A chill, sharper than the frost of a thousand winters, pierced Wang Lin’s soul in that instant, a dread premonition of mortal peril. Years of walking the knife-edge between life and death had imbued him with an unyielding resolve, a chilling composure. He did not flinch, did not flee, but stood as rooted as an ancient oak, a sentinel against the storm.

His pupils, twin pinpricks of black, locked onto the bestial form that turned its gaze upon him. “Ji Qiong!” the forgotten lore of the ancient god Tu Si roared through his mind, a label unearthed from the deepest recesses of memory to brand the horror before him.

A cold sweat slicked his brow as recognition dawned. The deeper he delved into the mysteries of the heavens, the more he understood the precariousness of his position. Mortals, even powerful cultivators, were not the apex predators of this star-strewn sea. Unthinkable beasts roamed the void, some so potent that even an eight-star god like Tu Si would avoid their wrath. He recalled the swarms of Mosquito Beasts, and another, even more terrifying vision: a starscape so black that even starlight recoiled, a lone violet planet hanging in the abyss.

From that alien sphere, a colossal form emerged, barely larger than a cottage, yet possessed of thirty-six tendrils that sprouted from its crown, each blossoming into a monstrous head. Each tendril stretched for a thousand fathoms, dwarfing the creature’s core. Reaching the void, the beast unleashed a roar, a cacophony of thirty-six voices that ripped the very fabric of space, shattering the cosmos into a spectacle of unimaginable destruction.

The target of this primal scream was not the stars or the void, but a towering god who stood unyielding before the abomination.

Few dared to challenge the gods. Fewer still dared to attack them. Yet, here was a Ji Qiong, surging forward with thirty-six ravenous heads, plunging towards the ancient deity. The vision abruptly ceased. Wang Lin, still reeling from the memory, took a measured step back as the Ji Qiong before him hesitated, one of its heads turning from Wang Lin to the ravaged corpse upon the stone, weighing its options.

Wang Lin retreated again, his eyes gleaming with cautious fire. The power of the Ji Qiong, as revealed in Tu Si’s memories, was immense. He knew he could neither slay nor tame it in his current state, only deter it.

But his retreat had to be subtle, for a hasty withdrawal would trigger the beast’s predatory instincts. *’Were this monster to become the mount of my true god form, my power would be magnified tenfold… alas…’* As Wang Lin edged backward, seventeen of the Ji Qiong’s heads lowered to devour the corpse, their gnashing a grotesque symphony in the silent void.

One head, however, remained vigilant. That of a middle-aged man, with disheveled hair and blood smeared across his lips, fixed its eyes upon Wang Lin, its serpentine gaze following his every move, its tongue flicking out to taste the air.

When Wang Lin had retreated ten paces, the remaining seventeen heads submerged themselves in the feast, but the human-faced head spat a mass of pulped flesh, its black eyes gleaming.

Without hesitation, Wang Lin broke into a full sprint, becoming a streak of light across the void. The human-faced head unleashed a piercing shriek.

The sound, capable of rending stone, reverberated through the silent void, shattering nearby asteroids.

The other seventeen heads snapped up, turning to Wang Lin. They surged after him as a dark blur, moving at an impossible speed. Wang Lin’s face darkened. This beast understood no mortal logic. He had no wish to fight it, yet the creature pursued him relentlessly.

The laws of space prevented him from bending the earth, but he could still manipulate the void, instantly vanishing from one location to reappear in another.

Yet, as Wang Lin rematerialized, he felt a chill crawl down his spine. An unseen force slammed into him, barely missing his body by inches.

A blast of pure energy knocked him back. Wang Lin looked up to see the Ji Qiong had reappeared, one of its heads spitting out the power that he felt moments ago. The eighteen heads turned towards Wang Lin, hungry and excited.

Wang Lin’s face hardened. He vanished, teleporting away again, but the Ji Qiong followed him.

The Ji Qiong was fast. If he couldn’t teleport, Wang Lin knew that he would be eaten. Wang Lin was careful to teleport the moment that he reappeared so he kept his distance.

The Ji Qiong shrieked in rage. One of the heads, a woman that had seen better days, ripped her own tongue out.

The blood started to move and formed two runes. One flew into the sky and the other slammed into the space. In a moment, a red light fell from the sky and trapped Wang Lin from teleporting away!

Wang Lin looked up, realizing that he couldn’t teleport anymore. He reached into his bag and pulled out a talisman.

He slammed the talisman against his chest. A roaring wind surrounded him as he was blown away in a streak of light!

The eighteen heads were stunned. A young, beautiful woman shrieked and black wind surrounded the Ji Qiong. The black wind spun faster and faster and launched the Ji Qiong at Wang Lin! It flew so fast that it became a black blur!

As they continued to fly, four of the heads started chanting. Dark seals appeared and flew towards the black wind!

The black wind accelerated rapidly. The distance that Wang Lin made up was shrinking rapidly.

Up ahead, Wang Lin saw the exit to this hellish place. He was almost there, but he was running out of time.

Wang Lin saw the wind behind him. *’Not good!’* Wang Lin channeled his power and unleashed a wall of fire behind him. He then channeled his lightning power through his left hand.

Thunder boomed through the realm and lightning lashed out against the flames!

The black wind slammed against the wall of fire and exploded with great power! The black wind paused for a moment, but the Ji Qiong slammed through the flames! The eighteen heads snarled. The middle-aged man’s head twisted.

Wang Lin was ready. The lightning surrounded the Ji Qiong and shocked it. It shrieked, but it slowed down.

Wang Lin saw his chance. Even though he couldn’t hurt it, he could escape. He could teleport into the next realm but, he was greedy. *’This beast is going to pay!’* Wang Lin felt his blood start to boil.

A flood of blood lust poured out of his body! A web of dark red light swirled around him and it flew towards the Ji Qiong!

The Ji Qiong slammed against the net and ripped through it as the blood lust surrounded it!