Martial Arts Crossover: Zhao Min, your sidekick is really something else.

Besides, Cheng Kun has already been hit by the Heart-Shattering Palm. Even if he's not dead yet, he won't be around for long. Rather than killing him myself, it's better to let him suffer through torture before he dies, so that the old man doesn't get off easy.

At this moment, Du'e, who was sitting in the middle, finally spoke and waved to Cheng Kun.

Cheng Kun stood there, stunned, his mind buzzing.

Three old monks sat steadily on the steps, the one in the middle was so thin that he was skin and bones, with sunken eyes, as if he hadn't eaten a single meal in decades.

"come over."

Du'e spoke, his voice dry and hoarse, like sandpaper scraping against a stone slab.

Cheng Kun was overjoyed. He knew all too well the significance of these three—it was already widely known in the martial arts world that the Three Monks of the Three Crossings had reached the pinnacle of cultivation, and there were few in the world who could challenge them.

Now that I've come here under the identity of Shaolin Yuanzhen, these three are, after all, high-ranking monks of Shaolin. I can't just stand by and watch them die, can I?

Cheng Kun strode forward, his legs and feet becoming more agile.

When he stretched out his arm, a spark of hope rekindled within him.

Du'e extended his right hand, a hand that looked as if it were wrapped in a layer of withered tree bark, with protruding knuckles, so thin that it was just a skeleton. He slowly placed his hand on Cheng Kun's wrist, closed his eyes, and remained motionless.

Cheng Kun held his breath, his whole body tense, his eyes fixed on Du'e's face, afraid of missing any expression.

After a while, sweat began to bead on his forehead.

Du'e finally released his grip, his face expressionless. He clasped his hands together and murmured:

"Amitabha."

Cheng Kun's heart leaped into his throat, his voice trembling: "Grandmaster, is there any hope for me with this poison?"

Du'e didn't even open his eyes, uttering two words:

"There is no solution."

"boom--"

Cheng Kun felt as if something had hit his head, causing him to lose his footing and stumble back three steps. His chest churned, and a metallic taste filled his mouth. "Pfft!"

With a splatter, dark purple blood sprayed onto the ground.

He slumped to the ground, staring down at the pool of blood.

Anyone can tell from that color—the poison has already taken hold of his heart.

Cheng Kun's face was as white as a sheet of paper, his eyes were vacant, and he looked as if his soul had been ripped out. He could even imagine the judge in the underworld holding a pen and drawing a big X next to his name in the Book of Life and Death.

Xiao Yaoqing stood to the side, his heart also stirred slightly.

He knew the reputation of the Three Monks of Salvation, and Du'e was the strongest of the three. Even he was helpless against the poison of the Heart-Shattering Palm?

Does that mean that even if these three old monks were all together, they might not be able to defeat Yaoyue or Lianxing from Yihua Palace?

Of course, this was just a thought that crossed his mind.

Cheng Kun collapsed to the ground, like a lump of mud. The Three Monks didn't even lift their eyelids, resuming their meditative posture as if Cheng Kun wasn't even there.

In their eyes, Cheng Kun was Yuanzhen of the Shaolin School, a junior, and someone who came to ask for help.

But what they cultivate is "forgetting oneself and the external world".

The Zen of emptiness—all things are empty, all matters are irrelevant.

That's a well-said statement.

But what if one truly "forgets oneself and the world"?

Why did they hold Zhang Wuji responsible for Yang Dingtian's grudge back then?

To put it bluntly, what does "forgetting oneself and the external world" mean?

It's just a matter of choosing what to forget and selectively forgetting.

Cheng Kun knelt on the ground, crawled forward a few steps using both hands and feet, grabbed Du'e's feet, and his voice was hoarse beyond recognition:

"Grandmaster, is there really... really no way at all? Is there absolutely no hope?"

Du'e in the Three Crossings didn't even glance at his feet, his face remained as cold as stone, but the tone of his voice changed.

"Decades ago, the old monk heard of a rare thing that could cure all the deadly poisons in the world, called the Fire Lingzhi."

Upon hearing this, Cheng Kun's originally dull eyes suddenly lit up again, like a spark leaping out of dead ashes.

Unfortunately, Du'e then stomped on and destroyed his star.

"But no one has ever seen this thing before, and no one knows where it is."

Before he could finish speaking, Du Jie, who was standing next to him, put his hands together and murmured, "Everything has its cause and effect, and everyone has their own destiny."

As soon as he finished speaking, the three old monks chanted a Buddhist prayer in unison.

That single "Amitabha Buddha"

It's like giving a definitive conclusion to Cheng Kun's fate.

Cheng Kun went limp again, collapsing to the ground, his eyes filled with an overwhelming despair.

However, compared to before, it's not as lifeless anymore.

After all, he had at least heard of a way to survive—the Fire Spirit Mushroom.

Although no one has seen it, no one knows where it is, and I only have a few days left to live, at least I still have something to look forward to.

He slowly got up, supporting himself on the ground, and was about to say goodbye to the three monks.

Little did anyone know that San Du didn't care whether he left or not, and directly spoke in the direction where Xiao Yaoqing was hiding:

"Esteemed benefactor, after eavesdropping for so long, shouldn't you show your face?"

Cheng Kun frowned, his heart skipped a beat—there were still people here?

Xiao Yaoqing was taken aback, wondering to himself, "This time they're calling me, right? There shouldn't be anyone else... Should I wait a little longer?"

His waiting caused the atmosphere in the cemetery to freeze, becoming awkwardly quiet.

