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

Late at night, White Tiger Ridge, Corpse Demon Cave.

The place, which was originally filled with the strong smell of blood, now has an added, strange atmosphere.

Several corpses lay scattered on the ground.

There is the fat Taoist priest Li Ping, the rugged man Zhang Liang, and the brocade-robed gentleman Zhao Cheng.

Lady Bai removed her disguise, transforming into a skeleton, and sat cross-legged on the stone platform. In her empty eye sockets, two eerie green flames flickered, revealing a deep sense of doubt.

She looked at the corpses on the ground, but instead of rushing to devour them as usual, she fell into deep thought.

Something's not right.

What a coincidence!

In less than ten days, three top-quality items were delivered to my door.

Although these people have different identities, personalities, and cultivation levels, they have one thing in common: their qi and blood are exceptionally abundant, far exceeding that of ordinary people.

It was almost like... a dish that someone had carefully prepared and specially served to her.

What disturbed her even more was that when she was consuming the essence and blood of these people, she tasted an extremely similar flavor.

It's the taste of the origin.

Although these three people look very different, they share an astonishing commonality in their inner spirit.

"Could they be assassins sent by some righteous sect?"

A sense of unease rose in Madam Bai's heart.

On this land, some major sects use this bait tactic to train their disciples or to lure out evil spirits.

She stood up and paced back and forth in the cave, her bone claws carving deep marks on the rock walls.

"But... these people's cultivation levels are really too low."

"Moreover, their deaths were pointless; aside from giving me a good meal, they had no follow-up killing moves."

If it were a trap, a much more powerful monster should have appeared by now.

But for the past few days, the area within a hundred miles has been calm and peaceful, and apart from these few fools who are going to their deaths, there hasn't been a soul in sight.

"Could it be... some kind of special sacrificial ritual?"

Mrs. Bai couldn't understand it.

Although she was quite intelligent, her wisdom was ultimately limited to this remote mountain area.

She walked to Zhao Cheng's body, her bone claws gently cutting open his chest to reveal his bright red, full heart.

The alluring aura of blood constantly stimulated her instincts.

Who cares who he is?

Greed ultimately prevailed over that sliver of instinctive doubt.

"Since it's offered to us, there's no reason not to eat it."

"Within the territory of Longevity Mountain, unless it's a cultivator from Wuzhuang Temple who makes a move, who can do anything to me?"

Madam Bai let out a strange, grating laugh.

She opened her jaw and inhaled sharply.

The essence and blood in Zhao Cheng's body turned into a red thread, which she greedily swallowed into her stomach.

As the essence and blood entered her body, the spiritual runes on her bones became increasingly brilliant, and the cold and powerful aura also rose steadily.

She didn't know.

Just as she was enjoying her meal.

Aoki-bo City, a hundred miles away.

A cold smile curled at the corner of Fan Yuan's lips.

"Eat up, eat more."

……

Meanwhile, on Wanshou Mountain, two hundred li outside Wuzhuang Temple.

The earth spirit tide is nearing its end, and the once-boiling earth vein spiritual energy is beginning to recede. The pale golden barrier that shrouded the mountains and forests is also gradually dimming, indicating that the three-day herb-gathering period is about to end.

In a secluded crevice in the rocks, Shen Feng, the clone, slowly finished his cultivation.

His storage pouch was bulging. Besides the 500-year-old Earth Spirit Purple Ganoderma that he had already acquired, he had also found a 300-year-old Iron Bone Ginseng and a Cloud Mist Grass of the same age at the foot of a cliff in the past two days, thanks to his perception of wind movement.

Iron Bone Ginseng can strengthen the body and bones, while Cloud Mist Grass is the main ingredient for refining Spirit Essence Pills.

"A very fruitful harvest."

Shen Feng patted the dust off his clothes, a slight smile on his face.

