bookcurios Chapter 221: Difficulties to Overcome
Chapter 221: Difficulties to Overcome
In the depths of the dense forest, ancient trees towered up to the sky, blocking out the sun. Only a few dots of moonlight shone through the branches and leaves, casting mottled shadows on the ground. Gao Xingchen and his group were like frightened birds, moving quickly through the dense jungle. Behind them, the powerful spiritual pressure of the man in black was like a maggot on the tarsal bone, chasing them closely.
"Xingchen, what should we do now?" Xuanfeng asked breathlessly. The long period of running and fighting had consumed a lot of his physical strength, and he had reached his limit now.
"We can't stop, we must get rid of him as soon as possible!" Gao Xingchen gritted his teeth and persisted. He knew that once they were caught up by the man in black, only death would await them.
"But..." Chef Meng looked ahead with a look of despair on his face, "It seems like there's a sea of fire ahead!"
Gao Xingchen looked up suddenly and saw a fire rising into the sky and thick smoke billowing in front of him, illuminating the originally dark night sky with a bright red color.
"Damn it, we are surrounded!" Gao Xingchen's face turned pale. He knew that they were in a desperate situation.
"Hahaha, Gao Xingchen, you can't escape!" The voices of the men in black came from all directions, like a call from hell, making people shudder.
As soon as he finished speaking, the figure of a man in black appeared in front of everyone. He was dressed in black and wore a bronze mask on his face, revealing only a pair of cold and ruthless eyes. He looked like a demon from the abyss of the underworld, exuding a suffocating and terrifying aura.
"You ants, you actually dare to resist me. You are really courting death!" The man in black snorted coldly, murderous intent flashing in his eyes.
"If you want to kill me, you'll see if you have the ability to do so!" Gao Xingchen roared, and the long sword in his hand was unsheathed. A sharp sword energy rushed straight into the sky, covering the man in black.
"A mere trifle!" The man in black snorted disdainfully and with a wave of his hand, Gao Xingchen's attack was dissolved into nothingness.
"So strong!" Gao Xingchen was shocked. He knew that the gap between himself and the man in black was like a chasm, but he did not retreat at all, because he knew that behind him were his brothers and his lover, and he must not fall down!
"Xingchen, be careful!" Just when Gao Xingchen was distracted, the man in black attacked again. He clenched his hands, and a black beam of light fell from the sky, bombarding Gao Xingchen with devastating power.
Gao Xingchen was unable to dodge and was hit by the black beam of light. He fell heavily to the ground like a kite with a broken string, with blood spurting out of his mouth.
"Xingchen!" Seeing this, Xuanfeng, Chef Meng and others were furious and rushed towards Gao Xingchen desperately, wanting to rescue him.
"You don't know your own limitations!" The man in black snorted coldly and attacked again, knocking Xuanfeng and the others away.
"Cough cough..." Gao Xingchen struggled to stand up, but the severe pain in his chest made him unable to move. He could only watch the man in black approaching step by step.
"It's over, Gao Xingchen!" The man in black looked down at Gao Xingchen, his eyes full of mockery and ridicule.
"Really?" At this moment, a cold voice suddenly sounded behind the man in black. The voice seemed to come from the Netherworld, making people shudder.
The man in black suddenly turned around and saw a red figure appear behind him like a ghost, with a dagger in its hand emitting a cold light and pointing directly at his heart.
"Who are you?" The man in black was shocked. He didn't even notice the other person approaching.
"Kill your people!" The red figure spat out a few words coldly, and then the dagger in his hand stabbed out like lightning...
At the same time, in a distant place, in a gloomy and terrifying underground prison, Nanli suddenly opened her eyes. She felt a familiar breath rapidly weakening. It was... Gao Xingchen's breath!
"Xingchen, what's wrong with you?" Nanli was extremely anxious. She struggled to break free from the restraints on her body, but was unsuccessful.
"No, I must go save him!" Nan Li gritted her teeth, a trace of determination flashed in her eyes...
As night fell, darkness engulfed the entire forest like thick ink. Gao Xingchen fell to the ground helplessly, his blood staining the ground beneath him red. He tried hard to see the blurry figure in front of him, but he could only feel the breath of death getting closer and closer.
"Xingchen!" The desperate roars of Xuanfeng and Chef Meng echoed in his ears, but were ruthlessly drowned out by the cold laughter of the man in black. Gao Xingchen knew that he might really have to die here.
At this critical moment, a red shadow cut through the night sky like lightning, carrying a fierce murderous aura, and headed straight for the man in black!
"Li'er!" Gao Xingchen's heart suddenly shook. The familiar breath made him see a glimmer of hope in despair.
The man in black obviously did not expect a sneak attack and could only dodge sideways in a hurry, but the dagger still left a deep bloody mark on his arm.
"Looking for death!" The man in black roared, and was about to teach the man a lesson, but suddenly he felt a powerful mental force locking onto him. This power made him terrified, as if it was the gaze from an ancient ferocious beast.
