Journey to the West: A clone sacrifices to the heavens, possessing boundless magical power.

In the woods, Fan Yuan's brow furrowed slightly.

The destruction of his clone did not cause him any real harm, but through this brief exchange, he had completely pinpointed the location of the badger demon and gained a clear understanding of its strength and speed.

"At the late stage of Qi Refining, one possesses considerable strength and extremely high speed, but lacks intelligence and fights entirely based on instinct."

Fan Yuan quickly made an assessment in his mind.

This badger demon's cultivation level was comparable to his own. In the past, he would have chosen to avoid its sharp edge, but now, he felt a strong fighting spirit.

Having emerged from seclusion, he needed a suitable opponent to test his strength.

He no longer concealed his presence.

Like a ghost, he silently traversed the woods and arrived outside the badger demon's cave.

At that moment, the badger demon, having successfully landed its blow, triumphantly landed at the cave entrance, raising its head and letting out a series of victorious roars, proclaiming its power.

It's now!

Amidst the badger demon's roar, Fan Yuan's figure suddenly sprang up from the shadows beside him!

He compressed all his spiritual energy and blood energy into his right fist within a short step, following the method of the first level of the "Crushing Mountain Force"!

hum!

A muffled hum reverberated through the air.

Fan Yuan's fist seemed to weigh a thousand pounds in an instant, and the air in front of his fist visibly distorted.

A terrifying will that could shatter mountains and destroy everything locked onto the badger demon that was still roaring triumphantly.

The badger's fur stood on end instantly!

A death-ordained fear, stemming from instinct, brought its roar to an abrupt halt. It tried to dodge, but the terrifying force of the fist had completely locked onto it, making its movements incredibly sluggish.

It could only watch helplessly as that seemingly ordinary fist rapidly magnified in its pupils.

"Bang!!!"

A muffled thud, like a heavy hammer smashing a watermelon.

Fan Yuan's fist slammed solidly into the badger demon's head.

The badger demon's massive body shuddered violently, the fierce light in its eyes froze instantly, and then it collapsed to the ground like a limp rag.

Its entire head was deeply sunken, the skull was completely shattered, and red and white substances slowly flowed out from its seven orifices.

One fatal blow!

Fan Yuan slowly withdrew his fist, a slight tingling and numbness coming from his right arm. Nearly half of his spiritual power had been exhausted in that punch.

He looked at the warm corpse of the badger demon on the ground, and felt a sense of calm.

This was the first time he had killed a monster of similar strength in his true form. He felt neither excitement nor discomfort as he had imagined; instead, he had a direct understanding of his own power.

The power of the Mountain-Crushing Force was even greater than he had anticipated, but its consumption was equally enormous, so this move should not be used lightly.

He calmed his mind and looked inward at the [Primordial Myriad Forms Mirror] in his sea of ​​consciousness.

As expected, the settlement feedback provided was barely anything.

Fan Yuan understood that the feedback from the [Primordial Myriad Appearances Mirror] was closely related to the quality of the clone's death. A clone that was easily killed by a low-level monster could no longer provide him with any valuable gains.

To achieve true growth, the clone must challenge more powerful beings and experience more dangerous deaths.

He stopped thinking about it and stepped forward to begin dealing with the badger demon's corpse.

Although this badger demon is not a strange species, its fur and bones are excellent materials for refining weapons, especially its relatively intact demon core, which contains the essence of its cultivation.

A moment later, Fan Yuan stripped off all the valuable parts and put them into a tattered cloth bag he always carried with him.

He glanced at his storage bag, which was stuffed full of five jars of monkey wine, and shook his head helplessly.

The storage bag is too small and inconvenient. Now, the materials for the badger demon can only be carried in a cloth bag, which is not only cumbersome, but also the bloody smell can easily attract unnecessary trouble.

"It seems I need to find a place as soon as possible to sell these unused materials and get a bigger storage bag."

This land has cities and towns for mortals, so naturally there should also be markets and towns for cultivators.

Fan Yuan, carrying the cloth bag containing the materials for the badger demon, did not leave immediately, but turned around and walked back to the desolate, deserted village.

He wasn't some compassionate saint, but looking at the scattered, broken bones, he couldn't help but feel a pang of pity. More importantly, he had a vague idea in his mind that he wanted to verify.

He collected all the skeletons he could find in the village and piled them up in the open space in front of the ancestral hall. He then gathered some dry branches and firewood and set them on fire.

A raging fire rose up and engulfed the broken bones.

Fan Yuan stood before the fire, watching the flickering flames with a solemn expression. He recalled the passages of scripture that Elder Jinchi had recited during a ritual at the Guanyin Temple.

He slowly closed his eyes, trying to mobilize the spiritual energy within his body, and began to chant in a low, awkward voice.

"...I take refuge in the Buddha, Namo...who delivers all from suffering...Shariputra, form is not different from emptiness..."

He was reciting the fragment of the Rebirth Mantra that he had heard from Elder Jinchi. His voice was dry and raspy, and his spiritual energy flowed intermittently and without any discernible pattern.

However, just as he finished reciting the last syllable, Fan Yuan clearly felt that the lingering gloom around the ancestral hall seemed to have been gently dissipated by a warm breeze.

Immediately afterwards, from the depths of the void, a faint yet incredibly pure aura descended from the void and gently brushed against his soul.

In that instant, Fan Yuan felt a sudden clarity in his soul, as if a layer of invisible dust had been washed away. His previously restless thoughts, caused by cultivation and killing, became more open and peaceful than ever before.

"This...is this what merit is?"

Fan Yuan suddenly opened his eyes, savoring the fleeting feeling of comfort in his soul.

Although it was insignificant and couldn't even directly improve his cultivation, the feeling was real and undeniable.

In this Journey to the West world where gods and Buddhas manifest their power, karma and merit may be just as important as magical power.

Fan Yuan kept this feeling firmly in his heart. He bowed slightly to the gradually dying campfire before turning and leaving.

Half a month later, beside an official road leading to Tibet.

Along the dusty roadside, a simple tea stall stood. Fan Yuan, carrying a bag and covered in dust, disguised himself as a traveling physician and sat down in a corner of the tea stall, ordering a bowl of coarse tea.

His purpose in coming here was not really to rest, but to gather information.

Tea stalls are a gathering place for all sorts of people, making them the most well-informed places.

He sipped his tea slowly while listening to the idle chatter of several men who looked like merchants at the next table.

"Have you heard? Something truly extraordinary has happened in Gao Village at the foot of Fuling Mountain recently!" A merchant with a full beard said in a low voice, sounding mysterious.

"Oh? Manager Wang, tell us quickly, what strange news is there?" His companion was immediately intrigued.

Shopkeeper Wang took a sip of tea to moisten his throat before continuing, "You all know Old Master Gao of Gao Village. He's incredibly wealthy, but he has no sons, only a beloved daughter named Cuilan. Three years ago, his family took in a son-in-law who moved in with them..."