The Return of Stars to the Jianghu

Shen Lixi stepped into the courtyard. The heavy wooden door slowly closed behind him, shutting out the resentful gazes of the disciples outside and the lingering smell of gunpowder in the air. The tranquility inside the courtyard contrasted sharply with the tense atmosphere just moments before. The only sounds were the rustling of the evening breeze through the bamboo leaves and his own slightly rapid heartbeat.

“These disciples…” Su An’s voice was tinged with weariness. She walked to Shen Lixi’s side, her brows furrowed. “Their resentment runs so deep that they are even willing to take risks.”

"The pain of separation is far greater than expected." Shen Lixi's voice was low as his gaze swept over the familiar layout of the courtyard. This was once his only refuge in the Xuan Tian Sect, and now it was about to become a thing of the past. "They are not being unreasonable. The Tian Xuan Sect is newly established, with a shallow foundation, and most of its resources have been taken away by the various peaks. It is only natural for them to be fearful and uneasy in the face of the Wuji Sect and other forces that might covet them. However, they are being used by others to point the finger at us."

Su An's eyes narrowed: "You mean, someone deliberately instigated this?"

“If not, how could a few ordinary disciples dare to openly surround the acting sect leader and guest elders, and even take such drastic action?” Shen Lixi walked to the stone table, her fingertips brushing against the cold surface. “Just now, that tall, thin disciple’s eyes flickered, and before he made his move, he subconsciously glanced at the northwest corner—that’s where the elders of Cuiyun Peak live.”

Su An gasped: "Cuiyun Peak... Although they ultimately agreed to the division plan at the Ancestral Hall Council meeting, Elder Wanshun suddenly went into seclusion, and the Second Elder temporarily took over Cuiyun Peak. They may not be without their own thoughts. Could it be that they are dissatisfied with my position as acting sect leader, and even more dissatisfied with your and my impending departure, deliberately condoning or even secretly instigating their disciples to cause trouble, trying to keep us here, or... create chaos?"

“I’m afraid it’s more than that.” Shen Lixi slowly sat down, a cold glint flashing in his eyes. “Keeping us alive wouldn’t bring them any real benefit. More likely, they want to create an ‘accident.’ If we had reacted a little slower or were weaker and died under the attack of the ‘enraged disciples,’ it would only be seen as an internal conflict caused by division, with no way to prove anything. But if you and I die, the teleportation altar to the Floating Life Continent will become ownerless, giving certain people room to manipulate it. Don’t forget, Elder Wanshun is in seclusion. Besides us, only those core elders of the Ancestral Hall know the exact location of the altar and how to activate it.”

Su An's face turned pale instantly, then surged with anger: "What ruthless methods! For that altar, they're willing to kill each other!"

"In the face of power and resources, the bonds of camaraderie among comrades can sometimes be as fragile as a cicada's wing," Shen Lixi said coldly. "After this commotion, we can no longer linger here. Delay could lead to unforeseen changes. We must prepare immediately and depart ahead of schedule!"

Su An nodded emphatically, his eyes no longer hesitant: "You're right. I'll go to the Ancestral Hall right now and, as the acting sect leader, issue an order declaring that you've made great contributions in coordinating the division of resources, and are hereby granted special permission to enter the sect's secret vault for three days to heal and recuperate, with no one allowed to disturb you. This will temporarily isolate you from outside prying eyes. At the same time, I will immediately and secretly move the necessary items, the spirit stones and array plates needed to activate the altar. I'll carry some with me, and the rest will be hidden in a safe place, which we can retrieve tonight."

“Healing in the secret vault…that’s a good excuse,” Shen Lixi pondered. “And what about you? Now that they’re suspicious, they’ll definitely keep a close eye on you.”

"It's alright." A resolute glint flashed in Su An's eyes. "After all, I am the nominal acting sect leader, and they wouldn't dare to openly do anything to me. Tomorrow, I will summon all the remaining elders to the council hall to 'discuss the future development plan of the Tianxuan Sect,' making a show of long-term commitment to lull them into a false sense of security. After nightfall, I will create the illusion of 'closed-door cultivation,' slipping away to meet you here. Where is the safest place to set up the teleportation altar?"

"It's right here on the back mountain of Cuiyun Peak, near the abandoned ancient altar by the cliff," Shen Lixi said in a low voice. "Before Elder Wanshun went into seclusion, he gave me the exact location and the jade talisman to activate the restriction. The place is remote and secluded, and there are natural remnants of the restriction, making it difficult to be detected. We'll meet there at three-quarters past midnight."

"Alright!" Su An stood up, his movements swift and efficient. "There's no time to lose, I'll go make the arrangements right away. Be careful yourself, though the area outside the courtyard has temporarily been cleared, there's no guarantee that there aren't spies secretly watching."

Shen Lixi also stood up, her sharp gaze sweeping across the courtyard wall: "Don't worry, a few petty thieves can't do anything to me. But you, be careful when you walk."

