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

Shaolin Temple, Bodhidharma Cave on the back mountain.

An old monk with a stern face sat cross-legged with his eyes closed, a violent aura emanating from his body, as if he were breaking through some kind of extreme barrier.

As time passed, that momentum rose and fell, surging like the tide, but eventually it slowly subsided.

"We lost again."

The old monk opened his eyes, a hint of resentment and regret flashing across them.

After a moment's hesitation, he got up and left the cave, ending his seclusion.

Upon hearing the news, Abbot Kongwen and the head of the Arhat Hall, Kongxing, rushed to the scene.

"Master! Senior Uncle Xuancheng and Junior Brother Kongzhi have been brutally murdered. We beg the Master to uphold justice!" Kongwen immediately knelt down to plead his case upon seeing the old monk.

This person was none other than Tongming, the founder of Shaolin Temple, whose Dharma name resounded throughout the martial arts world. He was one of the twenty-three most famous monks in the world.

Upon hearing this, Tongming's rage exploded, and he roared, "Who dares to lay a hand on me? How dare they slaughter my Shaolin monks! Speak! Who did this?!"

"It was done by Lin Daochen of the Wudang Sect..."

Kong Wen then recounted in detail the entire battle of Wudang Mountain.

Upon hearing this, Tongming's killing intent surged, almost solidifying, and his eyes turned bloodshot!

"A disgraced disciple who left Shaolin Temple, instead of showing gratitude, turned against his own sect and slaughtered his fellow disciples; he deserves to be executed a thousand times over!"

He gritted his teeth, furious.

Xuan Cheng was the junior he had placed the most hopes on, but he was killed just as he was about to step into the realm of a terrestrial immortal. He was heartbroken and hated him to the bone!

"Kong Wen! Immediately issue a challenge to Wudang in my name! I will personally behead Lin Daochen before the world to atone for the heroic spirit of Xuan Cheng!"

The loud sound was like thunder, making the roof beams tremble slightly.

"As the patriarch commands!" Kong Wen responded and accepted the order, his eyes filled with barely concealed excitement.

Shaolin's reputation in the martial arts world suffered greatly because it had previously done nothing in response to the upheaval at Wudang.

The martial arts world values ​​clear distinctions between gratitude and resentment, and the swiftness of life and death. The murder of two Shaolin monks of god-like status resulted in no one stepping forward to punish them, drawing contempt from outsiders, discontent from disciples, and considerable criticism of the abbot.

Now that the patriarch has emerged from seclusion, all the accumulated problems will be swept away!

At this moment, Kongxing stepped forward and whispered, "Master, the entire Wudang clan should be exterminated. Killing only Lin Daochen would be too lenient on them."

"First, kill Lin Daochen, then raze Wudang to the ground!"

Tongming spoke each word slowly and deliberately, his killing intent chilling.

How could he let Wudang go? He will surely uproot them!

A gate established by a traitor should never have existed in the world.

Our kindness and leniency back then have now led to bloodshed. We must never repeat this mistake!

Kong Wen hesitated, then said, "Master, Zhang Sanfeng, the leader of Wudang, is also a terrestrial immortal... If Lin Daochen is afraid to come out, the two of them will join forces to deal with you...?"

Tongming tilted his head back and sneered, his arrogance reaching the heavens: "Zhang Sanfeng is nothing but a newly ascended terrestrial immortal, a mere clown. Lin Daochen may be slightly stronger than him, but in my eyes he's nothing more than a clay chicken or a dog. Even if the two of them joined forces, I could still kill him with a single palm strike!"

His words carried an air of disdain for the world.

Upon hearing this, Kongwen and Kongxing were overjoyed, bowed and took their leave, and immediately made arrangements to issue the challenge.

After the two left, a figure in a green robe appeared silently in the brightly lit room—a withered old monk stood in mid-air, like a ghost.

Tongming remained calm, as if he had expected this person's arrival.

"Failed?" the old monk in the green robe asked, his voice hoarse.

Tongming nodded: "I failed to break through."

The old monk sighed softly: "I told you long ago that if you only focus on honing your skills without contemplating Zen and comprehending the Tao, you will never be able to break through the barriers of martial arts. You didn't listen to my advice, and today you are indeed trapped in this situation."

Tongming twitched his lips into a bitter smile, but remained silent.

The old monk in the green robe sat cross-legged on the futon, emaciated as a rake, but his eyes were as deep as an ancient well. He slowly spoke: "I saw Lin Daochen and Zhang Sanfeng stay in the temple back then. Zhang Sanfeng's talent was astonishing, like a true phoenix descending to earth; but Lin Daochen... his talent was mediocre, not even as good as an ordinary disciple. Now he can overturn rivers and seas, his methods are extraordinary, there must be a hidden story. Don't underestimate him."

