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

The Lord of Stars raised his hand and drew a line, the starlight at his fingertips condensing into a silver thread that pointed straight to the end of the sky: "Go. There lies the broken thread of cause and effect—find it, and you will find the gap in the truth."

Yun Tian clasped his hands in a fist and bowed, then turned and leaped into the void. As his clothes fluttered, his figure transformed into a silver star, piercing into the depths of darkness.

Half a month has passed, and the divine city is already as tense as a bowstring. Tianlongzi launched a massacre against the dinosaur race, with blood and fire spreading and corpses piling up like mountains.

Though the dinosaurs were fierce and invincible, with scales like mountains and claws capable of tearing through metal, they were like prehistoric beasts trapped in a spider's web before this former overlord who once ruled over all demons. Every attack was crushed, every breath was cut off. Thick smoke, carrying the stench of burning, filled the city walls, broken blades were stuck in the scorched earth, and the blood mist lingered all day.

Sensing danger, the Loose Cultivator Alliance broke camp that very night and fled into the heart of the Vermilion Bird Holy Land. They neither fought nor struggled, seeking only self-preservation—the Heavenly Dragon Prince only had eyes for demon blood and soul essence; whoever blocked his path would be his next meal.

He swept through the streets like a black tide engulfing the shore, invincible, even the wind dared not swirl around him. The divine city became a slaughterhouse; before the blade even fell, rivers of blood had already formed.

In the midst of the chaos, the name "Lin Daochen" became a hot potato. Wanted posters were plastered all over the seventy-two wards, and his portrait hung on the beams of the busiest teahouse in the ancient city of Misty Sea. Three cultivators sat around a table, their shadows flickering eerily in the candlelight.

The long-robed cultivator, with lightning patterns embroidered on his sleeves, lightly tapped the table with his fingertips: "Lin Daochen has met Fu Yunzi before, and he even dared to rummage through that old madman's incomplete scrolls. Capturing him alive and prying his mouth open would be more effective than excavating a hundred ancient tombs."

The young woman twirled a strand of her hair between her fingers, her smile sweet and gentle, but her eyes were as cold as an icy pool: "A person must live, not a single bone should be broken. This boy might still be carrying a secret that Fu Yunzi didn't have time to swallow."

The short old man picked up the rough earthenware bowl, gulped down half a bowl of cold tea, and his Adam's apple bobbed: "Sixth level of rebirth? Ha... A 'sixth level' cultivator who can be personally targeted and hunted down by the Heavenly Dragon Prince must have even had his life bones poisoned. Before we make a move, we should prepare Soul-Locking Nails and Soul-Suppressing Bells—better to be wrong ten times than to miss one."

The three conspired secretly for half the night, meticulously planning down to every breath and every blind spot. At dawn the next day, three streaks of light quietly left the city, heading straight for the perpetually fog-shrouded, withered forest on the western outskirts of the ancient city of Misty Sea.

Lin Daochen was sitting cross-legged deep in the cave, his palms facing upwards, sweat beading on his forehead.

He repeatedly pondered the few words left by Fu Yunzi, as if his fingertips had touched a crack in a door, but what lay behind the door remained shrouded in a thin mist. The spirit-seeking compass trembled slightly on his lap, its pointer stubbornly pointing towards the ancient city of the misty sea—where the fog was thicker than in previous years, as thick as solidified ink.

During his seclusion, the image of the Blood Palace Lord always appeared in his mind: those eyes that looked down on all living beings, that whispered "You are the most suitable"... Why him? Why was an ant who had not even condensed a Nascent Soul chosen to find the Divine Map? This thought was like a hook, scraping at his heart day and night.

He opened his palm; the fragment of the divine map lay silently, its lines obscure, resembling both the veins of mountains and the pulsation of blood vessels, yet refusing to utter a single word. His eyes grew tired from staring at it, and finally he closed his fingers, placing the fragment back into the jade box. As he rose and pushed open the door, the morning light pierced through the fog—he decided to go to the ancient city of the fog-shrouded sea first. The clues weren't on paper, but in the fog.

During his seclusion, his cultivation level steadily increased, and his foundation became more solid, but the Heavenly Water Immortal remained asleep. On the other hand, Yang Kai's cultivation was approaching the breakthrough threshold, and his aura was faintly boiling—this subtle difference weighed heavily on his heart, his thoughts were churning, and the road ahead seemed to be shrouded in a thin mist.

