Shaolin Temple was first built during the Taihe period of the Northern Wei Dynasty. During the reign of Emperor Wu of the Southern Liang Dynasty, Bodhidharma came to the Central Plains from India and stayed at Shaolin Temple. In the following decades, Bodhidharma created various Shaolin martial arts, laying a solid foundation for Shaolin Temple's martial arts.

At the end of the Sui Dynasty and the beginning of the Tang Dynasty, Shaolin Temple, seizing the opportunity, sent 13 monks to save Li Shimin, who had not yet become emperor. After Li Shimin ascended the throne, Shaolin became even stronger, and no matter how the dynasties in the Central Plains changed, Shaolin remained standing.

On this day, a group of several people appeared in the Shaolin area, acting mysteriously. Each of them was dressed in black and masked, observing the surrounding movements as they traveled.

"Master, Shaoshi Mountain is just ahead," one of them said.

"Yes. Be careful of the Songshan Sect. Don't let them find out. We can't let anyone know we're going to Shaolin this time."

"Yes, Master."

He then turned to the two people behind him and said.

"Yingying, Brother Linghu, hang in there a little longer, we'll be there soon."

This group of people were Ren Woxing and Xiang Wentian, who had been rescued earlier, as well as Linghu Chong and Ren Yingying.

Ren Yingying, her face veiled, looked at Linghu Chong with a tender glint in her beautiful eyes.

"Brother Linghu, you don't actually need to come with us."

Upon hearing this, Linghu Chong shook his head and quickly replied.

"No, I must go. Only Shaolin can mediate the conflict between the Five Mountains Sword Sect and the Demonic Sect. I don't want Mount Hua to be dragged into the war," Linghu Chong said hastily.

"Hahaha, kid, don't worry, as long as I regain the position of sect leader, I will immediately cease hostilities with the righteous path." A barely perceptible glint flashed in Ren Woxing's eyes before he laughed loudly.

Linghu Chong nodded upon hearing this. The main reason he and Ren Yingying rescued Ren Woxing, besides liking Ren Yingying, was that they wanted to end this war between good and evil.

After resting for a while, the group headed towards Shaoshi Mountain. Fortunately, the main force of Songshan Mountain was not here recently, so the group successfully infiltrated Shaoshi Mountain.

Just as they were about to arrive at Shaolin Temple, a commotion suddenly broke out. A group of monks wielding sticks rushed out from all directions and surrounded the four of them.

Among them, the eighteen monks with gold-plated bronze paint on their bodies were the most eye-catching, each exuding the aura of a peak second-rate cultivator.

"The Eighteen Bronze Men!" Xiang Wentian exclaimed in surprise.

"Father, we've been discovered," Ren Yingying said hurriedly.

At this moment, Linghu Chong had already drawn his sword and was looking around warily.

"As expected of Shaolin Temple, it seems you all anticipated my arrival." Ren Woxing remained calm and composed, showing no concern for the Shaolin people around him.

"The abbot has decreed that if Mr. Ren wishes to enter Shaolin, he must defeat the Eighteen Bronze Men," the Eighteen Bronze Men shouted in unison.

Upon hearing this, Ren Woxing's eyes flashed with a hint of indifference, while an excited expression appeared on his face.

"Master, your energy hasn't recovered yet. Although these eighteen bronze men aren't top-tier, if they join forces, even a late-stage top-tier would find it difficult to defeat them," Xiang Wentian whispered.

"Hahahaha..." Ren Woxing flicked his sleeve and suddenly burst into laughter.

"Back when I roamed the world, I was never afraid of anyone. These mere eighteen bronze men are nothing. Come on, let me see what you're capable of."

After saying that, he leaped into the air and attacked the eighteen bronze men in front of him like a roc, with a faint black aura flowing around his palms.

"Form ranks."

The eighteen men quickly stacked their wooden sticks together to form a net, and they stepped forward to meet the leaping Ren Woxing.

However, Ren Woxing did not attack the group directly from the front. Instead, he used his feet to step on each other in mid-air and did a somersault to get behind the eighteen people.

"break…"

Ren Woxing roared and pushed forward with both palms, instantly sending the eighteen Arhats flying.

"Great!" Xiang Wentian shouted.

Ren Woxing lived up to his name, possessing incredibly rich combat experience. He instantly found the opponent's weakness and knew that he couldn't directly confront them head-on. Instead, he chose to feint and attack from behind.

"ha."

The eighteen bronze men turned over and formed a formation again. This time, they formed a circle around Ren Woxing and used their footwork to spin and attack him. This time, the roles of attacker and defender were reversed.

"Demon-Subduing Formation".

Ren Woxing did not choose to dodge. Instead, he placed his left palm facing up and his right palm facing down, adopting a posture of embracing oneness and guarding oneness, and a powerful true energy surged from his body.

Before the eighteen bronze figures even got close, they suddenly felt a powerful suction force coming towards them, and their bodies involuntarily moved towards Ren Woxing.

"Star-Absorbing Technique..."

The eighteen men were startled and quickly used the wooden sticks in their hands to insert into the ground to prevent their bodies from sliding towards each other.

"Amitabha…"

Just then, the sound of a Buddhist chant came from afar.

Ren Woxing's expression changed, and he shifted his hand movements, causing the monks to stop sliding.

After finishing his practice, Ren Woxing looked behind him and saw Master Fangzheng with a full white beard standing there with his hands clasped together. Behind him were seven or eight old monks, each with an extraordinary aura and all of them were first-class masters.

"The Star Absorbing Technique is indeed extremely unpredictable, Mr. Ren. It's been a long time," Fang Zheng said.