"Let's go!" Hongying did not want to fight. He pulled Gao Xingchen up and disappeared into the depths of the dense forest after a few jumps.
The man in black covered his injured arm, his eyes flashing with resentment: "Damn it! She actually escaped!"
"Sir, do you want to give chase?" the subordinate beside him asked in a low voice.
The man in black was silent for a moment, and finally shook his head: "Don't chase after a desperate enemy! The terrain in this dense forest is complicated and it's easy to fall into a trap. Let's go back first!"
……
At the same time, in a dark underground prison, Nan Li suddenly opened her eyes, and beads of sweat the size of beans slid down her forehead, soaking her temples.
"Xingchen! How are you?" Nan Li's heart seemed to be tightly grasped by an invisible hand, making it hard for her to breathe. Just now, she felt Gao Xingchen's breath weaken rapidly, almost to the point of exhaustion.
In extreme anxiety, Nan Li tried desperately to break free from the chains on her body, but no matter how hard she tried, the chains made of special materials did not move at all.
"Damn it!" Nan Li gritted her teeth, her eyes burning with anger. At this moment, Xiao Bai, who had been with her all the time, suddenly let out a sharp cry, and then its small body actually passed through the iron bars of the prison and disappeared into the darkness.
"Xiaobai?" Nan Li was startled, and then a glimmer of hope appeared on her face as if she had thought of something. Xiaobai has the ability to travel through space, maybe it can find a way to escape!
Gao Xingchen and others were taken by Hongying to a hidden cave. Hongying did not say much, but just silently healed his wounds.
"You are..." Gao Xingchen asked weakly. He wanted to see the face of the person in front of him clearly, but found that her face was covered with a layer of gauze, making it difficult to see clearly.
"You don't need to care who I am. You just need to know that Nanli is safe now." Hongying's voice was as cold as water, without a trace of emotion.
"Li'er...is she okay?" Gao Xingchen felt a little relieved when he heard that.
"She's fine, just trapped temporarily. But don't worry, I will rescue her." Hongying said lightly.
"Thank you..." Gao Xingchen wanted to say something, but fell into coma again due to excessive blood loss.
Hong Ying looked at the unconscious Gao Xingchen, a complicated look flashed in her eyes, then she stood up and walked to the cave entrance, looking at the dark night sky, and whispered in a low voice: "Nan Li, are you really worth his sacrifice?"
At this moment, Xiaobai suddenly appeared in the cave and anxiously called out to Hongying a few times. Seeing this, Hongying's face changed slightly and he said in a deep voice: "I know, let's go!"
In the darkness of the night, several figures disappeared again into the depths of the dense forest, leaving only a few starlights to witness this thrilling night.
Gao Xingchen slowly woke up and found himself in an unfamiliar cave. Outside the cave, the flickering firelight illuminated the anxious faces of Xuanfeng and Chef Meng.
"Xingchen, you're awake!" Xuanfeng's voice was trembling with surprise, "How do you feel?"
Gao Xingchen struggled to sit up, but felt a tearing pain in his chest. He looked down and found that his chest was wrapped in a thick bandage, and blood had stained a large area of the bandage red.
"Don't move. You've lost too much blood and need to rest well." The woman in red appeared beside him at some point. Her voice was still cold, but with a hint of imperceptible concern.
"Lier...how is she?" Gao Xingchen asked anxiously, enduring the pain.
"She's fine, don't worry." The woman in red replied calmly, "But you, if you don't take good care of your injuries, how can you save her?"
Gao Xingchen felt relieved after hearing this, but he also knew that the current situation was still very dangerous. He looked around and found that the surrounding environment was very unfamiliar, and it seemed that it was not the place they were before.
"Where is this place?" Gao Xingchen asked.
"We are deep in a dense forest. It is relatively hidden here and safe for the time being." Chef Meng explained, "However, we must find a way to leave here as soon as possible, otherwise they will catch up with us sooner or later."
Gao Xingchen nodded. He knew that Chef Meng was right. Since the mysterious organization was able to set up an ambush, it meant that they were very familiar with this area. If they continued to stay here, they would be waiting to die.
"What should we do now?" Xuan Feng asked, his tone full of confusion and worry.
The woman in red hesitated for a moment and said, "Let's leave here first. I will find a way to shake off their pursuit."
After saying that, she turned around and walked out of the cave. Seeing this, Gao Xingchen and others also forced themselves to follow.
In the dense forest, the night was as dark as ink, and it was pitch dark. Gao Xingchen and his group made their way through the dense jungle with the faint starlight. They did not dare to light torches for fear of exposing their whereabouts.
However, their whereabouts seemed to have been exposed long ago, and there was always an invisible pressure behind them, making them feel uneasy.
"Damn it! They seem to be catching up with us!" Chef Meng said in a low voice with a hint of panic in his tone.
Gao Xingchen's heart sank when he heard this. He endured the pain and quickened his pace. However, his injuries were too severe, and every step he took caused pain in his wounds, so he couldn't walk any faster.
