267: Chapter 267 A Life of Tumultuous Change, the Death of the Rat King, and the Relationship Between Ruler and Subject!

...

The Northern Mountain Range, the Wind Mouse Clan of the Rat Clan.

The Wind Mouse Clan had two Main Peaks, and the canyon between the two peaks was the prototype of the Wind Path blessed land currently being nurtured by the Wind Mouse Clan.

After generations of management by the Wind Mouse Clan, this place had long since become a treasured land.

It was rich in Spiritual Qi and planted full of shade-loving wind-attribute Spirit Medicine. A spiritual river had even been excavated to flow through the canyon.

Within it was a population of spiritual fish for the Wind Mouse Clan to consume for nourishment.

This blessed land was also gradually called Fengkou Valley, a paradise revered by the thousands of rat yao in the Wind Mouse Clan today.

The Wind Mouse Clan was advancing by leaps and bounds.

Over the past century, a total of seven or eight Foundation Establishment rat yao had been born. This was something unimaginable in the past, yet now they were incomparably powerful.

Deep within the cliffside of Fengkou Valley, there was a yao cave,

which was the current dwelling of Elder Rat. His aura was deep, yet it carried a sense of twilight; he lay on a soft cushion, his skin wrinkled.

He was too old, with a Lifespan of two hundred and fifty years.

For a Foundation Establishment rat yao, he was already a candle flickering in the wind.

More than half of the fur on his body had fallen out, and the rest had turned grayish-white, dry as grass. Those small eyes that once darted around with shrewdness were now covered by a cloudy white film.

He knew he did not have long to live.

Ever since the Evil Water Marsh was pacified, he had begun to age rapidly, his life slipping away swiftly, already nearing its end.

He had searched for a Golden Core Opportunity his entire life, but in the end, it was all just a grand dream, a void.

The shackles of his Bloodline were an insurmountable chasm lying before him. In order to pursue a better future,

back then, he had resolutely chosen to cultivate anew, abandoning the qi of the wind dao to forge this Fengkou Valley.

It was all for the future, for the clan.

But now, he could no longer follow the Old Ancestor, nor could he ever witness the grandeur of the Golden Core path again...

"Changfeng..."

Elder Rat's voice was weak, carrying a raspy wheeze.

A slender, young Wind Rat with pale green fur quickly walked to the cushion and bowed down.

Elder Shu Changfeng, the youngest son born to Elder Rat over thirty years ago.

This child was fortunate; he had caught the dividend of the Wind Mouse Clan's Bloodline modification. He was born a mutant, exceptionally gifted.

Before forty, he was already at the Foundation Establishment Middle Stage. His speed was as fast as a phantom, his wind-controlling technique was masterfully refined, and his talent was extremely high!

He was even several levels higher than the likes of Kuang Dou and Shi Mo.

One must know that this yao was not secretly enlightened by Shi Jian; he was a true natural mutant, his intelligence awakened early, and his Bloodline Power was incomparably formidable, possessing the potential of a heaven-swallowing great yao...

"Father, I am here."

Elder Shu Changfeng's tone was respectful. Elder Rat stretched out a withered paw and patted the top of Changfeng's head.

"I am not going to make it."

"The burden of this Wind Mouse Clan will be handed over to you from now on."

Hearing this, Elder Shu Changfeng's eyes turned slightly red.

"Father, rest. I will go to White Cloud Temple to beg for a Lifespan-extending Medicinal Pill."

"It's useless."

Elder Rat shook his head. "Medicine is of no use; the mandate of heaven cannot be defied. My life has been worth it. If I hadn't followed the Old Ancestor back then, I would have long since become the feces of some wild cat in the mountains."

"To have lived to this day and seen the clan grow strong, I die with no regrets."

Elder Rat coughed twice, spitting out a mouthful of bloody, turbid breath.

"Changfeng, you must remember."

"We of the Rat Clan are born weak. We are not as formidable as the Bear Clan, nor as noble as flood dragons, but we can survive because of our brains and our judgment."

"Cling tightly to the Old Ancestor's thighs. If the Old Ancestor points east, do not go west."

"As for White Cloud Temple, curry favor when you should, and yield benefits when you should. As long as the Old Ancestor is around, the Wind Mouse Clan will never fall."

Elder Shu Changfeng nodded heavily. "Your son will remember."

Hearing this, Elder Rat's withered lips parted into an ugly smile.

"Good... good child..."

Then, he slowly closed his eyes. Those cloudy eyes gradually lost focus, pain dilated within them, and his vitality slipped away...

He would never open his eyes to look at this world again.

As his thoughts drifted, Elder Rat seemed to return to that night over two hundred and fifty years ago, when he was rummaging for food in the dark.

He had suddenly gained intelligence and beheld that giant bear!

And he spoke that single phrase: 'My King.'

To his surprise, his words became a self-fulfilling prophecy. The giant bear of the past actually possessed the qualities of a king. Throughout his life, he had witnessed the birth of a king...

And he, as the King's first subject, could die with no regrets.

"O King~"

"You are the true King, and you are my King~"

"Your subject shall take his leave first, to look at the scenery of the Underworld for you."

"Please do not come looking for me too soon..."

His thoughts ended there, and his soul dissipated with the wind...

On this day, the founder of the Wind Mouse Clan, the foremost close subject under Old Ancestor Shi Jian, and the most senior great yao, passed away peacefully at the end of his natural Lifespan.

Elder Shu Changfeng succeeded as the Clan Chief.

He buried Elder Rat in the deepest part of the blessed land, then traveled alone to Zixiao Peak, where he respectfully kowtowed three times toward the place where Shi Jian was in secluded cultivation.

The transition of power, which often came with bloodshed and displays of authority, had transitioned smoothly.

In this grand chessboard of White Cloud Temple, a few old pieces were lost, and a few new pawns were added.

The Great Dao rolled forward, never stopping for anyone.

The thunderclouds in the sky above Zixiao Peak continued to roll endlessly, brewing a storm capable of changing the very heavens and earth.

That sleeping giant bear was passing through the flow of time, constantly climbing the peaks toward an even higher Realm...

On the day he awakened,

the cultivation world of the Qingcang Kingdom might also usher in a revolution.

All the yao were waiting, waiting for the thunder to tear through the mist.

Waiting for the new Yao King to take his place, waiting for the lightning to shine and break through the haze!

The wind grew fiercer.

The leaves of the Yunjian Mountain Range rustled, sounding like whispers, yet also like fear.

The story continues.

This world was far from reaching a state of peace; the entanglement of interests and the contention for the Great Dao surged like undercurrents beneath the surface.

Who would have the last laugh was still unknown.

The struggle between clans and the survival of species allowed for not a shred of mercy, let alone any compromise.

There was only the constant climb upward, scaling to the highest peak to look down upon all living things. This was cultivation. This was the path of the yao.

Elder Shu Changfeng stood at the mountain summit, facing the fierce wind, his green fur fluttering.

He looked into the distance, his vertical pupils filled with ambition.

"Father, the road you did not finish walking, I will walk for you. One day, I will make it so that the Wind Mouse Clan can also produce a Golden Core great yao!"

"Following our race's new King, we will whip up a new wind of change across this continent. The decay of the past will eventually become history, and the Yao Race will surely rise again!"

"We will surely be great again!"

The oath drifted away with the wind, merging into this boundless heaven and earth.

Time flowed silently.

Hatred was endless!

...

[Canghai is shamelessly asking for a wave of gifts. I'm almost out of money for food this month, it's a bit tough, Fellow Daoists!]