Even Cheng Kun sensed something was wrong, inwardly cursing, "Who's hiding here? They've been discovered by the three grandmasters and still won't come out? Aren't they tired of living?"

In his eyes, the Three Crossings Monk's judgment had never been wrong.

Du Jie and Du Nan exchanged a glance, then looked at their senior brother at the same time.

Du'e frowned slightly, and this time his voice was noticeably deeper:

"Benefactor, stop hiding. The three of us brothers didn't notice you before, but you accidentally gave yourself away."

"The old monk is a little curious—you don't have the slightest fluctuation of internal energy, so why are you sneaking around us like this?"

After hearing the phrase "no internal energy," Xiao Yaoqing...

Finally, he admitted, "Fine, I'm the one who got caught."

I was just trying to hide a little longer, but now that I think about it... it's really embarrassing.

Seeing this, Xiao Yaoqing knew that hiding was no use anymore. He gripped the old, worn-out longsword in his hand and walked out from his hiding place.

Upon seeing Xiao Yaoqing's face, Cheng Kun's expression instantly changed. He reflexively took several steps back, his voice trembling: "Xiao Yaoqing?! It's you?!"

The Three-Crossing Monk had already given up on dealing with Cheng Kun, but upon hearing his reaction, Du'e slowly asked, "Yuanzhen, do you know this person?"

Cheng Kun quickly turned around and shouted to Du'e, "Grandmaster, it's him! He's the one who ambushed me just now!"

"Oh?"

Du'e raised an eyebrow slightly and looked at Xiao Yaoqing.

Du Jie followed up with a disdainful remark: "It's not surprising that a coward like you would resort to a sneak attack."

Xiao Yaoqing frowned, ignoring his words, and instead stared at Cheng Kun, saying, "Aren't monks supposed to not lie? Yuanzhen, tell me honestly, how did you get those injuries?"

Upon hearing this, the three of them exchanged glances, then turned to look at Cheng Kun. Could this kid really be lying?

Before Cheng Kun could speak, Xiao Yaoqing added, "Oh, right, I remember now. You, Cheng Kun, the Hunyuan Thunderbolt Hand, are not a monk at all."

"Cheng Kun?"

Du Jie frowned, staring at Cheng Kun, waiting for an explanation.

Cheng Kun felt a pang of panic, but his acting skills honed over the years, and he didn't betray a single flaw on his face. He pointed at Xiao Yaoqing, his voice rising several decibels: "Three Grand Masters, it was he who poisoned me! He must have the antidote! No matter who I was before, I am now Yuanzhen of Shaolin!"

At this point, he simply knelt down with a thud and kowtowed to Du'e: "Three great masters, please help your grand-disciple!"

The three monks exchanged glances, nodded simultaneously, and then turned to look at Xiao Yaoqing.

Xiao Yaoqing's heart sank.

At this moment, Du Nan, with his dark face, spoke up: "I can't see any internal energy fluctuations on your body, but your poison technique is extremely domineering. I really can't figure it out."

The pale-faced one who had undergone the tribulation followed up, saying, "Please, benefactor, give the three of us an explanation."

No sooner had he finished speaking than three thick, black iron chains flew out from nowhere and hurtled straight toward Xiao Yaoqing.

Xiao Yaoqing felt a chill run down his spine as he looked at the three iron chains. He could clearly sense the terrifying aura emanating from them.

Behind the Shaolin Temple, the three monks of the Three Crossings made their move together, and three iron chains, like black snakes, were hurled down from the sky.

Xiao Yaoqing didn't actually plan to fight the three old monks at first. He knew his own limitations and that he might not have the upper hand in a real fight.

But now, the situation is beyond his control.

He gritted his teeth and cursed inwardly: These three old bald monks are just unreasonable!

The moment the chains came crashing down, Xiao Yaoqing didn't hesitate. He instantly activated his Lingbo Weibu footwork, his whole body moving like a slippery fish, weaving in and out of the gaps in the chains.

"Boom—Boom—Boom—"

The thick iron chain lashed hard against the bluestone ground, sending stones flying and dust billowing into the air.

The ground was riddled with craters, and cracks spread outwards like a spider web.

Xiao Yaoqing felt a chill run down his spine. If that blow had hit him, he would probably have ended up like the ground.

The three monks were clearly surprised when their attack missed.

They didn't stop; the chains were swung again, at even more tricky angles and faster speeds than before, trying to block all of Xiao Yaoqing's escape routes.

No matter how they changed their tactics, whether the iron chain swept from the left or came crashing down from above, Xiao Yaoqing was like an eel, always dodging along the edge of the chain without even being touched by the hem of his clothes.

The surprise in the eyes of the three monks grew stronger.

The three of them exchanged glances, none of them speaking, but their eyes conveyed the same meaning.

"Splash—"

The chains were quickly retracted, and the three of them simultaneously clasped their hands in a Buddhist salute: "Amitabha."

Xiao Yaoqing then stopped and stood between the three of them, keeping his eyes fixed on them, not daring to relax for a moment.

Cheng Kun, who had been watching the battle from the sidelines, had a completely changed expression.

The moment the three monks made their move, a hint of contempt even appeared on Cheng Kun's lips.

He knew all too well the martial arts skills of his three great masters.

Even at the height of his power, he wouldn't dare to fight any of them head-on. In his mind, perhaps only Zhang Zhenren of Wudang could rival these three elders.

When the iron chain was brought down on Xiao Yaoqing, Cheng Kun had already decided in his heart: this kid is doomed.

But now?