to an unknown realm beyond. This illogical sight further shocked and aweed the cultivators. They sensed that a great secret must be hidden on the other side of the abyss—perhaps a lair of another realm, or perhaps an even more dangerous unknown world. It was truly enormous, boundless, looming over the desert.

From any angle, the abyss is impossible to see in its entirety; it resembles a giant lid, shrouding the entire desolate desert beneath it. The abyss's edge meets the sand dunes, where black and white mist hangs down, mingling with the sand to form a blurred boundary. Standing atop the city wall, one gets the illusion that the entire world is enveloped by this abyss, and only its existence remains between heaven and earth.

"Could that... be the Heavenly Abyss of the Borderlands?" a cultivator at the Transcendent Realm murmured to himself. The young cultivator's face still held a hint of naiveté; this was his first time in the Borderlands. He had only previously read about the Heavenly Abyss in ancient texts, and now, seeing it with his own eyes, the shock he felt was indescribable. His voice trembled, his eyes filled with awe as he stared intently at the Heavenly Abyss, as if afraid it would suddenly expand and devour him.

The powerful figures, including the Gluttonous King, were taken aback. On their way here, they had heard the Demon King mention such an abyss, but instead of leading to the depths of the earth, it led to the outer realms, making it extremely mysterious. At the time, they were somewhat skeptical, as such a sight was too bizarre. Now, seeing it with their own eyes, they had no choice but to believe that the Demon King's words were true. The Gluttonous King stroked his chin, thoughtfully saying, "Indeed, it's as strange as the rumors say. Such a wonder of heaven and earth is truly unheard of." The Palace Master of the Immortal Palace nodded, his eyes filled with inquiry: "A spatial phenomenon of such scale must be backed by a great terror. We must be careful."

This is constructed from a spatial barrier, forming a mysterious realm of its own.

The Demon King spoke up at the opportune moment, his voice tinged with solemnity: "The Heavenly Abyss was not formed naturally, but rather is a spatial barrier constructed in ancient times by a powerful being of the Celestial King level using supreme strength, with the aim of preventing invasions from other realms. It appears to be a deep abyss, but in reality, it is a spatial barrier that separates the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths from other realms." Upon hearing the words "powerful being of the Celestial King level," the cultivators gasped in astonishment. Celestial Kings were legendary figures in their minds; they never imagined that the peace of the borderlands was protected by the power of a Celestial King.

The black and white mists intertwined and swirled slowly, possessing terrifying power.

The white mist contained the power of spatial laws, capable of stabilizing the spatial structure and preventing cultivators from other realms from easily crossing boundaries; while the black mist contained the power of destructive laws, capable of annihilating any being that attempted to forcibly break through. The two forces collided and merged continuously as they swirled, the resulting energy fluctuations clearly perceptible even on the city walls. A cultivator attempted to use his divine sense to probe the Heavenly Abyss, but the moment his divine sense approached the black and white mist, it was torn apart by a powerful force, causing him to instantly cough up blood and turn ashen-faced.

Within that abyss, countless fragments of stars undulated and shifted, rotating to form a demonic power—a magnificent spectacle.

The star fragments varied in size, some as small as a fist, others as large as a small mountain. They tumbled and collided within the vortex of the Heavenly Abyss, emitting dull thuds. Their surfaces shimmered with dim starlight, yet exuded a strange, demonic aura, as if corrupted by some evil force. These star fragments did not originate from the heavens or the earth, but were remnants of celestial bodies that had fallen from beyond the realms, drawn into the Heavenly Abyss by its suction force, becoming part of it. Their rotation stirred the surrounding energy, creating a powerful demonic force that made the Heavenly Abyss's aura even more eerie.

This is no ordinary abyss; it can even swallow celestial bodies!
The cultivators, gazing at the fragments of stars swept into the Abyss, were filled with lingering fear. They knew the sheer mass of a celestial body was immense, yet it was easily swallowed by the Abyss, demonstrating its terrifying suction power. Some cultivators couldn't help but imagine that if they had carelessly fallen into the Abyss, they would have been instantly torn to shreds, their very souls not spared.

But it's not a black hole; it's really just an abyss, because as you walk forward in the desert, you can see that the abyss almost touches the ground.

Black holes are the ultimate celestial bodies in the universe, possessing infinite gravity. While the Heavenly Abyss has terrifying suction, it has a clear boundary that can be observed with the naked eye. As the cultivators looked forward along the city wall, they could see that the bottom of the Heavenly Abyss almost met the sand dunes, with black and white mist churning on the ground, forming a blurred boundary. This made the Heavenly Abyss appear even more real and more dangerous, as if it might press down from the sky at any moment and swallow the entire borderland.

This view provides a clearer view; many stellar fragments are inside, moving slowly, and some enormous skeletons float and rotate, inspiring awe and trepidation. (End of Chapter)