Simultaneously traversing: the pinnacle of all realms

The thirteen bodyguards roared in unison, their weapons unsheathed simultaneously, sword energy crisscrossing as they separated and surrounded Rainbow Cat and the others.

These thirteen were elite members of the Demonic Sect, each with a burly build, clad in heavy armor and wielding a heavy sword. They might not be as good as the Seven Heroes in a one-on-one fight, but their combined attacks were extremely difficult to deal with.

What's more troublesome is that they are covered in heavy armor, making them difficult to injure with ordinary swords and knives. Those with slightly weaker internal strength will only leave a white mark when they are attacked.

Rainbow Cat swept his Rainbow Sword across, the crimson sword energy forcing back the three people in front of him. His gaze swept across the battlefield—Blue Rabbit was entangled by the Three Protectors. The Ice Soul Sword was chilling, but the opponent was thick-skinned and tough, and the sword energy could only knock her back, not seriously injure her; Sally was fighting two people alone. Her Purple Cloud Sword Technique was elusive and fierce, and she was still able to hold on; Da Ben was fighting three people at once. His Thunder Sword was flashing with lightning, and he fought with great force; Lu Ze was facing two people. Although his swordsmanship was not as exquisite as the others, his agile figure kept him from falling behind for the time being.

"Don't linger in battle." Rainbow Cat's mind raced, and with a long howl, he shouted, "Retreat!"

The group, already in sync, feinted an attack and retreated simultaneously.

Rainbow Cat covered the rear, and the Rainbow Sword unleashed several sword energies, temporarily halting the pursuit of the Thirteen Protectors.

"Chase them!" the leader of the Thirteen Protectors roared. "Don't let them get away!"

The members of the demonic sect swarmed forward.

Just then, Hei Xiaohu raised his hand to stop him.

His gaze was grim as he stared in the direction Rainbow Cat and the others had retreated. Suddenly, he spoke: "Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, Earth, come out!"

Five figures emerged from behind him, disappearing into the ground and soaring into the sky, accompanied by fire and golden light, passing through the Thirteen Protectors like ghosts, heading straight for Rainbow Cat and the others.

Their weapons were a motley collection—knives, swords, shields, even hoes and cannons, and one man was carrying a sprayer.

But each piece gleamed with a cold light, clearly indicating that they were not ordinary items.

Hei Xiaohu stood at the back, coldly watching the battle, but had not yet made a move.

Rainbow Cat's heart sank.

The Five Elements Ninjas are far stronger than the Thirteen Protectors; if the fight continues, they will inevitably suffer losses.

He acted decisively, and the Rainbow Sword flew out of his hand, drawing an arc in the air and forcing back the Golden Leopard and Wooden Mouse who were besieging Blue Rabbit.

"Go!" Rainbow Cat shouted.

The group fought and retreated, heading towards the cemetery.

Black Tiger finally moved.

He flashed across the battlefield like a black lightning bolt, heading straight for Rainbow Cat.

The palm strike whistled, carrying an extremely cold internal force.

Rainbow Cat didn't have time to recall the Rainbow Sword, and hastily used his palm to meet the attack.

As he clasped his hands together, he felt a chilling force surge into his meridians through his palms, and his entire arm almost lost all feeling.

Seeing this, Blue Rabbit swiftly stabbed Black Tiger in the back with her Ice Soul Sword.

Without turning his head, Black Tiger flicked his wrist, his fingertips striking the blade repeatedly, causing the Ice Soul Sword to vibrate and hum. Blue Rabbit used the momentum to fly back, landing beside Rainbow Cat, and whispered, "Rainbow Cat, be careful. This person's internal strength is extremely profound; we are no match for him."

Rainbow Cat gritted his teeth, suppressed his surging blood and qi, summoned back the Rainbow Sword, and stood side by side with Blue Rabbit.

"Rainbow Ice Soul, Twin Swords Combined," Rainbow Cat uttered in a low voice.

Two sword energies, one red and one blue, shot into the sky, intertwining to form a dazzling pillar of light that struck Black Tiger directly.

Hei Xiaohu snorted coldly and unleashed both palms simultaneously, activating the Black Heart Fiend Palm with all its might. The black energy collided violently with the sword energy of the two swords.

With a loud bang, Rainbow Cat and Blue Rabbit both staggered back three steps, blood trickling from the corners of their mouths. Black Tiger only swayed slightly, his face paling a little, before returning to normal.

