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

"Open your eyes and see clearly—those are not wild monkeys. The black aura surrounding them is so thick it's impossible to dissipate; they've long been corroded by demons, their very bones and souls utterly mutated. In terms of combat power alone, any one of them would be enough to give a Golden Core cultivator a run for their money."

He dared not act rashly. After all, he was only at the Golden Core stage, and in this world, he couldn't even fathom the opponent's true strength. If it were just two or three demonic monkeys, he could still manage; but looking up, the entire Flower Fruit Mountain was layered upon layered, with at least hundreds of thousands of scarlet eyes scanning him intently.

Upon hearing this, Pigsy scratched his ear and grinned, "Hey! Luckily, the Snow Goddess gave me timely advice. Otherwise, I would have already roared and charged in—these monkeys don't look like much at all."

Nonsense! He's a seasoned veteran at the Celestial Immortal level, why would he take this little show of force seriously?

Without further delay, the two, wrapped in their protective shields, quietly glided past the Demon Monkey's outpost and stealthily entered the Water Curtain Cave.

The cave was shrouded in mist, and on a stone bed, a monkey was lazily dozing. Upon seeing this, Pigsy's anger flared instantly. He flung open the cover and rushed out, his nine-toothed rake pointed directly at the monkey's nose: "You damned monkey! Hand over the man! Where have you hidden my eldest brother? If you don't tell the truth today, believe me, I'll crack your skull open with this rake and use it to make soup for the dogs!"

Caught off guard, the fake monkey's hair stood on end, and it sprang off the stone chair with a "whoosh," its voice cracking: "Help! Enemy attack! Stop him!"

Pigsy, enraged, brandished his rake, ready to smash it: "Scream? Screaming won't do any good! I'll tear this hole upside down today!"

Before he could finish speaking, the demonic monkeys outside the cave surged in like a black tide, their spears like a forest, gleaming coldly, and in the blink of an eye, they surrounded him completely.

He froze, then subconsciously turned his head to look at where Lin Daochen was hiding, his eyes filled with pleading, "Please save me."

Lin Daochen slowly waved his hand, signaling him not to reveal his location.

The next moment, Pigsy was bound up with his arms behind his back by seven or eight demon monkeys, tied like a dumpling, and thrown into a large iron pot that had just been heated.

"Good brother! Good king! Spare me! I really didn't mean it! Please be magnanimous and spare my life!" He shouted until his voice was hoarse, and tears welled up in his eyes on the edge of the pot.

The fake monkey, legs crossed, leaned back on the stone chair, toying with a replica of a magic cudgel, a smirk playing on its lips: "Keep yelling! Let's see how long you can howl!"

Lin Daochen hid inside the cover and observed the situation. Suddenly, a demonic monkey rushed in and whispered in his ear, "The vanguard of the White Dragon and the Bull Demon King has arrived outside the door, and they are beating drums to attack the mountain!" The fake monkey waved its hand, and all the demonic monkeys in the cave came out and were sent to the cave entrance.

Suddenly, only three people remained inside the Water Curtain Cave.

Lin Daochen suddenly closed the shield, silently gliding behind the fake monkey with his toes touching the ground. His right hand reached into his storage bag, and a flash of cold light appeared—a blood-quenched ice blade was already pressed against the other party's carotid artery.

The blade trembled slightly, and the fake monkey immediately revealed its true form.

"Your Majesty, do not move rashly." Lin Daochen's voice was icy. "This blade was taken from the spine of the Ice Demon Dragon and soaked in the venom of the Ten Thousand Spider King. Even if it only scratches the skin, even a god would find it difficult to prolong life—even if the Buddha himself came or the Victorious Fighting Buddha himself arrived, he would still be powerless to save it."

The fake monkey, its face ashen, stammered out the truth: "...He was in the water dungeon of the Dragon Palace in the South China Sea."

Upon hearing this, Pigsy roared and pounced forward, his fist slamming into the fake monkey's face with a whooshing sound.

His eyes were red and his voice was choked: "Senior Brother is most afraid of water! You actually locked him at the bottom of the sea for a thousand years?! Do you have no heart?!" If Lin Daochen hadn't grabbed his wrist, the nine-toothed rake would have shattered the fake monkey's skull.

"Speak! Who sent you!" Lin Daochen's knife tip dipped, the cold blade almost slicing open the fake monkey's throat as he coldly demanded.

The fake monkey clenched its teeth, remaining silent. Suddenly, a foul, putrid stench assaulted Lin Daochen's face—the smell burned his eyelids like molten iron, and he instinctively closed his eyes and retreated. In that instant, the fake monkey's form vanished, turning into a wisp of black smoke-like rock dust, disappearing without a trace from the entrance of the Water Curtain Cave.

Pigsy raised his leg to give chase, but Lin Daochen stopped him with a hand: "We can't worry about him now! Save the people first—Sun Wukong is still imprisoned!"

