Grassroots Travel: The Star Lord of Another World

Chapter 273 Big Twist

In the deep and dense forest, Gao Xingchen clenched the sword in his hand and looked around vigilantly. The altar was dancing with a dark green flame, illuminating everything around.

"Who's there?!" Gao Xingchen asked harshly, his voice echoing in the empty valley.

"Haha, the Star Pavilion Master is indeed courageous. He goes there knowing that there is a tiger there." A figure wearing a black cloak and with an unclear face walked out slowly from behind the altar, and his cold voice made people shudder.

"Are you the one who left that note? Who are you? Why did you bring me here?" Gao Xingchen stared at the mysterious man in front of him with a sharp gaze.

"It doesn't matter who I am. What matters is that I can help you get everything you want." The mysterious man said with a hint of temptation, "Power, wealth, or even the entire Nine Star Realm. As long as you want, I can help you achieve it."

Gao Xingchen sneered in his heart. He knew there was no such thing as a free lunch. The man in front of him must have some ulterior motive. "What do you want?"

"It's simple. I want you to submit to me, become a sharp blade in my hand, and clear all obstacles for me." The mysterious man's tone gradually became sharp.

Gao Xingchen flatly refused: "Impossible! I, Gao Xingchen, will never bow to evil forces!"

"If you don't accept my toast, you will be punished!" A fierce look flashed in the mysterious man's eyes, "In that case, don't blame me for being cruel!" As soon as he finished speaking, he waved his hand violently, and the black flags around the altar moved without wind, making a rustling sound.

At the same time, outside the distant valley, shouts of killing were deafening, and countless soldiers in black armor rushed in like a tide, surrounding the Star Pavilion.

"Oh no, we've fallen into a trap!" Gao Xingchen's heart sank, he knew that he had fallen into a trap, and the other party's real target was Xingchen Pavilion!

Without time to think, Gao Xingchen immediately used his skills and turned into a stream of light and rushed towards the direction of Xingchen Pavilion.

When he rushed back to the Xingchen Pavilion, the battle had already entered a white-hot stage. Although the disciples of the Xingchen Pavilion fought hard, they were helpless because the enemy was large in number and well-trained. The defense line of the Xingchen Pavilion was gradually compressed and the situation was precarious.

"Kill!" Gao Xingchen roared and joined the battle. Holding a long sword, he rushed into the enemy camp like a tiger descending from a mountain. Wherever he passed, blood and flesh flew everywhere, and no one could stop him.

Seeing Gao Xingchen appear, the morale of the disciples of Xingchen Pavilion was boosted, and the offensive became more fierce. However, at this moment, an elite force suddenly rushed out of the enemy camp. They were wearing silver armor and holding sharp long swords. Their combat effectiveness was obviously higher. They were the elite troops brought by the mysterious man.

"Master Xingchen, your opponent is me!" A tall general, covered in silver armor, holding a huge axe, rushed towards Gao Xingchen. Gao Xingchen knew that the real decisive battle had begun...

The sky above the Xingchen Pavilion was filled with smoke and the shouts of killing were deafening. Gao Xingchen and the silver-armored general were fighting fiercely, and the two were fighting hard. Gao Xingchen relied on his exquisite swordsmanship and fierce offensive to barely compete with him, but the opponent's strength and speed were far superior to his. After a long battle, Gao Xingchen gradually fell into a disadvantage.

At the same time, in a hidden valley dozens of miles away from the Star Pavilion, Nan Li was leading an elite team from the Star Pavilion, sneaking quietly. Their target was the base camp of the mysterious force.

"Remember, our mission is to destroy their command system. Try not to fight too long." Nan Li whispered, his tone cold and resolute, "Action begins!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Nan Li disappeared into the night like a ghost. Several other Xingchen Pavilion disciples followed closely behind him, moving quickly towards the target location.

However, the mysterious force had been prepared, and as soon as Nanli and others approached, they triggered the warning formation they had set up.

"who?!"

Accompanied by a roar, dozens of warriors in black tights rushed out from the darkness and surrounded Nanli and others.

"kill!"

Nan Li shouted coldly, unsheathed the sword in his hand, and with a flash of cold light, he killed the two warriors who were rushing in front. The other disciples of Xingchen Pavilion also displayed their magical powers and fought fiercely with the enemy.

