Seven Mysterious Spaces: My Rise to Power in the Cultivation World

A dark shadow flashed past the window, and Zhuang Yu sneered inwardly, "Just as I thought."

He had anticipated that the news of the treasure recognizing its owner would attract villains, which is why he deliberately chose to settle in this remote town to lure them out.

He closed the window, sat cross-legged, and appeared to be meditating calmly, but in reality, he was secretly circulating his spiritual energy to its maximum, waiting for the enemy to come to him.

Shortly after, the door was kicked open with a loud bang, and a man dressed in black with a sinister face strode in, followed by two burly men.

The newcomers were none other than Li Hei, the corrupted cultivator, and his two henchmen, A Da and A Er.

"Boy, if you know what's good for you, hand over your treasures or you'll suffer!" Li Hei said sinisterly, his greedy eyes sweeping over Zhuang Yu.

"Treasure? What treasure? I don't know what you're talking about." Zhuang Yu feigned ignorance and spread his hands innocently.

"Stop pretending!" Ah Da roared gruffly. "You dare steal our boss's stuff? You're asking for trouble!"

"That's right, if you hand it over obediently, you'll suffer less!" Ah Er licked his lips, a cruel glint flashing in his eyes.

At Li Hei's command, A Da and A Er immediately pounced on Zhuang Yu.

Ah Da wielded his giant axe, splitting Mount Hua in two, creating a howling wind.

Ah Er wielded two hooks, employing cunning and ruthless techniques, specifically targeting Zhuang Yu's vital points.

The innkeeper was so frightened that he trembled and hid behind the counter, too afraid to show his face.

Zhuang Yu appeared to be frantically dodging the two men's attacks, but in reality, he was secretly observing their fighting styles.

Although Ah Da's attacks were powerful, they were slow and full of openings; Ah Er's attacks, though tricky, lacked power and were easily neutralized.

"You think you can steal my things with this little skill?" Zhuang Yu sneered, his figure suddenly becoming ghostly, effortlessly maneuvering between the two.

He deliberately exposed an opening to lure Ah Da and Ah Er into attacking, then used his exquisite agility to dodge their attacks and wait for an opportunity to counterattack.

"Bang! Bang!" Two muffled sounds rang out as A-Da and A-Er were hit by Zhuang Yu and staggered backward.

The two exchanged a glance, a hint of surprise flashing in their eyes.

This kid is clearly only in the mid-Foundation Establishment stage, why is he so difficult to deal with?

“Interesting…” Li Hei looked at Zhuang Yu with interest, a glint of shrewdness flashing in his eyes. “Looks like I underestimated you. But do you think you can escape my grasp like this?” Li Hei smiled coldly. “Go get him! Don’t hold back!”

Ah Da and Ah Er pounced on Zhuang Yu again, this time their attacks were even more ferocious and their moves even more ruthless.

Zhuang Yu fought and retreated, appearing disheveled, but he never suffered any real harm.

"Stop!" Suddenly, a clear voice rang out.

Wang Yao appeared at the entrance of the inn at some point, anxiously calling out, "Don't hurt Brother Zhuang Yu!"

Li Hei's eyes lit up, and a plan came to him. He grinned maliciously and said, "Oh, there's a little beauty here too? Perfect, let's grab her and take her back together!" In a flash, he appeared in front of Wang Yao, grabbed her arm, and held her hostage.

"Wang Yao!" Zhuang Yu's expression changed drastically, and he exclaimed, "Let her go!" He stopped what he was doing and looked anxiously at Wang Yao, who was being held hostage.

Li Hei laughed triumphantly: "Kid, now your life and your treasure are in my hands! If you don't want her to die, you'd better obey me!"

“You…” Zhuang Yu clenched his fists, a hint of struggle flashing in his eyes.

He took a deep breath and said slowly, "Okay, I promise you..." His voice was low and hoarse, as if it were being squeezed out from between his teeth.

He raised his head, his gaze icy as he stared at Li Hei, and said, word by word, "However, you'd better guarantee her safety, otherwise..." He paused, a sinister smile playing on his lips, "I guarantee you'll regret this..."

The anxiety on Zhuang Yu's face gradually faded, replaced by a barely perceptible sneer.

He feigned panic and took a few steps back, saying, "Alright, alright, don't be impulsive, I'll give you the treasure right now." With trembling hands, he slowly took out a seemingly ordinary stone from his storage bag.

Upon seeing this, a glint of greed flashed in Li Hei's eyes.

He was convinced that this stone was the treasure he had been searching for, so he lowered his guard and urged, "Hurry up and bring it over!"

Zhuang Yu pretended to be obedient and handed over the stone. Just as Li Hei reached out to take it, he suddenly flicked his wrist, and the stone flew out of his hand. However, it did not fly towards Li Hei, but towards the roof beam of the inn!

"You're asking for death!" Li Hei roared, thinking Zhuang Yu was cheating. He ignored Wang Yao and immediately flew to snatch the stone.

Ah Da and Ah Er also realized what was happening and quickly followed.

Just as the three of them took to the air, Zhuang Yu's lips curled into a cold smile.

He had already secretly imbued the stone with spiritual energy, waiting for them to take the bait.

The stone traced a strange arc in the air before suddenly bursting into a dazzling light. With a deafening roar, the entire inn shook violently.

Amidst the billowing smoke, Zhuang Yu seized the opportunity to pull Wang Yao behind him, whispering, "Don't be afraid, I'm here." He raised his head, his gaze icy as he stared at Li Hei through the smoke, and slowly said, "Now, it's time to settle our scores..."

