As the madman’s shriek echoed, the Netherbeast, summoned by Wang Lin, startled violently. Its vacant eyes fixed upon the wretch below, slowly recognizing him as the figure from a forgotten age.

Recognition sparked a tempest within the beast’s very soul, a cacophony of roars that shook its frame. Terrified, it shuddered, its bellow growing ever more ferocious.

The madman, hearing the beast’s cry, recoiled in terror, his face draining of all color.

Were Wang Lin not present, the Netherbeast would have undoubtedly fled in blind panic. Yet, another facet of its nature stirred. After a moment of quaking fear, its vacant eyes slowly swiveled, its expression twisting into a ghoulish grin. It unleashed another guttural roar toward the madman, its immense form solidifying as it charged forward!

A fresh wave of screams erupted from the madman as he scrambled backward, but the more he retreated, the more menacing the Netherbeast became. It relentlessly closed the distance, its approach now imminent.

Two colossal tendrils whipped about, emitting a series of thunderous cracks. The Netherbeast’s heart soared with a peculiar delight. It had spent its entire existence fleeing in terror, never before experiencing the joy of instilling fear in another. The sensation invigorated its very spirit.

Its roars intensified as it pressed closer. A stray tendril, thrashing wildly, struck the madman. With a deafening *boom*, the madman shrieked and stumbled backward.

Equally affected, the Netherbeast recoiled, halting its advance. Maintaining a safe distance, it resumed its menacing roars.

“Little Scarlet, come to my aid!! Let it devour you instead of me, oh king am truly not delicious!” The madman trembled uncontrollably, his courage utterly shattered.

“Guards, guards!! Some valiant warrior, come to my defense!!” His words tumbling over each other in a desperate plea, the madman lost his footing and crashed to the ground. Shaking violently, he crawled backward, his pitiful state showcasing the Netherbeast’s horrifying effect.

Just as despair threatened to consume him, Wang Lin stepped forward, standing between the madman and the beast. In that instant, the madman perceived Wang Lin as a towering figure of immense strength.

“Ah, you are kind indeed, you are trully kind to oh king , kinder even than my brother! Haste to halt this monstrous beast; it seeks to devour oh king, but oh king tastes of naught…” The madman’s face lit up with fervor. In this moment of peril, Wang Lin had chosen to stand before him. The sheer gratitude caused him to forget all else.

In his eyes, Wang Lin had become his sole salvation.

“Oh king shall reward thee! Oh king bestows Little Scarlet upon thee, and Silverpath too! Aye, and the iridescent maiden as well! Oh king’s harem boasts forty thousand beauties – take them all!”

Wang Lin remained silent. He raised his right hand and pressed forward, while simultaneously sending a silent command. The Netherbeast paused, its simple mind struggling to comprehend. It seemed perplexed by Wang Lin’s order, pondering it with a vacant expression.

Although it was in a state of mental contemplation, its body was drawn toward Wang Lin. In the madman’s eyes, the immense Netherbeast was hurtling directly toward Wang Lin.

In the blink of an eye, the Netherbeast collided with Wang Lin. His expression twisting in pain, Wang Lin spat a mouthful of blood, stumbled backward, and snatched the madman up as he retreated.

Wang Lin’s withdrawal left the Netherbeast bewildered. It stared blankly at Wang Lin, a question in its eyes. *Why did Master retreat? Surely I did not strike Master…*

Yet, swayed by Wang Lin’s silent command, the Netherbeast obeyed. In its mind, this was merely a game the Master wished to play. Thrilled by this realization, it unleashed a series of low growls and charged after Wang Lin. As its immense form moved, the heavens and earth quaked, and a deafening roar resounded in all directions, its imposing presence casting a shadow of dread.

“Aieee! It comes again, it comes again!! It seeks to devour me; it shall not relent!” The madman wailed, clutched within Wang Lin’s grasp.

Regret gnawed at Wang Lin’s heart, though he concealed it well.

“Brave warrior, save oh king, save oh king! Oh king will implore my brother to crown thee as king, I shall have oh king brother bestow all his concubines to you, brave warrior save oh king!”

“This beast is formidable indeed,” Wang Lin spoke, “even I am no match for its might. It delights in devouring mortals, swallowing them alive to slowly crush their bones before dissolving them. For those with weaker forms, death comes swiftly, but alas…

“… For those whose flesh is difficult to destroy, they endure endless chewing and dissolving, suffering for ages until, perhaps after millennia, oblivion comes.” Wang Lin carried the madman away quickly but could not outrun the speed of the Netherbeast, kept the distance short, almost within reach of those thrashing tendrils.

The proximity intensified the madman’s terror, driving him to the edge of madness.

“What then shall oh king do? what must be done! Would it not be better for it to devour you, so that its hunger might be sated, and it might leave me be…” The madman whimpered, tears welling in his eyes.

Amused by the madman’s words, Wang Lin turned to face him, enunciating each word with utmost clarity: “Behold its monstrous form. Do you truly believe one morsel would sate its hunger?”

The madman paused, casting a doubtful glance at the ravenous beast pursuing them. His face paled as he shook his head violently.