Although Nan Li and his men were strong, the enemy had a large number of people, and each of them was an elite warrior, so the battle was extremely fierce. Nan Li fought and retreated, trying to find a breakthrough, but the enemy was chasing after him like a maggot on his tarsal bone, not giving them any chance to breathe.

"Damn, how come their reinforcements arrived so quickly?!" a Star Pavilion disciple said anxiously, his face covered in sweat.

Nan Li's face was solemn, and she also realized that the situation was not good. In this operation, they originally hoped to catch the enemy off guard, but they did not expect that the enemy was well prepared. Now they were deeply surrounded, and it might not be so easy to retreat unscathed.

At this moment, a loud noise suddenly came from the distance, and then the whole valley shook violently.

"Oh no, our plan has failed!" Nan Li's face changed, "Retreat quickly!"

However, it was too late.

At the exit of the valley, a huge stone gate had appeared at some point, completely blocking their retreat.

"Hahaha, you want to leave? It's too late!"

A cold voice came from behind the stone door, and then a figure in a black robe and a hideous mask on his face slowly walked out.

"It's you?!" Nan Li recognized the person at a glance. It was the mysterious man who had talked with Gao Xingchen on the altar.

"Yes, it's me." The mysterious man sneered, "Nanli, you should never, ever betray me!"

"I didn't betray you. I have never been loyal to you!" Nan Li said coldly, "You are just a despicable villain. Sooner or later, I will kill you with my own hands!"

"Hahaha, just you?" The mysterious man laughed wildly, "Today, all of you will die here!"

After saying that, he waved his hand violently, and countless soldiers in black armor suddenly emerged from behind the stone gate and surrounded Nanli and others.

At the same time, on the battlefield of Xingchen Pavilion, Li Fushang was leading a team of disciples to desperately resist the enemy's attack. However, he was old and physically exhausted after all, and in a fierce battle, he was unfortunately stabbed in the chest by the enemy's spear, and his clothes were immediately stained red with blood.

"Homeowner!"

Upon seeing this, the surrounding Xingchen Pavilion disciples cried out in surprise and rushed forward to rescue Mr. Li.

"Don't worry about me, just leave!" Li Fushang endured the severe pain and said intermittently, "Xingchen Pavilion...can't do without you..."

After saying this, he fainted.

The serious injury of Li Fushang is undoubtedly a heavy blow to Xingchen Pavilion. Li Fushang is not only the founder of Xingchen Pavilion, but also the largest source of funds for Xingchen Pavilion. His injury means that the capital chain of Xingchen Pavilion will be completely broken and the supply of materials will be in trouble.

Without the support of rich businessman Li, how long can Xingchen Pavilion last?

The answer seemed to be self-evident... Above the Xingchen Pavilion, the bloody setting sun was like fire, reflecting the wounds all over the ground. Gao Xingchen's eyes were bloodshot, and the long sword in his hand was wailing. Every move was soaked with endless anger and grief. Elder Sun, the pillar of Xingchen Pavilion and a respected elder, was lying at his feet at this moment, with a bloody hole in his chest that was shocking, and he had already lost his voice.

"Elder Sun!" Gao Xingchen knelt on the ground, trying to seal Elder Sun's wound with trembling hands, but found in despair that it was too late. Elder Sun had worked hard for Xingchen Pavilion all his life, but now he died tragically under the enemy's butcher knife. How could he accept this?

“Hahaha, Gao Xingchen, did you see that? This is the fate of going against me!” In the distance, the silver-armored general laughed wildly, his eyes full of contempt and ridicule, “Today, I will let the Xingchen Pavilion flow like a river of blood to avenge my son!”

The Xingchen Pavilion disciples around were all filled with righteous indignation, but they could not hide the sadness and fear in their eyes. Elder Sun's sacrifice was undoubtedly a major blow to their morale. Xingchen Pavilion was already at a disadvantage, and now it was even worse.

Gao Xingchen slowly stood up, tightly grasping the long sword in his hand, with rage burning in his eyes. He knew that this was not the time to be sad, he had to cheer up and lead the brothers of Xingchen Pavilion to fight their way out!

