Grassroots Travel: The Star Lord of Another World

Chapter 255: Near Despair

"I'm glad you're okay." Gao Xingchen looked at Nan Li, whose face was as pale as paper, and his heart finally settled down. He helped Nan Li up and let her lean on his shoulder, looking around vigilantly. The thick fog was like a huge gray curtain, covering them. It was pitch dark. The air was filled with a disgusting smell of decay, like the smell of some unknown creature rotting.

"Where is this?" Nan Li's voice trembled slightly, and she was obviously frightened by this strange environment.

"I don't know." Gao Xingchen shook his head, frowning, "We seem to have been teleported to somewhere."

"Teleport?" Nan Li muttered to himself, trying to recall what happened before, but found that his memory was blank, "I only remember..."

"Don't think about it for now, let's find a way to leave here first." Gao Xingchen interrupted her. He knew that now was not the time to find out the reason. He supported Nan Li and carefully groped forward in the fog with his weak perception.

The fog seemed to have no end. No matter how they walked, they could not get out of this strange space. There was a dead silence all around, only the breathing and heartbeats of the two of them echoed in the silent fog, adding to the oppression and fear.

"We seem to be lost." There was a hint of despair in Nanli's voice.

Gao Xingchen didn't say anything, but just held the black bead tightly in his hand. This bead was their only light in the fog and their only hope.

Suddenly, Gao Xingchen felt a chill rising from the soles of his feet and rushing straight to his head. He raised his head sharply, looked into the depths of the fog, and whispered, "Be careful!"

As soon as he finished speaking, a group of black phantom monsters emerged from the fog. They had no substance and were as erratic as smoke, but they brought a heart-pounding sense of oppression. Pairs of scarlet eyes flickered in the fog, like evil spirits from hell, staring greedily at Gao Xingchen and Nan Li.

"What is this?" Nan Li exclaimed and subconsciously hid behind Gao Xingchen.

"Don't be afraid, I'm here." Gao Xingchen protected Nan Li behind him. The black bead in his hand shone brightly, illuminating a small area of space around him and also revealing the hideous faces of those phantom monsters.

They have no facial features, only two scarlet eyes and a huge mouth that keeps opening and closing, full of sharp teeth, as if they want to devour everything.

"Be careful, they can attack!" Before Gao Xingchen finished his words, a phantom monster pounced on him, opened its huge mouth, and bit Gao Xingchen's shoulder fiercely.

Gao Xingchen reacted quickly, dodging the attack by turning sideways, while swinging the black beads and smashing them hard on the phantom monster.

With a dull "bang", the black bead actually penetrated the body of the phantom monster without causing any damage.

Gao Xingchen was shocked. These monsters had no physical form! The thick fog was like an invisible beast, swallowing Gao Xingchen and Nan Li. Those phantom monsters wandered in the fog like ghosts, waiting for an opportunity to strike. Their scarlet eyes flashed a creepy light in the darkness.

"Xingchen, what should we do?" There was a hint of trembling in Nan Li's voice. She held Gao Xingchen's hand tightly, her fingertips were cold.

"Don't be afraid, I will protect you." Gao Xingchen protected her behind him and looked around vigilantly. The black bead emitted a faint light, illuminating a small area around it, but also making those monsters hiding in the darkness nowhere to hide.

A phantom monster suddenly jumped out of the mist, opened its bloody mouth, and pounced towards Gao Xingchen. Gao Xingchen was prepared, he dodged the attack by moving sideways, and the black bead in his hand turned into a stream of light and smashed fiercely on the monster.

"boom!"

With a dull sound, the black bead penetrated the monster's body without causing any damage. The monster roared and pounced on Gao Xingchen again.

Gao Xingchen's heart sank. He knew that these monsters had no physical form and ordinary attacks were ineffective against them. He dodged the monsters' attacks while thinking of countermeasures.

"Xingchen, be careful!"

Nanli suddenly screamed, Gao Xingchen's heart tightened, and he turned around suddenly, only to see a phantom monster that had circled behind Nanli at some point, and its sharp claws were grabbing towards Nanli's chest.

"No!"

