Grassroots Travel: The Star Lord of Another World

Chapter 86 Mo Xianren

"A bigger test?" Gao Xingchen was shocked. His master had always been calm and steady. What on earth made him so fearful? Nanli and Ling'er also looked puzzled, waiting for Immortal Mo's explanation.

Immortal Mo did not continue to explain, but took out an ancient jade pendant from his bosom and handed it to Gao Xingchen: "This journey is dangerous, be careful. If you encounter a dilemma that you cannot solve, crush this jade pendant."

Gao Xingchen took the jade pendant solemnly. He knew that his master would not worry for no reason, so he became more alert. The three of them said goodbye to Immortal Mo and set off on their journey home with heavy hearts.

However, when they returned to the city they had been away from for a long time, they were shocked by the scene before them. The once prosperous streets were now deserted and the air was filled with a sense of oppression. The doors of the shops were closed, there were few pedestrians, and everyone's face was filled with fear and anxiety.

"How could this happen?" Ling'er exclaimed. She couldn't believe that in just three months, the city had become like this. Gao Xingchen frowned. He noticed that the soldiers patrolling the streets were all wearing uniform black armor, exuding a cold murderous aura. These soldiers were obviously not the city defense forces, but members of the "Dark Alliance"!

"It seems we are back too late," Nan Li said coldly, "The 'Dark Alliance' has taken control of the city."

In order to get information, Gao Xingchen and others disguised themselves and blended into the crowd. They learned from the people that the "Dark Alliance" suddenly invaded a month ago, and the city defense army resisted tenaciously, but was outnumbered and eventually captured after the city was broken.

"Where is Elder Zhang?" Gao Xingchen's heart sank. Elder Zhang was the commander of the city defense army and also his mentor.

"Alas, Elder Zhang was alone to cover our retreat, but was eventually captured by the Dark Alliance..." an old man said sadly, "I heard that the leader of the Dark Alliance wanted to force Elder Zhang to surrender, but Elder Zhang would rather die than surrender, and is now imprisoned in the dungeon of the City Lord's Mansion..."

Hearing this news, Gao Xingchen suddenly felt a surge of anger in his heart. He clenched his fists and secretly vowed in his heart that he must rescue Elder Zhang and drive the "Dark Alliance" out of the city! However, he also understood that now was not the time to act impulsively. He needed to figure out the truth about the "Dark Alliance" before he could formulate a thorough plan.

As night fell, Gao Xingchen and his companions hid near the City Lord's Mansion, observing the enemy's movements. Suddenly, Gao Xingchen noticed that the City Lord's Mansion was brightly lit and full of people, as if a banquet was being held.

"It seems that the people of the Dark Alliance are celebrating their victory," Nan Li whispered, "This is a good opportunity to get some information."

Gao Xingchen nodded in agreement. He decided to sneak into the City Lord's Mansion to investigate the situation, while Nanli and Ling'er were responsible for meeting him outside. With his superb light skills, Gao Xingchen quietly sneaked into the City Lord's Mansion and avoided the sight of the patrolling soldiers. He came to the window of the banquet hall. Through the gap in the window, he saw a shocking scene... Through the gap in the window, Gao Xingchen saw the leader of the "Dark Alliance" sitting in the center of the hall. This man was burly, wearing black armor, and wearing a hideous ghost mask on his face, which was chilling. Around him, a group of high-level members of the "Dark Alliance" were toasting and celebrating their victory. Gao Xingchen noticed that Elder Zhang was tied to a pillar with five flowers tied up. His originally tough face was full of scars, but he still held his head high, his eyes were bright, and he was not afraid.

"This old guy is really stubborn!" The leader of the "Dark Alliance" sneered, "I have already given him a chance. As long as he is willing to submit to me, I can spare his life and let him continue to be the commander of the city defense army. But he refused to accept my offer!"

"The leader is wise. This stubborn old fellow should be taught a lesson!" said a man next to him flatteringly.

"Hmph, give him three more days to think about it. If he still refuses to agree, don't blame me for being rude!" said the leader of the "Dark Alliance" viciously.

