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

The white gorilla lay sprawled on the ground, letting out broken moans, its eyes filled with regret—if only it had known this would happen, it should have given its all to kill the enemy in one strike, instead of ending up like this.

But there's no such thing as a second chance in this world. If you fail, you're out; your trial qualification is immediately invalidated.

Before the words were finished, the sky suddenly darkened, and a deep, muffled voice, like thunder, descended from the heavens, penetrating everyone's ears:

"Useless! You can't even handle this simple task properly, what use are you?"

"Since you've already failed, then go down and atone for your sins."

No sooner had the words left his mouth than a deafening roar erupted—a gigantic hand, obscuring the sky and the sun, tore through the clouds and crashed down with immense force. The white-haired gorilla didn't even have time to scream before it was reduced to dust, leaving not even a trace of bone behind.

Yang Kai felt a chill run through him as he stared at the empty, scorched earth on the ground. His palms were covered in cold sweat, and his back was already soaked through.

Seeing this, Lin Daoxian strode forward without hesitation, shouting, "Don't be afraid! I'm here to protect you. He absolutely cannot harm a hair on your head! This wretched creature is just an ordinary demon beast. If it dares to continue attacking you..."

Then the only option left is execution! However, if that cunning and treacherous old man is truly courting death and tries to lay his claws on you… Hmph, then don't blame me for being ruthless! Even if it costs me my precious life, I will fight him to the death, without flinching an inch!

Yang Kai finally breathed a sigh of relief. If even Lin Daoxian didn't protect him, he would truly have no other choice but to go down a dead end.

The trial was not yet over, and Lin Daochen had no intention of letting Yang Kai turn back halfway. This trip was for a great opportunity—if he could understand the mystery within, his cultivation would surely break through the ice like spring water, directly reaching the Integration Realm, which would no longer be out of reach.

But the prerequisite is that Yang Kai has to be able to withstand it. If he collapses halfway through, the trial will fail, and everything will be in vain.

Yang Kai dared not act rashly, but steeled his resolve and decided to proceed cautiously step by step. Looking up, the winding stone steps of Kunlun Mountain seemed endless. He took a deep breath and first set up several baits along the way to lure the wild beasts into agitation and gathering to ambush him—once they were all lured away from the main road, he could then quietly ascend the mountain, achieving twice the result with half the effort.

Lin Daochen watched from afar, his eyes brightening slightly, and he couldn't help but nod: This kid's mind works fast; he actually came up with the idea of ​​using a feint to attack the real and luring the tiger away from the mountain.

Three days passed in the blink of an eye, and Yang Kai finally stepped onto the mountain path that truly led to the summit. Looking at the endless stone steps shrouded in mist ahead, he breathed a sigh of relief—

Click!

A bolt of pale lightning struck down without warning, hitting Yang Kai squarely in the back!

He shuddered violently, his skin and flesh charred and curled. Though he was not dead, he seemed to have all his strength drained away. He was a mortal who had just entered the path of cultivation, and the spiritual energy in his body was already as thin as a wisp of silk. With this strike, his spiritual root trembled, his meridians were in complete chaos, and his dantian was empty, with no trace of spiritual energy flowing through it.

Yang Kai hurriedly looked inside his head, his face instantly turning deathly pale, and he cried out in a trembling voice:

"Senior, this is bad! My cultivation... is completely gone! This trial is probably over!"

Before he finished speaking, a self-destruction seal had already formed at his fingertips—he would rather perish in body and soul than kneel and admit defeat.

Before he could even activate the hand seals, a gentle, warm force, like a spring breeze, softly enveloped his entire body. In the distance, a figure swiftly pierced through the clouds, causing the sea of ​​clouds to surge wherever he passed, as if a divine general were arriving on a cloud of light!

Yang Kai's heart pounded wildly as he recognized Lin Daochen at a glance! He stood on flowing clouds, his robes fluttering, like a celestial being descending from heaven, his aura imposing and unapproachable.

But the figure didn't stop; instead, it headed straight for the depths of Kunlun. Several hours later, Lin Daochen stood before the Old Immortal of Kunlun, his gaze sharp as a blade:

"What a blatant bullying of the weak! You people are utterly shameless! To even resort to underhanded tactics in something as simple as a trial—aren't you afraid of being ridiculed by the entire cultivation world? Such behavior is despicable! If this gets out, you'll become a laughingstock for all time! How will you face yourselves then?"

Kunlun the Immortal sat upright before the chessboard, slowly picking up a black piece, and chuckled: "Heh... whoever wins is right. You have a higher cultivation level, so naturally you don't like me—but the rules are what I set."

"Young brother, young brother—since we've already made a bet, wagering on whether this child can pass the trial, but neither of us has set any rules."

"Then whatever means I use to stop him, disturb him, or disrupt his plans, it's all perfectly reasonable. Don't you think so? After all, it's all in black and white, with no restrictions whatsoever."

Upon hearing this, Lin Daochen's throat tightened, but he remained silent. The other party was right—they had indeed not signed a contract, burned incense, or sworn an oath. His anger stemmed not from the broken rules, but from the fact that the Old Immortal Kunlun had actually intervened.

