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

"Hey, you've got quite a temper... Fine, fine, considering we all came here through arduous training, we won't make things difficult for you."

"I'll go in your place—but let me remind you: when you meet the Heavenly Emperor later, bow your head and bend your back; don't skimp on the proper etiquette, understand?"

Lin Daochen nodded. He was perfectly aware of this—if he didn't even have this basic ability to read people, he wouldn't have been able to survive in the Heavenly Realm long ago.

Before he finished speaking, the celestial general had already transformed into a streak of silver light, swiftly heading towards the depths of the distant sea of ​​clouds. The Lingxiao Palace was not far away; they arrived in an instant.

But he was merely a lowly gatekeeper, not even a name in the Heavenly Court, so naturally no one paid him any attention. He could only stand outside the palace gates waiting, and in his boredom, a minor deity on duty strolled over and struck up a conversation with a smile:

"Brother, you've worked hard guarding the gate! But I've recently heard about a big shot named Lin Daoquan—have you met him?"

The soldier was stunned for a moment, then his whole body trembled: Lin Daochen? Why does that name sound so familiar?

—Isn't that the person who stood at the door just now, the one I gave a cold look? Could it be… that legendary Lin Daochen?!

His heart skipped a beat, and he hurriedly turned around and bowed to the young deity: "Reporting to the Immortal, the person is waiting outside! He himself asked us to come and inform him!"

Upon hearing this, Xiao Shen laughed loudly and waved his hand: "Heh, you really are incorrigible... Since you've come knocking on my door, don't blame me for being ruthless."

"To be honest, that's exactly why I'm looking for you. You said Lin Daochen is right at the door? Then I'd like to trouble you to go and deliver a message for me."

The heavenly soldier hurriedly replied, "I will obey your orders, Your Excellency! You are my superior, I will heed every word and carry out every order!"

The little god patted him on the shoulder with satisfaction, his smile warm: "Don't worry, I'm not here to cause trouble, I just need your help—do you know who this Lin Daochen really is?"

The heavenly soldier shook his head in trepidation: "This subordinate is foolish and truly unaware of the details... Please enlighten me, Your Majesty, I will certainly remember it!"

The sight of him bowing and scraping his head warmed the little god's heart. He was already on the fringes of the Heavenly Court, and no one paid him any attention; only when facing these lowly heavenly soldiers who weren't even registered in the celestial register could he barely straighten his back and find a little dignity.

"Go back and tell him: no matter what the reason for coming here, once you enter the Heavenly Court, you must abide by its rules. If you dare to cause trouble—the Heavenly Mountain Immortal will personally take action and show no mercy."

Upon hearing the words "Immortal of Tianshan," the soldier's face turned ashen, his legs went weak, and he even stammered.

Seeing this, Xiao Shen frowned slightly and stopped talking in time—this person still had to relay his message, and if he were to be scared out of his wits, it would only make things worse.

"Alright, go. Remember: keep a close eye on him, keep your mouth shut, and within the Heavenly Court, you are not allowed to overstep your bounds—understand?"

The heavenly soldier nodded stiffly, turned around and walked away quickly, his back trembling slightly.

Meanwhile, the matter that the heavenly soldiers and generals had just reported had already reached the ears of the Heavenly Emperor in the Lingxiao Palace like a gust of wind.

He was about to summon the celestial official on duty to inquire about the matter when a figure suddenly darted into the hall, bowing lower than a newly broken willow branch. He rushed to the steps before the steps, knelt down with a thud, his forehead pressed against the gold brick, and began to speak in a trembling voice:

"Your Majesty, this matter must not be taken lightly! Lin Daochen's visit to plead his case appears to be a formality, but in reality, he harbors malicious intentions—he wants to use the power of the Heavenly Court to pave his own way! Your Majesty, you know this man's background best: he is merely a rogue cultivator, not even registered in the divine register. How can you believe his sweet words?"

Upon hearing this, the Heavenly Emperor merely nodded slightly. Lin Daochen had indeed visited the Lingxiao Palace before. At that time, he was merely a young weapon refiner, clutching a weapon-refining blueprint and his hands covered in furnace ash. He waited for half a day in a side hall, not even daring to drink a single sip of tea. The Heavenly Emperor remembered his bright eyes and swift movements; the three magical artifacts he presented were all meticulously crafted, their spiritual energy restrained—he didn't compete or fight, only seeking a sliver of opportunity to inquire into the Dao. Even then, the Heavenly Emperor knew that this young man wasn't after power, but the Great Dao itself.