Seeing that his two subordinates had failed to break through the defenses, Li Hei roared, "Useless!" He flashed into the fray and personally joined the battle.

Black spiritual energy surged in his palm, transforming into a giant black raptor that pounced on Zhuang Yu with a fierce killing intent.

This imposing presence is far beyond what Ah Da and Ah Er can match.

Zhuang Yu felt the pressure increase. Although Li Hei's cultivation level was the same as his, at the mid-Foundation Establishment stage, his combat experience was obviously much richer, and his moves were more ruthless and cunning.

He dodged the black raptor's attacks while looking for an opportunity to counterattack.

"Kid, you're dead today!" Li Hei grinned maliciously, his eyes filled with greed. "Your treasures will also belong to me!"

The black raptor's attacks grew increasingly fierce, and Zhuang Yu gradually felt overwhelmed.

He was furious, but dared not be careless in the slightest.

He knew that if he revealed any weakness, Li Hei would seize the opportunity, and his life would be in danger.

At this critical moment, Zhuang Yu had a sudden inspiration. He pretended to be outmatched and retreated quickly.

"Trying to escape?" Li Hei thought Zhuang Yu was going to run away, sneered, and gave chase.

Zhuang Yu retreated to the corner of the wall, seemingly with no way to escape.

A hint of smugness flashed in Li Hei's eyes, and the black raptor's attacks became even more ferocious, about to devour Zhuang Yu.

Just then, Zhuang Yu's figure suddenly disappeared!

Li Hei missed his target and was startled.

"What about people?"

The next moment, Zhuang Yu reappeared, this time behind Li Hei.

He exuded a powerful aura, and his eyes became incredibly sharp, making him a completely different person from before.

"How is this possible..." Li Hei was shocked. He felt a faint sense of fear as he sensed the powerful aura emanating from Zhuang Yu.

Zhuang Yu's lips curled into a cold smile as he slowly said, "Now, it's my turn..."

As the smoke cleared, the inn was revealed to be in complete disarray.

Li Hei got up from the ground, covered in dust and dirt, while A Da and A Er were also in a sorry state.

The three looked at Zhuang Yu with disbelief and suspicion in their eyes.

Although the explosion was extremely powerful, it did not cause any harm to Zhuang Yu. On the contrary, it made his aura even stronger.

Zhuang Yu slowly walked to Wang Yao's side, and after confirming that she was safe and sound, he turned around and stared coldly at Li Hei.

“Now, we can have a proper talk.” His voice was deep and powerful, carrying an unquestionable authority.

Li Hei was filled with fear, realizing that he had seriously underestimated Zhuang Yu's strength.

"Who...who exactly are you?" he asked, his voice trembling with fear.

Zhuang Yu sneered, not answering his question, but slowly raising his right hand. In his palm, a ball of golden light slowly condensed, radiating a heart-palpitating energy fluctuation.

"What...what do you want to do?" Li Hei shouted in terror. He felt the terrifying power contained in the golden light and a strong sense of unease rose in his heart.

"Didn't you want my treasure?" Zhuang Yu sneered. "I'll give it to you right now!" Before he finished speaking, the golden light in his hand suddenly shot out, turning into a golden lightning bolt that rushed straight towards Li Hei!

Li Hei was shocked and quickly summoned his defensive magic weapon to try and withstand the terrifying attack.

However, the golden lightning was too fast and its power far exceeded his expectations.

With a crisp "crack," his defensive magic weapon shattered instantly, and the golden lightning struck his chest without any obstruction.

"Pfft!" Li Hei spat out a mouthful of blood, and his whole body flew backward like a kite with a broken string, crashing heavily to the ground, his life hanging in the balance.

Upon seeing this, Ah Da and Ah Er were terrified and turned to run away.

"Trying to leave? Not so easy!" Zhuang Yu sneered, his figure flashed, and he instantly appeared in front of the two men, knocking them to the ground with a single palm strike each.

"Spare us... Spare us!" Ah Da and Ah Er knelt on the ground, pleading desperately.

Zhuang Yu looked at them coldly, without the slightest pity in his eyes.

"People like you who bully the weak and fear the strong are only a menace if left alive!" Golden light condensed once more in his palm.

Just then, Wang Yao tugged at Zhuang Yu's sleeve and whispered, "Brother Zhuang Yu, let it go, let them go."

Zhuang Yu was slightly taken aback and looked at Wang Yao.

With a hint of reluctance in her eyes, Wang Yao said, "Although they have committed many evils, their crimes do not warrant death. Why not give them a chance to repent and start anew?"

Zhuang Yu remained silent for a moment, then finally nodded.

"Alright, since you're pleading for them, I'll spare their lives." He dissipated the golden light in his hand and coldly said to Ah Da and Ah Er, "Get lost. If you dare to do evil again, I won't let you off easily!"

Ah Da and Ah Er felt as if they had been granted a pardon and scrambled out of the inn.

Zhuang Yu watched their disheveled retreating figures, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.

He knew that there were many villains like Li Hei in the cultivation world, and many of them were even more powerful than Li Hei.

He must constantly improve his abilities in order to protect himself and those around him.

Although he won the battle, it also made him realize more clearly that the path of cultivation is full of dangers and challenges.

He didn't know how powerful the next villain to steal the treasure would be, nor whether he could defeat them.

This also foreshadows the plot of the next chapter.