If all three spiritual herbs were handed over, they would be enough to earn a considerable amount of tribute. Although the underground spiritual marrow that Liu Qing mentioned had never been found, such spiritual materials from heaven and earth were rare and hard to come by, so he didn't take it to heart.

"It's time to go back."

Shen Feng lightly touched the ground with his toes, and his figure floated out of the crevice like a falling leaf.

He did not travel at full speed, but maintained the appearance of a cautious, hard-working disciple who had just gone through a fierce battle.

They had traveled less than ten miles when a violent surge of spiritual energy suddenly emanated from the dense forest ahead.

"boom!"

Flames shot into the sky, and several towering ancient trees were blown in half.

Shen Feng paused, his figure instantly blending into the wind as he silently looked over.

In the clearing in the woods, three figures were locked in a fierce battle.

One of them was wearing the blue Taoist robe of an outer disciple of Wuzhuang Temple, holding a long sword. He was pale-faced and had a deep, bone-revealing wound on his left arm, making him look quite disheveled.

He was attacked by two rogue cultivators dressed in black with menacing faces.

The two worked together seamlessly, one manipulating the flying wheel artifact for the main attack, and the other wielding a black banner to unleash malevolent spirits to harass the enemy. Their moves were ruthless and aimed directly at vital points.

"Senior Brother Liu Yun?"

Shen Feng frowned and recognized the outer disciple.

This person is a formal outer disciple with the early stage of the Spirit Refinement realm. He is arrogant and looks down on the menial disciples, and has often taken advantage of them to obtain their pills.

At this moment, Liu Yun was at his last gasp.

"Damn it! How dare you kill disciples of Wuzhuang Temple? Aren't you afraid of being hunted down by my sect?" Liu Yun roared fiercely, his long sword flashing out streaks of sword light, but they were all swallowed up by the Yin Soul Black Banner.

"Hehe, we're naturally afraid of Wuzhuang Temple, but in this desolate wilderness, if we kill you and throw your corpse into a monster's belly, who will know it was us?"

The rogue cultivator holding the banner gave a sinister smile, and with a flick of his black banner, three fierce ghosts roared out and bit into Liu Yun's protective aura.

Just as Liu Yun was in despair, he caught a glimpse of a gray hem of clothing out of the corner of his eye.

someone!

Overjoyed, Liu Yun disregarded who the newcomers were and shouted, "Brothers over there! Come help me! I am a disciple of Wuzhuang Temple. If you can hold them off for a moment, I will reward you handsomely when we return to the sect!"

Shen Feng frowned slightly.

He had intended to take a detour, but Liu Yun, in order to save his life, directly slashed a sword aura at the bushes where he was hiding, forcibly exposing him to the two rogue cultivators.

"Shifting the blame eastward."

Shen Feng sneered inwardly, but on the surface he pretended to be panicked and stumbled as he revealed himself.

"A menial disciple?"

The two rogue cultivators glanced at Shen Feng's gray robe and the Qi Refining stage cultivation he displayed, their killing intent intensifying.

"Since we've already stumbled upon this, let's all die together!"

The rogue cultivator with the wheel sneered, pointed his finger, and the high-speed spinning flying wheel magic weapon drew an arc in the air, abandoning Liu Yun and heading straight for Shen Feng's head.

In his view, killing such a minor player in the Qi Refining stage was just a matter of convenience.

Seeing this, Liu Yun's eyes flashed with a strange light. Instead of offering help, he took the opportunity to swallow a pill, retreated rapidly, and a ruthless glint of pleasure flashed in his eyes: "Good junior brother, you hold them off for your senior brother, and I'll go back to the sect to get reinforcements!"

They claimed they were calling for reinforcements, but in reality, they were betraying their fellow disciples to escape.

"Die."

The flywheel roared in, less than three inches from Shen Feng's brow.

Shen Feng stood still, the feigned fear on his face vanishing instantly. He neither dodged nor evaded, letting the flying wheel slash down.