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

As soon as Lin Daochen finished speaking, he immediately sat cross-legged and used his fingertips to draw array patterns on the ground in front of him. It was not an ordinary array, but the "Heavenly Pivot Spirit Locking Array" with star orbits as its bones and sword intent as its tendons. Once the array was completed, he would confront the old immortal Kunlun head-on.

Yang Kai didn't hesitate at all. Seeing Lin Daochen make his move, his eyes sharpened, and he turned and sped towards the depths of the dense forest of Kunlun Mountain, his robes fluttering and gravel flying beneath his feet. This bet was tied to that black iron flag: whoever planted the flag on the summit of Kunlun first would have their trial counted immediately. At that time, all the opportunities promised by the Old Immortal of Kunlun—cultivation techniques, pill formulas, and even the Azure Phoenix Sword sealed for a thousand years—would belong to Lin Daochen.

Lin Daochen understood perfectly: the Old Immortal Kunlun wasn't a bad person, just too shrewd, too experienced, and too adept at understanding people's hearts. Those seemingly insidious tests were actually whetstones covered in sandpaper. He smiled bitterly to himself—it turned out he still lacked the perseverance to remain calm and collected.

Just as Yang Kai entered the mountain path, a gray shadow flashed past him like an arrow—it was that boy, with a cold and aloof expression, his feet untouched by dust, clearly heading towards the flagpole at the summit.

Suddenly, a long laugh broke through the clouds, causing pine needles to fall in a rustling sound. The voice of the Old Immortal Kunlun descended from the heavens, authoritative without anger, yet containing a hint of mischief: "Young friend, young friend! Finally, you've shown your true strength! Before, I repeatedly used unorthodox methods, which you gritted your teeth and swallowed; now you've finally risen up—but if it were a life-or-death struggle, you would have been cut down before the third move!"

"Stop now? You'll find it impossible to move an inch from now on."

To Lin Daochen, this old immortal was a teacher, a friend, an examiner, and a gatekeeper. Despite his cunning methods, Lin Daochen harbored no resentment—he could hear the heavy expectations behind each challenge.

Lin Daochen sat motionless, yet his divine sense had already woven a giant net, covering a hundred miles of mountains and rivers. The swaying of grass and trees, the flapping of birds' wings, the changing of streams... all were clearly visible to him. He was on high alert, unaware that the Old Immortal Kunlun was also seeing clearly through a water mirror the slight sweat on his forehead and the tenseness in his knuckles.

"Hahaha!" Old Immortal Kunlun stroked his beard and laughed heartily. "This lad has a tough exterior and a warm heart! I was right about him! In that case, let's not hold back—let's give him a way out!"

"What's truly deadly on the mountain is never the miasma or ferocious beasts, but the ancient 'Bone-Corroding Maze.' The key points of the maze are buried deep in the rock layers, and the slightest touch will trigger a phantom kill. Of ten people who venture in, not one will survive."

"Since Yang Kai is going up the mountain, let's just dismantle the entire maze—uproot it completely, leaving nothing behind."

The white-haired old man beside him looked up in astonishment upon hearing this: "Old Immortal! This... isn't like you! Do you really consider passing the test your top priority? Don't forget, they're still in the 'Test of Mind' stage, they haven't even crossed the threshold yet!"

"Foolish!" Kunlun Immortal's gaze sharpened suddenly. "Lin Daochen has broken through the shackles of the Golden Core stage, and is on the verge of reaching the Integration Stage! He's currently searching for the Dao all over the world—he's worshipped Sun Wukong, pestered the Six-Eared Macaque, and even kowtowed three times at the mouth of the Guanjiang River to Erlang Shen!"

"Unfortunately, his piercing eyes were not suited to his soul, his supernatural hearing was not suited to his path, and even the sharpness of his three-pointed double-edged sword could not cleave through his destiny."

"This time, we must hold on tight!"

