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

"Alright! Since things have come to this point, it would be disrespectful to you two seniors to refuse now. I'll go and do it right away. But let me make this clear first—your disciple is incredibly skilled; do you expect us to subdue him one-on-one? I'm afraid we cannot comply. You said 'call for help'..."

"Then naturally we won't just invite one. Inviting a few more shouldn't be a problem, right? I imagine they'll just be a few extra dishes for your little apprentice."

Lin Daochen raised an eyebrow, a mocking sneer appearing on his lips. He never suffered in silence, and even if his cultivation level was ten times higher than the other party's, he would never be a fool to be manipulated.

Just as he was about to retort, Jiang Ziya suddenly grinned, a few sly wrinkles appearing at the corners of his eyes, and shouted loudly:

"Wait! If you're going to call in reinforcements, then call as many as you want! My little apprentice is quite skilled; we'll take as many as you bring—after all, they're all just stepping stones to their deaths, and it won't fill this place!"

Lin Daochen froze on the spot, his mind going blank. Good heavens, he'd just suffered a major setback, and now his two masters had teamed up to drag him into a fire pit. He helplessly turned his head to look at Shen Gongbao and Jiang Ziya, shaking his head with a wry smile:

"My two good masters, what are you doing? Aren't you afraid of causing me a catastrophe?"

"Do you know who's backing them? The Celestial Immortal of Tianshui! What if they really bring in a master of the same realm? How am I supposed to defend myself?"

Before he could finish speaking, Shen Gongbao had already raised his hand to cover his mouth, his shoulders slightly shrugged, and he couldn't help but laugh:

"My little disciple, you're too timid. A few nameless rogue cultivators, are they worth your worry? Go with peace of mind—your master will guarantee you're unharmed, and if you win, there's a generous reward, enough to exchange for three spirit swords and two batches of pills!"

Before he could finish speaking, Jiang Ziya flicked his sleeves, and a surge of overwhelming and unstoppable profound light burst forth, enveloping Lin Daochen like a tornado. Before Lin Daochen could even react, he was swept up by that force, soaring into the air and instantly tearing through the clouds before plunging into a vast expanse of white mist.

Looking around, all is vast and boundless. It feels as if one is treading on empty air. Above one's head, the sea of ​​clouds surges, and all around one's body are densely packed with people—cultivators are scattered like stars, layer upon layer, covering the sky.

Lin Daochen's heart trembled slightly: Is this a competition arena? Or a life-or-death arena? Looking around, he suddenly threw his head back and laughed loudly, his laughter clear and sharp. Then he raised his right arm, palm facing the sky, and assumed a fighting stance.

"You all arrived quickly! Now that you're here, I'm too lazy to dwell on past grievances—let's make this clear first: this battle is to determine who is superior and who dies. If you die by my hand, don't cry and beg for mercy, and don't blame me for being ruthless."

As soon as he finished speaking, his gaze suddenly darkened, his killing intent as sharp as a drawn blade, chilling and menacing. Wherever his gaze swept, everyone felt a chill run down their spines—as if the next moment would stain the sea of ​​clouds with blood.

Shen Gongbao and Jiang Ziya stood at a distance, their eyes meeting, and the corners of their mouths curled into meaningful smiles, but neither of them spoke out.

The white-robed elder's expression changed drastically, and beads of sweat rolled down his forehead. He clearly sensed the surging pressure within Lin Daochen's body—it was not an illusion, not a disguise! If it were to fully erupt, not only himself, but even his master, the Heavenly Water Immortal, would likely be overturned to the ground and cough up blood!

"This...this power is definitely not yours! Where did it come from? Stolen? Robbed? Or...borrowed?!"

His voice trembled, his teeth clenched, and in that instant—

A golden-red sword aura shot out from Lin Daochen's fingertip, like a crimson sun and a meteor cleaving through the sky, and swept past the white-robed old man's face, piercing straight into the clouds!

Before the densely packed cultivators could even catch a glimpse of him, the fierce attack struck like a thunderbolt—the leader choked, and his entire body crashed down like a kite with a broken string, tumbling down the slope, raising a high cloud of dust.

The white-robed elder's pupils constricted sharply, and the hairs on his back stood on end. At the critical moment, he twisted his body and retreated violently, narrowly avoiding the sharp edge. But what surged in his heart was not luck, but a bone-chilling shock: How could this be achieved by human power? How could a mortal body unleash such mountain-shattering power? His fingertips trembled, and all his spiritual power had already been exhausted. Even his protective light barrier was shattering inch by inch, yet he was still like a mantis trying to stop a chariot, with no room for maneuver.

