Martial Arts Crossover: The Sweeping Monk of Wudang? That's our patriarch!

Soon, the fog dissipated and the wind stopped.

A scene of carnage suddenly unfolded before my eyes: severed limbs lay scattered, broken armor was everywhere, and the stench of blood filled the air, resembling a mountain of corpses and a sea of ​​blood from a thousand years ago.

All travelers who passed through this place perished. At this moment, the blue phoenix stood atop a low hill.

As they approached, they were shocked to realize—what was that hill at all? It was clearly the carcass of a lurking giant beast!

It had two heads, six legs, protruding fangs, and deep-set eyes like black holes; its entire face was frozen with the ferocity and savagery of its impending death.

The chubby boy's pupils suddenly contracted, and his whole body trembled.

"A two-headed, sky-devouring monster... This... this is simply terrifying!"

As if sensing the gaze from Qingluan, he immediately bit his tongue, fell silent, and quietly retreated to the back of the crowd.

In fact, he wasn't the only one on edge—the two-headed Devouring Beast meant that this demon had at least passed through nine tribulations and entered the Tribulation Transcending stage.

In other words, in the short time it takes to drink a cup of tea, Qingluan single-handedly killed a powerful demon undergoing tribulation.

This fighting power is chilling.

From then on, no one in the group talked or laughed loudly anymore, and even their breathing became lighter.

However, the observant Lin Daochen noticed that after the battle, although Qingluan appeared to be unharmed, her movements were noticeably sluggish. Raising her hand, turning around, and taking a step were all a beat slower than before.

Could it be that she wasn't as relaxed and carefree as she seemed? That battle, in the end, had exhausted her strength and depleted her vitality.

On the fourth day of their journey, the group was traveling through the air when they suddenly saw the clouds behind them part and a flying boat speeding towards them.

Before the people on the boat even got close, they started shouting at the top of their lungs:

"We are from the Wanbao Chamber of Commerce! Fellow Daoists ahead, please have mercy and rescue us! We will surely be richly rewarded!"

Qingluan glanced at it and immediately turned away, avoiding it.

The other party, however, clung to him relentlessly, and despite three attempts to shake him off, he remained as close as a shadow.

Only then did everyone realize that a colossal warship was chasing after the flying boat, its cannons spewing fire and bombarding it relentlessly!

Qingluan frowned. On the Wanbao Chamber of Commerce ship, a middle-aged man with a protruding belly was already standing on tiptoe and roaring:

"Qingluan! I know it's you! If you lend a hand, I'll tell you where 'that thing' is!"

Before she finished speaking, Qingluan flashed onto the deck, hooked her fingertips around Wang Sanpang's shoulder, and leaned close to his ear with a smile:

"How did you get involved with these thugs? I really don't want to mess with these guys."

Wang Sanpang's legs went weak on the spot, and he almost knelt down:

"Sister Qingluan! We've known each other for thirty years! You can't just stand by and watch me die! If you had helped, my life would have been saved! If this had dragged on any longer, I really would have died here!"

"If you're willing to lend a hand, I'll immediately offer you the location of 'that thing'!"

Qingluan hesitated for a moment, her face showing hesitation, and turned to look at Lin Daochen and the others.

Finally, she raised her hand to put away the spirit bird, waved, and let the five of them board the Wanbao Chamber of Commerce's flying boat together.

Suddenly, an unexpected turn of events occurred—a burly, bearded man was thrown down from the pirate ship behind them, landing in mid-air with a voice like muffled thunder.

"Fellow Daoist, do you really want to get involved in this mess?"

Qingluan lazily twisted her neck, glancing sideways with a carefree and languid look.

Then, she slowly raised her right arm, and beneath her snow-white skin, a golden pattern suddenly flowed, circling around as if it were alive.

The man's face turned deathly pale instantly. He staggered back three steps, his voice trembling:

"Master Qingluan?!"

"I was blind! Please forgive me, Your Excellency! I'll get out of here! I'll get out of here!"

Seeing him turn and flee, Qingluan sneered and made a contemptuous gesture towards the air.

