Grassroots Travel: The Star Lord of Another World

Chapter 326: Netherworld

Gao Xingchen tightly grasped the letter in his hand. The handwriting was sloppy, but it was so powerful that it seemed to carry a chill. Nan Li stood beside him with a serious expression, "What do you think of this letter?"

Gao Xingchen frowned slightly, "Since the other party knows about Fairy Zhao and deliberately led us there, it is obvious that they are well prepared. Perhaps this is a trap."

"But it may also be the key to solving the mystery." Nan Li's eyes flickered, "Fairy Zhao suddenly rebelled, there must be something fishy, we can't miss any clues."

Gao Xingchen took a deep breath, his eyes flashed with determination, "You are right, let's go meet this mysterious man, I want to see if he is a friend or an enemy!"

Deep in the dense forest, ancient trees towered up to the sky, blocking out the sun, and a damp smell of rotten leaves filled the air. Gao Xingchen and Nan Li moved forward cautiously, vigilantly observing the movements around them.

"Who is it? You're sneaking around!" Gao Xingchen shouted coldly, with true energy surging in his hands.

"Don't be nervous, I'm just here to give you some pointers." An old voice came from the depths of the woods, carrying a hint of mystery.

Gao Xingchen and Nan Li looked at each other and walked forward slowly. They saw an old man in a black cloak, leaning on a dead wood cane, standing quietly under a towering tree, as if he had merged into the dense forest.

"Who are you? Why do you know we are looking for Fairy Zhao?" Gao Xingchen asked straight to the point.

A gleam of light flashed in the old man's cloudy eyes. "I observed the stars and learned that the two of you were trapped in a mystery, so I came to help. Fairy Zhao is not really a rebel, she is just being used by others."

"Being used by others?" Nan Li frowned slightly, "What do you mean?"

The old man pondered for a moment and said slowly: "Fairy Zhao is gifted, but she is arrogant. Someone caught her weakness and blinded her. Everything she did was to gain more powerful power, but behind this power, there is a huge conspiracy!"

"What conspiracy?" Gao Xingchen asked.

"This matter is of great importance, so I cannot reveal too much." The old man shook his head, "But I can tell you that Fairy Zhao is now stuck in a quagmire and cannot extricate herself. If you want to save her, you must find her as soon as possible and stop her from making further mistakes!"

"Why do you want to help us?" Nanli asked, eyes full of confusion.

The old man looked up at the sky, and said in a deep voice, "The secret of heaven cannot be revealed. You just need to know that I share the same goal with you. Remember, be careful. Fairy Zhao is no longer the same Fairy Zhao as before..."

Before he finished speaking, the old man disappeared into the depths of the dense forest, leaving Gao Xingchen and Nan Li looking at each other in bewilderment.

"Who exactly is this old man?" Gao Xingchen murmured to himself, his heart full of doubts.

Nan Li pondered for a moment, "No matter who he is, at least he pointed us in the right direction. Fairy Zhao was used by someone, and there is a bigger conspiracy behind it. It seems that the enemy we are facing this time is more powerful than we imagined!"

Gao Xingchen clenched his fists, a look of determination flashed in his eyes, "No matter what, I must find out the truth and rescue Fairy Zhao!"

The old man's words were like a stone, stirring up thousands of waves in Gao Xingchen and Nan Li's hearts. Was Fairy Zhao being used? Was there a bigger conspiracy behind this? These two pieces of information were like a mist that shrouded their hearts and could not be shaken off.

"What should we do now?" Gao Xingchen broke the silence and turned his gaze to Nan Li with a hint of confusion in his eyes. Nan Li has always been thoughtful and maybe he can find a breakthrough in this confusing situation.

Nan Li frowned slightly and pondered for a moment, "Let's not jump to conclusions. The old man's words are important, but we can't trust them completely. The most urgent task is to find out why Fairy Zhao has become like this and what she is planning."

"You're right. We can't alert the enemy." Gao Xingchen nodded in agreement. "Let's investigate secretly first to see if we can find some clues."

In the next few days, Gao Xingchen and Nan Li transformed themselves into ordinary travelers, traveling between various towns and gathering information. They found that after Fairy Zhao took control of most of the spiritual veins in the star field, she was not eager to expand her power, but instead set her sights on the food market in the star field.

She used the resources at her disposal to buy up rare ingredients, recruit famous chefs, and open restaurants. In a short period of time, she created a storm in the food world of the star region. Her restaurants were spread across major cities, and their business was extremely hot, almost monopolizing the high-end restaurant market in the entire star region.

"Why is Fairy Zhao so obsessed with the food market?" Gao Xingchen looked at the information he had collected, frowning, puzzled.

Nan Li carefully flipped through the information in her hand. Suddenly, her eyes focused on one of the pages. "Look at this!"

Gao Xingchen followed Nan Li's gaze and saw a special energy called "food luck" recorded on that page. This energy can be absorbed by eating delicious food, which can improve cultivation talent, enhance strength, and even prolong life.

"Food luck!" Gao Xingchen suddenly realized, "I understand, Fairy Zhao wants to control the food market in the star field, control the source of food luck, and thus control the entire star field!"

