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

However, beneath Shen Feng's disguise, he wore a Xuan Turtle Spirit Armor that emitted a faint, cold light, and in his storage bag lay the mid-grade magic weapon flying sword, as well as several talismans that Fan Yuan had deliberately placed there.

Since the purpose of this trip is to infiltrate the Wuzhuang Temple, the clone is destined to no longer be able to act discreetly as before.

Shen Feng pushed open the door and stepped out, his figure disappearing into the night. He first discreetly inquired around the market. He learned that Madam Bai had gathered a group of cultivators to go out a few days ago and had not returned since. Shen Feng felt somewhat relieved and lingered at the market exit for a long time before turning around and speeding towards Wuzhuang Temple.

……

Once outside the market, the sense of unease in the air instantly intensified several times over.

The originally cool night wind had become incredibly violent, carrying with it a rich, fresh scent of grass and trees.

Shen Feng flew through the forest, and the closer he got to the Wanshou Mountain area, the more lively the surrounding scenery became.

These rare spiritual herbs are now growing wildly in the crevices of rocks and under the roots of trees, just like weeds.

A Crimson Blood Ginseng that was originally only ten years old grew at a visible speed under the influence of the spiritual tide, and in just half an hour it produced the medicinal power of decades.

But this isn't all good.

The resulting medicinal herbs are weak and unstable, with violent medicinal properties, and are often accompanied by highly poisonous symbiotic demonic insects.

"roar!"

A beastly roar exploded a hundred feet to Shen Feng's left.

Shen Feng paused slightly, hiding behind a giant tree, and observed coldly.

A blood-red iron-backed wolf was seen biting the throat of a rogue cultivator. The cultivator was clutching a newly dug spiritual herb, and his protective aura had already shattered under the impact of the violent demonic energy.

The Ironbacked Wolf was originally just a low-level demon beast, but under the stimulation of the Earth Spirit Tide, its demon blood boiled, its size doubled, and its ferocity was unleashed. Its strength even briefly broke through to a level comparable to the early stage of the Refining God realm.

It tore the rogue cultivator apart, but instead of devouring his flesh and blood, it swallowed the spiritual herb along with the rogue cultivator's storage bag in one gulp. Then it roared to the sky, and billowing turbid air spewed from its pores, clearly taking the opportunity to transform itself.

Further away, similar sounds of fighting could be heard everywhere.

Monsters fought each other, cultivators risked their lives against monsters, and even cultivators stabbed each other in the back for a spring that gushed forth spiritual energy.

This is the cruel reality behind the Earth Spirit Tide.

The spiritual energy was like poison, driving all cultivators mad.

Shen Feng's expression was cold and stern. He had no intention of rescuing anyone or seizing any treasures. He had only one goal: Wuzhuang Temple. He did not want to cause any more trouble.

He bypassed the wolf that was undergoing its transformation and continued along a secluded mountain path towards the foot of Longevity Mountain.

Two hours later, the sky began to lighten with the first light of dawn.

A majestic mountain gate, towering into the clouds and shrouded in ethereal mist, finally appeared at the edge of the horizon.

Unlike the bloody chaos outside, within a ten-mile radius of the Wuzhuang Temple gate, there seemed to be an invisible barrier that kept all the violence and noise out.

Although the spiritual energy here is equally dense and pervasive, it is organized by some supreme formation, transforming into a gentle drizzle that nourishes the bluestone steps in front of the mountain gate.

This is the Daoist temple of the ancestor of the Earthly Immortals. Even just the outer perimeter of the mountain gate exudes an aura that suppresses the universe.

At this moment, hundreds of cultivators had already gathered in a square outside the mountain gate.

Most of these people were dressed in rags and covered in blood, clearly having seized some opportunities along the way. Their eyes showed both exhaustion and, more importantly, fervor and hope.

In the very center of the square stood a huge jade stele. Beside the stele, two outer disciples of Wuzhuang Temple, dressed in blue Taoist robes, stood with their hands behind their backs, their expressions indifferent.

