Simultaneously traversing: the pinnacle of all realms

The sky was getting dark.

Tiaotiao leaned against the gunwale, unfolding and closing the folding fan repeatedly.

Of the dozens of people on the boat, some were brought by him, and some were his own brothers from Niu Xuanfeng's Third Hall. Tiaotiao stared at them for a long time before turning his gaze away.

The safest way is to make these people unable to speak from now on. Killing them would be easy, and he has considered doing so.

Tiaotiao closed the folding fan and gently tapped it in her palm.

Niu Xuanfeng stepped over and blocked Tiaotiao's view; he seemed to know what Tiaotiao was thinking.

"Protect the Dharma," he said in a deep voice, "These brothers have followed us for years, I trust them. If anything goes wrong, I, the third brother, will take full responsibility."

Jump remained silent, tucked the folding fan back into his waistband, turned around and drew his longsword.

The sword gleamed in the moonlight, its blade bearing several nicks and chips from their previous clashes.

He looked at the blade, as if saying to himself, "The dead can't speak."

His gaze shifted from the sword's edge to Niu Xuanfeng's face. "You're gambling with our lives, Master Niu."

Niu Xuanfeng grinned.

"Then let's gamble." He reached out and patted Tiao Tiao on the shoulder, his smile more like a grimace, but he insisted on smiling. "I, Old Niu, have loved gambling all my life, one more bet won't hurt."

Jump Jump stared at his bull-faced face for a long while before sheathing his sword.

"Alright."

Jumping towards the stern of the boat, he casually called out to Niu Xuanfeng.

"Old Niu, get to work."

Niu Xuanfeng followed, blinked his bull-like eyes, and put down the wine gourd he had just put in his mouth: "W-what kind of work?"

"We caught up with the Seven Heroes."

Jump Jump crouched down, his fingertips slowly tracing the deck. "There aren't even any signs of a fight on this ship—do you think the young master can't see the problem?"

"And on our bodies too—"

Niu Xuanfeng finally came to his senses. He rubbed his large, fan-like hands together and stared blankly at the axe in his hand.

"I'll cut it myself."

Niu Xuanfeng gritted his teeth, picked up the axe, and gestured with it towards his left shoulder. He gestured for a long time, but the axe blade did not fall.

"Guardian, do you think I'll be able to keep my arm after this axe blow?"

"You stupid ox!"

Tiaotiao took out a small porcelain bottle from her bosom and tore off a strip of cloth to keep in her hand.

"Avoid the bone. Go down two fingers from the outside, where the flesh is thick, and cut along the flesh. Don't go too deep."

"Alright, alright, Dharma Protector, stop nagging."

Niu Xuanfeng muttered, his eyes blinking as he clenched his teeth. With a single blow of his axe, the skin was torn open, and blood flowed down his arm.

He winced in pain, looked down at his wound, and suddenly yelled, "Damn you, Seven Heroes! That was a vicious sword strike!"

Then, without hesitation, Niu Xuanfeng slammed his axe into the deck, rolled upwards, and splinters pierced his flesh. He yelled in pain, "Is that enough?!"

Seeing this, Tiao Tiao nodded in acknowledgment, and Niu Xuanfeng breathed a sigh of relief.

Then, Tiaotiao glanced at her perfectly intact protective robe, raised her hand and tore it open on the left sleeve, ripping the hem of the garment.

He then picked up the sword and made a deep and long cut on his left arm.

Blood seeped out, but he didn't change his expression as he took the strip of cloth handed to him by Niu Xuanfeng and wrapped it around his neck. Then he slapped himself in the chest and abdomen, blood spilling from the corner of his mouth.

Niu Xuanfeng's lips twitched slightly, and his eyes gradually hardened as he looked at his axe...

After a long while, they were almost at the place they had agreed to meet with Hei Xiaohu.

Jump stood at the bow of the boat, the left sleeve of his guardian robe torn from the elbow down, revealing a sword wound on his forearm, which was still bleeding even after being bandaged. His face was also bruised, with a bluish-purple bruise on his cheekbone and a half-dried scab at the corner of his mouth.

This is how he pretends to be, but the scars are real.

Niu Xuanfeng sat on the deck, his double axes tossed aside, grimacing as he tore open his shirt to look at the bruise on his chest. He had made the bruise himself by hitting it with the back of the axe, but the way he stared at it now made him look like he had just escaped death.

"Damn it," he hissed through gritted teeth, pulling his shirt shut, "I shouldn't have been so cruel to myself."

"Damn it, the bones seem to be a bit broken."

The demonic cult soldiers lying haphazardly on the deck were also groaning and moaning, most of them with injuries.

However, they themselves created the decorations.

"Brothers, remember this," Jump Jump said, "There can only be one version of what happened on this ship tonight—that Chief Niu and I led you to chase the Seven Heroes, but we were ambushed and the brothers were badly injured. The Seven Heroes were highly skilled in martial arts, and we couldn't catch up, so we had to retreat."

A tall, thin man in the crowd laughed and shouted, "Protector, we can't beat them fair and square. After all, they are the Seven Heroes, not..."

Nobody wants to really risk their life. A few hundred yuan a month isn't worth it.

Many of the Demonic Cult's underlings were secretly relieved that they could avoid a direct confrontation with Rainbow Cat and his group.

The man next to him slapped him on the back of the head, silencing him, and then chuckled, "Protector, the brothers know what's going on. You and Master Niu have always treated us well. If anyone goes around gossiping at a time like this, I'll be the first to snap their neck without you even lifting a finger."

Niu Xuanfeng stood up from the deck, glared at him with his bull-like eyes, and cursed, "What the hell are you all talking about! If I didn't trust you, why would I keep you here? Shut up and listen to the protector."

Just then, a figure appeared ahead, using light-footed skills to walk on water.

Before the people even boarded the ship, laughter filled the air: "Guardian! Brother Niu Xuanfeng! You're finally back! The young master sent me to meet you two—"

As soon as Zhu Wujie stepped onto the deck, the words caught in his throat.

The ship was a mess, stretching from the gangplank to the mast. Blood from Niu Xuanfeng's shoulder soaked half of his clothes, and the bruises on Tiaotiao's waist and abdomen were faintly visible beneath the fabric shattered by the force of his palm strike.

"W-What's going on?"

Niu Xuanfeng jumped up and slammed his axe on the deck, sending several pieces of wood flying high into the air.

"You little pig! How dare you ask such a question! While I and the Protector are risking our lives up front, where are you hiding and enjoying yourself?!"

Jump Jump raised his sleeve to stop Bull Whirlwind, nodded to Pig Wujie, and said weakly, "Fourth Brother, we intercepted Rainbow Cat and his men. But when Bull Hall Master and I led our men to chase after them, we were ambushed halfway. Rainbow Cat and his men are highly skilled in martial arts. Two of our ships sank, and our brothers were seriously injured. If you hadn't arrived quickly, Bull Third Brother and I probably wouldn't have made it back tonight."

Pigsy's eyes darted back and forth across the deck several times.

Burn marks, palm prints, a mast severed by a sharp blade, blood and splintered wood scattered on the ground. He glanced again at the still-bleeding wound on Niu Xuanfeng's shoulder—judging from his expression, he was sweating profusely from the pain, and he wasn't faking it.

He nodded, a smile returning to his face, though it sounded somewhat sarcastic.

"Old Niu, you actually let Rainbow Cat and the others escape?! I'll take you to see the young master right now and see how you explain yourself!"

"Hehehehe~ Hehehehe~"

Zhu Wujie gave Tiaotiao a perfunctory fist salute, then bounced away, his gloating laughter echoing over.