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

The scene was deathly silent.

The monks were so frightened that they fell silent, not daring to even breathe. Tang Sanzang closed his eyes, uttered "Amitabha," and his face was full of reluctance and compassion.

Sun Wukong snorted coldly, put away his golden cudgel, and didn't even glance at the corpse: "That old thief got off easy! If he were in my hands, I would have made sure his soul was scattered to the winds!"

At the back of the crowd, Fan Yuan lowered his head, seemingly trembling, but his eyes were terrifyingly calm.

He looked at Elder Jinchi's corpse without feeling a ripple in his heart.

This is the cruelty of the Journey to the West world.

Without strength or background, even if you have immense wealth and live for over two hundred years, you are still like grass in front of a true strongman, and your life and death are only in the hands of others.

Throughout his life, Elder Jinchi was plagued by greed—greed for wealth, fame, longevity, and treasures.

He thought he was a chess player, befriending the Demon King and scheming against the Holy Monk. Little did he know that he was just an insignificant pawn from beginning to end. His death was merely an insignificant footnote to the eighty-one tribulations of Tang Sanzang and his disciples.

With Elder Jinchi's death, the previously solemn atmosphere instantly collapsed.

"Our grandmaster is dead!"

"Run! This monkey is going to kill someone!"

Someone shouted, and the monks kneeling on the ground instantly erupted into chaos, scattering in all directions, crying and screaming.

"Where do you think you're going!" Sun Wukong was about to step forward to stop him.

Tang Sanzang sighed and stopped him, saying, "Wukong, the ringleader has been killed. These people are just fools who follow the crowd. Let them go."

Sun Wukong glared at the monks and cursed, "You bunch of bald monks are lucky to be alive! Get out of here!"

The scene was extremely chaotic. Taking advantage of the monks' confusion, Fan Yuan quietly retreated to the very edge of the crowd.

His gaze swept over the scorched earth once more. Fan Yuan suppressed the greed in his heart. As a qualified Taoist, he knew that now was not the time. Moreover, the mysterious light of the [Primordial Myriad Appearances Mirror] in his sea of ​​consciousness was flowing, and rows of brand-new Great Dao runes had already taken shape!

Fan Yuan seized the opportunity to blend into the group of servants running towards the back mountain, feigning panic and shouting as he ran, "It's terrifying! It's terrifying! Let's go back to the woodshed and hide!"

And so, right under everyone's noses, he swaggered away from this place of trouble.

Back in the cellar on the back mountain, Fan Yuan sat cross-legged, his mind immersed in his sea of ​​consciousness.

[The clone of the refugee has died; the karmic settlement is underway...]

[Clone's lifespan: Five days.]

[Cause of death of the clone: ​​Killed by the Black Bear Demon of Black Wind Mountain.]

[Clone feedback rate: 10%]

[Settlement complete. The host can choose one of the following three options:]

Three options appear:

[I. Cultivation Initiation: The meager spiritual energy of the refugees.]

[Note: Prolonged starvation leads to physical weakness, leaving one skin and bones, barely anything to show for it.]

[Part Two: Fragments of Memory: Burning Memories.]

[Note: The clone experiences the intense heat and suffocation in the fire, as well as the fear of the black bear spirit.]

[III. Insights into the Technique: None at the moment.]

[Note: The clone was killed instantly by the Black Bear Demon's breath, dying without ever grasping any of the mysteries of the laws.]

Looking at the bleak settlement panel, Fan Yuan's eyes twitched slightly. Although the refugee clone had survived for five days, it was ultimately nothing more than dust that could be destroyed at will in the face of absolute power, and it failed to leave behind even a trace of valuable legacy.

"Is there even a need to choose?"

Fan Yuan smiled self-deprecatingly to himself, his mind making no hesitation whatsoever.

"I choose one."

As the choice was made, the mirror flashed, and a thin, thread-like stream of heat suddenly appeared in the dantian.

However, this spiritual power was too weak and fragmented. It only circulated halfway through the meridians before being diluted by the user's own magical power, like a mud ox entering the sea without even making a ripple.