Shen Feng blended into the crowd, his gaze sweeping over the notice on the stone tablet.

[The earth's veins are surging at Longevity Mountain, causing a surge in spiritual energy in the surrounding medicinal gardens. Weeds are overgrown and spiritual insects are rampant. We are now recruiting fifty temporary spiritual plant growers/handymen. Applicants must be familiar with the habits of plants and skilled in pest control and energy regulation.]

[Reward: Ten spirit stones daily, and a Cleansing Talisman to ward off spiritual tides and inner demons. Those who demonstrate outstanding performance upon completion of the period will receive one training session from the outer sect manager of Wuzhuang Temple.]

[Note: During your stay in the garden, you are solely responsible for your own life and death. Possessing spiritual medicine is strictly prohibited. Violators will have their cultivation revoked and be expelled from Wuzhuang Temple.]

Wuzhuang Temple is a large and powerful family with a medicinal garden that stretches for thousands of miles. Although it does not grow rare treasures like ginseng fruit, it is still a basic spiritual material to supply the cultivation of its thousands of outer disciples.

When the Earth Spirit Tide arrives, these spiritual herbs grow wildly, but the accompanying poisonous plants and pests also proliferate into a plague.

Inner disciples are busy in seclusion sensing the fluctuations of the earth's veins, while outer disciples are short-handed and most are unwilling to do such dirty and tiring work. This is why the practice of recruiting rogue cultivators has come about.

For independent cultivators, the daily reward of ten spirit stones is already quite generous, not to mention that this is also an excellent opportunity to forge a connection with immortals.

"quiet!"

A Taoist priest stepped forward, his voice carrying an inexplicable pressure that instantly silenced the noise in the square.

"I am Xuanfeng, an outer disciple. The first test for the recruitment of spiritual plant growers has been completed. Those who have not yet received a token may leave the mountain on their own."

Upon hearing this, the crowd stirred. Shen Feng was also startled. He subconsciously looked around, wondering when and how this test would begin.

Seeing the uproar, Xuanfeng Daoist waved his sleeve, and an invisible gust of wind swept by, separating all the cultivators in the crowd who had torn clothes, were injured, or whose backpacks were bulging and faintly exuded the fragrance of medicine, from one side.

"When entering my Wuzhuang Temple, the first priority is one's Daoist heart, and the second is one's aptitude."

Xuanfeng's voice once again suppressed the agitation: "On the way here, spiritual herbs have inexplicably grown wildly, and demonic beasts have deliberately appeared. If you are all focused on the Dao and have come here solely for the quota of spiritual plant cultivators, you should be single-minded and hurry on your way."

He pointed at the pale-faced cultivators and sneered, "And you lot, greedy for petty gains by the roadside, fighting with demonic beasts, forgetting your original intentions because of greed, damaging your Dao bodies because of private feuds—with such a mindset, you are naturally unworthy of my Wuzhuang Temple!"

Shen Feng was speechless, secretly glad that he hadn't stopped along the way. This first test was actually about not being greedy and being focused.

"The rest will each receive a green wooden token to mark their success."

Shen Feng stepped forward and took the waist token. It felt warm to the touch and was engraved with the characters "Bing Qi". He bowed respectfully and then silently stepped aside.

He knew this was only the first step.

The real test comes after entering the herb garden.

Although the legendary ginseng fruit tree is located deep within the inner courtyard, the earth veins of this outer medicinal garden are of the same origin as those of the inner courtyard.

Once you enter this door, even if you're just a low-level spiritual plant grower, you'll have the opportunity to come into contact with the Wuzhuang Temple's earth vein system.

Xuanfeng Daoist did not give everyone much time to catch their breath. With a wave of his sleeve, a hazy blue magical power swept up dozens of rogue cultivators who had passed the test, and they crossed the square directly, landing in an area shrouded by an array behind them.

This is the outer medicinal garden of Wuzhuang Temple. As soon as you land, a smell mixed with the smell of soil and the essence of plants hits you.