"It's been almost twenty years, hasn't it? Master, I never expected to meet you today as a stray dog," Ren Woxing said with self-deprecation.

“Well said, well said, Mr. Ren is joking.”

"Please, everyone..." Fang Zheng gestured for them to enter.

At this moment, Linghu Chong was full of suspicion, feeling as if the two sides were quite familiar with each other.

"Splash..."

The eighteen bronze statues and monks quickly stepped aside, making way for Ren Woxing and his companions to walk towards the main gate of Shaolin Temple.

Upon entering the temple, one sees a crowd of monks standing around, each staring intently at the four people who have entered; their numbers are likely no less than a thousand.

"As expected of Shaolin," Linghu Chong thought to himself. So many third-rate masters! You must know that his Mount Hua only has fewer than two hands' worth of third-rate masters.

Ren Woxing smiled slightly upon seeing this scene; this was the other party's way of putting them in their place.

Fang Zheng and his companions did not take the group to the main hall, but instead went to a side hall at the back of the temple. This was because of Ren Yingying; it was already extremely difficult to let her in, and it was impossible for her to enter the main hall. Fortunately, the group did not mind.

"Mr. Ren, please have a seat."

Then everyone sat down.

Immediately, a young monk brought over tea.

“Master Fangzheng, you must know why I’ve come to Shaolin this time,” Ren Woxing said bluntly.

"I can get them to pause their fighting at Mount Song, but Mr. Ren, are you confident in your ability to deal with Dongfang Bubai? This woman is extraordinary. At such a young age, she has already reached the peak of the first-class level and could break through to the Innate Realm at any time. I even suspect that she has already reached the Innate Realm," Fang Zheng said.

“Impossible,” Ren Woxing immediately retorted.

Then he quickly added.

"I need people. I hope Shaolin and Wudang can send people to help me. As long as I can regain the position of leader, my Sun Moon Divine Sect will not set foot in the Central Plains for the next twenty years."

Upon hearing this, Linghu Chong's face lit up with joy. This was exactly what he wanted.

Upon hearing this, Fang Zheng smiled slightly and then looked at his fellow disciples beside him.

"What do you think?" Fang Zheng asked.

"We'll leave it all to you, Senior Brother," the group quickly replied.

Fang Zheng nodded, then asked the question behind him.

"Master Chongxu, what do you think?"

Ren Woxing was startled and quickly looked behind Fang Zheng. He saw an old Taoist priest, over sixty years old, walking out of the side door behind him. It was none other than Chongxu, the head of the Wudang Sect.

"Long time no see, Mr. Ren. Congratulations on regaining your freedom." Chongxu smiled and nodded.

"I didn't expect you to be at Shaolin too," Ren Woxing replied with a complicated expression. Now that two of the greatest masters of the martial arts world were here, he felt a little uneasy. He had been able to be fearless before because he was confident that even if Shaolin wanted to harm him, he could escape from Fang Zheng's clutches. But he never expected that Chongxu would be here as well.

“Mr. Ren’s conditions are quite good. He hasn’t set foot in the Central Plains for twenty years. Senior Brother Fangzheng, I think we can agree to it.” Chongxu nodded.

"Alright, thank you both." Ren Woxing was overjoyed and quickly stood up to express his gratitude.

"This must be Young Hero Linghu Chong, right? He is indeed a handsome man." At this moment, Chongxu's gaze turned to Linghu Chong.

The latter quickly got up.

"Linghu Chong of Mount Hua greets the senior."

"Well, young friend Linghu, I have something I'd like to ask you."

"Please speak, seniors," Linghu Chong hurriedly said.

"Li Daoyi, do you remember him?" Chongxu asked.

Linghu Chong was taken aback and quickly replied.

“Master Li, of course I know him.” Linghu Chong dared not hide it.

"Could you tell me what happened after you met?" Chongxu asked.

“This…” Linghu Chong hesitated. He really didn’t dare to talk about Li Daoyi. That man seemed too mysterious to him. Every time he looked at him, it was as if he could see right through him.

"Don't worry, I'm just curious about this friend who is also a member of the Taoist sect. I've heard rumors in the martial arts world that he knows magic, and I'm very curious about him," Chongxu explained.

“Yes, the Taoist priest does indeed know magic.” Linghu Chong nodded.

“Absurd,” Ren Woxing said coldly. He didn’t believe any of this.

"Oh? You saw it with your own eyes?" Chongxu continued.

Linghu Chong then recounted many of Li Daoyi's amazing abilities, such as the divine ox that could travel over a hundred zhang in a blink of an eye, the female ghost that appeared in the village, and the story of Liu Fu in Hengshan City defeating Dongfang Bubai with two swords.

Upon hearing this, everyone's faces showed surprise, and Fang Zheng and Chongxu frowned deeply.

“That’s true. I’ve also heard the rumors that the Taoist priest is a sword immortal. When he draws his flying sword, Dongfang Bubai doesn’t even have a chance to fight back. I thought it was just hearsay, but I didn’t expect it to be true,” Xiang Wentian replied. He greatly admired Linghu Chong’s character and had no doubt about what he said.

"Brother Chongxu, what do you think?" Fangzheng asked.

"I dare not comment without seeing the person, but it is really too unbelievable. Although there are indeed sword immortals in the legends of my Taoist sect, but..." Chongxu was obviously still somewhat doubtful. After all, some powerful innate masters can also do things like drawing their swords. As for ghosts and gods, in his opinion, they are just illusions.

"Moo..."

Just then, a deafening bellow came from the cow, so loud that it shook the surrounding buildings.

"It's the Taoist priest." Linghu Chong quickly stood up, utterly shocked.