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

Lin Daochen took half a step forward, the tip of his knife pointing diagonally at the ground, its cold light reflecting a flicker of eerie fire in his eyes: "Explain yourself—what are you really after?"

Yang Kai, panting heavily, his forehead pressed against the dirt, pleaded, "I just want to live! I just want to escape this hellhole! I'll tell you everything... I just beg you to let me go!"

Lin Daochen chuckled, his blade slightly raised: "You think you can fool me into believing you're an innocent lamb with just a 'want to live'? You looked around suspiciously in the woods, you deliberately took detours on the road—what exactly did you bring us here for?"

Yang Kai bit his lower lip, blood seeping out, and finally said dejectedly, "To survive... and to break free from this cursed cage."

"A cursed cage?" Linley's pupils contracted, his gaze piercing Yang Kai like a nail. "This place...is it truly cursed?"

Yang Kai nodded, his voice hoarse: "Once you enter this realm, your soul is etched and branded, unable to escape, unable to die, trapped in the folds of reincarnation for lifetimes to come."

Lin Daochen suddenly turned his head, glanced at Monk Jianren, and then his gaze, sharp as a knife, pierced Yang Kai's eyes again: "You swallowed the ghost's heart and inherited the remnants of the Heavenly Ghost, didn't you?"

Yang Kai's face turned ashen, his Adam's apple bobbing for a long time before he finally nodded slowly, uttering only a single "no," which he dared not utter again.

"What does the Heavenly Ghost remember?" Lin Daochen's voice suddenly tightened, each word like a blade.

Yang Kai closed his eyes briefly, and when he opened them again, there was no trace of hope in them: "It remembers the rift in this world, it remembers the only exit... I lured you here not to set a trap, but to grasp at a straw."

Lin Daochen frowned, his gaze sharp as he quickly dissected the flaws in Yang Kai's every word. After listening to the other's explanation, he suddenly understood—it turned out that Yang Kai was not born with the ability to understand the secrets of this place, but rather he had used the Ghost Heart to devour the remnants of the Heavenly Ghost, thus opening the exit of this small world.

"You want to use us to tear open this cage, don't you?" Lin Daochen's voice was as cold as ice shards scraping against an iron surface.

Yang Kai's expression stiffened slightly, his Adam's apple bobbed a few times, and he finally lowered his head and nodded: "That's right. I did come for this reason. But I never deliberately deceived anyone; I only hoped to use this opportunity to break through."

Lin Daochen let out a sneer: "What a clever trick of using someone else's strength against them. Wasn't that the same plan you used to lure me into the Heavenly Ghost Inheritance Forbidden Land?"

Yang Kai's lips moved, but he did not refute. Lin Daochen skillfully bypassed the verbal trap he had set, causing a burning sense of shame, anger, and defeat to surge in his chest. "You ghost cultivators, you all wear human skin but hide hearts of snakes and scorpions." Lin Daochen's lips curled up slightly, but his gaze became even deeper and more intense, fixing on Yang Kai inch by inch.

"I only want to live, only want to break free from this cursed cage!" Yang Kai's voice trembled, as he crushed the last shred of dignity in his palm.

Lin Daochen's eyes turned icy cold. With a flick of his wrist, a blade flashed out, swift as lightning. Yang Kai felt a chill run down his spine, his limbs tensing as if he were nailed to the spot by the blade's energy.

"None of these treacherous villains will live!" Lin Lei roared suddenly, no longer holding back. With a stomp of his foot, he plunged into the battle, enveloped in a chilling wind.

The blade flashed, tearing through the void with a chilling frost. Even with his extraordinary power, Yang Kai was gradually overwhelmed by the combined attack of Monk Jianren and Tianlangzi. Monk Jianren's prayer beads spun rapidly, humming with Buddhist chants, and a golden radiance shot from the beads, piercing the depths of Yang Kai's consciousness; Tianlangzi's robes billowed, starlight swirling, weaving an invisible net that pressed down on Yang Kai, making his breathing labored and his steps unsteady.

"Deceptive and harmful, the crime is unforgivable!" Monk Jianren's voice resounded throughout the land, and the Buddha's light suddenly blazed brightly, like a full moon rising in the sky, its clear radiance illuminating the entire battlefield in every detail.

