Chapter 136: Six-Eared Remnants

The sky is boundless, the wilderness vast; the wind bends the grass low to reveal flocks and herds.

Beneath the night sky, set against a river of stars, the grasslands stretched out in magnificent breadth. Yet to someone fleeing for his life, such grandeur offered little comfort.

Because there was nowhere to hide.

"Cough, cough!"

Yuan Sheng coughed violently as he spurred the Dragon Blood Horse beneath him with desperate fury. Ignoring that the steed was already pushed to its absolute limit, he forced it into a headlong gallop.

A glance over his shoulder revealed soaring flames and the shrill, agonizing cries of slaughter. Every sound pierced his heart like a blade. Tearing his gaze away after a single, flinching look, he decisively drew a dagger, slashed his wrist, and fed his own blood to the Dragon Blood Horse to ignite the power of its bloodline.

"Neigh!"

Nourished by Yuan Sheng's blood, the exhausted steed surged with sudden vitality as a visible shockwave erupted around them.

It shattered the sound barrier.

Instantly, the crushing force of the acceleration bore down on Yuan Sheng, worsening his already severe injuries and blurring his vision.

'No, I have to hold on!'

'I am the last bloodline descendant of the Six-Eared Clan, carrying the sacred duty of passing on our secret blood. If I die, our clan will never have another chance to rise!'

That was the sole thought driving Yuan Sheng forward.

Yet right then, equally piercing sonic booms detonated behind him. Looking back, he saw figures tearing through the air at supersonic speeds, closing in for the kill.

At the same time, a stifling constriction clamped down on his body.

'Spiritual sense lock... Not good!'

Yuan Sheng's expression changed drastically. He tried to circulate his spiritual sense to break free, but every one of the three pursuers matched him at his peak.

Severely injured and with his spiritual sense depleted, he was completely powerless against their shameless three-on-one assault. He could only watch helplessly as they drew near, a chilling laugh echoing into his mind: "Young Clan Leader Yuan, stop running. The Six-Eared Clan has already been chosen by the Royal Court."

"This is your great fortune."

"You know the Great Golden Wheel Wisdom King flew into a rage recently. He cut off the blood sacrifices and refused to consume the people of the Royal Court, severing our hopes of reincarnation."

"Do you have any idea what kind of suffering that brings?"

"To change the Great Golden Wheel Wisdom King's mind, we can only trouble your Six-Eared Clan to make the sacrifice. The people of the Royal Court will never forget your benevolence."

Hearing this, Yuan Sheng nearly lost his mind with rage.

"Even if the Great Golden Wheel Wisdom King cut off the blood sacrifices and a clan had to sacrifice itself for the Sacred Feast Ritual, it should never have been the Six-Eared Clan!"

"Besides, who doesn't know how merciless the Sacred Feast Ritual is? The entire clan slaughtered, their bloodlines stewed and their souls steamed! Even if we reincarnate in the future, we would have to start over as the lowliest monster beasts, and the Six-Eared Clan would be gone forever! If it were your clan, would any of you be willing?!"

It all stemmed from the rules of the grasslands.

Conditions on the grasslands were brutal, and when people died, their souls had nowhere to rest. Fortunately, the Wisdom King had descended to save all living beings, offering to guide the grassland people into reincarnation.

Yet aiding the reincarnation of sentient beings brought the Wisdom King nothing but harm and zero benefit; it was sustained entirely by his mercy.

Over time, even the Wisdom King would feel regret and hesitation.

Whenever that happened, the Wisdom King would refuse the blood sacrifices offered by the grassland people, no longer consuming fresh living humans to shepherd them into the next life.

Thus, the Sacred Feast Ritual was born.

Since merely consuming ordinary beings provided him no benefit, a chosen group would be meticulously prepared into an exquisite feast to delight the Wisdom King.

In doing so, they enticed him to return and continue his work.

Fortunately, the Wisdom King's compassion was steadfast; up to now, he had only stepped away three times, and the Sacred Feast Ritual had claimed only three minor clans.

Not long ago, however, the Great Golden Wheel Wisdom King had flown into a violent rage over some unknown grievance. Not only did he refuse to consume the grassland people, but he had even regurgitated some of those he had already swallowed. Their hollow, soulless husks still wandered the steppe, their chilling wails striking terror into all who heard them.

That was what brought about this extermination.

"The Wisdom King is furious. Sacrificing minor clans like the last three times won't work anymore. We had to choose a clan with a sufficiently noble bloodline."

"Yet clans of noble blood are almost all massive."

One of the pursuers sneered:

"Looking across the steppe, only your Six-Eared Clan has noble blood while remaining small and sparsely populated. You are the perfect offering for the Sacred Feast Ritual."

"It is simply destiny."

"Accept it!"

Yuan Sheng seethed with helpless fury at their words. Seeing his pursuers draw ever closer and realizing escape was impossible, despair finally overtook him.

'Father, Mother, I have failed you...'

In that very instant.

An invisible, majestic power descended. In that moment, destiny itself rippled, and an entirely new current abruptly surged forward, drawn into the turbulent stream.

Immediately after, Yuan Sheng's thoughts shifted.

'...Lord Clan Leader, Madam... I have failed your solemn trust. I could not protect the young master... The Six-Eared bloodline will be extinguished!'

