Grassroots Travel: The Star Lord of Another World

Chapter 197 Missed Opportunity

Gao Xingchen's heart was shocked. Wang Lie's words were like a flash of lightning, illuminating the doubts that had been ignored before. The timing of Wang Lie's appearance was too coincidental, as if everything was within his expectations. Could it be that Wang Lie had been observing them secretly and even knew their actions well?

This thought made Gao Xingchen shudder, a chill running from the soles of his feet straight into his heart. He stared at Wang Lie warily, trying to find the answer from his gloomy face.

"What exactly do you want to do?" Gao Xingchen suppressed the uneasiness in his heart and asked in a cold voice.

Wang Lie raised a scornful arc at the corner of his mouth and said slowly: "What do I want to do? Isn't it obvious? I have never failed to get what I want, including this spirit crystal, and..."

His eyes fell on Nan Li, with a hint of greed and possessiveness in his eyes, "And you."

Nan Li frowned slightly, and her cold gaze shot towards Wang Lie like a sharp blade. Her powerful aura seemed to freeze the air around them.

"Just you?" Nan Li snorted coldly, his tone full of disdain.

"Hahaha, with me?" Wang Lie laughed as if he had heard some big joke. "With just the two of you, are you worthy enough to be my opponent?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Wang Lie flashed and turned into a shadow, instantly appearing in front of Gao Xingchen. He formed claws with his five fingers, and with a sharp gust of wind, he went straight for Gao Xingchen's heart.

Gao Xingchen was prepared and quickly retreated, while summoning his pet Xiao Hei.

"Roar!"

Xiao Hei let out a deafening roar, and blocked Gao Xingchen with his huge body, using his sharp claws to meet Wang Lie's attack.

"boom!"

With a loud bang, Xiao Hei was knocked back by Wang Lie's palm, and his huge body rolled on the ground several times before stopping.

"Xiao Hei!" Gao Xingchen was shocked when he saw this and hurried forward to check Xiao Hei's injuries.

"You don't know your own limitations." Wang Lie sneered and attacked Gao Xingchen again.

"Your opponent is me." Nan Li flashed and stood in front of Gao Xingchen. The sword in his hand turned into a silver light and met Wang Lie's attack.

"clang!"

The sound of metal clashing rang out, sparks flew everywhere. Nan Li and Wang Lie fought together, and the two figures crossed in the air like ghosts, so fast that it was difficult to distinguish with the naked eye.

Gao Xingchen knew that with his current strength, he could not intervene in this battle at all. He watched the battle anxiously, his heart full of worry.

He knew that they had to get out as soon as possible, otherwise they would be in dire straits once Wang Lie was free.

"Nanli, let's go!" Gao Xingchen made a quick decision, took Nanli's hand, turned around and ran away.

"Want to leave? Not that easy!" Wang Lie roared upon seeing this, and a powerful spiritual power wave burst out from him, turning into an invisible barrier that covered the entire altar.

Gao Xingchen and Nan Li only felt a flash before their eyes, and when they appeared again, they were already back outside the altar.

"Damn it!" Gao Xingchen looked at the altar that was once again controlled by Wang Lie, his eyes filled with resentment and anger.

They missed the best opportunity. Now Wang Lie has completely controlled the situation. It will be extremely difficult for them to seize the spirit crystal.

"What should we do now?" Nan Li looked at Gao Xingchen and asked in a deep voice.

Gao Xingchen was silent for a moment. He knew that now was not the time to act on impulse. They had to calm down and think long-term.

"Let's leave here first and then think of a solution." Gao Xingchen took a deep breath and said in a deep voice.

Nanli nodded and didn't say much.

They all knew that the battle was not over yet, and the feud between them and Wang Lie was far from over.

They will come back, and one day, they will take back everything that belongs to them.

Gao Xingchen clenched his fists tightly, his knuckles turning white from the force. Looking at Wang Lie's smug back, he wanted to rush up and fight him to the death. But reason told him that it was not the right time yet. The gap in strength between them was too great, and impulsiveness would only lead to death.

"Let's go." Gao Xingchen took a deep breath, suppressing the anger in his heart, and a hint of helplessness appeared in his low voice.

Nan Li looked at him deeply, without saying anything, but nodded gently. She understood Gao Xingchen's resentment and anger, and so did she. However, they had to face reality. As long as the green mountains remain, there is no need to worry about running out of firewood.

