But Niu Dali hadn't completely lost his head. With a loud shout, he quickly retreated along the path they came.Still, the fury in his eyes was unmistakable—intense and scorching. He looked as if he wanted to annihilate the entire Bloodclaw Tribe.Jiuquan! This was Jiuquan, and it had actually been seized by these wolf cubs. They had taken the spring's source—this was outrageous.This is bullying us too much. Absolutely intolerable.With the Bloodclaw Tribe—there would be no peace, not until death. This would only end with total annihilation.
"Damn it! These brutes actually stole the spring. Return it! Sons of the tribe—charge!!"
The werewolves of the Bloodclaw Tribe saw Niu Dali and the others turn to flee and instantly realized they'd struck the minotaurs' weak point.They had caught them red-handed—minotaurs stealing the spring. Clearly, Niu Dali was trying to escape with it. The source must be on him.No way they'd let him go.
"Damn wolf bastards, laying an ambush for this old bull. Damn you all."
Niu Dali cursed furiously in his heart.So many werewolves, and they even brought an army of wolf packs. If this wasn't a premeditated ambush, what was?What did they think he was, blind?It was clearly a trap to take him—and the Iron Hoof Tribe—out. Unforgivable.
"Kill!!"Niu Dali roared from his dantian, unleashing a murderous shout.
"Signal's up. Move in—collapse the canyon!"
At the top of the canyon, Niu Da's eyes flashed with a ruthless glint.This was the agreed-upon signal.Without hesitation, he stomped hard on the ground.
Heaven-Shaking Life Aperture—Earthquake!!
RUMBLE!!!
A terrifying divine power poured into the ground. The canyon above echoed with thunderous roars.The entire gorge trembled. The ground shook. The canyon itself had been split open in the past—it was unstable.Now, under the devastating impact of the divine ability, the whole mountain range started to collapse.Boulders rained from above, crashing down relentlessly.
As soon as the power was unleashed, Niu Da and his team bolted along their pre-planned escape route.
"Not good! The canyon's collapsing!"
"Damn it! That tremor came from the minotaurs' Heaven-Shaking Life Aperture divine ability. They're trying to bring the whole place down!"
"A trap! This was all a trap! And they dare deny stealing the spring?! Why else would they have ambushes planted above the canyon?They want to bury us alive! This is war to the death! Bloodclaw Tribe and Iron Hoof Tribe—no peace until one side falls!"
"Run! Get out of here!"
"Damn it, we've been tricked!"
A chorus of furious howls rose from the wolves. Their eyes blazed with fury.They never expected the minotaurs to have people stationed above.This was all orchestrated—to collapse the entire canyon and bury them alive.
Tens of thousands of wolves had entered the canyon, not to mention the werewolf warriors.If they were all buried here—this would be a catastrophic loss for the Bloodclaw Tribe.This was a blood-deep grudge.
Werewolves wailed in horror, fleeing for their lives.But in the midst of a collapsing canyon, where could they run?The landslide was too fast.Boulders poured down like doomsday. There was no space to dodge.This was a total collapse—more terrifying than any avalanche.Countless stones rained down on their heads.
Some tried to fight back, clawing at the falling stones with their wolf claws, smashing boulders mid-air.But two fists couldn't fend off ten thousand stones.Wolves were crushed into pulp, smashed into pieces.Some werewolves spat blood and collapsed on the spot.
In just moments, the massive canyon was reduced to rubble.Blood soaked the ruins. A thick metallic scent filled the air.
"Iron Hoof Tribe! Minotaurs! Bloodclaw Tribe will never forgive you! No peace until death!!"
From among the survivors—less than one-tenth remained.The losses were devastating.Those who lived had eyes full of flames and hate—howling at the sky in grief and rage.
"Iron Hoof Tribe declares war! You dared to steal our sacred spring and set an ambush? You think we'd let that go?From this day forth—total war!!"
On the other side of the ruins, Niu Dali let out a sky-shattering roar.
The hatred over Jiuquan's theft—irreconcilable.And now, with a canyon full of dead werewolves, there was no turning back.Only total annihilation could end this blood feud.Blood must repay blood.