The two of them, their feet barely touching the ground, headed straight for the Dragon Palace of the South Sea. The Dragon King had already seen the surging clouds and murderous aura, and knew their intentions. He simply nodded slightly and did not stop them.

Pigsy burst through the palace gates and rushed into the water prison, cutting through the waves all the way, until finally, in the darkest depths of the prisoner's heart, he saw Sun Wukong nailed to the black iron pillar.

The once leaping, thunderous, and piercingly sharp-eyed Monkey King now droops his head and cowers, his fur dull and matted, several scabs hardened into clumps, covered with grime and dark brown stains. His once majestic tiger-skin skirt is now soaked in scarlet, wrinkled and clinging to his hunched frame, devoid of any former glory.

"Senior Brother—!"

Pigsy roared. Sun Wukong's eyelids trembled slightly, and he slowly opened them. His gaze was cloudy but suddenly brightened, and when it fell on Pigsy's face, it was like a spark splashing into a dry well.

"……fool."

Before the words were even finished, Pigsy pounced forward like an arrow, his nine-toothed rake forcefully prying at the chain. With several crisp clangs, the iron ring snapped. Without support, Monkey King slumped limply against the pillar, reduced to nothing but skin and bones, as light and airy as the last withered leaf of late autumn.

Pigsy caught him steadily with both arms and held him tightly in his embrace. Hot tears fell uncontrollably onto the Monkey King's forehead, eyebrows, and nose, one after another, scalding hot.

Sun Wukong forced a smile, raised his trembling hand, and used his thumb to wipe the tears from Bajie's eyes: "Idiot... stop crying, I'm not completely cold yet!"

Lin Daochen watched coldly from the sidelines, but finally couldn't hold back any longer. He stepped forward, grabbed Sun Wukong's wrist, and pressed his pulse with three fingers.

His brow furrowed sharply: "So ruthless?"

"What's wrong? What happened?" Pigsy's voice trembled.

"His bones were completely ripped out, and his meridians were severed." Lin Daochen's voice was low and hoarse. "The fact that he can still breathe with his eyes open shows that his life is as tough as iron."

Pigsy froze on the spot, his mouth agape, forgetting even to breathe, staring intently at the ashen face in his arms, tears welling in his eyes, unable to move.

After a long while, he suddenly bent down and picked up Sun Wukong, his movements as practiced as if they had just met yesterday in Gao Village.

"Eldest brother, don't be afraid, Old Pig will take you home. Back to Gao Village, we'll slowly raise you, we'll find a way—you are the Victorious Fighting Buddha, the Great Sage Equal to Heaven who overturned the Lingxiao Palace..." As he spoke, his voice grew weaker and weaker, the last syllable almost fading into the air.

Lin Daochen's throat tightened, and he raised his hand to pat Bajie's shoulder heavily: "Let's go first. Don't panic, I have a plan—it might not be hopeless."

The three hurried back to Gao Village. Pigsy gently placed Sun Wukong on the bed, his two large, fan-like hands gripping Sun Wukong's withered wrists tightly, his knuckles white, refusing to loosen his grip even slightly.

Lin Daochen took out the alchemy furnace from his storage bag. The furnace was slightly cool, reflecting the sunlight streaming through the window. "There's only one way now—to rebuild my spiritual bones and reconnect my tendons. But... the chance of survival is less than ten percent."

"Try! Try it! Even if it doesn't work, this world is so vast, I, Old Pig, will traverse mountains and seas to find you a second path!"

Lin Daochen nodded, his gaze sharpening: "Do you have ginseng fruit? Let me feed you one first."

Pigsy pulled a fruit from his waistband with a "whoosh," holding it higher than a lamp: "Here! I swiped it from Zhen Yuanzi yesterday, untouched! Brother Monkey, swallow it quickly!"

Sun Wukong's eyelids drooped: "...Did you pull this lousy fruit out of your crotch?"

"Oh my great Sage! You're still picking and choosing where to go? Open your mouth!" Pigsy shoved it into his mouth without saying a word.

Sun Wukong had no choice but to swallow it.

Lin Daochen took out the Qiankun Cover from his sleeve, clasped his hands together, and crushed it with a "crack," the powder falling into the furnace.

He stared at the grayish-white fragments, his heart skipped a beat—this thing was just as rare as Wang Sanpang's compass!

He gritted his teeth and decided to go all out.

The spiritual bones are complete. The ginseng fruit's medicinal power is at its peak; now, only fusion remains.

He had only intended to try his luck—but to his surprise, it actually worked. Even more strangely, it seemed as if an invisible force was supporting the furnace fire and stabilizing his pulse, helping him to gradually break through the barrier of the Golden Immortal's body.

If he were to rely solely on himself, let alone rebuild it, he would find it difficult to even get close to that mutilated body!

The pain of bone melting is excruciating.

Sun Wukong kept his eyes closed, his jaw clenched so tightly he didn't utter a sound.

A full day and night passed, and the dazzling golden light finally dissipated. Sun Wukong stepped out of the alchemy furnace, walking step by step along the charred furnace wall.

