Dividing the Honors

Meanwhile, on the other side, Ning Yao had already left the scene of the incident long ago.

He had no desire to get tangled up with that group.

Troublesome. Not a single one of them was easy to deal with.

Withered Wood, however, gave Ning Yao some feedback when it saw them.

Though it did not speak, Ning Yao felt that his little creation did not hold much goodwill toward that group.

After all, those people had come to kill it earlier.

If Ning Yao had not intervened, Withered Wood would probably have slaughtered them all by now.

Looking at the little dragon coiled around his hand, Ning Yao gently stroked it.

"How is it? After being in the Star Dou Great Forest for so long, is there anywhere you want to go?"

"Following me may mean you do not have as much freedom, but if there is somewhere you want to go, I can take you there."

He was rather bored anyway. He could go wherever he wanted at any time.

Besides, after leaving the Star Dou Great Forest, he would probably return to Spirit City first to check in. After all, he still needed to settle matters with Bibi Dong.

He simply was not in any hurry.

He had inspected the place where Bibi Dong was in seclusion. By his estimate, she would not be able to emerge for at least another month or two.

After hearing Ning Yao's words, Withered Wood trembled slightly.

Its pair of vertical pupils, the same color as Ning Yao's, blinked softly.

It conveyed its thoughts to Ning Yao.

According to it, during this time, because of Ning Yao's orders, there had indeed been many things it wanted to do but could not.

Among them, the place that attracted it most was the deepest part of the Star Dou Great Forest.

It often sensed an aura there that was extremely similar to its own.

It had always been curious about what it was.

After hearing this, Ning Yao's lips twitched slightly.

Withered Wood did not know, but he did.

If he had guessed correctly, the aura Withered Wood spoke of should belong to the Titan Giant Ape, into whose body he had once injected his power.

"You want to go take a look?"

Withered Wood nodded.

"But let me warn you first. That aura is not one of your kind. On this continent, you are one of a kind. I created you."

Ning Yao spoke quietly as he gently touched the ring on his hand.

This was his first creation, and currently his only one.

Only it had been created entirely from his power.

The others could at most be considered people or things tainted by his power, or believers like those in Abundance Village.

Withered Wood seemed to understand, yet also seemed not to, but it still nodded obediently.

At the same time, it rubbed its wooden body against Ning Yao's finger, indicating that it simply wanted to take a look.

Hearing that, Ning Yao said no more.

He had agreed to it in the first place, and a trip to the core region was nothing much.

As it happened, he was also somewhat curious about what the Titan Giant Ape had become.

It should have grown very strong, but Er Ming was likely no longer Er Ming.

Without further hesitation, Ning Yao quickened his pace with Withered Wood.

On the other side, after failing to find anything, the group was now seated in a circle.

"Sect Master Ning, what should we do now? You led this operation, so you have to give us an explanation."

Seated in the front circle, Yu Yuanzhen looked at Ning Fengzhi before him and spoke in a deep voice.

The other Titled Douluo were also looking at Ning Fengzhi. After all, this operation had been organized by the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect and Ning Fengzhi.

Several Titled Douluo sat in a circle here, while a group of Soul Douluo stood off to the side.

They had been brought along purely to assist. They could not say anything, nor did they dare to.

They had only one thought now: wait for the big shots to reach a decision.

So after Yu Yuanzhen, an elder of considerable status even among them, spoke up, they too fixed their gazes on Ning Fengzhi.

Under so many burning stares, Ning Fengzhi clearly fell into hesitation.

Should they seize the honor or not?

Chen Xin had already told them what he thought. Ning Yao might be some reclusive Titled Douluo, and his strength might be extremely formidable.

Even Ning Fengzhi had to weigh whether he could dare steal the honor of a powerhouse of that level.

If Ning Yao truly took offense, then after they seized the honor, they might suffer his frenzied retaliation.

Aside from Dugu Bo, who was alone, the rest of them all had factions, blood relatives, and families.

But if they did not...

Ning Fengzhi fell even more silent.

If they did not, where would they put their pride?

Would the five of them, along with the factions behind them, still have any authority in the Soul Master world?

A group of Titled Douluo and Soul Douluo had come in force to encircle and suppress it, and they had even publicly announced it across the entire continent.

They had even settled the matter of a victory banquet before setting out. It was probably already being prepared.

If they returned empty-handed and told the entire continent, told all Soul Masters, that they had failed, that they had been driven back, and that in the end a senior had saved the soul beast from them and defeated it alone—

Would they not become a laughingstock for Soul Masters to gossip about over tea?

Everyone present understood this logic.

Even the Soul Douluo listening in understood how serious it was.

Thus, no one wanted to bear this blame. In the end, it could only be pushed onto Ning Fengzhi, the organizer.

After hesitating for a long time, Ning Fengzhi finally gritted his teeth.

"Everyone, listen to me."

"Since that senior saved us, we certainly cannot do something so lacking in conscience, right?"

But as he spoke, his tone suddenly shifted. He raised his head and swept his gaze across everyone.

"However... we also contributed quite a lot to that senior, did we not?"

"After all, we greatly weakened that tree demon earlier, creating the opportunity for that senior to kill it in one strike."

Ning Fengzhi began spouting nonsense with a straight face.

He did not dare seize all the honor. The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect could not withstand the frenzied retaliation of a supreme powerhouse.

But they absolutely could not lose face either, at least not too much of it.

Hearing this, the others looked at one another and all understood Ning Fengzhi's meaning.

He had made it very clear. The tree demon had been slain jointly by them and a mysterious powerhouse. They had been the main force, though the tree demon had indeed been killed by the mysterious powerhouse.

Though there was still risk, they were all willing to accept this explanation.

The one who found it hardest to accept was Dugu Bo.

His face twisted in discomfort. He had not wanted this honor, which could invite retaliation at any moment, in the slightest. He did not even want the slightest connection to it.

He only had himself and his granddaughter. There was no faction behind him, and he did not care much about his reputation. He only wanted his granddaughter and himself to live safely.

But since Ning Fengzhi had said so and the others had all agreed, he could only nod along.

Besides, it could be considered returning Xue Xing's favor. After this, he would have completely repaid the debt he owed Xue Xing.

Ning Fengzhi was feeling rather pleased with himself, completely unaware that he and Ning Yao would soon meet again...