The Lancang River surged westward, its vast waters rolling with unrelenting force. Along its course, small streams and rivulets merged into its mighty flow, while other tributaries branched off, cascading into deep ravines and treacherous pits.0

Yinma Ford was one such tributary. With its flat terrain and lush, green grasslands, it had long served as the Li family’s designated pastureland. The Lis, a Foundation Establishment family, were well known for breeding dragon-horses. Though the land was not fenced off, most rogue cultivators in Dahe Market knew it belonged to the Li family and rarely trespassed.0

But today, Yinma Ford was stained crimson with blood. Mutilated corpses floated in the shallows, some carried away by the current, others caught on the muddy banks. The air reeked of iron, and the silence was broken only by the excited murmurs of cultivators in enchanted robes as they looted the dead.0

“Damn, these guys were loaded!”0

A young cultivator whistled as he rummaged through a bloodstained storage pouch, eyes gleaming at the spirit stones and talismans he uncovered.0

Another nearby chuckled and spoke in envy. "Yeah, can you believe it? The Mi family hasn’t...0