“Alas, I possess vast cultivation, yet lack the arcane arts to unleash its full potential. If only I possessed such skills, perhaps I could drive this beast into retreat…” Wang Lin lamented, sighing deeply.

“Oh, what shall be oh king do? This is disaster. Oh king is going to be devoured, all has failed…” Despair filled the madman’s eyes as he trembled.

“Oh king have long feared beasts, especially those of such immense size…”

At that moment, the Netherbeast’s tendrils swept past them, brushing close to the madman’s face, the gust of wind eliciting another terrified scream.
“By the arcane arts, I command thee! Yes, just so! I possess the power! Truly, this King is wise beyond measure! Hasten to learn, and with its might, banish this monstrous beast!” the madman shrieked, his eyes alight with sudden inspiration amidst his terror.

Without hesitation, he poured forth the incantations and secrets of the ancient Burning Sky Umbrella.

Wang Lin, though his countenance remained calm, felt his heart pound a frantic rhythm against his ribs. He devoured every syllable, etching the forbidden knowledge into the deepest recesses of his mind, frantically cross-referencing it against his own understanding.

With each passing moment, his brow furrowed with increasing gravity. The incantations resonated with authenticity, mirroring the very essence of a Great Divine Power, one that even the Lord of the Vermillion Bird had only managed to steal glimpses of in ages past.

Yet, such divine arts were not for immediate mastery. Years of secluded contemplation and profound insight were required to unlock their true potential.

Wang Lin, with a swift hand gesture, conjured forth a million forbidden seals, weaving them into a rudimentary imitation of the Burning Sky Umbrella.

The moment the phantom umbrella materialized, the Netherbeast faltered. Fear flickered within its eyes, its dull mind unable to comprehend why its master would unleash such power upon it.

The illusory umbrella promptly shattered, forcing Wang Lin to retreat, dragging the madman with him. “Not enough,” he muttered.

“Ah? Not enough! Then I have the Heavenly Shattering Bow of the Li Clan! I bestow it upon you! Quickly, drive this beast away!” the madman cried, desperately reciting the bow’s arcane formula.

Still unsatisfied, as a tendril of the Netherbeast brushed past him, the madman shrieked anew, “And the Seven-Colored Arts! I shall reveal them to you! But no more! Even if this beast devours me, I shall utter no further secrets!”

Wang Lin hesitated, unwilling to push the madman too far. Had these divine techniques held less allure, he would never have resorted to such measures. Guilt gnawed at him, yet he also recognized that this encounter had forged a karmic bond. He might have acted shamelessly, but Wang Lin vowed to repay this debt tenfold in the days to come.

A cultivator, once their resolve is set, knows no turning back. Such was Wang Lin. He etched the madman’s assistance into the stone of his heart, never to be forgotten. Even if it brought him calamity in the future, he would not hesitate to fulfill his obligation! This was the essence of his character, the four words that defined him: repayment for kindness.

With the Seven-Colored Lance and the Li Clan’s Bow now within his grasp, Wang Lin halted abruptly. He raised his left hand and slammed it down towards the Netherbeast.

A deafening roar ripped through the air as Wang Lin released the madman, flinging him towards the ground below. With a flick of his wrist, he conjured a dense fog, obscuring him and the Netherbeast from the madman’s view.

The sky thundered, the sound reverberating through the heavens. The madman, stumbling to the ground, gazed up at the swirling mist, his face a mixture of terror and hope.

“You are no mere warrior, but a benefactor of this King! My brother always said that kindness must be repaid! Fear not, I shall repay you even after your demise. Go forth and face that beast with courage!” The madman scrambled to his feet, fleeing without looking back.

“Noble benefactor, may fortune favor your path! This King shall never forget your sacrifice! I shall repay your kindness…” he cried, his pace quickening, until he vanished into the distance.

The heavenly clamor intensified, but it was short-lived. With a final, earth-shattering boom, the mist dissipated. Wang Lin emerged, casting a glance at the fleeing madman before striding forward.

The Netherbeast, now docile, followed obediently in his wake.

The madman, glancing over his shoulder, emitted another piercing scream, muttering, “It’s over… I’m done for… This time, I shall surely be devoured…”

Driven by pure terror, he gritted his teeth, closed his eyes, and thrust his neck forward, roaring, “Eat me then! What does it matter? Just eat me!”

Yet, the agonizing sensation never came. Hesitantly, the madman cracked open his eyelids, his gaze met with a scene that left him dumbfounded.

The terrifying beast, the creature that had haunted his nightmares, was now nuzzling Wang Lin affectionately, its enormous form gently nudging him. Wang Lin’s hand rested upon the beast’s flank, stroking it with a gentle touch.

“You… you subdued it? You… you actually subdued it?!” the madman stuttered, his eyes blazing with fervent admiration, fixed upon Wang Lin.

“My brother said that there are many masters in the Grand Yu Star Territory! You must be one of them! If such a beast inspires such fear in me, then even my brother would be powerless to defeat it! Master! Please, accept me as your disciple! You must take me as your disciple!”