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

The afterglow of the setting sun shone on the mountain path, making Zhuang Yu and Wang Yao's shadows appear exceptionally long.

They were carrying the precious herbs they had obtained from the herb garden and were preparing to return to the town.

However, an inexplicable unease enveloped Zhuang Yu's heart. He felt as if something was lurking in the shadows, like being watched by a venomous snake, a feeling that sent chills down his spine.

"Brother Zhuang Yu, what's wrong?" Wang Yao noticed Zhuang Yu's unusual behavior and asked with concern.

"I feel like something's not right." Zhuang Yu frowned, looking around, trying to find the source of his unease.

Just then, three figures darted out from the woods beside the road like ghosts, blocking their path.

The leader was Zhao Hai, who had previously argued with Zhuang Yu in the Spirit Herb Garden. He had a ferocious smile on his face, and his eyes were filled with greed and resentment.

"Zhuang Yu, you have a path to heaven but you choose to walk into hell! Today is your death day! If you know what's good for you, hand over the spirit herb, and maybe you can at least have a whole corpse!" Zhao Hai said viciously, his tone full of threat.

Behind him, Qian Er and Sun San also revealed fierce expressions. They were Zhao Hai's cronies, who bullied the weak and feared the strong, and committed all sorts of evil deeds.

Upon hearing that Zhao Hai was going to deal with Zhuang Yu, he volunteered to come and help, hoping to gain some benefits from Zhuang Yu.

Seeing this, a cold glint flashed in Zhuang Yu's eyes. He shielded Wang Yao behind him and said in a deep voice, "Zhao Hai, I advise you not to make a mistake! You escaped a calamity at the Spirit Herb Garden last time, but I didn't expect you to dare to come here to die again!"

"Enough talk! Get him!" Zhao Hai roared and charged at Zhuang Yu first.

Qian Er and Sun San followed closely behind, and the three of them surrounded Zhuang Yu and Wang Yao.

A fierce battle is about to break out!

Like hungry wolves pouncing on their prey, Zhao Hai and his two companions brandished their weapons and attacked Zhuang Yu with fierce winds.

Three attacks came from different directions, blocking all of Zhuang Yu's escape routes.

Zhuang Yu had just gone through a battle and his spiritual power had not fully recovered. He seemed to be struggling against the combined attack of the three.

While fending off Zhao Hai's frontal attacks, he was also wary of Qian Er and Sun San's sneak attacks.

"Haha, Zhuang Yu, your death is near!" Zhao Hai laughed wildly, his long sword transforming into streaks of cold light, each move ruthless, aimed straight for Zhuang Yu's vitals.

Qian Er smiled sinisterly. He seized an opportunity, flashed his body, and launched a sneak attack on Zhuang Yu from the side.

Zhuang Yu was unable to dodge in time and was struck on the shoulder by Qian Er's palm.

"Pfft!" Zhuang Yu groaned, a trickle of blood spilling from the corner of his mouth, and staggered back a few steps.

"Brother Zhuang Yu!" Wang Yao was extremely anxious when she saw Zhuang Yu injured. Ignoring the danger, she rushed to Zhuang Yu's side and took out a handkerchief to gently wipe the blood from the corner of Zhuang Yu's mouth.

Her eyes were filled with worry and affection as she said, "Brother Zhuang Yu, you must hold on."

Zhuang Yu felt Wang Yao's concern and was filled with strength. He took Wang Yao's hand in return and said softly, "Yao'er, don't worry, I'm fine."

Seeing this, Zhao Hai became even more enraged. He roared, "Kill them all! Don't let a single one escape!"

Upon hearing Zhao Hai's order, Qian Er and Sun San launched an even more reckless attack on Zhuang Yu and Wang Yao.

Zhuang Yu took a deep breath, calming the surging blood and qi within him, and a sharp glint flashed in his eyes.

He quickly formed a hand seal, and a powerful surge of spiritual energy spread out from him, causing the surrounding leaves to rustle.

"Whirlwind Technique!"

Zhuang Yu let out a low shout, and a small tornado formed in his palm, howling as it swept towards Zhao Hai and the other two.

The sudden attack caused the three men's expressions to change drastically. They hurriedly waved their weapons to defend themselves, but were forced back several steps by the powerful force, leaving them in a sorry state.

"This kid was actually hiding his strength!" Zhao Hai steadied himself, a hint of fear flashing in his eyes, but he quickly put that fear aside and shouted to Qian Er and Sun San, "Don't be afraid! He's already at his last gasp. Let's attack together, I refuse to believe we can't kill him!"

Qian Er and Sun San exchanged a glance, gritted their teeth, and attacked Zhuang Yu again.

They refused to believe that they couldn't take down this kid even with three against one!

The three changed their tactics, no longer attacking blindly, but cooperating with each other in an attempt to find Zhuang Yu's weakness.

Although Zhuang Yu had temporarily gained the upper hand with the help of the "Whirlwind Technique", he had only recently broken through and his spiritual power was not yet fully stable. A long battle would be a burden for him.

He cautiously dodged the three men's attacks while searching for an opportunity to counterattack.

"Now!" Zhuang Yu's gaze sharpened. He noticed that Qian Er and Sun San had closed the distance between them considerably in order to coordinate with Zhao Hai's attack, revealing an obvious opening.

Without hesitation, he seized the opportunity, his figure flashing between the two like a ghost. He simultaneously struck out with both palms, the powerful spiritual energy contained within them striking Qian Er and Sun San hard in the chest.

"Pfft!" "Pfft!"

Both men coughed up blood at the same time and flew backward like kites with broken strings, crashing heavily to the ground and unable to get up for a long time.

"You..." Zhao Hai's eyes widened in fury at the sight. He never expected that his carefully planned ambush would end like this.

"You're the only one left." Zhuang Yu ignored Qian Er and Sun San lying on the ground, and instead turned his cold gaze to Zhao Hai, his tone filled with murderous intent.

As Zhao Hai watched Zhuang Yu approach step by step, his fear finally overcame his greed. He turned around and tried to run away, but Zhuang Yu struck him in the back with a palm strike, causing him to vomit blood and fall to the ground.

"You...you can't kill me..." Zhao Hai struggled to get up, but collapsed weakly on the ground, his eyes filled with fear.

"I can't kill you?" Zhuang Yu sneered. "When you wanted to kill me before, why didn't you think about this?"

He slowly raised his right hand, and a dazzling ball of spiritual energy condensed in his palm. With just a gentle push, he could completely obliterate Zhao Hai.

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

Zhuang Yu looked down at Wang Yao and saw the reluctance in her eyes, which made his heart tremble slightly.

He knew that Wang Yao was kind-hearted and didn't want to see too much blood on her hands.

"Okay." Zhuang Yu finally withdrew his hand, gave Zhao Hai a deep look, and turned to leave with Wang Yao.

Zhao Hai was left lying on the ground, still in shock, with Zhuang Yu's cold words seemingly still echoing in his ears.

As the sun set, Zhuang Yu and Wang Yao's figures gradually disappeared at the end of the mountain path, leaving behind only fallen leaves and a faint smell of blood...

"Brother Zhuang Yu, your injury..." Wang Yao said worriedly, looking at Zhuang Yu's slightly pale face.

"I'm fine. Let's find a place to rest first." Zhuang Yu shook his head, enduring his injuries, and walked with Wang Yao towards the town...

For some reason, the once bustling town now seemed unusually deserted. The streets were empty, with only the rustling of leaves in the wind adding to the eeriness...