Despair washed over him like ice water, freezing his limbs. And the monstrous sword energy, tearing through the sky, descended with immense force!

Logically, he should have had no chance of survival after that attack. But he was, after all, a direct disciple of the Heavenly Water Immortal, and his late-stage Golden Core cultivation was a significant advantage over Lin Daochen—the latter was only at the mid-stage Golden Core. Yet, despite the difference in their cultivation levels, their combat strength seemed to be separated by an insurmountable chasm. Lin Daochen crushed him with a lightness and indifference, more so than crushing a moth drawn to a flame.

He had long regarded Lin Daochen as a thorn in his side, and his jealousy and hatred were like poisonous vines entwining his heart. If given the chance to kill him, he would be the first to draw his sword. Unfortunately, Lin Daochen's sword was too sharp and his aura too overwhelming. He could not even get close to him. He could only look up at the other standing on the cloud, while he himself crawled in the dust, even his breathing was weak.

But his master, the Heavenly Water Immortal, was different—a powerful figure in the mid-stage of the Integration Realm, capable of suppressing an entire region with a mere wave of his hand. He was certain that Lin Daochen feared his master's authority, and was only putting on a brave face.

Time gnawed away at them, leaving them agonizingly anxious. Just as Lin Daochen was about to stop, a sudden change occurred!

Suddenly, golden light burst forth in the distant sky, and an ancient seal script talisman appeared out of thin air, flowing endlessly.

Lin Daochen frowned, his mind filled with doubt: Where did this talisman come from? He had never seen such patterns before! After he focused his attention and examined it closely, he realized the mystery—it was clearly a rare communication artifact, and someone was using it to secretly send a message, urging him to do something quickly.

"Oh……"

He shook his head slightly, a barely perceptible bitter smile appearing on his lips.

The scheme devised by Jiang Ziya and Shen Gongbao, ostensibly a battle on the snowy mountain, was in reality a ploy to force them to ascend the frigid peak to harvest the Snow Lotus Fruit. This fruit forms only once every ten thousand years, and consuming it can refine one's Ice Soul True Essence; for ice-type cultivators, it is comparable to a life-extending elixir.

If Lin Daochen were to obtain it, his cultivation might not skyrocket, but his foundation would certainly be solidified. If he were to trade it in the market, it would be worth more than a mountain of spirit stones—ordinary cultivators couldn't even exchange a single grain for their entire life savings. What's even more amazing is that if mortals were to consume it, it could prolong their lives, strengthen their foundation, nourish their meridians, and even subtly lower the threshold for comprehending the ice-type laws.

In the world of cultivation, the word "comprehension" carries immense weight. Once "enlightenment" is involved, even the most unruly cultivator will bow their heads and hold their breath—it is the only key to unlocking the door to the Great Dao. With comprehension, arduous cultivation becomes like spring rain nourishing the earth, accumulating day by day until success is achieved naturally.

At this moment, the cultivators had completely lost their composure, their eyes bloodshot, appearing as if they had gone mad. Everyone understood what the Snow Lotus Fruit meant, but facing Lin Daochen, even their courage to draw their swords trembled.

A group of people huddled behind jagged rocks, whispering and urgently discussing countermeasures.

"Brother, what should we do? We can't just stand by and watch him take the fruit, can we?"

The younger generation looked worried, their clenched fists sweating – everyone wanted to snatch that snow lotus fruit, but reality was cruel: they couldn't even touch the hem of Lin Daochen's clothes.

With Jiang Ziya and Shen Gongbao still holding the line, the situation was even more uncertain. The faces of the men were drained of color, their eyes vacant, as if their souls had been ripped from their bodies—in their eyes, the mission was already a dead end, and continuing to drag it out was merely waiting for a dignified defeat.

Before he could finish speaking, the white-robed old man suddenly grinned and let out a series of short, sharp, eerie laughs: "Giggle, giggle, giggle!"

"Gentlemen, have you already decided that we are doomed to defeat?" His voice wasn't loud, but it pierced our ears like iron nails. "You're wrong! Not only have we not lost, but victory is right before our eyes!"

"Just hold your breath and wait, don't move or speak recklessly. After a while, listen to my command. Wherever I point, you will attack, without missing a single step—victory will be yours soon."

