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

The three quickened their pace, hurrying along the edge of the broken walls and ruins. In the distance, the mountains were shrouded in darkness, their undulating outlines resembling the hunched backs of a colossal beast. Yang Kai's pupils suddenly contracted, his throat tightened, and he blurted out a low shout: "There are people ahead!"

Lin Daochen scanned the area with his divine sense, but detected no sign of life. His brows furrowed slightly, and his gaze, sharp as a blade, pierced the darkness ahead—only an impenetrable blackness remained. The Heavenly Water Immortal's fingertips felt cool as he frowned and asked softly, "An illusion?"

Yang Kai's eyes still held a cold glint, and his voice was extremely low: "I didn't detect any life, but the hairs on the back of my neck are standing on end. Let's go."

They took off running, pebbles shattering on the soles of their boots, their clothes scraping against charred wood and broken beams. The night grew darker, like ink spreading inch by inch across the sky and earth.

Suddenly, a whooshing sound ripped through the silence, as if hundreds of invisible arrows had grazed past their ears. Lin Daochen's divine sense exploded; he grabbed Tianshui Immortal with his left hand and forcefully seized Yang Kai's wrist with his right, sending the three figures flying back three zhang!

A shrill whistle whistled past, and several dark figures shot in from all directions, carrying a stench of blood and death. Yang Kai drew his longsword, its cold light cleaving through the darkness; the Heavenly Water Cactus's spiritual light surged, runes flew, and a net of silver light crashed into the dark figures.

"People from the Loose Cultivator Alliance!" A cold tide surged in Lin Daochen's eyes. His knuckles gripped his weapon tightly, and his figure was already like an arrow released from a bow, meeting the most ferocious attack.

Amidst the ruins, muffled explosions and the clash of weapons echoed. The Celestial Immortal spun to avoid a sinister claw, her sleeve torn in three places. Her voice was rapid yet steady: "They are the guardians of the formation—retreat!"

Yang Kai nodded, and the three of them suddenly burst into the air with a burst of spiritual light. A black shadow roared and chased after them, its sound like rust scraping against the stone wall.

They flew several miles before landing in a sheltered rocky hollow. Yang Kai's chest heaved violently as he gritted his teeth and said, "The henchmen of the Loose Cultivator Alliance... they've really bitten off more than they can chew this time."

Lin Daochen gazed in the direction of the ruins, the night wind ruffling the stray hairs on his forehead: "A direct assault is a dead end. Hide first, then devise a plan."

The Celestial Immortal nodded silently. The three of them used the jagged rocks for cover and found a half-collapsed grotto to rest in. As the night deepened, the hostility from the other side of the ruins clung to their hearts like poisonous vines—this ordeal was far more dangerous and arduous than they had anticipated. Just as they were holding their breath, a muffled thud suddenly came from the depths of the ruins, like a rotten coffin cracking open.

The three of them stood up abruptly, Lin Daochen's five fingers already gripping his weapon. At that moment, a beam of emerald light suddenly burst forth from the ancient corpse's dantian, as vibrant as a spring river rising, or a hibernating dragon opening its eyes.

With a ripple of green light, the ancient corpse's veins trembled slightly, and a bluish-green luster appeared beneath its withered skin, as if new shoots were sprouting from a thousand-year-old root.

Lin Daochen held onto the Spirit-Seeking Compass the whole time, the pointer on the compass remaining perfectly still—he was completely unaware of the strange changes behind him. He only knew that three powerful cultivators from the Loose Cultivator Alliance were approaching under the cover of night, and he had to find a hiding place before they could surround him.

They traversed five miles through broken walls and crumbling pillars, the chill intensifying with each passing moment, even their breath carrying the metallic smell of steel. With danger closing in from behind, they were forced to race against time to find the array diagram—the only key to survival. Lin Daochen understood perfectly: facing a powerful being of the Heavenly Sensing Realm at this moment was tantamount to throwing an egg against a rock; only concealment, patience, and speed remained.

Suddenly, his consciousness trembled, and he grabbed the two men's arms, rolling over into the shadow of the collapsed pillars. Where he had just stepped, a ball of emerald fire roared up, surging like boiling water, its eerie green flames licking the night sky.

In the darkness, the fire flickered like a ghostly eye, silent yet terrifying. The Heavenly Water Immortal gasped, taking a step back behind Lin Daochen, his fingertips icy cold. Yang Kai, however, stared at the fire, his expression calm: "It's not a ghost—the aura is wrong. It's a living 'Seal,' not a dead 'Fiend.'"

