Tales of Herding Gods

That young scholar stopped his donkey and took a few glances at them. He had a mischievous expression as he said, “I plan to mingle with them and pay a visit to the owner of this land. Why is brother planning to go?”

Qin Mu said with a smile, “We are planning to mingle in and take a look at what’s happening. Since we have the same goal, why don’t we travel together?”

That young scholar pondered and said to the donkey, “Lü Zheng, is it fine if there are two cauldrons at our side?”

That donkey curled up his lips and said, “Hwee.”

The scholar said with a smile, “Carrot says it’s fine so we can travel together.”

“Cauldrons?”

Qin Mu was cautious and he asked humbly and politely, “Brother, what is the difference between cauldron, black wok, and a poop basin?”

That young scholar laughed with satisfaction. “There’s no difference.”

Qin Mu laughed out loudly and he looked towards the ancient battlefield in front of him. This ancient battlefield was already shrouded in mist and he could see scattered constructions and ruins with his naked eyes. There were towering city walls, huge and tall palaces, as well as tall memorial arches and gates.

There were tracks of half-gods on the ground and by following these tracks, they would be able to find Mother Earth.

The dragon qilin and water qilin walked forward along with the donkey. The water qilin took a glance at the donkey and gave off a look of disdain. “This little livestock sure is dumb, he only knows how to walk forward when a carrot is dangling in front of them yet he never knows he would never be able to eat the carrot.”

The donkey glanced at him and revealed a look of disdain.

The water qilin thought to himself. ‘I’ve made a Pact of Little Earth Count so I can’t eat Master Lan, however, I can eat the donkey! Although, the master of the dragon qilin is a little troublesome. He and that scholar are getting along well so if I eat the donkey, he will mostly turn me into his dinner in his fury.”

Qin Mu kept observing that young scholar and the more he looked, the more suspicious he got. However, when his gaze landed on the scholar’s chest, he couldn’t see any bulge so he couldn’t be sure.

The scholar saw his gaze and said with a smile, “Lü Zheng, this youth had sneaky eyes, he even looks at the chest of a guy.”

Qin Mu face blushed and that donkey laughed. “Aang, aang—”

Qin Mu probed and asked, “Sis… Brother, how do I address you?”

The scholar said with a smile, “Why do we have to be acquaintances before to meet? Qin Mu Qin Fenqging, have I asked you your name? If I haven’t, why are you asking me?”

Qin Mu was even more suspicious. “You know my name but I don’t know you, isn’t that a little unfair? Also, how do you know I am Qin Mu?”

“Heavenly Saint Cult Master Qin Mu is outstanding and multi-talented so who doesn’t know of you?”

That scholar said, “As for me who is an unknown small figure, of course, Cult Master doesn’t know.”

Qin Mu couldn’t ask for his name so he could only look at donkey. “Why is Brother Lü, call Lü Zheng?”

The scholar said, “He is a donkey and his words are nasty. He likes to debate with others so I give him the word zheng.”

Qin Mu’s gaze flickered and said, “I also know a bull called Niu Sanduo and I also know a tiger which I address as Senior Tiger.”

That donkey curled up his lips in disdain. “Hwee, Hwee.”

Qin Mu’s face turned black and he thought to himself. ‘I don’t understand what this donkey is saying, I’ve not learned that language before so I don’t know what he’s saying. However, this pair of master and servant looks suspicious, could he be Heavenly Teacher Scholar?”

They walked into this foggy battlefield and there were rays of sunlight inside the fog. The constructions also seemed ancient and they had very stranges patterns on them. Qin Mu got the dragon qilin to stop while he examined the patterns on these broken walls. He then took out a brush and paper to draw down these patterns.

The scholar looked at him draw and said with a smile, “Cult Master Qin is truly talented. You even have extraordinary talent on the path of painting and calligraphy.”

Qin Mu’s face turned slightly red and he said humbly, “I don’t dare to praise myself in the path of painting and calligraphy, I’m at most number two in the world. The number one in the world is my Grandpa Deaf. He has entered the path in painting and calligraphy, there’s a differentiation between the inside world and the outside world.”

Scholar was astonished and praised, “His painting and calligraphy have reached the realm of creating something from nothing? And even have a difference between inside and outside, his attainments are indeed not shallow. However, him being number one in the world is debatable and even your number two in the world is debatable as well.”

Qin Mu asked with a smile, “In that case, who is number one in the world?”

Scholar said, “I also have studied the path of painting and calligraphy. When cultivating the path of painting and calligraphy to a profound realm, it’s creation. Creation is none other creation divine art. I dare not talk about others but in terms of creation divine art, no one can beat me.”

