Grassroots Travel: The Star Lord of Another World

Chapter 50: Wisdom and Courage

The black-robed man's attack came like a violent storm. Gao Xingchen wielded his sword, his sword energy running wild, barely resisting this powerful force. Nan Li's figure was like a ghost, shuttling between the black-robed man's attacks, the dagger in his hand flashing coldly, waiting for an opportunity to move.

"This power... could it be the power of darkness?" Gao Xingchen gnashed his teeth, horrified. He had heard that the Dark Alliance practiced evil techniques that could control the power of darkness, with astonishing power.

"Xingchen, don't fight any longer, let's retreat first!" Nan Li shouted, and the dagger in her hand drew a graceful arc, forcing back an attack from the man in black robe.

Gao Xingchen also knew that it was not appropriate to fight hard at this moment, so he nodded immediately. The two of them fought and retreated, looking for an opportunity to escape.

"Want to leave? Not that easy!" The man in black robe sneered, and his body turned into a black shadow. As fast as lightning, he caught up with Gao Xingchen and Nan Li in an instant.

"What should we do?" Gao Xingchen was extremely anxious. Facing such a powerful enemy, they seemed to be in a desperate situation.

"Don't panic, look at the map!" Nan Li said calmly and took out an ancient sheepskin map from his arms.

Gao Xingchen took the map and looked at it carefully in the dim light. In addition to marking the approximate location of the treasure, there were also some strange symbols and lines on the map.

"These symbols..." Gao Xingchen frowned and thought hard.

"I know!" Nan Li suddenly exclaimed, "These symbols represent the changes in the terrain in the canyon, and those lines are likely the route to the secret entrance to the treasure!"

“You mean…” Gao Xingchen’s eyes lit up, and he immediately understood what Nan Li meant.

"That's right, we use the terrain to avoid his attacks and then find the secret entrance!" Nanli's eyes flashed with wisdom.

The two of them no longer hesitated and quickly shuttled through the canyon according to the route on the map. Although the black-robed man was powerful, he was not familiar with the terrain of the canyon. Gao Xingchen and Nan Li used the terrain advantage to dodge his attacks several times.

"Damn it!" The man in black robe roared angrily, but he could do nothing.

At the same time, in a sect thousands of miles away, Xuanfeng and Ling'er also learned the news that Gao Xingchen and Nanli were in danger.

"No, I have to go help them!" Xuan Feng was extremely anxious and was about to set off immediately.

"Wait, it's too dangerous for you to go alone!" Ling'er grabbed Xuanfeng, "I'll go find Master and ask him to send someone to support me!"

"Okay, then go quickly and come back soon!" Xuanfeng nodded, his heart full of worry.

Ling'er left in a hurry, and Xuanfeng began to summon the masters of the sect, ready to support Gao Xingchen and Nanli at any time.

Gao Xingchen and Nanli ran around in the canyon for several hours, and finally, they found a hidden cave in a dense jungle.

"It should be here!" Gao Xingchen pointed at the cave with a hint of excitement in his tone.

"Be careful, there may be other dangers here." Nanli warned.

The two walked into the cave carefully. It was pitch black inside, and Gao Xingchen took out a night-shining pearl from his bosom, and the faint light illuminated the surrounding environment.

"Hey, what is this?" Nan Li suddenly pointed to something not far ahead and said in surprise.

Gao Xingchen looked in the direction of Nanli's finger, and saw a vague figure not far in front of them... In the weak light, the vague figure gradually became clear. It was a woman in white, sitting cross-legged with her back to them, with a head of black hair cascading down like a waterfall, almost touching the ground.

"Miss, excuse me for disturbing you." Nanli spoke softly, with a hint of caution in her tone.

The woman in white turned around slowly, revealing a beautiful face, picturesque eyebrows and eyes, and a cool temperament, just like a snow lotus blooming on the top of a snowy mountain. She glanced at Gao Xingchen and Nan Li, and a hint of surprise flashed in her eyes, but she quickly regained her composure.

"Who are you? Why are you here?" The woman's voice was as clear as spring water, yet it carried an unquestionable majesty.

"My name is Gao Xingchen, this is Nan Li. We have no intention of offending you, we just walked into this place by mistake." Gao Xingchen clasped his fists and saluted, his tone respectful.

"Entered by mistake? This is a forbidden area, how can you just barge in?" The woman in white frowned slightly, obviously not believing Gao Xingchen's words.

"Miss, you don't know that we accidentally entered this place to avoid being hunted by our enemies." Nan Li explained quickly, "Please forgive me, Miss."

The woman in white was silent for a moment, as if she was thinking about something.

"The enemy you are talking about is wearing a black robe and practicing the power of darkness?"

"How did the girl know that?" Gao Xingchen and Nan Li looked at each other, extremely surprised.

"My name is Murong Xue. I have been practicing here for several years and I know a thing or two about the situation around here." Murong Xue said calmly, "Those black-robed people are from the Dark Alliance and have been looking for the whereabouts of the ancient treasure. I'm afraid you have been targeted by them since you appeared here."

