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

Xiniu Hezhou is a vast territory, teeming with demons and monsters.

Fan Yuan stood on a desolate mound, dressed in a drab gray Taoist robe, unremarkable. Beside him stood a tall, stern-faced young man with a restrained aura; this was his clone, Shen Feng.

Both of them turned their gazes toward the distant forest.

There, amidst the rising clouds and auspicious wisps of mist, a magnificent manor could be vaguely seen nestled on the mountainside. With its green bricks and blue tiles, painted beams and carved pillars, it seemed out of place in this desolate wilderness, yet it exuded an indescribable sense of peace.

If an ordinary wandering cultivator were to pass by, they would surely think they had stumbled upon some paradise or the residence of a great philanthropist, and would be tempted to try their luck and see if they could obtain some opportunity.

But in Fan Yuan's eyes, there was only coldness and apprehension.

He knew where he was.

Based on the timeline, the four members of the pilgrimage group have taken in Sha Wujing, crossed the Flowing Sand River, and are now at this point.

That manor was specially transformed by the Old Mother of Lishan, along with the three Bodhisattvas Guanyin, Manjushri, and Samantabhadra, who descended to the mortal world to test the Zen minds of Tang Sanzang and his disciples.

This is a team-building extravaganza specifically staged for all the gods and Buddhas in the heavens.

"The stage of the mighty, a forbidden zone for mortals."

Fan Yuan muttered to himself.

Four powerful figures are here to set up a trap and enforce the law; how could a mere rogue cultivator possibly be able to see through their scheme?

If he were to be swept into this massive vortex of cause and effect, his small body would be reduced to dust in an instant, without even the right to enter the cycle of reincarnation.

Pigsy, with his thick skin and flesh, and being the reincarnation of Marshal Tianpeng, naturally had good fortune protecting him. Being hung from a tree and exposed to the cold wind all night was fine.

"Walk."

Fan Yuan withdrew his gaze, his heart devoid of any greed.

He turned around and walked towards the foothills of Longevity Hill.

Shen Feng followed closely behind without saying a word.

Fan Yuan has been in this world for several months and knows the cruelty of this Journey to the West world. This is not a heartwarming fairy tale, but a world that values ​​background, connections, and strength.

Monsters without a powerful background or magical treasures usually meet Sun Wukong in a quick battle, ending up in a miserable state. Monsters with powerful backgrounds, on the other hand, can fight the Great Sage for hundreds of rounds without a clear winner.

Since this road is blocked, we'll take a detour.

Longevity Mountain is the location of Wuzhuang Temple, the Daoist temple of Zhen Yuanzi, the ancestor of earth immortals. Zhen Yuanzi has a transcendent status. Although there are rules around his Daoist temple, as long as one does not trespass into the core area, it is relatively safer than this stage where Buddhist masters gather.

The two traveled quickly, choosing only deserted paths.

Fan Yuan channeled his spiritual energy under his feet, shrinking the distance between them. Although it wasn't as flamboyant as riding the clouds, it was still quite fast.

After walking for about half a day, the terrain gradually rose, and the surrounding vegetation became increasingly sparse.

A forest of withered pines appeared ahead, and Fan Yuan suddenly stopped in his tracks.

Ahead, there is a fluctuation of spiritual energy.

Moreover, it was extremely violent, accompanied by the sound of metal clashing and the dying screams of the cultivators.

After only a few dozen feet, the scene ahead came into view.

This was a one-sided massacre.

On the open ground, several corpses lay scattered about; only a few people survived.

Surrounded in the middle were two cultivators, a man and a woman, both covered in wounds and with tattered robes, barely able to support themselves back to back.

The male cultivator was already at his limit, and the magic weapon in his hand was dull and lifeless. The female cultivator was only at the late stage of Qi Refining, her face was pale, and her eyes were full of despair.

They were surrounded by three cultivators dressed in black robes.

On the black robe, a dark red "煞" (sha) character was embroidered.

This is a group of rogue cultivators active on the edge of Xiniu Hezhou. They are ruthless and specialize in intercepting and killing lone cultivators to plunder resources for their own cultivation. They are notorious in the rogue cultivator community.

Among the three, the leader, a man in black robes, was burly and exuded a chilling aura. His cultivation had clearly reached the mid-stage of the Refining Spirit realm.

The other two, a man and a woman, judging from their positions and coordination, should be a Daoist couple, both at the early stage of the Refining Spirit realm.