Qin Mu passed the brush in his hands over and he asked, “In that case, may brother please draw?”

Scholar shook his head and said, “I don’t draw normally, I only draw when needed to.”

Qin Mu raised his head at the gate that stretched into the clouds. “Another Southern Heavenly Gate… It’s a pity it’s broken! Let me draw a Southern Heavenly Gate!”

He flicked the tip of his brush and a huge piece of paper laid out straight in the air. Flipping over his palm, his left hand grasped four brushes while his right hands moved in circles as he drew. Ink formed by itself and continuously swirled in the air.

Qin Mu raised his brush to paint and his brush moved like snakes and dragons. Countless details flowed out and formed the patterns on the Southern Heavenly Gate.

Qin Mu moved his brush quickly and the tip of the paper even entered the insides of the paper as though there was another universe inside. Even though this Southern Heavenly Gate was drawn on paper, there seemed to be another world inside the paper that had a vast space.

His brush transformed into a divine artifact that could create all things. He constructed out the countless patterns of Southern Heavenly Gate and they were as detail as they could be.

Afterward, four brushes flew inside the paper and starting painting on the inside. It was so marvelous that it couldn’t be described with words.

After some time, Southern Heavenly Gate was formed.

Qin Mu kept his brush and ink before taking the painting down from the sky. Shaking it forcefully, a Southern Heavenly Gate flew out from the painting and crashed onto the ground.

This Southern Heavenly Gate was thirty-thousand yards tall and it looked extraordinarily majestic. It showed the awe of the ancient celestial heavens as it stood tall in the ancient battlefield. It represented the authority of the celestial emperor.

Qin Mu looked at Scholar and he asked with a smile, “How is my art of creation?”

Scholar was full praises as he said, “To have such attainments when you haven’t even entered the realm, you can barely be considered number three in the world. If you can surpass your Grandpa Deaf, you can just barely make it to number two. If you can forgo the brush and paper so that you aren’t restrained by them, in that case, you will be number two for sure. As of now, your standard is just your painting looks like what it is. You are still a distance away from being number one.”

Qin Mu sought guidance sincerely. “In that case, what’s the standard of the number one?”

“There are three realms in the painting path. Painting looks like what it is is the first realm. Painting is what it is, this is the second realm.”

Scholar said, “Not painting and following the path, no ink and born from heaven and earth, this is the third realm.”

As he was saying, the Southern Heavenly Gate that Qin Mu painted suddenly crumbled and turned into ink to flow down from the sky.

“This is the first realm, painting looks like what it is, it’s difficult to last.”

Scholar said, “If you can achieve painting is what it is and allow Southern Heavenly Gate to stand tall for a long time, turning nothingness into reality, that would be the second realm.”

Qin Mu was full of admiration and he said, “Grandpa Deaf didn’t tell me about these. He most probably hasn’t thought through to the third realm of the painting path. Many thanks for your guidance, Brother! I’ve learned!”

The water qilin saw this and he said to the dragon qilin suspiciously. “This scholar doesn’t look like a scholar, instead, he looks like a quack that’s all talk. Your master is staring blankly from his blatant lies. If I knew he could be tricked so easily, why would I have to use force? I can even lie until your master hands over his undergarment and still be grateful to me!”

The dragon qilin curled his lips and said in disdain. “Hwee, Hwee.”

“You still don’t believe me, I’m a top-notch sage in our qilin god race!”

Qin Mu and the rest continued forward and suddenly, knife light tore through the fog. That knife light stretched throughout the sky and split apart in an orderly formation. They slashed down with a strange knife formation.

A roar rang out and a huge figure collapsed in the fog.

The knife lights that filled the sky shrunk back instantly and landed behind a one-armed man who was in the fog. They entered the sheath of the knife.

Qin Mu looked at those orderly knife lights and his heart skipped a beat. ‘This knife skill seems familiar…’

The clothes of that one-armed figure flapped in the wind and he walked into the depths of the fog. Numerous figures followed after him to enter the fog and they quickly disappeared.

“One-Armed Divine Knife, the number one divine knife of the extraterritorial celestial heavens!”

Scholar’s eyes lighted up and he said with a smile, “Divine Knife Luo of the extraterritorial celestial heavens, I heard he had met the overlord body of High Emperor Era when he was young and got his arm severed by an incomparably marvelous sword skill from the High Emperor Overlord Body. This Divine Knife pondered about his painful experience and entered the knife path with one arm. After cultivating for tens of thousands of years, he had once entered God Execution Stage of the celestial heavens and didn’t lose against God Execution Mysterious Knife, he is truly the number one divine knife of the celestial heavens! Those youths beside him must be Spirit Elite Guards.”