Pigsy was the first to rush forward, his voice trembling: "Brother Monkey! Is it done yet?"

At this moment, Sun Wukong had already undergone a complete transformation—his eyebrows were slightly raised, his lips were slightly upturned, and his smile contained three parts coldness and seven parts ferocity: "It's time to settle old scores!" Before he finished speaking, the sky suddenly churned, and crimson clouds were splashed like blood, as if the catastrophe that burned down the celestial palace 1,500 years ago was being reenacted.

This time, however, it is no longer the Great Sage Equaling Heaven who is stirring up trouble in the Three Realms.

Instead, it was the Victorious Fighting Buddha who quelled the bloodbath at Mount Ling.

Lin Daochen stared at the empty furnace opening, his brows furrowed: What exactly is this trial testing?

Where is the key to pass through hidden?

The monkey had already swallowed all the golden pills, yet its aura remained completely unchanged, and its cultivation level remained stagnant.

Could it be... that there is a hidden threshold that I have never reached?

Just then, he suddenly noticed a strange faint light emanating from inside the alchemy furnace.

Upon closer inspection, a jade bottle lay quietly inside—a hundred golden pills gleamed brightly, their entire surface gilded, with what appeared to be dragon patterns moving about them.

Upon uncorking the bottle, Lin Daochen smelled a delicate fragrance, and immediately felt as if his internal organs were being battered by a giant wave, his bones and muscles were about to crack, and his blood was surging like boiling water!

What potent medicinal power! Without a doubt, this must have been left by Sun Wukong himself.

In an instant, the boundary between reality and illusion collapsed. Lin Daochen was shocked and looked around blankly—the mountains and rivers swayed, the grass and trees floated, and even the bluestone under his feet rippled.

He gripped the jade bottle tightly, found a secluded mountain cave, set up a nine-layered sealing array, and sat cross-legged in meditation.

Spiritual energy surged into him like a tidal wave from all his orifices, severing all distracting thoughts. He could clearly sense every inch of his flesh and blood taut, stretched, and reshaped, as if a piece of black iron, forged a thousand times, was being repeatedly tempered by a raging fire. He tilted his head back and swallowed a Nine-Turn Golden Pill.

boom--!

The medicinal power exploded, but instead of lying dormant, it transformed into countless torrents, rushing straight to the limbs and bones, tearing at the meridians and grinding the bones!

Caught off guard, he could only grit his teeth and endure the torrent as it washed over his flesh and cleansed his internal organs time and time again.

Unaware of the changing seasons, unaware of the withering of mountain flowers, a century passed in the blink of an eye. Dust accumulated in the cave, covering his entire body, layer upon layer, eventually coalescing into a simple, grayish-brown "dust garment."

This was the first sign of the golden pill being forged. After the medicinal effects had completely subsided, he swallowed the second pill without hesitation—his physical body became even stronger than refined steel, but the medicinal power quietly diminished by a fraction.

Lin Daochen suddenly opened his eyes after the entire gourd of golden pills had been swallowed.

With a slight lift of his fingertips, the rock face before him silently crumbled into dust; before the rubble could fall, it had already turned to ash.

Such pure physical power was dazzling and mesmerizing. Even more astonishing was that, without activating any magical artifacts or relying on any incantations, he could already soar through the clouds and shrink the earth to an inch. Looking inward at himself, his spiritual platform was clear and his foundation in the Dao was solid—he had clearly already reached the level of a Celestial Immortal!

In a short period of seclusion, he went from an unknown Foundation Establishment cultivator to a high-ranking immortal.

His cultivation level soared, and his state of mind transformed accordingly. He lowered his eyes and stared at his hands, where starlight seemed to flow between the lines on his palms, but a lingering doubt remained in his heart: Was all of this really not just a long dream?

Once his physical body and spiritual consciousness were both tamed and at his command, Lin Daochen stepped into the mortal world to gain experience.

He once donned a Taoist robe and wielded a peach wood sword to slay all the snake demons and ghosts that plagued the village; he also once donned scales and armor to occupy a mountain and become king, fighting against heavenly soldiers on the cloud peaks; and he even once drank wine and made friends with mountain spirits, calling each other brothers and sleeping drunk in the pine breeze.

Centuries have passed in the blink of an eye, and his appearance remains unchanged; he is still the same old Taoist priest with gray hair and beard, yet time has not etched even a faint mark on his face.

Lin Daochen exhaled a long breath and looked around. His mind was as clear and transparent as a mirror reflecting the moon—he was finally convinced that the mountains and rivers before him were all an illusion.

After all the paths he had to walk, the people he had to meet, and the causes and effects he had to resolve had been settled, he slowly raised his head and looked up at the sky.

A holy white light suddenly burst forth from the depths of his left pupil.

Wherever the light reached, the void cracked inch by inch, the earth crumbled like thin ice, mountains collapsed, and rivers hung upside down.