Gaze and you will become stronger: starting from Doupo

Chapter 463

Following Jiang Han, Ji Ziyue soon smelled a refreshing fragrance. The fragrance flowed through her heart like a clear spring, relieving her originally tense mood.

Not far from them, there were three strange little trees, all more than half a meter tall, gleaming green and sparkling like jadeite. They looked like pine trees, with clusters of needle-like leaves, like the essence of green jade, shining brightly. Each leaf seemed to contain the power of life, and under the sunlight, it sparkled with charming brilliance.

“There are nine holy mountains in the ancient forbidden area. There is a holy fruit on the top of each holy mountain. This is one of them.” Jiang Han said calmly. His voice was calm and steady, as if he was talking about something very ordinary.

Although the three trees were short, their branches were covered with old bark, vigorous and powerful, winding and stretching like a dragon. They seemed to have grown for hundreds of thousands of years and existed for endless years, giving people a strange feeling of being extremely ancient. They didn’t look like plants, but like living fossils. The texture on the old bark seemed to be the traces left by the years, recording the rise and fall of this forbidden area.

There is a golden fruit on the top of each small tree. Although it is only the size of a thumb, it is crystal clear and looks like gold. It is not an ordinary fruit. The golden fruit emits a dazzling light, as if it is a fragment of the sun, containing endless energy. There is also a faint halo around the fruit, which is like a dream and makes people intoxicated.

“Ancestor, can I become an immortal if I eat it?” Ji Ziyue stared at the golden fruit with shining eyes and licked her lips subconsciously. The dazzling fruit, with its fragrant aroma, made people intoxicated. Her eyes were full of desire and expectation, as if as long as she ate this fruit, she would be able to ascend to immortality immediately.

“Hehe.” Jiang Han rolled his eyes. There was a hint of smile in his eyes, as if he was mocking Ji Ziyue’s naivety. Becoming an immortal is not such a simple thing. Although this holy fruit has miraculous effects, it cannot make people ascend to heaven in one step.

Rumble-

“That is……!”

But before Ji Ziyue ran two steps, her footsteps suddenly stopped and her expression suddenly froze. Her eyes were wide open, full of fear, as if she had seen something extremely terrifying.

Before I knew it, a gorgeous woman appeared in front of the three trees. This woman had bright eyes and white teeth, like a lotus emerging from the water, pure and beautiful. Her eyes were like the stars in the night sky, bright and dazzling, and her lips were like a blooming rose, delicate and beautiful. She just stood there quietly, her white clothes fluttering in the wind, like a fairy from Guanghan who was about to fly away with the wind, extraordinary and otherworldly. Her figure was light, as if she would float away at any time, making people feel like a dream.

Looking at her intently, the woman gave people a dreamy feeling, full of the wisdom of heaven and earth, and free from the vulgarity of the world. Her temperament was elegant, as if she was incompatible with everything in this world, which made people feel awe.

“Ancestor, who is this beautiful woman?” Ji Ziyue felt a sense of alarm and instinctively retreated to Jiang Han’s side. From the moment the woman appeared, he could feel the erosion of time outside the lightning shield of his body becoming more and more volatile. The power seemed to be attracted by the woman and became more violent, constantly attacking the lightning shield, trying to break through this layer of defense.

“Why is she not affected by the ancient forbidden land?” Ye Fan looked at the woman with a frown. His eyes were full of doubt and vigilance. In this mysterious place, any abnormality could hide huge dangers.

At this moment, the woman suddenly took a step forward, gracefully walking towards Jiang Han and his party. Her steps were light and graceful, like a dancing fairy. With every step she took, evil spirits surged around her, as if her appearance had awakened the evil forces dormant in this forbidden area. Those evil spirits swirled around her body like black smoke, adding to her mysteriousness.

As the woman approached, Ji Ziyue and Ye Fan both felt a strong pressure coming towards them. The pressure was like an invisible mountain, which made them a little breathless. Their eyes were full of tension and fear, and they unconsciously clenched their fists, ready to deal with possible dangers.

“Why did you break into my territory?” The woman finally spoke. Her voice was clear and pleasant, like a clear spring in the mountains, but it carried a hint of icy chill that seemed to freeze one’s soul.