In Lin Daochen's mind, the two seniors should have sat on the cloud platform and watched the tide rise and fall. How could they have personally stirred up trouble? But this old immortal did not care about such dignity. With a flick of his sleeve, the wind changed.

He shook his head slightly, his voice low but clear: "Fine, since you've brought it up, I won't stand on ceremony—I'll do whatever I want. We'll see how things go."

"Let's see who turns the tide in the end, who manages to hold up this trial that was on the verge of collapse, straighten it, and put it back on track."

Before he finished speaking, clouds surged beneath his feet, and he suddenly soared into the sky. The Old Immortal Kunlun watched the departing green figure and slowly sighed.

"Young people these days are too hot-tempered and too impatient. The composure we had back then has probably all vanished with the wind... Oh well, let it go."

He turned to a white-haired old man beside him. This man had also been living in seclusion in the Kunlun Mountains for many years, but he had never given himself a name, and no one dared to address him with any honorific title. Everyone simply called him "Ancestor," respecting him for his lack of fame but his substantial achievements, for his lack of position but his virtuous character.

"Sigh..." The old man sighed softly, a trace of helplessness and disappointment flashing in his eyes: "Ancestors, look at the world and people's hearts now, each generation is worse than the last! Back in our time, although life was hard, people could still respect and tolerate each other, and had that rare patience and harmony."

But look at these young people nowadays! They're all so restless and impatient for quick success, like hot sword blanks just pulled from the furnace—completely impatient! They have absolutely no desire to play a leisurely game of chess with an old man like me, or go for a stroll and chat together.”

"Tell me, after we ascended to heaven, how much loneliness did we endure during those tens of thousands of years of solitary days under the moon? Alas... things have come to this, let's just take it one day at a time, there's no need to force it."

The old man beside him stroked his beard and smiled, his wrinkles at the corners of his eyes smoothing out like spring water: "Indeed. But this lad named Lin Daochen is quite interesting. He has quick comprehension and extraordinary talent. At this rate of cultivation, it's likely that he'll be able to open the door to true immortality in just a few years."

Kunlun the Immortal laughed heartily, his sleeves fluttering slightly: "True Immortal? Still one breath short. But the Integration Stage—it's just around the corner. If not this year, it will surely be next year; at the latest, by the end of spring, the clouds beneath his feet will be firmly planted."

The two exchanged a smile and made their moves again. The black and white pieces landed on the catalpa wood plate with a crisp sound, like dewdrops on a stone.

Meanwhile, Lin Daochen returned on a cloud, and three hours later he reappeared atop Kunlun Mountain. As soon as he appeared, Yang Kai knelt down, his eyes red-rimmed, tears streaming down his face, leaving two muddy streaks.

"Senior! You've finally arrived! I just ran into a three-headed iron-clawed lion, and my spiritual energy is completely depleted. I couldn't even draw a talisman steadily. If I had arrived half a moment later, my bones would probably have fed to the mountain wind!"

He choked up, his lips moving several times, as if he had something difficult to say. Lin Daochen glanced at him and knew that something must have happened.

His face darkened, and though his voice was low, every word was piercing: "Tell me, what happened? Even if the sky falls, I'll hold it up for you."

Yang Kai felt a sense of relief and spat it all out like beans pouring from a bamboo tube—

It turned out that no sooner had Lin Daochen left than a gray-clad boy quietly arrived, coldly declaring: if you are willing to give up the test, you can safely descend the mountain; otherwise, calamities will pile up until you are completely exhausted.

After listening, Lin Daochen frowned slightly and asked only one question: "So what do you think now? Are you going to bow your head and agree, or grit your teeth and go all the way with me?"

Yang Kai felt a surge of warmth in his chest, straightened his back, and his eyes shone with an astonishing brightness: "Of course I will follow you! Senior taught me to recognize formations, to grasp the key points, and to guide qi into the meridians. To me, your kindness is as heavy as a mountain, and you are like a father who gave me a second life! Without you, I would still be hoeing on the ridge, facing the yellow earth and turning my back to the sky, living a life of counting grains."

"Those powerful beings who sit high in the clouds, with boundless magical power, who would even glance down at the farmer in the mud? Only you reached out your hand—so even if there are mountains of knives and seas of fire ahead, I will only recognize your path."

Lin Daochen nodded, acknowledging the commendable loyalty, but said that such sincerity alone was far from enough and that some concrete actions needed to be taken decisively.

Now that Master Kunlun has already broken off all pretense and personally intervened, if he continues to remain inactive, wouldn't Yang Kai be left helpless and vulnerable to attack?

"Good! From this moment on, you are my disciple, Lin Daochen. If that old immortal Kunlun dares to attack you again, immediately send me a message—I will take this battle on your behalf and fight him to the end of time."

Before he finished speaking, Lin Daochen's eyes darkened, his killing intent palpable. Since the other party was disregarding rules and leaving no room for compromise, he needed no further pretense of decorum. From this day forward, they would clash head-on, neither yielding an inch.

"Old Immortal Kunlun... Ha, I never expected that I would run into such a hard and smelly stumbling block on my path of cultivation. A senior of this place, yet your methods are so insidious and despicable. Then don't blame me for disrespecting my elders—I'll play along to the end this time."