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

Just before stepping inside, Lin Daochen suddenly paused and asked:

"Senior, is it absolutely necessary to pass through this waterfall every time we enter or leave the world within the painting?"

Upon hearing this, both of the people beside him paused for a moment. Jiang Ziya stood by the water, his throat moving slightly, and he was momentarily speechless.

After a moment of silence, Shen Gongbao coughed lightly and spoke first:

"You don't need to worry about these trivial details for now. Just focus on one thing—everything you gain or seek must come from spiritual practice. Since you earn it through practice, what exactly does practice give you?"

Lin Daochen was speechless. He hadn't really thought about that question. But since he'd been asked, he couldn't just give a perfunctory answer.

He closed his eyes and concentrated for a moment, when a question suddenly popped into his mind: All these years of burning the midnight oil, enduring wind and dew, climbing the ladder of success, was it really for power? Or was it just for a superior status? If it was for status, it would be simple—bow down a few times, flatter a few times, and power would be within easy reach.

But deep down he knew that wasn't what he wanted. If it wasn't power or strength, then what was it that had been pushing him relentlessly from the shadows to where he was today?

He stood there, stunned, unable to answer for a moment.

At this moment, Shen Gongbao, with a calm gaze, slowly uttered a sentence:

"Have you ever wondered—why was this world created? Was it intentionally created by the Great Dao, or was it simply opening and closing, breathing in and out naturally, without any intention of its own?"

Lin Daochen was startled. This was a question he had never dared to touch.

Why are humans born? Why does the world exist? Since there are already cultivators, why are there countless mortals who strive to break free from their physical bodies and become immortals?

What were they trying to grasp as they gritted their teeth and endured the grueling training? And what did this endless cultivation truly give them?

Thoughts surged like a tide, sinking deeper and deeper. The sounds of water faded into the distance, and the shadows of grass and trees swayed, as if veiled by a thin mist, making them indistinct and hard to discern.

"Yes... what are we trying to achieve by all this repairing?" he muttered to himself, shaking his head with a bitter smile. "I never thought about it before. Now I understand—I repair myself to grasp what I truly want. But what that thing is... I really can't say for sure right now."

A sudden realization dawned on him, as if lightning had pierced through the fog.

Yes—people climb to the summit, water rushes to the valley. He cultivated himself arduously, but what was he truly trying to gain? He merely longed to transform into a sharper blade, a clearer mirror, and a more complete self.

This idea is inherently open and honest. Once you've chosen this path, just keep forging ahead, regardless of how many thorns you have to cut through or how many bones and blood you have to trample along the way.

His jaw tightened, and he abruptly turned to look at Senior Shen Gongbao. His gaze was like tempered steel, so deep it could suppress the mountain wind.

"Senior, I've figured it out. What I've never wanted is empty power, nor is it lofty inscriptions of realm—what I want is simply a spine straighter than yesterday, and a soul clearer than before. People strive to rise higher, just as water flows downhill."

……

"You said that anyone who steps into the realm of spiritual practice, who doesn't have this flame burning in their heart? The desire to forge oneself into a stronger and brighter being—isn't that the most fundamental yearning?"

Shen Gongbao's expression froze for a moment, then he burst into laughter, the sound so loud it made the copper bells on the eaves hum. He had lived for a thousand years, and this was the first time he had ever heard a cultivator speak of "becoming better" with such sincerity and fervor.

"Excellent! Excellent lad! Truly remarkable! This level of understanding far surpasses that of 90% of cultivators—ordinary people would probably spend a hundred years trying to grasp this level of insight!"

Lin Daochen nodded slightly. He hadn't actually thought about it deeply; his thoughts were flowing like a spring, and his body had already decided on the direction before his mind. Now that he was on the road, why hesitate?

When he looked up again, there was no longer the slightest hesitation in his expression. The goal was right before him; the path was already etched into his very bones.

"Alright, the test is over. Now, we will hand over the key to the Integration Stage to you—come, push open that door."

