Grassroots Travel: The Star Lord of Another World

Chapter 171 Failure Again

In the dim cave, the flickering firelight illuminated Gao Xingchen's haggard face. He struggled to get up, but collapsed to the ground with a painful groan in his throat. Seeing this, the old man hurried forward to support him and gently leaned him against the wall.

"Child, don't be anxious, take your time." There was a hint of worry in the old man's kind voice.

Gao Xingchen shook his head weakly, his voice as hoarse as sandpaper, "Senior, I'm fine, it's just... just..."

"I know, I know." The old man patted his shoulder and comforted him, "Nan Liji is blessed by heaven. You have to take care of yourself so that you can save her."

Gao Xingchen clenched his fists tightly, his eyes filled with determination, "I must rescue Nan Li, no matter what the cost!"

Under the old man's careful care, Gao Xingchen's injuries gradually improved. However, every time when it was late at night, he would always think of the scene where Nan Li was captured by the Fire Cloud Evil God, and his heart was broken. He knew that he could not be depressed like this any longer, and he had to find a way to rescue Nan Li as soon as possible.

A bold idea gradually formed in his mind: tame a powerful beast to help him fight against the Fire Cloud Evil God. Gao Xingchen has shown extraordinary talent for taming beasts since he was a child. He believes that as long as he finds the right beast, he will be able to tame it and make it a powerful helper in his fight against the Fire Cloud Evil God.

After making up his mind, Gao Xingchen told the old man his idea. After listening to it, the old man pondered for a moment and said, "Your idea is bold, but it is not impossible. I know that in the misty forest nearby, there lives a rare two-headed giant python. It has great power and is extremely poisonous. If you can tame it, it may really be able to help you."

Gao Xingchen's eyes lit up, and he quickly thanked the old man and asked about the exact location of the Misty Forest. The old man described the terrain of the Misty Forest and the habits of the two-headed python in detail, and repeatedly reminded him to be careful and not to act rashly.

The next morning, Gao Xingchen took Xiao Hei, said goodbye to the old man, and resolutely embarked on the journey to the Misty Forest.

The Misty Forest, as its name suggests, is shrouded in thick fog all year round, with extremely low visibility. In addition, there are all kinds of dangerous beasts lurking in it, and ordinary people dare not set foot in it. However, Gao Xingchen has only one belief in his heart: find the two-headed python and rescue Nanli!

He groped in the misty forest for several days, and finally found something strange near a dark and humid swamp. There was a faint fishy smell in the air above the swamp, and huge snake skins were entangled on the surrounding trees, which were obviously traces of the two-headed giant python.

Gao Xingchen was delighted, knowing that he was getting closer and closer to his goal. He approached the swamp cautiously, holding his breath and carefully observing the surrounding environment.

Suddenly, there was a loud noise that shook the earth, and the water in the middle of the swamp rolled violently. A huge snake head poked out of the water, and its two scarlet snake eyes stared at Gao Xingchen intently, and a deafening roar came out of its mouth...

The smelly wind blew in his face, and the giant python took Gao Xingchen into the depths of the misty forest. After a few days of getting along, Gao Xingchen had established a subtle connection with the two-headed giant python. He named it "Cang", which means green and powerful.

"Cang, please!" Gao Xingchen leaned on one of Cang's snake heads and whispered. Cang seemed to understand his words, and his huge body shuttled through the mist and quietly approached the territory of Fire Cloud Evil God.

The territory of the Fire Cloud Evil God was a scorched earth with no grass growing, and the air was filled with the disgusting smell of sulfur. Gao Xingchen and Cang hid behind a broken wall, observing the surrounding movements.

"This place is heavily guarded, we must be careful." Gao Xingchen whispered to Cang, and at the same time took out a map from his arms. This was a map he got from a mysterious ally. It marked the terrain of the Fire Cloud Evil God's territory and the locations of some important buildings.

According to the map, Nan Li was most likely imprisoned in a black tower deep in the territory. Gao Xingchen was extremely anxious and wanted to rush in to rescue her immediately, but he knew that doing so would only alert the enemy and put Nan Li in a more dangerous situation.

"Cang, let's go around it." Gao Xingchen pointed to a relatively hidden path on the map and said. Cang nodded, and his huge body flexibly shuttled between the buildings, avoiding the patrolling guards.

However, Gao Xingchen still underestimated the cunning of Huoyun Evil God. Just as they were about to reach the black tower, the ground suddenly shook violently, and then countless flames shot up into the sky, surrounding them!

"Oh no, it's a trap!" Gao Xingchen's face changed drastically. He never expected that the Fire Cloud Evil God had anticipated his coming and set up such an ingenious ambush.

"Roar——" Cang roared angrily, and his huge body rolled in the flames, trying to break through the encirclement. However, the trap set by Huoyun Evil God was obviously not so easy to break through. With the deafening explosions, bloody wounds were blown open on Cang's body.

"Damn it!" Gao Xingchen was extremely anxious. He knew that he couldn't go on like this, otherwise he and Cang would die here. He made a prompt decision, took out a flare from his arms, and fired it into the air.

An ear-piercing whistle pierced the night sky. This was the signal agreed upon by him and his mysterious ally. If they encountered danger, they would fire a flare for help.

"Cang, let's go!" Gao Xingchen patted Cang's head, signaling it to retreat. Although Cang was unwilling, he still obeyed Gao Xingchen's order, endured the severe pain, turned around and fled towards the depths of the misty forest...