The azure flames hung silently in the air, while a chilling wind swept in. It neither attacked nor advanced, yet stood like a living boundary marker, blocking all paths. Lin Daochen squinted, observing closely; within the light swirled the oppressive force accumulated over time, the power of a restriction sealed for millennia.

"It's not an ordinary ghost... there's something pressing down on it." His voice was low and hoarse.

Yang Kai's jaw tightened, his gaze intense: "This force is like a lock, and also like a key. What are we afraid of? The more difficult the knot to untie, the more likely it is to be the thread we're looking for."

The Celestial Immortal drew her weapon with a backhand motion, the tip of the blade trembling slightly in the emerald light. Her voice was soft, but each word was firm: "No matter what is hidden, the path is here—let's move forward."

Lin Daochen nodded, his heart pounding with excitement, and immediately decided to break in and investigate—had the human sages secretly laid a trap? Yang Kai's blood was also surging, his eyes burning with desire, determined to see for himself the true form of the legendary sacred artifact that had suppressed all ages.

Despite the overwhelming pressure from all around, the two gritted their teeth and met the challenge head-on. Lin Daochen gripped the Spirit-Seeking Disc tightly with his five fingers, causing the disc to tremble slightly and shimmer with light patterns; the Heavenly Water Immortal stood tall, a cold glint surging in his eyes, his weapon taut and poised as if it were alive; Yang Kai, on the other hand, stood firmly in a horse stance, his back straight as an iron bow, his breathing deep and slow yet containing a hidden thunderous force.

The night was so dark it seemed impenetrable, and eerie green phosphorescent lights flickered and danced among the broken walls, sometimes bright and sometimes dim, yet they carried an ancient and chilling aura.

The Heavenly Immortal's eyes suddenly flashed with a fierce killing intent, unleashed without reservation. With a flick of her wrist, her weapon hissed through the air like a venomous python spitting its tongue, each move aimed straight for vital points. Lin Daochen, meanwhile, swiftly tapped his fingertips, causing the Spirit-Seeking Disc to hum and resonate, its light flowing like silk, precisely binding the enemy's movements, perfectly synchronized with her offense and defense, forming a seamless whole.

Meanwhile, several elders of the Loose Cultivator Alliance had already secured the edge of the killing formation, gathering their strength to break it. Although their hair was as white as frost and their muscles and bones were strong, the blood and qi within their bodies still surged like rivers.

Ancestor Fuyun roared, his golden blade cleaving through the air, tearing apart the dark clouds and causing the lightning snakes of the heavens to dance wildly, with lightning exploding everywhere; Ancestor Guang'an swung his scarlet giant hammer, and before the hammer even arrived, the earth had already cracked inch by inch, with rubble flying into the air—each strike made the void hum, as if it wanted to crush the entire ruins into dust.

The killing formation suddenly erupted, and the nine blood swords soared into the air and merged into one, transforming into a crimson rainbow that tore through the sky and slashed down towards the ancestors! Ancestor Mei's eyes flashed like lightning, and the pale golden array flag in his hand fluttered open. As the flag swirled, it forcefully grabbed three of the blood swords, deflecting most of their sharpness.

The Ancestor Guang'an grinned maliciously, sweeping his golden hammer horizontally. The hammer's wind was like a prison, firmly suppressing one of the swords, whose blade groaned incessantly. The other two ancestors did not hesitate either, each grabbing a sword, their palms splattering with blood as they forcefully suppressed it.

Old Master Mei's gaze was sharp as a blade. He originally intended to collect all the blood swords, but then he thought that the overall situation was more important.

She swiftly pinched her fingers, and the teleportation array beneath her feet suddenly lit up, sending several blood swords soaring into the air as if to escape. Unexpectedly, the Ancestor Guang'an was already on guard, and his crimson giant hammer crashed down, shattering the array patterns inch by inch. The blood swords were scattered in all directions, like crimson stars falling into the wilderness.

The air suddenly tightened. The palace where the Ancestor Guang'an resided was filled with a pungent stench and a thick fog of blood, as if one had stepped into a slaughterhouse. Seven ancient-robed corpses stood silently in the palace, long since devoid of life, yet still exuding an oppressive aura—the mark of their ascension to the pinnacle in life. Even though their souls had vanished, their remaining power could still shake heaven and earth.

"Guang An! You filthy old thief, how dare you destroy my teleportation array!" Old Ancestor Mei's voice was like tearing silk, and the rage in his eyes was so intense that it almost burned through the void.

