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

The Heavenly Immortal brandished his sword, its cold light surging three feet higher. The two stepped forward again, their spiritual energy boiling, and crashed violently into the invisible wall—the entire open space trembled violently, the rust on the eaves of the Blood Palace peeled off in a flurry, and a foul wind swept up from the ground.

Behind Lin Daochen and the Heavenly Water Immortal, Plum Blossom Ancestor and Fortune Cloud Ancestor also suddenly sensed the anomaly. Their pupils contracted sharply, their breathing became heavy, as if they could hear the humming of gold and jade trembling deep within the Blood Palace, and sense the overwhelming opportunity that had been buried for a thousand years and was about to burst forth.

On the open ground in front of the Blood Palace, the two patriarchs stood facing each other, their robes fluttering in the cold wind. One's gaze was like a knife, chilling to the bone; the other's expression shifted, his fingertips unconsciously rubbing his cuffs—they understood each other without words, yet each harbored their own calculations.

Ancestor Fuyun's Adam's apple bobbed slightly, his voice low and slow, yet tinged with a barely perceptible ache: "Ancestor Mei, despite Yang Kai's past transgressions, he is still of the same lineage. Now that he is nailed to the execution post and his marrow is being ripped out, if you were willing to lend him a hand, you might gain a loyal and devoted ally. Why cut off your own escape route?"

The Plum Blossom Ancestor's lips curled into a cold laugh, like a double-edged sword being drawn: "Pull him in? Fu Yun, have you forgotten how he severed ties and stabbed you in the back back then? Loyalty isn't given as charity; it's forged by crushing bones and reshaping them. What we need are wolves that can bite, not sick dogs that wag their tails and beg for mercy."

Ancestor Fuyun frowned, his gaze sweeping across the distance—Yang Kai was being pierced by black needles, his back arched like a shrimp, veins bulging on his forehead, and the blood foam that had spilled from the corner of his mouth had been dried by the wind into brown streaks. For a fleeting moment, a hint of hesitation crossed his eyes, like a ripple on the surface of water, which was quickly suppressed. He nodded, his movements decisive, without the slightest hesitation.

The Plum Blossom Ancestor said no more, his dragon-headed staff slammed in mid-air, and golden light exploded like the rising sun.

A powerful force ripped through the air, forcefully pulling Yang Kai out of the black needle array. Yang Kai groaned, curled up on the ground, coughing violently. The excruciating pain in his body eased slightly, but he felt utterly weak and limp, as if his bones had been pulled out.

But Plum Blossom Ancestor didn't even lift an eyelid. She only glanced at the Blood Palace, her eyes cold and hard as iron, and without stopping, she strode straight toward the palace gate—Guang An's situation was urgent, and she had no time to listen to nonsense.

Ancestor Fuyun flicked his finger, and a bluish-gray talisman silently pierced the back of Yang Kai's neck. The restriction settled, and Yang Kai froze, even his breathing faltering. He immediately turned, flicking his sleeves, and chased after Ancestor Plum Blossom. His steps were steady, but beneath his sleeves, his five fingers had already dug into his palms, drawing blood—he believed that as long as Guang An lived, he would repay today's humiliation a hundredfold.

The moment the two figures disappeared into the shadows of the Blood Palace, the world fell silent. The next instant, a deafening roar tore through the sky! Rocks beneath their feet crumbled, sand and gravel flew into the air, and the entire wasteland seemed to be gripped and trembled by a giant hand.

The Plum Blossom Ancestor held her staff horizontally in the air, its golden light boiling like boiling water. The dragon head on the staff roared and howled, and a dazzling golden rainbow cleaved through the chaos. Wherever it passed, the air currents exploded and even the void itself cracked like a spider web. Her eyes were devoid of any emotion, only a resolute determination to annihilate everything.

Meanwhile, Ancestor Fuyun drew his battle blade with a backhand motion. The blade hummed deafeningly, and golden light cascaded down like a waterfall. The arc of light drawn by the blade solidified and did not dissipate, trailing as a blazing golden line that tore through the night sky—he summoned the illusory image of his natal Qilin, its four hooves treading on fire, and furiously crashed into the outer barrier of the Blood Palace, creating a deafening explosion like thunderclaps shattering a valley!

