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

Instead of retreating, Yang Kai advanced, slashing diagonally with his sword, the sword energy shooting several meters, forcing his opponent to stagger backward. This strike was so powerful it penetrated to the bone, and a deep, bone-revealing gash immediately appeared on the left shoulder of the dummy.

Strangely, as soon as the wound reopened, the other party felt no pain. Instead, he roared and attacked even more fiercely, faster, and more frantically!

Yang Kai's pupils contracted, and he decisively withdrew swiftly—a single blow would cripple him, if not kill him. The situation was still unclear; he couldn't afford to fall into the hands of this imposter.

While the two were locked in a life-or-death struggle with their swords drawn, the real Lin Daochen had already stepped into the palace.

As soon as he reached the doorstep, two furry, strange rabbits darted out from the crack in the door, hopping and tilting their heads as they stared at him.

Lin Daochen initially didn't know the details of the two rabbits, but he instinctively tensed up. With a flick of his sleeve, a sharp gust of wind suddenly burst forth, violently sending them flying. His gaze was like lightning, piercing straight at the tightly closed vermilion gate of the palace.

Interesting—this situation seems like a test. Since they're targeting me, they shouldn't be sending such a weak puppet to appease me. This dismissive attitude only reveals their lack of confidence.

With a flick of his wrist, another gust of wind rose from his palm. The two rabbits, before they could even screech, were sent flying like kites with broken strings, crashing against the stone steps and trembling. Lin Daochen understood perfectly: the rabbits' sudden appearance meant the people in the hall already knew he was there. Dragging things out would only give them ammunition; now, the only option was to go all in and force his way through!

Before he finished speaking, he had already taken a step forward, and his right palm, imbued with the force of thunder, slammed into the door—with a deafening roar, the entire door panel shattered into dust, wood chips mixed with gold paint scattered everywhere, and even the door frame cracked inch by inch.

Almost the instant the dust rose, a burst of hearty laughter erupted from inside the hall: "Hahaha! Brilliant! I never expected you to make it all the way here! Lin Daochen, we have no connection whatsoever, why have you repeatedly thwarted my grand plans?"

"The sky won't fall if you don't interfere in matters of the underworld; why do you insist on meddling? What's your purpose?"

Lin Daochen squinted and saw a hazy figure standing deep within the hall, like smoke or mist, yet firmly rooted to the spot, coldly scrutinizing him. Although his face was unclear, this person was most likely the master of this palace.

A thought flashed through his mind: Could it be that behind each of those thousands of entrances, there was a shadow like this?

The thought had barely formed in his mind when he took a step closer. But just as his toes left the ground, a piercing shriek suddenly rang out behind him! Lin Daochen felt a chill run down his spine and dodged to the side—two purplish-red afterimages grazed past his ears, and a foul stench swept over him.

A quick glance back revealed two rabbits baring their teeth and charging towards them! Their fur gleamed with an eerie dark light, leaving trails of afterimages behind them, moving so fast that only faint traces remained, each move aimed straight for vital points.

Lin Daochen slightly raised his fingertip, and a cyan light shield instantly materialized. But just as the shield's light appeared, the figure in the hall also moved—with a flick of his sleeve, several black rays pierced through the air and arrived!

Caught between two attacks! He had no choice but to retreat hastily, but the more he retreated, the more the rabbits chased after him; just as he turned to attack the man, the rabbits transformed into two streaks of blood-red light, spinning rapidly along the ground and biting his retreat route.

They advanced and retreated, they retreated and attacked, their movements intertwined tightly. Lin Daochen simply ignored them, his eyes fixed on the figure—the Qingfeng Line hummed and burst forth in his palm, its silver light tearing through the air, actually creating several spiderweb-like spatial rifts in mid-air!

He raised an eyebrow: This world is so fragile? How can an ordinary realm be so easily torn apart? It seems that whoever set up this formation was just bluffing.

He pressed a sneer to his lips, and his hands formed a seal—a barrier shimmering with a faint blue light silently unfolded. This was his unique domain, honed over many years; once unleashed, all things were under its control.

