Gaze and you will become stronger: starting from Doupo

The gaping hole in the sky stopped widening, but it still emitted a terrifying suction force. The life force of the earth was still slowly draining away, only at a much slower pace than before. The golden-backed savage bull had long since vanished without a trace, and the alien army and the cultivators of the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths had temporarily stopped their retreat, their eyes fixed on the direction of Tianyuan, their hearts pounding in their throats.

In the alternate dimension where Ye Fan was, the stars gradually slowed their rotation, and the roar of thunder subsided, but the divine light surrounding him remained dazzling, clearly indicating he had no intention of giving up the fight. He was waiting, waiting for the next move of the owner of that voice, and also weighing the pros and cons of continuing the battle.

An Lan and Yu Tuo exchanged a glance, both seeing seriousness in each other's eyes. They didn't know whether this suddenly appearing mysterious person was friend or foe, but in any case, the fact that this person could make them and Ye Fan stop at this moment meant that their strength was definitely not to be underestimated. If the person was on Ye Fan's side, they might not be able to gain an advantage in a two-on-two fight; if the person was neutral, they might be able to use their power to force Ye Fan to retreat and avoid the collapse of the world.

Time ticked by, each second feeling exceptionally long. The one who uttered the sigh never appeared, yet his presence grew ever stronger, seemingly omnipresent, enveloping the entire borderland. The flow of energy between heaven and earth began to stabilize, and the turbulence of spacetime gradually subsided, as if an invisible hand was repairing the shattered world.

Ye Fan's gaze gradually calmed. He sensed the power that had restored heaven and earth and understood the meaning behind that sigh. He knew that continuing the fight would only cause more innocent lives to suffer, which was not his intention. He looked up at the nine heavens and ten lands beyond the Heavenly Abyss, as if he could see those living beings struggling in the flames of war, and their yearning for peace.

"So be it." Ye Fan sighed softly, his voice carrying a hint of helplessness and relief. He slowly retracted the cauldron he had unleashed, the rotation of the Tremor-Tremor Fruit gradually stopped, and the divine light around him began to recede.

Seeing Ye Fan stop, An Lan and Yu Tuo both breathed a sigh of relief, but remained vigilant and did not let their guard down. They didn't know if Ye Fan had truly given up the fight, or if he was brewing a larger conspiracy.

"Today, I will spare you for now." Ye Fan's voice rang out again, carrying a hint of coldness. "But if the foreign realm dares to cross the border again and invade the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths, I, the Heavenly Emperor, will surely cross the river of time, raze your lair to the ground, and make you pay a terrible price!"

As the words fell, Ye Fan's figure began to blur, and the alternate dimension he was in gradually faded away. The rotating stars and the flowing river of time slowly disappeared. Finally, with a flash of dazzling divine light, the alternate dimension was completely hidden in the abyss, as if it had never existed.

Ye Fan left.

The abyss returned to calm, leaving only An Lan and Yu Tuo standing silently. The gaping hole in the sky began to slowly heal under the repair of that mysterious power, and the vitality of the earth gradually returned, finally easing the atmosphere in the borderlands.

The alien creatures were stunned for a moment, then erupted in thunderous cheers. They thought that An Lan and Yu Tuo had forced Ye Fan to retreat, and their faces were filled with fervent joy.

The cultivators of the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths breathed a long sigh of relief. Although Ye Fan ultimately retreated, they knew that if it weren't for his deterrent power, the alien army would likely have already crushed the Imperial Pass. They looked towards the direction of Tianyuan, their eyes filled with complex emotions—a mix of relief, regret, and worry about the future.

Meng Tianzheng, Wang Changsheng, and the other supreme beings exchanged glances, both seeing weariness and heaviness in each other's eyes. The crisis had been temporarily averted, but the threat from the alien realm remained. With two immortal kings guarding the borderlands, the future of the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths was still full of uncertainties.

An Lan and Yu Tuo ignored the cheers and murmurs below, their gazes remaining fixed on the direction Ye Fan had disappeared in, their expressions grave. They knew that Ye Fan hadn't retreated in defeat, but rather chose to leave because he feared the collapse of the world. Such an opponent would inevitably reappear in the future, and the next encounter would likely be a fight to the death.

“We need to increase our vigilance,” Yu Tuo said in a low voice. “That person is very strong and determined; he will never give up easily.”

