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

One of them stepped forward, his figure swaying as he rose into the air, hovering steadily in front of Lin Daochen. Just as he raised his hand, he held a long, ancient scroll in his palm—the surface of the scroll shimmered with light, and within it, a phantom was gracefully moving, its posture strange and dreamlike.

"Huh? It's actually a painting of beautiful rivers and mountains! I'm quite impressed that you were able to retrieve such a thing."

This beautiful landscape painting is a rare spiritual treasure in the cultivation world. Although it is not a top-tier treasure, it is extremely difficult to refine and even more difficult to find. Ordinary cultivators may not be able to see a single scroll even after spending half their lives.

The wonder of this diagram lies in its ability to allow one to quietly observe and contemplate it for nineteen consecutive days, thus subtly advancing one's cultivation level by a small step—for example, from the early stage of the Golden Core realm to the middle stage in one fell swoop. It may seem like a mere hair's breadth, but in reality, it saves ordinary people ten years of arduous cultivation. Lin Daochen's gaze narrowed slightly, a hint of admiration rising in his heart. He nodded and smiled, "I didn't expect you to have such a wealth of resources."

"It's clear you're very sincere. In that case—I'll reciprocate with a substantial gift as well."

Before he finished speaking, with a slight thought, he stripped away all the Dao will he had comprehended over many years, transforming it into strands of clear golden light, which he slowly poured into the sea of ​​consciousness of everyone present. Such will is difficult for anyone but those with exceptional talent to grasp. Lin Daochen was able to obtain its essence only through a stroke of luck; for others, no matter how hard they tried, they would hardly be able to even begin to understand it.

At this moment, he shared all his knowledge, just to help them overcome obstacles and accelerate their progress.

In an instant, everyone felt a warm and vast power quietly seep into the depths of their souls—not oppressive, but nourishing; not tearing, but reshaping. They clearly felt their limbs and bones filled with strength, their minds clear and bright, and their cultivation subtly loosening and climbing upwards.

It turns out that this senior was not putting pressure on them, but rather supporting them.

At that very moment, a dazzling golden talisman suddenly appeared on Lin Daochen's forehead, slowly swirling around his body, its radiance flowing, seemingly possessing immense weight yet also feeling weightless. He himself was taken aback: Could it be... that the transmission of knowledge and instructions had become the catalyst for his own breakthrough?

He closed his eyes and examined his inner self. Sure enough, his Qi Sea was churning, his spiritual power was surging like a tide, and his cultivation level was rising steadily like spring water rising on the bank.

Looking up at the crowd again, I suddenly felt extremely pleased with them—you helped me, and I helped you; we are all seekers of the Way, why should we distinguish between each other?

He lightly touched the ground with his toes and soared into the air once more. This time, his form remained unchanged, but his aura was entirely different. Dozens of flowing golden runes floated around him, gleaming brightly, their sharpness exuding solemnity, making it impossible for anyone to look directly at him.

Lin Daochen knew that this was clear evidence of the Great Dao's feedback and the leap in realm.

However... the stage of fusion is still far away, so what realm have we reached yet? Perhaps we need to accumulate more merit before we can trigger the next transformation.

To outsiders, he was enveloped in intense golden light, his figure gradually blurring as if shrouded in a flowing mist of glass, his features unrecognizable, and his aura terrifying.

But the cultivators saw it clearly—behind him, a towering, majestic illusory image of a Dharma body was faintly manifesting, as imposing as a mountain and as solemn as an abyss, as if the Primordial Heavenly Venerable had personally descended to the mortal world, making people's knees go weak, their throats tighten, and even forgetting to breathe.

"Senior! You broke through the barriers in an instant, that's wonderful—we can finally breathe a sigh of relief!"

"Indeed! Your advancement in cultivation is our greatest blessing! If you encounter any difficulties in the future, we hope you will not hesitate to lend a helping hand!"

"That's right! Lin Daochen, who would have thought that the junior who stood shoulder to shoulder with us back then would have risen to the top today... It's simply astonishing!"

