Gaze and you will become stronger: starting from Doupo

The surface was devoid of any superfluous decorations, except for a lifelike ink-colored lotus flower engraved on the front—the emblem of the Immortal King of Light Ink. As soon as the shield-like monument appeared, it exuded a heavy, mountain-like pressure. The purple lightning above the abyss was instantly dispelled by this pressure, and the surrounding space ceased its fluctuations, as if the shield-like monument itself was a symbol of "stability."

"That...that's the shield monument of Immortal King Qianmo!"

A gasp of shock and disbelief echoed from the alien camp. The one who uttered the cry was a white-haired supreme being from another realm, a former follower of the Immortal King Qianmo, who had witnessed Qianmo wield this shield monument during the Ancient Immortal War. Now, pointing at the pure black shield monument, his body trembled uncontrollably, his voice hoarse, and his eyes filled with complex emotions—nostalgia, fear, and a hint of disbelief.

His exclamation was like a pebble thrown into a calm lake, instantly causing a huge uproar among the creatures of the alien realm. "What? The Shield Stele of Immortal King Qianmo?" "The one that withstood the combined attack of three Immortal Kings in the Ancient Immortal War without a scratch?" "Immortal King Anlan actually brought out this Shield Stele?"... The creatures of the alien realm began to discuss among themselves, their expressions of shock deepening—they all knew that Immortal King Qianmo was one of the former supreme Immortal Kings of the alien realm, renowned for his defense, and this Shield Stele of Qianmo was Immortal King Qianmo's artifact of enlightenment, and in terms of defensive power, it was undoubtedly the best among all the Immortal King artifacts in the entire alien realm.

What shocked them even more was that An Lan actually possessed this shield monument. An Lan was always arrogant; during the Immortal Ancient War, even facing the siege of several supreme beings from the Ten Realms, he never used any external force, fighting only with his golden ancient spear and his own immortal power. But now, he had summoned the Ink Shield Monument. What did this mean? It meant that An Lan had been forced into a corner, and even he himself knew that he could no longer withstand the attack of that five-colored figure with his own power.

"Have we really been forced to this point?" Immortal King Yu Tuo stood in the alien realm's camp, glancing with complex emotions at the five-colored figures in the Heavenly Abyss before his gaze fell upon An Lan, muttering to himself. Immortal King Yu Tuo was clad in black armor, wielding a jet-black spear, and surrounded by a faint aura of death. He was one of the strongest Immortal Kings in the alien realm besides An Lan, and had participated in the Ancient Immortal War alongside An Lan and Immortal King Qian Mo.

He recalled the scene from the ancient war between immortals—when Immortal King Qianmo, to cover his and Anlan's retreat, single-handedly held off three Immortal Kings from the Immortal Realm, ultimately dying from exhaustion. Before his death, Immortal King Qianmo entrusted his Dao-proving artifact, the Qianmo Shield Stele, to Anlan, instructing him to use it to protect the alien realm. Anlan had sworn before Immortal King Qianmo that he would never use the shield stele unless the alien realm faced annihilation. But now, Anlan, for his own safety, had used the shield stele that carried Immortal King Qianmo's last wish, leaving Immortal King Yutuo with mixed feelings.

He glanced again at the five-colored figure in the abyss, his eyes filled with apprehension—he could sense the extremely strange power emanating from it. Each of the five colors possessed the ability to counteract the immortal power of cultivators from other realms, which explained An Lan's predicament. Yu Tuo Immortal King instinctively gripped his spear, the runes on its surface flashing. He knew that if An Lan perished, he himself would likely be the next to face that five-colored figure.

clang--!
Just as Immortal King Yu Tuo was lost in thought, another violent collision resounded from the Heavenly Abyss. The five-colored figure gave An Lan no chance to catch her breath, once again lashing out at her with its five-colored whip. This time, An Lan didn't try to block it head-on. Instead, she held a shield in her left hand and a spear in her right, simultaneously deflecting the whip.

The Ink Shield Monument stood before An Lan, its surface shimmering with a dark lotus, emitting a thick black light that formed an incredibly sturdy protective barrier. An Lan infused the Golden Ancient Spear with all his immortal power, its tip gleaming with golden light as it thrust towards the Five-Colored Whip.

"boom!"