Su An said no more, gave Shen Lixi a deep look, turned and left quickly, the robe of the acting sect leader drawing a solemn arc in the twilight.

Silence returned to the courtyard. Shen Lixi did not immediately pack her things, but stood quietly in the courtyard, her powerful divine sense spreading slowly outwards like an invisible tide. Sure enough, she caught a few extremely faint, deliberately concealed fluctuations of spiritual energy in the shadows outside the courtyard wall and on the treetops in the distance, like lurking venomous snakes.

A cold smile curled at the corner of his lips. With a slight thought, an invisible pressure rippled outwards like waves, precisely sweeping over the points of interest. It was not aggressive, yet carried an undeniable warning.

A few muffled groans came from the shadows outside the wall, and the leaves on the treetops shook violently. Then, like startled rabbits, the probing presence vanished without a trace.

Shen Lixi then turned and entered the room. His luggage was simple: a few changes of clothes, some healing and spirit-restoring pills, and a few jade slips containing important information. He quickly put these into an inconspicuous storage bag. Finally, his gaze fell on an ancient-style, sheathed longsword hanging by the bedside. The sheath was jet black and undecorated; it was the very sword he had used to repel his enemies. He took down the sword, his fingertips brushing against the cool scabbard, feeling the silent yet powerful sword intent within. This sword was named "Cold Abyss," a gift from an old friend, which had accompanied him through countless storms. On his journey to the unknown Floating Life Continent, it remained his most reliable companion.

He fastened the Cold Abyss Sword to his waist and carefully concealed his storage bag. Having done all this, the sky outside was already filled with stars. He didn't light a lamp, but simply sat cross-legged on the bed, closed his eyes, and regulated his breathing, adjusting himself to peak condition, like an arrow about to be released from a bow, awaiting midnight. Outside the courtyard, the night was as dark as ink, shrouding the entire Tianxuan Sect in a false tranquility, while undercurrents silently surged.

However, he could not have predicted that the ancient teleportation altar had quietly changed and was now emitting a crimson-gold light.

Two figures appeared on the teleportation altar; they were Yue Wuhen and Yin Jiuzhu, who had escaped from the Void through the teleportation portal.

"The spiritual energy here is so abundant," Yue Wuhen couldn't help but exclaim.

Before Yue Wuhen could finish speaking, an extremely concealed yet incomparably sharp sword intent suddenly locked onto him and Yin Jiuzhu! This sword intent did not come from all directions, but seemed to seep out from the altar patterns beneath their feet, icy cold, carrying a strong warning and killing intent, piercing straight into the depths of their souls!

Yin Jiuzhu groaned, his already pale face turning even more bloodless. He swayed, almost unable to stand. Yue Wuhen's pupils contracted sharply. He suppressed the spatial dizziness caused by the crossing and immediately shielded Yin Jiuzhu behind him. His spiritual power instantly surged, forming a thin protective shield. His gaze swept like lightning toward the source of the sword intent—the shadowy edge of the altar.

There, a figure stood silently, seemingly blending into the night. If it weren't for the long sword hanging at his waist, its ancient scabbard emitting a faint blue light, and his eyes, as deep and cold as a frozen pool under the crimson-gold light, it would be almost impossible to detect his presence.

Shen Lixi!

He arrived a full hour earlier than the agreed-upon midnight! The sudden crimson-gold anomaly and spatial fluctuations at the teleportation altar had already jolted him awake from his meditation. He had immediately stealthily moved there, holding his breath and concentrating like the most patient hunter, concealing his aura to the extreme, waiting for the source of the anomaly to appear. He never expected that what awaited him were two uninvited guests who had fallen from the void, their auras unfamiliar and imbued with a strong spatial power.

"Who goes there?" Shen Lixi's voice wasn't loud, yet it was as clear as ice beads falling onto a jade plate, each word carrying the pressure of a Yuan Dan cultivator and undisguised wariness. He didn't draw his sword, but the eerie blue light on the scabbard of "Frost Abyss" flickered erratically, the chilling sword intent locking onto its target originating from this very sword. Alarm bells rang in his mind: Had the teleportation altar been activated prematurely by an unknown force, leaking the plan? Or had Elder Wan Shun's scheme been forcibly interfered with by external forces? Were these two people before him friend or foe? Were they connected to the group from Cuiyun Peak?

Yue Wuhen felt the almost tangible pressure and was horrified. The person before him possessed unfathomable cultivation, far surpassing most of the beings he had encountered in the Void, and the sword intent emanating from him was pure and domineering, definitely not from any evil path. He forced himself to remain calm, cupped his hands, and said in a deep voice, "I am Yue Wuhen, and this is my companion Yin Jiuzhu. We have encountered a great calamity and were accidentally caught in a spatial rift, teleported here. We have no ill intentions. May I ask, sir, where is this place...?"

