Chapter 172: The Yao Race's Curse of Severed Progeny

“Y-yes! I know!” Fei's voice trembled uncontrollably from the pain.

“I ask. You answer.”

Fang Han's right fist pressed down upon Fei's head like a mountain, pinning it firmly to the ground. His fist was poised with murderous force, as though it could erupt again at any moment.

How could Fei dare hesitate?

Its enormous head bobbed repeatedly like a pecking chicken, hurriedly signaling its submission.

It was only then, through the terrified revelations of this strange beast, that Fang Han finally caught a glimpse of the truth behind this Martial Dao world.

The true name of the Martial Dao world was [Herd Thirteen].

As the name implied, it was regarded as the thirteenth pasture.

Beyond the boundary line Fang Han had previously seen lay a vast and boundless territory ruled by strange beasts.

Those strange beasts all referred to themselves as the [Yao].

In truth, the Yao world was a complete world, much like Great Qian. This Martial Dao world was merely one of several dozen vassals belonging to the Yao world.

And Fei was the keeper of the Thirteenth Pasture.

What the pasture could offer as tribute was not merely an abundance of the Primordial Qi of Heaven And Earth.

More importantly—It was the offspring and descendants of the Yao race.

Ever since the ancient event known as Severing of Communion Between Heaven And Earth, the Yao race had undergone an extremely strange transformation, which could also be described as a curse.

No matter how powerful a Yao beast species was, its chances of reproducing had been reduced to an almost negligible level.

The withering of their bloodlines caused the Yao race's overall population to decline year after year.

After millions upon millions of years, their numbers gradually dwindled, and this imperceptibly changed the way the entire Yao race viewed the world and conducted itself.

In ancient times, the Yao race had been renowned throughout the universe for its bloodlust and love of battle.

They fought not only against the myriad living beings of heaven and earth, but even slaughtered members of their own kind without the slightest hesitation. Once conflict arose, they would often fight until one side was completely dead.

But now...

Those ancient warmongers had long since vanished from sight.

The greatest obsession of the entire Yao race today was finding a way to break the curse that prevented them from producing offspring.

At present, the Yao World revered One Emperor, Four Kings, and Twelve Marquises above all.

Every one of them was a great Yao whose cultivation had reached unimaginable heights.

According to Fei's description, each of the Twelve Marquises possessed strength comparable to the Creation realm of Great Qian.

As for the Four Kings, they should all be mighty existences at the Heaven-Earth realm.

And as for the One Emperor, who stood above all living beings...

That existence was as elusive as an ancient totem from the legends of the Yao Clan.

No one knew Their's true name.

No one knew Their's identity.

No one knew Their's cultivation.

“Then the divine abilities that Martial Dao Grandmasters painstakingly cultivate, and the phantom images of Yao beasts that appear behind them... are actually the Yao clan's parasitic infants?”

Fang Han's voice was cold as he pressed the question.

Fei hurriedly nodded.

“This is an supreme Creation divine ability created by His Majesty Bai Ze in ancient times. It uses human martial artists with blood and qi as vigorous as dragons and spirits at their absolute peak as vessels, allowing them to nurture new descendants for our Yao World.”

As it spoke, Fei cautiously glanced at Fang Han's expression before finally steeling itself to continue.

“The Martial Dao Grandmasters who have risen to prominence throughout this pasture will, once they reach the end of their cultivation, have their consciousness and flesh forcibly seized by the Yao embryo growing within them.”

“When the newborn Yao finally breaks free from its shell, that is the moment the Grandmaster is completely devoured and replaced.”

“The Grandmaster dies, and a Yao is born.”

“Not only does this method greatly alleviate the Yao race's crisis of extinction, its greatest advantage is that the humans capable of breaking through the mortal world and reaching the Grandmaster realm are all peerless geniuses of extraordinary talent.”

“Using such people as vessels to nurture new Yaos often results in descendants who possess profound foundations and extraordinary innate talent from the moment they are born.”

“Ever since His Majesty Bai Ze passed down this method, the overall population of the Yao race has continued to decline year after year. However, the aptitude of the newly born Yaos has far surpassed that of the ancient era.”