"So that's how it is." Gao Xingchen suddenly realized. No wonder those men in black robes were chasing them relentlessly. It turned out that they had mistakenly entered the location of the treasure.

"Thank you for telling me, young lady." Nan Li bowed to Murong Xue and said gratefully.

"It's just a small favor." Murong Xue waved her hand and continued, "Since you have strayed into this place, you must be looking for treasure, right?"

"The girl has a keen eye." Gao Xingchen did not hide it and nodded in acknowledgement.

Murong Xue chuckled and said, "In that case, how about we cooperate?"

"Cooperation?" Gao Xingchen and Nan Li were both a little surprised and didn't understand why Murong Xue would make such a suggestion.

"That's right." Murong Xue explained, "There is a powerful barrier at the entrance of this treasure. It may be difficult for the two of you to open it. I know the terrain here very well, so I may be able to help you."

Gao Xingchen and Nan Li looked at each other and saw the surprise in each other's eyes. Murong Xue's proposal was undoubtedly a timely help to them. With her help, their chances of finding the treasure would be greatly increased.

"That's great. Thank you very much, young lady." Gao Xingchen agreed immediately.

"Let's set off now without further ado." Murong Xue said, and turned to walk towards the depths of the cave.

Gao Xingchen and Nan Li followed closely behind, and the three of them walked through the dark cave. Murong Xue was very familiar with the terrain here, and led them around one trap after another, and finally came to a wide underground cave.

In the center of the cave stands an ancient stone door, carved with complex and mysterious runes, exuding an ancient and powerful aura.

"This is the entrance to the treasure." Murong Xue pointed at the stone door and said in a deep voice, "However, this stone door has a powerful barrier, and it requires a specific key to open it."

"Key?" Gao Xingchen frowned and asked, "Where is the key?"

"According to ancient legends, the key is hidden in an ancient temple nearby." Murong Xue said, "But the temple has been abandoned for many years. Whether you can find the key depends on your luck."

Gao Xingchen and Nan Li were startled. It seemed that they would have to go through some twists and turns before they could open the door to the treasure.

The ancient temple had long been in ruins, with weeds growing among the broken walls, exuding a desolate atmosphere. Gao Xingchen and Nan Li followed Murong Xue's instructions and walked through it carefully, carefully searching for possible clues.

"Xingchen, look!" Nanli suddenly pointed at a mural on the wall and said softly.

Gao Xingchen walked closer and saw that the mural depicted a man in gorgeous clothes, holding a peculiarly shaped key, and kneeling devoutly before a statue.

"This key..." Gao Xingchen's heart moved, and he immediately thought of what Murong Xue said, "Could this be the key to open the treasure door?"

Below the mural, there was a line of unclear text that seemed to be some kind of ancient language. Nan Li carefully identified it for a long time before suddenly realizing, "I know, this is the spell to open the treasure door!"

Following the instructions on the mural, Gao Xingchen and Nan Li found the mechanism hidden under the base of the statue. With a dull sound, an ancient bronze key slowly rose. The key was cold to the touch and emitted a faint light, as if it contained some mysterious power.

The two did not dare to delay and returned to the treasure entrance with the key. Gao Xingchen inserted the key into the groove on the stone door and chanted the spell on the mural. In an instant, the runes on the stone door flowed, the light was bright, and a powerful force sucked them in.

The inside of the treasure house was a different world, magnificent and filled with countless gold, silver, jewels and rare treasures, which was dazzling. However, Gao Xingchen and Nan Li's eyes were attracted by an ancient book in the corner.

"What is this?" Nan Li picked up the book and gently blew away the dust on it, only to see four big characters "The God of Cookery's Book" written on the cover.

As you turn the pages, a unique fragrance hits your nose. The book records all kinds of long-lost delicacies and magical cooking techniques, which are breathtaking.

"This Book of the God of Cookery is a priceless treasure to you!" Nan Li handed the book to Gao Xingchen and said with a smile.

Gao Xingchen took the book and was very excited. He loved cooking since he was a child and dreamed of becoming a great chef. This Cookery God Book undoubtedly pointed out the way forward for him.

In addition to the God of Cookery Book, they also found a magical artifact that exuded powerful spiritual power - the Meteoric Blade. This blade was pitch black, with intricate patterns all over the blade. Holding it in the hand, one could almost feel the terrifying power hidden in it.

Just as Gao Xingchen and Nan Li were about to leave the treasure, bursts of noisy noises suddenly came from outside the cave, accompanied by sharp sounds of breaking through the air.

"Oh no, it's those black-robed people!" Nan Li's face changed, and he said in a deep voice, "They must have discovered our tracks and followed us here!"

As soon as he finished speaking, dozens of men in black rushed into the cave and surrounded them. These men in black had a strong aura and were obviously masters. The leader exuded a suffocating sense of oppression.

“Hand over the treasure and I will spare your life!” said the leading man in black coldly, with greed flashing in his eyes.

Gao Xingchen and Nan Li looked at each other, their hearts trembling. A fierce battle was about to break out...