"No, if we continue like this, we will be caught up sooner or later!" Xuan Feng said anxiously, "Xingchen, how are you? Can you still hold on?"
Gao Xingchen gritted his teeth, said nothing, and just shook his head. He knew that his current state would only drag everyone down.
"Follow me!" At this moment, the woman in red suddenly said, and then rushed in one direction.
Gao Xingchen and the others saw this and followed without caring about anything else. They ran all the way and finally stopped at the edge of a cliff.
"There is a cliff ahead and there is no way to go!" Chef Meng said breathlessly.
Gao Xingchen looked up and saw that the front was dark and bottomless. At this moment, the footsteps of the pursuers came from behind. Obviously, they had been forced into a desperate situation.
"What should we do?" There was a hint of despair in Xuanfeng's voice.
However, Gao Xingchen ignored him. His eyes were fixed on the bottom of the cliff, as if he had discovered something.
"There seems to be something there!" Gao Xingchen pointed to the bottom of the cliff and said with a hint of surprise in his tone.
Hearing this, everyone looked in the direction of his finger. With the faint starlight, they vaguely saw that there seemed to be a platform under the cliff, and some ancient buildings were vaguely visible on the platform.
"What place is that?" Xuanfeng asked.
"I don't know, but maybe we can go down and take a look." Gao Xingchen said with a hint of determination in his tone.
Just when Gao Xingchen was about to take the risk, he heard the pursuers' sneering laughter from behind him.
"Want to escape? That's not that easy!" Gao Xingchen took a deep breath and suppressed the emotions in his heart. Now is not the time to despair! He turned to Xuanfeng and Chef Meng and said, "Let's go down. Maybe there is still a glimmer of hope."
Xuanfeng and Chef Meng looked at each other and saw the determination in each other's eyes. At this point, they could only choose to trust Gao Xingchen.
The three of them worked together to fix the rope they carried with them to a protruding rock on the edge of the cliff, and then slowly descended along the rope. Xiaobai paced back and forth anxiously on the edge of the cliff, making worried low noises from time to time.
The platform below the cliff was much wider than they had imagined. In the faint moonlight, they could vaguely make out that it was an ancient relic. Vines grew wildly among the broken walls, exuding a desolate and mysterious atmosphere.
"It seems like no one has been here for a long time." Chef Meng looked around and said in a low voice.
Gao Xingchen nodded, signaling everyone to be alert and be careful of the possible dangers around them. He always felt that this relic had a strange atmosphere that made people uneasy.
Just as Gao Xingchen was about to explore the ruins, a sharp sound of breaking through the air suddenly came from above. He was startled and looked up, only to see several black shadows flying down from the top of the cliff, like ghosts, quickly surrounding them.
"Want to escape? How naive!" The leading man in black sneered. He was the leader of the mysterious organization.
"What do you want?" Gao Xingchen asked coldly, enduring the pain from his wound.
"Hand over the treasures on you, and I can consider giving you a quick death." The tone of the leader of the mysterious organization was full of mockery and cruelty.
"Dream on!" Gao Xingchen roared. He knew that it was impossible to end the situation peacefully today. The only way was to fight to the death. Perhaps there would be a glimmer of hope.
A fierce battle broke out instantly. Although Gao Xingchen and others were strong, they were helpless because the other side had more people and all of them were well-trained killers, so they soon fell into a disadvantage.
Gao Xingchen was accidentally hit by the palm wind of the mysterious organization leader during the battle. The wound on his chest, which had not healed yet, broke again, and blood stained his clothes red. He groaned, his body swayed, and he almost fell to the ground.
"Xingchen!" Xuanfeng and Chef Meng were shocked upon seeing this, and rushed forward to protect Gao Xingchen, but they were entangled by other members of the mysterious organization and could not escape at all.
Gao Xingchen looked at the desperate scene in front of him, his heart filled with bitterness and powerlessness. Was he really going to die here today? He was unwilling to accept this! Li'er was still waiting for him to rescue her!
At this moment, his eyes accidentally fell on a stone tablet deep in the ruins. There were some strange patterns vaguely engraved on the stone tablet, which seemed to be some ancient texts.
"What is that?" Gao Xingchen's heart moved, as if he had grabbed a life-saving straw, and he struggled to see clearly the contents on the stone tablet.
Seeing this, the leader of the mysterious organization sneered, and with a flash of his body, he stood in front of Gao Xingchen, blocking his sight.
"Want to play tricks? Not that easy!" The leader of the mysterious organization snorted coldly, and a powerful energy wave condensed in his palm, and slapped it towards Gao Xingchen on the head.
At the critical moment, a red light flashed, and a petite red fox suddenly appeared in front of Gao Xingchen, opened its mouth, and spewed out a ball of hot flames, meeting the attack of the leader of the mysterious organization.
"Xiaobai!" Gao Xingchen shouted in surprise when he saw who was coming.