An Lan nodded, a cold glint flashing in his eyes: "Pass down the order to reinforce the Tianyuan defense line and closely monitor the movements of the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths. Report immediately if any abnormalities are found."

“Alright,” Yu Tuo replied. The two figures flashed and disappeared into the abyss, leaving only a faint pressure that enveloped the borderlands, warning all living beings.

The flames of war on the borderlands have temporarily subsided, but everyone understands that this is merely the calm before the storm. A far greater storm is brewing. The hatred between the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths and the alien realms, the grudges that have spanned the ages, will ultimately require a final reckoning. Ye Fan's departure is not the end, but rather another beginning. In the years to come, this world will once again be engulfed in turbulent waves, and those hidden powerhouses will surely shine brightly in this magnificent torrent of history. On the walls of the Imperial Pass, Jiang Han watched as Tianyuan returned to calm, feeling the fading ultimate battle power within him and the increasingly clear dark aura, his heart filled with mixed emotions. He knew that the crisis was temporarily averted, but the mark of darkness on his body and the challenges he might face in the future had only just begun. He looked up at the sky, a resolute glint in his eyes. No matter how difficult the future might be, he must persevere and protect everything he cared about.

An unusually calm voice suddenly rang out in this crumbling borderland. It possessed no earth-shattering power, no deafening roar, yet it was like a gentle spring, instantly extinguishing the raging battle intent in the air, and like an invisible barrier, softly blocking the spreading spatial turbulence. It pierced through the swirling sand and stones, crossed the broken remains of immortal bones, and spread to every inch of the boundless desert; it penetrated the clouds of the heavens and earth, swept over dried-up rivers and barren mountains, reaching the ears of every cultivator; it crossed the borders of foreign lands, bypassed ferocious fortresses and imposing military formations, and reached the hearts of every living being; it was like a wisp of smoke, quietly seeping into the churning abyss, smoothing the cracked spatial barrier; finally, it drifted leisurely, passing through that blurred boundary, reaching the alternate dimension where Ye Fan was, landing on every soul tense from the battle. Upon hearing the voice, Ye Fan trembled slightly, as if touched by some power contained within it, and immediately suppressed all his aura. He gently waved his sleeve, and the cauldron surging with the primordial energy of all things instantly withered, receding like a tide, transforming into a stream of light that disappeared into his body, along with the myriad stars floating at the cauldron's mouth; the Tremor Fruit behind him, radiating the thunder of the nine heavens, also slowly stopped spinning, the lightning gradually subsiding, and finally disappearing into his body, leaving only a faint flash of electricity on his surface. The divine light around him dissipated, and the crimson-gold blood energy also receded into his body. The resolute look in his eyes was replaced by a complex emotion, a mixture of relief, awe, and a trace of barely perceptible grievance.

Almost simultaneously, An Lan also sheathed his golden spear. His grip on the spear loosened slightly, and the dazzling golden light on the spear receded like a tide. The terrifying energy that had pierced the alternate dimension also instantly withdrew, leaving no trace. The solemnity on his face hadn't completely faded, but the madness in his eyes had vanished, replaced by a deep sense of apprehension. Yu Tuo also concealed his aura; his gray robes ceased to flutter, and the killing intent around him dissipated like a receding tide. However, his sharp eyes remained fixed on the area beyond the Heavenly Abyss, seemingly searching for the source of the voice.

In an instant, both spaces emitted a low hum. It was the sound of the spacetime barrier repairing itself, the rhythm of the laws returning to their proper place. The river of time in Ye Fan's spacetime ceased its violent tremors; the surging waters gradually calmed, and the shattered starlight phantoms on the river surface began to slowly coalesce. Although still cracked, they no longer continued to crumble; the cracks at the bottom of the river also stopped spreading, and a faint golden light seeped from the cracks, seemingly repairing the damaged riverbed.

Above the heavens and the ten earths, and in the alien realms, the enormous rifts that resembled the approaching apocalypse began to shrink at a visible speed. The black spatial turbulence ceased its surge, and the edges of the rifts shimmered with a soft light, as if an invisible hand was slowly stitching the cracks together. The spiderweb-like fissures that had previously stretched for thousands of miles also began to contract, transforming from thick cracks back into fine lines, and finally disappearing completely, leaving only a few torn clouds drifting by, as if the apocalyptic scene had been nothing more than an illusion.

