The Return of Stars to the Jianghu

The Floating Continent, in the Black Forest, located at the border between the Western Shu Kingdom and the Qi Kingdom.

Luo Yifei and his group walked onto the altar.

The altar resembles half a pyramid, with only the lower half and a flat upper half.

The group walked up the steps to the altar, while Ishikawa and his soldiers stood guard around the altar.

After Luo Yifei, Shi Hao, and Han Yue returned to the Floating Life Continent through the time tunnel, they also gained spiritual power. Shen Lixi taught the three of them how to control this power.

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

Looking at the pattern of glasses on the altar floor, Luo Yifei placed his hand on it, Shen Lixi followed suit, and Shi Hao and Han Yue also placed their hands on it.

Shen Lixi nodded, and the four of them tried to infuse spiritual energy into the pattern on the glasses.

None of the four spoke. Ishikawa, who was standing to the side, looked puzzled and paused for a moment before placing his hand on the glasses pattern on the ground.

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

The five of them placed their hands on the eye pattern together, and four of them poured spiritual energy into the eye pattern together.

The light from the pattern grew stronger and stronger, and when the light faded, a mysterious person dressed in a white robe appeared.

"Who are you? Why are you disturbing my slumber?" the white-robed man asked.

"I am Ishikawa, and I humbly request the Sleepless Clan to build a five-colored altar for us. We are willing to give the descendants of the Sleepless Clan ten thousand acres of fertile land to ensure they have enough to eat and wear." Ishikawa knelt down.

The man in white robes didn't look at Ishikawa, but turned to Luo Yifei and the other three, asking, "You went to Ghost Mountain in the Misty Swamp and returned empty-handed?"

“If you mean that misty forest over there, then we did go there and climbed a mountain,” Luo Yifei replied.

"You didn't get the key to Ghost Mountain? You didn't even manage to bring out a single Netherworld Pearl?" the white-robed man asked again.

"We haven't seen the key? We took one of the Netherworld Pearls, then threw it away to escape." Luo Yifei and the other three were stunned, not understanding what the white-robed man was talking about.

“You cannot awaken me without the key. I will give you a chance. Go find the key, and once you have it, I will build a five-colored altar for you,” the white-robed man said.

"May I ask, senior, what is the key?" Luo Yifei asked.

"A key that can open Ghost Mountain. Only by obtaining the key can you awaken me," the man in white robes said.

"Senior, we don't know where the key is, how do we find it?" Ishikawa asked anxiously.

“Since you’ve been to Ghost Mountain, you should know how to find the key. I can give you some hints. The key is deep within Ghost Mountain. You need to find a stone tablet; there are clues about the key on the tablet,” the white-robed man said.

“Senior, we are willing to go find the key. Please give us some time,” Luo Yifei said.

“Alright, I’ll give you a month. If you haven’t found the key by then, I won’t wait for you anymore,” the man in white said.

After saying this, the man in white robes transformed into a beam of light and disappeared from the altar.

"Senior, what should we do?" Ishikawa asked.

"We can only follow the instructions of our predecessors to find the key," Luo Yifei said.

"But Ghost Mountain is so dangerous, how can we find the stone tablet and the key?" Shen Lixi said worriedly.

“If we work together, we’ll definitely find the key,” Shi Hao said.

“Yes, we will definitely find the key, awaken our predecessors, and build the five-colored altar,” Han Yue said.

……

Behind a tree in the distance, several descendants of the Sleepless Clan watched all of this from afar.

One of them said, "Elder, should we go find the key first?"

"Going to Ghost Mountain is a near-certain death mission. Let them go and die. Wouldn't it be better for us to reap the benefits if they can get it back?" came the elder's voice.

……

"I'm afraid we can't make it to Ghost Mountain. We're running low on food, and the deeper we go into the Black Forest, the fewer wild fruits we can eat. Going to Ghost Mountain rashly is probably not a good idea. We should go to the outskirts of the Black Forest first to pick some more wild fruits and prepare thoroughly before heading into Ghost Mountain," Ishikawa said.

“Okay, Ishikawa-senpai.” Luo Yifei and the other three nodded in agreement.

They began their journey back, intending to forage for wild berries on the outskirts of the Black Forest. Along the way, they carefully avoided various dangers, finally reaching the outer area.

Although the wild fruits on the outskirts weren't as plentiful as those deeper inside, they were enough to fill their stomachs. After picking some wild fruits, the five of them returned to the altar.

"What should we do next?" Shen Lixi asked.

“We need to develop a detailed plan on how to find the stone tablet and the key,” Luo Yifei said.

“We can’t touch the bag, otherwise it will definitely attract those ghosts,” Shen Lixi said.

Ishikawa's soldiers had already set up a campfire and gathered plenty of wild fruit and game from the surrounding area. Black Tiger, meanwhile, was dozing off at a distance, seemingly only concerned with leading the way and not caring what they were doing.

The group sat around the campfire and began to discuss their strategy.

“We must have a detailed plan and cannot act rashly,” Luo Yifei said. “First, we need to understand the terrain and layout of Ghost Mountain and find places where the stone tablet may be hidden.”

"But Ghost Mountain is so big, how are we supposed to find it?" Shen Lixi said with some worry.

“We can start the search from the perimeter and gradually move deeper,” Ishikawa suggested. “At the same time, we must be careful and retreat immediately if we encounter danger.”

“I agree with Senior Ishikawa’s suggestion,” Han Yue said. “We can split into two groups, one to search and the other to keep watch.”

"Okay, it's settled then." Luo Yifei nodded in agreement. "We'll start taking action tomorrow."

The next morning, the five began their search. They carefully traversed the Black Forest and arrived at the outskirts of Ghost Mountain.

Along the way, they encountered various dangers, including ferocious beasts and eerie ghosts. However, they all managed to overcome these dangers through courage and wisdom.

Finally, they arrived at the entrance to a valley. The valley was shrouded in mist, eerie and terrifying. However, they also discovered a clue to the stone tablet—a strange symbol was carved on a large tree at the valley entrance.

“This symbol is the same as the one on the stone statue on the island in the lake!” Luo Yifei said excitedly.

"Looks like we've found the right place." Ishikawa smiled as well.

They cautiously entered the valley and began searching for the stone tablet. After some searching, they finally found it in a secluded corner.

The stone tablet bears an inscription that Shi Hao translates as: "The key is hidden in the heart of Ghost Mountain, and requires the Netherworld Pearl as a guide."

"It seems the only option is to pick a bag from those trees," Luo Yifei said.

“But those ghosts are not easy to deal with!” Shi Hao said.

"Then take two cloth bags. Take out one Netherworld Pearl to lure away the ghost, and bring the other one wrapped in a cloth bag to retrieve the key," Han Yue said.

"Yes, that's a good idea." Luo Yifei nodded in agreement. "Let's go and pick down two cloth bags."