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

He walked silently through the corners of the hall, head down, carrying an oil jug, his eyes occasionally glancing at the old monk in the main seat.

Elder Jinchi, draped in a brocade robe that shimmered with rosy light, sat upright on a lotus platform, chanting incantations.

Although he claimed to be 270 years old, he had a ruddy complexion and a booming voice, showing no signs of old age. Only his eyes, half-open and half-closed, occasionally flashed a shrewdness and greed that was incompatible with the compassionate Buddhist teachings.

Beside him, several young monks presented several robes on trays, all woven with gold thread and inlaid with jewels, exceptionally beautiful.

During a break in the Dharma assembly, Elder Jinchi picked up a robe and examined it closely, stroking the gemstones on it. A trace of melancholy and sigh appeared on his face: "Alas, I have lived foolishly for two hundred and seventy years, searching the world for Dharma robes, yet in the end, not a single one can be called a treasure to be passed down through generations..."

His voice wasn't loud, but it reached Fan Yuan's ears clearly.

Fan Yuan sneered inwardly. This old demon monk's greed had penetrated to the bone and was beyond redemption. No wonder he would be so eager to kill Tang Sanzang when he saw the brocade cassock bestowed upon him by the Buddha.

This seemingly peaceful Guanyin Temple is actually a volcano about to erupt, and he, a cultivator who has just entered the Qi Refining stage, is caught in the middle. If he is not careful, he will be doomed.

Fan Yuan's sense of crisis intensified. After adding the last bit of oil to the lamp, he picked up the empty pot and silently left the main hall.

For the next few days, Fan Yuan remained completely silent, showing no sign of anything amiss.

He devoted himself entirely to refining the nascent spiritual energy within his dantian, allowing it to flow continuously through his meridians, and his cultivation gradually became more stable.

On the other side, the refugee clone had also completed its initial mission, and now knew every corner and every storeroom of Guanyin Temple by heart.

Fan Yuan knew that the pilgrims were already on their way, and that grand opportunity known as the tribulation was about to begin.

He slowly exhaled a breath of stale air, condensing his essence, energy, and spirit to their peak, making thorough preparations for this.

Several days later, the bell tolled loudly outside the gate of Guanyin Temple.

Elder Jinchi led all the monks of the temple in a procession to welcome them, a grander occasion than when receiving ordinary pilgrims.

Fan Yuan mingled at the end of the procession of hundreds of monks, his head bowed and eyes downcast, like an insignificant speck of dust. He knew that the main figure had arrived.

At the end of the mountain path, a group of figures slowly appeared.

The leader was a monk riding a magnificent white horse. The monk had a handsome face, red lips and white teeth, and wore a spotless white robe. He had a dignified and solemn appearance.

Fan Yuan activated his spiritual eyes and looked over, only to see that the person had no magical power fluctuations around him and was no different from an ordinary person. However, three feet above his head, there was a layer of faint golden Buddhist aura that was peaceful and heavy, keeping all external evils out.

"Six Ding and Six Jia, Five Directions Jiedi..." Fan Yuan murmured to himself, instantly realizing that this holy monk from the East, seemingly powerless, was actually the most untouchable being on this journey.

His gaze then shifted to the pilgrim behind the monk.

With just one glance, Fan Yuan felt as if his soul had been pierced by needles. A sense of dread, originating from the deepest level of his life, almost made him lose control of the spiritual energy within his body.

That was definitely not the handsome Monkey King depicted in later operas.

He was less than four feet tall, covered in hair, with a sunken, crooked face, a protruding mouth like a thunder god's mouth, two fangs bared out of his lips, and a pair of fiery eyes that occasionally flashed with a terrifying golden light, as if they could see through people's hearts.

He wore a worn tiger-skin skirt and carried an iron bar. As he walked, an aura of lawlessness and ferocity emanated from him, making the surrounding air heavy.

This is no pilgrim enlightened by Guanyin; he is clearly a peerless ferocious monkey who emerged from the ancient wilderness!

Fan Yuan only dared to glance at it quickly out of the corner of his eye before immediately lowering his head and not daring to look again. The mere existence of that aura, which naturally emanated pressure, had already made this Qi Refining stage cultivator tremble with fear.

"Taiyi Golden Immortal... or even higher!" He was shocked. This was the Great Sage Equaling Heaven who had transcended the Three Realms and the Five Elements and caused havoc in the Heavenly Palace!

"Amitabha Buddha, this humble monk comes from the Great Tang Dynasty in the East, on his way to the Western Paradise to worship Buddha and seek scriptures. I have come to pay my respects to the elder on my way to Baoshan." Tang Sanzang dismounted, put his hands together in prayer, and performed all the proper courtesies.

Abbot Jinchi's face was beaming with a warm smile as he quickly stepped forward to help Tang Sanzang: "Holy Monk, you must be tired from your journey! Please come in quickly; our temple has already prepared a vegetarian meal to welcome you and wash away the dust of your travels!"

A hypocritical exchange ensued. Elder Jinchi boasted about the temple's flourishing incense offerings, Tang Sanzang expressed his gratitude for the Buddha's compassion, while Sun Wukong looked around, scratching his head and ears, his eyes revealing an undisguised contempt for the bustling scene.

As night fell, the abbot's room was brightly lit.

At the banquet, the table was laden with delicacies, all of them rare and exquisite, rather than simple vegetarian meals.

Fan Yuan's main body is still hidden in the cellar, while his refugee clone took the opportunity a few days ago to infiltrate the ranks of the temple's servants. At this moment, he is assigned to serve tea and water on the periphery of the banquet, thus gaining a clear view of everything inside.

After several rounds of drinks and dishes, Elder Jinchi could no longer contain his desire to show off. He clapped his hands and ordered people to bring out twelve huge red lacquered wooden cabinets, which were then lined up in a row.

"Holy Monk, I have lived for 270 years with no other hobbies but to collect all kinds of robes from all over the world. Now that I have met you, Holy Monk, it is as if I have met a kindred spirit. I would like to ask you to appraise a few of them."

When the cabinet door was opened, the room was filled with glittering jewels. The cabinet was filled with all kinds of kasayas, some woven with gold thread and some inlaid with jewels, each of which was very valuable.

Tang Sanzang simply clasped his hands in a gesture of goodwill, but Sun Wukong grew impatient and sneered, "They're all just for show, what's so interesting about them? My master has one too, let me show it to you, old monk!"

As he spoke, ignoring Tang Sanzang's attempts to stop him, he took out the brocade cassock bestowed by Buddha from his bundle and casually shook it!

hum!

In an instant, the entire abbot's room seemed to be lit up.

The room was filled with a radiant red light, auspicious energy, and a wonderful fragrance. Rays of seven-colored light rose from the robe, making all the gold, silver, and jewels in the room pale in comparison.

Elder Jinchi's breath caught in his throat at that moment.

He stared blankly at the robe, his eyes wide open, the color draining from his face and then flushing red. He reached out, wanting to touch it, but dared not, his body trembling slightly with extreme excitement.

"A treasure...this is the true Buddhist treasure..."

He muttered to himself, two streams of tears rolling down his cheeks, his voice choked with emotion, "I've truly lived two hundred and seventy years in vain! I have a cabinet full of mundane things, yet I never knew such a divine object existed in this world!"

Seeing his expression, Sun Wukong became even more smug and boasted about the origin of the cassock.

Upon hearing this, Elder Jinchi was even more anxious. He knelt down with a thud, grabbed Tang Sanzang's leg, and pleaded tearfully, "Holy Monk, this old monk has no other request but to borrow this precious cassock to admire for one night, just one night! Tomorrow morning, I will surely return it intact!"