Grassroots Travel: The Star Lord of Another World

Chapter 145 Enemies in the Mist

Gao Xingchen and Nan Li exchanged glances, and a feeling of uneasiness spread between them. The light of the teleportation array became increasingly chaotic, like a flame swaying in the wind, which could go out at any time. They knew that the death of the giant wolf was only an appearance, and a more powerful force was lurking in the dark, controlling everything.

"We must find the source of this energy!" Gao Xingchen clenched his fists and spoke firmly. Nan Li nodded, and the two of them set off immediately without hesitation, searching in the direction of the energy fluctuations.

They moved carefully along the way, passing through the dense jungle and crossing the rugged mountain roads, and finally found the source of the energy fluctuations in a hidden valley.

"Right there!" Nan Li pointed to the depths of the valley, where there was an ancient stone gate, half-closed, exuding a gloomy atmosphere. The trees around the stone gate grew twisted, with black mist entwined on the branches, and the air was filled with a disgusting smell of decay.

Gao Xingchen and Nan Li looked at each other, and saw solemnity in each other's eyes. They lightened their steps and slowly approached the stone gate. A strong pressure came over them, making them almost breathless.

"Be careful!" Gao Xingchen shouted, pulling Nan Li to hide behind a huge rock. At this moment, the stone door suddenly opened and a dark shadow walked out.

It was a tall man, covered in a black cloak, his face could not be seen clearly. In his hand was a black staff, with a red gem emitting a strange light inlaid on the top of the staff.

"Who's there?!" The man's voice was low and hoarse, with an unquestionable majesty.

Gao Xingchen and Nan Li held their breath, not daring to move at all. They knew that the man in front of them was extremely powerful and was not someone they could easily provoke.

The man seemed to have noticed something. He slowly turned around, his eyes swept over the boulder where Gao Xingchen and Nan Li were hiding, and a cold arc appeared at the corner of his mouth.

"Come out, hiding is not what a gentleman does."

Gao Xingchen knew that he had been exposed. He pulled Nan Li out from behind the boulder and stared at the man vigilantly.

"Who are you? Why are you interfering with our teleportation array?" Gao Xingchen asked in a deep voice.

The man did not answer his question, but looked them up and down, then chuckled: "Interesting, really interesting, I didn't expect to meet you here."

Gao Xingchen and Nan Li were even more confused. They were sure that they had never seen the man in front of them, but he seemed to know them very well.

"Who are you? What's the grudge between us?" Nan Li couldn't help but ask.

The man didn't say anything, but just pointed inside the stone gate, motioning them to go in.

"Follow me, and you will understand everything."

Gao Xingchen and Nan Li hesitated for a moment, but finally decided to follow the man into the stone gate. They wanted to see what this mysterious man wanted to do.

Behind the stone door was a long and narrow passage. The walls on both sides of the passage were engraved with ancient runes, emitting a faint light. The man walked in front, Gao Xingchen and Nan Li followed behind. The passage was silent, with only the footsteps of the three people echoing.

After walking for an unknown amount of time, a ray of light finally appeared in front of them. The man stopped, turned around, and gestured to Gao Xingchen and Nan Li to come in.

"Welcome to my world."

Gao Xingchen and Nan Li walked into the room and were stunned by the scene before them.

This secret room was not big, but it was decorated very delicately. The walls were covered with all kinds of rare calligraphy and paintings, the floor was covered with soft animal skin carpets, and in the middle of the room was a rosewood table filled with all kinds of delicious food and fine wine.

A middle-aged man in fancy clothes was sitting at the table, holding a glass of wine and looking at them with interest.

"You are finally here. I have been waiting for you for a long time."

The light in the secret room was soft and dim, shining on the face of the middle-aged man, but it was difficult to see his true expression. He gently shook the wine glass in his hand, and the dark red wine swirled in the glass, emitting a strange aroma.

After Gao Xingchen and Nan Li entered the secret room, they did not relax their vigilance. They looked around carefully, trying to find a sense of familiarity in this strange environment, but everything here was weird and mysterious.

"Who are you?" Gao Xingchen broke the silence. His voice was low and powerful, with an aura of majesty without even being angry.

The middle-aged man smiled but did not answer his question directly. He put down his wine glass, looked at Gao Xingchen and Nan Li with a scrutinizing gaze, and said slowly: "Don't be nervous, I have no ill intentions."

"No ill intentions?" Nan Li sneered, "Then why did you interfere with our teleportation array and trap us here?"

The smile on the middle-aged man's face deepened. He shook his head slightly and said, "I don't mean to embarrass you two, but there are some things that I need your help with."

"Help?" Gao Xingchen narrowed his eyes, his heart full of doubts, "We are strangers, what can you do for us?"

The middle-aged man stood up, walked to the window, looked at the deep night sky outside the window, and said in a deep tone: "Do you two know why you came to the Nine Star Realm?"

Gao Xingchen and Nan Li looked at each other, and both saw shock in each other's eyes. They had traveled to this world for a long time, and had been looking for a way to go back, but there was still no clue. This mysterious man seemed to know something?

"What do you know?" Nan Li's voice trembled a little. She stared at the middle-aged man's back, as if she wanted to see through him.

The middle-aged man turned around with a meaningful smile on his face: "I know your origins and your wish to go back. I can tell you that the abnormality of the teleportation array was indeed caused by me, but I did this to help you."

"Help us?" Gao Xingchen was full of doubts and confusion. He was completely unable to understand the logic of this mysterious man.

"That's right. Only by preventing you from using the teleportation array can we save your lives." The middle-aged man's tone was calm, but with an unquestionable firmness.