Both were at the peak of the Heavenly Sensing Realm, and their magical treasures had long been fused with their divine souls. Plum Blossom Ancestor's dragon-headed staff carried the force of collapsing mountains with every strike, and the air twisted and wailed wherever the golden light passed; while Fortune Cloud Ancestor's golden saber was so fast that it was just a blur, and the saber energy crisscrossed, cutting through the wind and leaving scorching marks on the ground that lingered for a long time.

The Plum Blossom Ancestor suddenly stopped her attack, lightly touching the void with the tip of her staff. She narrowed her eyes, made a hand seal with her fingertips, and a beam of silver-white light suddenly burst out from the dragon-headed staff, like a meteor piercing the sun, accurately striking the weakest point of the restriction.

The moment the beam of light struck the barrier, it did not explode, but instead quietly diffused, like ink drops falling into water, spreading out layer by layer—ripples appeared on the surface of the barrier, the patterns dissolved inch by inch, and a smooth, unobstructed path was laid out in front of the Blood Palace.

She didn't take a step forward, but instead slowly inhaled and exhaled, her breath as deep and still as an ancient well. The traps set by sages are never broken through by brute force. The sharpness in her eyes did not diminish, but instead became even more profound and intense—the closer they were, the more vigilant one should be against the immense killing intent hidden beneath the calm.

The moment the restriction collapsed, the voice of Ancestor Guang'an pierced through the void, hoarse yet urgent. Before he finished speaking, Ancestor Fuyun arrived on the wind, standing side by side with Ancestor Meihua.

Both men wore polite smiles, but when Ancestor Fuyun lowered his eyes for a moment, a cold glint flashed in his eyes, clearly weighing whether the old wounds on Ancestor Guang'an's body were deep enough and fatal enough.

"Ancestor Guang'an," Ancestor Fuyun said with a warm smile and a gentle tone, "this restriction... is more troublesome than expected."

Guang'an Ancestor twitched the corners of his mouth, a weary, bitter smile appearing on his face. He simply cupped his hands slightly and said, "It's all thanks to the timely assistance of the two ancestors, otherwise... I'm afraid we would have been trapped and died in this impregnable fortress."

Ancestor Fuyun nodded, a hint of pity appearing on his face, but the gloom churning between his brows was impossible to suppress. The two ancestors appeared to be chatting and laughing, but beneath the surface, undercurrents were surging, and they were no longer of one mind.

Suddenly, the sage who had been suspended in the void the longest suddenly rose up, his body bursting with overwhelming pressure—blood waves surged, starlight was dyed red, and in an instant it condensed into a roaring blood dragon, which pounced on the three ancestors with the force of ten thousand jun! The entire open space trembled violently, sand and stones jumped around, and grass and trees were broken.

Lin Daochen and the others felt a chill run down their spines. Looking up, they saw the blood river surging like fire, carrying a murderous intent capable of shattering mountains. Plum Blossom Ancestor, Guang'an Ancestor, and Fuyun Ancestor retreated simultaneously, but the blood flow seemed to writhe and coil like a living thing, instantly seizing the three's vital points!

Plum Blossom Ancestor's heart sank, and she instantly realized: when the seal was lifted, she had accidentally triggered a reverse seal that had been hidden for thousands of years! The sage took advantage of the situation to detonate a world-destroying attack, and three figures flew out like kites with broken strings. The blood droplets that spurted from their bodies bloomed in mid-air like the falling petals of a fiery phoenix tree, dazzling and eye-catching.

After the three were ripped from the Blood Palace's barrier, the crimson light slowly dimmed, but their clothes were soaked and their breathing was disordered, indicating they were severely injured. Lin Daochen and the others felt their hearts tighten and their throats choked—the might of a sage was truly so fierce!

Before the Blood Palace, just as Plum Blossom Ancestor's fingertips left the forbidden pattern, Guang Ancestor sneered and stared at Lin Daochen and Tianshui Immortal, his eyes filled with a venomous hatred.

"The Blood Palace Master has long since perished!" he gritted his teeth and roared. "If he were still alive, how could he allow this deadly move to backfire on his own formation?!" Before he finished speaking, the magic weapon in his sleeve hummed as it was unsheathed, its cold light flashing and its killing intent chilling.

