Grassroots Travel: The Star Lord of Another World

Chapter 350: Small Waves in the Wind

The night is deep, a crescent moon hangs high in the sky, and stars dot the dark blue curtain, adding a touch of mystery to the quiet night.

"This jade pendant..." Nan Li stroked the jade pendant in his hand, his fingertips gently running across the delicate star map, "The heart of the stars, the key to destiny... Stars, is this really the guidance of destiny?"

"I believe that our meeting is destiny." Gao Xingchen looked at Nan Li, with starlight reflected in his deep eyes, "and the Heart of the Stars will be our common destiny."

Nan Li looked up and met Gao Xingchen's eyes. The determination and trust in each other's eyes dispelled all the confusion on the road ahead. They followed the guidance of the star map, passed through the dense forest, and finally arrived at an ancient town when the first ray of sunlight fell on the earth at dawn.

This town seems to have been forgotten by time. The mottled city walls tell of the vicissitudes of time. There are few pedestrians on the bluestone-paved streets, and the air is filled with an ancient and mysterious atmosphere.

"Is this the place indicated by the star map?" Nan Li looked around and frowned slightly, "But, it seems that there is nothing special here."

"Perhaps, we need to find that secret." Gao Xingchen pointed to a towering building in the center of the town. "That may be the key to solving the mystery."

They walked towards the tower, and all they saw along the way were ruins. The people were pale and thin, and their eyes were filled with numbness and despair. Occasionally, there were a few children running and playing in the streets, but it could not hide the decadence of the town.

"Big brother, may I ask..." Gao Xingchen stopped an old man passing by and wanted to ask for information about the tower, but the old man seemed to be frightened and left in a hurry.

"Strange, why do I feel like everyone here is afraid of something?" Nan Li keenly noticed something unusual.

"Perhaps something happened here." Gao Xingchen pondered for a moment, "Let's go to the tower first."

They continued walking, and just then, a loud noise came from the corner of the street, attracting their attention.

"You little bastard, how dare you steal my things!" A burly man with a face full of flesh was grabbing the collar of a thin boy and roaring viciously.

The boy was in rags, his face was covered with bruises, but he stared at the burly man stubbornly: "I didn't steal anything! I found this!"

"Picking it up? Humph, I think you just want to keep it for yourself!" said the sturdy man, raising his hand to hit him.

"Stop!" Seeing this, Gao Xingchen immediately stepped forward and stood in front of the young man.

The sturdy man was stunned for a moment, then he became furious: "Boy, who are you? How dare you meddle in my business!"

Gao Xingchen ignored the sturdy man's threat and turned to look at the boy: "Are you okay?"

The boy looked at the stranger who suddenly appeared in front of him and rescued him, with a trace of gratitude in his eyes: "I'm fine, thank you."

"What happened?" Nan Li also walked over and looked at the strong man coldly.

"Hmph, these two outsiders are meddling in other people's business. Just wait for me!" The sturdy man looked at Gao Xingchen and Nan Li with fear, threw down a harsh word, and turned away.

"What's your name?" Gao Xingchen looked at the boy and asked.

"My name is Axing." The boy said in a low voice.

"Axing, why did you steal his things?" Nanli asked with a hint of doubt in her tone.

"I didn't steal it!" Ah Xing said excitedly, "I am the descendant of the guardian of the Heart of Stars. This thing I picked up belongs to the Heart of Stars!"

Gao Xingchen and Nan Li looked at each other, and both saw a hint of shock in each other's eyes. Descendants of the Star Heart Guardian? Is there any connection between them?

"Axing, please tell me slowly what happened?" Gao Xingchen asked softly, signaling Axing not to be anxious.

Ah Xing took a deep breath, calmed down his excitement, and slowly said, "I have heard from my grandfather since I was a child that our family has guarded the Heart of the Stars for generations. Until a hundred years ago, a catastrophe struck and the family was wiped out. Only my grandfather and I escaped. Before he died, my grandfather gave me a jade pendant and said that it was the key to unlocking the secret of the Heart of the Stars. He told me that I must find the Heart of the Stars and restore the glory of the family."

As he spoke, Ah Xing took out an ancient jade pendant from his arms. This jade pendant was somewhat similar to the one in Nanli's hand, but it was more ancient and the star map carved on it was more complicated.

"This jade pendant..." Nanli looked at the jade pendant in Ah Xing's hand in surprise, "It seems to be from the same source as the one in your hand."

Gao Xingchen took the jade pendant and observed it carefully, and found that the materials and patterns of the two jade pendants were exactly the same, but due to their age, the jade pendant in Ah Xing's hand had lost its luster.

