Simultaneously traversing: the pinnacle of all realms

That evening, Lu Ze and Da Ben were arranged to stay in a guest room in the east wing of the Jade Toad Palace, where a group of women with purple rabbit ears brought clean bedding and food.

Lu Ze sat on the edge of the bed, placed the deer-slaying knife on his knees, and closed his eyes to regulate his breathing.

A moment later, there was a knock on the door, and Da Ben's voice came through, "Hey, Brother Lu, let's go for a walk, I'll treat you to a drink."

Lu Ze thought about it and realized that he really had nothing to do right now. Practicing martial arts was not something that could be accomplished in a day, and circulating the energy too frequently would actually harm his body.

Moreover, the people of Jade Toad Palace are probably still wary of the two of them. If they were to speak frankly about Rainbow Cat, they would likely find it difficult to gain their trust.

"Hold on."

Upon opening the door, one could see Da Ben swaying his wine gourd, with a wine jar tucked into his arms, looking quite smug.

"This Jade Toad Palace is indeed a prestigious sect, and Palace Master Blue Rabbit is very generous. Such fine wine is not commonly seen outside." Da Ben's speech was already tinged with drunkenness, clearly indicating that he had drunk quite a bit.

The two climbed onto the roof using the roof tiles and sat down along the ridge.

Lu Ze took the wine jar from Da Ben, shook it, and found that there was still quite a bit left for him. Since there were no cups or bowls, he simply raised his head and poured the wine from the jar into his mouth.

"Good drinking capacity, good drinking capacity!" Da Ben laughed heartily at the scene. "Good brother, that's right. No matter what happens, you can't let it affect your mood. Just eat well, drink well, and sleep well. I've got you covered."

The liquor went down his throat, crisp and spicy. Lu Ze couldn't tell whether the liquor was good or bad, but he felt that this liquor was alright.

Turning his head to look at the Mercedes that had invited him over for drinks, he found it already fast asleep.

"I need to persuade this bear to quit drinking and gambling, otherwise he'll make mistakes sooner or later." As he thought this, Lu Ze took another swig.

-

After carrying the Mercedes back, Lu Ze had just reached his room when there was a knock on the door.

The maid who entered wore a yellow headscarf and had long ears tied around her head. She carried a bowl of hot soup, placed it on the table, then stepped back two steps and bowed.

"My name is Zi Tu. Thank you for your help today, young master."

"What are you thanking me for?"

"Thank you, Young Master Xie and that Mercedes-Benz hero, for your help to Jade Toad Palace and for thwarting Zhu Wujie's despicable tricks." Purple Rabbit raised her head and looked at him calmly. "I also thank the two brave men for not forcing their way in at the mountain gate, leaving room for maneuver for Jade Toad Palace."

Lu Ze remained silent for a moment.

"This servant has served in the Jade Toad Palace for many years, and I do have a good eye for people." Purple Rabbit paused. "Young Master, you've come to the Jade Toad Palace, surely not for the martial arts contest to choose a husband?"

Lu Ze looked at her.

In the original story, this purple rabbit will eventually escape the encirclement in an empty sedan chair, only to self-destruct and die during the attack by the demonic sect.

Did she know she was going to die? Probably not. But she knew she was doing something very dangerous, something that could cost her her life.

For Blue Rabbit, for Rainbow Cat, for that faint hope of the so-called "Seven Swords United".

"I'm here to help," Lu Ze said, his voice soft but earnest.

Purple Rabbit looked at him, something flashing in her eyes.

"What does the young master know?"

"I know more than you think." Lu Ze stood up, walked to the window, and pushed it open. Moonlight streamed in, falling on the antlers above his head, giving them a silvery-white glow. "But Miss Purple Rabbit."

Purple Rabbit remained silent, waiting quietly for him to continue.

"All you need to know is that Da Ben and I are definitely not the kind of people who kick someone when they're down." Lu Ze turned around, the moonlight casting a long shadow behind him. "A lot will happen in the next few days. Some things will go as planned, some won't."

He looked into Purple Rabbit's eyes.

"At that time, I'd like to ask Miss Purple Rabbit to do something for me."

"What is it?"

"To live."

Purple Rabbit was stunned.

"No matter what happens," Lu Ze said, "don't die."

A night breeze blew in, causing the candlelight on the table to flicker, and the shadow of the purple rabbit to sway on the wall.

She didn't answer, but simply bowed deeply and turned to leave.

Lu Ze sat back down on the edge of the bed, placed his hand on the deer-slaying knife, and closed his eyes.

He knew that the real trouble would begin tomorrow.

-

The following day, a group of black-clad members of the Demonic Cult had already set up the arena and even put up the words "Martial Arts Tournament for Marriage" in a pretentious manner.

However, the Demonic Sect has sealed off the mountain, so at this time, only Lu Ze and Da Ben are still on the mountain.

A loud shout came from behind the crowd, and everyone made way for a short, stout figure who strode forward.

Pigs have no rules.

He wore a dark red robe, with a pair of meteor hammers hanging at his waist. A small hat topped his round head, and his two mustaches twitched as he spoke. He had a smile on his face, but the smile didn't reach his eyes; it was like a mask pasted on his face.

"Purple Rabbit, is Palace Mistress Blue Rabbit not here?"

Zhu Wujie bowed and cupped his hands in greeting, but his hat slipped off his head. He hurriedly picked it up and awkwardly put it back on, his tone carrying an unpleasantly slick quality.

"The Blue Rabbit Palace Master hasn't arrived. Is it because her injuries from yesterday haven't healed? Or is it that Rainbow Cat's poison has flared up and he's not long for this world? Hahahaha."

There was a moment of silence in the room.

A commotion broke out among the Jade Toad Palace disciples. Purple Rabbit stepped forward, her expression unchanged, still wearing that same smile: "Hall Master Pig is very thoughtful."