The old man remained silent for a moment, then finally nodded. There was no turning back now. Before he finished speaking, the entire Kunlun Mountain suddenly trembled and hummed—

The mountainside cracked open, and beams of light in seven colors—red, orange, yellow, green, cyan, blue, and purple—soared into the sky; ancient pines collapsed, giant rocks caved in, and clumps of golden mist rose from the cracks in the ground, instantly turning into dust and dissipating in the wind.

Lin Daochen suddenly opened his eyes, his pupils reflecting the surging sunset in the distance, his expression complex and indescribable.

"...Your performance is truly baffling. You set up a scheme one minute and sabotage it the next... Fine, let you do as you please—I, Yang Kai, will definitely plant my flag on the mountaintop."

He closed his eyes and concentrated, the array patterns shimmering, and once again he could see the entire landscape stretching for miles.

Just now, his heart skipped a beat—several immense pressures suddenly exploded on Mount Kunlun, like thunder tearing through the night, but instantly vanished into deathly silence, as if they had never existed. Lin Daochen frowned, unable to fathom the reason.

But he was certain that the sudden disappearance of those auras was the work of the Old Immortal Kunlun, and moreover, it was definitely aimed at him, Lin Daochen.

"Alright, consider this a favor. You secretly loosened your grip during the trial, so if you ever need my help in the future, I will definitely step in without hesitation."

Before he finished speaking, the surrounding vegetation trembled, and hordes of demonic beasts swarmed in like a black tide. Kunlun Mountain was already teeming with demons, and now, with the Kunlun Old Immortal secretly instigating them, Yang Kai instantly became the target of everyone's wrath.

Lin Daochen lay prone on the high ground, his gaze sweeping over every mountain shadow and every grove of trees like a hawk, fearing that some ferocious demon king might suddenly pounce and bite Yang Kai's throat in half.

At the same time, the Old Immortal Kunlun had already made his move—his voice traveled thousands of miles, as thin as silk threads, piercing through clouds and splitting rocks, organizing the demonic beasts of the entire mountain range into several sharp battle formations, all pressing towards Yang Kai's location.

In the blink of an eye, a demon army of over a thousand men had already closed in on Yang Kai.

For Yang Kai, who had just begun to cultivate Qi and whose meridians were not yet fully refined, this situation was tantamount to a sword hanging over his head. His current predicament was almost exactly the same as Lou Yi's back then, when his cultivation was crippled.

Without Lin Daochen's presence, he probably wouldn't even have left a trace of his bones.

No matter how meticulously Kunlun the Immortal planned, he ultimately overlooked Lin Daochen's backup plan.

Lin Daochen sensed the rising spiritual pressure arcs around him, a slight smile playing on his lips, his brows showing no trace of anxiety.

On the other side, the Old Immortal Kunlun was completely unaware of Lin Daochen's thoughts, feeling only that victory was assured—if this battle succeeded, not only would all the benefits Lin Daochen had promised be nullified, but he would also become famous throughout the Immortal Realm. At that time, the name "Old Immortal Kunlun, who cleverly broke the strange situation" would surely resound throughout the Thirty-Six Grotto-Heavens and Seventy-Two Blessed Lands.

He knew perfectly well that Lin Daochen possessed extraordinary talent and would one day ascend to the ranks of immortals. But precisely because of this, he needed to take advantage of Lin's immaturity and personally crush this rising star into the mud.

Time passed silently, and the thousand-plus demon soldiers had trampled the fallen leaves and reached Yang Kai's side. Among them were various appearances—the tiger demon had menacing fangs, the wolf demon had claws that gleamed coldly, and the fox demon had flames swirling around its tail, each exuding a murderous aura.

They surrounded Yang Kai in the center of the forest clearing, their gazes fixed intently, as if they were eyeing a piece of fresh meat ready to be slaughtered. Lin Daochen, seeing this, secretly clicked his tongue in amazement: Good heavens, this old immortal has really gone to great lengths, summoning so many demonic creatures just to crush a mortal who has just begun to cultivate spiritual energy?

