In the ruthless universe of the cultivation novel Renegade Immortal (仙逆), the protagonist Wang Lin is known for a brutal, unyielding code: an eye for an eye, and the utter annihilation of any who cross his path. His journey is marked by relentless vengeance and survival against impossible odds. This makes a pivotal moment in the narrative so profoundly startling.
After finally capturing the Dispersed Demon—a powerful entity that had once hunted him to the brink of destruction—Wang Lin does the unthinkable. He lets his enemy go. This act defies his established character and the very laws of the world he inhabits. To understand this choice is to understand the complex evolution of a cultivator who learns that sometimes, the strongest move is not to strike at all.
A Hunter Cornered
The conflict with the Dispersed Demon was never a simple battle. Fresh from a breakthrough, Wang Lin became the target of this ancient being, a former general under the Ancient Demon Taja. To restore its own power, the demon needed to devour the essence of cultivators at Wang Lin's new level. The ensuing chase was catastrophic for Wang Lin.
He was forced to expend priceless treasures like the Sword Qi of Ling Tianhou (凌天候) and detonate his life-saving Blood Soul Pill. Pushed to absolute limits, he consumed dangerous Demonic Fruits, teetering on the edge of insanity. His survival was not a victory of strength, but a desperate scramble, aided finally by the ancient demon Bei Luo (贝罗). He captured his tormentor, but the cost had been immense.
With the Dispersed Demon now his prisoner, Wang Lin's initial instinct aligned with his infamous reputation. He intended to refine and subjugate this mighty foe, to turn a source of past trauma into a future weapon. He spent a century imposing restrictive seals, attempting to break the demon's will. Yet, he encountered an immovable object. The demon's spiritual fortitude and indomitable will resisted complete conquest. Wang Lin could manage containment, but not conversion. The asset he sought remained stubbornly out of reach, a prisoner requiring constant vigilance and energy to maintain.
Meanwhile, Wang Lin's own path demanded forward motion. His driving purpose—to resurrect his beloved Li Muwan (李慕婉)—loomed over everything. He also faced threats from formidable enemies like Tian Yunzi (天运子). The Dispersed Demon, in this state, was a liability. It consumed resources and attention without offering any return, a classic burden. The once-ferocious hunter was now a caged, useless trophy. Wang Lin found himself at an impasse, holding a power he could neither fully control nor beneficially release.
The Calculus of Survival
The turning point arrived with a new, immediate threat: the patriarch of the Illusory Family, Illusory Wuqing (幻无情). This opponent wielded the potent Formless Heavenly Demon technique and commanded formidable clan defenses, including arrays that could summon shadows of even more powerful cultivators. For Wang Lin, this was a multifaceted problem where direct confrontation risked disaster. He needed a solution that bypassed the opponent's strengths. In this dilemma, the imprisoned Dispersed Demon transformed from a burden into a potential key.
Wang Lin recognized a crucial synergy. As a descendant of ancient demons, the Dispersed Demon's innate abilities were a natural counter to Illusory Wuqing's Formless Heavenly Demon arts. Furthermore, that same demonic energy would serve as potent nourishment for the captive. A transaction, born of pure pragmatism, took shape. Wang Lin proposed a deal: the demon's freedom in exchange for its assistance in breaking the Illusory Family's defenses and neutralizing their patriarch. It was an offer that addressed the core desires of both parties—survival and advancement for Wang Lin, liberty and a power feast for the demon.
The collaboration was brutally effective. The Dispersed Demon dismantled the protective arrays with ease and consumed the Formless Heavenly Demon power, growing stronger. Wang Lin achieved his strategic objective, eliminating a major threat without depleting his own reserves. He also gained an unexpected bonus: by observing the demon's combat methods, he gleaned early insights into the power rules of a higher cultivation realm. The outcome was a clear, mutual victory. Letting go solved two problems at once and provided a future advantage.
Beyond Vengeance
This decision marks a fundamental maturation in Wang Lin's Dao Heart. The early Wang Lin, shaped by the destruction of his sect and the loss of loved ones, was a creature of pure reaction and retribution. Every slight demanded a blood price. However, his journey, including a period of profound worldly immersion known as Hua Fan (化凡), gradually widened his perspective. He began to see the cultivator world not just as a series of personal battles, but as an ecosystem of conflicting needs and temporary alliances.
In this light, the Dispersed Demon's initial attack was not purely personal malice; it was an act of survival, a predator seeking prey to heal itself. Wang Lin's counter-hunt was equally instinctual self-preservation. Once the dynamic shifted—once the demon was neutralized and could serve a greater purpose—clinging to the old grudge became an irrational hindrance. Wang Lin's paramount goals, resurrecting Li Muwan and ascending to greater heights, dwarfed this past conflict. The grievance was relegated to a mere episode on a much longer road.
Releasing the Dispersed Demon was thus an act of elevated judgment. It demonstrated that Wang Lin could subordinate immediate emotional impulses to long-term strategy and cool rationality. He learned a subtle lesson of power: in the endless climb of cultivation, today's mortal enemy could become tomorrow's instrumental factor. Absolute adherence to a "destroy all enemies" code could blind one to opportunistic advantages and consume energy better spent on core pursuits. By choosing the pragmatic release over the satisfying kill, Wang Lin integrated a deeper survival wisdom, proving that true strength lies as much in strategic discernment as in martial prowess.
