Grassroots Travel: The Star Lord of Another World

Chapter 296 Regaining Control

The moment the black-robed man fell, an invisible wave swept across the entire courtyard. Gao Xingchen and Nan Li retreated vigilantly at the same time. Nan Li grabbed the stunned Zhao Wanwan and protected her behind him.

"Be careful!" Gao Xingchen roared, and the spiritual power in his hands surged, forming a barrier blocking the three people.

Almost at the same time, a black lightning bolt fell from the sky and fiercely struck the barrier, making a deafening roar. Gao Xingchen groaned and was knocked back several steps by the powerful impact, with a trace of blood flowing from the corner of his mouth.

"Xingchen!" Nanli exclaimed, his eyes full of worry.

Gao Xingchen wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and shook his head, indicating that he was fine. "The other party came prepared, let's retreat first!"

Before he finished speaking, several black shadows attacked from all directions and surrounded them. These black shadows were agile and fierce, and they were obviously well-trained assassins.

"I'll cover you, you go first!" Gao Xingchen protected Nan Li and Zhao Wanwan behind him, unsheathed the long sword in his hand, the sword light danced like a silver snake, forcing back the approaching black shadows one by one.

"If you want to go, let's go together!" Nan Li refused without hesitation. The short knife in his hand flew around, and the sharp sword energy drew cold rays in the air. He fought side by side with Gao Xingchen.

"Don't forget me!" Zhao Wanwan also joined the battle. Although her strength was slightly inferior, she was agile and could always find gaps to cause some trouble to the enemy.

The three of them stood back to back, working in perfect harmony, and fought their way out of the encirclement. Just as they were about to break through, a cold voice suddenly sounded.

"Want to leave? It's not that easy!"

As soon as he finished speaking, a powerful pressure descended from the sky, locking the three people tightly. Gao Xingchen's face changed. The strength of this pressure was far beyond any enemy he had encountered before. Could it be...

Without time to think, Gao Xingchen pushed Nan Li and Zhao Wanwan away and soared into the sky towards the pressure.

"Go! I'll hold him back!"

Nan Li and Zhao Wanwan were pushed away by Gao Xingchen. They staggered back a few steps and watched Gao Xingchen being swallowed by a dazzling light.

"Xingchen!" Nanli screamed heartbreakingly, but was powerless to do anything.

"We can't let down the Star Pavilion Master's painstaking efforts, let's go!" At the critical moment, Zhao Wanwan grabbed Nan Li and tried her best to break out. In the end, after paying a considerable price, the two finally managed to escape the encirclement.

After returning to Xingchen Pavilion, although it was in ruins, the core members were still there, which made Nan Li feel a little relieved. She knew that now was not the time to be sad, Xingchen Pavilion still needed them, she had to cheer up and lead everyone out of the predicament!

When Nan Li and Zhao Wanwan fled back to Xingchen Pavilion, the originally magnificent building complex was in ruins, with traces of battles everywhere, and the air was filled with the smell of gunpowder and blood. Although the guarding disciples were exhausted, their eyes still burned with determination.

"Madam Pavilion Master!" Upon seeing Nan Li, the disciples knelt on one knee, their eyes filled with awe and hope.

Nan Li suppressed the grief in his heart, glanced at the familiar faces, and said in a deep voice: "Xingchen Pavilion has not fallen, we still have a chance! Pass the order, summon all core members immediately, and gather in the meeting hall!"

The atmosphere in the meeting hall was solemn. Gao Xingchen's disappearance was like a dark cloud hanging over everyone's hearts, but they knew that now was not the time to be sad, as the fate of Xingchen Pavilion was still in their hands.

Nan Li sat in the main seat, her face stern and her eyes as sharp as lightning. Her usual gentleness and charm disappeared, replaced by a chilling majesty.

"Everyone," Nan Li looked around at everyone and said in a deep voice, "Xingchen Pavilion has encountered an unprecedented crisis, but we cannot give up. Commander Xuanfeng, how much fighting power does Xingchen Pavilion have now?"

Xuan Feng stepped forward, clasped his fists and said, "Madam, we suffered heavy losses after the battle last night. More than half of our elite disciples were killed, and most of the remaining ones are injured. But I promise that as long as I am still alive, I will never let the enemy set foot into the Xingchen Pavilion!"

