Tales of Herding Gods

Founding Emperor leaned back in his chair, stretched out a single palm, and spread his five fingers apart as he laughed. “I want to beat you up this many times!”

Qin Mu burst out laughing. Crossing one ankle over his other leg and leaning one arm across the back of Divine King Shu Jun’s chair, he replied leisurely, “You are copying me again. Why doesn’t Celestial Venerable Qin beat me up ten times?”

Divine King Shu Jun was very uncomfortable, but because he only had one big head left, he was unable to remove Qin Mu’s hand.

“Put your leg down!”

Qin Hanzhen finally couldn’t suppress himself. Green veins popped on his forehead as he growled in a low voice, “Your leg hairs are showing! Look at yourself! You’re not even wearing anything inside!”

Qin Mu hurriedly put down his leg and sat upright and still.

Divine King Lang Wo laughed softly as she helped Qin Mu pull down his red robes to cover his legs.

On both sides, the great armies of Carefree Village and the masters of creation were filled with murderous intent, looking poised to start the fight at any time. Yet, the atmosphere on the platform was no longer as tense as it was before.

Qin Mu laughed. “On my father’s account, I’ll give you some face and won’t beat you up today. I’ll go home to visit in a few days. Go and ask my brother to hurry and create the Paramita World’s Youdu, I can get the masters of creation to help out as well.”

Qin Hanzhen furrowed his brows. “Don’t come home! I won’t allow you to come back!” Upon saying that, he took a quick glance at Founding Emperor’s expression.

Yan Yunxi laughed. “King Zhen, don’t be like that. Previously, we were discussing the important affairs of the two races. Now, it’s alright if we discuss family matters. Since birth, Celestial Venerable Mu has been wandering about outside, and yet now that he has come to Carefree Village, he’s not allowed to take a look? Don’t you think that’s a little unreasonable no matter how you look at it?”

Qin Mu smiled. “Heavenly Teacher Zi Xi is right. My coming here was exactly to seek out Carefree Village, to go home to visit my parents and my brother, as well as visit Founding Emperor. How can I not enter the door when I have already arrived at the doorstep?”

“Go home to receive a beating?” Qin Hanzhen huffed before he glanced at Founding Emperor again.

Qin Mu didn’t take it to heart and replied, “Back then, I didn’t lose, and now, all the more, I definitely won’t lose. Founding Emperor, am I right?”

Founding Emperor stood up and smiled warmly. “It’s good if you return home to take a look. Now that we have set down our oath of peace between the two races, I will also need to return to make some preparations and let Fengqing open up the Paramita World’s Youdu and set up the cycle of life and death in the Paramita World. When will Celestial Venerable Mu come to Carefree Village to visit your family?”

Qin Mu replied politely, “In two months. Creating the Paramita World’s Youdu will also require quite some time. After all, it’s a huge project. I will mobilize the masters of creation alongside the divine king to help Brother create Youdu.”

Founding Emperor also replied politely, “Then, I’ll await your arrival in two months. Heavenly Teacher, Hanzhen, let’s go.”

Qin Mu and Divine King Lang Wo sent them off, but Founding Emperor hurriedly stopped them. “There’s no need to send us any further. Carefree Village is very near, it’s just around the corner.”

Qin Mu watched as they walked off the platform, and Qin Hanzhen turned around to whisper, “Don’t come back!” With that, he followed after Founding Emperor and Yan Yunxi to return to Carefree Village.

“Big Sister, setting this oath of peace with Carefree Village, will it cause unhappiness amongst the masters of creation?” Qin Mu turned his head to ask the lady beside him.

Divine King Lang Wo shook her head. “You are the holy infant. Your decision represents the decision of all masters of creation as well as the decision of the ancestor spirits. They won’t go against your decision. Come to think of it, us masters of creation are actually failures. We are merely hiding here, and we don’t have much ambition. We merely seek peace and survival.”

She paused for a while before adding, “I will use my consciousness to show them the future that will come with this oath of peace. When they see the future with the Paramita World’s Youdu, they will understand what you are doing. Furthermore, the ancestor spirits in the Land of the Great Void that have become monsters will be able to attain peace. This will make them respect you even more.”

Qin Mu expressed his thanks.

Divine King Lang Wo noticed that his gaze kept falling onto Carefree Village’s 33 heavens, and she could sense that he dearly missed his hometown. She asked, “Are you really going to wait for two months before you enter Carefree Village?”

Qin Mu smiled. “Of course not. I will definitely secretly sneak in to see what Carefree Village has achieved in the past twenty thousand years.”

Divine King Lang Wo blinked her bright and beautiful eyes, bearing great curiosity towards Qin Mu’s thoughts.

“The reforms of Founding Emperor take a top-down approach. When the gods and devils have undergone the reforms, they will impart the results of the reforms to their people.”