The enmity had fully ignited.
Still, neither side attacked immediately.Both retreated to their respective tribes.
When Niu Dali returned, the Iron Hoof Tribe erupted into chaos.News of what had happened in the canyon spread like wildfire.
"What?! The werewolves stole the spring?!"
"Damn those wolf bastards—war! We must reclaim the spring! We can't let them keep it!"
"This is an outrage! Not only did they steal from us, they even set a trap in the canyon to assassinate the chieftain?!We must go to war—let them learn who's the real powerhouse here!"
The whole tribe was furious.Shouts and battle cries erupted like thunder.
"It's done."
Within the tribe, Mao Sui revealed a faint smile, quietly whispering to himself.
From the looks of it, the grudge between minotaurs and werewolves was now beyond repair.From now on, blood would flow.Only after endless slaughter and mutual destruction would it end.
And with the minotaurs locked in battle, the Bloodclaw Tribe could no longer spare resources to threaten Xuanhuang City.
That alone made it all worth it.
"But... who ended up with the spring?"
Mao Sui silently pondered.He had hinted about it in his prior messages, but who had taken it in the end?He couldn't tell.
Some things only reveal themselves in time.But regardless of who took it, the two tribes were now bound for conflict.A war was inevitable.
And Mao Sui had achieved most of his goal—using the minotaurs as a knife to cut down the werewolves.
Of course, the price wasn't small.But the best solution, one that kept the human race out of the war directly, was clear—open trade.
Allowing the Iron Hoof Tribe to trade with the humans and Xuanhuang City.With access to Xuanhuang's resources, the Iron Hoof Tribe's strength could grow by more than thirty percent.
The Next Morning
Xuanhuang City, in the Palace Tree, inside the City Lord's Mansion.
After washing up, Yi Tianxing and Cai Yan sat at the breakfast table.Today's meal: soup dumplings and three-delicacy blood essence porridge.The dumplings were filled with top-grade meat from a fierce wild boar.Blended with premium ingredients, vegetables grown in dantian life apertures, and wrappers made from flour mixed with the colorful eggs of a five-colored brocade chicken.
Thin-skinned, generously filled, and bursting with soup.
Peeling a small section of the dumpling skin, Yi Tianxing sipped the hot broth—its rich flavor exploded on his taste buds, making his entire body quiver in bliss.
Though the soup was scalding, such heat was nothing to him.
They ate with deep satisfaction.Their gourmet cells seemed to shiver with pleasure.Waves of heaven-and-earth essence flowed into their bodies, subtly enhancing their physical strength.
Ding ding!!
Just as the last dumpling entered his stomach, two crisp ding sounds echoed from within his body.A black and a white ancient cauldron emerged within his flesh.The white cauldron had emitted the sound, but the black one echoed in harmony.
Invisible soundwaves surged through his blood and bones.
His skeleton shattered inch by inch, only to reform under the cauldron's mysterious power.As the bones regenerated, they glowed with a richer luster, denser and stronger than before.His flesh surged with even more power.
His body expanded slightly, then quickly shrank back to normal.
🔸White Cauldron Second Ring – Fleshly Body Breakthrough
"Twenty thousand jin of strength. White cauldron second chime. My physical body has evolved again."
Yi Tianxing took a deep breath, sensing the boundless power within.Endless blood energy surged from the two cauldrons, tempering his body in an unceasing cycle.
"Husband, your body cultivation broke through!"
Cai Yan smiled joyfully.
"Yes, I've reached the second chime of the white cauldron.Flesh cultivation is far harder than qi cultivation—costs ten, even a hundred times more resources.If not for my special physique, I wouldn't have broken through so easily.The further one goes, the harder it becomes."
Yi Tianxing sighed.
Body cultivators were indeed powerful, but not without cost.
Even for him, it had taken long months of eating and nourishing to break through—and this was just a small step.
⚔️ Each level required an increase of 100,000 jin of strength.
"Master, Enforcer Ye has returned."
Cao Zhengchun approached quickly to report.