"Hahahaha, the combined power of two swords is nothing special." Black Tiger said coldly, "Hand over the Qilin, and I'll spare your lives."

Rainbow Cat wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and suddenly smiled.

"What are you laughing at?" Black Tiger frowned.

"I'm laughing at your stupidity," Rainbow Cat said. "You really think we'd fight you to the death here?"

Before the words were finished, a sharp bird cry rang out from the sky.

An ice bird swooped down from the clouds, its wingspan reaching three zhang (approximately 10 meters), blotting out the sun. Lu Ze rode on the bird's back, carrying a pile of colorful medicine jars in his arms.

"Catch!" He threw several small porcelain bottles at Rainbow Cat and the others.

The group caught the bottle, uncorked it, and drank the antidote in one gulp.

Lu Ze picked up the remaining medicine jars, gathered his inner strength, and smashed them all into the demonic sect's formation.

Some of the pottery jars were smashed by the quick-reacting members of the demonic sect, while others shattered upon hitting the ground, spewing out colorful smoke and poisonous water—purple and green smoke, white and yellow dust, all mixed into a thick poisonous fog that instantly enveloped the entire mountain path.

"Poisonous!" Pigsy screamed, covering his mouth and nose and desperately backing away.

Zhu Wujie was indeed a master of poisons; based on his experience, he immediately judged that this poisonous fog was extremely potent.

The members of the demonic cult were in complete chaos. Some who inhaled the poisonous fumes collapsed and fell into a deep sleep, some wept uncontrollably, some laughed wildly, and some spun around in circles, completely disoriented.

Hei Xiaohu's face turned ashen. He gathered his strength, held his breath, and unleashed his Black Heart Fiend Palm, the wind from which dispersed the poisonous mist.

But the poisonous fog was too thick, and it kept coming in one after another, blowing away one patch only to have another surge in.

When the poisonous fog dissipated, Rainbow Cat and the others had already disappeared without a trace.

The mountain path was left with only the corpses of the demonic cult members lying scattered about, as well as a dozen or so unlucky souls who were still laughing or spinning around after being poisoned.

Enraged, Black Tiger roared, gathering all his inner strength: "Rainbow Cat! You, the Seven Heroes, have resorted to such despicable means! I will never forgive you!"

He slammed a tree as thick as a bowl down with one palm, then turned angrily to look at the wailing members of the Demonic Sect.

"Chase them!" Black Tiger gritted his teeth. "Chase them! Don't let a single one escape!"

Zhu Wujie cautiously approached: "Young Master, there might be traps ahead—"

Black Tiger slapped him to the ground.

"Nonsense! Of course I knew there was a trap!"

His eyes blazed with fury. "But Rainbow Cat and the others are already at their limit. Blue Rabbit and Rainbow Cat are both injured. If we don't take them down now and wait for them to recover before combining our forces, are you going to deal with them?"

Pig Wujie somersaulted to his feet, covered his face, and dared not utter a sound.

"Thirteen Protectors, Five Elements Ninjas," Black Tiger coldly ordered. "Follow me in pursuit. The rest of you, stay behind, keep your distance, and beware of ambushes."

"yes!"

-

At the entrance to the cemetery, the group stumbled and fell to the ground.

With a cry, the ice bird soared into the sky. The cemetery was cramped, so Lu Ze instructed it to wait for an opportunity to strike from high above.

As soon as Rainbow Cat landed, he knelt on one knee, a trickle of blood spilling from the corner of his mouth. Blue Rabbit was pale, supporting his arm, her own hand trembling slightly.

"Rainbow Cat!" Da Ben rushed over. "How are you?"

"It's alright." Rainbow Cat waved his hand, his voice weak but firm, "It's just a backlash of internal energy, I'll be fine after a short while of recuperation."

DouDou frantically rummaged through the medicine box and pulled out healing pills, stuffing them into the mouths of Hongmao and Lantu. She then handed DaBen, Shali, and Luze pills to restore their internal energy.

Sixth Sister-in-law came out from inside the cemetery to greet them. Upon seeing their appearance, her expression changed slightly: "Injured?"

"A minor injury." Rainbow Cat stood up, his gaze fixed on the mountain path. "The Demonic Cult will be here soon. Sixth Sister-in-law, are the traps ready?"

"Everything is ready." Sixth Sister nodded. "The traps left by the old master, plus the new traps that Dou Dou and I have set up in the meantime, are enough to give them a hard time."

"That's good." Rainbow Cat took a deep breath. "Let's go into the cemetery. We'll treat them well inside."