"That's all settled. Fatty, shouldn't you keep your promise?"

Wang Sanpang was stunned—he thought a bloody battle was inevitable, and he even had the talisman in his hand, but who would have thought that she would be so scared by just revealing her name that the other party would run away in terror.

But the crisis was indeed resolved, and he couldn't refuse, so he had no choice but to take out an ebony box from his storage ring and hand it over.

"There are clues to 'that thing' inside. But... let me give you a piece of advice: throughout history, countless masters have failed and perished, and no one has ever succeeded. You... should be careful."

In the end, he choked up and didn't continue—because this group of people stayed on the Wanbao Chamber of Commerce's flying boat.

Perhaps because she got what she wanted, Qingluan's lips have been slightly upturned these past few days.

The flying boat cut through the air like lightning, its speed far exceeding that of the spirit birds they had previously ridden.

We arrived at our destination—Sky City—one day earlier than scheduled.

This floating island, suspended above a vast sea of ​​clouds, is the most prized treasure of a major sect.

Every year at this time, it is opened to provide a resting place for monks who are exploring ancient ruins.

After all, the entrance to the ruins is high in the sky, and this floating island is the perfect transit point.

After their identification was checked, the group was led to their respective guest rooms.

As soon as Lin Daochen stepped into the room, he sat cross-legged, calmed his mind, and began to refine the meridians of his internal attack techniques.

He knew perfectly well that the more low-profile an insignificant person like himself was, the safer he would be. If he were to be targeted by someone carelessly, it would immediately lead to his annihilation.

As early as six months after he had been lying low in the Five Elements Sect, he sensed that there were undercurrents in the spirit world: countless eyes were searching for his whereabouts all over the world.

Therefore, before setting off, he prepared a human skin mask in advance, covering his true face tightly.

The most urgent task right now is to acquire more high-level attack technique scrolls to strengthen one's foundation. As for those magical treasures? They've become mere decorations, icing on the cake.

The secret realm was still six days away from opening. He had originally planned to stay home and endure this period to avoid any unforeseen complications.

But just after midnight that night, Qingluan kicked open the door and strode in.

He draped his arm over the man's shoulder and said in a loud voice, "Good disciple, I have a favor to ask of you, will you help me?"

"I won't help!"

Lin Daochen raised an eyelid and flatly refused. This woman had come to his door for no reason; it couldn't be anything good.

"Oh dear, old man, we've been master and apprentice for so long, and I'm just asking you to lend a hand, why are you giving me such a cold look?"

He shoved her arm away with a backhand motion.

"By worldly standards, someone your age would be an eyesore as a great-grandmother!"

Qingluan was so angry that the veins on her forehead throbbed, and she slapped him on the shoulder with a "smack".

"You won't do it? Then I'll expose your true identity tomorrow—you little punk, you think I can't handle you?"

Lin Daochen gritted his teeth, stared at her for a long time, and finally let out a muffled groan, nodding reluctantly.

"Don't worry, I won't let you run errands for nothing—as long as you retrieve that item for me, I'll immediately pass on my most treasured skill to you!"

A secret, best-kept secret?

Considering that she was only at the Qi Refining stage, yet had once killed a Tribulation Transcending stage demon beast with a single blow... Could it really be that kind of skill?

Curiosity arose quietly, and that night, the two left the city without even disturbing a shadow.

He arrived in a hurry and didn't notice that this sky city, suspended above a sea of ​​clouds, actually had endless snow-capped mountains and glaciers below.

Qingluan pulled him into the air and flew so fast that they could see the faint array patterns under the skin of her neck.

Although he only caught a glimpse of it, it sent a jolt through his heart.

The complexity and unpredictability of the patterns far exceeded anything he knew from any classical texts.

Several fine scars on the inside of her left wrist were still fresh, clearly old wounds left from the last time she was attacked.

But it was at the edge of this wound that Lin Daochen suddenly saw—deep within her flesh and blood, there were layers upon layers of array circuits!

