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

The moment he entered, Qingluan suddenly attacked, her five fingers hooking around Lin Daochen's throat, the force so heavy it made it hard for him to breathe: "Where's my treasure? Where did you hide it?"

"What 'treasure'? I don't understand." His voice was steady, and he didn't even lift his eyelids.

She released her grip and stepped back, plopping down in the sandalwood chair, her face grim. "The Heavenly Dao Scroll, and that tattered flag you dug out from the depths of the ancient ruins—those are not things you can touch. Hand them over. Otherwise, you won't live more than three days."

"Leave it to me, and I'll keep you alive."

Lin Daochen's eyes suddenly brightened, his gaze almost painfully fixed on her: "Now, you should explain yourself clearly—why do you insist on using the Heavenly Dao Scroll?"

Qingluan didn't answer, but simply rolled up her left sleeve.

On his pale forearm, there were several dark purple old marks crisscrossing, the skin and flesh rolled up, the edges tinged with an eerie bluish-gray, as if it had been repeatedly burned and gnawed by some extremely yin and malevolent force for many years.

The moment his fingertips touched it, a sharp, piercing pain shot straight to his bone marrow, as if fine needles were randomly pricking his blood vessels.

Qingluan's voice was low and cold, as if it had risen from an ice cave: "Back then, I was considered exceptionally talented, but after that battle, my cultivation level plummeted back to the Qi Refining stage..."

She recounted the story in a gentle, detailed manner, slowly unfolding a long-buried tale—

At that time, she was at the peak of the Tribulation Transcending stage, with stars as her steps and all laws at her command. However, her path to ascension was abruptly severed, and the spiritual energy of heaven and earth stagnated like still water. After much deduction, everyone finally glimpsed the truth: the Heavenly Dao had become unbalanced.

So they secretly plotted and devised a plan—to kill the heavens! To sacrifice themselves in place of the righteous!

The plan was meticulous, and they proceeded step by step with great care. But at the very last moment, as the altar was completed and the array patterns burned out, they were shocked to discover that the Heavenly Dao had already come to understand their joys and sorrows.

It turns out that someone had already struck first, severing the old Heavenly Dao, and the new Heavenly Dao was born in response to the calamity, and has now completely merged with human nature.

At that moment, the opponent only made three moves.

Top experts coughed up blood and knelt on the ground, their nascent souls shattered; those with slightly weaker cultivation had their souls not yet dispersed, but their physical bodies had already turned to ashes.

They fought back desperately, ultimately severely damaging and annihilating the new Heavenly Dao. But the price was terrible—no one dared to show their face, no one dared to mention their old names, and they could only lie in the shadows, barely surviving.

Because the new Heavenly Dao has long been in sync with the world, possessing all seven emotions and six desires, it fears that those who ascend will drain its primordial power, and even more so that the spiritual veins of heaven and earth will dry up and become barren land.

So it personally locked up the path to heaven.

After all cultivators die, their essence transforms into rain, and their flesh and blood return to dust, all of which nourish this world—this is the sustenance for its survival, and its only way to live.

That scroll of the Heavenly Dao was a fragment of memory torn off by the survivors of that time, containing the only clue to searching for, breaking through, and questioning the Heavenly Dao.

That broken flagpole was once Qingluan's natal weapon; with a single shake, the Milky Way collapsed and the stars fell.

After hearing this, Lin Daochen stood there stunned, his Adam's apple bobbing slightly, his face filled with disbelief.

He never imagined that the silent upheaval a century ago would be so breathtaking and so heartbreaking.

forty three

"Now you can return those two things to me, right? You have a solid foundation, but if you really want to grow into a towering tree, it'll take at least a hundred or two hundred years. Listen to me and hand them over now—only with my protection can you survive!"

"You can have the Niou flagpole, but as for the Heavenly Path scroll... it has already become part of my blood and bones."

Lin Daochen sighed, casually flicked the broken stick, and it clattered onto the bluestone slab.

Qingluan looked down and her face instantly darkened, becoming as dark as an inkstone that had been splashed with ink.

"Damn it! Who did this? What kind of despicable beast chopped it up like this? I'll tear him apart, bone by bone, and feed him to the dogs!"