Faced with a barrage of praise, Lin Daochen remained calm and unmoved. His mind was preoccupied with only one thing—

Break through the bottleneck quickly and reach a higher level.

"Everyone, I am currently stuck at the peak of the Golden Core stage, and it is difficult for me to make any further progress. But you are different—your path has only just begun. The insights into the Great Dao that I just imparted are enough for each of you to advance another level."

"You should immediately go into seclusion and cultivate diligently, making every second count to break through your cultivation level—when you come to me again, I will do my utmost to help you, and I will never break my promise."

Hearing this, everyone felt a surge of warmth in their hearts, and their eyes welled up with tears. They all understood that Lin Daochen had no connection with them, and that they followed him only because they admired his character; but as much as they respected him, none of them had the right to take this friendship for granted.

"My lord! The dramatic change in you today has shattered the fog like a thunderbolt, allowing us to clearly see the insurmountable chasm between us. From this day forward, no matter the dangers or the vicissitudes of life, we will follow your lead without hesitation—at your command, we will go through fire and water without delay!"

Lin Daochen nodded, then his robe sleeves suddenly trembled, the sound like metal striking stone, each word ringing out:

"Gentlemen, do not delay any longer! Enter meditation immediately and exert all your strength to ascend to the new realm—once you emerge from this barrier, head held high, proclaiming 'I am a disciple of Lin Daochen,' who will dare to bully you in the slightest?!"

Before he finished speaking, he suddenly rose into the air, his body bursting with golden light. His face was hidden deep within the blazing light, and only a dazzling golden rainbow could be seen tearing through the sky before he disappeared without a trace in the blink of an eye.

The crowd stood frozen in place, their faces filled with reluctance and melancholy. They were cultivators, yet they had not yet shattered the void and ascended to immortality; looking up now, they felt that Lin Daochen was like a star in the heavens, unreachable—it was not a distance, but a world apart.

A sense of awe crept up my spine, but strangely, an unprecedented sense of peace rose in my heart.

……

At this moment, Lin Daochen was already above the sea of ​​clouds.

He sat upright amidst the surging, snow-white clouds, his brows furrowed, silent for a long time, then suddenly looked up and laughed loudly, his voice resounding through the clouds:

"Hahaha—so this is what it feels like to be worshipped by ten thousand people and have your voice echoed across a thousand mountains? No wonder the gods of old preferred solitude to easily descend to the mortal realm… This feeling is truly addictive!"

The laughter stopped abruptly, and his expression turned ashen and iron-like again.

……

"But a difficult problem lies before me: if I am truly revered as a deity, after the offerings and prayers, should I really grant those trivial requests? To avert disasters, solve cases, find relatives, exorcise evil spirits... should I do these things, or not?"

He knew all too well that a divine position was never an empty title, but a heavy burden of cause and effect. But was he truly willing to plunge headlong into this quagmire and become a worried and overworked "living bodhisattva"?

He sat quietly atop the clouds, remaining silent for a long time.

"So be it. Since things have come to this, there's no point in forcing it, and there's no turning back—instead of daydreaming, we should break through the barrier of fusion first."

After absorbing a massive amount of merit, the spiritual energy within his body surged like a river bursting its banks. His golden core was already brimming and on the verge of bursting, separated from the fusion stage by only a thin layer of paper. Yet, this very paper remained unmoved, as solid as black iron. He remained firmly stationed at the peak of the golden core stage, the road ahead long and uncertain, not something that could be achieved overnight.

The next step is to consult the immortal of Tianshan—that reclusive old man who has lived in seclusion for a thousand years—who may indeed hold a key that can unlock the bottleneck.

Lin Daochen lightly touched the ground with his toes, and golden light exploded. His whole body transformed into a dazzling stream of flame, piercing straight into the sky. He sped away like lightning, rushing towards the Tianshan Mountains.

Time flies, and his speed has become so fast that he has torn apart his afterimage. In the blink of an eye, the ground beneath his feet suddenly contracted, and the majestic Tianshan Mountains stood before him.