"It seems that there is something fishy going on here." Gao Xingchen pondered for a moment, "Axing, don't worry, we will help you."

"Thank you!" Ah Xing looked at Gao Xingchen and Nan Li with gratitude, with a spark of hope burning in his eyes.

"Boy, how dare you lie!" Suddenly, the sturdy man came back, followed by a dozen ferocious thugs, and walked towards them aggressively.

"It seems that this matter is not simple." Nan Li looked coldly at the burly man who was coming aggressively and said in a low voice.

"A man of integrity has nothing to fear. We have done nothing wrong, so what do we have to fear?" Gao Xingchen protected Ah Xing behind him and looked at the sturdy man with a firm gaze.

"Go! Teach them a lesson!" The sturdy man gave an order, and more than a dozen thugs rushed forward and surrounded Gao Xingchen and Nan Li.

A melee was about to break out. Gao Xingchen and Nan Li were very skilled and their moves were fierce. Those thugs were no match for them at all. They were knocked to the ground in no time, wailing non-stop.

"Boy, who are you?" The sturdy man asked in a timid tone when he saw that the situation was not good.

"You are not qualified to know." Gao Xingchen looked at the strong man coldly, "Tell me, who sent you here?"

"Hmph, you want to know? Maybe in the next life!" The sturdy man knew he was no match for his opponent, so he turned around and tried to escape.

"Want to leave? Not that easy!" Nan Li flashed and instantly appeared in front of the burly man. He hit him on the back with a palm. The burly man screamed and fell to the ground.

At this moment, Xiaobai suddenly jumped off Nanli's shoulder and ran towards a pile of debris in the corner, scratching and scratching there, as if he had discovered something.

"Xiaobai, what's wrong?" Nanli walked over and asked puzzledly.

Xiaobai squeaked a few times at Nanli, as if signaling Nanli to move the debris away.

Nanli and Gao Xingchen worked together to move the debris away, revealing a dark hole. A cold and damp breath rushed towards them.

"There is a basement here!" Gao Xingchen said in surprise.

"Let's go down and take a look." Nanli said, and jumped down first. Gao Xingchen followed closely behind, and Xiaobai also jumped down and disappeared into the darkness.

The basement was dimly lit, the air was filled with a smell of decay, and the walls were covered with moss, making it look eerie and scary.

"This... seems to be a study room." With the dim light, Nanli discovered that there were several desks and bookshelves in the basement, which were piled with books and scrolls.

Gao Xingchen picked up a scroll, opened it, and found that what was recorded on it was actually the legend of the Heart of Stars!

"It seems that we have found the right place." Gao Xingchen's eyes flashed with a gleam of light, and he continued to flip through the scroll.

Nanli was also carefully looking at the books on the bookshelf. Suddenly, her eyes focused and she pulled out an old book from the bookshelf.

"The heart of the stars, the key to destiny, when it is opened, the catastrophe will come..." Nan Li whispered the words in the book, his face became solemn.

"What's wrong?" Gao Xingchen asked.

"I seem to have discovered an incredible secret." Nan Li took a deep breath and said slowly, "But to get the answer to this secret, we need to go to an extremely dangerous place..."

The dim basement was filled with the smell of ancient books and damp soil. Gao Xingchen frowned as he carefully read the records about the Heart of the Stars on the scroll in his hand. These words were obscure and difficult to understand, as if they had spanned the long river of time and contained endless secrets. Nan Li was flipping through ancient books, trying to find any clues about the Heart of the Stars from the vast ocean of words.

Suddenly, Nan Li paused, her eyes fixed on a passage in the ancient book, her face becoming more solemn. This passage recorded an ancient legend: The Heart of Stars does not exist alone, it has corresponding "Star Fragments", and only by gathering all the fragments can the full power of the Heart of Stars be truly unlocked.

"Xingchen, look at this." Nan Li pointed at the words on the ancient book, with a hint of excitement in his tone that was difficult to conceal, "Perhaps, we can find a breakthrough from here."

Gao Xingchen came forward and carefully read the words that Nan Li pointed out, his eyes gradually brightened. "Star fragments..." he murmured to himself, with hope and excitement in his heart, "If we can find these fragments, maybe we can completely solve the secret of the heart of the star!"

However, despite her excitement, Nan Li's brows were still furrowed. She pointed to another line of small characters in the ancient book and said in a heavy tone, "Look, it says here that star fragments are scattered in every corner of the Nine Star Realm, and one of them is hidden in a place called 'Land of Annihilation'."

