Simultaneously traversing: the pinnacle of all realms

Before Zhu Wujie's laughter had even faded, he had already used his light-footed skills to travel far away.

Tiaotiao looked away and exchanged a glance with Niu Xuanfeng.

Niu Xuanfeng bared his teeth, blood still seeping from the wound on his shoulder, but he forced a smile: "Guardian, let's go. It's time to see the young master."

The fleet docked, and Jump Jump and Bull Whirlwind led a group of "defeated soldiers" off the ship.

A long stretch of makeshift camps stretched along the riverbank, and the black flags of the Demonic Sect fluttered in the night wind.

Jump Jump secretly straightened his tattered left sleeve, making sure the sword scar on his arm was conspicuous enough, before leading Bull Whirlwind through layers of tents toward the largest tent in the center.

Upon seeing this, the followers of the Demonic Cult along the way bowed their heads, clasped their fists, and addressed him as "Guardian," automatically making way for him.

The curtains were drawn low, letting in a dim, yellow light. Hei Xiaohu stood with his hands behind his back in front of the table, dressed in a dark blue-purple outfit, his face sharply defined in the lamplight.

Hearing footsteps, he turned around, his gaze first falling on Tiaotiao, and nodded.

"Dharma protector."

Hei Xiaohu's tone was noticeably gentler than when he spoke to others. "What happened?"

Niu Xuanfeng collapsed to his knees with a thud, blood dripping from his shoulder onto the felt blanket, leaving a small patch of dark red.

Jumping forward, he clasped his hands in a fist salute, his voice weak but clear: "Young Master, your subordinate and Master Niu intercepted Rainbow Cat and his group on the lake. They fled from the direction of Yuanjiajie, and your subordinate led the fleet in pursuit, but unexpectedly fell into an ambush halfway—although Rainbow Cat and the others suffered great loss of internal strength after the Five Swords Combined, they still have the ability to fight, not to mention that the ice bird is providing support in the air."

"Master Niu led the charge and was struck on the left shoulder by Rainbow Cat's sword, nearly crippling his arm."

He stepped aside to let Niu Xuanfeng out from behind him, his face grim: "I fought valiantly but was no match for them. The ship sank, and my brothers suffered heavy losses. If it weren't for Zhu Tangzhu's quick rescue, I'm afraid Niu Tangzhu and I wouldn't have made it back."

Hei Xiaohu frowned slightly, his gaze falling on the deep, bone-revealing sword wound on Tiaotiao's arm, and then on the still-bleeding wound on Niu Xuanfeng's shoulder.

After a moment of silence, he asked, "Which direction did Rainbow Cat go?"

"The Heavenly White Silk Waterfall," Jump Jump replied. "Although I was defeated, I have discovered that their destination is the Heavenly White Silk Waterfall. Rainbow Cat and the others must have gone to find the Sixth Sword."

Hei Xiaohu nodded and didn't ask any more questions.

Although he was the young master of the Demonic Sect, he had been in seclusion at the Bewitching Platform for ten years. At this moment, he was still a novice and had not yet figured out the ways of the martial world.

In his view, the injuries on Jump Jump and Bull Whirlwind were genuine, and the signs of a fight on the boat were clear—these were the best proof.

Moreover, since even he himself couldn't capture Rainbow Cat and his friends, it's understandable that Jump Jump and Bull Whirlwind were defeated.

"Guardian, Master Niu, you've worked hard." Hei Xiaohu waved his hand. "Go and heal your wounds. I'll take care of the White Silk in the Sky."

Tiaotiao bowed respectfully and helped Niu Xuanfeng out of the tent.

A night breeze blew by, bringing a chill; it turned out that both of their backs were soaked with sweat.

Niu Xuanfeng lowered his voice, his tone filled with the relief of surviving a close call: "Damn it... I'd rather take three cuts on the battlefield than act in this kind of play again."

Tiaotiao gently patted his arm and slowed her pace.

From inside the tent behind them, Zhu Wujie's voice could be faintly heard: "Young Master, this matter is probably not that simple—if Rainbow Cat and the others were able to escape unscathed from Happy Forest, how could they have been intercepted by Niu Laosan's few shabby boats..."

Inside the tent, Zhu Wujie had a big smile on his face, jumping and darting around Hei Xiaohu.