Hearing this minor deity's alarmist talk, the Heavenly Emperor chuckled and waved his hand lightly: "Rise. As far as I know, how could it be so dangerous? Those 'treasonous' and 'plots' you've been gossiping about sound impressive, but they're actually quite empty rhetoric. Fine, let him in. If it were truly important, would the Heavenly Court refuse entry to guests?"

Upon hearing this, the minor deity below broke out in a cold sweat, his knuckles clenching so tightly they turned white. He wasn't concerned for the Heavenly Court at all; he was clearly acting on a secret order from the Heavenly Mountain Immortal, specifically sent to cut off Lin Daochen's path to the palace.

The cultivation world has always been clearly divided: the Heavenly Court is the orthodox temple, with its divine positions clearly defined and its incense burning brightly; while the immortals of Tianshan wander beyond the sea of ​​clouds, without official positions or titles. Although each of them is cunning and experienced, they are like lone cranes flying alone, and it is difficult for them to achieve anything significant.

Lin Daochen was the same. His weapon-forging skills were unparalleled, and his combat strength was no less than that of the Golden Armored Divine General, but he refused to accept imperial decree, salary, or statues—without a backer, he lacked resources; without a formal position, he received less protection; without official status, even requesting a transfer order required him to be subservient to others.

At this moment, Lin Daochen was already waiting outside the South Heavenly Gate, impatiently tapping the cloud steps with his toes. His gaze swept over the eaves of the palace, the swirling purple mist, and then over the golden plaque of the South Heavenly Gate.

"Tsk, what a great place... It's a pity there's only one gate. If a few alleyways could be opened, selling osmanthus cakes, candied hawthorns, and roasted spirit beast meat skewers, and a stage could be set up to perform a couple of plays from 'The Tale of Slaying the Dragon,' the Heavenly Court would probably be bursting at the door long ago."

He tilted his head back and exhaled a puff of white breath, then shook his head and sighed softly, "Is it that the higher you climb, the colder it gets? No, it's that it's too clean—so clean that it's suffocating, so suffocating that moss grows in every crack of your bones."

Before the words were finished, a figure suddenly appeared in the distance, stumbling and running towards them, his robe torn and his crown tassel askew, as if he had been struck by lightning three times. Upon closer inspection, it was indeed the celestial soldier from before.

Lin Daochen crossed his arms, his brows slightly furrowed: "I told you to go and issue the order, why are you running like you're running for your life? Did the Heavenly Emperor refuse to see you? Or is someone holding a knife to your throat?"

The soldier took a few deep breaths, looked around, his Adam's apple bobbing, and said in a very low voice, "Master Lin... I'm not kidding! I was stopped by a priest in a red-scaled robe as soon as I entered the second gate—he didn't show his token or give his name, he just stared at me and smiled..."

He shivered, his fingers unconsciously digging into his palms: "That one look froze my soul. It felt like ice needles were drilling into my bones, my knees buckled, and I almost collapsed on the spot. Do you believe me? If he had stared at me for three more breaths, I probably wouldn't have even bothered to pull up my pants; I would have just collapsed into a puddle."

Seeing the heavenly soldier cowering, the leader lowered his brow and sighed silently—after all, he had become a heavenly soldier and general, yet he was still as timid as a frightened bird, which was truly chilling.

"Alright, enough of this nonsense. Since you've already made the trip, you must have reported everything that needed to be reported. I'll just wait here for you."

As soon as he finished speaking, the soldier's face flushed, and his ears turned red.

"This... I'm afraid it's really difficult. The man just said 'No need to inform him,' and the meaning couldn't be clearer—he has already secretly blocked your path to the Emperor. He has probably planted a spy in front of the Heavenly Emperor and exaggerated many things about you. From now on, the gates of the Lingxiao Palace will probably be tightly closed to you... Brother, take my advice and go back as soon as possible."

