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

After leaving Futu Mountain, Fan Yuan headed west, enduring wind and rain, hiding his figure in the mountains and forests, his aura as restrained as a stubborn rock, avoiding any official roads and villages that might attract attention.

On this day, he stood atop a desolate mountain, gazing into the distance.

The world ahead has changed color.

As far as the eye could see, a dim yellow hue enveloped the earth, as if the sky had been torn open, pouring down endless yellow sand.

Even though they were still a hundred miles apart, the faint howling of the wind still made the air tremble, filled with a dry, piercing, and chilling aura.

"This is it, Huangfeng Ridge," Fan Yuan murmured to himself, his eyes calm and undisturbed.

Having entered the Dao through the power of Black Wind Mountain and glimpsed a trace of the Heavenly Dipper Transformation in Gao Village, he has now reached the pinnacle of Qi Refining and is only one step away from Refining the Spirit.

However, this step is also an insurmountable barrier; without the right opportunity, it is common to be stuck in a rut for decades.

The opportunity in Huangfeng Ridge is the Samadhi Divine Wind, which even the Monkey King is helpless against!

This wind is neither ordinary fire nor ordinary wind; it is the convergence of a malevolent metal energy between heaven and earth and a yin wind from the earth. It was cultivated by the yellow-haired weasel spirit after it stole lamp oil from Mount Ling and refined itself into this innate divine power.

This wind can scatter the soul and diminish spiritual energy; it is truly domineering.

Ordinary cultivators would avoid it like the plague, but in Fan Yuan's eyes, this supernatural power itself was an unparalleled treasure containing the laws of the Great Dao.

What he sought was neither to fight the Yellow Wind Monster nor to interfere with the karma of the pilgrims, but to analyze the original Daoist essence of the divine wind amidst this turmoil, integrate it into himself, and make it his own.

He sat cross-legged, palms facing upwards, and a wisp of pure divine consciousness was mobilized, silently extending forward.

However, just as Fan Yuan's divine sense touched the outer edge of that dim world and came into contact with a trace of aura emanating from the wind wall, a sharp, needle-like pain suddenly came!

Fan Yuan grunted, his face turning slightly pale, and decisively severed that wisp of divine consciousness.

In his sea of ​​consciousness, he could clearly see that the wisp of abandoned divine consciousness, upon contact with the yellow wind, melted and dried up rapidly like ice and snow under the scorching sun, and was eventually completely obliterated, leaving not even a trace.

"That's amazing!" Fan Yuan opened his eyes, a hint of horror flashing in them, but even more so, a burning desire.

The mere aura emanating from the periphery possessed such power; he had no doubt that if his true form were to rashly intrude, it would likely not last more than ten breaths before its flesh and bones were dissolved, its soul scattered, and it would be reduced to a wisp of dust in the world.

"As expected of the Samadhi Divine Wind that can even blind that monkey, it contains a divine power that can erode spiritual energy and erode the soul. Such power has probably already surpassed the threshold of the Dao."

He felt a chill in his heart. Such a dangerous place must not be entered lightly by the main body. The task of exploration and infiltration must be, and can only be, entrusted to the clone.

Even if the clone perishes, it is only a loss of some essence and spiritual materials to him. But if he can decipher a trace of the mystery of the divine wind in the moment before its destruction, that would be an immense fortune!

Having made up his mind, Fan Yuan stopped there. He turned around and began to search for a safe and secluded place to stay along the outer mountain range of Huangfeng Ridge.

Thus, after spending a full day and night, Fan Yuan walked almost a semicircle around the outer edge of Huangfeng Ridge, and finally found an ideal place deep in a deserted valley with a sheer cliff behind it.

This is a natural cave hidden by dense ancient vines and jagged rocks. The entrance is only about the height of a person. If he hadn't been so perceptive that he noticed a faint flow of water vapor, he would have easily missed it.

Fan Yuan first observed outside the valley for half an hour, confirming that there was no residual demonic energy or traces of powerful creatures. Then, he carefully parted the vines and slipped inside.

The cave is a hidden world, deep and dry, with water seeping from the rock walls in a corner, forming a small, crystal-clear pool. The air is circulating and there is no foul smell.

"This is it." Fan Yuan nodded in satisfaction.

He took out several items from the storage bag at his waist. These were all items he had scavenged from the Black Bear Spirit's cave in Black Wind Mountain. Although they were not rare treasures, they could come in handy now.

He first took a few low-grade spirit stones and, following the method recorded in a tattered array diagram, buried them at several key points around the cave entrance.

Then, using his own spiritual power as a guide, he mobilized the faint energy within the spirit stone, connecting it with the surrounding rocks and vines to create a very rudimentary illusion.

This method has no defensive capabilities, but it can distort light and shadow, making the cave entrance blend perfectly with the surrounding rock walls. Even if a cultivator passes by, they will find it difficult to detect anything unless they carefully use their divine sense to investigate.

After doing all this, he then pulled a few barely perceptible strands of spiritual energy from the most hidden vines at the cave entrance, tied the other end to a few withered leaves, and placed them beside him inside the cave.

This method, known as "wind blowing grass," involves the movement of withered leaves without wind once a living creature touches the vines. Although extremely rudimentary, it is an effective early warning system.

Only now did Fan Yuan finally feel at ease and sit cross-legged in the makeshift cave dwelling.

He took out two jars of wild fruit wine that he had occasionally obtained along the way, took a big gulp, and the spicy wine turned into a warm current that flowed into his limbs and bones, quickly soothing the fatigue from days of travel.

All is ready except for the opportunity.

Fan Yuan closed his eyes slightly, his mind sank into his sea of ​​consciousness, and began to communicate with the ancient and precious mirror.

"Buzz!"

A soft hum resonated through the soul, and the [Primordial Myriad Forms Mirror] emerged from the depths of the sea of ​​consciousness, its ancient surface radiating a natural Daoist aura.

The Primordial Image

[Host: Fan Yuan]

[Cultivation Level: Qi Refining Perfected]

[Exercise Method: Qi-Guiding Technique]

[Supernatural Power (Prototype): Second Level of "Mountain Collapse Force"]

Lifespan: 50 years remaining

Without the slightest hesitation, Fan Yuan sent out several items from his storage bag with a thought, which then hovered in front of him.

Leading the group were several pieces of grayish-white animal bones, still faintly imbued with demonic energy. These were the remains of a few low-level demonic beasts he had casually killed along the way.

He extended his index finger, forcing out a drop of his essence blood to merge into it, and then his gaze fell on the last item, a jar of monkey wine with only a little left.

After a moment's thought, he resolutely poured out the entire half-jar of amber-colored wine.

The wine did not fall to the ground, but was drawn together by an invisible force, merging with the beast bones and essence blood into a single mass, which was then completely swallowed up by the [Primordial Myriad Appearances Mirror].

"Fortune favors the bold, and the same applies to investing. A stronger avatar means a higher survival rate and the possibility of seizing greater profits during a crisis."

Fan Yuan's mind was clear. He knew that Huangfeng Ridge was not like Heifeng Mountain. Huangfeng Monster was powerful and his Tiger Vanguard was no ordinary man. If his clone was too weak, he would probably turn to ashes before he could even touch the cave entrance, which would be a waste of effort.

The mirror shone brightly, and after a moment, the light subsided, revealing a completely new body before Fan Yuan.