Simultaneously traversing: the pinnacle of all realms

Da Ben knew everything perfectly well.

His alcoholism and gambling addiction are not new.

Sixth Sister-in-law has told him off countless times, and he always agrees but forgets it the moment he turns around.

"I know," Da Ben said in a low voice, "so I don't really blame you."

He looked down at the Thunderclap Sword, the lightning on its blade had already subsided.

Lu Ze patted him on the shoulder.

"From now on, I will never touch alcohol or gamble," Da Ben said, emphasizing each word. "This is my promise to my godmother."

He stood up, sheathed the Thunderclap Sword back into its scabbard, and turned to look at Lu Ze.

"Let's go back."

"You're not angry anymore?"

"I'm angry." Da Ben glared at him. "But remember this first."

The two walked back along the mountain path.

The lights of Happy Forest shone in the distance, their warm yellow glow spilling through the windows like a star in the night.

As Lu Ze walked behind the Mercedes-Benz, looking at the rugged man's back, he suddenly realized that the saying "sorrow makes one grow" is true.

Fortunately, Da Ben was an honest man and didn't blame him.

An hour later, at the Happy Forest Inn.

Sixth Sister-in-law came out from the backyard.

As soon as she entered, she saw Da Ben sitting in the lobby with a bowl of tea in front of him and the Benlei Sword lying across the table.

The Mercedes-Benz remained in the lobby, too afraid to go inside.

Even though he knew his godmother was only faking her death, he was still afraid.

The mother and son stared at each other for three seconds.

"Godmother." Da Ben's voice was muffled, and tears streamed down his face again. "Mother, you're really not dead."

"Ben'er." Sixth Sister-in-law walked over and sat down opposite him.

"You're lying to me."

"Um."

"Do you know I almost demolished the Sword Tomb?"

"Know."

Sixth Sister-in-law reached out and patted his back, her voice gentle: "Silly child, how could your godmother die? Your godmother still wants to see you get married."

Da Ben cried even harder, his face covered in snot and tears.

Sixth Sister-in-law let him cry for a while before saying, "Ben'er, Young Hero Rainbow Cat and the others did this with the consent of their godmother. If you want to blame someone, blame your godmother."

Da Ben raised his head and looked at Sixth Sister-in-law.

"I know you're feeling wronged," Sixth Sister said, reaching out to wipe away his tears. "But Ben'er, look at this sword—you picked it up."

She held his hand, her voice very soft.

"My godmother is very happy."

Da Ben remained silent for a long time.

He stood up, held the Thunderclap Sword horizontally in front of him, and looked at it again and again.

"This sword is quite heavy," he said.

"Of course, the Thunderclap Sword is a divine weapon, so it naturally carries weight." Sixth Sister smiled. "Hold it well, don't let it down."

Da Ben picked up the teacup and took a sip.

"The tea doesn't taste good either."

"At least it's better than wine," said Sixth Sister.

At the doorway, Lu Ze poked half his head in.

Da Ben spotted it immediately and jumped to his feet.

"Shikazai!!!"

"I'm leaving first!" Lu Ze ducked and ran away.

"Stop right there!"

In the courtyard, Rainbow Cat stepped aside to make way, and Blue Rabbit covered her mouth and chuckled.

DouDou was squatting in the corner, gnawing on a chicken leg, and mumbling, "Run faster! Run faster!"

Sixth Sister-in-law leaned against the door frame, watching Da Ben chase Lu Ze all over the yard, and sighed with a smile.

-

In the days that followed, Da Ben would get up before dawn every day to practice his sword, and Sixth Sister-in-law would stand at the door watching, unable to suppress the smile on her lips.

Everyone practiced martial arts diligently, since most of the Seven Heroes were masters, so their martial arts progressed very quickly.

Occasionally, Rainbow Cat and Blue Rabbit would sit in the lobby drinking tea and discussing their upcoming itinerary in hushed tones.

Once Da Ben has mastered the use of the Thunder Sword, he will begin the Five Swords Combination and search for the location of the next sword strike.