“We are only here to pick the holy fruit, and we have no ill intentions.” Jiang Han stepped forward and said calmly. His eyes were firm and confident, and he was not affected by the woman’s momentum at all.

“How can you pick the holy fruit at will? This is a treasure from the ancient forbidden land, how can outsiders get their hands on it.” A trace of displeasure flashed in the woman’s eyes, and her voice became even colder.

“We are not greedy people. We just want to use the power of the holy fruit to help my apprentice break through the bottleneck of cultivation.” Jiang Han explained. His voice was sincere and genuine, trying to make the woman understand their purpose.

“Hmph, the path of cultivation depends entirely on one’s own efforts. How can one rely on external things?” The woman snorted coldly, obviously disagreeing with Jiang Han’s words.

“Senior, we know that we need to rely on ourselves to practice, but this holy fruit may provide me with some help, so that I can avoid some detours on the road of practice.” Ye Fan stepped forward and said respectfully. His eyes were full of desire and determination, and his persistence in practice gave him the courage to plead with the woman.

The woman looked at Ye Fan, with a complicated look in her eyes. She seemed to be thinking about something. After a moment, she said, “Because of your sincerity, I can give you a chance. But you must pass my test, otherwise, don’t even think about taking the holy fruit.”

“What test?” Ji Ziyue asked impatiently, her eyes full of anticipation and nervousness.

“Come with me.” The woman turned around and walked towards the depths of the forest. Jiang Han, Ye Fan and Ji Ziyue looked at each other and followed. Their hearts were filled with anxiety, but also with a glimmer of hope. After all, this was their only chance to obtain the holy fruit.

Along the way, the woman’s figure loomed in the forest, like a ghost. The surrounding environment became more and more weird, the shapes of the trees were twisted, as if they were eroded by some evil force. The flowers and plants on the ground also emitted strange lights, some flashed a faint green light, and some were blood red, which made people shudder.

After walking for a long time, they came to a valley. In the center of the valley, there was an ancient stone door, which was engraved with strange runes, exuding a mysterious atmosphere. Those runes seemed to be alive, flashing on the stone door, as if telling an ancient story. “Behind this stone door, there is an ancient formation. You must crack this formation within half an hour to pass the test.” The woman pointed at the stone door and said.

“Half an hour! How is this possible?” Ji Ziyue exclaimed, her eyes filled with despair. The runes on the stone door were so complicated that they had no idea where to start, let alone break the formation within half an hour.

“If you can’t even overcome this little difficulty, how can you talk about cultivation?” The woman said coldly, without a trace of sympathy in her eyes.

“Senior, we are willing to give it a try.” Ye Fan took a deep breath and said firmly. There was an unyielding light in his eyes. He believed that as long as they worked together, they would be able to overcome the difficulties.

Jiang Han nodded, his eyes full of encouragement. He knew that this was a rare opportunity for Ye Fan to practice, and if he could successfully break the formation, it would be of great help to his practice.

The three walked to the stone door and carefully observed the runes on it. The runes had strange shapes, some looked like animals, some looked like stars, and some looked like some mysterious symbols. They tried to find some rules from these runes, but they had no clue.

As time passed, beads of sweat appeared on Ji Ziyue’s forehead, and her eyes were full of anxiety. Ye Fan frowned and studied the runes with full concentration, and his eyes revealed a hint of determination. Jiang Han stood aside, quietly observing the two of them. He believed that they would be able to find a way to break the formation.

Suddenly, Ye Fan’s eyes flashed with light, and he seemed to have discovered something. He pointed to a group of runes on the stone door and said, “Look, this group of runes seems to be similar to a certain formation we saw in ancient books before.”

Ji Ziyue and Jiang Han hurried over and carefully observed the group of runes. After some discussion, they found that this group of runes might be the key to cracking the formation. They began to try to adjust the order of the runes according to the records in the ancient books.

As they moved, the runes on the stone door began to glow brighter, and the air around them became heavier. The ancient aura grew stronger, as if testing their determination and perseverance.

