The Return of Stars to the Jianghu

Chapter 143 Re-climbing Ximei Peak and Entering the Depths of the Ice Cave

After walking for a while, they came to a spacious cavern. In the center of the cavern was a huge ice well, its bottom unseen. Beside the well was a stone tablet with some ancient writing inscribed on it.

Luo Yifei leaned closer to the stone tablet to examine it carefully. He saw that it read: "Beneath the Ice Well, an ancient ferocious beast is sealed. If the seal is broken, the world will be thrown into chaos."

Shen Lixi and Su An both felt a chill run down their spines after hearing this. Luo Yifei pondered for a moment and said, "It would be best if we didn't act rashly."

The three dared not linger and quickly left the ice cave. Once outside, they found it was already late. They decided to find a place nearby to rest for the night and continue their journey the next day.

That night, the three sat around the fire, discussing their experiences of the day. Luo Yifei said, "This Illusionary Continent is indeed mysterious and unpredictable. We need to be even more careful in the future."

Shen Lixi nodded in agreement: "That's right. Although we have some strength, we are still too insignificant in this unfamiliar world."

Su An sighed, "Yes, there are still many unknowns we need to explore. I hope we can find a way back smoothly."

The three exchanged a smile, their tension easing considerably. They silently tended the fire, waiting for dawn to break.

Just then, a gust of wind suddenly rose in the distance. They looked toward the source of the wind and saw the sparrow-shaped flying machine.

“The third-generation Mars spacecraft—Sparrow,” Luo Yifei said.

"Humans have landed on Mars?" Su An asked.

“That’s right. Just two months after you left Earth, I remember it was the end of 2025, the first manned spacecraft flew to Mars.” Luo Yifei stood up as he spoke.

The Sparrow aircraft slowly landed, the hatch opened, and three people stepped out—Nan Tian, ​​Shen Cheng, and Luo Yan.

Jin Hu and Gu Jing remained on the aircraft.

"Dad... Dad," Luo Yifei called out to Luo Yan. At the same time, Shen Lixi also called out "Dad" to Shen Cheng.

"Nantian." Su An looked at his former classmate in surprise as he saw him wearing a spacesuit.

Nan Tian smiled slightly, stepped forward and patted Su An on the shoulder: "Long time no see, Su An. We've been looking for you."

Luo Yan and Shen Cheng also came over. They looked at Luo Yifei and Shen Lixi with complicated expressions, including the joy of a long-awaited reunion and the worry about the unknown.

"How did you end up here?" Luo Yifei asked.

“We came here in search of you,” Luo Yan replied. “We have been searching for you ever since you disappeared. Recently, we were allowed to travel to another world through a time tunnel on Mars.”

“We actually saw you this morning, but there were a lot of people around, so our aircraft immediately went invisible and flew to a high altitude,” Shen Cheng said.

"Have you found a way back?" Luo Yifei asked, a glimmer of hope in his eyes.

Luo Yan nodded, his expression grave: "Yes, we've found a way back, but..." He paused, as if hesitating about something.

"But what?" Luo Yifei pressed.

“But the way back won’t be easy,” Luo Yan said in a deep voice. “We need to use the power of the ancient ferocious beast in this ice cave to open the time tunnel to Earth.”

"An ancient ferocious beast?" Shen Lixi and Su An both stared wide-eyed in surprise.

“Yes, it’s that ancient ferocious beast sealed beneath the ice well,” Luo Yan explained. “Its power is immense, enough to tear apart space and time. However, once we release it, we must pass through the space-time tunnel in an extremely short time, or the consequences will be unimaginable.”

"Then what should we do?" Luo Yifei asked.

“We need your help,” Luo Yan said. “You are more familiar with this world than we are, and you also have considerable strength. We plan to go to the ice cave together, release the ancient ferocious beast, and then pass through the time tunnel as soon as possible.”

"Wait a minute, maybe we should try the five divine artifacts again," Shen Lixi said worriedly.

"There's a saying in this world that if you collect all five divine artifacts, you can travel through time. And we just happen to possess all five divine artifacts," Luo Yifei said.

"Golden dagger, metal attribute. Purple Cloud Sword, earth attribute. God-Slaying Whip, wood attribute. Soul-Summoning Bell, fire attribute. Black Tortoise Shield, water attribute. And Wind and Fire Wheels, fire attribute. This time, we won't use the Soul-Summoning Bell; let's use the Wind and Fire Wheels." Luo Yifei said, taking out the divine artifacts from his storage bag.

Everyone stared in astonishment at the divine artifacts in Luo Yifei's hands. Each of these artifacts was a legendary treasure, and they hadn't expected to be able to collect them all.

"Can these artifacts really travel through time and space?" Nan Tian asked.

“I don’t know,” Luo Yifei said frankly, “but this is our only clue right now, and I think we should give it a try.”

“Okay, let’s give it a try.” Luo Yan nodded in agreement.

So, following Luo Yifei's instructions, everyone began to arrange the five divine artifacts in order, attempting to activate their power. However, no matter how hard they tried, the artifacts did not react at all.

"It seems this method won't work," Luo Yan sighed.

“Then we have no choice but to proceed according to the original plan,” Luo Yifei said. “Let’s prepare and head to the ice cave.”

The group nodded and began organizing their equipment. They knew that a tough battle was about to begin, and they had to be fully prepared.

Soon they arrived at the ice cave. The entrance was covered by a thick layer of ice, and the air was bitterly cold. They turned on the lamps by the fire and went into the cave.

As they ventured deeper into the cave, they gradually felt an intense chill. They knew this was the aura of an ancient, ferocious beast. They proceeded cautiously, afraid of disturbing it.

Finally, they arrived at the ice well. There, they saw a gigantic, ferocious beast sealed within, its body tightly encased in ice, with only one eye visible. This eye emitted a chilling light, sending shivers down their spines.

"Is this the ancient ferocious beast?" Su An asked.

“That’s right.” Luo Yan nodded. “We must proceed with caution.”

So they began to act according to plan. Luo Yan and Shen Cheng were responsible for releasing the ferocious beast, while Luo Yifei, Shen Lixi, and Nan Tian were responsible for constructing the time tunnel.

However, things didn't go as smoothly as they had imagined. When Luo Yan and Shen Cheng began to release the ferocious beast, it suddenly let out a deafening roar, causing the entire ice cave to tremble. They realized that the beast's power far exceeded their expectations.

"Hurry up!" Luo Yifei shouted anxiously, but the time tunnel was only slowly expanding.

However, at that moment, the ferocious beast suddenly broke free from the ice and charged towards them. They immediately engaged in a fierce battle.

After a fierce battle, they finally resealed the ferocious beast. However, they paid a heavy price. Despite the aid of modern weaponry, Luo Yan and Shen Cheng were severely injured and unable to fight any longer. Luo Yifei, Shen Lixi, and Nan Tian were also exhausted, while only Su An was unharmed.

Left with no other choice, Su An had to use the superior magic weapon that the sect leader had given him.

"The sect leader said that this magical artifact can temporarily suppress the power of the ancient ferocious beast." Su An said, raising the artifact high.

The magical artifact shimmered with dazzling light, emanating a powerful force. As the light enveloped the ancient beast, its roars gradually subsided, and its body was once again encased in ice.

"We succeeded!" Everyone breathed a sigh of relief, their faces beaming with joy.