Lightning Leopard's ears twitched slightly, instantly sensing the fluctuations in its master's emotions. It raised its tail, nuzzled Lin Daochen's wrist gently, its eyes soft yet intelligent, like a warm, breathing light.

Lin Daochen looked down at it, his throat warmed, and without saying much, he simply raised his hand and gently put it into his storage bag—that action conveyed unspoken trust.

He immediately set off for the ancient city of Misty Sea. The moment he stepped into the teleportation array, a burst of spiritual light erupted, and a surge of air rushed in like a tide, causing his robes to flutter loudly. He frowned slightly: this energy far exceeded that of ordinary arrays; the ancient city was likely rife with undercurrents.

No wonder cultivators rarely come here—the Asura Bees have occupied this place for many years, and the entire city has almost become a forbidden area, with only a few disciples guarding the formation year after year.

Beneath the city gate, a burly man leaned against a broken stele, dozing off. On either side of him stood a young boy, his expression tense. The burly man was slouched, his eyelids drooping, laziness permeating his very bones, as if even a breeze was too much of a chore for him.

Lin Daochen took a few steps closer and suddenly sensed an unusual aura emanating from the other party—not like spiritual energy, but rather like the stale fragrance of herbs that had been steeped in the misty sea for many years. He hesitated for a moment, then spoke with a hint of probing: "Are you all also here for the ancient city's secret realm?"

The burly man lifted his eyelids, glanced at him, and lazily smirked, "Oh yeah, I was just about to go in for a look around. But..." He drawled, tapping his fingertips on the stone steps, "This place has been deserted for too long. When did you sneak in?"

Lin Daochen's lips curled slightly, avoiding the question: "Just landed. I heard there are several ancient ruins buried in the city, so I came to try my luck."

The burly man stretched lazily, laughing heartily, "Hey, a new face? Never seen this old face of mine before, have you? I'm the living advertisement of the Misty Sea Ancient City!"

The two boys immediately straightened their backs: "That's right! Big Brother took on three Asura Bees single-handedly without a scratch!"

He waved his hand and scoffed, "Stop flattering me—what's so great about this dilapidated city? All we're doing here is trying to make a living."

Lin Daochen's eyes narrowed: "The means to survive?"

He lowered his voice, a sly glint in his eyes: "Of course, it's the old stuff hidden in the city—it's said that when the city was built, the keys to the entire divine treasure were embedded in the foundation."

Lin Daochen's heart trembled slightly. The clues to the divine map had vanished without a trace. If they could truly pry out some clues from these "keys"... He smiled calmly and steadily: "Why don't we join forces and go together? We'll share the good times and the bad."

The burly man raised one eyebrow: "Oh? A straightforward guy! Fine, let's go together—but let's get this straight, anyone who tries to sneak in and take all the spoils, don't blame me for my fists beating out my words."

The ancient city's stone gate slammed shut behind him. A faint hum emanated from the cracks in the white jade wall, a gentle, almost living response. The three young cultivators behind him suddenly opened their eyes. The boy in blue pressed his fingertips to his sword and whispered, "Someone is approaching the west alley entrance."

The burly man abruptly stood up: "Let's go take a look!"

Lin Daochen lightly touched the ground with his toes, his figure already reaching the alley entrance. His divine sense spread out like a net—sure enough, seven figures were rapidly approaching through the mist, their spiritual pressure immense, yet their footwork was slightly sluggish. His gaze darkened: these people were not weak, but once they left the sea of ​​mist, their spiritual energy was rapidly dissipating like a funnel… So that’s how it is.

He instantly realized that cultivators in the Transcendent Realm were walking on thin ice here, and the slightest carelessness would result in a backlash; while those who had refined essence and combined qi were being held captive by this place—the fog sea was not a cage, but the umbilical cord that sustained their cultivation.

He turned and walked towards the teleportation array. The three youths followed with their heads bowed, their manners impeccable. Out of the corner of his eye, he glanced at the burly man and recognized him as Du Tian—the backbone of the team. To show his sincerity, he opened his palm, and five spirit stones, gleaming with a warm, blue light, lay quietly in the other's hand.

