Bestowal

The leader of the Azure Wolf Bandits was nearly scared senseless. At that moment, it did not even know who the soul beast was anymore. It desperately lifted its foot, trying to flee.

But only then did it realize that it could not move at all.

The flesh-and-blood ground it had just slashed open had already begun to heal.

One of its legs had been sealed inside, completely numb.

And the layer of flesh that it could once tear apart with a casual burst of strength had become incomparably tough. No matter how hard the leader of the Azure Wolf Bandits struggled, it was useless.

Just as it was thinking of what to do, it suddenly discovered that the flesh was growing wildly up its body.

In mere seconds, it had swallowed and completely assimilated both of its legs.

Having lost the support of its legs, the leader of the Azure Wolf Bandits fell straight to the ground the next moment.

The soil on the ground transformed into flesh and, in the blink of an eye, devoured the wicked leader of the Azure Wolf Bandits.

Scenes like this were playing out throughout the entire mountain.

Whether Ning Yao could see them or not.

As long as they were within the mountain's bounds, every single wolf bandit was being swallowed by the earth.

Whenever blood began seeping from the ground that had once been dirt and gravel, it meant that another group of wolf bandits had lost their lives.

Only a few minutes passed before the more than one hundred wolf bandits that had surrounded them, along with those still lurking in the shadows, had all vanished without a trace.

If blood had not continued to seep from the dirt on the ground, the caravan members would have thought they were dreaming.

"Brother Ning Yao... no, Senior! Thank you for saving our lives, Senior!"

Once everyone gradually came to their senses, Iron Dragon was the first to walk to Ning Yao's side and bow deeply.

Then came one caravan member after another, including the caravan owner. He was the most respectful of all, nearly dropping to his knees.

Ning Yao merely smiled and waved his hand.

"I only fulfilled my promise. There is no need for this. We still have a journey ahead of us, so just keep calling me Ning Yao."

Though the others were somewhat uneasy, they did not dare refuse Ning Yao's words and hurriedly nodded.

Ning Yao was immediately much more satisfied. They were teachable.

Then, he looked toward Iron Dragon.

Although Iron Dragon had been saved, anyone could see that he was still tense—or rather, anxious.

"Come on, Iron Dragon. Let's go take a look together."

Ning Yao stepped forward and patted the burly man on the shoulder.

Naturally, he knew what Iron Dragon was worried about. After all, they were the family he had been thinking of day and night.

Upon hearing Ning Yao's words, Iron Dragon's face instantly filled with gratitude. He raised his head to look at him and nodded heavily.

"Thank you!"

Ning Yao smiled without saying anything.

With Iron Dragon in tow, the two entered the village one after the other.

The rest of the caravan did not follow. Since Ning Yao had not called for them, they sensibly chose to rest where they were. They also brought over the luggage that had yet to be moved and waited at the village entrance for Ning Yao's return.

Clearly, the backbone of the caravan had changed.

Yet the caravan owner remained cheerful and more than willing.

To serve a Titled Douluo—and for that Titled Douluo to be willing to lower himself to mingle, eat, and live alongside them—what an honor that was.

Everyone cherished this honor and kindness, and naturally, that included the caravan owner.

Meanwhile, Ning Yao had already led Iron Dragon deep into the heart of the village.

The village was not small, so it took them quite a while to arrive.

It was an enormous building—a church.

The thick stench of blood had originally spread from here.

"You do it."

Ning Yao left the task of opening the door to Iron Dragon.

Under Ning Yao's gaze, Iron Dragon trembled as he pushed open the door.

The miserable scene inside made tears burst from Iron Dragon's eyes the very next second.

Severed limbs, bloodstains everywhere, unidentifiable chunks of flesh and dried bones, and even a group of half-dead villagers were all gathered here.

Men, women, old people, and children—hundreds of people had all been imprisoned by the savage wolf bandits within this sacred church.

Everyone bore injuries to varying degrees. Missing arms and legs were everywhere.

The villagers had thought another slaughter was beginning the moment they heard the door open. But when they clearly saw two humans entering, they all froze.

"It's... it's Iron Dragon! Iron Dragon came back to save us!"

No one knew who suddenly shouted from within the crowd. Then, the silent crowd could no longer hold back.

One after another, they let out cries. Some were cries of joy at surviving the disaster, some were cries of pain they could no longer endure, and others were cries of grief for loved ones slaughtered before their eyes.

Iron Dragon shed tears as well, but his heart still could not settle.

He stepped through the thick blood on the ground and walked toward the villagers.

He was looking for his younger sister.

But after asking villager after villager, he finally saw a figure being carried out on a stretcher at the very back of the crowd.

It was a young woman, perhaps fifteen or sixteen years old.

Most strikingly, there was a huge bloody hole in her chest. Her internal organs could even be seen. Had she not been a soul master, she would likely have died long ago.

But even though she was still alive, she had only one breath left.

Iron Dragon stared blankly as tears blurred his vision.

Thud!

He dropped to his knees, staring at his unconscious younger sister.

The girl had only the faintest trace of breath left.

Ning Yao stood behind Iron Dragon, quietly watching it all.

In his ears were the villagers' sorrow, screams, wails, and grief.

Before his eyes was Iron Dragon, already crying so hard he could not speak.

"I can give her a chance, as long as she is willing to accept it."

Ning Yao spoke softly, interrupting Iron Dragon's weeping.

Iron Dragon's mind went blank for a second. Then, something suddenly occurred to him, and he looked up at Ning Yao from his knees.

That was right, Senior Ning Yao was a healing-type Titled Douluo!

"Senior Ning Yao, please, you must save my sister!"

"As long as you can save her, I want nothing! I'm willing to do anything! From now on, the life of Zhou Tielong belongs to you!"

Iron Dragon came to his senses and repeatedly bowed toward Ning Yao. Before long, his forehead had begun to bleed.

Ning Yao looked at the scene helplessly.

"I can give her a chance, but whether she accepts it is not something I can decide."

With that, he did not hesitate. He looked at the girl lying on the ground, barely breathing, and slowly raised his left hand.

A drop of green water flowed from Ning Yao's arm, transforming into a green sphere of light in midair before entering the girl's body through the bloody hole.

One second, two seconds... five seconds.

Green radiance enveloped the girl's entire body. The next moment, before everyone's incredulous eyes, the wounds on her body rapidly healed at a visible rate, and before long, she had completely recovered.

The instant the girl trembled and opened her eyes in Iron Dragon's arms, everyone froze.

"S-Senior, we beg you, Senior! We also want a chance to live!"

With a thud, someone dropped to their knees.