"Good!" Nan Li nodded in appreciation, "Master Li, how long can the defensive formation last?"

Master Li was a white-haired old man. He stood up tremblingly and said in a heavy tone, "I am ashamed. The defense formation of the Xingchen Pavilion has been in disrepair for a long time. It was severely damaged in the battle last night. It can only hold out for three days at most."

"Three days..." Nan Li muttered to himself, a cold light flashing in his eyes, "That's enough! Commander Xuanfeng, you must immediately reorganize the remaining troops, strengthen patrols and defense, and ensure the safety of Xingchen Pavilion."

"Yes!" Xuanfeng took the order and left.

"Master Li, please repair the defense formation as soon as possible. The safety of Xingchen Pavilion is in your hands."

"I will do my best!" Master Li said, and turned to leave.

After everyone left, Nan Li sat alone in the empty conference room, her mind constantly recalling every moment she had spent with Gao Xingchen. She was extremely sad, but she knew better that she was carrying the hope of Xingchen Pavilion and must not fall down.

"Someone come!" Nan Li took a deep breath, suppressed the sadness in his heart, and shouted to the outside of the door.

A woman in black quietly appeared in front of Nan Li, knelt on one knee, and said respectfully: "Your subordinate Ying Yi, I pay my respects to the Madam."

"Yingyi, I need you to use all your strength to find out who attacked us last night and what forces are behind them. I want to know everything about them!" A fierce murderous intent flashed in Nanli's eyes, and his tone was as cold as if it came from the Nine Nether Hell.

"I obey your command!" Ying Yi took the order and disappeared into the shadows.

Nan Li closed his eyes, rubbed his tired temples, and prayed silently in his heart: Xingchen, you must be safe and sound. Xingchen Pavilion needs you, and I need you too...

At the same time, Zhao Wanwan was quietly healing in the room. She was still frightened by the battle last night, but she was more worried about Gao Xingchen's safety. At this moment, she suddenly remembered that when she was captured, she seemed to hear the men in black mention a place name, which seemed to be one of their secret bases.

"If we can find that place, maybe we can find Brother Xingchen's whereabouts!" A glimmer of hope flashed in Zhao Wanwan's eyes, and she decided to take a risk.

Zhao Wanwan endured the severe pain in her body, sat cross-legged on the bed, and tried to recall the scene when she was captured. The men in black took her and Madam Nanli and fled all the way. In the panic, they seemed to mention a place name - "Fallen Soul Valley".

"Fallen Soul Valley..." Zhao Wanwan repeated the name in a low voice, and a hope suddenly surged in her heart. She remembered that when those men in black mentioned this place, there was a hint of awe and fear in their tone. Obviously, this place was extraordinary to them. If they could find this Fallen Soul Valley, perhaps they could find the whereabouts of Brother Xingchen!

After making up her mind, Zhao Wanwan immediately stood up, endured the pain in her body, and quietly slipped out of the room. She found the patrolling commander Xuanfeng and told him what she had heard about the "Fallen Soul Valley".

"Fallen Soul Valley?" Xuan Feng frowned. He had never heard of this place. "Are you sure you didn't hear it wrong?"

"It's absolutely true!" Zhao Wanwan said firmly, "The situation was urgent at the time. Although the voices of those men in black were very low, I heard them clearly. They were talking about the 'Fallen Soul Valley'!"

Xuan Feng pondered for a moment, and felt that the matter was of great importance, so he dared not neglect it, and immediately reported the matter to Nan Li. After hearing this, Nan Li was moved, and immediately summoned several elders of Xingchen Pavilion to discuss it.

"Fallen Soul Valley, I seem to have seen this name in some ancient book." A white-haired elder said after thinking for a moment, "If I remember correctly, the Fallen Soul Valley should be located in the extreme north of the Nine Star Realm. It is shrouded in fog all year round and is an extremely dangerous place."

"The Far North..." Nan Li muttered to himself, with a gleam in his eyes, "It seems that those mysterious people chose to establish a base there in order to avoid our pursuit."

"Madam Pavilion Master, since we already know where they are hiding, why don't we gather our men immediately and catch them off guard!" suggested an elder with a hot temper.

"Don't act rashly!" another elder retorted, "The terrain of Fallen Soul Valley is complex, easy to defend but difficult to attack, and we know nothing about the situation there. A rash attack will only alert the enemy."

