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

After a moment of silence, Fan Qinghui finally spoke, her tone calm yet authoritative: "Second Hero Yu, the Sui Dynasty is now rife with warlords, and the people are displaced. Only by unifying the land as soon as possible can peace be restored. I hope you will consider the plight of the people and persuade your disciple to stop his pursuit of supremacy."

"Why should my disciple retreat? Can't the Li clan be abandoned?"

Yu Lianzhou's voice was calm, yet it was as sharp as a drawn blade.

Fan Qinghui was taken aback, then said, "Young Master Li is wise and decisive, and is the leader jointly supported by the righteous path of our Great Sui. Moreover, he comes from the Li clan and has a deep foundation. With him in charge of the world, order can be quickly restored."

"Oh."

Yu Lianzhou sneered, a mocking smile playing on his lips: "The righteous path supports it? I've heard it's your Buddhist sect that's 'establishing an emperor on behalf of Heaven'?"

"As for their background?" His eyes turned cold. "My disciple started from scratch and has worked his way up to where he is today. He's a hundred times better than those born with a silver spoon in their mouths. Do those from noble families even deserve to be called superior?"

"No need for further words, Sect Leader Fan. Since we've agreed to settle this with martial arts, let's each rely on our own abilities."

Seeing his firm stance, Fan Qinghui's face darkened: "Second Hero Yu, I'm only trying to reason with you because of Dao Chen Zhenren. Don't think my Buddhist sect is afraid of your Wudang sect!"

"Dao Chen may be strong—" she said, emphasizing each word, "but the righteous path of our Great Sui Dynasty is not a spineless coward to be manipulated! Invincible under heaven? Not necessarily!"

His words were sharp and confident.

Yu Lianzhou remained unmoved, only replying calmly, "Sect Leader Fan, there's no need to be so eloquent. If you have the ability to surpass Wudang, just show it; why waste time with empty words?"

Fan Qinghui's eyes flashed sharply: "Then I'll have to see your skills."

She glanced sideways and whispered to an elderly man in brocade robes beside her, "Brother Ning, please make your move."

This person was Ning Daoqi—the former number one expert of the Great Sui Dynasty, who had already entered the realm of a terrestrial immortal many years ago and was famous throughout the world.

In an instant, the two peerless experts faced off across the void, and the heavens and earth seemed to freeze.

Li Jiancheng, watching from afar, frowned slightly and asked Shi Zhixuan in a low voice, "Sect Leader Shi, judging from what Fan Qinghui said just now... could it be that Cihang Jingzhai truly has the means to contend with Dao Chen Zhenren?"

Shi Zhixuan chuckled: "The Cihang Jingzhai has been passed down for a thousand years; how could it not have some hidden gems?"

"Then... what about your Holy Sect?" Li Jiancheng asked tentatively. He naturally dared not call it the "Demon Sect" to their faces.

Shi Zhixuan smiled slightly but did not answer.

But that expression said it all.

Just as the two were whispering, the battle situation suddenly changed.

Although Yu Lianzhou had only recently entered the realm of a terrestrial immortal, he had been personally trained by Lin Daochen, and his attack techniques were incredibly powerful, making his combat strength far surpass that of others of the same level. In just a few moves, he suppressed Ning Daoqi.

Fan Qinghui's expression changed drastically. She quickly held a secret meeting with the presiding monk of Jingnian Chan Sect. Immediately afterwards, the two reclusive patriarchs of Cihang Jingzhai and Jingnian Chan Sect, who had been living in seclusion for many years, broke out of their seclusion and attacked Yu Lianzhou together!

Zhang Cuishan and Mo Shenggu immediately tried to come to their aid, but were intercepted by Fan Qinghui and Liaokong.

In an instant, all the masters emerged and engaged in a fierce battle.

In the midst of the chaos, Kou Zhong, his eyes wide with rage, shouted at Fan Qinghui, "Sect Leader Fan! What kind of righteous sect do you think you are? We agreed on a duel between masters, yet you went back on your word, ganging up on us! Do you have no sense of honor whatsoever?!"

Fan Qinghui remained calm and replied indifferently, "Young Marshal, you've misremembered. When did I agree to a one-on-one duel? I only said 'a duel between masters,' so naturally—whoever has more people wins."

Supporting Li Shimin to unify the Sui Dynasty was a long-planned strategy of the Buddhist community. How could she really bet the fate of the world on the outcome of a single game?

If Ning Daoqi wins, the agreement will naturally be valid.

But now that defeat is imminent, how could she sit idly by and wait for her doom?