"Alright," Black Tiger interrupted him. "This young master has his own judgment."

Zhu Wujie shut his mouth sullenly, rolled his eyes, and replied with a grin, "Young Master is wise."

Jumping, she put away her perked ears, quickened her pace, and smiled.

Hei Xiaohu is not stupid, just too young.

Ten years of seclusion honed his martial arts skills, making him confident and arrogant in the martial world, but it couldn't teach him that what the eyes see in this world is not necessarily the truth.

-

In front of the bamboo house in Baicao Valley, Dada had already slung the zither case behind his back and held the Whirlwind Sword in his hand.

Mrs. Da stood by the door, one hand on her waist, her smile gentle, but her eyes held an undisguised concern.

"Young Master Rainbow Cat," Dada said, his face showing a mixture of helplessness and composure, "since I have already agreed to the alliance, I will not go back on my word. However, this journey is a decisive battle to the death, and my wife and children—"

Before he could finish speaking, Lu Ze suddenly interjected, "Master, who said we're going to have a final battle now?"

Everyone was taken aback.

Lu Ze stepped forward, shook his head, and looked at everyone: "Now it seems that everything is ready, but in reality, we are still far from it."

"Although Black Tiger suffered a defeat in Happy Forest and the Demonic Sect also lost some strength, Black Heart Tiger's skills are even more profound. If we hastily combine our forces now, we may not be able to win."

He looked at Rainbow Cat: "What's more, Jump Jump is still an undercover agent in the Demonic Sect. And Da Ben has just acquired the Thunderclap Sword Technique; Da Da Jushi has been in seclusion for a long time and has been out of practice for a long time..."

"The seven swords must be combined perfectly; not even the slightest deviation is acceptable."

Rainbow Cat pondered for a moment, then slowly nodded: "Young Master Lu is right. It's true that the five swords combined to defeat Black Tiger in Happy Forest, but that was thanks to the convenience of the mausoleum's mechanisms. If we were to confront the Demonic Sect head-on—the outcome would be uncertain."

"Then what do you wish, young hero?" Blue Rabbit asked.

Lu Ze walked to the table, took out a map from his pocket, spread it out, and pointed to a mark: "Bitter Bamboo Village".

It was a remote mountain stronghold, hidden in the folds of the mountains, not near any official road, sparsely populated, and even the spies of the Demonic Sect might not know about it.

"This place is strategically located, surrounded by dense bamboo forests, making it ideal for you and Rainbow Cat to practice your skills in seclusion," Lu Ze said. "Moreover, the village is well-connected, so even if the Demonic Sect finds us here, we will have enough time to react."

Dada's expression relaxed slightly after hearing this.

His biggest worry was his wife, who was about to give birth. If he could settle down first and wait for Madam Da to give birth safely, he would have no more worries.

"Husband," Mrs. Da walked to his side and took his hand.

Dada looked down at his wife for a long time, then bowed deeply: "Thank you all for your help."

Rainbow Cat looked around and finally said loudly, "Then it's settled. We'll go into seclusion to practice our skills first, wait for Madam Da to give birth, wait for Jump to return to the team—once everything is ready, we'll go and have a final battle with Black Heart Tiger."

"Besides that, there's one more thing that we need to discuss together."

Rainbow Cat sat down at the table again, his tone a few degrees more somber than before, "Having fought our way through these past few days, have you all considered—what would happen if the Seven Swords combined?"

Everyone was taken aback, and even the chirping of insects in the forest seemed to fall silent for a moment.

"Even when the previous generation of the Seven Heroes and Seven Swordsmen combined their powers, they could only severely injure Blackheart Tiger, but they were unable to eliminate him."

Rainbow Cat's voice was not loud, but every word was clear: "If this combined attack only severely injures him, the Demonic Sect will still exist, and those hall masters and followers will still exist—the martial world will still be in chaos."

Dada put down the zither case on his back and said in a deep voice, "Young Master Rainbow Cat is right. Even if Black Heart Tiger is seriously injured, the foundation that the Demonic Sect has established in various places over the years will not disappear overnight. People like Zhu Wujie, the fourth hall master of the Demonic Sect, are all scourges in their own right."

Yes, the evil cult's influence is now widespread throughout the martial world, far more than just Black Tiger. It's not that the monkeys scatter when the tree falls, but that the fallen tree takes root everywhere.