"An accident?" Shen Lixi's lips curled into a cold smile, his eyes sharp as knives, as if he wanted to dissect the souls of the two men. "This is the forbidden area of ​​the Tianxuan Sect, the ancient teleportation altar. It cannot be activated without a specific method, let alone a spatial rift that happens to lead to this place! Where did you come from? Who is directing you?" He took a step forward, his invisible pressure intensifying, and the crimson-gold light of the altar beneath his feet seemed to flicker with his emotions. He had to find out the truth about these two men; any variable could completely disrupt his and Su An's escape plan, or even drag them into an abyss of no return.

Yin Jiuzhu was panting heavily behind Yue Wuhen, seemingly wanting to say something, but Yue Wuhen secretly stopped him. Fine beads of sweat appeared on Yue Wuhen's forehead. Just as he was about to explain, he caught a glimpse of another slender figure emerging silently like a ghost from the shadows surrounding the altar. A faint light flickered at her fingertips, clearly indicating she was ready to strike—Su An had arrived ahead of schedule!

The atmosphere instantly became extremely tense. The crimson-gold altar light illuminated the wary faces of the three parties: Shen Lixi's sword intent, Yue Wuhen's vigilance, Su An's faint glow of talismans, and Yin Jiuzhu's suppressed, painful gasps, all intertwining into an invisible web of death on this silent mountaintop. Any spark could ignite a conflict that no one could predict.

Just then, something in Yin Jiuzhu's arms suddenly began to vibrate violently, emitting a low hum, which strangely resonated with the crimson-gold light of the altar beneath his feet!

The violently shaking object floated out on its own; it was the debris he had collected in the void. This debris clearly also came from the spacesuits and equipment of members of the African project team.

"Where did you get the oxygen cylinder fragments?" Shen Lixi's icy voice reached Yin Jiuzhu and Yue Wuhen's ears.

"We followed fellow Daoists Luo Yifei and Sun Li to the Void Land, where we obtained the fragment. Due to the spatial-temporal turbulence, we got separated. We randomly found a portal and arrived here," Yue Wuhen hurriedly answered. He had already realized that Shen Lixi, like Luo Yifei, knew the origin of this fragment.

Shen Lixi's icy question pierced the stagnant air like a solid icicle. The moment Yue Wuhen finished her reply, the deep, cold gaze in Shen Lixi's eyes shattered, replaced by an unbelievable, violent surge of emotion!

"Luo Yifei? Sun Li?!" Shen Lixi's voice suddenly rose, carrying a tremor he himself didn't even realize. "You saw them?!"

This sudden outburst of emotion was a stark contrast to his previous composed and in control demeanor. Even the chilling sword intent that had been locking onto the two of them showed a slight, almost imperceptible hesitation. Yue Wuhen's heart skipped a beat, keenly seizing this fleeting opening. This unfathomable swordsman before him actually knew Luo Yifei and Sun Li? And his reaction was so extreme!

Yue Wuhen immediately suppressed the surging suspicion in his heart, quickening his speech as he tried to seize any possible opportunity: "Indeed! In the Void, we witnessed Fellow Daoist Luo and Fellow Daoist Sun being swept into the spatial turbulence, their direction unknown. We two also encountered an unexpected turn of events, hastily finding a remaining spatial rift to escape into, which led us to this place by mistake." As he spoke, he stared intently into Shen Lixi's eyes, not missing any subtle changes. "Your Excellency... know them? Do you know their current safety?"

Yin Jiuzhu, panting heavily behind Yue Wuhen, had the fragment hovering in front of his chest. The buzzing sound, far from diminishing due to Shen Lixi's emotional turmoil, resonated even more intensely with the crimson-gold light of the altar, as if echoing something. This anomaly made Shen Lixi's gaze involuntarily sweep over again. The familiar material and the traces of technology from his distant homeland left on it felt like a red-hot iron, searing his heart.

Just then, an extremely subtle yet crystal-clear voice transmission pierced Shen Lixi's consciousness with the precision of an ice line. It came from Su An, who was in the shadows outside the altar: "Lixi! Hold on! Luo Yifei and Sun Li... how could they be in the Void? This is extremely strange, we must find out!"

Su An's telepathic message carried the same barely concealed shock, but even more so, a warning. Shen Lixi took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing his turbulent thoughts. The briefly out-of-control sword intent re-condensed, even sharper and more vigilant than before. His eyes, sharp as knives, locked onto Yue Wuhen and Yin Jiuzhu once more. His voice returned to its previous coldness, but now held an undeniable scrutiny and a deeply hidden anxiety:

"Explain yourself! What exactly did you see in the void? What was the situation between those two?" Every word weighed heavily, and an invisible pressure descended like a mountain. The suspended fragments trembled incessantly amidst the pressure and light, emitting an even more rapid buzzing sound, which sounded particularly jarring on this tense and silent altar.