The two men turned around and disappeared into the dense jungle, and their figures soon disappeared.

Returning to their temporary resting place, Gao Xingchen punched the tree trunk next to him. The thick trunk shook violently and a few dead leaves fell off.

"Damn it! It was so close!" Gao Xingchen said gritting his teeth, his tone full of unwillingness and self-blame.

Nan Li stood quietly by the side, watching Gao Xingchen's lost look, with mixed feelings in her heart. She knew that this failure was a big blow to Gao Xingchen.

"This is not your fault." Nan Li walked to Gao Xingchen and said softly, "We underestimated Wang Lie's strength and misjudged the situation."

Gao Xingchen raised his head and looked into Nanli's clear eyes. The restlessness in his heart gradually subsided. Nanli was right. This was not anyone's fault. It was because they were not prepared enough.

"But, Xiao Hei..." Gao Xingchen felt guilty when he remembered that Xiao Hei was injured while protecting him. Xiao Hei needed spirit crystals to improve his strength, but now they have missed the best opportunity.

Nan Li naturally understood Gao Xingchen's concerns. She walked to the table, poured a glass of water and handed it to Gao Xingchen, "We will find other ways."

Gao Xingchen took the cup of water but didn't drink it. He just held it tightly in his hand, as if he wanted to crush it. He knew Nan Li was comforting him, but, apart from the spirit crystal, what else could help Xiao Hei improve his strength quickly?

"I have an idea..." Nanli suddenly spoke, with a hint of determination in his tone.

"What idea?" Gao Xingchen suddenly looked up and looked at Nan Li.

"We can..." Nan Li leaned close to Gao Xingchen's ear and whispered her plan.

After Gao Xingchen heard this, his expression suddenly turned very ugly, "No! This is too dangerous!"

Nanli's plan was undoubtedly bold and risky, and if he was not careful, he would be doomed. He couldn't just watch Nanli take the risk.

"But..." Nan Li wanted to say something else, but was interrupted by Gao Xingchen.

"No buts! I won't let you take any risks!" Gao Xingchen said in a firm tone, leaving no room for negotiation.

Nan Li looked at Gao Xingchen and fell silent. She knew that Gao Xingchen was worried about her safety, but didn't he ever think about whether she was willing to let him face danger alone?

The atmosphere suddenly became a little solemn. The two of them stopped talking and remained silent, but there were turbulent waves in their hearts...

On a quiet night, deep in the jungle, Gao Xingchen and Nan Li sat opposite each other. The bonfire burning between them crackled, but it could not dispel the heavy atmosphere that filled the air.

Gao Xingchen tightly grasped the water cup in his hand, but his eyes were unfocused, and his thoughts seemed to have returned to the moment when he fought with Wang Lie. At that time, he only felt a strong spiritual power wave coming, and his eyes went dark. When he reacted, Wang Lie had already left with the spiritual crystal.

"Xingchen, are you listening to me?" Nanli's cold voice pulled Gao Xingchen back from his memories.

"Sorry, I was distracted." Gao Xingchen forced a bitter smile and put down the cup in his hand. "You are right. We can't just sit there and wait for death. We must take back the spirit crystal as soon as possible."

Nan Li frowned slightly, "Although my plan is risky, it is not impossible to succeed. As long as we..."

"No, I will never allow you to take risks!" Gao Xingchen stood up suddenly and interrupted Nan Li. He couldn't imagine how much self-blame and pain he would feel if Nan Li met with an accident because of him.

"But..." Nan Li wanted to persuade her again, but was decisively rejected by Gao Xingchen.

"No buts! I will definitely find another way." Gao Xingchen's tone was firm and unquestionable. He cast his eyes on Xiao Hei, who was curled up beside him, and a feeling of powerlessness surged in his heart.

Since Xiao Hei was injured, he has been silent. He is usually lively and active, but now he is lying on the ground listlessly like an eggplant hit by frost. Although his injuries have stabilized under Nan Li's treatment, his mental state is very bad, which is undoubtedly related to the loss of the spirit crystal.

"Xiao Hei, I'm sorry, it's all my fault. I failed to protect you..." Gao Xingchen squatted down and gently stroked Xiao Hei's soft fur, his tone full of guilt and self-blame.

