Simultaneously traversing: the pinnacle of all realms

Lu Ze and his companions rode at full speed and finally arrived at the Golden Whip Creek Inn.

"Whoa~" Everyone stopped their horses, and Rainbow Cat waved and pointed into the distance, "This is the Golden Whip Creek Inn, the place where the Twin Swords Combined."

"Young Master Lu," Blue Rabbit slowed her horse to ride alongside Lu Ze, "you don't look well. Did you suffer too much while treating Rainbow Cat?"

Lu Ze shook his head: "It's alright, I'll be fine after a few days of rest."

Healing Rainbow Cat not only depletes his physical strength but also his newly generated power. That power is connected to his own essence and spirit; every bit used diminishes it, and it can only be slowly restored over time.

Lu Ze is thinking about the plot.

In the original story, the Purple Cloud Sword Master Sally was initially impersonated by Ma San Niang, while the real Sally was imprisoned, poisoned, and tortured. If Da Ben hadn't accidentally discovered this later, the truth would likely have remained unknown until her death.

The question now is—has Ma San Niang succeeded?

According to the original timeline, Ma San Niang should have infiltrated the Golden Whip Creek Inn while Rainbow Cat was injured, used drugs to control the real Sally, and then waited for the Seven Swords to arrive.

Lu Ze's intervention cured Rainbow Cat, and the events at Jade Toad Palace ended ahead of schedule. They arrived at Golden Whip Creek Inn much earlier than in the original story.

Did Ma San Niang have enough time to make arrangements? Or, to look at it another way—was she already waiting at the inn?

"What are you thinking about, Young Master Lu?" Rainbow Cat's voice came from ahead.

Lu Ze looked up and found that Hong Mao had turned around at some point and was looking at him.

"I've been thinking about the successors of the Seven Swords," Lu Ze said cautiously. "Young Hero Rainbow Cat, do you think the Demonic Church might already know the whereabouts of the Seven Swords?"

Rainbow Cat pondered for a moment: "Black Heart Tiger is ambitious. After the Seven Swords combined to defeat him back then, he has been secretly investigating the whereabouts of the Seven Swords' successor. It's not surprising that he knows."

"The Blue Rabbit Palace Mistress's carrier pigeon messages were once intercepted by the Demonic Sect," Lu Ze pressed.

"The Golden Whip Stream Inn is not as easily defensible as the Jade Toad Palace. What if the Demonic Sect sends people to find it beforehand and set a trap—?"

Upon hearing this, Blue Rabbit and Big Ben stopped simultaneously. Rainbow Cat frowned slightly: "You mean... the Demonic Cult might have already infiltrated?"

"I only have a suspicion," Lu Ze said, not giving a definitive answer. "Once we get to the Golden Whip Creek Inn, why don't we observe her first? As for the Sword Master, it would be best to confirm her authenticity."

Rainbow Cat nodded: "That makes sense. The Demonic Cult is full of tricks, so we must be on guard. But if the Demonic Cult really already knows, then the next Sword Master will definitely be in danger, and we will have no choice but to go."

Da Ben scratched his head: "Then how do we confirm?"

Blue Rabbit smiled slightly: "Great Hero, we are people of the martial world, so naturally we should use the methods of the martial world. Only the Purple Cloud Sword Master knows the Purple Cloud Sword Technique, we will know once we try it."

Lu Ze didn't say anything more. He had already given his warning; the rest was up to Hong Mao to handle.

The inn was built beside the official road, backed by green mountains, with a stream flowing in front of it. A bluestone path led from the stone bridge over the stream all the way to the inn's entrance, where a faded wine flag hung with the five large characters "Jinbianxi Inn".

As soon as Rainbow Cat and his companions stepped onto the stone bridge, a horse-faced woman came out of the inn to greet them. She was about thirty years old, dressed in a purple cloth dress, with a beautiful face and a shrewd smile in her eyes.

"Gentlemen, are you here for a meal or to stay the night?"

"I'll take them all." Rainbow Cat smiled and clasped his hands in a fist salute. "Boss lady, are there any rooms available?"