Before he finished speaking, he had already leaped up and deliberately entered this chaotic space. The surrounding chaos surged and he lost all sense of direction, but he could clearly sense that Jiang Ziya and Lin Daochen were inside; and Shen Gongbao... that old fox who was used to hiding in the shadows and devouring light, was probably curled up in the dark, squinting at them, waiting for an opportunity to tear open a gap.

He suddenly clasped his hands in a respectful bow towards the four corners of the void, his movements swift and decisive. Then he sneered, "Senior, stop hiding! You've chosen the wrong person to try and fool this junior with such sinister illusions—this trick won't work on me. It might work on others, but on me? Ha, you'd better try it on someone else."

Before he finished speaking, he had already leaped into the air and rushed straight into the distant void.

The space was incredibly strange. As soon as his toes left the ground, his body floated up as lightly as a kite with a broken string, without any hesitation.

A cold glint appeared on his lips—just as he expected. There was no real space here at all; it was all a maze of illusions, completely fake. If it weren't for that leap that defied common sense, he probably would have remained in the dark for much longer.

Upon seeing this, the cultivators on the other side immediately erupted in uproar:

"No way? This is really weird! This is outrageous! I'd rather go back to chopping wood than get involved in this mess!"

"Sigh... Even a senior has stumbled here? It's not surprising—Lin Daochen is an anomaly. No matter how strong your cultivation is, you're bound to lose your composure when you encounter him. Everyone, hold on and wait and see. Perhaps things will take a turn for the better."

But nobody believed them. Everyone had only one thought in their minds: Win? They'd already given up hope. To stubbornly persist now was simply courting disaster.

Above the clouds, Jiang Ziya and Shen Gongbao stood side by side, looking down at the commotion below.

Jiang Ziya stroked his beard and chuckled, "See? These people don't even need us to lift a finger. Just put the word 'difficult' right under their noses, and their spirits will crumble, their bones will soften."

Shen Gongbao glanced at him sideways and chuckled, "You're quite clever, kid, to have come up with this plan. But what's the next step? Are you really going to force them to fight you to the death? That's not a good idea."

Jiang Ziya was gentle and kind, but Shen Gongbao just shook his head and smiled – gentleness is good, but the world is dangerous. Sometimes, if you are not ruthless and hard-hearted, you can't even stand firm and will be trampled into the mud sooner or later.

"Um."

Lin Daochen stood in the illusory realm beneath the clouds, hearing every word clearly. His brow twitched slightly, and he couldn't help but smile wryly: Shen Gongbao was actually teaching Jiang Ziya these tricks right to his face? He really was just like Shen Gongbao. But what kind of person was Jiang Ziya? How could he be allowed to learn such wickedness?

He shook his head and spoke loudly, his tone calm yet unyielding:

"Master, please forgive my master. He has never been involved in any trouble, nor has he ever done anything wrong. Teaching him like this is not only making things difficult for him, but also breaking his spirit."

Shen Gongbao's lips twitched, and he waved his hand in annoyance: "Alright, alright, you're so troublesome! I'm too lazy to argue with you—since you're unwilling to do it yourself, then do me a favor: go and set up this game of chess correctly."

"Oh? There's such a turning point? Master, please tell me quickly! My heart is in my throat, what do you want me to do?"

Shen Gongbao grinned, his eyes narrowing, and he put on his usual cunning expression. Lin Daochen recognized him immediately—oh no, he knew that expression all too well; it was clearly a prelude to him setting a trap.

"My dear disciple, come closer, I have a few important words to tell you."

Just looking at Shen Gongbao's forced smile, Lin Daochen's heart skipped a beat: nothing good could come of it. Otherwise, why would he need to be so mysterious and put on airs?

Sure enough, as soon as he stood still, Shen Gongbao lowered his voice, leaned close to his ear, and uttered a light but chilling sentence—

"Good apprentice, to succeed you must be ruthless and hard-hearted. This time I'm giving you a task: See that old man in white robes over there? He has a fatal flaw hidden in him."

"Oh? There really is a flaw? Master, please explain in detail!"

Lin Daochen initially thought Shen Gongbao was going to use some underhanded tricks again, and he was quite worried. But when he heard that it was about targeting the opponent's weaknesses, he breathed a sigh of relief. This was not outrageous. On the battlefield, the key is to play to your strengths and avoid your weaknesses and attack the enemy when they are unprepared. There are no strict rules and regulations.

But the next second, he wanted to cover his ears and turn around and leave.