Nan Li nodded, "Yes, if she succeeds, the fate of the entire star field will be in her hands!"

"We must not let her succeed!" Gao Xingchen's eyes flashed with a gleam of light, "We must stop her!"

"But the power we have now is too weak to compete with Fairy Zhao." Nan Li analyzed calmly, "We need to find more allies to strengthen our power."

"Ally?" Gao Xingchen pondered for a moment, "That mysterious old man may be able to help us."

Nan Li nodded, "Maybe we can get some help from him."

As night fell and the stars twinkled, Gao Xingchen and Nan Li once again came to the depths of the dense forest, waiting for the mysterious old man to appear...

As night fell and the sky was full of stars, Gao Xingchen and Nan Li once again came to the depths of the dense forest. The moonlight shone through the gaps between the branches and leaves, casting mottled shadows on the ground, adding a bit of mystery to the quiet dense forest.

"Senior, are you here?" Gao Xingchen asked softly towards the empty forest, with a hint of awe in his voice.

As soon as he finished speaking, an old figure quietly appeared in front of them. It was the mysterious old man. The old man stroked his gray beard, looked at Gao Xingchen and Nan Li with deep eyes, and said slowly: "How have you considered it?"

Gao Xingchen and Nan Li looked at each other with a firm gaze, and said in unison: "We have decided to fight Fairy Zhao to the end!"

The old man nodded with satisfaction and said, "Good, you have great ambition! I was right about you."

"Senior, are you willing to help us?" Gao Xingchen asked anxiously, with hope flashing in his eyes.

The old man smiled and said, "Of course I can help you, but I'm afraid I'm not strong enough to fight against Fairy Zhao alone. I need you to help me contact some businesses that have been suppressed by Fairy Zhao. Only by uniting together can we defeat her."

"That's no problem!" Gao Xingchen assured, patting his chest, "We'll contact them right away!"

Under the guidance of the old man, Gao Xingchen and Nan Li began to run between various towns, looking for merchants who were forced into desperation by Fairy Zhao. They told these merchants about Fairy Zhao's conspiracy and the counterattack plan they were planning.

What surprised Gao Xingchen and Nan Li was that these merchants had long harbored resentment towards what Fairy Zhao had done, but dared not speak out. Now that they knew someone was willing to stand up against Fairy Zhao, they all expressed their willingness to join this anti-Zhao alliance.

With the support of the Anti-Zhao Alliance, Gao Xingchen and Nan Li began to gradually regain their lost market share. They used the resources provided by the alliance to open new restaurants, recruit famous chefs, and launch delicious dishes, attracting countless diners.

Fairy Zhao originally thought that controlling the food market in the star domain meant controlling everything, but she didn't expect that Cheng Yaojin would show up halfway. The food empire she carefully built began to crumble, which made her shocked and angry.

Just when Gao Xingchen and Nan Li had achieved initial victory and were preparing to further expand their victory, the mysterious old man suddenly made a shocking request...

"I hope you can help me find a legendary ingredient," the old man looked at Gao Xingchen with burning eyes, his tone serious and earnest, "It is said that this ingredient can solve an ancient curse."

Gao Xingchen was stunned when he heard this, and his heart was full of doubts. Does this ingredient really exist? What consequences will it bring if he searches for it?

Gao Xingchen looked at the old man in confusion and asked, "What exactly are the ingredients that you are talking about? Why have I never heard of them?"

The old man sighed, his tone carrying a hint of vicissitudes: "This thing is called 'Xingxuan Fruit'. Legend has it that it grows in the most dangerous forbidden area in the Nine Star Realm - Netherworld Abyss. It absorbs the purest star power between heaven and earth and has incredible effects. And the curse on me can only be resolved by Xingxuan Fruit."

Nan Li frowned slightly and asked worriedly, "Senior, the Netherworld Abyss is full of dangers. Even the most experienced adventurers dare not enter it easily. Is it too risky to look for this Xingxuan Fruit?"

The old man smiled bitterly and said, "I know this trip is extremely dangerous, but I have no choice. This curse has tormented me for hundreds of years. If it is not lifted, I'm afraid..." Before he finished speaking, he suddenly coughed violently and his body became somewhat transparent.

Gao Xingchen felt sorry for them. He knew that the old man must have paid a huge price to help them fight against Fairy Zhao. He clenched his fists and said firmly, "Don't worry, senior. I will definitely find the Xingxuan Fruit and help you remove the curse!"

The old man looked at Gao Xingchen with relief, hope glittering in his eyes: "Okay! I believe you! But the Nether Abyss is extremely dangerous, you must be careful and cautious, and don't act rashly."

"But we know nothing about the Netherworld Abyss. How can we find the Star Fruit?" Gao Xingchen asked.

The old man pondered for a moment, took out an ancient jade slip from his bosom, and handed it to Gao Xingchen: "It contains some information about the Netherworld Abyss, as well as the pattern of the Xingxuan Fruit. You can use this as a reference."

Gao Xingchen took the jade slip solemnly, and felt in his heart that this trip to the Netherworld Abyss might change their fate...