However, the peace in Happy Forest did not last long.

That evening, Sixth Sister-in-law and Sally were preparing dinner in the kitchen.

DouDou squatted in the corner, brewing medicine using a new formula she had created. Purple bubbles rose from the pot, emitting a smell that was hard to describe as either fragrant or foul.

"Is your medicine going to work?" Lu Ze asked, squatting down beside him.

"Why not?" Dou Dou retorted, unconvinced. "I'm a miracle doctor!"

DouDou chuckled and continued adding ingredients to the medicine pot.

Everything was so peaceful, as if the bloodshed and turmoil of the martial arts world had never affected this small mountain basin.

Suddenly, there was a "thud".

A dart was embedded deep into the window frame of Sixth Sister-in-law.

Sally, with her sharp ears, heard the commotion and used her light-footed skills to chase after them.

She moved with incredible speed, vaulting over the courtyard wall in the blink of an eye. But a moment later, she returned empty-handed, looking rather unwell.

"This person's lightness skill is extremely high," she shook her head, "I only saw a back view, wearing a black cloak, I couldn't see the face clearly."

Hearing the noise, everyone gathered in Sixth Sister's room.

Sixth Sister wiped the flour off her hands, went over and took the dart. A piece of paper was stuck to the tip of the dart; there were words on the paper, the ink still wet.

Her expression changed after just one glance.

"Sixth Sister-in-law, what's wrong?" Da Ben was the first to notice her unusual behavior.

Sixth Sister-in-law didn't say anything, but handed the note to Rainbow Cat.

The note contained only one line of text, written in hasty handwriting, as if written in a hurry:

**"The Demonic Cult has discovered Happy Forest. Their young master, Black Tiger, has emerged from seclusion and will soon arrive with Pigsy. Leave immediately."**

After reading the note, Rainbow Cat frowned and handed it to Blue Rabbit.

"Who delivered it?" Blue Rabbit asked.

Sixth Sister-in-law shook her head: "I don't know."

The atmosphere in the lobby suddenly became heavy.

DouDou walked in carrying a medicine pot, sensing the tension in the air, and asked softly, "What's wrong? What happened?"

"The Demonic Cult has come knocking," Rainbow Cat said briefly.

DouDou's hand trembled, and the medicine jar almost fell to the ground.

He quickly composed himself, placed the medicine bottle on the table, and said in a trembling voice, "They...they've come knocking? So fast? Didn't we shake them off?"

"Although Ma San Niang died at the Golden Whip Creek Inn, she may have already leaked our whereabouts before she died," Lan Tu analyzed. "Moreover, we also encountered Zhu Wujie at the Six Wonders Pavilion. And we've been in the Happy Forest for these past few days; the Demonic Cult's spies aren't just sitting around doing nothing."

Da Ben slammed the Thunderclap Sword on the table, crackling with lightning: "Bring it on! What are you afraid of? I have the Thunderclap Sword now, and I was just looking forward to testing it on them!"

"Don't be impulsive." Rainbow Cat raised his hand to stop him. "Let's find out the situation first—how many people from the Demonic Cult have come? Who's leading them? When will they arrive?"

No one can answer this question.

The note only had the four words "arriving soon," and they were too blurry.

Just then, a loud gust of wind came from the courtyard, mixed with the sound of tiles being crushed underfoot.

The group rushed out to see what was there—the ice bird they hadn't seen for many days.

It folded its wings and swooped down from the twilight, landing on the courtyard wall, causing the entire wall to tremble.

Lu Ze ran over and exchanged a glance with Bing Niao.

Before we could catch up, the icebird opened its beak and let out a series of cries.

Lu Ze's expression changed from doubt to seriousness, and then from seriousness to severity.

"The Ice Bird said," he turned to face the crowd, "that some people are already quite a distance away. From the sky, it saw—the procession is very long, at least a hundred people, it should be the Demonic Sect. Leading them is a young man wearing a red cloak, sitting in a sedan chair, exuding a very imposing aura."

Rainbow Cat remembered the name mentioned in the dart letter.

"Black Tiger".