Gao Xingchen's heart sank. He knew that the people of the "Dark Alliance" were a group of ruthless people and would never let Elder Zhang go easily. He had to find a way to rescue Elder Zhang as soon as possible, otherwise the consequences would be disastrous.

Gao Xingchen decided to tell Nanli and Ling'er about the situation first, and then make plans. He carefully returned along the same route, and after meeting up with Nanli and Ling'er, he told them in detail what he had seen.

"It seems that the people of the Dark Alliance are not as simple as they seem," Nan Li frowned after listening to Gao Xingchen's description, "I'm afraid their purpose of occupying this city is not just to plunder resources."

"So what should we do now?" Ling'er asked, "Rush in and save them?"

"No, this is too risky," Gao Xingchen shook his head. "The Dark Alliance is very powerful and numerous. If we fight them head-on, our chances of winning are slim."

"Then we can't just sit there and wait for death!" Ling'er said anxiously.

"First, find a way to negotiate with the people from the Dark Alliance and see if we can resolve the issue peacefully," Nan Li suggested. "If we can delay time, we will have a chance to rescue Elder Zhang and find out the true purpose of the Dark Alliance."

Gao Xingchen and Ling'er both thought Nanli's proposal was feasible, so they decided to try to negotiate with the "Dark Alliance" first. They found a guard of the "Dark Alliance" and expressed their desire to negotiate with their leader. The guard reported the matter to the leader, and unexpectedly, the leader of the "Dark Alliance" agreed to their request.

The next day, Gao Xingchen, Nanli and Ling'er, led by the guards, came to the City Lord's Mansion again. This time, they were taken to the study of the leader of the "Dark Alliance".

"What do you want to talk to me about?" the leader of the "Dark Alliance" asked straight to the point.

"We hope you can release Elder Zhang and withdraw your troops from this city," Gao Xingchen said bluntly. "We can guarantee that as long as you agree to our conditions, we will never embarrass you, nor will we disclose what happened today."

"Humph, who do you think you are? Are you worthy enough to negotiate with me?" The leader of the "Dark Alliance" sneered, "I tell you, this city has been occupied by me, and Elder Zhang is my prisoner. I can kill him or release him as I please. It is not your turn to make decisions!"

"You..." Gao Xingchen was immediately enraged by the arrogance of the leader of the "Dark Alliance". Just as he was about to explode, he was stopped by Nan Li.

"In that case, we have nothing more to say," Nan Li said coldly, "Goodbye!"

After saying that, Nan Li took Gao Xingchen and Ling'er and turned away.

"Wait!" The leader of the Dark Alliance suddenly stopped them, "I changed my mind. I can agree to your conditions, but I have a request."

Gao Xingchen and the others were delighted, thinking that the leader of the "Dark Alliance" had finally figured it out, so they asked, "What is the request?"

"I want you to help me find something," the leader of the "Dark Alliance" said, "As long as you can help me find this thing, I promise to release Elder Zhang and withdraw our troops from this city."

Gao Xingchen and others looked at each other, feeling confused, wondering what the leader of the "Dark Alliance" was up to.

"What is it?" Gao Xingchen asked.

"The Key to Darkness." The leader of the "Dark Alliance" said word by word.

Gao Xingchen and others were shocked. They had never heard of what the "Key of Darkness" was.

"What is the 'Key to Darkness'?" Gao Xingchen asked.

"You don't have to worry about this issue," said the leader of the "Dark Alliance." "You only need to know that if you can help me find the 'Key of Darkness', I will agree to your terms. If you can't find it, or if you dare to play any tricks, don't blame me for turning my back on you!"

Gao Xingchen and others knew that the leader of the "Dark Alliance" was delaying time, and they had to come up with a countermeasure as soon as possible.

Nan Li decided to take the risk and sneak into the base of the "Dark Alliance" to find clues about the "Key of Darkness". With superb stealth skills, Nan Li successfully sneaked into the base of the "Dark Alliance" and found a secret laboratory deep in the base.

In the laboratory, Nanli saw that the scientists of the "Dark Alliance" were conducting a terrible experiment. They used the resources plundered from the city to create a weapon that could destroy the entire world!