Gao Xingchen and Nan Li were even more confused. They didn't understand how using the teleportation array could endanger their lives. Who was this mysterious man? What was his purpose?

"Who are you? Why are you stopping us from going home?" Gao Xingchen couldn't help but ask, his voice full of anxiety and uneasiness.

The middle-aged man smiled but did not answer his question. He walked back to the table, picked up his glass again, and said calmly: "Don't worry, the answer will be revealed soon. Now, please take a rest, I will explain it to you tomorrow."

After saying that, he no longer paid attention to Gao Xingchen and Nan Li, and tasted the wine in the glass alone, as if they were just two insignificant passers-by.

Although Gao Xingchen and Nan Li were full of doubts and uneasiness, they also knew that they could not get more information from this mysterious man. They could only suppress their doubts and decided to wait and see, waiting for the truth to be revealed.

Gao Xingchen and Nan Li tossed and turned in the guest room, unable to fall asleep. The middle-aged man's words were like thunder, echoing in their ears, making them feel uneasy.

"Who is this guy? Why is he stopping us from going home?" Gao Xingchen scratched his hair in annoyance, his heart full of confusion and uneasiness.

Nan Li sat by the window, looking at the starry night sky outside, silent. She was calmer and more perceptive than Gao Xingchen, and she felt that things were far from as simple as they seemed.

The next morning, the middle-aged man appeared in front of them again. This time, his face no longer had the ease and comfort of yesterday, but instead was a little solemn.

"I know you have a lot of questions, and I will answer them one by one now." The middle-aged man said straight to the point, "First of all, my name is Mo Wentian, and I come from a place you can't imagine."

"As for why I want to stop you from using the teleportation array, it's because someone has set a trap there. Once you step into it, there's no way back." Mo Wentian's tone was calm, but with an unquestionable firmness.

"A trap? Who set it? Why do they want to harm us?" Gao Xingchen was furious. He could not accept this explanation, let alone understand who would want to kill them.

Mo Wentian shook his head and did not directly answer his question. Instead, he said, "All of this is related to a bigger secret, and this secret is related to the safety of the entire Nine Star Realm and even the entire universe."

"A bigger secret?" Gao Xingchen and Nan Li looked at each other. They totally didn't understand what Mo Wentian meant.

"I can't tell you too much now, but please believe me, everything I do is to protect you and to protect this secret." Mo Wentian said sincerely, with a hint of helplessness in his eyes.

Gao Xingchen wanted to ask more, but was stopped by Nan Li. She had been carefully observing Mo Wentian's expression, and she found that when he mentioned the word "secret", a hint of subtle fear flashed in Mo Wentian's eyes, which made her feel that things were far more complicated than she had imagined.

"Why should we trust you?" Nan Li asked coldly, "You keep saying you want to protect us, but you don't even want to reveal your identity. How can we trust you?"

Mo Wentian was silent for a moment, as if he was weighing something. Finally, he sighed and said, "I admit that my identity is indeed somewhat special. There are some things I cannot tell you now, but I can assure you that I have absolutely no ill intentions."

"As for how to prove my words, please come with me. I will take you to see something. Then, you will naturally understand everything." After Mo Wentian finished speaking, he turned and walked out the door.

Gao Xingchen and Nan Li looked at each other, their hearts filled with hesitation and uneasiness. They didn't know whether they should believe Mo Wentian, but they knew that they couldn't find the way home if they stayed here. Perhaps, only by following him could they find the answer.

Nan Li's eyes fell on Mo Wentian's back. She noticed that when he turned around, a hint of fear flashed across his eyes, which made her more confused. What secrets did this mysterious man hide? Why did he stop them from going home?

"Okay, we'll go with you." Nan Li finally agreed. Although she was suspicious of Mo Wentian, she also understood that staying here would only be a waste of time. It would be better to follow him and perhaps find clues to return home.

Although Gao Xingchen was still somewhat reluctant, seeing that Nan Li had already agreed, he had no choice but to nod in agreement.

Seeing this, Mo Wentian smiled slightly, turned around and led them out of the inn and headed out of the city.

Along the way, Gao Xingchen wanted to ask Mo Wentian about his identity and purpose several times, but was stopped by Nan Li's eyes. She knew that now was not the best time to ask. Since Mo Wentian had promised to take them to see the "evidence", it meant that he must have been prepared. Asking rashly would only alert the enemy.

The three of them walked in silence all the way and soon arrived at a desolate area outside the city.

"This is it." Mo Wentian stopped and pointed to an empty area in front of him and said, "Look carefully."

Upon hearing this, Gao Xingchen and Nan Li immediately focused their attention and looked in the direction Mo Wentian pointed.

Suddenly, a huge black vortex appeared out of nowhere on the open space. A strange light flickered in the center of the vortex, as if it was the entrance to another world.

"What is this?" Gao Xingchen asked in surprise. He had never seen such a strange sight.

"This is where you want to go back to." Mo Wentian said calmly, "But now, it has been blocked."

"Blockade?" Gao Xingchen and Nan Li looked at each other. They totally didn't understand what Mo Wentian meant.

"That's right. This teleportation array has been sealed by a powerful force. Unless the seal can be removed, no one can pass through it." Mo Wentian explained.

"Who sealed it? Why did they do this?" Gao Xingchen asked.

“I can’t tell you who sealed it yet.” Mo Wentian shook his head. Then, he looked deeply at the huge black vortex and said slowly, “As for why we did this, it’s because…”

He paused, as if he was organizing his words. After a moment, he continued, "Because, this unknown space you are in is actually a sealed world, and your arrival has inadvertently broken the seal..."

Mo Wentian's words were like thunder, exploding in Gao Xingchen and Nan Li's ears, leaving them completely stunned.