Nearby, the pursuers' words shifted as well:

"Lord Yuan, give up!"

"You have nowhere left to run!"

"Your young clan leader is barely a year old, fresh from the cradle! Even if you manage to escape with him, who says he will ever awaken the Six-Eared bloodline?"

"Hand him over, and we will spare your life."

"What do you say?"

Hearing this, Yuan Sheng whipped his head back in furious defiance. "In your dreams! As long as I live, you will not touch a single hair on the young clan leader's head!"

With that, he pulled his arms tight as though clutching a swaddled infant. In reality, his embrace was completely empty, save for streams of golden light gathering and slowly coalescing into form. Yet neither Yuan Sheng nor the pursuers paid any heed to the strange anomaly.

Not until Wang Ping opened his eyes.

"Hmm?"

As the golden light from the Taiping Sutra's transmigration gradually dispersed, Wang Ping immediately realized something was wrong with his body.

His limbs were far too small.

I transmigrated as an infant this time?

Wang Ping frowned slightly, but felt no panic. The infant body was merely an outer shell; the power belonging to his Martial Dao Grandmaster Rank had not vanished with the crossing.

Beneath this tender exterior lay the exact same terrifying physique capable of moving at sub-light speeds at its limit. Inwardly inspecting himself with his spiritual sense, he could even see the Dragon Head Guillotine fused with his internal organs. The divine weapon had actually transmigrated alongside him—an unexpected and welcome surprise.

'Is it because I fused the weapon into my body?'

'Looks like I still need to get a Divine Armor of my own.'

Wang Ping smacked his lips, recalling Chenlong's Divine Armor. Even though he had only borrowed it briefly, the snug comfort and profound sense of security lingered in his memory.

Having taken stock of himself, Wang Ping immediately began observing his surroundings.

The heated shouting match between Yuan Sheng and the pursuers quickly reached his ears. Combining their words with the background memories of his new vessel, he swiftly pieced together the whole picture.

'I see. I am the last bloodline descendant of the Six-Eared Clan, newborn, my clan wiped out, fleeing with a loyal servant... What is this, the Orphan of Zhao? Something isn't right. My status this time is remarkably high—hardly the Taiping Sutra's usual style.'

In Wang Ping's experience, The identities arranged by the Taiping Sutra after transmigration were almost always orphans with no children, no money, and no backing, forced to build everything from scratch with their own hands.

Yet what about this time?

'The Six-Eared Clan's ancestors produced a Great Sage among the Heavenly Demons, one who was even taken as a disciple by the Wisdom King. And as the clan's sole surviving bloodline, I was born with profound mysteries of my own...'

Just look at this starting setup.

He might be in immediate danger, but his foundational assets were remarkably formidable. In his memory, a Great Sage represented the pinnacle of combat strength in the Heavenly Demon Royal Court.

Moreover, unlike Great Shun, the Heavenly Demon Royal Court was a realm that revered bloodlines. Here, blood was not merely a mark of noble status, but a vessel of genuine, tangible power.

Was this still the Taiping Sutra?

Handing out bonuses now?

'Or... did my destiny change? Because I acquired Ye Chao's extraordinary destiny, my status after transmigrating was upgraded to match.'

That being the case, Wang Ping knew what to do next.

...........

The sun sank behind the western hills.

At last, the Dragon Blood Horse beneath Yuan Sheng could run no further. Its legs snapped and its strength gave out, pitching Yuan Sheng forward in a violent crash as it came to an abrupt halt.

Caught off guard, Yuan Sheng had no time to orient himself. He could only shield the infant in his embrace with everything he had. Hurtling forward at terrifying speed, he crashed heavily into the earth like a plow, blasting several massive craters and gouging a long trench before collapsing limp upon the ground.

"Haha! He finally dropped!"

Overjoyed at the sight, the three pursuers spurred their mounts forward to claim the lives of the dying Yuan Sheng and the infant in his arms.

Yet right at that moment—

"Hmm?"

The pursuers' pupils contracted sharply. The infant in Yuan Sheng's arms squirmed free of his embrace, stretched lazily, and stood upright like a normal adult.

This is a fucking one-year-old?

Such thoughts flashed through their minds for only an instant before plunging into bottomless darkness right alongside their vision.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

Collapsed on the ground, Yuan Sheng's eyes went wide. He saw only a flash of cold light, followed by three heads tumbling from their saddles. As the wind brushed past, they disintegrated on the spot into fine powder.

"Y-You... you..."

Yuan Sheng was struck dumb, half-convinced he was experiencing a hallucination before death—until the infant patted his tender little hands together and turned large, luminous black eyes upon him.

"Well? Can you still move?"

Even as the child spoke, a warm current surged into Yuan Sheng's chest, sweeping away his external injuries and mending his shattered bones and severed sinews. In the span of a few breaths, he had completely recovered!

What... what was this?

Yuan Sheng's mind ground to a near-complete halt. Only after a long silence did he manage to find an explanation that fit within his understanding of the world.

"Born with knowledge, innate Divine Powers, and past-life wisdom."

"I see. No wonder the Six-Eared Clan was wiped out... it was all for this karmic affinity..."

As the words left his mouth, a look of ecstatic wonder broke across his face. Looking at Wang Ping, he prostrated himself reverently in a full five-point bow.

"Dare I ask which Venerable has reincarnated among us?"