Before the thought had even finished, he had already raised his hands to form a hand seal.

In an instant, ten thousand golden rays burst forth from his body, the magic array beneath his feet lit up, and a pale blue light shield rose from the ground, completely enveloping Yang Kai.

This barrier appears thin, but it is actually quite insidious—any external enemy who steps in will have their cultivation level suppressed by the array's core, forced down to the same level as the array's central core. Lin Daochen had already designated Yang Kai as the array's core.

In other words, once the thousand demons entered the formation, they would all instantly fall to Yang Kai's current level—a starting point where his spiritual power was shallow, his bones and muscles were not strong, and he could barely even ride the wind.

Yang Kai, however, possessed an iron will, a calm demeanor, and a fighting spirit far exceeding that of ordinary people. With this disparity in strength, the outcome was already decided from the outset.

Lin Daochen's heart, which had been hanging in suspense, finally slowly settled back into place.

Before long, the demon horde crashed into the light barrier, their roars shaking the forest. He gazed down, a calm smile subtly playing on his lips.

The difference in strength and power will finally be revealed. He wants to see who is the real prey: this group of demons whose cultivation has been reduced by more than half, or his disciple Yang Kai, whose foundation he personally destroyed but who still stands strong.

A deafening roar, like tearing silk, ripped through the forest, and a stench of blood swept over us—

Yang Kai's back stiffened as he heard the rustling of hooves, low breathing, and... several pairs of eerie green eyes slowly lighting up at the edge of the dense forest.

"Ha! Lucky me today, I've stumbled upon a lone human!" A tiger spirit strode out, grinning maliciously, its sharp teeth gleaming in the sunlight. "We brothers have a thousand mouths to feed; even if we share with him, he might not be full, but it'll be more than enough to satisfy his craving!"

In fact, this location was chosen precisely to facilitate Lin Daochen's covert surveillance—he had already used the array as his eyes to take in the entire open space with his divine sense. As the densely packed demonic beasts surged into the center of the arena like a tide, Lin Daochen's lips curled slightly, and he quietly transmitted his voice into Yang Kai's sea of ​​consciousness.

"They've already thrown away all pretense and used forbidden techniques. We don't need to stick to the rules and fight back. Just follow my orders and lead all these beasts to you—I'll clear the area for you in the next second."

Yang Kai's heart skipped a beat, and he blurted out, "Master, should we use forbidden techniques too? But that's not my true skill... Do you really think this is appropriate?"

Lin Daochen waved his hand decisively: "With our lives hanging by a thread, what's the point of talking about dignity? If they flip the table first, we'll smash the bowl! Winning is the only thing that matters right now."

Before he finished speaking, he flicked his finger, and a bolt of purple lightning ripped down from the sky, causing a deafening explosion. Within a hundred meters, all the demonic figures were shattered, not even having time to utter a scream.

The hundred-mile-long forest fell into a deathly silence. The beasts looked up at the scorched, deep pit, a chill running down their spines—one more blow and their souls would be scattered, leaving not even a trace for reincarnation. They turned and ran, digging at the ground with their four paws, wanting only to escape this hellish scene. But they had barely leaped half a foot when they were crushed into a bloody mist by an invisible force; they had only taken three steps to turn around when they were reduced to a pool of crimson mud on the ground.

In less than ten seconds, there was no living thing within a hundred meters. The scorched earth was cracked and smooth as a mirror, as if it had been slashed by a giant blade of a god, and even the tree roots were burned into gray-white powder.

Yang Kai stood frozen in place, his Adam's apple bobbing. "Master...Master, are the methods of immortals truly this powerful? In your eyes, we mortals are probably not even worth a speck of dust, are they?"

Lin Daochen did not respond. His eyes flashed like lightning, scanning the mountains and rivers for miles around—no unusual movement could escape the inescapable net woven by his divine sense.