Lin Daochen stood as still as a mountain, his blade flashing with a cold light, each strike whipping up a biting, chilling wind. His eyes held no hesitation, no emotion, only a resolute determination to annihilate—he had long since cut off all escape routes for Yang Kai.

Yang Kai struggled with all his might, his body surging with black mist as he tried to break free of the restraints. But Lin Daochen's five fingers were loosely clenched, as if a thousand-pound chain was wrapped around his heart meridian. No matter how much ghostly energy surged around him, it was difficult to shake him in the slightest.

"Spare...spare my life!" he cried out hoarsely, his breath coming in short gasps, his will completely collapsing.

Lin Daochen's blade continued its relentless thrusts, flashing with cold light, forcefully forcing the ghostly energy back into his dantian. Monk Jianren held his Buddhist beads in his palm, his sacred power surging like a tide, layer upon layer suppressing the ghostly essence, causing all his spells to freeze.

"Without accumulating good deeds, yet burdened with evil karma, the Buddha's fire is about to punish you!" Monk Jianren chanted the mantra in a low voice, and the Buddha's light surged, as if a deity had lowered its eyes, firmly enveloping Yang Kai.

Lin Lei grinned maliciously, and the demonic blade struck again, precisely locking onto the heart's orifice and plunging in! Blood beads exploded, and Yang Kai threw his head back and screamed in agony, his life force visibly withering away.

Lin Daochen clenched his fingers, firmly grasping the still-warm heart, and said calmly, "Your scheme ends here."

"I... I admit it..." Blood gushed from Yang Kai's mouth, his words were incoherent, and his eyes were filled with only despair and death.

Lin Daochen did not respond, but simply stared at him silently. Suddenly, his pupils contracted slightly—there was an unusual undercurrent surging within Yang Kai's body.

"Just as I thought." A sharp glint flashed in his eyes: the scattered ghostly energy had not been annihilated, but instead condensed into a cluster of dark ghostly flames in the instant of death, floating in mid-air and swaying silently.

"This... is the origin of the ghost's essence?" Monk Jianren's eyes widened slightly, his tone revealing a long-lost interest.

Tianlangzi nodded: "The 'Ember Seed' technique among the ghost cultivation secrets uses death to contain fire, leaving a sliver of uncertainty. Yang Kai really did hold back a trick."

Lin Daochen stared at the flickering black flame, his brow furrowed slightly. At this moment, Yang Kai's remaining consciousness was still struggling, his teeth clenched until they bled, and he managed to squeeze out broken words.

"You...you all..."

Lin Daochen lowered his eyes, his voice calm and even: "If you have something to say, then say it."

Yang Kai's Adam's apple bobbed, his voice dry and tight: "My ghostly essence hasn't dissipated; instead, it has condensed into a cluster of ghostly flames. If you're willing to let me go, I'm willing to be your guide and lead you out of this peach blossom maze."

Lin Lei frowned slightly, knowing that Yang Kai's words were true. Gui Yuan was the essence of Yin Sha, and it could indeed break through barriers and restrictions, but this person was fickle and unreliable.

Monk Jianren scoffed, a cold glint in his eyes: "What makes you think you can trust us? You set up an ambush one minute and begged for mercy the next. Do you think we're three-year-olds?"

Yang Kai gave a bitter smile, sweat beading on his forehead: "I know I've already broken my promise. But right now... I really want to live, and I really want to help you."

Lin Daochen remained silent for a moment, his fingertips almost imperceptibly brushing against Yang Kai's brow—the wisp of soul energy was steady and genuine. He nodded: "Alright. You lead the way and get us out of this predicament. But if there's the slightest disturbance, I'll extinguish that ghostly flame of yours with a flick of my wrist, annihilating you completely."

Yang Kai felt a sense of relief, as if a heavy burden had been lifted from his chest. He quickly agreed, then held his breath and focused his mind. A faint light flickered in his palm, and the ghostly fire shrank into his flesh like smoke, leaving only a wisp of blue mark.

Lin Daochen released his restraints, and Yang Kai's knees buckled, causing him to fall heavily to the ground. He looked up at Lin Daochen, his eyes shining with genuine emotion: "Thank you... If it weren't for you, I would have been swallowed up by this peach orchard long ago, leaving not even a trace."

