The Return of Stars to the Jianghu

The next morning, the four of them left the inn to continue their journey. Following Roland's directions, they headed north.

After walking for a while, they came to a vast grassland. Herds of cattle and sheep grazed on the grassland, their forms visible as the wind blew the grass low. The four of them admired the beautiful scenery, and their spirits lifted.

However, their good fortune didn't last long. Suddenly, they heard the rapid sound of horses' hooves. Turning around, they saw a group of mounted bandits charging towards them.

"Oh no, they're robbers!" Shi Hao exclaimed.

The four men immediately drew their weapons, ready to fight. The bandits rode up to them on horseback, brandishing their swords and spears, and launched an attack.

The four fought back fiercely, but the bandits outnumbered them, and they gradually found themselves overwhelmed. Just then, a figure suddenly rushed out from the side, wielding a long sword, and engaged the bandits in fierce combat.

"It's Roland!" Luo Yifei exclaimed in surprise.

Roland was incredibly agile; she easily dodged the bandits' attacks while launching fierce counterattacks. With her help, the four gradually escaped their predicament.

After a fierce battle, the bandits were finally driven back. Roland sheathed his longsword and walked up to the four men.

"Are you alright?" she asked with concern.

"We're alright, thank you for saving us again," Luo Yifei said gratefully.

"No need to thank me. I just happened to be passing by and saw you being attacked, so I came to help," Roland said with a smile.

"Roland, what are you doing here?" Shen Lixi asked curiously.

“I have been traveling around, searching for some precious medicinal herbs and treasures. The snow-capped mountains ahead are one of my destinations on this trip,” Roland explained.

“I see.” Luo Yifei nodded. “Roland, we have some questions for you.”

"What is it?" Roland asked.

“It’s about the yellow gem on your dagger,” Luo Yifei said. “We suspect it might be one of the five divine artifacts.”

Upon hearing this, Roland's face showed a hint of surprise. She looked at the dagger in her hand and then said, "You are right, this yellow gem is indeed one of the five divine artifacts—the yellow gem."

"Just as I thought!" the four exclaimed in unison.

"But why are you looking for the Five Divine Artifacts?" Roland asked curiously.

"To be honest, we are not from this world," Luo Yifei said seriously. "The five divine artifacts possess immense power. Only by gathering them can we return to our respective worlds."

Roland listened to Luo Yifei's words and remained silent for a while. Then she said, "Actually, the five divine artifacts are not unique. They are the embodiment of the five elements. Theoretically, any weapon can be transformed into a divine artifact by adding the five-colored stone."

"Five-colored stones?" Shen Lixi couldn't believe what she was hearing. She wondered if the five-colored stones here were the same as those on the Floating Life Continent.

“I heard that it’s a key material for the teleportation altar,” Luo Yifei continued.

"You know about teleportation altars?" Roland asked, somewhat surprised. "That's right. Five-colored stones are the main material for large-scale teleportation arrays. Building altars and setting up arrays requires a large number of five-colored stones, and only the seven major sects of the Illusionary Star Continent currently have the strength to do so. Most people travel across continents by collecting five-colored stones to enhance their artifacts, or capable cultivators will forge their own artifacts. Of course, such artifacts can only be called pseudo-artifacts, but they are sufficient for traveling across continents. This dagger of mine is a pseudo-artifact; I won it in a martial arts competition. I can give it to you, but you need to do me a favor."

"What kind of help?" Luo Yifei asked immediately.

“I’m looking for a herb called ‘Millennium Ice Lotus,’ which only grows in extremely cold places and is very rare. I’ve heard that there’s an ice field on the highest peak of the snow-capped mountains ahead, where the Millennium Ice Lotus might be found,” Roland said.

"No problem, we'll help you find it!" Luo Yifei agreed without hesitation.

"Thank you," Roland said gratefully. "Then let's set off tomorrow."

Early the next morning, the five embarked on their journey to find the Millennium Ice Lotus. They traversed grasslands and arrived at the highest peak of the snow-capped mountains—Ximei Peak—where they found the ice field atop the mountain. The ice field was covered with thick snow, and the biting wind made it extremely cold.

The five of them proceeded cautiously, afraid of slipping and falling at any moment. They walked for a long time before finally reaching the heart of the ice field. There lay a lake there, its surface covered with a thick layer of ice.

“The Thousand-Year Ice Lotus should be deep within this lake,” Roland said.

The five began searching for an entrance on the ice. They searched for a long time before finally finding a small opening, just big enough for one person to enter.

"I'll go down and take a look first," Luo Yifei said.

He carefully climbed into the cave entrance and disappeared into the darkness. After a while, he returned with an excited expression on his face.

“There are indeed thousand-year-old ice lotuses down there!” he said. “However, it’s too dark down there, and we need some light.”

So the five of them lit torches and re-entered the cave. Near the torches, the ice was slowly melting.

They walked down the cave wall for a long time until they finally arrived at a spacious cave.

The cave was filled with a cold atmosphere, but in the middle stood a blooming lotus flower, emitting a faint glow.

"That's the Thousand-Year Ice Lotus!" Roland exclaimed in surprise.

The five of them carefully approached the lotus flower and then carefully picked it.

"Great, we've finally found it!" Luo Yifei said happily.

They returned to the edge of the ice plains with the thousand-year-old ice lotus and then bid farewell to Roland.

"Thank you for your help," Roland said gratefully. "This dagger is yours."

After saying that, she handed the dagger to Luo Yifei. Luo Yifei took the dagger and noticed that the yellow gem on it emitted a dazzling light.

“Thank you, Roland,” Luo Yifei said. “We will remember you.”

Roland waved to the group and watched them walk away.

"They should believe us now, right? Our acting was pretty good, wasn't it?" A man in black suddenly appeared beside Roland. This man was the one who had ambushed Luo Yifei a few days ago.

"Why do you look so pale?" Roland asked, turning his head to the side.

"This body's lifespan has ended; it's time for someone else to possess it." The man in black finished speaking and collapsed.

"Damn it, no way, I have to collect corpses again?" Roland cursed at the pale purple mist in the air.