The Ancestor of Guang'an scoffed, pointing his golden hammer diagonally, his expression full of mockery: "Granny Mei, you've schemed your whole life, and you still think you can fool me? These blood swords belong to Guang'an—whoever reaches out, I'll chop off their hand!"

The battle was fierce, with blood swords roaring and patriarchs shouting angrily, the sounds of metal clashing echoing endlessly. Patriarch Mei and Patriarch Guang'an fought with such intensity that sparks flew, battle flags swirled, golden hammers ripped through the air, and where the two forces clashed, space itself distorted like boiling water.

Lin Daochen's heart skipped a beat, realizing this was an opportunity not to be missed. He whispered, "Let's go! While they're locked in combat, let's get out of here quickly—we can't afford to get involved in this mess."

The Celestial Immortal gripped his weapon tightly, his gaze sweeping over the blood-soaked shadows. His fingertips trembled slightly before he finally loosened his grip. Yang Kai took a deep breath, his Adam's apple bobbing, his eyes now devoid of any hesitation: "Let's go! This game isn't ours."

The three turned and sped away, their figures disappearing into the thick darkness of the ruins. Just as their figures vanished, the old patriarch Guang'an's eyes flashed out of the corner of his eye, as if he had sensed something, but he only snorted coldly, then swung his hammer to fight again, never looking back.

In the heart of the ruins, towering walls and looming shadows cast shadows, while upturned eaves peek out from the night, exuding an indescribable sense of antiquity and grandeur. Unbeknownst to them, the three had already stepped into the core forbidden area, where the surrounding spiritual energy stirred restlessly, as if a beating heart lay buried beneath the earth.

The remains of seven sages stand silently—three elders with snow-white hair and beards, an old woman leaning on a cane, two youths with their hands behind their backs like pine trees, and a child with lowered eyes as if asleep. Though they have perished, their aura remains powerful, as if time has stood still, solely to protect a truth that has been buried for a thousand years.

Suddenly, a thunderous roar erupted! Thick, black chains, thicker than a man's waist, burst forth from the ground, piercing through the torsos of seven people with a clanging sound.

Yet their brows remained unfurrowed, their spines unbent, and they were enveloped in a solemn yet sorrowful holy radiance, so heavy it was suffocating.

Ancestor Fuyun and Ancestor Guang'an were still locked in fierce combat, their fists and palms flying as space collapsed and runes exploded in flames. Ancestor Mei stood at the center of the formation, his formation flags fluttering in the wind as he struggled to control several stolen blood swords, their surfaces now stained dark brown with blood. The entire ruins trembled with fear, a wave of killing intent washing over them, and a stench of blood filled the air.

Lin Daochen and Yang Kai felt a tightness in their chests, their blood surging. Lin Daochen summoned the Exquisite Pagoda with a backhand motion, its body suspended above their heads, cascading down strands of clear light, like a glass dome; Yang Kai stood in front, his weapon flashing with cold light, ready for battle.

Lin Daochen gazed at the seven remains, his heart burning—they were undoubtedly sages. But why were they bound here? And why had no one come to their rescue? What earth-shattering secret lay hidden behind these shackles?

He lowered his voice and said to Yang Kai, "These people are probably remnants of ancient sages, sharing the same origin as the strange forces lurking deep within these ruins. We must keep a close eye on the path we're on and make sure we don't get caught up in the storm they're stirring up."

Before the words were even finished, the small world suddenly shattered—seven streams of light poured into the boy's body like a long river flowing backward. He raised an eyebrow, his eyes clear and cold like the moon reflected in a cold pool, seemingly looking down upon all living beings and surveying the vast wilderness. A wisp of green light entered his body, and his eyes suddenly darted around, as fast as a phantom.

Lin Daochen and the Heavenly Water Immortal felt a chill run down their spines. The surging pressure from the depths of the Demon Cave roared like a giant beast, shaking their internal organs and causing their souls to tremble. The Heavenly Water Immortal's divine feather powers collapsed on the spot, and the illusory images of her wings peeled away inch by inch. She seemed to have fallen into an abyss of darkness, unable to even catch her breath.

Lin Daochen's heart skipped a beat, realizing that this place had once suppressed some ancient sacred artifact, but his cultivation was still too shallow for him to dare approach even a step closer. He slowly exhaled, his gaze as calm as iron: "The danger here lies not in its form, but in its power. We cannot touch the power emanating from that boy, but we must uncover the mystery."