He took out clean gauze from his backpack and simply bandaged himself up. Although all his wounds were just flesh injuries and hadn’t damaged his tendons or bones, if he didn’t treat them, he could still bleed to death!

His physique was already extremely tough now, and in just this short time, his wounds had already started to scab over.

After finishing the bandaging, Henry Dawson’s gaze turned toward the stone—during the previous battle with the three-tailed wolf vulture, the black broken sword had always pointed in the direction of the stone and had never changed.

In other words, what triggered the black broken sword’s reaction was not the three-tailed wolf vulture, but something behind the stone, and the three-tailed wolf vulture was guarding that thing.

He was just about to walk over when he heard the sound of footsteps rustling from behind. Henry Dawson immediately stopped and spun around sharply.

Six men and two women filed out from the woods at an angle. All were young people around twenty, each with weapons on their backs or at their waists. The eight of them were all dressed in fitted martial attire. The two women were especially eye-catching—their tight clothes outlined their youthful bodies, with high, full chests and round, perky buttocks, plus beautiful faces, creating a powerful allure.

When the eight saw Henry Dawson, they were slightly startled, but when their eyes swept over the three-tailed wolf vulture on the ground, greed appeared on their faces.

“Not bad luck—just a few days out and we run into a demon beast!” a young man of about twenty laughed heartily. He was quite handsome, but his arrogance was overwhelming, as if he already considered the three-tailed wolf vulture his own.

“Brother Carter always has good luck!” a seventeen- or eighteen-year-old youth flattered him, then turned his face toward Henry Dawson, drew his sword, and pointed the tip straight at Henry Dawson. “Kid, get away from that demon beast’s corpse!”

The others didn’t speak, but neither did they stop him, clearly approving of his actions.

They naturally recognized the three-tailed wolf vulture and saw Henry Dawson’s body covered in wounds. So, although they guessed that Henry Dawson had killed the demon beast alone, they weren’t at all intimidated!

—After all, their Brother Carter was at the Bone Refining Realm and could slay a three-tailed wolf vulture single-handedly, and do it with ease!

So, they were certain they could handle Henry Dawson!

To be fair, their approach was even considered “merciful.” If they were more ruthless, they would have just rushed up and killed him without a word!

Why?

Naturally, because of the three-tailed wolf vulture!

Every part of a demon beast is valuable. Its pelt can be made into armor—light and soft, not only comfortable and good-looking, but also with powerful defensive properties, even surpassing ordinary chainmail! The beast’s sharp claws can be removed and embedded into weapons, making them incredibly lethal.

And then there’s the demon beast’s meat!

Demon beasts are wild beasts capable of cultivation, equivalent to martial artists among animals. Their meat is rich in energy and is a great tonic for martial artists!

Some demon beasts even have unique properties. For example, the gallbladder of the golden-crowned snake can be used in medicine to cure all poisons! The bones of the red fire tiger, when boiled and used for bathing, can enhance the toughness of a martial artist’s skin, flesh, tendons, and bones!

In the world of martial artists, the strong are always respected. Who cares who got here first? Since the eight of them saw it, the three-tailed wolf vulture was theirs!

Henry Dawson was furious, but the other side had eight people, each with a deep aura, none weaker than him. One against eight, he had almost no chance of winning. More importantly, after using the first move of Ling Tian, his true essence hadn’t fully recovered yet.

He had to swallow his anger!

Henry Dawson slowly backed away. Although the demon beast’s corpse was valuable, he didn’t care too much about it. What really interested him was the thing behind the stone that the three-tailed wolf vulture had been guarding. Since it could trigger a reaction from the black short sword, it was definitely extraordinary.

He memorized the faces of all eight people. If he ran into them again in the future, he would make sure they paid back everything with interest!

Seeing Henry Dawson sensibly back off, the eight all showed looks of disdain.

However, being able to kill a Flesh Refining Realm demon beast alone was still quite impressive. Even though the eight of them had an overwhelming advantage, if a real fight broke out, there was no guarantee that Henry Dawson wouldn’t drag one of them down with him in desperation.

So, Henry Dawson’s voluntary retreat was a win-win for everyone.

The youth who had pointed his sword at Henry Dawson walked over to the three-tailed wolf vulture, bent down, and hoisted the beast onto his back. Although it weighed several hundred pounds, it wasn’t much of a burden for someone at the Flesh Refining Realm.

Besides, there were eight of them, so they could take turns carrying it.

Having seized the spoils, the eight set off, but before they had gone far, one of them suddenly stopped and said, “Why was this demon beast here?”

The question was abrupt, but the other seven immediately understood.

Normally, land-based demon beasts live in caves and rarely come out. Here, apart from a big rock, there was no cover at all—there was no reason for a demon beast to make its lair here!

“There’s treasure here!” another person shouted.

All eight showed excitement. That’s right—if a demon beast encountered a natural spiritual object, it would guard it nearby and only leave after consuming it once it matured.

“Kid, you can get lost now! Otherwise, die!” That Brother Carter shouted at Henry Dawson.

Clearly, they wanted to drive Henry Dawson away so they could slowly search for the treasure guarded by the three-tailed wolf vulture.