With our side now teeming with experts, it's the perfect time to seize the opportunity and wipe them all out, eliminating the core of the Young Marshal's army. From then on, the outcome will be decided!

However—before her plan was finalized, it collapsed.

boom!!!

A violent sword light shot up from Yu Lianzhou's palm, tearing through the sky like the sun exploding!

The Black Child stood on his sword, the Heavenly Prison Sword humming and trembling in his hand. As soon as the Great Freedom Gengjin Sword Technique was unleashed, the sword light was like a blade that cleaved the sky, and in just a breath, the terrestrial immortal of Cihang Jingzhai had his head fall to the ground.

Immediately following the second sword strike, it was still that devastating Gengjin sword energy—the terrestrial immortal of the Jingnian Zen sect perished on the spot without even uttering a sound.

The two supreme experts died instantly, and the battlefield fell into a deathly silence, the sounds of fighting ceasing abruptly.

"Who...who are you?" Fan Qinghui stared intently at the child floating in mid-air beside Yu Lianzhou, his black clothes fluttering in the wind, his voice trembling.

This child is too strange! She saw it clearly out of the corner of her eye—two swords, just two swords, and the founders of two major sects were both killed!

The Black Boy's gaze was cold; he didn't utter a word, only quietly awaiting Yu Lianzhou's orders. Before leaving, Lin Daochen had already instructed him: "Follow Yu the Second Hero's orders in everything."

"No need to ask any more questions," Yu Lianzhou said calmly. "This is my senior master's sword spirit."

"Sword spirit?" Fan Qinghui and the others looked at each other, puzzled.

But one thing they understood—this strange child was inextricably linked to the enigmatic Wudang Daoist Master Chen. A chill ran down their spines.

Yu Lianzhou's gaze sharpened, and he spoke calmly, "Sect Leader Fan, is the bet still valid?"

Fan Qinghui's face turned ashen: "Second Hero Yu, your disciple is incompetent in governing the country, far inferior to Second Young Master Li! Your Wudang sect's insistence on supporting him to the throne is nothing but selfish greed, plunging the people of the Sui Dynasty into misery!"

"How could a prestigious and righteous sect be so indifferent to the plight of the common people?"

If you can't win a fight, resort to moral high ground; it's an old trick.

Yu Lianzhou sneered: "Ha, you Buddhist sect think you can decide life and death with just your words? To choose an emperor on behalf of Heaven? You think you're worthy?"

"If you're really that capable, show me the real deal. You can fool the world with words, but you can't fool me, Yu."

Fan Qinghui was furious.

For so many years, Cihang Jingzhai has held sway over the righteous path, and everyone treats it with utmost respect. When has it ever been treated with such contempt?

But she knew that getting angry now would be useless.

Although they have a numerical advantage, their top-tier combat strength is far inferior. They have no chance of winning this battle.

"Fine!" she gritted her teeth. "We concede defeat today!"

"But you want that kid to rule the world? Dream on!"

"No matter how strong Wudang is, it can't change the general trend! The Li family has a large army and vast territory, while the young marshal's army is only able to hold onto a small corner. In the end, the world will belong to the Li family!"

Before he finished speaking, Yu Lianzhou's eyes turned cold.

"So, you're saying you want to break the contract?"

With a flick of his sleeve, he coldly ordered, "Then—leave them all behind."

"Kurodoji, kill him."

With a flick of his finger, he pointed directly at Ning Daoqi.

In an instant, the Heavenly Prison Sword tore through the sky, and the Great Freedom Gengjin Sword transformed into a violent white sword rainbow, crashing down!

boom--!

The void shattered, and the sword's power surged like a tide.

At the same time, Yu Lianzhou suddenly leaped up and threw a punch. The dark, abyss-like fist energy pierced through the heavens and earth, heading straight for Fan Qinghui's face!

boom!boom!

Two loud explosions followed in quick succession.

Ning Daoqi was struck by the sword energy and staggered back more than ten steps, bloodstains appeared on his chest and blood spilled from the corner of his mouth.

Fan Qinghui fared even worse; if Liao Kong and the others hadn't desperately blocked that punch, her bones and tendons would have been shattered. Even so, she was already severely injured, coughing up blood, and her breath was weak.

"Go!" she hissed, "Get out of here!"

With Yu Lianzhou and that evil child around, defeat is inevitable today; keeping them alive any longer would be suicide!

Just as Yu Lianzhou was about to give chase, a thought suddenly struck him, and he looked up sharply towards the direction where Li Jiancheng and Shi Zhixuan were in the distance.

