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

"When that monster first arrived, it was a fat, dark-skinned man. Later, it transformed into a long-snouted, big-eared fool with a mane of hair down its back. Its body was rough and frightening, and its head and face resembled a pig. It had a huge appetite, eating three to five dou of rice in one meal, and needing a hundred or so sesame cakes for breakfast..."

Sun Wukong chuckled, put down his teacup, scratched his ears and cheeks, and said, "Old man, don't be afraid. I've seen plenty of fools like this. Since he's already eaten your food, I'll teach him to show his true form tonight and break off this engagement."

Upon hearing this, Old Master Gao was overjoyed, but hesitated: "Elder, that monster is quite powerful. The sorcerer we invited the other day was so scared he wet his pants. Your disciple..."

"Old man, you don't know what's good for you!" Sun Wukong jumped off the chair, baring his teeth. "How could ordinary people know the methods of me? If you don't believe me, call a servant who has seen that monster, and I'll ask him if it's true."

Old Master Gao nodded hurriedly and called out towards the door, "Tie Niu! Tie Niu! Come in and give me an answer!"

Fan Yuan, who had been waiting outside the door, took a deep breath and controlled his clone, Tie Niu, to walk in with his head bowed.

This was the first time he had ever faced this legendary demon king so directly, and it would be a lie to say he wasn't nervous.

"This humble one, Tie Niu, greets the two elders and the great-grandfather." Tie Niu bowed respectfully, his voice rough yet trembling.

Sun Wukong's originally casual gaze suddenly sharpened the moment it swept over Tie Niu.

Within those fiery eyes, two golden vortexes of flame seemed to swirl, instantly piercing through the iron ox's skin and peering directly into its internal meridians and dantian.

Fan Yuan's heart leaped into his throat.

Allowing the clone to directly contact Sun Wukong is the most dangerous part, but it is also a hurdle that must be overcome. If one wants to seek opportunities on the journey to the West, it is inevitable that one will have to deal with the pilgrimage team.

If he couldn't hide it from Sun Wukong's fiery eyes, then all his subsequent plans would be nothing but a mirage, and he might as well find a secluded mountain forest to live out his remaining days.

Furthermore, Fan Yuan had absolute confidence in his [Primordial Myriad Appearances Mirror].

"what?"

Sun Wukong let out a soft exclamation, and in a flash, he appeared in front of Tie Niu, grabbing Tie Niu's wrist with his furry claws.

"You idiot, you actually have spiritual energy circulating within you? Are you a cultivator?"

Sun Wukong's voice was high-pitched and carried an undeniable sense of oppression.

Old Master Gao was startled and quickly explained, "Elder, this Iron Ox is a refugee from the north. They say he practiced martial arts for a few days and is very strong."

Tie Niu was also terrified and stammered, "Replying to the elder, I... when I was in my hometown, I found half a tattered book and practiced breathing exercises based on it for a few years... supposedly it could strengthen the body..."

Sun Wukong gripped Tie Niu's wrist and examined it for a moment. The golden light in his eyes gradually faded, and a disdainful sneer appeared on his face.

"Hey, I thought he was some kind of expert, but he's just a rogue cultivator who hasn't even stepped into the realm of cultivation. His meridians are blocked, and his spiritual energy is mixed. He's just a bit stronger than an ordinary person."

In his eyes, these low-level cultivators at the early stage of Qi Refining were no different from ants, posing no threat whatsoever, and not even worthy of his attention.

Fan Yuan breathed a sigh of relief.

"Alright, stop shaking." Sun Wukong jumped back onto the chair, crossed his legs, and said, "Tell me, what kind of fighting style did that monster use? What weapon did it employ?"

Tie Niu quickly put on an expression as if recalling something terrifying, and said in a trembling voice, "Elder... that monster... that monster was incredibly strong. When it got angry, it could push down the courtyard wall. It... it wielded a nine-toothed rake, which was accompanied by black winds when it was swung. It could also... it could turn stones into water..."

"Oh?" Sun Wukong's eyes lit up. "Master, this monster is interesting. It's not the kind of wild monster that only eats people. You stay at Grandpa's house and I'll go and meet him."

After saying that, he got up and walked towards the back of the house.

Fan Yuan knew that, according to the original plot, Sun Wukong couldn't find Zhu Bajie's trail, so he simply transformed into Gao Cuilan and waited for him to come to his door. However, now was the best time for him to take the initiative to intervene.

"Elder... Elder!" Tie Niu suddenly called out boldly.

Sun Wukong paused, turned around and glanced at him: "What? You idiot, is there something else?"

Tie Niu swallowed hard and pointed in the direction of Fuling Mountain, saying, "Elder, that monster usually lives in Yunzhan Cave on Fuling Mountain. I... I went to the mountain to chop firewood a few days ago and saw that cave from afar. If you... if you fight it in the village, I'm afraid it will damage the old man's house. Moreover, if the monster runs away when it sees that things are not going well, it will come back for revenge later..."

Upon hearing this, Sun Wukong's eyes darted around.

He initially intended to capture the man directly in the room, but upon further reflection, he realized that the farmer's words made some sense.

"You simpleton, you actually have some knowledge," Sun Wukong chuckled. "Fine, since you know the monster's lair, you lead the way, and I'll go raid his hideout!"

Upon hearing this, Old Man Gao quickly tried to dissuade him: "Elder, it's getting late, and the mountain path is difficult to traverse..."

"What's there to be afraid of!" Sun Wukong waved his hand. "With me here, I can go through mountains of knives and seas of fire. Iron Ox, you lead the way. If you're scared, I'll carry you away!"

"I...I'm not afraid!" Tie Niu puffed out his chest, looking ready to risk everything for his master. "As long as we can exorcise the demon, I'll lead the way!"

Fan Yuan sneered inwardly.

It became.

……

The night was as dark as ink, and a demonic aura permeated the Fuling Mountains.

Iron Ox carried a mountain-splitting axe on his back and walked along the rugged mountain path, while Sun Wukong carried the golden cudgel and leisurely followed behind, occasionally picking a wild fruit to take a bite.

Along the way, Fan Yuan used his clone to sense Sun Wukong's aura up close.

That was an extremely domineering force.

The tigers, leopards, wolves, and insects around them fell silent the moment they sensed this aura, not daring to even breathe loudly. This was the oppressive aura of a high-ranking demon king, the murderous energy that had been unleashed amidst mountains of corpses and seas of blood.

"You idiot, how much further?" Sun Wukong spat out the fruit pit in his mouth and asked casually.

"Reporting to the elder, once you cross that ridge ahead, you'll see a grove of withered pine trees; that's where Cloud Stack Cave is," Tie Niu said, pointing ahead.

Sun Wukong activated his Fiery Eyes of Truth and saw that demonic energy was rising into the sky ahead, with dark clouds looming over it.

"What a powerful demonic aura!" Sun Wukong sneered. "Alright, you mortal body, stay away and hide. If we start fighting later, I won't be able to help you."

"Yes, yes." Tie Niu quickly hid behind a huge blue stone, only peeking out half of his head.

Sun Wukong ignored him and went straight to the front of the Cloud Stack Cave. He raised his staff and smashed the cave entrance, which was covered by vines!