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

"However, the area around that cave is quite dangerous, and I am not capable of handling it alone." Madam Bai sighed softly, her eyes darting around. "Therefore, I would like to recruit a few fellow Daoists who are strong and have a calm temperament to form a treasure-hunting team. After the mission is accomplished, I will only take half of what is obtained from the cave, and the rest will be divided equally among you."

Taking only half is an incredibly generous offer; in a typical team formation, the organizer would usually take 70% or even more.

In an instant, the atmosphere in the teahouse became lively and excited.

"Madam Bai, I am in the late stage of Qi Refining, and I am willing to serve you faithfully!"

"Choose me! I have a unique skill for breaking through formations!"

More than a dozen cultivators rushed forward, eager not to miss out on this incredible fortune.

However, Madam Bai merely smiled politely, her gaze sweeping over these people before she gently shook her head. Clearly, these individuals with low cultivation and restless auras were not worthy of her attention.

Shen Feng remained seated in the corner, taking a sip of spiritual tea.

He doesn't believe in free lunches.

Especially in the ruthless world of cultivation, the more promising the opportunity seems, the deeper the trap often lies behind it.

No matter how good Madam Bai's reputation is, it's just a facade as seen by outsiders.

Just as he was about to get up and leave, not wanting to get involved in this mess, a faint fragrance wafted over.

Shen Feng paused, looked up, and saw that Madam Bai had somehow made her way through the crowd and stopped in front of his table.

"Greetings, fellow Daoist."

Madam Bai bowed gracefully, her voice soft and sweet yet not frivolous, "I observe that you, fellow Daoist, possess a restrained aura and a hidden spirit. Though you sit alone amidst the noise, your heart remains as still as water. You must be a person of ascetic cultivation. Would you be interested in lending me a hand?"

Envious and jealous glances immediately focused on Shen Feng.

Shen Feng put down his teacup, his expression calm, showing neither the fluster of being flattered nor the greed of greed.

"I am but an unknown rogue cultivator with low cultivation level. I am afraid I am not up to the task. Madam Bai, please find someone more capable." Shen Feng refused indifferently.

"Fellow Daoist is too modest."

Madam Bai sat down opposite him, leaning forward slightly, and said in a low voice, "Those people are not weak in cultivation, but they are full of greed. If they enter the cave, they will surely cause internal strife. I am very good at judging people. Fellow Daoist is a person who abides by the rules. If Fellow Daoist is willing to agree, I am willing to give up 10% of the profit."

Shen Feng sneered inwardly, but a hint of hesitation appeared on his face, as if he were weighing the pros and cons.

"It is indeed tempting," Shen Feng said slowly, "but I have important matters to attend to and need to travel to Wuzhuang Temple. I'm afraid the time..."

"It's alright." Madam Bai seemed to have expected this. "The cave dwelling will open within the next few days, so it won't interfere with the grand event at Wuzhuang Temple in seven days. Besides, with the resources in the cave dwelling, wouldn't you be more confident in competing at Wuzhuang Temple?"

Her words were highly inflammatory, each one hitting the sore spots of the rogue cultivators.

Shen Feng fell silent.

He was observing the two gray-clad attendants behind her who stood like wooden stakes.

From the moment they left, Shen Feng sensed that something was off about the two attendants.

They were too quiet.

Shen Feng's current spiritual strength far surpasses that of other cultivators of the same level, and can even rival that of a late-stage Refining Spirit expert. In his perception, although there were signs of spiritual energy flowing within the bodies of these two followers, the path of this spiritual energy flow was extremely rigid.

More importantly, they weren't angry.

Every living person, regardless of their level of cultivation, possesses a yang energy, a sign that the flame of life is burning within them.

Although these two people had rosy complexions and radiant skin, Shen Feng's keen perception revealed a stench of decaying corpses buried deep underground.

It's like... a dead thing wearing human skin.

Walking dead? Puppets?

Alarm bells rang in Shen Feng's mind.

The so-called ancient cave is probably just bait.

Shen Feng looked at Madam Bai, who was smiling and chatting in front of him, and felt a chill run down his spine.

This is no gentle woman at all; she is clearly a demon in disguise.

and many more.

Longevity Hill...west side...

A flash of inspiration struck Shen Feng.

A hundred miles to the west of this place lies the edge of Wanshou Mountain. At the junction of Wanshou Mountain and the westward road, there is a mountain range with a notorious reputation, called White Tiger Ridge.

On White Tiger Ridge, there lives a demon named Lady White Bone!

In the original story, the White Bone Demon was most skilled at transformation, first transforming into a young woman, then an old woman, and finally an old man, to tease Tang Sanzang and his disciples.

Although her methods are not as powerful as those of those powerful demons with strong backers, she is second to none in terms of controlling people's hearts and disguising herself.

The woman before us, surnamed Bai, is also skilled in disguise, and has also appeared in this Wanshou Mountain area…

Shen Feng was almost certain that this so-called Madam Bai was most likely the incarnation of the White Bone Demon!

If I really went with her to that ancient cave, I'm afraid there wouldn't even be any bone fragments left.

Having figured this out, Shen Feng's greed vanished instantly, replaced by extreme calmness.

We absolutely must not go.

But you must never offend this demon.

Since this White Bone Demon dares to openly recruit people in the market, she must be fearless, and the managers behind the market may even be in cahoots with her.

If he were to reveal her identity in public, he probably wouldn't be able to leave this teahouse.

Shen Feng took a deep breath, and the hesitation on his face gradually turned into a hint of regret.

He stood up, cupped his hands in a respectful gesture towards Madam Bai, and spoke with utmost sincerity:

"I appreciate your kindness, Madam, but I am timid by nature and I am afraid I am not worthy of such immense wealth. I am only here to seek stability and just want to try my luck at Wuzhuang Temple. I do not want any unforeseen complications. Thank you for your kindness, Madam."

After saying that, without waiting for Madam Bai to speak again, and ignoring the ungrateful and mocking looks from the people around him, he turned and walked out of the teahouse.

As Madam Bai watched Shen Feng's departing figure, the smile on her face froze slightly, and a barely perceptible hint of sinister malice flashed deep in her eyes.

This market is crowded and noisy, so it's not a good place to make a move. It would be a pity to miss out on such a vibrant spirit of wind.

Madam Bai gently licked her lips, smiled sweetly, and continued looking back for her next target.

……

As Shen Feng walked out of the teahouse, he felt his back was soaked with cold sweat.

Without lingering, he blended into the bustling crowd, winding his way through the crowd until he was sure no one was following him, before quickly returning to the inn.

Upon entering the room, he immediately activated the isolation barrier, leaned against the door, and exhaled a long breath.

"That was close."

Shen Feng touched the Xuan Turtle Spirit Armor he was wearing close to his body; the cold touch calmed him down a little.

"If she really is the White Bone Demon, even if she is not the kind of demon who possesses magical treasures and great supernatural powers, she is definitely not someone I can defeat right now."

"I've been targeted by a demon..."

Shen Feng sat down cross-legged, while Fan Yuan, the real body, frowned deeply.

I originally thought the biggest obstacle to the trip to Longevity Mountain would be the selection process at Wuzhuang Temple, but I didn't expect to run into trouble before even leaving the house.