Kunlun Immortal had been unable to contain himself any longer. Seeing Lin Daochen make his move, he sneered, his sleeves fluttering violently, dark clouds churning like boiling water, a streak of azure lightning swirling and roaring in the clouds, a deafening dragon's roar, and the thunderous force of ten thousand thunderbolts.

Two seconds later, a loud "crack" rang out, and the lightning transformed into nine phantom images of Qilin, rushing straight towards Yang Kai's head with the force of destroying the heavens and the earth. If he were hit, his physical body would be destroyed, and his soul would be burned to ashes by the lightning and fire, resulting in three lifetimes of reincarnation and eternal oblivion. Only in the fourth life could he re-enter the cycle of reincarnation.

Lin Daochen's pupils constricted sharply, and he shouted sternly, "Kunlun! A dignified Immortal Venerable, how dare you use such a poisonous move that severs one's manhood? If word gets out, your immortal name will be tarnished, and you will be despised by all realms!"

His voice was as cold as iron, but a mocking smile appeared on his face—I never expected this old immortal to be so ruthless.

Since he dared to sever ties with someone for three lifetimes, then today, he need not hold back.

At the summit of Kunlun Mountain, which is about 4,200 meters above sea level, the spiritual power that Lin Daochen had been accumulating for a long time suddenly exploded, rushing straight into the sky like a flood bursting its banks.

A dark vortex suddenly gathered at the summit, with lightning bolts dancing wildly and thunder surging in the clouds, as if an ancient ferocious beast that had been dormant for thousands of years was slowly opening its eyes.

The immortal Kunlun sat cross-legged in his thatched hut, his eyes closed, his fingertips trembling slightly. A vast star map appeared before him—billions of stars rotated endlessly, the Milky Way flowed like a living thing, slowly floating and sinking in the void, its halos swirling, its beauty beyond words.

The white-haired old man beside him suddenly narrowed his eyes, his voice tightening: "He's just a young lad, why resort to such a deadly move? If we truly obliterate his soul with one strike, preventing him from reincarnating for three lifetimes... I'm afraid we'll incur the wrath of Heaven!"

The Immortal Kunlun scoffed coldly, his brows furrowed with mockery: "I, the Immortal Kunlun, have traversed the universe for thousands of years and have never been at a disadvantage in a gamble. If he dares to risk his life for this game, he should understand that—to lose means to be reduced to ashes."

The old man sighed and shook his head, his sleeves trembling slightly: "But we are venerable beings from the upper realm, having cultivated for a thousand years, originally meant to save the world and establish virtue. If we were to sever their roots of reincarnation for the sake of a single thought of victory or defeat, wouldn't that be a betrayal of our true nature? This action... is far too cruel."

"Ruthless?" Immortal Kunlun's eyes suddenly lit up, golden light bursting forth. "Falling into the mortal world is inherently a torturous ordeal. By severing his karma across three lifetimes, I am actually cutting off his shackles—from now on, there will be no more birth, old age, sickness, and death, nor any more love, hate, greed, or anger. Isn't that a great liberation?"

Before he finished speaking, he pushed his palms out suddenly, and the star map spun violently, with stars hanging upside down and the Milky Way pouring down!

In an instant, Lin Daochen felt the world turn upside down, and the mountains beneath his feet twisted and collapsed like pieces of paper. Then—

"boom!!!"

Seven-colored lightning exploded from beyond the sky, blinding everyone. That was no ordinary lightning technique, but a deadly strike using the entire star system as a bow and its rules as an arrow!

The cultivation world is vast and boundless, yet it is divided into countless smaller worlds. What the Kunlun Immortal is forcibly prying open right now is one of these real star domains—containing countless stars, each inhabited by living beings and governed by laws.

This strike hit right where it hurts.

Lin Daochen's feet trembled, and even the earth groaned under the weight. In the distance, the mountains shed boulders, as if an earth dragon were about to overturn. He felt a chill run down his spine and dared not hesitate any longer.

Almost simultaneously, the dark clouds at the summit were suddenly torn apart, and a bolt of purple-white lightning as thick as a giant pillar cleaved down from the sky.