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

"This humble demon is originally a wild demon from Leopard Head Mountain, eight hundred miles away. Because... because I have long admired the supreme reputation of King Yellow Wind and Steward Tiger, and I hold you in high esteem, I have gone through countless hardships to come and seek refuge with you! This humble demon has little to offer, only this jar of wild fruit wine that I brewed myself. It is but a small token of my respect, and I hope that Steward Tiger... you will not find it offensive and will accept this humble demon's sincere heart!"

After saying this, he raised the jar of wine high above his head, adopting a humble posture.

Tiger Steward lazily opened his copper bell-like eyes a crack, glanced at him, his gaze sweeping over the skinny ferret body before lingering for a moment on the earthenware jar.

He merely sniffed lightly, and a scent that wasn't exactly rich, but was definitely wine, wafted into his nostrils. In this godforsaken place of Huangfengling, such ordinary wine was better than nothing.

What he valued more was not the jar of wine, but the little demon's attitude.

This little ferret had a cultivation level so low as to be negligible. Its eyes held an unconcealed fear, as well as an undisguised fawning and worship, which pleased him greatly. Unlike those demons who thought they had some ability, their eyes always carried a hint of wildness and untamability.

"Um."

Tiger Steward gave a low, guttural response, then casually waved his enormous, fan-like hand.

"You little monkey have some sense, don't you? Leave the wine here, go register over there, and be assigned to Team C, Team Three. You'll be patrolling the mountain now."

He paused, a cold glint flashing in his tiger-like eyes: "Work hard, and you'll reap the rewards. If you dare to slack off..."

The blond-haired boy was filled with gratitude: "Thank you, Steward Hu, for your mercy! Thank you, Steward Hu, for taking me in! I will do my utmost and serve you to the death!"

Only when Steward Hu waved his hand impatiently did Huang Mao'er respectfully place the wine jar aside and then back away from the center of the square.

Guided by an impatient badger demon, Huang Mao'er arrived at a corner behind the checkpoint, where a wild boar demon with huge tusks was sitting behind a large rock, in charge of registering and recording information.

"Name, origin, race," the boar demon asked without looking up, his voice rough.

"Reporting to you, sir, my name is Huang Mao'er, I come from Leopard Head Mountain, and I am... I am a weasel." Huang Mao'er repeated his previous explanation.

The boar demon scribbled a few symbols on a piece of animal hide, then pulled out a gleaming domino and a set of worn-out leather armor reeking of blood from a dilapidated box beside him, and threw them over.

"Here you go, this is your identification tag. From now on, you're part of Team C, Team Three. The tag is your bond; lose it, and you'll be treated like a spy and skinned alive!"

"Yes, yes, I understand!"

Huang Mao took the item; the leather armor was still warm, and he didn't know which unlucky guy it had been taken from. He didn't dare to ask any questions. At the wild boar demon's signal, he was led by another little demon toward a row of simple stone caves deep in the mountain valley.

The further he went, the denser the demonic aura became. Eventually, he was led to a small stone cave.

"Go in, this is the hideout of your C3 team." The little demon leading the way pinched his nose in disgust, then turned and left.

Huang Mao'er took a deep breath, lifted the tattered animal skin blocking the door, and went inside.

The cave was dimly lit, and a dozen or so small demons of various shapes and sizes were huddled together, some lying down and some sitting. As soon as a newcomer entered, several unfriendly gazes were cast over them, full of scrutiny and rejection.

An old demon with withered deer antlers on his head walked over; he seemed to be a minor leader in this area.

"New here? Assigned by Steward Hu?"

"Yes, sir!" The blond-haired man quickly bowed, his attitude extremely humble.

The old deer demon nodded and pointed to a damp spot in the far corner: "That's your spot. Remember our team's rules: no trouble, no wandering around. When it's your turn to patrol, stay close to the team. Otherwise, nobody will bother you."

After giving his explanation, he ignored it.

Huang Mao dared not slack off in the slightest. He walked to his corner, picked up the broken broom beside him, and swept away the broken bones and filth on the ground before putting on his tattered leather armor.

He responded to the scrutinizing gazes around him with a fawning smile and treated every senior colleague with utmost respect.

His modesty and low profile quickly made the old demons lose interest. In this demon cave where the strong prey on the weak, a newcomer who posed no threat was not worth their time.

That afternoon, the first patrol mission was assigned.

Huang Mao'er, along with a dozen or so lesser demons from Team C3, led out of the cave by the old deer demon.

Their patrol route is a relatively gentle hillside on the west side of Huangfeng Cave, where the wind is weak and it is considered the safest area.

Days passed by in this monotonous mountain patrol.

For most of the lesser demons in the cave, this was a chore, but for Fan Yuan, it was a rare opportunity to explore.

He manipulated Huang Mao'er, maintaining the image of a hardworking, quiet newcomer just right.

He never slacked off, always walking on the edge of the group, keeping his eyes and ears open, imprinting every inch of the land in his heart.

The patrol route of Team C3 almost covered all the safe areas surrounding Huangfeng Cave.

The group circled the main gate of the cave several times. It was a majestic gate made entirely of black giant rocks, about five zhang high and three zhang wide. Eight elite soldiers with an aura far exceeding that of ordinary demon soldiers stood in front of the gate, holding sharp blades and on high alert.

Fan Yuan noticed that above the lintel, there was an ancient and blurry pattern, shaped like a whirlwind, faintly exuding a Taoist charm that echoed the yellow wind between heaven and earth.

"It's an array, or a manifestation of some kind of supernatural power," Fan Yuan thought to himself. He knew he absolutely couldn't force his way through this gate.

Besides the main entrance, during his patrols over several days, he also astutely discovered two more concealed side entrances. One was located between cliffs on the west side of the cave, seemingly used for dumping miscellaneous items or ventilation. The other was hidden behind a narrow pass in the back mountain, which appeared to be some kind of emergency passage.

Although both side gates were guarded by demon soldiers, their numbers and strength were far inferior to those at the main gate. More importantly, through several observations, Fan Yuan accurately grasped the pattern of their guard rotation.

The entire Huangfeng Cave is built along the main mountain ridge, with its main body deeply embedded in the mountain's belly. The terrain behind the cave is even higher, giving it a majestic and imposing appearance.

After several days, a detailed map of the area surrounding Huangfeng Cave had taken shape in Fan Yuan's mind.

That night, Huang Mao was curled up in his damp corner, resting with his eyes closed, but in reality, he was silently planning his next move.

Suddenly, the tattered animal hide at the cave entrance was ripped open, and a strong smell of alcohol mixed with the stench of blood rushed in.

It's the old deer demon, the little leader, who's back.