Xiao Hei seemed to feel Gao Xingchen's emotions. It raised its head with an effort, rubbed Gao Xingchen's palm with its wet nose, and let out a low whimper.

Seeing Xiao Hei like this, Gao Xingchen felt even more upset. He knew that Xiao Hei was blaming him for not protecting it well, and even more so, blaming himself for not being strong enough to help it improve its strength.

At this moment, a burst of hurried footsteps came, breaking the tranquility of the forest. A figure came running from a distance, and before Gao Xingchen and Nan Li could react, the figure had already arrived in front of them.

"Xingchen, Nanli, something terrible has happened!" The person who came was Gao Xingchen's good friend, Zhang Yuan. He was sweating profusely and looked panicked, obviously he had encountered some emergency.

"What's wrong? What happened?" Gao Xingchen asked hurriedly.

"Wang Lie...Wang Lie he..." Zhang Yuan was out of breath and couldn't utter a complete sentence for a long time.

"What's wrong with Wang Lie? Tell me quickly!" Gao Xingchen had a bad feeling in his heart.

"Wang Lie...he publicly announced that he will hold a spirit pet showdown in a week and invites you and Xiao Hei to participate!" Zhang Yuan finally finished his words.

"What?!" Gao Xingchen and Nan Li's faces changed drastically when they heard this.

Wang Lie's move was undoubtedly a blatant provocation to them!

The news Zhang Yuan brought was like thunder, echoing in Gao Xingchen and Nan Li's ears. Wang Lie dared to provoke so blatantly, obviously he was fearless.

"What does he want to do?" Gao Xingchen gnashed his teeth, the fire of anger burning in his chest, "Xiao Hei is not in good condition now, he wants to take advantage of the situation!"

Nan Li calmly analyzed: "On the one hand, Wang Lie's move was to avenge you for making him lose face before. On the other hand, he probably wanted to take this opportunity to completely defeat you and make you unable to hold your head up in front of everyone."

"He's dreaming!" Gao Xingchen punched the tree trunk next to him. The thick trunk shook violently and leaves fell.

"Xingchen, calm down." Nan Li held Gao Xingchen's shoulder and said in a deep voice, "Since Wang Lie dared to do this, he must have been prepared. We can't act impulsively."

Gao Xingchen took a deep breath and tried to calm his surging emotions. He knew Nan Li was right, now was not the time to act on impulse, he had to think calmly about countermeasures.

"A week is too short..." Gao Xingchen muttered to himself, frowning. If Xiao Hei wants to recover his strength, he must rely on the power of the spirit crystal, but now the spirit crystal has been taken away by Wang Lie. It is impossible to find a new spirit crystal within a week.

"Do I really have to watch Xiao Hei being humiliated by Wang Lie?" Gao Xingchen felt unwilling, and he would never allow such a thing to happen.

"There must be other ways..." Gao Xingchen thought hard, but still couldn't find the key to solving the problem.

Nan Li looked at Gao Xingchen's anxious look and was also very worried. She knew that Gao Xingchen and Xiao Hei had a deep relationship and would never watch Xiao Hei being humiliated.

"Xingchen, let's not panic for now. There may be a chance of success." Nan Li comforted Gao Xingchen softly, trying to calm him down. "Have you forgotten our previous plan? Although we lost the spirit crystal, the plan may still succeed."

Gao Xingchen heard this, and a glimmer of hope flashed in his eyes. Although Nanli's plan was risky, it was not completely impossible to succeed.

"But, this way, you will have to take a greater risk..." Gao Xingchen looked at Nan Li, his eyes full of worry. He couldn't let Nan Li take the risk just for Xiao Hei.

"I have made up my mind. No need to persuade me anymore." Nan Li said firmly, leaving no room for doubt. "Besides, we have no way out now, right?"

Gao Xingchen was silent. He knew Nan Li was right. Facing Wang Lie's relentless pressure, they had no way to retreat and could only fight to the death.

"Okay, let's face it together!" Gao Xingchen's eyes were firm and he held Nan Li's hand tightly, as if drawing strength from it.

As the night deepened, the jungle returned to its tranquility, but a raging fire was burning in Gao Xingchen and Nan Li's hearts. They would rise up in the face of adversity and never bow to fate!