Lin Daochen glanced down at him, his tone as indifferent as the wind rustling through branches: "No need for thanks. You're still useful."

The monk Jianren snorted but didn't reply. He was still wary, but since he had already nodded, he didn't try to stop him.

Tianlangzi's gaze lingered on Lin Daochen's face for a moment, seemingly approving, before he suddenly smiled and said, "In that case, let's set off—find a way out and break through the peach forest."

Lin Lei helped Yang Kai up and set him aside, then turned and followed Monk Jianren and Tianlangzi. The three of them once again stepped into the depths of Peach Blossom Shadow.

A layer of misty stillness hung over the entire forest, peach blossoms fell silently, and the air was filled with a sweet, earthy scent, tempting one to peel back the layers and see what lay beneath.

They walked with light, steady steps, looking out for each other, treading on fallen petals. But Lin Lei always felt that the peach trees were subtly shifting—the branches tilted slightly, the roots stirred in the shadows, yet no trace could be found. His doubts grew thicker and thicker, and he vowed to uncover the secrets of this peach grove.

The three walked through the scene, their footsteps barely audible, only the petals fluttering against their shoulders, as if they had stumbled into a painting. Yet, beneath this fairyland, a heavy old story clearly lay hidden.

Tianlangzi suddenly spoke, his voice low and clear: "The ancient Heavenly Court acted against the heavens, angering the Great Dao, and ultimately collapsed. The immortal traces were severed, and heaven and earth were sealed. The world today is a remnant of the end times—spiritual energy is withered, supernatural powers are mute, and even flying swords can hardly travel a hundred steps."

Lin Lei's brow twitched; these words struck him like a thunderbolt: the Heavenly Court was not destroyed by external enemies, but by its own imbalance? How could such a collapse be fully described in a few strokes of history?

"How did that great calamity fall upon cultivators today?" he pressed, his fingertips unconsciously clenching his sleeve.

Tianlangzi slowly said, "With the collapse of the Heavenly Court, the immortal veins are severed. The cultivation world is like a snake with a broken spine, curled up for a hundred years. Heaven and earth are sealed off, and it is no longer possible to travel tens of thousands of miles in an instant. With the end of the Dharma era approaching, spiritual energy is depleted, and cultivation becomes more and more difficult every day."

Lin Lei's heart sank. It turned out that the desolate landscape, the sparse spiritual energy, and the fraught with obstacles on his cultivation path were all aftershocks of that catastrophe. He could almost see before his eyes a scene of torrential rain of blood, a waterfall of falling stars, and countless celestial figures plummeting into chaos.

"Why have you come here?" Monk Jianren suddenly turned his head, his eyes sharp as knives.

Tianlangzi's smile remained unchanged: "I came under orders. I carried a Heavenly Divine Position, which was supposed to be given to the River God to help him regain control of the water veins. Unfortunately... the River God is dead, the position is vacant, and my mission has failed."

The moment the words "River God" were uttered, Lin Lei's heart trembled violently. The ancient water god who controlled the Milky Way had always maintained a distant relationship with the Heavenly Court, and his fall became the final straw that broke Tianlangzi's back on this journey.

"This divine position is connected to the earth's veins and absorbs the energy of heaven and earth." Tianlangzi raised his hand, and a faint light appeared in his palm. "If anyone is willing to take it over, I can give it to them. However—to refine it, one will probably have to endure nine layers of tribulation fire and shatter three layers of mental barriers."

Upon hearing this, Lin Lei and the others were all shaken. The divine positions in the Heavenly Court are the supreme marks formed by the laws of heaven and earth. Those who hold them can draw upon the spiritual energy of the eight wastelands, sense the changes of the four seasons, and possess the potential to change the world.

However, for any cultivator, breaking free from the established shackles of divine status is no different from climbing to the sky on a knife's edge or swimming across a sea of ​​fire.

"Moreover, I have learned that there are still scattered divine positions in the Heavenly Court that have not been collected." Tianlangzi's voice was deep and resonant, like the echo of an ancient bell. "They are suppressed in perilous places, with layers upon layers of seals. Breaking through one of them is like tearing apart a curtain of the sky."