"Go!" Shi Zhixuan roared, grabbing Li Jiancheng.

He was confident in his unparalleled talent, but the battle just now clearly showed him that Yu Lianzhou and Hei Tongzi were both no less capable than him. With the two of them working together, he had no chance of survival and dared not linger for even a moment longer.

In the blink of an eye, the two disappeared into the night.

The battle at Qingzhou City has come to an end.

Because of Fan Qinghui's breach of contract, the war between the Young Marshal's Army and the Li Clan reignited.

But this time, the roles have reversed.

In the past, the Li clan pressed in on the border, but now it is the Young Marshal's army launching a full-scale counterattack.

the reason is simple.

This is a world where martial arts reign supreme. Although a martial artist cannot single-handedly turn the tide of battle, they can quietly shift the balance of the entire battlefield.

Fan Qinghui and her group don't follow the rules, and Yu Lianzhou's side is too lazy to put on any airs of a prestigious sect.

They acted directly, targeting the generals on Li's side—a single sword strike to the throat, staining the battlefield with blood.

With high-ranking generals dying one after another, the fighting strength of the Li clan's army collapsed instantly.

Even more fatally, Li Shimin, as the commander-in-chief, lived in the shadow of assassination every day and dared not show his face. He could only remotely command from behind the scenes.

With the chain of command broken and orders failing to flow smoothly, the army is like a headless fly; how much combat effectiveness can it retain?

Seeing the situation deteriorate, Fan Qinghui and others also considered following suit and sending people to assassinate key figures in the Young Marshal's army.

Unfortunately, Yu Lianzhou was prepared for this move.

All the high-ranking officers of the Young Marshal's Army were covered with Xuan Shield Talismans personally crafted by Yu Lianzhou, making them impervious to divine sense and providing early warning before any killing intent arose.

The experts sent by Cihang Jingzhai had just infiltrated the area and hadn't even made a move when they were killed on the spot by Yu Lianzhou and his group who had rushed over upon hearing the news.

After repeated defeats and heavy casualties, Fan Qinghui finally realized that she couldn't afford to play this game.

They dared not act rashly again.

As one side gained at the expense of the other, the morale of the Li clan declined day by day, while the Young Marshal's army grew stronger with each battle, advancing with unstoppable momentum.

While expanding their territory and capturing cities, the strategist Xu Xing skillfully maneuvered to win over various forces and bring them under his command.

Of course, what truly caused the heroes to turn against each other was the Wudang faction's public endorsement.

Who would dare to disregard the importance of Dao Chen Zhenren?

As the saying goes, when a wall falls, everyone pushes it down. With signs of defeat already apparent, those forces that originally stood behind the Li clan turned their guns on each other and joined the Young Marshal's army.

Even Ning Daoqi, who had been invited out of seclusion by Cihang Jingzhai, quietly withdrew from public life and no longer interfered in the disputes.

With the tide turning against them, the Li clan finally bowed their heads and submitted.

With the surrender of this strongest opponent, the Young Marshal's army accelerated its pace in unifying the Sui Dynasty.

However, Yu Lianzhou did not lead his men back to Wudang.

He still has two things to do—to ensure there are no future problems.

First, completely eradicate Cihang Jingzhai and Jingnian Chan Buddhism.

Both families have long been mortal enemies with Wudang. If they are not eliminated completely, they will surely become a future threat.

Second, eradicate the Great Sui Demonic Sect completely.

This group loves to stir up trouble and create unrest throughout the world.

If the Wudang lineage is to be able to hold power in the Sui Dynasty, this hidden danger must be eliminated.

Upon receiving the order, Kou Zhong immediately mobilized all the spies of the Young Marshal's army to track down the whereabouts of the three parties.

The first one they targeted was the Jingnian Chan sect—the mountain gate located in the southern suburbs of Luoyang.

But when the scouts arrived, they found the doors tightly shut and the place deserted.

Only after making inquiries from various sources did I learn that the Jingnian Chan sect had already withdrawn with Cihang Jingzhai.

The two major sects have already merged.

The target then shifted to Cihang Jingzhai.

Now, the Young Marshal's army has almost control over the entire Sui Dynasty, and its intelligence network covers all directions.

After a vigorous search, its hiding place was finally discovered – the Emperor's Peak in Yumeng Mountain, Jiangdong.

Upon receiving confirmation of the news, Yu Lianzhou and Kou Zhong immediately led their elite troops by boat down the river, heading straight for Dita Peak.