Before the words were even finished, their robes fluttered, and a blinding golden light exploded forth, as if tearing open the curtain of heaven and earth. In that instant, a strange tremor came from the depths of Lin Daochen's dantian, like a frozen river thawing, like an ancient bell tolling for the first time.

boom!

A surge of immense power broke free from its shackles, and the realm of existence unfolded like a butterfly emerging from its cocoon—the feeling was akin to parched earth suddenly encountering spring thunder, or a dry riverbed bursting forth with clear, turbulent water.

"While the idea is unusual, you are now on the verge of reaching the Integration Stage. Don't worry about anything else; there's only one crucial thing: once you cross that threshold, how do you firmly embed this newly forged realm into your very bones and blood?"

"When a new realm is first entered, one's foundation will inevitably be as unstable as duckweed. If the mind is disordered, the backlash will be as sharp as a knife; if the vital energy collapses, calamity will strike in an instant—the slightest carelessness will lead to utter ruin."

Lin Daochen nodded in response, but his gaze was already fixed on the swirling, blazing white sphere of light in front of him. The center of the sphere shimmered faintly, as if it held the stirrings of another world.

He held his breath and approached slowly, his footsteps as light as if afraid to disturb a dream. The moment he stepped into the sphere of light, a scorching torrent, accompanied by a tearing sensation, rushed towards him, causing his jaw to chatter in pain.

The nine golden cores within his body suddenly spun wildly, bursting out with dazzling golden light, and then disintegrated inch by inch, melting into flowing flames—nine streams of raging fire were collapsing and merging towards the single core.

Cold sweat instantly soaked his back. His throat tightened: if the fusion was even slightly off, the golden core would dissipate, and his cultivation would be completely ruined... But at this moment, there was no one to ask, no one to help.

Should I turn back and ask for help? My fingertips trembled slightly—

Shen Gongbao and Jiang Ziya behind them shouted sharply, "What are you standing there for? Go in now! If you delay even half a breath, the opportunity will be gone! What are physical injuries? How can they compare to a leap in cultivation level?"

"Is there anything more important in the world than this moment?!"

Lin Daochen bit his tongue hard, the taste of blood filling his mouth. He knew, of course, that this leap would be like a thousand hammer blows to his bones; but if he took even half a step back, that door would be closed forever.

So he closed his eyes and let the nine blazing flames engulf him inch by inch.

If this drags on any longer, he might really be bursting into dust from overeating. However, Lin Daochen would never sit idly by and wait for misfortune to come knocking on his door—he never gambles his life on luck.

He straightened his back, and a ring of crystal-like light suddenly condensed around his body, like a golden bell covering him or a flowing star ring. He was completely different from ordinary cultivators: while others borrowed spiritual power and manipulated talismans, he could directly invoke the origin of the Great Dao.

That ray of light from the Great Dao, even when encountering a cataclysmic calamity, can forcefully tear open a gate of life, and even suppress and crush the threat itself.

Such terrifying power naturally terrifies people.

Fortunately, with this light protecting him, fear did not completely engulf him.

The golden elixir spun wildly within his abdomen, growing ever faster and faster, almost burning through his dantian. A blinding white light enveloped his entire body, instantly distorting, collapsing, and shattering his vision—mountains, rivers, houses, and the starry sky all vanished, even the concepts of "up," "down," "left," and "right" began to dissolve. He vaguely realized: he was no longer on Earth.

If I had to describe it, it would be like falling into a bottomless well, with swaying nothingness on all sides, unable to even draw back an echo, leaving only a bone-chilling cold.

Lin Daochen abruptly turned his head to scan his surroundings, his fingertips turning cold, his Adam's apple bobbing slightly—good heavens, this place is eerily gloomy! He didn't even dare to fully open his eyelids, afraid that he would see something he shouldn't if he did…

No, we can't afford to waste any more time. If we let ourselves drift aimlessly in this ball of light, we won't even be able to tell which way is which, and our chances of survival will be zero.

He gritted his teeth and forced himself to calm down, his mind racing. Just then, the surrounding chaos suddenly surged, and an extremely savage tearing force crashed down upon him!

