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

The night wind, carrying a faint smell of blood, blew past the dilapidated mountain gate.

Zhuang Yu's robes fluttered in the wind as he gazed at the devastated scene before him, feeling as if a sharp knife had pierced his heart.

The once majestic mountain gate is now nothing but ruins, the air thick with the smell of scorched earth, a shocking sight that speaks volumes about the destruction and devastation brought by the demonic cultivators.

He clenched his fists, his nails digging deep into his palms, and the slight pain only made him more alert.

This is not only a wound for the sect, but also a scar in his heart.

He took a deep breath, suppressing his surging emotions. He wanted to bring this ruin back to life!

He wanted the entire cultivation world to see that they would not be easily defeated!

He, Zhuang Yu, will definitely lead the sect back to its peak!

He turned around and, with firm steps, stepped into the once-familiar square.

At this moment, small groups of disciples from various sects gathered in the square, their faces filled with confusion and unease. Some disciples were sobbing softly, while others looked around with heavy expressions. A sense of oppression permeated the air, like the calm before a storm.

Zhuang Yu glanced around and saw the sect leader standing in front of everyone, trying to appease them, but with little effect. Many disciples were already considering leaving, which made the sect leader frown deeply.

Some disciples whispered among themselves: "The sect is in such a state, it's better to leave sooner rather than later..." "Yeah, if we stay any longer, we might lose our lives one day..."

"Enough!" Zhuang Yu's voice, carrying a hint of authority, instantly drowned out all the noise and echoed throughout the square.

He slowly walked to the front of the crowd, his gaze sharp as he scanned the faces of each disciple. His voice was loud and powerful: "As disciples of the sect, how can we be intimidated by the difficulties before us? This land beneath our feet was watered with the blood and sweat of our sect's predecessors. How can we allow others to trample on it! You mere demonic cultivators think you can defeat us?!"

His powerful words, like a thunderclap, instantly ignited the flame of hope in the hearts of his disciples.

Some of the disciples who had been dejected slowly raised their heads, their eyes regaining their fighting spirit.

Seeing this, the sect leader's eyes also showed a look of satisfaction.

Zhuang Yu turned his gaze to the sect leader, clasped his hands in a fist and said, "Sect leader, this disciple is willing to contribute to the revival of the sect!"

The sect leader nodded, a look of approval on his face: "It's good that you have this intention! The sect is in dire need of rebuilding, and all the heavy responsibilities fall on your shoulders!"

Zhuang Yu nodded slightly, turned to face the crowd, his eyes gleaming with confidence, and slowly said, "Everyone, I have a series of plans to revive the sect. I believe that given time, the sect will surely regain its former glory!"

No sooner had the words been spoken than a voice of doubt arose from the crowd: "Reviving the sect? How easy is that? The sect is currently short of resources and the disciples are demoralized. How can we talk about revival?" The speaker was an elder of the sect, whose face showed disdain and whose tone was full of doubt.

Another elder chimed in, "Yes, the sect is now like a candle in the wind, and it could be destroyed at any moment. It's better to disband it as soon as possible!"

Zhuang Yu raised an eyebrow. He had anticipated resistance, but he already had a plan in mind. A mysterious smile appeared on his lips as he slowly said, "Elders, please hear me out..."

Zhuang Yu smiled slightly and calmly took out a pile of spirit stones, spirit herbs and magic artifacts that shone with various colors from his storage bag. The pile was like a small mountain, illuminating almost the entire square.

These were spoils he had seized from the demonic cultivator camp, which he had never shown to anyone before.

"Elders, resources are key to rebuilding the sect." Zhuang Yu's voice was firm and resolute. He pointed to the resources in front of him and continued, "These resources are enough for us to rebuild the sect and allow the disciples to improve their cultivation in a short period of time."

The elders who had been questioning him were immediately dumbfounded. They hadn't expected Zhuang Yu to possess so many resources. Their doubts vanished without a trace, replaced by surprise and admiration.

“This…how is this possible?” an elder muttered to himself, his eyes filled with disbelief.

"Junior Brother Zhuang, you are truly a lucky star for the sect!" another elder said excitedly.

Zhuang Yu distributed the resources to the sect disciples, and everyone received corresponding cultivation resources. The previously low morale instantly soared, and the disciples were filled with gratitude and admiration for Zhuang Yu. His prestige within the sect was also greatly enhanced.

However, the good times did not last long.

Upon learning that the sect was being rebuilt, the remnants of the demonic cultivators decided to take advantage of the situation and completely destroy this sect that had rekindled its hope.

As night fell, Ghost One and Ghost Two, along with a group of minor demonic cultivators, sneaked into the mountain gate like ghosts.

"Kill! Leave no one alive!" Gui Yi's voice was cold and piercing, like a demon from hell.

Zhuang Yu was the first to engage in battle. He summoned his flying sword, its light as bright as a rainbow, and aimed directly at Gui Yi.

Ghost One's attacks are cunning and ruthless, and his movements are ghostly and unpredictable.

Gui Er, meanwhile, waited for his chance to strike. His attacks were unpredictable and he would sneak up on Zhuang Yu from time to time, making it impossible for Zhuang Yu to defend against them.

For a time, Zhuang Yu was caught in a fierce battle.

The surrounding disciples watched nervously; the atmosphere was extremely dangerous.

"Be careful, Senior Brother Zhuang!"

"Oni Two's attack is poisonous!"

The disciples' reminders made Zhuang Yu even more vigilant.

While fending off Ghost One's attacks, he also carefully guarded against Ghost Two's sneak attacks.