He shook his head and sighed, a hint of genuine regret in his expression. In fact, he had a good impression of Lin Daochen: the two were about the same age and spent roughly the same amount of time in their spare time, but Lin Daochen had already firmly established himself in the Qingdan stage, while he himself, despite his best efforts, was only stuck at the threshold of the Foundation Establishment stage, unable to advance any further.

Left with no other choice, she had to tell Lin Daochen the whole truth. To her surprise, the other party not only did not get angry, but also smiled slightly.

"Interesting. So even the Heavenly Court harbors such undercurrents? No problem, no need for you all to inform them—I'll go myself."

Before he finished speaking, he had already stepped straight into the South Heavenly Gate. The heavenly soldiers guarding the gate were stunned, but they did not reach out to stop him: Lin Daochen was not an enemy, but an old acquaintance of the Heavenly Court, and a genuine cultivator. They never took trivial matters seriously.

Besides, the South Heavenly Gate is just the first hurdle. Inside, there are layers of defenses and countless armored soldiers. Anyone with malicious intent would not be able to even touch the palace walls, let alone break into the palace. Even if they were lucky enough to sneak in, they would be stared at by the Demon-Revealing Mirror and would be unable to move an inch.

The two soldiers behind him watched helplessly as he stepped over the threshold. One of them panicked and muttered in a low voice, "Oh dear, buddy, you really let him in? If this gets out, we'll both be struck by lightning! Should we hurry and chase after him before he causes any trouble—"

The other waved his hand dismissively, not even lifting his eyelids: "Save your breath! Have you forgotten? There was a report of unrest among the zombies at Xiling Pass today. If we leave our posts without permission, and some zombies or witches manage to sneak in, it won't be a matter of just being fined."

The other person was stunned for a moment, then fell silent—if evil spirits were allowed to infiltrate the heart of the Heavenly Court, it would be a catastrophe.

The two had no choice but to straighten their backs again and continue guarding the South Heavenly Gate. Meanwhile, Lin Daochen had already passed through the many cloud corridors and headed straight for the Lingxiao Palace. There were many guards along the way, and some people came up to question him, but as soon as they saw him, they nodded slightly and let him pass—this face was a familiar one throughout the Heavenly Court.

Before long, he stood at the foot of the Lingxiao Palace steps. There he saw three or five deities gathered in front of the gate, some tall and some short, whispering among themselves, their sleeves fluttering slightly as they spoke in cryptic language.

Lin Daochen focused his mind and quietly circled behind the crowd, listening intently.

"Sigh, do you think Lin Daochen's matter has caused such a big stir? I heard he killed several noisy rogue cultivators, and Xiao Jie has already blacklisted him. Many temples have been demolished, leaving only the foundations, the incense has stopped burning, and the writing in the merit books has faded a bit."

"I've heard about it too. Didn't the immortal from Tianshan personally descend to the mortal realm to demand an explanation? And I heard that some old, wandering immortals from the wild forests have also set off, probably to teach him a lesson."

"Teaching him a lesson is one thing, but this kid is really tough! If even the immortals of Tianshan can't do anything to him, then sending more of them is just throwing their lives away."

"Alright, alright, what's the use of worrying about this? The bell for the Heavenly Emperor's summons has rung for the third time. Quickly, enter the hall for the meeting!"

The group hurriedly climbed the steps and disappeared into the vermilion palace gates in the blink of an eye.

The leader stood in the shadows of the pillars, his knuckles clenched so tightly they turned white. So the rumors had already reached the Lingxiao Palace? He gritted his teeth, his Adam's apple bobbing—that damned Heavenly Mountain Immortal had indeed cleanly and efficiently disposed of the mess!

With this splash of dirty water, Lin Daochen's reputation in the Heavenly Court is likely to be truly tarnished. He couldn't think of a way to salvage the situation.

Since we're already standing in front of the Lingxiao Palace, we might as well step inside and see what's going on—we might just stumble upon some unexpected delights; as for being stopped and questioned? No need to worry about it at all…

He stepped over the threshold, and although several gazes swept over him from inside the hall, they were all fleeting. No one recognized him, and naturally, no one came forward to speak to him.

Most of the people who come here are from the Heavenly Court, so how could they easily make a mistake? It's like a stranger walking into a restaurant in the mortal world. As long as they don't overturn the table and smash the bowls, who would really dig into their background?