Nan Li was shocked. She finally understood the real purpose of the "Dark Alliance". She must tell Gao Xingchen and Ling'er the news as soon as possible to stop the conspiracy of the "Dark Alliance"!

Nan Li tried her best to escape from the heavily guarded laboratory. She knew she had to tell Gao Xingchen and Ling'er the terrible news as soon as possible. Returning to the previous contact point, Nan Li revealed the conspiracy of the "Dark Alliance". Gao Xingchen and Ling'er were shocked and angry after hearing it.

"How dare they do this!" Ling'er clenched her fists angrily, "We must stop them!"

"But, what should we do?" Gao Xingchen frowned. He knew that the three of them alone could not fight against the entire "Dark Alliance".

"The technological level of the Dark Alliance is far beyond our imagination," Nan Li analyzed calmly, "We have no chance of winning in a head-on confrontation. We must find their weaknesses in order to defeat them."

Ling'er is indeed a technical genius. She quickly came up with an idea. "When I was researching the weapons of the Dark Alliance, I discovered a special kind of energy fluctuation. If we can find the source of this fluctuation, we may be able to find a way to weaken the power of the weapon."

Gao Xingchen's eyes lit up, "Okay! Ling'er, you study it as soon as possible, Nanli and I will find a way to delay time."

However, time waits for no one. The reinforcements of the "Dark Alliance" have arrived and surrounded the entire city. After Gao Xingchen learned the news, he knew that he could not wait any longer. He immediately decided to lead the team to launch a surprise attack. Even if he could not completely stop the plan of the "Dark Alliance", he would try to delay time as much as possible to buy more time for Ling'er.

"We only have this one chance," Gao Xingchen said to everyone with a serious expression, "We must do our best to stop the Dark Alliance's conspiracy!"

Gao Xingchen led the group and used his familiarity with the city's terrain to engage in a fierce street fight with the Dark Alliance's army. They fought bravely and fought hard, but the Dark Alliance's soldiers were numerous and well-trained, and Gao Xingchen and his group gradually fell behind.

Just then, Ling'er brought good news that she had found a way to weaken the power of the "Dark Alliance" weapons, but it would take some time to prepare.

"Ling'er, how long will it take you?" Gao Xingchen asked anxiously.

"It will take at least another hour!" Ling'er replied.

"Okay, let's hold on for another hour!" Gao Xingchen gritted his teeth. He knew that this hour would be the longest hour in their lives.

The leader of the "Dark Alliance" seemed to have lost his patience. He personally led the elite troops to launch a fierce attack on Gao Xingchen and others. Gao Xingchen and others were forced into a desperate situation. They were trapped in an abandoned factory, surrounded by enemies on all sides, and the situation was extremely critical.

"What should we do? We are surrounded!" Ling'er said anxiously.

Gao Xingchen looked around and knew they had no way to retreat. He took a deep breath, and a look of determination flashed in his eyes, "Ling'er, you continue to prepare, we will cover you!"

"No! I want to be with you!" Ling'er said firmly.

"Listen! This is an order!" Gao Xingchen said sternly, "Only if you survive can you stop the Dark Alliance!"

Ling'er's eyes were red. She knew that Gao Xingchen was right, but she couldn't just watch her companion die.

"Don't worry, we'll be fine," Nanli patted Ling'er's shoulder and comforted her, "We will come back alive."

After saying that, Nanli fought side by side with Gao Xingchen. They stood back to back, resisting the attack of the "Dark Alliance". They were like two wounded beasts, bursting out with amazing fighting power.

However, the offensive of the "Dark Alliance" became more and more fierce. Gao Xingchen and Nanli gradually became exhausted. Their bodies were covered with scars and their clothes were stained with blood.

At this moment, the leader of the "Dark Alliance" suddenly appeared, holding a black sword, and approached Gao Xingchen and others.

"You have no way to escape," the leader of the "Dark Alliance" sneered, "Just surrender!"

Gao Xingchen and Nan Li looked at each other. They knew that the moment of the final battle had arrived...