"We’re all acquaintances, no need to be so polite, Brother Xiao," Yu Lin said as she glanced at him.

"To be honest, we don’t know where this place is either. I was carrying out a sect mission with Senior Brother Chi Jia when we encountered a strange Nascent Soul stage demonic beast. After killing it, we were suddenly pulled into this place. I didn’t expect to run into Junior Sister Xiao and the two Daoist friends from the Celestial Truth Sect."

As she spoke, Yu Lin secretly observed Xiao Shou.

Had her message been delivered so quickly?

Had that person already descended into this world or simply ordered someone to take care of him?

Otherwise, it would be impossible for him to advance his cultivation so quickly in just a few years.

Looking at him now, his entire body shimmered with the aura of treasures.

Even his clothes and shoes were magical artifacts.

And the power of that earlier attack did not seem to come from his cultivation level, but rather from the sword itself.

Moreover, that sword seemed to be of a higher grade than ordinary magical treasures.

Could it be a spiritual treasure from the upper realms?

What an enviable and jealousy inducing man.

A series of thoughts flashed through Yu Lin’s mind.

Ever since she had guessed that Xiao Ran had been reborn, she had made various arrangements and schemes to suppress her growth as much as possible while also securing a powerful backer.

She thought to herself that if there was any response, then with that person’s reliability, she would definitely receive the reward she deserved.

And judging by Xiao Shou’s current state, he seemed to be doing quite well.

So there must have been other variables at play.

A subtle glint passed through Yu Lin’s eyes, but her expression remained unchanged as she continued, "Junior Sister Xiao and the two Daoist friends from the Gou family arrived earlier than us. Because of the special properties of these stone beasts, they could only defend at first. It was only after we arrived that we discovered that only sword cultivators’ sword energy could break through their defenses."

At the side, Gou Yumeng looked at Xiao Ran gently and added, "Xiao Ran is proficient in both alchemy and artifact refining. She discovered something within the remains of the stone beasts. Their stone cores resemble a lost ancient top-grade material known as Windwheel Dandelion. After some testing, we confirmed that they are indeed Windwheel Dandelion, though their effects are even stronger than recorded. And with the black fog moths dominating the sky above, there is no path upward."

He paused slightly before continuing, "So the only option is to forcefully carve a path through this canyon and search for an exit."

Gou Yutong continued, "We accidentally fell into a forest of giant stones before this. There were also large stone beasts there, but their defenses were not as extreme as the ones here. After killing them, we were suddenly teleported to this place. Given the unique environment, we suspect this is a secret realm. My brother and I performed a divination, and the result indicated entrapment. It should take about half a month more before we can escape. It also hinted at a reunion with old acquaintances."

As he spoke, he glanced meaningfully at Yu Lin and Xiao Shou, while withholding the more complex details of the divination, such as old acquaintances being enemies rather than friends or kin who were neither friend nor foe.

Beside him, Xiao Ran maintained her cold expression, but a trace of warmth appeared in her eyes as she looked at the Gou brothers.

However, when her gaze brushed past Chi Jia, a flash of hatred and killing intent flickered briefly before returning to indifference.

In a frosty tone, she said, "Enough idle talk. The formation disk is about to fail. Teleportation talismans and earth escape talismans cannot be used here. I suspect the space itself is locked. Xiao Shou, do you have a way to leave this place?"

Xiao Shou shook his head slightly.

"The people who entered with me might have a way. If it’s just me alone..."

As he spoke, his attention shifted with interest toward the glowing objects on the ground.

With a casual gesture, he collected more than a dozen of them, leaving one in his palm to examine closely.

It was about the size of a small dish and it shimmered with spiritual light.

He casually tossed it twice, then stored it in his storage bag before saying, "So this is Windwheel Dandelion? I’ve heard that Windwheel Dandelion is a top-grade material for refining body tempering pills. In artifact refining, it also greatly improves the fusion of conflicting materials. Something this useful would be a shame to miss. There’s no rush to find a way out. I want to collect more of these first."

Windwheel Dandelion did indeed appear in the original story, but only in the Spirit Realms.

Its effects were exactly as he described.

It was a top-grade material for body tempering and for merging conflicting attributes.

Unlike demonic beast cores, which enhanced the body in all aspects, Windwheel Dandelion specifically strengthened the resistance of a cultivator’s bones and muscles.

The original story mentioned that body tempering pills made from hundred year Windwheel Dandelion could raise a cultivator’s body to the hardness of a magical artifact.

That was comparable to beginner body cultivators.

Using thousand year Windwheel Dandelion could elevate the body to the level of a treasure artifact, and ten thousand year Windwheel Dandelion could raise it to the level of a magical treasure.

However, ten thousand years was the maximum age for Windwheel Dandelion.

Anything beyond that did not exist.

Moreover, the original story never explained where Windwheel Dandelion came from.

It was only mentioned that after Xiao Ran reached the higher realms, she learned that the stronger one’s physique, the higher the success rate of tribulation crossing and ascension.

She then commissioned a branch manager of the Nine Treasure Pavilion to acquire it for early stage body tempering.