"Hand over the storage bag, and we'll give you a quick death."

The leader of the Black Fiend Alliance cultivators was toying with a short, jet-black halberd in his hand.

The surrounded male cultivator gave a bitter laugh, spitting out a mouthful of blood: "Giving it to them is the same as dying. Do they really think we don't know the Black Fiend Alliance's modus operandi? Killing to silence witnesses, eliminating all traces!"

"He's a sensible person, though."

The black-robed leader sneered, said no more, and swung his short halberd fiercely.

A streak of black light flashed out, heading straight for the male cultivator's face.

The male cultivator roared, squeezing out the last bit of spiritual power from his body, and summoned a broken bronze mirror in an attempt to defend himself.

"clang!"

A crisp sound.

The bronze mirror shattered instantly.

The dark light continued its relentless advance, piercing straight through the male cultivator's brow.

The male cultivator's eyes widened as his body was shredded by the murderous aura emanating from the short halberd.

"Senior brother!"

The remaining late-stage Qi Refining female cultivator let out a mournful cry, her body trembling.

"now you."

The Black Fiend Alliance couple exchanged a glance, a hint of mockery and cruelty flashing in their eyes.

The female cultivator was only at the Qi Refining stage. In front of a cultivator at the Spirit Refining stage, she was like an ant. She held a low-level flying sword in her hand and stared intently at the three approaching people.

The black-robed leader did not make a move. Such ants were not worth his magical artifacts. He simply stood with his hands behind his back, coldly scanning his surroundings, as if he were on guard against any hidden predators.

The female cultivator in the couple chuckled, and a crimson whip appeared in her hand, which she swiftly wrapped around the neck of the surviving female cultivator.

"Snapped!"

The female cultivator desperately swung her sword to block.

But the gap in strength is simply too great.

The whip easily knocked the flying sword out of her hand, and with its remaining force, it lashed hard at her shoulder.

"what!"

The female cultivator screamed as she was sent flying, crashing heavily into a pine tree before rolling to the ground. Half of her body was instantly stained with blood, and she could no longer get up.

The black-robed male cultivator stepped forward with a sinister grin, condensing a ball of eerie green ghost fire in his palm, clearly intending to refine it.

Fan Yuan frowned slightly. This withered pine forest was the only way to bypass Wanshou Mountain. If they wanted to go around it again, they would have to travel hundreds of miles more, and might even have to pass through several powerful demon territories, which would be even more dangerous.

From the brief conversation across from him, he also roughly figured out the black-robed man's background. The leader was at the mid-stage of the Refining Spirit realm, while the other couple was at the early stage of the Refining Spirit realm. After a moment's thought, Fan Yuan and his clone Shen Feng instantly concealed their auras and hid behind a tree.

His eyes were cold. This was the way of the world: the strong prey on the weak, the big fish eat the small fish, and the small fish eat the shrimp. Since the female cultivator had embarked on the path of cultivation, she should be aware of this.

However, just as he was waiting for them to leave, a sudden change occurred!

The black-robed leader stood with his hands behind his back, seemingly on guard of his surroundings, but in reality, his divine sense had already spread out.

In places like Xiniu Hezhou, rogue cultivators rely not only on ruthlessness to make a living, but also on their keen sense of danger.

Just as the Daoist couple were about to refine the surviving female cultivator, the black-robed leader's gaze suddenly sharpened, locking onto a withered old pine tree dozens of feet away.

There was a very faint fluctuation of energy there. If it weren't for the fact that his "Black Fiend Searching God Technique" was most sensitive to the energy of living people, he probably would have missed it.

"Who's spying here?"

The black-robed leader's voice was cold and echoed through the forest.

The Daoist couple, who were about to make their move, paused. They immediately put away their ghost fire and whip, stood back to back in a defensive posture, and looked warily at the old pine tree.

The forest was deathly silent; no one answered.

"If you refuse a toast, you'll have to drink a penalty cup."

The leader in black robes sneered, his eyes revealing murderous intent.

He had no patience to test whether the other party was just passing by or lying in ambush. In the Black Fiend Alliance's creed, it was better to kill the innocent than let the guilty go free.

"go!"

He gave a low shout and flicked his sleeve.

The short halberd in his hand transformed into a streak of black light and shot towards the old pine tree.

At the same time, the couple reacted quickly. The male cultivator raised a ghost-head shield to protect himself, while the female cultivator unleashed a long whip, blocking the old pine tree's escape routes on both sides.