The five-colored whip struck the protective shield of the Ink Shield Monument, and the black and five-colored light collided instantly, generating an extremely powerful shockwave. The black, turbid waves in the Abyss were lifted dozens of feet high by this shockwave, and the surrounding spatial rifts grew larger and larger. Some small planetary fragments were even sucked into the Abyss and instantly torn to dust by the shockwave.

An Lan felt an immense force emanating from the shield monument. His arm went slightly numb, and his body involuntarily took three steps back, each step leaving a deep footprint at the bottom of the abyss. However, this time, his body did not explode as before; only a trace of golden blood spilled from the corner of his mouth.

Clang, clang, clang!

The five-colored figure seemed enraged, increasing its attack speed and lashing out at An Lan with its five-colored whip again and again. An Lan, relying on the defense of the Ink Shield Stele, repeatedly blocked the figure's attacks. With each collision, An Lan would stagger back a few steps, more and more golden blood dripping from the corner of his mouth, but his body never exploded again—the Ink Shield Stele's defense was indeed formidable; although it couldn't completely negate the figure's attacks, it greatly weakened their power, allowing An Lan to barely withstand them.

"Ancestor Anlan has accepted!"

"Excellent! With Immortal King Qianmo's shield tablet, Immortal King Anlan can withstand that villain's attacks!"

Seeing that An Lan was finally able to withstand the attacks of the five-colored figures, the billions of beings in the alien realm instantly erupted in cheers. The gloom on their faces vanished, replaced by excitement and exhilaration. Those young cultivators who had previously worried about An Lan's demise now raised their weapons and cheered towards the direction of Tianyuan; the old supreme beings also breathed a sigh of relief, their faces showing relieved smiles. They knew that as long as An Lan could hold on, there was still a chance to turn the tide.

However, the situation in Tianyuan changed once again just as their smiles began to appear.

Hongjun Daoist, who had been standing in mid-air some distance away, suddenly swayed slightly, transforming into a streak of white light and vanishing from his spot. The next moment, when he reappeared, he was already standing before the five-colored figure. Hongjun Daoist's face was expressionless, his eyes calm and undisturbed, as if everything around him was irrelevant. He extended his right hand and gently touched the five-colored figure; a beam of white light shot from his fingertip and landed on the figure.

Sensing the aura of Hongjun Daoist, the five-colored figure ceased its attack on An Lan. It raised its head, looking at Hongjun Daoist, its five-colored light shimmering slightly, as if responding to Hongjun Daoist's actions. Immediately afterward, the five-colored figure's body began to emit a dazzling light, which grew brighter and brighter until it finally transformed into a five-colored stream of light, flying towards Hongjun Daoist's brow.

Hongjun Daoist, also known as Jiang Han, closed his eyes at this moment, and his body began to emit nine-colored light—red, orange, yellow, green, cyan, blue, purple, white, and black. The nine colors of light intertwined to form a magnificent cocoon of light, enveloping Jiang Han within it.

boom!
The moment the five-colored light entered Jiang Han's brow, the nine-colored light surrounding him surged dramatically, unleashing a terrifying aura far surpassing its previous intensity. This aura, like a tsunami, swept across the entire Tianyuan, even spreading to every corner of the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths and the alien realm. The black, turbid waves within Tianyuan were immobilized by this aura, and the surrounding spatial rifts began to slowly heal. Several distant stars, drawn by this aura, even altered their original trajectories, beginning to slowly revolve around Jiang Han. Return, merge together!
In an instant, Jiang Han opened his eyes, his pupils flashing with nine-colored light, his gaze filled with confidence and domineering aura, emanating an unparalleled and supreme presence. At this moment, Jiang Han was no longer the seemingly gentle Hongjun Daoist, but a true powerhouse standing at the pinnacle of the cultivation world, every movement of his carrying a power capable of shaking heaven and earth.

Jiang Han made no unnecessary movements. He simply raised his right hand, clenched his fist, and threw a simple and direct punch at An Lan in the Heavenly Abyss.

This punch, seemingly slow, carried an irresistible force. The moment the fist was unleashed, the surrounding space began to distort violently. Several large stars in the distance seemed to be drawn by this force, rapidly moving towards An Lan's direction, forming a spectacular "star trail." Nine-colored streams of energy swirled around the fist, each color containing an ultimate law power—the red law of fire could incinerate everything, the blue law of water could devour all things, the yellow law of earth could suppress everything… The nine laws intertwined, forming a pressure that even a supreme being felt suffocated, pressing down on An Lan.