Cang's huge body rushed left and right in the flames, but he could not escape the encirclement of the sea of fire. Gao Xingchen tightly grasped the protruding scales on its back, anxiously looking for a way to break out. Every explosion made his blood boil, but he was more worried about Cang's safety. The hard scales of the giant python began to burn black under the licking of the fierce flames, and the wounds that were blown open were even more shocking, and the blood dyed its green scales red.

"Hold on, Cang!" Gao Xingchen gritted his teeth and continuously transferred the little spiritual power in his body to Cang. He knew that this operation had failed, and the most important thing now was to save his own life and Cang's life.

Cang seemed to sense Gao Xingchen's determination, and it roared with reluctance, broke through the last wall of fire, and plunged into the depths of the misty forest. Behind him, flames shot up into the sky, and explosions sounded one after another, but Gao Xingchen seemed to hear nothing. He hugged Cang's neck tightly, letting the cold wind and rain hit his face.

After an unknown amount of time, Cang finally stopped, lying on the ground helplessly, its heavy breathing was particularly clear in the silent forest. Gao Xingchen slid down from its back, looking at its scarred body, his heart filled with guilt and self-blame.

"I'm sorry, Cang, it's all my fault..." Gao Xingchen gently stroked Cang's wound, his voice choked with sobs. Cang rubbed Gao Xingchen's arm with its huge head, as if to comfort him.

Gao Xingchen found a hidden cave nearby and treated Cang's wounds. He sat cross-legged at the entrance of the cave, looking at the dark night sky, feeling lost. This rescue operation ended in failure again. Not only did he fail to rescue Nanli, but he also caused Cang to be seriously injured. He began to doubt whether he really had the ability to fight against the Fire Cloud Evil God, and whether he could really save Nanli and the sect...

"You've done very well." A deep voice suddenly sounded beside his ear. Gao Xingchen turned around suddenly and saw a figure wrapped in black appearing at the entrance of the cave.

"It's you?!" Gao Xingchen stood up in surprise. The person who came was the mysterious ally who had been secretly helping him. "Why are you here?"

"I've always been here." The mysterious man walked up to Gao Xingchen and said, "You are very brave and determined, but you must also understand that the Fire Cloud Evil God is not so easy to deal with."

"What should we do?" Gao Xingchen asked anxiously, "Is there no other way?"

"Of course there is." The mysterious man said in a deep tone, "If you want to defeat the Fire Cloud Evil God, you must find a more powerful force..."

His words gave Gao Xingchen a glimmer of hope, but he was also full of doubts. A more powerful force? What is that? Where should he find it? "A more powerful force?" Gao Xingchen muttered to himself, frowning, as if he was chewing on the meaning of this sentence. He turned his head to look at the mysterious man who had been hiding in the dark but always helped him at critical moments, and asked anxiously, "Senior, what do you mean? What should I do to save Nan Li?"

The mysterious man did not answer his question directly, but asked in return: "Do you know why the Nine Star Realm respects 'beasts'?"

Gao Xingchen was stunned. Of course he knew the answer to this question. In this world, spirit beasts have the power to destroy the world. Powerful beast trainers can even move mountains and fill the sea with the power of contracted spirit beasts. And he, because he possesses the special ability of "Ten Thousand Beasts Heart Sutra" that can communicate with spirit beasts, can occupy a place in the Nine Star Realm where there are so many strong people.

"Although you have cultivated the 'Heart Sutra of Ten Thousand Beasts' to a certain level, it is still far from enough." The mysterious man said in a serious tone, as if he saw through Gao Xingchen's thoughts, "If you want to truly unleash the power of the 'Heart Sutra of Ten Thousand Beasts', you must find the legendary beast taming secret book - 'The Heavenly Scripture of Taming Beasts'."

"The Heavenly Book of Taming Beasts?!" Gao Xingchen exclaimed. He had seen this name in an ancient book. It was said that it was created by a beast tamer in ancient times. It could allow humans to fully connect with spirit beasts and exert unimaginable power. However, this secret book had been lost for many years. People only thought it was a legend. He didn't expect it to really exist.

Seeing the surprise and desire in Gao Xingchen's eyes, the mysterious man continued, "The Beast Taming Scripture is hidden in this Nine Star Realm, but finding it is full of difficulties and obstacles. Are you willing to give it a try?"

Gao Xingchen nodded firmly without any hesitation: "I am willing! As long as I can rescue Nan Li, I am willing to pay any price!"

He knew that in order to defeat the Fire Cloud Evil God and rescue Nan Li, he had to become even stronger. And the "Beast Taming Scripture" was his only hope!

"Good!" The mysterious man looked at Gao Xingchen with appreciation, took out an ancient jade pendant from his arms and handed it to him, "This jade pendant can guide you to find the clues of the Beast Taming Scripture. Remember, you must be careful and don't trust anyone easily."

Gao Xingchen solemnly took the jade pendant and held it tightly in his hand, as if holding hope and the future. He bowed deeply to the mysterious man: "Thank you for your guidance, senior! I will do my best to find the "Beast Taming Scripture" and rescue Nanli!"

Watching the mysterious man disappear into the night, Gao Xingchen turned back to the cave and looked at the injured Cang beside him, with a hint of determination in his eyes. He gently stroked Cang's head and said softly: "Cang, we have more important tasks to do. Let's go find the legendary "Beast Taming Scripture" together, and then, go and rescue Nanli together!"

Cang seemed to feel his master's determination. He let out a low roar and rubbed Gao Xingchen's arm gently with his huge head. Both the man and the beast looked into the distance, where was an unknown journey and their only hope.