The moment the energy stirred, the surrounding spiritual energy surged forth like a tide, all bowing in submission. Before the figure could even raise a hand, he was already uncontrollably lifted off the ground, flying straight towards Lin Daochen!

"Damn it! Lin Daochen... you actually had such tricks up your sleeve? That lord clearly said you were nothing but a good-for-nothing! You lied to me! You were all fucking lying to me!"

She gritted her teeth, her anger surging—if he were truly left to face Lin Daochen alone in his current state, he would likely be reduced to ashes. That was why he was certain that the man had lied to him. But it was too late for regrets now.

Lin Daochen has already appeared, and the battle has begun. Even if he is thinking of retreating at this moment, Lin Daochen will never stop—after all, he made the first move.

But he was still unwilling to give up and wanted to fight for a way to survive.

"Lin Daochen! I was instructed to intercept you—if you're willing to stop, we can make peace. Continuing to fight will only result in mutual destruction, benefiting the hidden master behind it all."

Lin Daochen's eyes flickered slightly, a thought flashing through his mind: Who exactly is behind this? This place is riddled with thousands of entrances, and behind each one, there are likely hidden dangers. Yang Kai is probably also trapped in a perilous situation.

However, before he could get there, he had to find out who was pulling the strings behind the scenes—the Celestial Immortal was indeed involved, but not all of the pawns were necessarily placed by him personally.

"Tell me everything you know: who sent you? What task did you give you? Don't leave out a single word, and I'll let you go."

Before he finished speaking, the oppressive aura of the domain that had been suffocating the palace master subtly eased slightly. His chest relaxed, his throat burned, and cold sweat soaked his back—Lin Daochen was truly intending to spare his life.

Having already given his word, he no longer hesitated, nodded heavily, and began to speak fluently, like beans pouring from a bamboo tube:

"To be honest, someone had their eye on my bottleneck—I'd been stuck at the mid-Nascent Soul stage for years, unable to make any progress. That person came knocking, promising a large amount of spiritual marrow, ancient pills, and rare treasures to help me break through… but he didn't mention a single thing about how strong you are!"

"I've heard of your name before—Lin Daochen! You condensed nine primordial spirits at the Golden Core stage, stepping into the legendary 'Nine Heavens' realm. Those who can cultivate to such a level are either extraordinary geniuses or unparalleled figures, one in ten thousand."

"I did not want to be your enemy, but they specifically asked me to take action—if I dared to refuse, I would die on the spot. I... am truly forced into this situation, and I hope you will show mercy."

Lin Daochen shook his head as he listened. Everyone was crying foul, everyone was protesting their innocence, so who was the one who voluntarily drew the knife? He sneered: Whether it was voluntary or coerced, since the knife was already drawn, they were mortal enemies.

"I don't care whether you came on your knees or were carried here. Now that you're standing opposite me, you're the enemy. If you can provide clues, I might spare your life; but if you hide anything, or even try to turn the tables on me—I'm sorry, I can only send you to your death."

The man's legs buckled, and he collapsed to his knees with a thud, his face ashen. He tried to unleash three spells in succession, but they were like mud oxen sinking into the sea, yielding no response. He finally understood: Lin Daochen's domain was a truly absolute forbidden zone that crushed everything—he couldn't even muster a trace of spiritual energy here, leaving him completely unarmed. What chance did he have of winning?

Lin Daochen had already sensed his hidden power gathering; that submissive demeanor was merely a smokescreen. If his domain hadn't tightly locked his meridians, this man would likely have already unleashed his killing move. Lin Daochen kept his eyes fixed on him, not letting his guard down for a moment.

"Stop trying to play tricks. There's only one way out—now, go and rescue my apprentice Yang Kai immediately. His breathing has suddenly weakened, and he's clearly in danger. Also, explain the situation here clearly: what I just saw were thousands upon thousands of entrances."

"Right now, I'm not sure which door to take, but since you've shown yourself, don't blame me for being ruthless—if you don't help me, you might not even have a chance to breathe. Think it over carefully, whose offer is more worthwhile right now? Besides, the reward I promise you might not be any less than what they're offering."

