Simultaneously traversing: the pinnacle of all realms

When Hei Xiaohu led his team to the entrance of the cemetery, the sky was dark and there was a hint of an approaching storm.

He surveyed the cemetery before him—built against the mountain, with a stone gate on one side and stone beasts standing on both sides.

The stone door was half-open, and it was pitch black inside, so it was impossible to see clearly.

"Young Master," Zhu Wujie leaned closer and said cautiously, "there might be a trap here."

Hei Xiaohu gave him a cold look, and Zhu Wujie immediately shut up.

"Thirteen Taibao clear the way," Black Tiger ordered.

The thirteen bodyguards exchanged glances. Though unwilling, they dared not disobey. They raised their heavy swords and cautiously approached the stone gate.

As soon as I stepped through the stone gate, the stone slab beneath my feet suddenly sank.

"not good--"

Before the words were even finished, a row of poisoned crossbow bolts rained down from above, and dozens of sharp blades sprang out from the stone walls on either side. The three bodyguards couldn't dodge in time; one was shot through the shoulder by a crossbow bolt, another had his arm slashed by a blade, and the third, slightly smaller bodyguard fell directly into the pit, screaming as he was stabbed in the buttocks by barbs. Fortunately, his heavy armor protected him and saved his life.

"Retreat! Retreat!" shouted the leader of the Thirteen Protectors, leading the remaining men in a disheveled retreat.

Black Tiger's face was extremely ugly.

-

Deep within the tomb passage, Lu Ze sat cross-legged, his eyes slightly closed. The white jade antlers on his head emitted a faint golden light, with circles of light, invisible to the naked eye, spreading outwards.

"They've come in." He opened his eyes. "It should be the Thirteen Protectors leading the way; they've already triggered the first mechanism."

Rainbow Cat nodded and looked at Sixth Sister-in-law: "Proceed according to plan."

Sixth Sister turned around and pressed a mechanism on the stone wall. A muffled sound of a mechanism came from deep within the cemetery, and the traps hidden in various places were activated one by one.

"Let's go," Rainbow Cat whispered, "lead them in."

The group retreated deeper into the tomb passage, deliberately leaving behind traces—a footprint, a piece of clothing, a drop of blood.

The members of the demonic cult pursued the group into the tomb passage, each step fraught with danger.

Poisoned crossbow bolts suddenly fell overhead; the stone slabs beneath their feet flipped over, revealing a pit; sharp blades sprang out from the stone walls on both sides; and poisonous smoke billowed from the corner.

What's even more troublesome are those seemingly ordinary stone bricks—stepping on them will trigger mechanisms, touching them will poison you, and even leaning against them will attract hidden weapons.

Even though the Thirteen Protectors and the Five Elements Ninjas were highly skilled in martial arts, they were still seriously injured.

The number of demonic cult members who died was even greater; the original force of over a hundred people is now reduced to less than half.

Hei Xiaohu's face grew increasingly grim, but he didn't call for a stop. He just stared intently into the depths of the tomb passage, his gaze sinister.

"Young Master," Zhu Wujie said, forcing himself to approach, "if we keep chasing like this, our men will all be wiped out."

Black Tiger stopped in his tracks.

"Then what do you suggest we do?"

Zhu Wujie's eyes darted around: "Set it on fire. No matter how big the tomb passage is, it's sealed off. We can pile up firewood at the entrance and light a fire, letting the smoke in. They won't be able to stay inside. This is called attacking them with fire and fumigating them with smoke."

Hei Xiaohu was silent for a moment, then nodded: "Go do it."

The cult members withdrew from the cemetery, cut down trees, piled up firewood, and lit a large fire at the entrance. Thick smoke billowed out, which several cult members frantically fanned away with large fans.

Thick smoke billowed into the tomb passage, and the heat was oppressive.

Sixth Sister-in-law, however, remained calm and pressed down on an inconspicuous protrusion on the stone wall. The stone wall made a dull thud and slowly moved aside, revealing several branching paths.