Her chest heaved violently for a while before she could barely suppress her anger.

"You just said... the Heavenly Dao Scroll has merged with your bloodline?"

"Hmm. I vaguely remembered some images, but when I opened my eyes again, they were gone, leaving only a lingering thought deep within my consciousness. I really have no idea what they're for."

It's blended in?

How could this be?

Qingluan narrowed her eyes, her gaze sharp as knives, scrutinizing Lin Daochen's face several times before suddenly blurting out:

"You're not a native of the Spirit Realm at all—you're from the Nine Provinces Continent! Over there, did you receive the legacy of a Realm Lord? Or were you personally chosen and destined by the Heavenly Dao?"

"Uh... well..."

Lin Daochen's Adam's apple bobbed, and he finally admitted, "I borrowed some strength from the Heavenly Dao."

"What? Say that again? What did you do?"

Qingluan's eyes widened, staring at him intently as if she had seen a ghost.

"Leaving aside the question of how you were able to borrow it, daring to use the power of Heaven's Dao—have you been struck by lightning?!"

"Heaven never gives things away for free—you borrow one cent, and you'll have to pay it back one cent in the future, principal and interest, without any ambiguity. Aren't you afraid of burning yourself to ashes?"

Lin Daochen shook his head with a wry smile. At that time, he was at his wit's end and was simply taking a gamble with his eyes closed. Who would have thought that he would actually summon that vast power? He himself was dumbfounded, not knowing why Heaven would let him go.

"It's all over, you're doomed for life. You'll be serving the Heavenly Dao for all eternity. But there's one advantage—you'll most likely survive."

Qingluan put away the broken flagpole, her brows furrowed, and after a moment of silence, she suddenly looked up:

"You wouldn't... actually be eyeing the position of Lord of the Nine Provinces, would you?"

Her voice was low, but her eyes were sharp as hooks. The position of Lord of the Nine Provinces had been vacant for a long time, and the Heavenly Dao of that realm was already a sickly creature hanging on by a thread.

"Why are you so difficult to deal with? You've got me all confused! But—you really did save my life by returning the flagpole to me."

"Since you've already helped so much, why don't you... lend a hand a little more?"

Lin Daochen stood up abruptly, his face full of astonishment, staring straight at her.

Can't we be a little more reasonable?

This woman's skin is thicker than the cliffs of Kunlun Mountain. Last time she begged him for help, only to turn around and push him into the clutches of a Tribulation Stage demon beast. He barely managed to escape, and now she's demanding his life.

Was she planning to use him as a scapegoat and torture him to death?

"I won't help! I'm leaving immediately, goodbye!"

Before he could finish speaking, his feet seemed to be nailed into the ground, and he couldn't even move his fingers.

His lips twitched, forcing out a smile that looked more like a grimace: "Master, please have mercy! If this continues, my old bones will really fall apart!"

Qingluan didn't even lift her eyelids: "You two are comparing ages? I've lived long enough to bury you and dig you up three times over. Stop pretending to be pitiful! Fine, I won't help you—you can just stand here and stand there until the end of time."

"I didn't ask you to kill or rob, what are you afraid of?"

Lin Daochen slumped his shoulders and sighed, "Everything you've made me do, isn't it a death sentence? I'd be more at ease if it were murder or arson!"

He was already terrified of this woman. But Qingluan completely ignored him and continued speaking:

"It's not like I'm asking you to risk your life; I'm just helping out by building a bridge. Do you know why I'm here?"

Lin Daochen shook his head blankly—how could he possibly guess what this crazy woman was thinking?

Qingluan sighed deeply, tapped her knee lightly with her fingertips, and slowly spoke:

"Hidden within the Kunlun Mountains lies a supreme treasure, capable of reflecting the sun and moon and illuminating the stars, named the Haotian Mirror—all demons and monsters in the world tremble at its sight. After its previous owner, the White-Browed Taoist, passed away, the mirror vanished without a trace, and no one has been able to find it since."

"I heard a bit of a rumor, so I came to try my luck. Don't deny it, I know what you're after here."

"It's nothing more than an attack technique manual. I'll take care of that for you."

A dark bronze token was slammed down at his feet.