"The Land of Nirvana?" Gao Xingchen's heart sank. He had heard rumors about this place. It was one of the most dangerous places in the Nine Star Realm, full of unknown dangers and terrifying creatures. Even the strongest practitioners would hesitate to go there.

Just as the two were about to discuss in detail how to go to the "Land of Silence", a message bird suddenly flew into the basement and circled around them anxiously. Gao Xingchen reached out to take the letter brought by the bird, unfolded it, and his face suddenly became solemn.

"What's wrong?" Nan Li noticed Gao Xingchen's expression change and asked with concern.

"Something happened in Xingchen Pavilion." Gao Xingchen said in a heavy tone, "The letter said that there were some problems in Xingchen Pavilion recently and I need to go back to deal with them."

Nan Li pondered for a moment and suggested, "Since Xingchen Pavilion has urgent matters, you should go back and deal with them first. We can discuss the matter of Silent Land later."

Gao Xingchen nodded. He knew that Nan Li was right. Xingchen Pavilion was a force that he had built up with his own hands, and he could not just sit back and watch. Moreover, the Land of Annihilation was too dangerous, and it was too risky to go there alone. He had to plan carefully and make full preparations.

"Okay, then I'll go back to Xingchen Pavilion first. You stay here and continue to study the clues. We'll keep in touch." Gao Xingchen said as he handed a communication jade slip to Nan Li.

Nanli took the jade slip, nodded slightly, and watched Gao Xingchen leave the basement. After Gao Xingchen disappeared from sight, Nanli turned his gaze back to the ancient book in his hand, with a determined light in his eyes.

The Land of Nirvana... No matter how dangerous it is, she must go there for the sake of the Heart of the Stars and their future!

Just as Gao Xingchen was about to leave and return to Xingchen Pavilion, a mysterious figure in a black cloak appeared silently at the edge of the town. He looked in the direction Gao Xingchen left, with a meaningful sneer on his face.

"The real danger has just begun..."

The voice was low and hoarse, as if it came from the Netherworld, and it sounded particularly eerie and terrifying in the silent night sky.

Who is this mysterious figure? What is his purpose? What kind of crisis will his appearance bring to Gao Xingchen and Nanli? Gao Xingchen sent Nanli back to the inn and told her to be careful and take good care of herself and Xiaobai. Nanli nodded, and her slender fingers gently stroked Xiaobai's soft fur. Xiaobai squinted his eyes comfortably and made a snoring sound. After watching Gao Xingchen leave, Nanli closed the door, and the room suddenly became quiet, leaving only the rustling sound of turning pages.

After Gao Xingchen left the town, the cold words kept echoing in his ears. Who is it? Who is spying in secret? Is it coming for the Heart of the Star? He felt uneasy and his pace quickened. The Heart of the Star is of great importance and must not fall into the hands of those with ill intentions.

"drive!"

Gao Xingchen jumped on his horse, whipped the horse, and galloped away towards the direction of Xingchen Pavilion.

At the same time, from the depths of the dense forest on the edge of the town, a black figure slowly walked out. The moonlight shone on his body, but it seemed to be swallowed up and did not reflect any light.

“Humph, the Heart of the Star… is not so easy to obtain.” The man in black sneered, his voice hoarse and unpleasant, as if it came from the depths of hell. “I will let you be proud for a few days. When the time is right, I will personally take away everything from you!”

After saying this, he disappeared into the dense forest in a flash, as if he had never appeared.

After Gao Xingchen returned to Xingchen Pavilion, he immediately called the elders of the pavilion to discuss matters. In the meeting room, the atmosphere was solemn, and the elders all looked serious and frowned.

"Master, some strange things have indeed happened in the pavilion recently."

The great elder, Elder Li, spoke first, with a hint of uneasiness in his tone, "Some disciples disappeared for no reason, and some disciples became possessed during their training. This is very unusual."

"Possessed?" Gao Xingchen was shocked. He was the one who taught the Xingchen Pavilion's skills himself. Logically, this kind of thing shouldn't happen. "Who are these disciples who are possessed?"

"Reporting to Pavilion Master, the disciples who have gone astray are all young people with good talents, and..." Elder Li paused, as if hesitant, "They all joined the Xingchen Pavilion recently."

"I just joined the Xingchen Pavilion recently..." Gao Xingchen muttered to himself, and suddenly a flash of inspiration came to his mind, "Could it be that someone deliberately arranged this to disrupt the Xingchen Pavilion?"

"Pavilion Master is wise!" Elder Li exclaimed, "I also guessed the same, but I have no evidence."

"It seems that this matter is not simple." A cold light flashed in Gao Xingchen's eyes, "I want to see who is behind this!"