Animating the Earth

It was a towering figure nearly ten meters tall.

It still looked like a wolf bandit, but it was somewhat different from the others lying in wait throughout the surrounding mountains and forests.

Its limbs were visibly far more robust, and the sense of power it exuded vastly surpassed that of its kin.

What most clearly distinguished it from ordinary wolf bandits was its unusual bluish-black fur and its deep, green-glowing eyes.

"Th-that's the wolf bandit leader! Its combat strength rivals that of a Soul Sage. It's the strongest of the entire pack and can be classified as a ten-thousand-year soul beast!"

The well-informed caravan owner stood behind them, pointing at the wolf bandit leader as he shouted shakily at Ning Yao.

Though he had no idea what Ning Yao, a healing-type Soul Master, intended to do, at this point, he could only choose to trust him.

After the caravan owner finished speaking, the expressions of the other members tightened once more.

A wolf bandit leader comparable to a ten-thousand-year soul beast!

"Ning Yao, it's dangerous! Come back quickly! Heal us, and we'll fight our way out together!"

Iron Dragon was the first to step forward, wanting to pull Ning Yao back.

But just as his outstretched hand was about to touch Ning Yao, he suddenly froze.

Before the stunned eyes of Iron Dragon, the caravan members, and the wolf bandits, Ning Yao unleashed his martial soul.

A gigantic emerald-green tree appeared behind him.

Then, one soul ring after another emerged around him.

Even when the blood-red radiance shone upon everyone's faces, Iron Dragon still had not recovered his senses.

He was dumbfounded. His half-raised hand unconsciously withdrew, and his gaze at Ning Yao was filled with shock and disbelief.

"Nine rings... a Titled Douluo!"

"You're a Titled Douluo!"

This had to be a joke!

The young man he had chatted with all day, the one he had originally wanted to recruit into the caravan, was actually a nine-ring Titled Douluo?!

And if he remembered correctly, red represented a hundred-thousand-year soul ring. To people like them, that was a color that existed only in legends.

Yet Ning Yao had two of them!

"Brother Ning Yao, you're joking, right...?"

The more Iron Dragon spoke, the quieter his voice became.

The soul rings were right before his eyes. How could they be fake? He simply found it too unreal to accept.

Did that mean they were saved?

Ning Yao turned around and glanced at everyone, giving them a reassuring look.

"I told you I'd keep you safe. I always keep my word."

As he spoke, Ning Yao wore what appeared to be a very friendly smile.

In truth, he had nearly acted right away and wiped out all the wolf bandits. Fortunately, he suddenly remembered that people on the Douluo Continent seemed to need to summon their martial souls and reveal their soul rings before they could use powerful abilities, so he had released his "martial soul."

Now, it was time to get down to business.

Ning Yao looked toward the village again. The blue-furred wolf bandit leader was still standing there.

But this time, its arrogance had visibly diminished.

Only bewilderment and terror remained in those green eyes.

It had originally come to grab an extra meal, but what the hell was this nine-ring Titled Douluo?!

Wolf bandits possessed intelligence, and as their leader, it was even smarter than many humans.

So as it looked at Ning Yao now, its legs nearly went limp with fright.

Though it had never sensed even the slightest oppressive aura or soul power fluctuation from Ning Yao, those nine soul rings were right there. Even without any pressure, it did not dare move an inch.

The other ordinary wolf bandits were the same.

When their leader appeared, they had felt certain of victory and had even put aside the inexplicable deaths of their companions, preparing to rush forward and kill Ning Yao's group first.

But who would have thought that before they had even gotten halfway there, they would witness this terrifying sight?

Who would dare charge in now?

The blue-furred wolf bandit leader already wanted to flee, but just as it raised its head to issue an order, it suddenly felt its feet sink.

Ning Yao was smiling at them.

The ground trembled slightly. Other than beneath Ning Yao and the caravan members, the entire surrounding mountain began to shake.

And not only the mountain—even the flowers, grass, and trees growing upon it swayed continuously along with the earth.

Then, the caravan members witnessed a sight they would never forget for the rest of their lives.

The surrounding forest moved.

It moved in the literal sense. The trees seemed to have come alive, their branches and leaves stretching out like human arms as they stabbed toward the wolf bandits.

The once-fragile trees suddenly became exceptionally tough. No matter how the wolf bandits slashed with their claws, they could not cut them apart.

Some quick-reacting wolf bandits barely dodged the surrounding trees with their nimble bodies and reached the open ground.

But the majority who had failed to react, or who had tried to fight back, were not so fortunate.

Some were pierced directly by branches and leaves and dragged back against the trunks. Others were bound alive to them.

Whenever a tree captured a wolf bandit or its corpse, its trunk would begin to twist until it formed something resembling a face, after which it slowly devoured its captured prey.

This horrifying scene made not only the wolf bandits present tremble all over, but even the caravan members were terrified.

"Brother Ning Yao, this is..."

Iron Dragon spoke softly as he looked at Ning Yao standing before him.

He had actually noticed it earlier. All these changes had appeared only after Ning Yao's eighth soul ring lit up.

Was this a Titled Douluo? Was this a hundred-thousand-year soul ring?

After hearing Iron Dragon call to him, Ning Yao gave him a reassuring look and nodded.

"Just watch without worry. Today, nothing will leave this mountain."

Those words were undoubtedly like a calming pill. Iron Dragon and the caravan members behind him all nodded in unison.

"Mm!" (Everyone)

Just as Ning Yao turned to speak with the caravan members, the blue-furred wolf bandit leader had already moved its violently trembling legs, preparing to run away.

Who cared about its pack? Staying alive was what mattered most!

But in the very next second, just as it was about to escape, the trembling ground abruptly fell still.

The sudden silence left the blue-furred wolf bandit momentarily stunned.

At that very moment, it felt as though it had stepped on something.

It instinctively lowered its head, and the entire wolf went numb.

"Awooo!!"

A horrifying scream echoed through the mountain forest. There was no longer any muddy ground beneath its feet.

That was clearly—clearly a mass of flesh and blood!

Its foot had sunk in because it had stepped too hard and torn open the skin of the flesh beneath it.

The smell of blood quickly spread. It had once been their favorite scent, but now it had become the blue-furred wolf bandit leader's death knell.