"Hahaha—a terrestrial immortal? In this world, who can stop me?"

Tongming threw his head back and laughed loudly, the sound shaking the roof beams.

The old monk frowned slightly and shook his head gently. He was still as arrogant as ever, unchanged.

The laughter stopped abruptly, and Tongming's gaze shifted to the old monk: "Besides, if something really happens, aren't you still here?"

"I will not leave Shaolin."

The old monk spoke indifferently, as if he didn't want to say a single unnecessary word.

Deep within the Sutra Repository of Wudang Mountain.

Lin Daochen held a yellowed Daoist canon in his hand, his fingertips lightly stroking the pages.

"Cultivators gather their spirit within the mysterious aperture, peering through its gaps despite the absence of sight and hearing. When beginning their practice, they must concentrate their spirit within the void of the mysterious gate, in a state of utter chaos and obscurity, forgetting themselves and their form, transcending heaven and earth, only then can they refine a pure and unique primordial spirit..."

Words flowed like a spring into his heart. Lin Daochen closed his eyes slightly, his thoughts churning. The classics he had read in the past surfaced one by one, faintly connecting into a thread.

A moment later—

[You have read through fifty volumes of the Daoist Canon, your spiritual understanding has progressed layer by layer, and you have comprehended a brand new supernatural power: the Spiritual Void Dividing Technique.]

He slowly closed the book, a slight smile playing on his lips.

The previously created "Chaos Myriad Transformations Refining God Technique" focused on cultivating the strength of divine sense, much like forging a sword; while this "Spiritual Void Dividing God Technique" adds sharpness to the sword, endowing it with the ability to divide and entrust, and to control the void with the spirit, thus making up for its deficiencies.

Just then, hurried footsteps sounded.

Song Yuanqiao pushed open the door and entered, his expression tense.

"Senior Uncle! A challenge has arrived from Shaolin—Master Tongming has personally named you, inviting you to a life-or-death duel!"

"What else did he say?"

"This person is one of the 'Twenty-Three Shaolin Monks with Unparalleled Skills' who were famous throughout the martial arts world hundreds of years ago. He reached the realm of a terrestrial immortal nearly two hundred years ago. His combat power is terrifying, and he can be called one of the top experts of the time," Song Yuanqiao said in a deep voice. "The reason why Shaolin held back before was that they were waiting for him to make a move."

Lin Daochen's expression remained unchanged, his tone as calm as a breeze brushing across a mountain peak: "Reply, I accept the battle."

He paused, then added casually, "However, fighting to the death is too boring. Tell Shaolin—this battle involves two sects."

"If I am defeated, Wudang will be disbanded, and all its Taoist treasures, secret manuals, and resources will belong to Shaolin."

"If Tongming is defeated... then from this day forward, there will be no more Shaolin in the world. Everything they have, including their thousand-year-old scriptures and cultivation foundation, will belong to Wudang."

"Go ask them if they dare to answer. If they do, I will personally climb Mount Shaoshi and send Tongming into the cycle of reincarnation."

In return for their kindness, last time they dared to break into Wudang Mountain, this time it's his turn to storm their gates and sever their incense offerings.

Having completed the ninth level of Qi Refining and wielding the Heavenly Prison Sword, he was absolutely confident in killing Tongming.

Song Yuanqiao's pupils constricted sharply: "Senior Uncle! This gamble is too huge! If we fail, we will lose everything, and Wudang will be completely destroyed!"

"I know." Lin Daochen looked up at him. "But you also know that although Tongming is strong, he entered the Land Immortal realm a hundred years earlier than me, and his strength is indeed superior to Donghuang Taiyi. But that doesn't mean he can survive the next battle."

Seeing that Song Yuanqiao hesitated, he added, "There's no need to persuade me. I'm not taking a risk; I'm settling accounts."

"Shaolin and Wudang have long been sworn enemies. Rather than getting entangled in this again in the future, let's take this opportunity to settle the score once and for all."

"Go, and relay the message as I instructed. Shaolin... will definitely agree."

His gaze deepened slightly, and his voice lowered: "What they fear is never just me alone, but my alliance with Zhang Sanfeng. But they don't know—to kill Tongming, I need no alliance. I can do it alone."

Song Yuanqiao was stunned for a moment, then finally nodded: "Okay."

He knew that his senior brother's mind was made up.

What's even clearer is that this decisive battle was unavoidable. The hatred had accumulated to this point, and only blood could wash it away.

