The pockmarked scars that once covered Huofeng’s face, making her look hideous and terrifying, were gone. Her skin was now as smooth and flawless as jade, not a trace of scarring remaining. Without the scars, Huofeng was not only not ugly, but startlingly beautiful; even Ji Changkong had to admit she was a true beauty.

It seemed she hadn't looked in a mirror for a long time. With the blemishes vanished from her face, she could barely contain her excitement, constantly gazing at her reflection, momentarily forgetting Ji Changkong was nearby.

Ji Changkong collected some river water. Seeing Huofeng still absorbed by her reflection, he couldn't help but ask, "Have you seen anyone else?"

Huofeng didn't turn around, meticulously parting the hair on her forehead to examine her scalp. She replied casually, "The first person I saw after waking was you. As for Xiaohan and Zou Tao and the others, I don't know where they are. We’ll search around a bit later and leave."

Huofeng appeared utterly impatient. In her eyes, only her appearance seemed important at the moment; she didn't even want to discuss serious matters.

Ji Changkong sighed, realizing she had no interest in continuing the conversation. He said nothing more, instead looking up at the sky, preparing to actively search for Xiaohan, Zou Tao, and their group.

"Stop searching. Xiaohan isn't in this valley. I separated from her when I came down. Based on the distance, she should be outside." Huofeng finally put the mirror away and looked him directly in the eye. "I was washed here by the river. If we follow the water downstream, we should be able to rejoin Xiaohan and the others." "Then what are we waiting for?" Ji Changkong asked.

Huofeng nodded, and wisps of faint smoke emanated from her body. Intense heat rose from within her, seemingly evaporating the dampness clinging to her in an instant.

Once the moisture was gone, Huofeng’s slender and graceful figure was once again fully enveloped by the loose, fiery red robe.

Having finished preparing, Huofeng turned and took the lead, twisting her body as she went. Ji Changkong followed behind her, his expression calm, uttering not a single word.

The two followed the river, heading straight out of the valley. Along the way, they frequently spotted members of the alien tribes. These people were all busy searching the area for strange flowers, exotic grasses, and peculiar stones, paying no attention to Huofeng and Ji Changkong.

Huofeng had no desire to cause trouble, quickly leading Ji Changkong out of the valley. After about half an hour, they finally exited the valley and entered the dense jungle.

The various shrubs and plants in the jungle towered five or six zhang high. People traveling on foot could not fly over these thickets; their line of sight was completely blocked, preventing them from seeing far ahead. Fortunately, the undergrowth along the riverbanks wasn't too thick, so the two continued to follow the river forward.

At first, the jungle was eerily quiet. After two hours, sounds of combat began to echo intermittently from the depths of the forest, accompanied by the shrill screams of people facing imminent death. The sounds were startling and made one want to flee far away.

Ji Changkong originally intended to investigate, but Huofeng stopped him. After following the river for five hours, Huofeng's brow suddenly twitched. She abruptly pulled a dark, ethereal ring from her bosom. "I've found Xiaohan." Huofeng suddenly plunged into the jungle.

Ji Changkong had known all along that she had a way to contact Xiaohan, otherwise, she wouldn't have been so certain. Seeing her disappear into the thicket, Ji Changkong did not hesitate and quickly followed.

Within a quarter of an hour, in a dense patch of jungle, he saw Xiaohan. Besides Xiaohan, there were also Zou Tao and Qiu Yun. The three of them seemed to be in poor condition. Xiaohan’s face was somewhat pale, Zou Tao’s chest was stained with blood, and Qiu Yun was gritting her teeth, cursing under her breath.

When Huofeng and Ji Changkong appeared, the eyes of the three lit up, looking like they had seen saviors. They became animated, especially Zou Tao, who secretly let out a sigh of relief. "It's good that you arrived."

"What happened?" Huofeng frowned. "Who attacked you?"

"It was a few from the Wood Clan—our old enemies. We unexpectedly ran into them in the jungle. We were outnumbered. After the fight, we were separated from Tianyue, Luomi, and Li Xing. It would have been much worse if you hadn't found us," Zou Tao explained to Huofeng.

His explanation was primarily for Huofeng’s benefit. In his view, Ji Changkong, being only at the Subtle Realm (Ruwei zhi jing), clearly couldn't offer much help. "Xiaohan, are you alright?" Ji Changkong didn't mind, walking over to Xiaohan’s side and asking casually.

"Can you summon your White Bone Skeleton (Baigu Skull) out now?" As Xiaohan sat up, she gripped two pieces of icy, lustrous stone that emitted faint traces of cold air. It seemed she had been using these stones to cultivate. "It's no use. The White Bone Skeleton is suppressed by the power here; it’s difficult to summon it with just my mind." Ji Changkong shook his head.

Xiaohan was clearly disappointed but immediately asked, "Then, what about the Flame Thunder Holy Fire (Yanlei Sheng Huo)? Is it also restricted by this place?"

"That isn't affected."