His entire body, from bone marrow to skin, was woven from array formations. Yet, he himself only lightly inscribed the array patterns on his body surface, and he was already able to unleash astonishing combat power.

It's hard to imagine the excruciating pain she endured to carve the array into her internal organs and embed it into her meridians, forging herself into a living killing array.

As dawn broke, the two landed steadily on a desolate, icy plain.

"We've arrived. A ferocious beast at the late stage of the Tribulation Transcending Realm is lurking ahead. I'll engage it, and you can slip into the cave inside the mountain and bring out what I need!"

"Wait—what did you say?"

Lin Daochen suddenly stopped in his tracks, his pupils shrinking sharply.

He almost thought he'd misheard: late-stage Tribulation Transcending? How could he possibly be worthy of such a being? The slightest mishap would leave him not even ashes.

Even if the Azure Phoenix could hold off that beast, a single breath of its foul air could probably burn him to ashes.

"What, after all this time, you still don't believe me?" She raised an eyebrow and smiled, her eyes shining with confidence. "A mere late-stage Tribulation Transcending cultivator, if I go all out, stalling him for three to five months is a piece of cake."

Before he finished speaking, Lin Daochen had already turned and left, his back view clean and decisive.

"You'll have to find someone else for this job. My apprentice is resigning today!"

Seeing this face, Qingluan immediately put on a look as if she had suffered a natural disaster, her brows furrowed into knots. After a few breaths, she covered her eyes with a plain handkerchief and began to sob, her shoulders shaking.

"We were still master and disciple, yet you actually had the heart to do that! What a waste of your life! Oh dear—how did I end up with such a fate? I gave you everything to teach you and protect you, but when I was in dire need, you ran away without a second thought, not even leaving a hair on my head!"

The crying was so fake it could be scraped off three layers of powder, but Lin Daochen finally stopped in his tracks—he knew perfectly well that without this woman's help, he wouldn't survive even half an incense stick's time on this desolate, icy plain, let alone live. The roaming monsters alone would be enough to tear his skin apart and leave him splattered with blood.

"Are you really capable of handling this?"

Lin Daochen's Adam's apple bobbed, and his voice deepened. He always felt that this woman had a hook hidden in her sleeve, just waiting for him to slip into it.

But with no one around and no way out, they had no choice but to grit their teeth and agree.

Qingluan didn't set off until night had completely swallowed the last ray of light. Before she started, she stretched her muscles and moved with the agility of shedding an old shell. Then she stripped off her outer robe, inner garment, and soft armor, stuffing them all into Lin Daochen's arms.

"Keep my clothes and storage bag safe! Return them after you're done!"

"Don't look at me like that—when I unleash my full power, my body temperature can melt gold and boil iron, and ordinary fabric will ignite upon contact. Do you think I'm performing acrobatics?"

Melting gold and boiling iron? Doesn't that mean... she's going to risk her life in this battle?

Lin Daochen's heart skipped a beat, but he didn't ask any questions. He simply folded the clothes, tied the storage bag securely, and carefully put them into his pocket.

As the thick clouds completely obscured the moonlight, the surrounding fields instantly sank into a darkness as dark as a wolf's eye. Qingluan's figure, like a drop of water falling into snow, silently melted into the night. But if one looked closely, one would find that with each step she took, a very faint silver light floated around her, neither frost nor mist.

Lin Daochen lay prone on the frozen snow, his ear pressed against the ice, listening intently. Sure enough, a moment later the earth trembled violently, a blinding white light exploded in the distant sky, and a roaring sound accompanied by a blast of air rolled in.

The surrounding monsters fled in terror, their shrieks tearing through the cold night. Lin Daochen swallowed hard, crouched low, and silently crept towards the end of the flames…

— He had already discovered that the place where the Tribulation Transcending stage demon beast was entrenched contained a cave deep within the mountain. His task was to sneak in during the chaos and take away the secrets hidden inside the cave.

The fighting outside was deafening. He circled around three times before finally avoiding the debris and aftershocks and reaching the cave entrance.

The dark cave was gaping open. He took a deep breath and stepped inside.