Just then, Gui Er's dagger, glowing with an eerie green light, pierced towards Zhuang Yu's back.

"mean!"

Wang Yao was tending to her injured disciple. Her slender fingers gently touched the disciple's wounds, and a faint green light flowed from her palm, slowly moisturizing the wounds.

She would occasionally look up at Zhuang Yu, who was locked in fierce combat with the demonic cultivator, her eyes filled with worry.

Zhuang Yu felt her gaze, and his heart warmed, a wave of tenderness flowing through his body.

He seemed encouraged, and the flying sword in his hand became even more fierce, with sword energy crisscrossing, forcing Gui Yi to retreat step by step.

Seeing that he couldn't break through after a long attack, Gui Yi became angry. He smiled coldly and gave Gui Er a wink.

Gui Er understood immediately, and with a flash, disappeared into the night.

"Not good!" Zhuang Yu's heart sank. He knew that Gui Er must have gone to capture sect disciples as hostages.

Sure enough, a short while later, Gui Er appeared before everyone, holding a young disciple hostage.

The young disciple was filled with terror and trembling.

The dagger in Ghost Second's hand was pressed against the disciple's neck, gleaming with a cold, eerie green light.

"Zhuang Yu, give up resisting, or I'll kill him!" Gui Er's voice was sharp and piercing, like the hooting of an owl.

The air around them seemed to freeze, and everyone's eyes were fixed on Zhuang Yu.

Zhuang Yu felt as if a huge boulder was pressing down on his heart, making it difficult to breathe.

He was furious, yet he was also hesitant to act rashly.

He couldn't just stand by and watch his disciples die, but he also didn't want to give up the fight and let the demonic cultivators succeed.

"Release him, and I'll let you do whatever you want with me!" Zhuang Yu's voice was low and hoarse.

Gui Er smiled sinisterly: "You think I'd believe you? You're a cunning fellow!"

Zhuang Yu clenched his fist, his nails digging deep into his palm, blood flowing from between his fingers.

His gaze was fixed on Gui Er, his mind racing, searching for a way to break the deadlock.

"Senior Brother Zhuang..." the kidnapped disciple said in a trembling voice.

"Don't be afraid, I will definitely save you!" Zhuang Yu's voice was firm and powerful, giving his disciple a glimmer of hope.

Seeing this, Gui Er pressed the dagger against the disciple's neck even harder, and a trickle of blood flowed down the dagger.

"If you don't let go, I'll kill him!" Gui Er's tone became even more frantic.

A resolute glint flashed in Zhuang Yu's eyes. He took a deep breath and slowly raised his hands...

"Wait!" A clear, sweet shout pierced the night sky, and Wang Yao appeared behind Gui Er in an instant, like a light white lightning bolt.

A vibrant green vine had appeared in her hand without her noticing. The vine was as nimble as a snake and wrapped around Gui Er's wrist.

Gui Er winced in pain, and the dagger slipped from his hand, making a crisp "clang" sound.

Seizing this critical moment, Zhuang Yu unleashed his spiritual power in an instant, like a volcanic eruption. A powerful wave of energy spread outwards from him. He chanted incantations and quickly formed hand seals, instantly enveloping himself and the kidnapped disciple in a golden light shield.

The protective barrier was as solid as a rock, and no matter how fierce Ghost One's attacks were, it could not be shaken in the slightest.

Within the light barrier, Zhuang Yu flicked his finger, and a gentle spiritual force slowly sent the disciple out of the barrier. The disciple returned safely to the group of sect members, still shaken.

Zhuang Yu slowly stood up, his gaze sweeping coldly over Gui Yi and Gui Er. His aura suddenly became extremely sharp, like a drawn sword, its edge fully revealed.

He sneered, a bloodthirsty smile curving his lips. He, who had been passively defending himself just moments before, was now like a completely different person.

With a wave of his hands, the flying swords surrounding him emitted bursts of dragon roars, their blades gleaming with a blinding cold light.

The next moment, countless sword energies poured down on Ghost One and Ghost Two like a storm, each sword energy carrying the power to split mountains and shatter rocks.

Ghost One and Ghost Two were shocked to see this. They had not expected Zhuang Yu to have hidden his strength. They hurriedly used their demonic powers to resist, but they were no match for Zhuang Yu's overwhelming attacks.

Ghost One was forced to retreat steadily, his body covered in bloody marks from the sword energy. Ghost Two was even more desperately forced to flee by the sword energy, ending up in a sorry state.

Under Zhuang Yu's fierce offensive, Ghost One and Ghost Two were like stray dogs, powerless to fight back and barely able to hold on.

A moment later, they finally couldn't hold on any longer, let out a scream, and fled in panic, disappearing into the vast night.

Upon seeing this, the demonic cultivators retreated like a tide, scattering and fleeing in all directions.

The sect disciples erupted in deafening cheers upon seeing the demonic cultivator repelled.

Zhuang Yu was not basking in the joy of victory. He knew that the demonic cultivators would not give up easily, and tonight's surprise attack was just an appetizer.

He immediately summoned the sect's disciples to strengthen the defenses of the mountain gate and set up an array around it to prevent the demonic cultivators from launching another surprise attack.

After finishing all this, he stood alone in front of the mountain gate, looking up at the night sky. He understood that to completely solve the problem of demonic cultivators, relying solely on defense was not enough; he had to address the root cause, otherwise the consequences would be endless.

He turned and walked deeper into the sect, his figure disappearing into the night, leaving behind a sentence that drifted in the wind: "I need to go somewhere."