The mountain rises abruptly from the ground, its peak disappearing into the sea of ​​clouds. Covered in millennia-old silver frost, its chill is biting, and the entire mountain range radiates a holy, cold light, like the palace of a deity. But what is strange is that—such a solemn and imposing place is perpetually deserted.

Is it fear of the dangers lurking in the mountains? Or have people already dismissed the legends as mere child's play? They'd rather believe the rumors than actually take a single step into the mountains.

Lin Daochen stood at the foot of the mountain. This time, he neither climbed the steps nor took a detour.

He stood silently, his gaze like a sword, piercing straight into the depths of the clouds.

In the next instant, he suddenly unleashed all his cultivation power—Boom!

The sky and earth changed color, the void hummed, and cracks spread like a spider web; dark clouds surged and gathered, and thunder rumbled and pressed down. At the foot of the Tianshan Mountains, the earth shook and the vegetation collapsed, as if the end of the world had arrived.

In just a few breaths, a gray figure plummeted down from the mountaintop, breaking through the air—it was the Heavenly Mountain Immortal.

Heavenly Mountain Immortal, Heavenly Mountain Immortal—I never imagined you would dare to step into this land alone. Anyone else coming wouldn't be surprising, but your appearance has truly startled me. Haven't you noticed? The gap in cultivation between us has long been bridged by me, now only a hair's breadth remains! Coming to my door today is nothing but walking into a trap; lying dead on the spot is your inescapable fate.

Lin Daochen threw his head back and laughed loudly. Before the laughter had even subsided, he had already calmly sat cross-legged, his robes brushing the ground, waiting for the newcomer. In the distance, a streak of light descended from the sky, and the Heavenly Mountain Immortal arrived, stepping through the air. The moment his toes touched the ground, his brows furrowed into an iron-blue color, and his gaze, sharp as a knife, pierced straight into Lin Daochen's face.

"That scoundrel Deng Zhenxiang is dead?" His voice was cold and hard, like shards of ice scraping across stone steps. "Well, you dare to step over his corpse and barge into my mountain gate—enough nonsense, state your purpose. If it makes sense, I might listen to you; if it's even slightly absurd…" He slightly raised his sleeve, revealing faint lightning patterns flickering in his palm. "Your life will stay here and feed the wind."

Lin Daochen's lips curled into a smile, but the smile didn't reach his eyes; only frost remained. This man was truly arrogant to the bone. Since he had spoken so confidently, then so be it—let him see for himself what a complete upheaval was.

He was no longer the weakling who could be suppressed with a flick of his finger and couldn't even fight back. Now, with a single thought, he could nail this man to the mud and crush him into dust. But to kill him? That would be too lenient. What Lin Daochen wanted was for him to wake up on his knees, to kneel and admit defeat, to kneel and swallow every humiliation he had uttered, and then chew up his regret and swallow it down.

Lin Daochen had previously encountered the Kunlun Immortal and several rogue cultivators, all of whom were aloof and disciplined, possessing both sharpness and integrity. But this one before him was filthy, with a lewd demeanor, and his words and actions were filled with nauseating hostility—this was the first time Lin Daochen had ever seen such an unsightly immortal in his life.

"Immortal of Tianshan, Immortal of Tianshan... Now that I've run into you, I'll just leave my life here." Lin Daochen's voice wasn't loud, but every word was like a hammer blow. "You can't guess what kind of opportunities I've encountered in the past six months, and you can't imagine that my bones have been transformed and my soul forged. But—you don't need to know these things." He lightly tapped his knee with his fingertips, making a crisp sound, like a bell but not a bell, like a sword but not a sword.

Before he could finish speaking, the Heavenly Mountain Immortal froze, his knees buckled, and he fell forward uncontrollably!

His pupils constricted sharply, and he tried to resist by drawing his true energy from his dantian, but the force was as deep and unyielding as an abyss, pressing heavily on his spine, and he couldn't even muster a trace of true energy. His meridians were empty, and when he scanned his internal organs with his divine sense, he couldn't find a trace of external force—it was as if this body no longer belonged to him.

"What...what kind of evil magic have you been practicing?!" he roared hoarsely, his voice cracking.