Celestial Venerable Yu said excitedly, “High Emperor Overlord Body? How powerful! Brother Mu, you are also an overlord body, you are also very powerful!”

The scholar took a glance at Qin Mu before shaking his head. “High Emperor Overlord Body had severed one arm from Divine Knife Luo, how breathtaking is that? Overlord Body Qin is still far from that standard.”

The corners of Qin Mu’s eyes twitched as he thought to himself. ‘The High Emperor Overlord Body that severed his arm is right next to you but I won’t say anything. Luo Wushuang’s divine knife is indeed powerful. He is countless times stronger than back then if I disregard the cultivation, it will also be hard for me to break his divine knife now.’

“However, Divine Knife Luo has an ugly habit and that is his disciples must all sever one of their arms or else they can’t learn his knife skills.”

Scholar said with a smile, “Thus the celestial heavens’ youths in Spirit Elite Guards usually have one arm severed.”

Qin Mu thought of Zhe Huali and he thought to himself. ‘Zhe Huali also almost sever one of his arms but he had still managed to walk out of Luo Wushuang’s shadow under my pressure, creating his own knife path! Now that Luo Wushuang has appeared, I wonder if he had gone to meet Fu Riluo seeing how they are acquaintances? If he had gone to meet Fu Riluo, Fu Riluo might have already rebelled… If Zhe Huali is beside Luo Wushuang, Fu Riluo would have definitely rebelled!”

They came to where Luo Wushuang had executed his knife skills and they saw that it was a half-god that was killed by Luo Wushuang. His body was tall and sturdy, his head was a god’s head and had the shape of a dragon. His body was a human body that grew eight arms. His vitality had still yet to disperse so he was still giving off terrifying divine might!

“A half-god on God Execution Stage Realm!”

Scholar examined the marks of the knife and he praised. “Great knife skills! Divine Knife Luo had used Jade Capital Realm to slay this half-god dragon king.”

Qin Mu examined the knife marks and he tried to deduce which step Luo Wushuang’s knife skills had evolved into. He looked at them in detail.

Scholar asked curiously, “Does Cult Master Qin also study knife skills?”

Qin Mu said humbly, “You flatter me, I’m number… Erm, number three or four.”

Scholar revealed and smile and fanned himself. “Number three or four? Isn’t Cult Master Qin bragging way too much? I heard there’s a god name Tian Shu in Founding Emperor Celestial Heavens who is proficient in knife skills, his Imperial Gate Divine Knife could sever the horn of Earth Count. How is Cult Master Qin compared to himself?”

Qin Mu’s face blackened and he shook his head. “I’m inferior.”

Scholar said, “I heard there’s a Heaven Knife in Eternal Peace who raised his knives at the heaven. He entered the path with the knife and created Nine Skills of Heaven Knife which could kill gods at Divine Bridge Realm. How is Cult Master Qin compared to him?”

“I’m still inferior.” Qin Mu’s face turned even blacker.

Scholar continued to ask with a smile, “Luo Wushuang has a disciple named Zhe Huali, he entered the path with the knife and create a knife skill. How is Cult Master Qin’s knife skills compared to his?”

“Inferior!” Qin Mu replied furiously.

“In that case, you are also inferior to me.”

Scholar said with a smile, “I’ve also entered the path with the knife and even though I’m not as talented as Heaven Knife to be able to open nine skills, I had still open seven moves.”

Qin Mu’s palm trembled and he plucked four to five strands of his beard under his chin forcefully.

Scholar smiled without saying a word.

They continued walking forward only to see the devil gods of the devil race also here. The auras of the devil gods were terrifying and they led huge mountain-like beasts behind them. They were faded in and out of the fog and that was very terrifying.

Suddenly, the cry of a sword rang out in front of them and knife lights filled the whole sky. Sword lights appeared among the knife lights and they clashed together.

Qin Mu looked at that sword skill and he was slightly stunned.

That sword skill was too familiar to him. It was his sword skill!

“White Dragon Sword Dance! High Emperor Sword God!”

Scholar’s eyes lighted up and she smiled. “High Emperor Sword God is a woman and she’s the arch-rival of Luo Wushuang, never did I expect her to come as well! I heard when High Emperor Era was wiped out, High Emperor Sword God was only a small girl with very low cultivation and abilities. However, she fought her way out of the darkness with High Emperor Overlord Body! High Emperor Overlord Body vanished but she inherited his sword skills and thus, paving out her own path. In the dark years after High Emperor Era had ended, her sword skills shone for several hundred years and she was known as a hero among the women! Cult Master Qin.”

He asked with a smile, “So number what in the world could your sword skills be?”