The Return of Stars to the Jianghu

The four began searching for a way out, but the meadow seemed to have no end, and the surrounding area was filled with misty forests.

"Should we try those cloth bags?" Shi Hao suddenly said.

"Try those cloth bags? What do you want to do?" Luo Yifei asked.

“We’ve been avoiding those bags, but we have no other choice now. Perhaps there’s something inside that can help us get out of here,” Shi Hao said.

“But those bags seem dangerous,” Shen Lixi said.

"It's better to try even if it's dangerous than to wait here to die," Han Yue said.

The four of them approached a cloth bag and carefully opened it. Inside the bag was a black object, but they couldn't make out what it was.

"What is this?" Luo Yifei asked.

"I don't know, but it feels very strange," Shi Hao said.

"The Netherworld Pearl is exactly the same as the one I saw in Jialan City. Its main function is to collect the resentment of ghosts," Shen Lixi said.

"Collecting the resentment of ghosts? How could such a thing be here?" Luo Yifei asked in surprise.

“I don’t know, but this Netherworld Pearl is definitely related to this fog,” Shen Lixi said.

"Then what should we do? Take the Netherworld Pearl away?" Shi Hao asked.

"I don't know, but we can give it a try," Han Yue said.

The four carefully took out the Netherworld Pearl, which emitted a faint black light, as if it possessed some kind of mysterious power.

"Let's get out of here quickly," Luo Yifei said.

However, just as they were about to leave, a sudden gust of cold wind blew by, and the surrounding fog became even thicker.

"Oh no, it seems we've triggered some kind of mechanism," Han Yue said.

Sure enough, not long after, a series of mournful wails suddenly came from the surrounding woods, as if countless ghosts were approaching them.

"Run!" Luo Yifei shouted.

The four of them hurriedly ran down the mountain, but the ghosts seemed endless, relentlessly chasing after them.

"At this rate, we'll be caught up!" Shi Hao shouted.

“We have to find a way to get rid of these ghosts!” Shen Lixi said.

However, these ghosts seemed to possess some kind of mysterious power, and no matter how they ran, they couldn't shake them off.

"What do we do? Are we really going to die here?" Luo Yifei said in despair.

"Don't give up, we will definitely find a way out!" Han Yue encouraged.

Just then, Shen Lixi suddenly thought of something, took out the Netherworld Pearl, and tossed it into the air.

The Netherworld Pearl emitted a strong black light in the air, attracting all the ghosts in the surrounding area.

"Quick, run now!" Shen Lixi shouted.

The four took the opportunity to run down the mountain and finally shook off the ghosts.

"We're saved!" Shi Hao exclaimed excitedly.

"Thanks to you, Shen Lixi," Luo Yifei said gratefully.

"You're welcome. We're a team, and we should help each other," Shen Lixi said.

The four continued downhill and soon left the eerie forest. Looking back, they saw that the forest was still shrouded in mist, as if it were a mysterious forbidden area.

"Are we still on the Xuan Tian Continent?" Han Yue asked.

"We have returned to the Floating Life Continent," Shi Hao said.

“Impossible, how could such a place exist on the Floating Life Continent?” Han Yue said.

“We are in the Black Forest,” Shi Hao said.

Just then, a black tiger appeared in front of them.

A group of soldiers followed closely behind.

The man in the lead had a beard.

Upon seeing the man's appearance, Shi Hao was stunned.

This person was his father, Ishikawa.

It is now certain that they have indeed returned to the Floating Life Continent.

“Father!” Shi Hao called out.

Ishikawa also saw Ishihiro and walked over in surprise.

"Hao'er, what are you doing here?" Ishikawa asked.

“We don’t know either; we just suddenly appeared here,” Luo Yifei said.

"I'm so glad you're all alright," Ishikawa said.

"Father, we must leave here immediately; it's very dangerous," Shi Hao said.

“This is indeed deep within the Black Forest, where monsters often roam,” Ishikawa said.

"Then let's go quickly," Luo Yifei said.

“There’s no rush. Your grandfather sent me here to find the Sleepless Clan. But we haven’t found them yet. However, we have found the Elf Clan,” Ishikawa said.

Luo Yifei recalled the information Qi Yuan had obtained from the Wind Whisper Society more than two months ago in the courtyard of an inn called Changxinglou in Chenzhou City, in the northern region of the Southern Han Kingdom on the Eastern Continent of the Floating Life Continent. Shi Qingfeng had sent his third son, Shi Chuan, to the Black Forest to search for the Sleepless Clan.

"The Elf race?" Shen Lixi asked.

“Yes, we encountered elves in this forest. Legend has it that in ancient times, elves were slaves traded with humans, but there was a break in history, and elves never appeared again,” Ishikawa said.

"Elves?" Han Yue asked, puzzled.

“Yes, the elves are a mysterious and ancient race. They possess powerful magic and have extremely long lifespans. It is said that the elves were once slaves traded with humans, but they gradually disappeared into the annals of history, and no one knows their whereabouts,” Ishikawa explained.

"So how did you encounter them?" Luo Yifei asked.

“We got lost in the forest and stumbled upon a mysterious territory inhabited by elves. They told us that they had been hiding in this forest, living a peaceful life in seclusion,” Ishikawa said.

"Did the elves tell you how to leave this forest?" Shen Lixi asked.

“No, they don’t want to leave this forest, nor do they like being disturbed by humans. They just told us that this forest is dangerous and that we should leave immediately,” Ishikawa said.

"So what should we do now?" Luo Yifei asked.

“We need to find the whereabouts of the Sleepless Clan and then leave this forest as soon as possible,” Ishikawa said.

"The Sleepless Clan?" Shen Lixi asked in confusion.

“Yes, the Sleepless Clan is a race with special abilities. Their eyes can see things that others cannot, even things from the past and the future. We came to the Black Forest to find them and help them solve some problems. Only they can build the Five-Colored Altar,” Ishikawa explained.

"Let's set off now," Han Yue said.

"Okay, we need to be careful. There are many dangerous monsters in this forest," Ishikawa warned.

So the five of them set off into the depths of the forest. They passed through dense thickets and crossed rushing streams, finally arriving at an open area.

In this open space stands an ancient altar built of stone. A mysterious aura permeates the area around the altar, as if some powerful force is slumbering.

"Is this the altar of the Sleepless Clan?" Luo Yifei asked.

“It should be. Let’s go up and take a look,” Ishikawa said.

The five people carefully walked up to the altar, where they saw a huge eye pattern in the center, emitting a faint glow.

"Are these the eyes of the Sleepless Clan?" Shen Lixi asked.

“It should be. Let’s try to see if we can wake it up,” Ishikawa said.

So the five of them poured their spiritual energy into the eye pattern together. The light from the eye pattern grew stronger and stronger, as if something was slowly awakening.

Suddenly, a bright beam of light shot out from the eye pattern, soaring straight into the sky. The five people were blinded by the light and could only cover their eyes.

When the light faded, they discovered a mysterious figure in white robes standing on the altar. This person had sharp eyes that seemed to see through everything.

"Who are you? Why are you disturbing my slumber?" the mysterious man asked.

"I am Ishikawa, and I humbly request the Sleepless Clan to build a five-colored altar for us." Ishikawa knelt down.