C10 Dire Beast

"Can you pick up the pace, kid? You're dragging your feet. When are we ever going to get there?"

Wang Ping expressed his dissatisfaction as he watched Scarface move at a snail's pace.

"Yes, Young Master. I'll speed up now. It's just a short distance ahead; we're almost there," Scarface replied, suppressing the pain in his body.

Lin Hao had been discreetly following them the entire time, taking great care to remain undetected.

After about fifteen minutes, Wang Ping and his party reached the entrance of a cave.

"Young Master, this is the place. We discovered it right here. There's a golden glow emanating from inside; it could be the Immortal Abode," Scarface indicated the cave to Wang Ping.

"Good, let's go inside. You lead the way to be safe."

"Yes, Young Master," Scarface responded.

With weary steps, Scarface and Wang Ping made their way into the cave.

Once they had ventured deeper inside, Lin Hao emerged from his hiding spot, gazing at the cave entrance and muttering to himself, "Should I follow them in, or should I wait out here?"

Pacing back and forth, Lin Hao weighed his options.

"If I go in, I'll hardly be a match for Wang Ping, and that's not even considering Scarface," Lin Hao reasoned. "But if I don't enter, I'll leave empty-handed. I should go in. If things get too risky, I can always retreat into the jasper bracelet."

Suddenly, a loud bang erupted from within the cave.

Scarface and Wang Ping were sent flying out.

"Goldenmane Lion!" Lin Hao exclaimed in surprise, quickly taking refuge in the jasper bracelet.

He knew the Goldenmane Lion was notoriously aggressive and provoking it could lead to dire consequences.

Especially since this Goldenmane Lion had reached the foundation building stage, Lin Hao stood no chance against it and had to opt for concealment.

"Damn you, Scarface, you've deceived me! What Immortal Abode? This is nothing but a lair of foundation building dire beasts," Wang Ping cursed as he hit the ground.

Scarface wore a look of resignation; he was just as unaware that a foundation building dire beast would be inside. His previous visit had only revealed a brilliant golden light, leading him to believe it was indeed the Immortal Abode.

Who would have imagined a dire beast at the foundation-building level lurking inside? That's akin to courting death by provoking a tiger.

"Young Master, I had no idea either. It's possible the dire beast has taken over the Immortal Abode. We should probably go back and get reinforcements," Scarface urgently explained.

"What nonsense!" Wang Ping exclaimed in fury, ready to lash out at Scarface.

But as the dire beast burst out of the cave, Wang Ping quickly opted to flee, shouting, "Scarface, buy me some time! Otherwise, forget about your sister's safety."

With that, he dashed away.

Scarface lay on the ground, feeling helpless, yet determined to delay the beast to save his sister, even at the cost of his own life.

Gathering his strength, Scarface rose to his feet, summoning his Qi Refining sixth-level energy in a desperate attempt to stall the dire beast.

The Goldenmane Lion paused, choosing not to pursue Wang Ping, seemingly deeming him too weak and focusing on Scarface as the primary threat.

"I can't back down," Scarface muttered shakily as the Goldenmane Lion advanced towards him.

With a thunderous roar, the Goldenmane Lion pounced like a swift blade aimed at Scarface!

Unable to withstand the assault, Scarface turned and fled.

But in a flash, the Goldenmane Lion was upon him, its claw tearing off one of Scarface's arms with a swift motion.

Screaming in agony, Scarface retreated. He was no match for the Goldenmane Lion head-on and could only try to evade, buying as much time as possible.

Perhaps sensing Scarface's weakness or distracted by something else, the Goldenmane Lion ceased its attack and swiftly returned to its cave like a whirlwind.

With the dire beast gone, Scarface's strength evaporated, and he collapsed to the ground.

Once the sounds of combat had ceased, Lin Hao emerged from the jasper bracelet.

Using the Burrowing technique to conceal himself, he cautiously assessed the situation. Finding no immediate danger, Lin Hao approached to check on the wounded Scarface.