"Wonderful!" Xiaohan’s spirits lifted. She raised the two stones in her hands. "Help me melt these two stones down." "Melt them? Are you sure?" "Absolutely!" Xiaohan pulled out her Ice Blade (Bing Ling Jian) and instantly became excited. "If these two Snow Ice Rocks (Xuebing Yan) melt into my Ice Blade, its cold aura will become far stronger. It will definitely allow us to strike the Wood Clan members much harder!"

Zou Tao and Qiu Yun were stunned by Xiaohan's words, both looking at Ji Changkong strangely, curious about what role he could possibly play at this moment.

"Very well," Ji Changkong nodded. He took the two Snow Ice Rocks from Xiaohan’s hands and immediately sensed streams of icy cold energy leaking into his palms. Wherever the cold air touched, his already blocked meridians froze solid.

Secretly astonished, he quickly calmed his spirit and controlled the "Flame Thunder Holy Fire" within his body. Fortunately, the Holy Fire was deeply hidden within him and possessed some sentience; it didn't need to flow through the meridians. Following his blood vessels and joints, a stream of the Holy Fire suddenly manifested in his palm.

Once the flame, only as thick as a thumb, appeared in his palm, it looked like hundreds of hair-thin lightning strands twisting and coiling together, emitting faint sparks and dancing with nimble flames. The flames behaved like tiny sprites and immediately flew onto the Snow Ice Rocks.

The extremely cold Snow Ice Rocks, under the influence of the incredibly agile flames, cracked open like petals of snow, and streams of crystalline liquid flowed down between his fingers.

Xiaohan’s face brightened, and she quickly handed over the Ice Blade, collecting the shimmering liquid that trickled from his fingers.

Strangely, as soon as a single drop of the crystalline liquid touched the Ice Blade, it vanished completely into it, like water dissolving into the ocean.

However, the cold energy within the Ice Blade rapidly multiplied and spread, giving off an increasingly chilling sensation.

The paleness on Xiaohan's face gradually changed, becoming icy and lustrous like jade. Though still white, it was a healthy sheen, giving the impression of vibrant life.

As the two Snow Ice Rocks melted, the cold in the Ice Blade intensified. Without Xiaohan channeling her essence (Jingyuan), the blade became shrouded in a thick layer of frost. The tip of the sword seemed to fluctuate with a faint cold light, like a tiny ice snake flexibly peeking out. "Hah!" Xiaohan took a deep breath and said with satisfaction, "It was worth all the trouble I took to bring you here!"

During this entire process, Zou Tao and Qiu Yun were mesmerized, looking on in amazement for reasons unknown to anyone else.

When Xiaohan finished, Zou Tao and Qiu Yun approached with shining eyes, each holding a strange stone, looking expectantly at Ji Changkong. They mumbled, "Friend, this... can you do it? Can you?"

"What?" Ji Changkong asked, surprised.

"Can you smelt our stones too?" Zou Tao asked with a dry laugh.

"I collected a Spirit Void Fruit (Lingxu Guo). As long as you help me smelt this Sharp Gold Crystal (Ruijin Jing), the Spirit Void Fruit is yours!" Qiu Yun hesitated, then suddenly bit her lip and produced a bright crimson exotic fruit, pushing it directly under Ji Changkong's nose.

As the bright crimson fruit was presented, a soul-refreshing fragrance immediately permeated the air. However, the Spirit Void Fruit's appearance was rather unpleasant. Ji Changkong glanced at it and frowned; it looked like human brain marrow, soft and unsettlingly fragile.

"Ji Changkong, take it," Xiaohan tugged at the corner of her mouth and explained, "The Spirit Void Fruit is very useful to you. It's perfect for you at the Subtle Realm; it can reduce future bottlenecks when you break through. One Spirit Void Fruit can greatly increase your chances of reaching the Nirvana Shattering Realm (Niechan zhi jing) and even allow your divine sense perception (Shenhun ganying li) here to recover slightly."

As soon as Xiaohan said this, Ji Changkong became energized. He no longer found the brain-marrow-like Spirit Void Fruit terrifying. He smiled, took it, and immediately began melting the Sharp Gold Crystal for Qiu Yun.

Zou Tao hesitated, then hardened his resolve. "Little brother, I also have a Blood Essence Stone (Xuejing Shi). This thing is extremely useful for condensing blood. If your vital blood essence (Jingxue) runs out, this Blood Essence Stone is enough to restore all of it. As you know, essence energy (Jingyuan) cannot be used here, and once vital blood essence is exhausted, it's gone forever, right?"

"That’s also a good thing," Xiaohan nodded again.

Ji Changkong felt dizzy, unsure what these people were planning. He glanced at Xiaohan and accepted the Blood Essence Stone, thinking that if its effect was truly that powerful, it was quite precious. "What exactly is going on?" After taking the stone, he couldn't help but ask.

"Here, although essence energy and divine sense are restricted, the physical body and weapons are not. But the exotic flowers, fruits, and ores here can improve the body and weapons, and this improvement will not disappear when we leave the Life Magnetic Pool," Zou Tao said with a pleased smile. "In other words, the benefits we gain here are permanent. Even when we eventually leave this place, this star, the benefits we gained will remain!"