Du Tian's fingertips trembled, his weariness vanished, and he bowed deeply, saying, "Thank you for your help, Senior!"

But when he looked up, his gaze inadvertently fell upon a glimpse of Lin Daochen's sleeve—in an instant, all color drained from his face. His pupils contracted sharply, his Adam's apple bobbed, and his lips moved silently: the face on the wanted poster was now standing right in front of him.

Lin Daochen caught a glimpse of the unusual expression on Du Tian's face, and a slight ripple stirred in his heart, but he didn't press the matter. Right now, he was preoccupied with only one thing—quickly activating the teleportation array to escape this foggy, treacherous ancient city. Du Tian's hesitant demeanor was nothing more than a speck of dust in his eyes, easily swept away; he only wanted to escape this place and didn't want to stay a moment longer.

At first, Du Tian stammered and tried to evade the question, insisting that Lin Daochen was a role model he admired in his youth. But before he could finish speaking, he quickly changed the subject and brought up his sister to promote her.

Lin Daochen's brows remained unmoved, his tone as cold as well water frozen for three winters: "Activate the teleportation array now." There was no room for negotiation, and no emotion could be detected, yet that resolute tone made Du Tian's throat tighten, and a thin layer of sweat quietly seeped out from the back of his neck.

Du Tian's hand trembled, and he hurriedly pressed the spirit stone into the array's core. The light patterns suddenly brightened, and Lin Daochen's figure flashed and disappeared without a trace, landing directly in the heart of the divine city. Du Tian and the others stood there stunned, staring at the empty array platform, before finally letting out a long sigh of relief. The taut string in their chests finally relaxed—just now, their lives hung by a thread, and even breathing felt like walking on a knife's edge.

The young man in blue frowned and leaned closer: "Boss, what happened just now? Who was that person?" These words were like a thorn, making Du Tian even more annoyed.

Fearing discord within the group, he quickly fabricated a flimsy story, so perfunctory that even he felt guilty: "An old acquaintance I practiced swordsmanship with when we were kids, we had a bit of a misunderstanding. My sister? Don't even mention her, she's just a newly established Foundation Establishment cultivator, not worth mentioning."

The words were a cover-up, but the shifty eyes and hurried speech made the young man in blue realize that although he didn't ask any more questions, a knot had already formed in his heart.

Fortunately, Du Tian immediately changed the subject and started talking about the scenery of the divine city.

"Hmph, consider him lucky!" Du Tian gritted his teeth, his hatred for Lin Daochen's aloof and cold face seething with resentment that seeped into his very bones.

He lowered his head and clenched the five spirit stones in his hand, his knuckles turning white, his eyes burning, as if those stones were no longer a reward, but a spoil of war that he had swallowed alone.

The walls of the divine city are mottled and cracked, bearing the marks of being torn apart by the claws of demonic beasts and scorched by demonic fire—these are the medals that the human race earned with blood and bones when they took root in the holy realm.

A deafening roar echoed across the wilderness as pterosaurs swept through the air, stirring up a foul wind; dragon offspring leaped among the clouds, their scales gleaming coldly in the sunlight, and the entire city seemed enveloped in an unquenchable fighting spirit.

The sage Tianlongzi had always disdained to contend with ordinary beings, but just by looking at the swirling demonic figures and oppressive aura within the city, he knew this place was no safe haven. The ancestors didn't say it aloud, but they sighed inwardly.

Fortunately, the divine city has a deep foundation and a majestic atmosphere, and the human race has been established there for a long time. Now, the streets and alleys are gradually filled with the smoke of cooking fires, and birds occasionally perch on the eaves, which reveals a long-lost tranquility.

But in this tranquility, a golden light suddenly burst forth from the top of the palace, as intense as the rising sun, blinding everyone. The surrounding cultivators stopped, glanced up, and then shook their heads and dispersed—the three gilded characters on the palace gate had long been worn smooth by wear: "Teleportation Hall".

The array patterns suddenly lit up, causing a young Taoist priest to stop in surprise. Behind him were three purple-robed cultivators, one of whom possessed a long and powerful aura, clearly a master at the ninth level of the Transcendent Realm. The young Taoist priest stared at the array light, his brows furrowing more and more: the array had activated abruptly, yet everyone around him seemed oblivious, not even lifting an eyelid.