Scarface lay on the ground, gasping for air.

He was already wounded, and now, with an arm violently torn off, the pain had overwhelmed him, causing him to lose consciousness.

"Fortunately, it's just an external injury; the internal organs are unharmed. There's still hope for recovery," Lin Hao remarked.

In fact, when Lin Hao had purchased the Spirit Pill, he had also acquired some low-level pills to treat his own wounds, never anticipating they would come in handy so soon.

He propped Scarface up and administered a pill, simultaneously using his spiritual energy to stem the bleeding. His current level of cultivation wasn't sufficient to reattach Scarface's arm; that would only be possible once he reached the Nascent Infant Stage.

After some time, Scarface regained consciousness.

"Am I not dead?" Scarface queried. "Who are you? You saved my life."

"Yes, I saved you," Lin Hao confirmed without hesitation.

"How could you possibly defeat the Goldenmane Lion? That's a dire beast at the foundation building stage. You don't seem to have reached the sixth level of Qi Refining, have you?" Scarface asked, puzzled.

"Hehe, let's not worry about that. What matters is that I saved you," Lin Hao said with a smile.

Lin Hao had his reasons for saving Scarface, particularly after learning about the strained relationship between Scarface and Wang Ping. He felt compelled to intervene, especially considering the need to account for Lin Qing's death.

Otherwise, Lin Qing's father would surely seize the opportunity to cause trouble for him, or worse, to seek vengeance. Lin Hao had to be fully prepared.

As for the possibility of Scarface betraying him, Lin Hao doubted it. He believed that someone who had shown such kindness to his sister couldn't be without compassion.

"I, Scarface, am not without compassion. From now on, my life is yours," Scarface declared resolutely.

Seemingly burdened by an unspeakable secret, Scarface added, "But please, allow me to return to the Wang family to bring my sister here."

Lin Hao shook his head, "I'm not asking for your life, nor do I need you to follow me. I just need a bit of help from you."

Lin Hao hadn't expected Scarface to consent so readily and was hesitant to have him as a follower, recognizing that he lacked the means to fully control Scarface.

"What kind of help?" Scarface inquired.

"I need you to leak the news about Wang Ping killing Lin Qing when the time is right. Just a little whisper will do," Lin Hao explained.

"Alright! I'll do as you say," Scarface seemed to have made a significant decision. After all, his sister was with the Wang family, and spreading this news would mean he could no longer stay with them.

Seeing the look on Scarface's face, Lin Hao smiled and reassured him, "You don't have to spread the word yourself. Just hire a few people, and then..." Lin Hao made a slicing gesture across his neck and continued, "Then there will be no issue. And remember, you didn't see me today—we don't know each other."

Scarface readily agreed, relieved that he wouldn't have to expose himself.

"Oh, by the way, what's actually inside this Immortal Abode?" Lin Hao paused to ask.

"There's a cub. I saw a Goldenmane Lion cub inside. Wang Ping missed it," Scarface revealed. "Perhaps the Goldenmane Lion attacked us because it feared we'd steal its cub."

"A cub? No wonder the Goldenmane Lion backed off; it was wary of being drawn away from its young," Lin Hao mused internally. "It seems that even a dire beast in the foundation-building stage has some spiritual wisdom. I'll need to be more cautious in future encounters."

As for the cub inside, Lin Hao had no intention of meddling. It was ludicrous to even consider it; he was hardly a match for the Goldenmane Lion, let alone trying to take its cub.

"Alright, can you make it back on your own?" Lin Hao asked Scarface.

"Yes, I can manage. It's just a flesh wound," Scarface replied.

"Good. I'm off then. Don't forget what you've promised me. If I was able to save you from the Goldenmane Lion, I can just as easily take you down. Don't be foolish." With that, Lin Hao pushed off the ground and sprinted away.

"You should get going too. The Goldenmane Lion might return at any moment."

With great effort, Scarface stood up and, despite his exhaustion, made his way back to the Wang family.