Rise of the Otherworld.

As soon as Zhang Hao finished speaking, he drew his sword and rushed towards the burly man. He knew that there was no way out at this moment, and the only way to survive was to fight bravely.

Seeing this, the burly man shouted, "You don't know what life and death is!" He raised the axe in his hand and rushed towards Zhang Hao. The axe gleamed coldly in the sunlight, carrying a fierce momentum.

The sword and the axe collided with a loud clang, sparks flying everywhere. Zhang Hao felt a powerful force coming from him, and his arm went slightly numb, but he gritted his teeth and exerted force again. The sword stabbed towards the burly man's vitals like a spirit snake.

The herbalist, unwilling to be outdone, picked up a thick branch from the ground and rushed towards the followers. Although he was old, he showed no fear at this moment, and his eyes revealed a firm determination.

The followers surrounded and attacked one after another. For a moment, shouts and cries of killing rang out by the stream, breaking the tranquility of the forest.

Zhang Hao and the burly man engaged in a close fight, each exchanged blows with deadly force. With his nimble agility, Zhang Hao dodged the man's powerful blows while searching for weaknesses. He knew that to defeat such a formidable foe, he needed more than brute force; he needed wits and intelligence.

"Watch this!" the burly man roared, swinging his axe in a fierce gust of wind. The wind was so strong that it made Zhang Hao's clothes rustle.

Zhang Hao dodged sideways and thrust his sword towards his ribs. The burly man reacted quickly, blocking the blow with his axe handle. Then another axe swung across. Zhang Hao quickly leaped back, narrowly avoiding it.

On the other side, the herbalist gradually lost strength and was kicked to the ground by an attendant. The attendant smiled ferociously and raised his knife to chop him down.

"Old herbalist, today is the day you die!" the follower said viciously.

"Don't hurt anyone!" Zhang Hao caught a glimpse of it out of the corner of his eye and became extremely anxious. He exerted his strength suddenly, pushed back the burly man, and flew towards the herbalist.

Just as the knife was about to fall, Zhang Hao arrived in time and knocked the follower's knife away with a sword. The follower's eyes widened, obviously not expecting Zhang Hao's speed to be so fast.

"Thank you!" said the herbalist gratefully.

"Don't be distracted, be careful!" Zhang Hao shouted. At this time, the other followers also gathered around, forming an encirclement.

Zhang Hao and the herbalist stood back to back, facing the enemy. "Even if I die fighting today, I won't let them succeed!" Zhang Hao's eyes were filled with determination. He knew that if they retreated, both of them would be in danger.

"Kill!" The burly man attacked again, a hint of madness in his eyes.

Zhang Hao and the herbalist fought fiercely, suffering numerous wounds. But they refused to give up, their will to survive unleashing immense strength. Zhang Hao's sword dance was impenetrable, neutralizing the enemy's attacks one by one.

Just when they were about to give up, a melodious flute sound suddenly reached them. The sound was clear and melodious, flowing through the mountains and forests like a gurgling stream, as if it had a magical power that calmed the mind.

Hearing the flute sound, the burly man and his companions froze, a trace of fear on their faces. "That flute sound... not good! Run!" the burly man shouted, hurriedly leaving with his followers, and soon disappeared into the woods.

Zhang Hao and the herbalist breathed a sigh of relief and slumped to the ground. "Thanks to the flute, otherwise we would be in danger," the herbalist said, a hint of relief in his voice.

"This flute sound is strange. I wonder who is playing it." Zhang Hao frowned, his heart filled with doubts. He stood up and looked in the direction of the flute sound. He saw a faint white figure in the woods in the distance.

"Let's go and take a look." Zhang Hao said. He was curious and wanted to find out the origin of the flute sound.

They walked in the direction of the flute sound and soon saw a woman in white. She had a pretty face and elegant temperament. She was holding a jade flute in her hand and was standing quietly under a tree.

"Thank you, young lady, for saving my life." Zhang Hao stepped forward to express his gratitude.

The woman smiled slightly and said, "It's just a small favor. Why did you come into conflict with those people?" Her voice was as melodious as her flute.

Zhang Hao briefly recounted what had happened. The woman nodded slightly, "I see. There are often bad guys in this forest. You should be careful."

"Thank you for your reminder, young lady. I wonder why you are here?" Zhang Hao asked.

A trace of sadness flashed in the woman's eyes. "I was practicing here when I happened to hear a fight over here, so I played the flute to scare them away."

Zhang Hao's gratitude towards the woman was even stronger. "Your flute playing is so powerful. I admire it."

The woman smiled and said, "It's just some little tricks. Your injuries are not light. I have some herbs here that can help you heal." As she said that, she took out some herbs from her body and handed them to Zhang Hao.

Zhang Hao took the herbs and thanked her again. With the woman's help, they healed their wounds. After a conversation, Zhang Hao learned that the woman's name was Su Yao, and that she had been cultivating in this mountain for several years.

"Miss Su, you are so familiar with the situation in this mountain. Do you know any place where we can temporarily hide from those pursuers?" Zhang Hao asked.

Su Yao pondered for a moment, "There is a valley in this mountain, which is very hidden and not easy to be discovered. You can go there to take shelter for a while."

Zhang Hao and the herbalist exchanged a glance, a glimmer of hope in their eyes. "Thank you very much, Miss Su. Please lead the way," Zhang Hao said.

Su Yao nodded and led them towards the valley. Along the way, Zhang Hao was full of curiosity about Su Yao. He felt that this woman seemed to have many secrets. The herbalist followed silently behind, and his heart was also full of gratitude towards Su Yao.

Soon, they arrived at the valley. The valley was beautiful, surrounded by mountains and shaded by green trees. A stream ran through the valley, and the water was clear.

"This place is very hidden. You should not be discovered if you rest here." Su Yao said.

"Thank you, Miss Su. We have no way to repay your kindness." Zhang Hao said gratefully.

"You're welcome. Meeting is destiny. You can have a good rest here. I have something else to do, so I'll take my leave first." After Su Yao finished speaking, she turned and left.

Zhang Hao and the herbalist looked at Su Yao's departing figure, feeling a thousand emotions in their hearts. They knew that if it weren't for Su Yao's help, they would probably have a hard time getting out of this predicament.

"Okay, let's rest here first and make plans after we have recovered our strength." Zhang Hao said.

The herbalist nodded, and they found a place to sit down in the valley and began to recuperate. The valley was now completely peaceful, with only the sound of the gurgling stream and the occasional chirping of birds, as if the fierce battle had never happened.