Simultaneously traversing: the pinnacle of all realms

The courtyard was so quiet that you could hear the wind rustling through the treetops.

DouDou swallowed hard. "Hundreds of people? This...this isn't here to arrest us, this is here to fight!"

"This shows that the Demonic Sect has gone all out this time."

Blue Rabbit's voice was calm, but her grip on her sword tightened. "The last few times, it was Pigsy who led the team, and we were able to handle it. But this time there are so many of them, I'm afraid it will be difficult..."

Da Ben, however, was completely unconcerned: "Who cares how many there are? We'll deal with whatever comes our way!"

"Yes! We have to fight," Rainbow Cat said, his gaze sweeping over everyone. "The Demonic Sect came prepared. If we don't hurt them badly, even if we leave, we won't get very far."

"I'm not afraid of many people," he said calmly, "but we can't fight in Happy Forest. It would be a pity to destroy Sixth Sister's inn."

Sixth Sister glanced at everyone and said calmly, "If it's broken, we can just rebuild it. Being alive is more important than anything else."

"Godmother is right." Da Ben stood up, his Thunderclap Sword half an inch from its sheath, a cold glint in its eyes. "We are familiar with the terrain here; it's easy to defend and difficult to attack. They outnumber us, but they can't use our strength effectively."

Rainbow Cat looked around at everyone and nodded.

"Then we won't leave. We'll stay here and meet Black Tiger first."

Rainbow Cat placed the Rainbow Sword across his lap, his gaze sweeping over every face.

"Everyone knows the situation now," he said. "The Demonic Cult has sent over a hundred people, led by their young master, Hei Xiaohu, with Zhu Wujie accompanying them."

"It's just the few of us against hundreds of people," DouDou muttered to herself, "No matter how you look at it, this doesn't make sense."

"That's not how it works," Blue Rabbit shook her head. "Although the Demonic Sect has many members, the Happy Forest is a narrow area, which restricts their movements. We have the advantage of terrain, and we might not be without a chance of winning against a smaller force."

Sally added, "Besides, given the nature of those cult members, as long as we can quickly deal with the tough guys, the henchmen will scatter on their own."

"The problem is," Lu Ze began, "we don't know Hei Xiaohu's martial arts skills, and we also don't know how many experts the Demonic Sect has brought on this trip."

He looked at Rainbow Cat: "We have no chance of winning in a head-on confrontation."

Lu Ze knew that Hei Xiaohu was highly skilled in martial arts. In the original story, he could withstand the combined power of four swordsmen. At least now, Hong Mao and his companions alone had no chance of winning.

Even the current Rainbow Cat wouldn't work.

Rainbow Cat didn't refute, but nodded seriously: "You're right. We have no chance of winning in a head-on confrontation. So—we won't confront each other directly."

Everyone looked at him.

Rainbow Cat stood up, walked to the table, dipped his finger in tea, and used it as a pen to draw several lines on the table.

"Happy Forest is surrounded by mountains on three sides, with only one official road leading in and out from the south." Rainbow Cat moved his finger across the map. "The Demonic Cult will come from the south, and they will definitely enter Happy Forest via the official road. But the official road is narrow, with hillsides on both sides, making it suitable for an ambush."

"You want to ambush them on the way?" Blue Rabbit asked.

"No." Rainbow Cat shook his head. "We can only ambush them once. After that, we'll still have to face their main force. My idea is to lure them to the cemetery behind the mountain."

His finger moved toward the cemetery area to the north of the map.

"The terrain outside the cemetery is complex, with cliffs and steep walls. Moreover, the mountain paths inside the cemetery are narrow and full of traps. Sixth Sister-in-law is more familiar with the place. We can wait in comfort and take them down one wave at a time."

Mercedes' eyes lit up: "Great idea! Let's trap them!"

"But there's a problem," Lu Ze said. "The Demonic Sect isn't stupid. And Hei Xiaohu, as the young master of the Demonic Sect, is even less so. They won't easily walk into a place that's obviously a trap."

"So I plan to meet with the Demonic Sect in Happy Forest first, firstly to find out their strength, and secondly to feign defeat and lure them to the cemetery."

Rainbow Cat looked at Deer Ze and explained.

Lu Ze tapped his fingers lightly on the table and said, "So all we need is someone to lure them over there?"

"Then why don't you go first, and I'll distract them?"

All eyes were on Lu Ze.

Lu Ze was taken aback for a moment: "Why are you all looking at me like that?"

He then explained with a smile, "I have an ice bird by my side; if I can't win, I can fly away."

"Moreover, my lightness skill is one of the best among us. I have mastered the Snow-Treading Plum Blossom Searching Technique that Rainbow Cat taught me."

"Speaking of which," Lu Ze said, arms crossed, a confident smile on his face, "if I want to run, none of you can catch me."

"But you're not one of the Seven Heroes, and you don't know our swordsmanship. How can you guarantee that the Demonic Sect will definitely come after you?"

Blue Rabbit's words sealed the victory.

Lu Ze opened his mouth, as if to say something, but in the end he sighed and said, "Alright. Palace Mistress Blue Rabbit is the most thoughtful."

"Don't worry." Rainbow Cat patted his shoulder. "Blue Rabbit and I will hold off the Demonic Cult in Happy Forest first."

"But you must set up the ambush before we lure the demonic cult to the cemetery."

Next, everyone began to divide the work.

Rainbow Cat, Blue Rabbit, Sally, and Daben, the four main swordsmen, stayed in Happy Forest to lead the demonic cult team to the cemetery.

Lu Ze acted as a backup.

"The ice bird can see the movements of the Demonic Cult from the sky," Lu Ze said. "I can adjust the route according to their position to make sure they are led in the right direction."

Sixth Sister-in-law was responsible for going to the cemetery in advance to activate the traps that had already been set up.

Last time, in order to set a trap for Da Ben, they destroyed some obvious traps and pretended that the Demonic Cult had attacked.

But as the burial place of the previous Thunder Sword Master, the dangers of that cemetery go far beyond that.

If used properly, it might just kill all those who came to attack from the demonic cult.

Upon hearing this, DouDou chuckled and rummaged through the medicine box, pulling out several bottles and jars. It was unclear what exactly was hidden inside.

"I have a lot of good stuff here—miasma pills, mind-altering smoke, tear-inducing powder, crying-laughing powder, and carefree-reversing pills... Just throw them on the mountain path and they'll be completely disoriented."

DouDou shook her head with some regret as she spoke, "I don't know if there's enough time left, otherwise I could refine some more poisons and combine them with the traps that Sixth Sister-in-law has activated to make them even more powerful."

The crowd looked at the colorful jars with a sense of unease.

A miracle doctor is a miracle doctor after all; medicine and poison are inseparable. He can save lives, but he can also kill.

Lu Ze also sighed inwardly, "If conditions allowed, Dou Dou might be the one among the Seven Heroes who could cause the most damage to the Demonic Sect."

"Don't let your sleeping pills knock out your own people too," Sally warned.

"Am I that kind of person?" Dou Dou asked, looking aggrieved.

The group then discussed some more details.

Rainbow Cat finally stood up and looked around at everyone.

"Gentlemen, the Demonic Cult is powerful, and this battle will be difficult. However, the Demonic Cult has wreaked havoc on the martial world and disturbed the peace of the forest. This time, let us collect some interest."

"This time, we will make sure that evil cult never returns!" Rainbow Cat declared loudly.