"Yes, yes, yes, four guests, four superior rooms?" The proprietress led the way while sizing up the group, her gaze lingering for a moment on the rainbow sword on Rainbow Cat's back before moving away.

Lu Ze had been paying close attention to the proprietress's changing expressions. She managed to hide her fleeting glances very well, but he still caught them.

Upon entering the inn, the lobby was completely empty.

On a table not far away, there was a long sword with a purple gemstone inlaid on its scabbard, from which a faint light shimmered.

Purple Cloud Sword.

Rainbow Cat and Blue Rabbit exchanged a glance and both recognized the sword.

"That is..." Blue Rabbit asked Rainbow Cat softly. Rainbow Cat nodded and led the group to sit down by the window.

Da Ben wanted to get some more drinks, but Lu Ze tugged at his sleeve and shook his head. Seeing this, Da Ben had no choice but to sit down dejectedly.

"Excuse me, madam, do you know the owner of that sword?" Rainbow Cat clasped his hands in greeting: "I am Rainbow Cat, this is Palace Master Blue Rabbit of Jade Toad Palace, and these two are my friends."

The proprietress's eyes lit up: "Rainbow Cat? Rainbow Cat, the master of the Rainbow Sword?"

"Exactly."

"My name is Ma San Niang, the successor of the Purple Cloud Sword." Ma San Niang walked over and clasped her hands in greeting. "Rainbow Cat, you've finally arrived. I have received a message from the spirit pigeon, and from now on I will be at your service to fight against the Demonic Sect."

"You flatter us. The Seven Swords are one family, and it is our duty to unite to eliminate demons." Blue Rabbit laughed from the side, "Now that we have found the Master of the Purple Cloud Sword, why don't we try the combination of the three swords first? It will help us get familiar with each other and find out the whereabouts of the next master of the sword."

Ma San Niang nodded: "That's exactly what I was thinking."

-

Three people stood with swords in hand in an open space behind the mountain.

Rainbow Cat is in the center, Blue Rabbit is on the left, and Ma San Niang is on the right.

Three longswords were drawn simultaneously, unleashing crimson, blue, and purple sword energies that soared into the sky. As the sword techniques were unleashed, the oppressive aura intensified.

"The three swords combined!"

Rainbow Cat was the first to draw his sword, unleashing a rainbow-like sword aura that shot straight into the sky like a crimson dragon emerging from the sea, followed closely by Blue Rabbit wielding the Ice Soul Sword.

Ma San Niang shouted loudly, and the Purple Cloud Sword Qi erupted, with a purple beam of light shooting straight into the sky, attempting to merge with the first two sword energies.

The three sword energies collided in mid-air—and then exploded.

boom!

The shockwave sent the three of them staggering back several steps. Rainbow Cat regained his footing, Blue Rabbit staggered a couple of steps, and Ma San Niang fell to the ground, her Purple Cloud Sword flying out of her hand.

"No, that's not right." Rainbow Cat frowned. "The sword energy can't be fused. It's not a problem of coordination, it's..." He didn't finish his sentence, but the meaning was clear—the Purple Cloud Sword Technique was wrong.

Ma San Niang got up from the ground, her face pale: "I...I don't know what happened. My internal energy was circulating normally, and I used the Purple Cloud Sword Technique according to what my master taught me..."

Blue Rabbit went over to support her: "Don't worry, it's probably because you haven't used your skills together for too long and you're a bit rusty."

Lu Ze could see it clearly from the side—although the purple sword energy appeared normal on the surface, a faint, cold aura leaked out the moment it collided with the Changhong and Bingpo sword energies, making it seem out of place.

"Brother Daben," Lu Ze said, taking the opportunity to pull Daben aside and lower his voice, "I have an idea."

"Could you please search around the Golden Whip Creek Inn later and see if there are any secluded places, like cellars or secret rooms?"

Da Ben was taken aback: "You mean...?"

"The master of the Purple Cloud Sword may be someone else," Lu Ze said in a voice only the two of them could hear. "The failure of the three swords combining might not be a problem with the swordsmanship, but could also be a problem with the person."