Gao Xingchen's eyes were bloodshot, and he threw the black bead in his hand with all his strength. The black bead turned into a black lightning and hit the monster.

The monster let out a shrill scream and turned into a black mist that dissipated into the air.

Gao Xingchen had no time to be happy, because he saw that Nan Li's chest was scratched by the monster's claws, leaving a deep bloody mark, and the blood had stained her clothes red.

"Nan Li!"

Gao Xingchen rushed to Nan Li, hugged her in his arms, and called her name anxiously.

Nan Li's face was as pale as paper and her breath was weak. She tried hard to open her eyes and looked at Gao Xingchen with a weak smile on her lips.

"I'm fine..."

Before she could finish her words, she passed out.

"Nanli! Nanli!"

Gao Xingchen held the unconscious Nan Li in his arms, his heart filled with despair and helplessness. He didn't know how to take her out of the fog, let alone how to save her life.

The fog was still thick, as if it would never end. Gao Xingchen held Nan Li in his arms and walked with difficulty in the fog. Every step he took was like walking on the edge of a knife, and he could fall into the abyss at any time.

The thick fog was like an invisible cage, trapping Gao Xingchen inside. Despair and helplessness wrapped around his heart like vines, almost suffocating him. Nan Li's pale face and weak breathing were his only hope at the moment, but also his greatest fear. He hugged her tightly, as if he wanted to blend her into his own bones and blood, and use his body temperature to warm her cold body.

"Nanli, you must hold on. I will definitely take you away from here, I will..." Gao Xingchen's voice was hoarse and trembling, as if he was making a promise to Nanli, but more like he was shouting to himself.

He walked aimlessly in the fog, each step was as heavy as if filled with lead. The phantom monsters hidden in the fog seemed to sense his despair, and their roars came one after another, like a call from hell, which made people shudder.

Just when Gao Xingchen was about to give up, an old and deep voice suddenly sounded in his ears, like a ray of dawn in the darkness, illuminating his desperate heart.

"Young man, your heart is filled with confusion and pain."

Gao Xingchen looked up suddenly, but could not see any figure, only thick fog rolling around him. The sound seemed to come from all directions, but it was clearly transmitted to his ears.

"Who are you?" Gao Xingchen asked vigilantly, clenching the black bead in his hand.

“It doesn’t matter who I am. What matters is that I can help you.” The voice said with a mysterious smile, “Just keep going along this road and you will find a safe place.”

Gao Xingchen hesitated for a moment and looked around. Apart from the thick fog and unknown dangers, he had no choice. He held Nan Li in his arms and walked in the direction indicated by the voice.

The fog gradually dissipated, and a cave appeared in front of Gao Xingchen. A faint golden light flickered at the entrance of the cave, like a bright light in the darkness, guiding him in the direction of progress.

Gao Xingchen carried Nan Li into the cave, which was warm as spring, dispelling the cold and dampness brought by the fog. An old man in a gray robe sat cross-legged in the depths of the cave, with white hair like snow and a gaunt face, but his eyes were bright and energetic, as if they contained endless wisdom.

"Senior..." Gao Xingchen was about to ask, but the old man raised his hand to stop him.

The old man slowly opened his eyes, his gaze fell on Nan Li, his brows slightly furrowed, and said: "She was seriously injured, was she injured by those phantom monsters?"

Gao Xingchen nodded and asked anxiously: "Senior, do you have any way to save her?"

The old man pondered for a moment and said, "The wounds on her body were not caused by ordinary swords, but were corroded by the evil energy of the phantom monster. Ordinary healing methods are ineffective on her."

Gao Xingchen's heart sank suddenly. Is it possible that Nanli has no hope of being saved?

"But..." The old man paused, then continued, "There is a rare material called 'Tears of the Heart' that can dispel the evil energy in her body and completely heal her injuries."

"Tears of the Heart?" Gao Xingchen seemed to have grasped the last straw, "Excuse me, senior, where can I find the 'Tears of the Heart'?"

The old man looked up at the thick fog outside the cave, a complicated look flashed in his eyes, and he said slowly: "The 'Tears of the Heart' is hidden deep in an ancient ruin, which is full of unknown dangers. You must be mentally prepared..."