"kill!"

An Lan felt the terror of this punch, and his expression instantly turned solemn. He knew that the power of this punch far exceeded the previous attack from the five-colored figures, and if he were hit, the consequences would be unimaginable. He roared, and his immortal power erupted instantly, enveloping him in golden light. He first raised the Ink Shield Tablet in front of him, causing the ink lotus on its surface to light up again, forming an even stronger protective shield than before. Then, he thrust out the golden ancient spear in his right hand, its tip flashing with golden light, carrying a power capable of piercing through anything, aiming straight for Jiang Han's chest.

An Lan's idea was simple—he would use the Ink Shield to block Jiang Han's fist while simultaneously using the Golden Ancient Spear to counterattack, forcing Jiang Han back and giving himself a chance to catch his breath.

Click!

Jiang Han's fist slammed into the protective shield of the Ink Shield Monument without any suspense. The black shield and the nine-colored airflow collided instantly, without a deafening explosion, only an eerie silence. Time seemed to stand still at this moment, and everyone's eyes were fixed on the scene in the Abyss, their hearts involuntarily rising to their throats.

The standoff lasted for about three seconds.

Three seconds later, in the dead silence, a crisp "snap" sound suddenly rang out. Although the sound was not loud, it clearly spread throughout the entire borderland and reached the ears of every living being.

Everyone saw cracks appear in the black light on the Shallow Ink Shield Monument's protective shield, the cracks spreading rapidly outwards from the point of impact. Then, with a muffled bang, the Shallow Ink Shield Monument's protective shield shattered, black fragments scattering into the Abyss, instantly swallowed by its black, turbid waves.

After the protective shield shattered, Jiang Han's fist did not pause at all, continuing to lunge forward, completely ignoring An Lan's golden ancient spear, and directly slammed into the main body of the Qianmo Shield Stele.

"Crack!"

Another crisp cracking sound rang out. A deep crack appeared on the surface of the Ink Shield Stele, stretching from top to bottom. Then, the cracks multiplied and became denser, until finally, with a loud "bang," the Ink Shield Stele shattered, black fragments flying everywhere. Some fragments, carrying a black light, landed on the rock walls of Tianyuan, smashing deep craters into them; others were swallowed by the spatial rifts of Tianyuan, disappearing without a trace.

The Light Ink Shield Stele, the strongest defensive artifact of the Immortal Kings, which withstood the combined attack of three Immortal Kings in the Immortal Ancient War without being damaged, was actually shattered by Jiang Han's punch!

After shattering the Light Ink Shield Stele, Jiang Han's fist did not stop, continuing to move forward with an unstoppable force, smashing into An Lan's chest.

puff!

Golden blood gushed from An Lan's chest like a fountain, staining the black, turbid waters before him crimson. An Lan's eyes widened instantly, his pupils filled with unbelievable terror. He could clearly feel a powerful force flowing through his fist into his body, destroying his meridians and immortal bones. His immortal power was as fragile as paper before this force, utterly vulnerable.

"what--!"

Unlike his previous restraint when his body exploded, An Lan now let out a painful roar. That roar was filled with agony, resentment, and rage, piercing the barrier of the Heavenly Abyss and resounding throughout the Nine Heavens, Ten Earths, and every corner of the alien realm. All beings who heard this roar felt their scalps tingle—they had never imagined that An Lan, the Immortal King standing at the pinnacle of the Immortal Path, would utter such a agonizing scream; it was utterly inconceivable!
With a roar, An Lan's body uncontrollably retreated. He instinctively swung his golden ancient spear, trying to force Jiang Han back and create distance. The golden ancient spear, glowing with golden light, swept towards Jiang Han's arm, attempting to sever it.

Jiang Han slightly shifted his body, easily dodging An Lan's attack. An Lan seized the opportunity to retreat dozens of steps, finally creating distance between himself and Jiang Han. He clutched his pierced chest, golden blood seeping from between his fingers and dripping into the black waters of Tianyuan. He attempted to use his immortal power to heal his wounds, however... (End of Chapter)