"This is your library pass. With it, you may freely enter and exit the library without prior notice."

"I desperately need your help right now—if you refuse, I will spread the news that the Heavenly Dao Scroll is hidden in your possession to all sects and forbidden areas throughout the Nine Provinces!"

Lin Daochen stared at Qingluan, his gaze sharp as a knife. After a long while, he slowly spoke, his voice low and deep: "I can help you, but you can't just send me away with a token, can you? What's in it for me?"

Qingluan's face stiffened slightly, and with a flick of her fingertips, she opened the storage bag at her waist.

"I don't have any spiritual artifacts or pills suitable for you, but... I can tell you a secret of the Nine Provinces. This information is enough to shake up the entire cultivation world."

Secrets of Kyushu? What does she mean by that?

"What secret?"

"The time isn't right yet. I'll speak up when you find out."

From then on, their identities quietly changed: one became an inner sect elder, and the other became an outer sect elder.

They joined forces to track down the whereabouts of the Haotian Mirror.

According to Qingluan, the divine mirror is most likely sealed deep inside the Kunlun Mountains.

But how to find it became a dead end.

Since it is hidden inside the mountain, there must be a secret passage leading directly to the earth's veins.

The two of them traversed mountains, examined ancient formations, and perused fragmented scrolls for two whole months, but still found no clues.

Lin Daochen was sitting on a wooden stool in the library, turning the pages of "Nine Luminaries Qi Guiding Technique" one by one, his fingertips stroking the yellowed pages.

"Hey! Stop looking! Come with me to find it! If you keep dragging this out, you'll never get the position of Lord of the Nine Provinces!"

Before he could finish speaking, Lin Daochen's eyes suddenly sharpened, and the pages of the book snapped shut.

"You mean... you're really willing to tell me the method for becoming a Realm Lord?"

He looked up and stared at Qingluan.

"Nonsense! I never go back on my word—get up now!"

"You keep saying 'help me find it,' but you won't let go of even the slightest clue. For the past two months, we've been like blindfolded hunting dogs, circling around the Kunlun Mountains, wasting our spiritual energy and shortening our lifespans! My cultivation time isn't for you to squander! I still have to refine weapons, temper pills, and nurture sword embryos; where do I have the time to waste with you wandering around aimlessly?"

Qingluan remained silent for a moment, then her expression turned serious.

The Haotian Mirror is not only related to power, but also to the foundation of the Nine Provinces realm—if it loses its balance, spatial rifts will spread like a spider web, mountains and rivers will collapse, and all living beings will perish.

"I have found a way to locate the Divine Mirror. However... I was reluctant to use this technique. Since you can't wait, then this is the only way."

Which road should we take?

Lin Daochen's heart tightened as he noticed the strangeness in her tone, but he still silently followed her into a deep cave.

The cave was free of mud and dust, and the ground was so smooth it was like a mirror. When you tapped it lightly with your fingertips, it produced a metallic clang—the entire cave was carved from a single piece of diamond.

Lin Daochen frowned slightly: What exactly is this material used to suppress or restrain?

The Azure Phoenix continued its journey, passing through multiple ancient array barriers, and finally stopped in front of a bronze prison door.

Inside the door, a human head floated in mid-air, its skin as green as jade, its face no more than twenty years old, but its eyes as desolate as a frozen pool that had stood for ten thousand years.

Just one glance is enough to send a chill down your spine, a coldness that seeps straight into your soul.

Qingluan carried a pale green oil lamp and slowly stepped forward. The flickering lamplight made her profile appear cold and hard as iron.

She glanced at the head, a hint of undisguised disgust flashing in her eyes.

"I've come to ask you a few questions today. If you answer well, the offerings will be presented immediately."

The head slowly turned, its pupils locking onto Lin Daochen. Suddenly, a scarlet gash appeared, and a hoarse, piercing laugh shook the rock face, causing dust to fall.

"Oh? This is the sacrifice you've offered? Not bad... bring him in."

Lin Daochen felt a chill run down his spine—was she really going to offer him up as a sacrifice? Was this woman insane?!

Just as he was about to leap up, a strand of long, black hair wrapped around his limbs and bones like a living snake, making his muscles and bones crack.