Fan Yuan slowly opened his eyes and sighed softly, "It's better than nothing, really."

However, the disappointment in his eyes vanished in an instant, replaced by a shrewd glint.

Although the rewards for this settlement were worthless, the refugee clone had already buried Elder Jinchi's private stash, which he had taken from the abbot's room, in a secret underground compartment just before being killed by the black bear demon.

Fan Yuan's lips curled into a smile. As long as he could find an opportunity to retrieve it, this gamble wouldn't be a loss. However, he would have to figure out how to use this clone properly in the future.

......

The daytime clamor had subsided. Tang Sanzang, still shaken, had gone to rest early in the surviving meditation hall. As for the surviving monks, they were gathered in a simple mourning hall on the back mountain, keeping vigil for Elder Jinchi. Their cries were intermittent, tinged with fear for the future.

This was exactly the opportunity Fan Yuan had been waiting for.

In the cellar behind the mountain, Fan Yuan suddenly opened his eyes, his gaze clear and bright.

He raised his hand and extinguished the oil lamp in front of him. His figure darted out like a cat, and under the cover of night and the shadows of the ruins, he silently crept back to the ruins of the abbot's room.

Based on the memories of the refugee's alter ego, Fan Yuan quickly located a charred bluestone slab in the southeast corner of the ruins.

Beneath this stone slab lies a wooden box wrapped in rags.

He reached out and grabbed the package, stuffing it into his pocket. He then quickly pushed the stone slab back into place, covering the traces with the surrounding scorched earth and rubble.

Having done all this, he turned and disappeared into the darkness without looking back, quickly making his escape.

It all happened in the time it takes to drink half a cup of tea, without anyone noticing.

……

Back in the cellar on the back mountain, Fan Yuan sealed the entrance again and lit an oil lamp.

Under the dim light, he carefully untied the package in his arms.

As the package was opened, an intense, almost overwhelming medicinal fragrance instantly filled the small space.

Fan Yuan took a deep breath and felt his pores open up, and the spiritual energy within him began to stir involuntarily.

He reached out and took out the items one by one, placing them on the stone slab in front of him.

First, there was a white bottle containing five round pills that emitted a faint fragrance.

The other black bottle, however, exuded an eerie aura.

Fan Yuan uncorked the bottle, and a strong, pungent smell of blood rushed out instantly, even making him feel slightly dizzy. There was only one pill in the bottle, which was dark red, with an uneven surface and faint black lines flowing through it.

Fan Yuan looked at the pills, his eyes gleaming. Elder Jinchi had colluded with the Black Bear Spirit for many years, and these were probably the elixirs the old monk had obtained from the Black Bear Spirit.

In addition to these, there were five thumb-sized stones at the bottom of the bag that emitted a faint glow.

"Five spirit stones..." Fan Yuan smiled bitterly. Elder Jinchi possessed immense wealth and countless robes, but his actual resources for cultivating immortality were pitifully scarce. This showed just how difficult cultivation was in the mortal realm during this Dharma-ending Age.

Inventory complete.

Fan Yuan's gaze finally settled on the white bottle and the black bottle.

If he were to absorb and exhale the spiritual energy of heaven and earth in a step-by-step manner, given the thin concentration of spiritual energy on the outskirts of Black Wind Mountain, it would take him at least three to five years to break through to the early stage of Qi Refining.

But he couldn't wait.

Now that Tang Sanzang and his disciples have arrived, the tribulations of their journey to the West have officially begun. Next, Black Wind Mountain will become the center of the storm, where powerful figures such as the Black Bear Spirit, Guanyin Bodhisattva, and Sun Wukong will take turns appearing.

If he, an ant, doesn't want to be killed by the aftershocks, he must become stronger as soon as possible.

"Swallow it directly? That's suicide."

Fan Yuan sneered. Most of the things refined from the black bear were potent and mixed in medicinal properties. If he, with his small body at the early stage of Qi Refining, were to swallow them rashly, he would probably explode and die instantly.

But he possesses the [Primordial Mirror of All Forms]! Several days have passed since he last condensed a clone, and his depleted essence and blood have long since recovered.