At the same time, the life force that had been draining from the millions of cultivators, whose figures had become faint and seemed on the verge of disappearing, began to flow back. Their faint figures, as if infused with power, gradually became solid. They could clearly feel the thin spiritual energy in the air becoming denser, and the life force from the earth surging back into their limbs and bones. The oppressive feeling of death they had just experienced receded like a tide.

"It's alright! We're safe!" A young cultivator cheered excitedly as he felt the power returning to his body, his voice trembling with relief at surviving the ordeal.

"Life is no longer fading! The sky has healed!" An old cultivator looked up at the sky and saw the sky that had become whole again. He was so excited that tears streamed down his face. He clasped his hands together as if he were thanking the heavens.

As if simultaneously realizing the disaster had vanished, the tense nerves of millions of people suddenly relaxed, and their faces showed undisguised relief. Their expressions, a mixture of panic and joy, were as if they had just walked through the gates of hell and were now finally relieved of all their burdens. Some collapsed to the ground, panting heavily, some hugged each other in celebration, and some couldn't help but burst into tears, releasing all the fear and despair that had been building up.

After the initial excitement, countless beings seemed to be drawn by an invisible force, unanimously turning their gazes toward the source of the earlier voice—the Imperial Pass city walls! Their hearts were filled with curiosity and awe, wanting to see who possessed such extraordinary power, capable of quelling the war between two Immortal Kings and repairing the collapsing world with just a single voice.

Within the Heavenly Abyss, the gazes of the two Immortal Kings, Anlan and Yutuo, were also sharply fixed on the walls of the Imperial Pass, their eyes filled with solemnity and inquiry. They could sense that the owner of that voice was no ordinary person; the Daoist aura contained within the voice alone was enough to instill fear in them. As for Ye Fan from the other dimension, he bowed deeply towards the city wall, his waist bent extremely low, his face filled with utter respect, as if facing the most revered being; his previous invincible aura had vanished completely.

"Little Ye, if I don't stop you, are you really going to shatter the River of Time?" On the city wall of the Imperial Pass, Jiang Han stood with his hands behind his back, his robes fluttering gently in the breeze, calmly looking towards the direction of Ye Fan's alternate dimension. His voice remained calm, yet carried an undeniable authority, like an elder reprimanding a junior who had made a mistake.

Ye Fan scratched his head, a slightly embarrassed smile on his face. At this moment, he was no longer the invincible Ye Tiandi who dared to challenge two Immortal Kings, but rather more like a child caught doing something wrong by his elders: "Master, actually, my intention was just to scare them a little, to force them to swear a blood oath to ensure they would never invade the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths again. Who would have thought they were so stubborn, preferring to shatter the River of Time with me rather than swear an oath. I was just angry for a moment..." His voice grew softer and softer, carrying a hint of grievance, as if he were defending himself.

"Enough of this childish squabble. Let's leave it at that." Jiang Han waved his hand, his tone tinged with helplessness but mostly with tolerance. "Leave the rest to me. Just stay there and watch. Don't act impulsively again."

“Master, isn’t your cultivation restricted?” Ye Fan raised his head, his eyes full of worry. “An Lan and Yu Tuo are both Immortal Kings, with unfathomable strength. You are now…” He didn’t finish his sentence, but his meaning was clear: he was worried about letting his master, whose cultivation was restricted, face two Immortal Kings alone.

"Do you think your master can stand idly by right now?" Jiang Han looked at Ye Fan, his eyes becoming profound. "Do you really want to watch you shatter the River of Time, break apart two realms of spacetime, and let billions of lives perish in the turbulent flow of spacetime?" He paused, his tone carrying a hint of arrogance. "Your master used a secret technique to temporarily mobilize a small amount of power. Although my cultivation is still not at the peak level, it is enough to deal with these two little brats."

As the calm voice faded, Jiang Han slowly stepped forward from the city wall.

Instantly, his body began to glow, and brilliant divine light surged forth from within, enveloping him as if he were clad in a divine armor. Behind him, an ancient tree, exuding an ancient aura and with a strange shape, slowly emerged. The tree's trunk was thick and robust, as if it had endured countless ages, its bark covered with weathered patterns, seemingly recording the mysteries of the universe's birth and death. (End of Chapter)