He was taken aback for a moment upon hearing this, then threw his head back and laughed heartily, a laugh tinged with self-mockery: "Indeed! He has cultivated diligently for a hundred years, all for the sake of taking a step higher, breaking through to a higher realm in an instant. What they can give, Lin Daochen may be able to give as well; why should he cling to the thought of 'whom to help,' only confusing himself instead?"

"Hahaha... I'm so ashamed! I actually got stuck in a rut—it's profitable no matter which way I go, so why bother deciding which side to take? Alright, I'll go look after the small map for you now! But before I leave, I'll give you something, you'll understand once you see it."

Before he finished speaking, he raised his hand and tossed out a greenish bamboo scroll, which flew straight toward Lin Daochen. Lin Daochen caught it, and the moment his fingertips touched the scroll, the entire terrain map surged into his mind like living water.

It was indeed a detailed map—the mountains, waterways, and illusory nodes of this labyrinthine realm were all clearly visible. Lin Daochen's heart lit up: this must be a small world created by the Heavenly Water Immortal, who gathered a group of umbrella-wielding immortals to work together. Their cultivation was limited, so the space they created was naturally thin, barely enough for mortal cultivators to practice their breathing techniques. But for him, it was like walking on thin ice—with the slightest exertion of power, the entire world would crack open. That's why he had been holding his breath and using his protective techniques the whole time, not even daring to lift his sleeves slightly.

There's no time to worry about that now. The most urgent thing is to make this person completely submit and willingly protect Yang Kai.

"I know you've already acknowledged me as your master, but the rules can't be broken—I need to let you see my methods firsthand so you won't have any second thoughts in the future."

As soon as he finished speaking, Lin Daochen lightly raised his five fingers, and his spiritual domain surged suddenly. An invisible pressure crashed down. The man's spiritual light was extinguished, and his century of arduous cultivation collapsed like a sandcastle, instantly returning him to his mortal state.

He froze on the spot, his face deathly pale, his pupils shrinking sharply—this wasn't suppression, it was blatant erasure! Before he could even muster a thought of resistance, a chill ran through his very bones. His knees buckled, and he collapsed to his knees with a thud, his forehead touching the ground, his voice trembling: "Your Majesty! Between us lies an insurmountable chasm. If you would spare my life, I would never dare harbor the slightest disloyalty—you could simply lift a finger, and I would vanish into nothingness."

Lin Daochen nodded, his sleeves fluttering slightly. The man, as if granted a pardon, turned and retreated swiftly, disappearing into the depths of the mist in a few leaps.

As for whether he would betray him, Lin Daochen didn't care at all. When he was rolling up the scroll just now, he had already quietly planted a bone-corroding curse mark on the other party's heart—as long as he dared to have any evil thoughts, Lin Daochen only needed to think of it, and he would explode into a cloud of blood mist on the spot.

Watching that figure disappear into the distance, Lin Daochen lowered his eyes and scanned the map in his mind with his divine sense: the path was clear, and the maze could be broken.

Those hundreds of doors, seemingly numerous and complex, were actually all illusions leading to the same entrance. No matter which door one chose to step through, they would eventually arrive at the same set of stone steps. It was only because an illusionary barrier had been set up here to isolate their auras that he and Yang Kai were so close yet could not find each other. In the end, this entire maze was nothing more than a dazzling veil.

With just a slight tremor, the space shattered like glass, and Yang Kai's figure instantly appeared before him.

But he didn't rush to find him. The pair of eyes above him, which had been watching for so long, were the key to breaking the deadlock—that person was the creator of this world. Capture him, and the exit will naturally open.

Lin Daochen slowly raised his head and looked up at the night sky.

Sure enough, two moons hung in the sky, both strangely oval in shape, with slightly distorted edges, as if they had been pinched flat by someone's fingers.

The moon is usually either full or crescent-shaped; I've never seen it elongated and distorted like this before. There must be something fishy going on.

Lin Daochen ignored him, leaped into the air, and shot towards the sky like an arrow. Just as he took off, the oval moon in the sky suddenly swelled and became perfectly round, and spiderweb-like red cracks appeared on its surface, like a blood-red eye that suddenly opened wide.