"The tomb of the Thunder Sword Master was built against the mountain, with a maze of passageways and ventilation shafts all over the mountainside," she said. "They wanted to smoke us, but the smoke would only escape through the ventilation shafts and wouldn't reach us."

Sure enough, the thick smoke dispersed through the airflow to the ventilation openings after it entered, and quickly dissipated. Standing at the fork in the road, everyone only felt a gentle breeze on their faces and didn't even choke.

Outside the cemetery, Hei Xiaohu waited for half an hour, but there was no movement from inside.

"Young Master," Zhu Wujie wiped his sweat, "it seems to be useless?"

Black Tiger kicked him over.

Pig Wujie stood up hastily, looking at Black Tiger with a big smile on his face.

"Since it's no use," he took out an orange wooden box from his pocket, "Young Master, we'll use this."

He opened the wooden box, and several fist-sized spiders crawled out. They were purplish-black with rings of colorful patterns on their backs.

Strangely, this spider only had two eyes, which glowed with a yellowish-green light.

Black Tiger took one look and retreated in alarm: "Seven-Colored Poison Spider!"

Pigsy said with a fawning smile, "Young Master, don't be afraid. Although these poisonous spiders are the most venomous creatures in the world, I, Old Pig, have already subdued them. I'll put them in now and let Rainbow Cat and the others taste what it's like to be bitten to death by poisonous spiders."

As he spoke, Zhu Wujie took out a small rattle drum and shook it from side to side. He pointed to the cemetery, and the poisonous spiders rustled and crawled into the stone gate.

"Hehehe~, Seven-Colored Spider, Seven-Colored Poison, Deadly, Number One Poison!"

-

Deep inside the tomb passage, Lu Ze suddenly shuddered and stood up abruptly.

"Something's come in." His voice carried a strange undertone. "It's not human."

Rainbow Cat immediately drew his sword: "What is that?"

Lu Ze closed his eyes and sensed for a moment, then a strange expression appeared on his face.

"Like insects." He paused, "but—"

"But what?" DouDou asked nervously.

"They possess intelligence." Lu Ze opened his eyes, his amber-gold pupils glowing faintly in the darkness. "Very faint, like a young child, but definitely present. Similar to the ice birds, though far less powerful... Did the Demonic Sect release some spirit beasts?"

Everyone was taken aback.

Mythical beast?

As they were speaking, three dark figures darted out from the depths of the tomb passage at incredible speed.

Rainbow Cat slashed with his sword, but the dark figure nimbly dodged, and a faint fluctuation of power emanated from it, indicating that it possessed considerable strength.

The poisonous spider crawled up the wall to the ceiling, its six yellow-green eyes staring intently at the group.

"Isn't that the world's most venomous creature—the rainbow spider!"

As if remembering something, Da Ben shouted out.

After all, it is the most poisonous insect in the world, and many people present have heard of it.

"But their aura is very volatile," Lu Ze frowned, "as if they've been provoked by something, or as if they were born with a ferocious nature."

Moreover, this seven-colored poisonous spider is actually a spirit beast?

The venomous spiders surrounded the group, their fangs dripping with venom and hissing menacingly.

"Young Master Lu," Blue Rabbit gripped the Ice Soul Sword tightly, "can you communicate with them?"

Lu Ze stepped forward, his antlers gleaming brightly with golden light. Warm halos emanated from him, enveloping the poisonous spider.

The three poisonous spiders suddenly stopped moving.

They stopped howling, and the fierce glint in their eyes gradually faded, replaced by a look of bewilderment.

It was as if something had triggered it, or as if it had suddenly woken up from a long nightmare.

Lu Ze slowly stretched out his hand, and golden light enveloped all three poisonous spiders.

"Don't be afraid," he said softly.

The spiders trembled slightly, their iridescent markings flickering in the golden light.

They stopped attacking and instead lay down on the ground, making faint chirping sounds—not a threat, but more like a response.

DouDou's eyes widened: "They...they obeyed?"

"They may be venomous, but they also have minds," Lu Ze said. "They've just been controlled by humans, becoming violent and bloodthirsty. I'm only temporarily suppressing that controlling urge, allowing them to regain a sliver of their clarity."