"Lin Daochen, Immortal of Tianshui—you'll be smug for a while." His voice was like ice shards scraping against an iron plate. "Though our master is gone, I, Guang'an, will take your lives today!"

Lin Daochen remained unmoved, his mind as clear as a mirror. Though the restrictions had been lifted, a blade already hung at his neck. The mad, obsessive determination of the Ancestor Guang'an was even more terrifying than the Blood Palace's restrictions.

High in the sky, the seven sages jointly triggered a celestial phenomenon, and the corpse of the Blood Palace Master rose up with blazing blood flames, reflecting a bloody halo on the clouds.

Guang An Ancestor clenched his fists, his knuckles turning white—such devastating residual power could not be unleashed by a dead man! A surge of scalding rage exploded within his internal organs, burning his eyes until they were bloodshot.

Lin Daochen's pupils also contracted: the seven sages were clearly living magical artifacts, their auras perfectly integrated, their oppressive power layered upon layer, making it hard to breathe. What was even stranger was that the power did not only exist in their corpses, but permeated the entire Blood Palace, as if the bricks, pillars, light, shadow, and wind all contained its lingering influence.

Where exactly is this place? Could it be another trap like the Moon Palace? The hairs on the back of his neck stood on end, and he vaguely felt that the entire Blood Palace was breathing, while an unseen pair of eyes were quietly observing him from the depths of darkness.

The Celestial Immortal's fingertips felt slightly cool, her gaze sweeping across the surroundings like that of a hawk. A rusty, metallic stench hung in the air, making even breathing feel labored. She knew that once the magical light of the treasure robe was exhausted, there would be no escape.

"Lin Daochen, this place is extremely strange and dangerous at every turn." She lowered her voice, her eyes filled with undisguised worry.

Lin Daochen nodded, opening his palm to reveal a tattered jade slip he had obtained from the Heavenly Ghost. It was divided into two parts: one part was engraved with the appearance of the Blood Palace Master, and the other part was a twisted and winding path diagram. Previously, he had only considered it a worthless piece of writing, but now his heart skipped a beat—those winding lines might just be the key to breaking the deadlock.

The jade slip glowed faintly, and the characters emerged as if wrapped in blood.

Lin Daochen read every word carefully, becoming increasingly alarmed: this place was a folded, labyrinthine space, and only those who understood the "principle of displacement" could find their way through the gaps between reality and illusion to reach the heart of the Blood Palace. He held his breath, memorizing every twist and turn.

The Plum Blossom Ancestor quietly strolled to his side, gently pressing her delicate hand on his shoulder: "Have you found the way?"

Lin Daochen took a deep breath, flipped the jade slip over, and pointed it at the strange route map: "It records a folded maze. The entrance is not under your feet, but in the 'mistake'. What we are looking for is that 'mistake' that everyone has overlooked."

The Plum Blossom Ancestor's eyes flickered slightly, but a sharp smile appeared on his lips: "Good. No matter how deep the mystery, it cannot hide two pairs of eyes and one heart."

She said no more, only handing over a small, azure-scaled mirror from her sleeve—the mirror reflecting the image of the route on the jade slip in the void. Their eyes met, and without a word, they knew each other's hearts.

Lin Daochen bent down to compare, his fingertip tracing an ancient crack in the ground. The crack's trajectory perfectly matched his reflection in the mirror. He slowly straightened up, gazing at the deep, open gate of the Blood Palace, his voice calm:

"Even if it's a dead horse, we might as well try anything."

He concluded that the author of this roadmap was no ordinary person—it was already a miracle that he could survive on the outskirts of the Blood Palace, let alone face the oppressive power of the sages without collapsing.

"The Celestial Immortal of Tianshui, we have no choice but to believe in him." Lin Daochen lowered his voice, his tone as steady as iron, his gaze burning with unwavering conviction.

The Celestial Immortal nodded, a hint of solemnity flashing across her brows. She was well aware of the danger this place held, but there was no turning back now. Her fingers tightened subtly, her palm pressed against the shimmering robe, and when she looked at Lin Daochen, her eyes held a heavy sense of entrustment.