"Our Jade Toad Palace has never seen any Rainbow Cat. Since the Palace Master has not yet appeared, only your victor can meet and challenge the Palace Master."

-

A message was sent by a spirit pigeon, and the Seven Swordsmen awaited orders. However, the letter written by Blue Rabbit was intercepted by the Demonic Sect, leading to the exposure of her identity as a successor of the Seven Swordsmen.

Rainbow Cat, the master of the Rainbow Sword, was also ambushed by Pig Wujie and poisoned.

Rainbow Cat needs time to heal, and Jade Toad Palace also needs time to send messages. They cannot withstand a large-scale attack from the Demonic Sect.

Just then, Pig Wujie was overcome with lust, and Blue Rabbit took this opportunity to propose a plan called a martial arts contest to find a husband, which was actually just a way to buy time.

-

"The rules are simple," Purple Rabbit continued, "The duel ends when the opponent has made a point; no vital organs may be injured. Everyone—"

Zhu Wujie chuckled, jumped onto the high platform, took the meteor hammer from his waist, and twirled it twice in his hand.

"My men, open your eyes wide and see how this commander defeats these scoundrels and marries the Blue Rabbit Palace Master!"

After saying that, he smiled and looked at Purple Rabbit, "My little beauty, don't be in a hurry. After marrying Palace Mistress Blue Rabbit, I'll come and marry you later! Hahahaha~"

Da Ben twirled the stick twice and got up to go forward.

"Wait!" Lu Ze grabbed him. "Just a minute."

"What are you waiting for? Didn't you see the look on his face—"

"I saw it," Lu Ze said. "So you can't just go up there like that."

Da Ben paused for a moment, then asked, "What do you mean?"

Lu Ze leaned closer and lowered his voice: "This Zhu Wujie is vicious and skilled in using poison darts. He also has a Toad Style Kung Fu move, which is extremely powerful—"

He said a few words quickly.

After hearing this, Da Ben's eyes widened: "How did you know?"

"I could tell," Lu Ze said. "Are you going or not?"

"Go! Of course I'll go!" Da Ben didn't take it seriously. After all, Zhu Wujie was one of the four hall masters of the Demonic Sect; a tall tree catches the wind, and perhaps someone in the martial arts world knew his background. He grabbed his copper cudgel and walked onto the stage, shouting, "Make way, make way, let me do it!"

Pig Wujie looked at the Mercedes that jumped onto the stage and narrowed his eyes: "Oh, so someone really came to their death."

Da Ben didn't waste any words with him. He swung the copper rod and smashed it down on his head.

The martial arts competition has begun.

Lu Ze stood below the stage, watching intently, his hand unconsciously resting on the hilt of his sword.

He needs to be prepared.

According to the original plot, Da Ben would lose. Zhu Wujie is too slippery, and Da Ben is too straightforward. For brute force to overcome skill, one needs to be strong enough to crush the opponent, and Da Ben hasn't reached that level yet.

The bronze rod and the meteor hammer on the platform collided, sparks flying everywhere.

Da Ben fought with ferocious speed, sweeping his copper staff and forcing Zhu Wujie to retreat repeatedly. But Lu Ze noticed that although Zhu Wujie seemed to be on the defensive, his steps were never disordered. He was retreating, but every step he took was methodical.

He was waiting for the Mercedes to make a mistake.

Sure enough, Da Ben missed his target with his stick, and the instant his body leaned slightly forward—Zhu Wujie moved.

With a flick of his left sleeve, a hidden weapon was launched silently.

But Da Ben didn't dodge to the side as Lu Ze had expected—he took a step forward, holding the copper staff horizontally in front of him, using the staff to block.

With a crisp "ding," the poison dart flew away, and the Mercedes-Benz used the momentum to leap high into the air.

Zhu Wujie's face turned ashen. He glared fiercely at Da Ben, then suddenly pulled back his hammer and retreated, lying on all fours on the ground: "You're asking for death! Toad Kung Fu!"

Seeing this, Da Ben wildly brandished his bronze staff, using the momentum to bring it down, shouting, "Come on! Who's afraid of who!"

The two gathered their inner strength and released it outwards, causing fallen leaves to fly in all directions like a hurricane, and the arena to shatter and collapse inch by inch.

With a loud bang, the two collided, and although there was still some distance between their clubs, the deafening sound caused the arena to collapse.

Lu Ze channeled his inner energy to protect himself, his eyes fixed on the original location of the arena. The martial arts and internal strength of these two were far beyond his reach; he feared he would be defeated within a hundred moves if he faced them.

Pig Wujie and Da Ben were seen being launched one after the other, staggering backward.

Suddenly, Zhu Wujie's body went limp, his meteor hammer slipped from his hand, and he pressed his palm tightly against his chest and abdomen. "Ouch! It hurts so much! It hurts so much!"

Da Ben stopped, stunned for a moment before reacting: "Hahaha, look at you, you've done too many bad things, you've had an epileptic seizure, haven't you? Pig Wujie, you deserve it!"

The cult leader shouted, "Quickly carry Master Pig back!" The cult members behind him hurriedly followed.

—What is this? The effects of the Divine Pill have kicked in? Divine Pill, Divine Pill, even immortals will perish if they take it; when the time comes and there's no antidote, the effects kick in like a ghost's howl.

Lu Ze loosened the hilt of his knife, his palms sweating profusely. He strode forward to meet Da Ben, only to see a trickle of blood running down Da Ben's lips. Upon seeing this, Lu Ze quickly helped him up.

He turned his head to look to the side—the purple rabbit was standing there.

Their eyes met briefly in the air, and Zi Tu nodded slightly to him. "Two brave warriors, quickly go into the palace to heal your wounds."