"All disciples, listen up! Form a defensive formation to protect the safety of the people in the pavilion!" Gao Xingchen's voice was hoarse but firm, echoing over the entire Xingchen Pavilion. "Today, even if we fight to the last drop of our blood, we must defend Xingchen Pavilion!"

"Defend the Star Pavilion!" The disciples of the Star Pavilion roared in unison, with determination and heroism in their voices.

Gao Xingchen took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down. He knew that he could not defeat the enemy with brute force alone, and he had to find the opponent's weakness to turn the tide of the battle.

At this moment, a disciple ran over in a panic, his face pale and terrified, "Master, it's bad! People outside... people outside are saying..."

"What are you spreading? You're so flustered!" Gao Xingchen shouted.

“It’s being rumored… that the Xingchen Pavilion is colluding with the Demon Cult and harming their fellow practitioners. They’re also saying… they’re also saying that we…” The disciple hesitated, not daring to continue.

"What did you say about us?" Gao Xingchen felt an ominous premonition in his heart.

"They also said that we in Xingchen Pavilion practice forbidden techniques and have evil intentions. Sooner or later, we will become the public enemy of the martial arts world!" The disciple finally mustered up the courage and said it all in one breath.

Gao Xingchen's face turned pale when he heard this. He knew that this was a mysterious force behind the scenes, trying to destroy the reputation of Xingchen Pavilion through public opinion offensive and make them the target of public criticism.

As expected by Gao Xingchen, the rumors spread by the mysterious force soon spread throughout the martial arts world. Xingchen Pavilion became a rat crossing the street that everyone wanted to beat. Its former allies all distanced themselves from it, and there were even many people who took advantage of the situation to rob it.

Xingchen Pavilion has fallen into an unprecedented crisis...

Gao Xingchen clenched his fists, his knuckles turning white. He knew how terrible rumors were. They were like a plague, destroying everything silently. Nanli walked up to him, gently held his hand, and said firmly: "Xingchen, we can't just sit there and wait for death."

"I know, but there are rumors about us flying all over the world now. Where can we get help?" Gao Xingchen felt more powerless than ever before. The allies who once fought side by side with him now avoid him, let alone lend a helping hand.

Nan Li calmly analyzed: "We can't count on those wavering allies, but we can look for those forces that have grudges against the mysterious forces. The enemy of my enemy is my friend."

Gao Xingchen's eyes lit up. Yes, why didn't he think of that? He immediately called together the core members of Xingchen Pavilion to discuss countermeasures. In the end, they decided to split into two groups. Gao Xingchen went to Tianjian Sect in person, hoping to persuade the elders of Jian Sect who had a blood feud with the mysterious force to help. Nanli went to Tianji Pavilion to try to find out the truth behind the mysterious force and find their flaws.

However, things were much more difficult than they imagined. After Gao Xingchen arrived at the Tianjian Sect, he was not even able to enter the sect gate. He was told that the elders of the Sword Sect were in seclusion and would not see guests. Disappointed, Gao Xingchen had no choice but to leave. On the other hand, although Nanli successfully sneaked into the Tianji Pavilion, he found that the information about the mysterious force was encrypted layer by layer, and he had no way to start.

As time went by, the situation of Xingchen Pavilion became increasingly difficult. The mysterious forces kept sending people to harass them, and the disciples of Xingchen Pavilion were exhausted and suffered heavy casualties. What was worse was that due to the influence of rumors, the business of Xingchen Pavilion plummeted, the capital chain was broken, and even daily expenses became a problem. Li Fushang anxiously found Gao Xingchen and said in a heavy tone: "Master, we have reached the end of our rope. If we don't find a solution, Xingchen Pavilion will really..."

Mr. Li didn't say anything more, but Gao Xingchen understood what he meant. Was Xingchen Pavilion really going to be destroyed in his hands? No, he was unwilling to accept that! Gao Xingchen raised his head suddenly, with a determined light in his eyes.

At this moment, a disciple hurried in with a hint of joy on his face: "Master, there is a man outside who calls himself 'Xiaoyao Sanren' and wants to see you by name."

"Xiaoyao Sanren?" Gao Xingchen and Nan Li looked at each other and saw a hint of doubt in each other's eyes. They had never heard of such a person in the world.

"Let him in." Gao Xingchen felt vaguely that the arrival of this uninvited guest might be the key to turning the tide of the battle.