The swarm fell into chaos immediately after the great white rat was killed by the Martial Uncle.
Brother Rat squeaked a few times, and its younger brethren began to counterattack.
Having been on the defensive moments before, they now instantly gained the upper hand.
We wanted to help, but faced with this horde of rats, they all looked the same, and we didn't know how.
Fortunately, the enemy was quickly driven away.
At this point, Brother Rat, leading its remaining hundreds of rats, surrounded us.
Brother Rat, like a human, stood up, squeaked a few times at us, and even bowed, clasping its front paws.
This was their way of thanking us.
"Brother Rat, no need for thanks."
As soon as I finished speaking, the Martial Uncle also spoke:
"Little Rat, where is your mother?"
Brother Rat squeaked a few times, pointed in a direction with its paw, and then, still covered in blood, began to run forward.
As soon as it moved, the rat pack beside it followed.
It was leading us to find Mother Rat.
"Keep up!"
The Martial Uncle saw this and immediately ordered.
Without further hesitation, our group quickly followed.
The further we went, the more rat battles we encountered ahead.
Groups upon groups of rats were tearing at each other, their squeaks echoing throughout Black Mud Ridge.
We wove through the rat swarms and corpses, and soon arrived at a rocky ridge.
At this moment, Brother Rat stood on a large stone, pointing down the ridge and squeaking.
We quickly approached and looked down, witnessing an astonishing scene.
Below the rocky ridge, there was a relatively flat area.
And there, hordes of rats were tearing at each other, and in addition, a group of demons were engaged in fierce combat.
Among them, besides rat demons, there were other types of demons.
With our Heavenly Eyes open, we could see quite clearly.
There were chicken-headed demons, dog-headed monsters, python demons, and more.
And in the midst of this melee between the demons and the rat pack, we spotted a familiar figure.
Shu Gui Fang, Mother Rat.
Mother Rat, currently wielding a black iron ruler used for measuring clothes, was locked in combat with a python demon and a chicken-headed monster.
The python demon had a human torso and a serpent's tail, roaring "Aow aow," its long tail lashing out at Mother Rat.
The chicken-headed monster, holding a large pair of shears, continuously lunged at Mother Rat.
"It's Mother Rat!"
"Master, shall we go down and help?"
Brother Rat also squeaked incessantly, wanting us to intervene.
The Martial Uncle narrowed his eyes and immediately made a decision:
"Go, destroy these demons."
The Martial Uncle gave the order again, and we, without a word, drew our weapons.
The Martial Uncle also quickly assembled his large, mortise-and-tenon broadsword.
He pointed his sword and declared:
"Draw sword!"
The broadsword flashed, its runes shimmering.
We did the same.
Then, we saw the Martial Uncle leap from the six or seven-meter-high ridge.
Old Mo and Xiao Yao quickly followed.
Xiao Yao, lacking the cultivation, could only jump from a slightly lower point nearby.
I then said to the big black rat:
"Brother Rat, we're going to help Mother Rat now!"
Brother Rat squeaked its thanks, clasping its front paws in gratitude.
Although Brother Rat had the body of a rat, its soul was human.
I had known this for a long time.
Without further words, I also leaped down.
The Martial Uncle had already landed and let out a roar:
"Fellow Rat, this humble Taoist shall assist you!"
With that, he charged towards the most ferocious attacking snake demon with his broadsword.
Old Mo and I also rushed forward.
I shouted as well:
"Mother Rat, we're here!"
"Snake demon, chicken monster, accept your judgment!"
"..."
The three of us moved swiftly, with Xiao Yao following behind.
"Brother Tang, Little Qin, Little Mo!"
Mother Rat was also surprised, not expecting us to appear here.
But in the next moment, some of the larger rats that had gained sentience began to furiously charge towards us.
Each of them was as large as half a dog.
They charged forward, wagging their long tails and squeaking.
Seeing the dense rat swarm, I felt a prickle of unease, not from fear, but from a general discomfort.
But at this moment, we had to deal with these large rats first.
The Martial Uncle led the charge, killing one with a single sword stroke.
Old Mo and I were not outdone, wielding our swords against the giant rats surrounding us, occasionally using our Qi to blast away the charging swarm.
But the giant rats around us seemed to smell us, and a whole troop of them swarmed forward.
Many smaller rats also squeaked and lunged at us, relentless.
"Xiao Yao, stay close to me!"
Old Mo reminded Xiao Yao.
I had already charged into the fray.
The Martial Uncle struck down with his sword, engaging the snake demon.
I also thrust my sword forward, blocking the chicken-headed monster's attack on Mother Rat.
"Little Qin, how did you all get here?"
Mother Rat asked in a hoarse voice, her face covered in blood, panting.
"Mother Rat, we were ordered by the Dao Alliance to come here to cooperate with the Bottomless Mother. What exactly is going on?"
As I spoke, the chicken-headed monster lunged again.
It let out a few "ge ge ge" sounds, raising its large shears to snip at me.
But I swiftly blocked, and Mother Rat's black iron ruler forced it back.
Hearing my question, Mother Rat replied indignantly, filled with rage:
"The Great Elder colluded with the Longevity Society and ambushed the Mother.
They wanted to usurp the Mother's position.
These demons are all lackeys of the Longevity Society!"