It was so fast that there was no time to react!

If it weren't for the power of the Great Dao spontaneously forming a barrier to withstand the strangulation of this chaotic void, he would probably have already turned into a wisp of scattered remnant soul.

The ball of light finally dissipated. As soon as his mind cleared, a warm yet sharp light suddenly appeared before him—clear, calm, and carrying an undeniable sense of order.

So that's how it is... This is the power of the Great Dao. I wasn't wrong after all.

Lin Daochen stared at the light and slowly nodded.

Time is of the essence.

We must break this deadlock immediately! Continuing this stalemate will only turn us into dried-up corpses.

Outside the secret realm, Jiang Ziya and Shen Gongbao were already burning with anxiety. After Lin Daochen entered the real world, he disappeared without a trace, not even a flicker of his aura could be detected.

Shen Gongbao's face was ashen, and his sleeves were clenched so tightly they turned white. He knew better than anyone else: if there had been no movement after being inside for so long, they were most likely trapped in a dead end.

But Lin Daochen's skills were truly trustworthy.

"Senior brother, let's wait a little longer." His voice was strained. "If we rush in recklessly and cause the space to collapse, we might lock him inside forever... Then we won't be able to rescue him."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Ziya felt as if his heart had been squeezed: "The more you talk, the more uneasy I become! Opportunities can be found again, but life is only once—if the sky collapses, we can mend it; but if a person is gone, even ashes cannot be retrieved!"

Shen Gongbao sighed deeply, shook his head, and smiled bitterly: "Yes, if you're dead, what's the point of talking about reincarnation or the Great Dao? It's all empty talk."

"Alright, I'll listen to you, senior brother." He flipped his palm and produced an ancient bronze key. "Let's go! That brat Lin Daochen is probably gritting his teeth, waiting for us to kick down the door—if we're a step too late, we'll really only be able to collect his corpse."

This secret realm was personally refined by the two of them. It was full of wonderful encounters, but also fraught with danger at every turn.

Those dangers cannot be avoided by hard work or luck—the slightest carelessness will sever the karmic ties of three lifetimes, shatter the soul, and lead to eternal annihilation.

Just as they crushed the talisman and prepared to force their way in, Lin Daochen, deep within the secret realm, was already immersed in the torrent of chaos and light, quietly observing every tremor and every flicker of light.

The chaos before him churned and boiled, yet it was not violent; instead, it gently enveloped his Great Dao Light, as intimately as if they were reunited after a long separation.

He frowned slightly.

The scene was unexpected, yet strangely familiar—

Chaos, which has no spirit, bows and scrapes before him.

The answer is actually etched in our very bones: the light of the Great Dao is the source of all laws, the most primordial and unshakeable authority in the universe.

He had only grasped a fraction of the true meaning, yet his physical body and soul had already undergone a complete transformation. If he were to comprehend even a fraction more deeply, not only would these floating, uncertain chaotic lights before him be unable to harm him in the slightest, but even the three most violent primal forces in the world—the bone-corroding power of the Dark Abyss, the heart-burning power of the Holy Radiance, and the power of the Boundary that tears apart time and space—would be unable to harm him in the slightest.

Lin Daochen was still feeling strange and surprised by this sudden transformation, which caught him off guard. He was completely unaware that his predecessors Jiang Ziya and Shen Gongbao were rushing towards him. He was only immersed in the surging movement within his body, feeling relaxed and refreshed.

"Hahaha, at this rate, his cultivation is advancing by leaps and bounds; he'll probably be able to reach the Integration Stage in the blink of an eye!"

The golden cores were no longer stagnant, but rather intertwined and fused together like living things, faintly revealing the vast and magnificent aura of the Integration Realm.

Although it seemed abrupt on the surface, every step was actually perfectly executed and logical. Lin Daochen didn't think much of it, simply absorbing all the surging light of the Great Dao before him and in turn absorbing the chaotic light wandering around him.

Time flows silently, and wisps of light quietly swirl around him, enveloping him tightly, unable to let go.

Suddenly, a golden tornado swept down from the sky!