Half an hour passed quickly, and the stone door was still tightly closed, with no sign of opening. Ji Ziyue’s eyes showed a trace of despair, she felt that they might not be able to break the formation within the stipulated time.

However, at this moment, Ye Fan suddenly shouted: “It’s done!” The stone door slowly vibrated, making a dull sound, and then slowly opened. A powerful force surged out of the stone door, blowing their clothes rustling.

The woman looked at the opened stone door with a hint of surprise in her eyes. She didn’t expect that these three people could actually break the formation within half an hour.

“You have passed the test, and the holy fruit can be given to you.” The woman said, with a hint of appreciation in her voice.

The three of them walked into the stone gate. On a stone platform inside, three holy fruits were placed. The holy fruits emitted an alluring light, as if calling them. Jiang Han picked up two holy fruits, handed them to Ye Fan and Ji Ziyue respectively, and then picked up one for himself.

“Thank you, senior.” The three said in unison, their eyes full of gratitude.

The woman nodded, then turned and disappeared from the spot. Her figure was like a phantom, disappearing in the mountains and forests in an instant, leaving only silence.

Jiang Han, Ye Fan and Ji Ziyue walked out of the valley and left the ancient forbidden land. Their hearts were filled with joy and harvest. Although this trip to the ancient forbidden land was full of dangers and challenges, they finally succeeded in obtaining the holy fruit, which added a powerful boost to Ye Fan’s path of cultivation. They knew that the future path of cultivation was still very long and there were more challenges waiting for them, but they believed that as long as they worked together, they would be able to overcome all difficulties and reach the peak of cultivation.

In the mysterious and dangerous atmosphere of the ancient forbidden land, the situation suddenly became tense. “Ancestor, that woman is coming!” Ji Ziyue’s voice was filled with obvious anxiety. She pointed her slender fingers at the approaching woman, her eyes full of vigilance.

However, Jiang Han didn’t pay any attention to the approaching woman at this time. His eyes were fixed on the system panel. A new branch task was added to the task bar: [The Bronze Immortal Palace is about to be born. The branch task is started. The host obtains enough mother energy of all things for the system. The host will also obtain the same amount of mother energy of all things. The reward for completing the task will be distributed by the host when returning to Xuanhuang Continent]. The appearance of this new task made Jiang Han’s heart surge. He knew the preciousness of the mother energy of all things and the difficulty of obtaining it. He also understood that there might be huge opportunities and challenges hidden behind this task.

At that moment, Jiang Han released his observation Haki to the extreme. The invisible Haki was like a powerful energy wave, quickly sweeping through every corner including the ancient forbidden land, and then spreading far outward. His perception was like a sharp antennae, exploring all the abnormalities around him.

As expected, Jiang Han soon discovered some clues. In the eastern area outside the ancient forbidden land, there was a void with an extremely strange aura fluctuation. The aura seemed to be a sign that an unimaginable existence was about to appear in the world, full of mystery and unknown. Jiang Han secretly thought that this strange aura might be closely related to the birth of the Bronze Immortal Palace and the mother energy of all things.

“Ancestor, she’s already here!” Ji Ziyue frantically shook Jiang Han’s arm, her voice filled with panic. At this moment, the mysterious woman was less than half a meter away from her. Looking at the mysterious woman up close, Ji Ziyue suddenly felt that she looked familiar. But at this moment, she had no intention of thinking about the identity of this woman. She only knew that she possessed the unique power of the ancient forbidden land. As she got closer, she could vaguely feel the horror of that power. If it weren’t for the protection of the lightning shield outside her body, she would have died of old age and turned into ashes.

Chi Chi Chi!
Just as the lightning shield outside her body was about to be eroded by this force, there was a loud thunder, and the lightning shield outside Ji Ziyue’s body became thicker. In an instant, the pressure that enveloped Ji Ziyue disappeared. She breathed a sigh of relief, and gratitude towards Jiang Han arose in her heart.

“I didn’t expect it to be another poor person.” Jiang Han couldn’t help shaking his head as he looked at the woman in front of him. Compared to the old madman before, there was more pity in his eyes. He seemed to see some unknown stories and tragic fate in this woman. (End of this chapter)