The sooner it ends, the better.

Song Yuanqiao walked out of the Sutra Pavilion and, following Lin Daochen's instructions, replied to the person who delivered the challenge letter to Shaolin Temple.

Such a major matter could not be decided by a few messenger disciples. They could only rush back to Shaolin and report the original message to the higher-ups for a decision.

Several days later.

The Shaolin disciple rushed back to the temple and immediately presented Wudang's reply to Abbot Kongwen.

After hearing this, Kong Wen's expression changed slightly, and he immediately turned around to find Tong Ming.

"Master, Lin Daochen has accepted the challenge—but he has set conditions..."

He repeated it in a low voice.

Tongming sat motionless for a moment, then suddenly looked up and laughed, his eyes flashing with cold light: "Arrogant! Does he really think he has me cornered?"

"No one in the past hundred years has ever dared to be so audacious! They're utterly courting death!"

He abruptly stood up, waved his sleeve, and exclaimed, "Granted! Let him come to Shaoshi Mountain and be annihilated in front of the whole world!"

"Yes." Kong Wen bowed and accepted the order without hesitation. In his mind, Tongming could suppress the current generation, and beheading Lin Daochen was just a matter of raising his hand.

After a moment's thought, he spoke again: "Master, this battle is of great importance. Why not spread the word widely and invite heroes from all over the martial world to come to Shaolin to watch the battle?"

"Firstly, we will use the voices of the masses to spread the power and prestige of Shaolin; secondly, we will let the world see clearly—those who oppose Shaolin will only face death!"

As the abbot, Kong Wen possessed profound insight. Since the defeat at Wudang, Shaolin's reputation had declined, and now was the perfect opportunity to rebuild its authority.

A decisive battle, without an audience, how can it be considered awe-inspiring?

Only under the watchful eyes of all can the blood of the defeated stain the memory of the entire martial arts world.

"Approved," Tongming uttered calmly.

The news spread immediately.

Soon after, Shaolin sent another messenger to Wudang.

The two factions finally agreed that fifteen days later, Dao Chen Zhenren of Wudang Mountain would face off against Tongming Zushi of Shaolin at the summit of Shaoshi Mountain, in a life-or-death battle!

The date was chosen on the fifteenth day, at the request of Shaolin. They needed time to set up a trap, to spread this duel throughout the martial arts world, to let everyone know, and to draw all the heroes to the scene.

As expected, the news of the battle caused a huge uproar in the martial arts world.

Countless martial arts practitioners immediately set off for Shaoshi Mountain, eager to witness this unprecedented battle.

……

Wudang Mountain.

Deep within the library.

Inside the alchemy room, blue flames flickered.

Lin Daochen stared at the two gleaming blue pills in his palm, a slight smile playing on his lips.

It became.

These two pills are the Great Rejuvenating Pills, which he created using the Lesser Rejuvenating Pill as a base.

They have similar names and the same effects, but their quality is worlds apart.

The former replenishes spiritual energy slowly, while the latter can fill the entire spiritual power of a ninth-level Qi Refining cultivator in an instant.

With two in hand, you're almost fully charged for the next battle.

He prepared this elixir not out of fear of Tongming, but to guard against the figure lurking in the shadows—

The old monk sweeping the floor in the library.

According to the information gathered by Song Yuanqiao, the strongest person in Shaolin is undoubtedly Tongming, who is the only terrestrial immortal in the world today.

But Lin Daochen always had a strange feeling: the old monk who swept the ground with a broom every day had an unfathomable aura, and his cultivation might be... even above the Tongming level.

Holding back a plan is not out of fear of battle, but simply for complete safety.

Two more days passed.

Song Yuanqiao stepped into the Sutra Repository, cupped his hands, and whispered, "Uncle-Master, the time has come. Should we set off? Should we awaken Master from seclusion?"

Lin Daochen shook his head: "No need."

He was fully prepared and there was no need to disturb Zhang Sanfeng's seclusion.

During the last upheaval at Wudang, Zhang Sanfeng had attained profound enlightenment and was on the verge of a breakthrough. Forcibly interrupting him at this time would only become an obstacle.

Moreover—

If that old monk is truly stronger than Tongming, even Zhang Sanfeng's arrival would be of no use.

If it were nothing special, he could have easily smashed it with a single palm strike, without needing his master to come in person.

Afterwards, leaving Zhang Songxi and Yin Liting to guard the mountain gate, Lin Daochen led Song Yuanqiao, Yu Lianzhou and others down Wudang Mountain, heading straight for Shaoshi Mountain.