Nan Li nodded in agreement. "Commander Xuanfeng, immediately select a team of elite disciples and secretly go to Luohun Valley to investigate the situation. Remember, you must be careful and cautious and don't alert the enemy."

Three days later, Xuanfeng secretly returned to Xingchen Pavilion with several disciples and reported the situation in Luohun Valley to Nanli. It turned out that there was indeed a secret base of mysterious people in Luohun Valley, which was heavily guarded, and they also arrested many innocent people, and it seemed that they were performing some kind of evil ritual.

After learning about this, Nan Li made a prompt decision and decided to take action immediately. She personally led the elite troops of Xingchen Pavilion and rushed to Luohun Valley overnight. After a fierce battle, Xingchen Pavilion successfully broke through the stronghold of the mysterious man, rescued the innocent people who were imprisoned, and seized a lot of important intelligence.

However, when Nan Li flipped through the information, his expression gradually became solemn...

The candlelight flickered, casting flickering shadows on Nan Li's focused profile. The intelligence scroll in her hand seemed to weigh more than a thousand pounds, weighing her down, causing her brows to furrow.

"The Fallen Soul Valley is just a cover, their target... is actually the Nine-Star Spiritual Vein!" Nan Li slammed the scroll shut, with a hint of disbelief in his tone.

The Nine Star Spirit Vein is the source of spiritual power for the entire Nine Star Realm. If it were controlled by evil forces, the consequences would be disastrous.

"It seems that we have underestimated the ambitions of those people." Gao Xingchen, who had been silent all the time, suddenly spoke, with a sharp light flashing in his eyes.

After the battle in the Fallen Soul Valley, although he was seriously injured, he always cared about the safety of the Star Pavilion. Under the careful care of Nanli and everyone else, his injuries were no longer serious, but his spiritual power had not yet fully recovered.

"Brother Xingchen, are you okay?" Zhao Wanwan looked at him worriedly, her eyes full of heartache.

Gao Xingchen gave her a reassuring smile: "I'm fine, don't worry."

He turned to Nan Li and said firmly, "Li Er, can you let me see this information?"

Nan Li nodded slightly and handed the scroll to him. Gao Xingchen took the scroll and read it carefully.

The intelligence recorded in detail the plans and action steps of the mysterious organization, as well as their purpose of controlling the Nine Star Spirit Veins - to open the ancient forbidden land and release the sealed ancient demon!

"What a conspiracy to revive the dead!" Gao Xingchen slammed the table and stood up, his eyes burning with anger.

He knew very well that if these people succeeded, the entire Nine Star Realm would fall into an abyss of no return.

"We can't just sit there and wait for death. We must take the initiative!" Gao Xingchen said firmly, "Li'er, pass the order and gather all the elders and disciples. I have something important to announce!"

Nan Li's heart moved, she understood that Gao Xingchen had made a decision.

Soon, the lights in the meeting hall of the Star Pavilion were brightly lit, and all the elders and disciples gathered there, waiting for the Pavilion Master's orders.

Gao Xingchen stood in the center of the hall, his eyes like torches, scanning everyone, and said in a deep voice: "Everyone, Xingchen Pavilion has encountered an unprecedented crisis, but we must not surrender! The enemy wants to control the Nine Star Spiritual Veins and release the ancient demon gods. We must stop their ambitions!"

His voice echoed in the hall, stirring the passion and fighting spirit in everyone's hearts.

"I have decided to unite all the forces of justice to fight against the conspiracy of the mysterious organization!" Gao Xingchen announced loudly, "We must not only protect the Xingchen Pavilion, but also the safety of the entire Nine Star Realm!"

"Protect the Star Pavilion! Protect the Nine Star Realm!" Everyone shouted in unison, the sound was deafening.

Gao Xingchen looked around at the people who were full of fighting spirit, his heart filled with hope. He knew that this would be a difficult battle, but he believed that as long as they united as one, they would be able to defeat evil and usher in the dawn of light!

However, can Gao Xingchen's joint plan really succeed? Is there a more powerful force hidden behind the mysterious organization? All of this is still unknown.

Under the leadership of Gao Xingchen, Xingchen Pavilion gradually restored its former order, but everyone knew that this was only the calm before the storm...