“In a certain sense, this method has forcibly extended the Yao race's lifespan...”

Thus, His Majesty Bai Ze now holds an extraordinary position within the clan, second only to the Yao Emperor himself.”

Hearing this, a trace of killing intent flashed through Fang Han’s eyes. “What a vicious method. Is there any way to break it?”

Fei shook his head repeatedly. “This method has long since become intertwined with the Heavenly Dao laws of this Pasture world. Any martial artist in this world who reaches the Martial Dao Grandmaster realm will inevitably awaken a divine ability. In other words, they accept the parasitic entity.”

“Unless…”

“They can resist the temptation of the divine ability. Throughout the several thousand years of the Thirteen Pastures, countless Grandmasters have appeared. Yet throughout all of history, there has only ever been one person who could keep his Dao Heart clear, resist the temptation, and refuse to cultivate a divine ability. That person was Long Xuanji.”

“Long Xuanji?” Hearing that familiar name once again, Fang Han’s expression changed slightly.

At first, he had believed that Long Xuanji was the mastermind lurking behind the Martial Dao World. Now, however, it seemed that was not the case at all.

“What happened to Long Xuanji afterward?”

Fei’s expression became somewhat strange. “Since this method was created by His Majesty Bai Ze, he can sense everything that happens within all the ponds. Thus, when His Majesty Bai Ze sensed that Long Xuanji’s will was unwavering, he actually came to the Thirteenth Pasture in person and took Long Xuanji away. From that moment onward, Long Xuanji vanished without a trace, like a mud cow sinking into the sea.”

Fang Han pondered for a moment before asking again, “In this enormous Pasture, are you the only overseer? Does the Yao realm send people to inspect this place regularly?”

Fei smiled bitterly. “Who would be willing to come to a godforsaken place like this? Those above only care about the results. As long as the number of newly born young Yaos produced every ten years meets the required quota, no one will come here to ask a single question.”

“Generally speaking, producing thirty-seven newly born Yao beasts every ten years would be considered within the normal range.”

Fei hurriedly added this last sentence, clearly hoping to curry favor with Fang Han.

Fang Han narrowed his eyes and glanced sideways at Fei with a faint, enigmatic smile. “You’re quite the slippery one. You’ve been telling me everything you know, holding nothing back…”

Fei shuddered and immediately said, “Ever since you descended into this world, I knew this Pasture was doomed. Rather than putting up a futile struggle, it is better to abandon the darkness and embrace the light as soon as possible.”

“I only ask that you spare my life.”

“You can tell where I come from?” Fang Han asked with great interest, looking down at him from above.

“Of course. You… are a [Wu].”

Fei raised his head and looked at Fang Han, whose body was like a small mountain and who was even larger than himself. A trace of awe flashed through his heart.

“Oh? Tell me more.”

From Fei, Fang Han learned even more about the distant past of the Ancient Primordial Era.

In the Ancient Primordial Wilderness, all living beings fought for supremacy.

But in truth, only three great factions could be considered the protagonists of that age.

The Yao, the Wu, and… the Gods.

The Yao race was born inheriting innate divine abilities. The Wu race possessed physical bodies capable of supporting the immense might of Heaven and Earth, while the God race derived the profound and wondrous Laws of all living beings.

The three stood in a tripod formation, waging countless years of bloody conflict against one another, until that cataclysmic event that buried everything beneath the heavens, the “Severing of Communion Between Heaven And Earth.”

“Severing of Heaven and Earth. According to the records of your Yao race, what exactly happened back then?” Fang Han asked.

Fei shook his head. “No one knows the truth of what happened at the time. However, after the cataclysm, the world fell apart. Although our Yao race somehow managed to survive through immense hardship, we were also afflicted by a curse that nearly annihilated the entire race.”

“As for this Pasture World, it is merely one of the fragments of worlds we discovered while exploring the surrounding regions over the years.”

“After being separated for so many years, it has already developed an independent will of the Heavenly Dao. It is no longer suitable for forcibly merging it with the others.”

Fang Han naturally did not hold back and immediately began asking about the method of controlling the will of the Heavenly Dao in this world.