Qin Mu’s gaze twinkled. “Then, the things taught in the schools and academies of Carefree Village will be the ultimate arts of the Founding Emperor Celestial Heavens. They would have done all they could to teach the mortals so that they would also be able to become divine arts practitioners, become gods. Thus, in the next two months, I intend to start my journey from Supreme Emperor Heaven of Carefree Village and observe whether the paths, skills, and divine arts of Carefree Village have improved or regressed compared to the past.”

Divine King Lang Wo laughed. “You are still going to have a match with Qin Ye?”

Qin Mu didn’t deny this, and he revealed a slight smile. “He is Celestial Venerable Qin, while I am Celestial Venerable Mu. A million years ago, we had already found each other to be an eyesore. But back then, we had yet to determine who was superior. Now that we have met again, although we have familial ties, we still consider each other to be an eyesore. Since that is the case, it would be good if we had a match. In knowing oneself and knowing the enemy, only then can one win all battles.”

There was a sly glint in his eyes. “In the upcoming days, he will be focusing all of his energy on opening up the Paramita World’s Youdu, and he will also need to reassure and convince the citizens and gods and devils of Carefree Village to let go of their grudges. He won’t have the time to watch me or research my paths, skills, and divine arts. Yet, I will be able to uncover the marvels of his 33 heavens of the sword path from all sorts of clues and traces.”

Divine King Lang Wo replied hesitantly, “I will need to reassure the masters of creation, and I need to mobilize the masters of creation to go help the big-headed weird baby… your brother, to create the Paramita World’s Youdu. I won’t have the time to accompany you.”

Qin Mu felt that it was a bit of a pity.

He really liked how it felt to have Divine King Lang Wo by his side.

This lady was incredibly clever. If she was a foe, she had astonishing ways to deal with the enemy, and if she was a friend, she would do everything she could to help the friend.

Divine King Lang Wo was also an extremely beautiful woman, yet she didn’t give him pressure the way Yun Chuxiu did. With this female divine king by his side, Qin Mu even felt that his brain was more agile than usual.

However, Divine King Lang Wo needed to leave to attend to proper matters, so he couldn’t make her stay behind.

The three of them returned to the base camp of the masters of creation, and Qin Mu watched as she took her leave. Shu Jun commented, “This divine king is an extraordinary woman, and her cultivation is also incredibly powerful. She’s much more formidable than I was back then.”

Qin Mu sighed and said, “It’s a pity that she’s a product of visualization. There aren’t such perfect beings in the world…”

“A product of visualization?”

Shu Jun broke into laughter. “What are you thinking?”

Qin Mu was taken aback.

Shu Jun shook his head. “Gods that are visualized aren’t able to make use of consciousness divine arts, and they aren’t able to open divine treasures and celestial palaces like you can. Her consciousness divine art is even more formidable than mine, and she even has divine treasures and celestial palaces, so how could she be a god created by visualization?”

Qin Mu felt his head explode as he asked in a hoarse voice, “What you are saying is that there really is such a beautiful and perfect woman in this world?”

He only felt that this was all too unbelievable.

However, Shu Jun’s words did give him a reminder. Divine King Lang Wo was too beautiful and too perfect, so he had ignored many other details and instead had the preconceived impression that she must have been a god that was visualized by the masters of creation.

Gods created from visualization were very similar to the ancient gods in that they were limited to the consciousness and thoughts of the masters of creation that had visualized and structured them. Fire was fire, and water was water. They were unable to change their own attributes and could only continuously cultivate and improve themselves following their own attributes.

The ancient gods were unable to open up divine treasures or celestial palaces. Furthermore, there were no ancient gods that were able to make use of consciousness as a battle technique, much less visualize and form other lifeforms.

Yet, Divine King Lang Wo was an exception!

She was able to visualize, and she had opened up her divine treasures and celestial palaces. She had also been able to comprehend the consciousness divine art from the paths, skills, and divine arts of Carefree Village to reform the paths, skills, and divine arts of the masters of creation.

Looking at it like that, she really wasn’t a god created by the masters of creation’s visualization but an alive and kicking living being!

Qin Mu revealed a smile as he rubbed his hands together and laughed. “I still thought that she was a product of visualization…”

Shu Jun didn’t bother guessing his thoughts as he pressed him, asking, “So how are we going to enter Carefree Village?”

Qin Mu was shocked. “You want to come too?”

Shu Jun sneered. “Naturally! When I’m revived, I want to cultivate divine treasures and celestial palaces. The ideal way is, of course, to follow you and take a walk through Carefree Village to see how they cultivate!”

Qin Mu replied awkwardly, “Your current appearance…”

“Wait for just a moment!”

Shu Jun retrieved a piece of Grand Primordium Divine Stone and visualized for a while. His huge head shrank, and beneath it, he grew out a skinny and frail-looking body. In no time, he transformed into a weak-looking youth with a big head and said, “This should be alright, right? This body of mine isn’t of much use, it’s just so I can walk around looking like a person. In the future, when I have restored more consciousness, I will reforge my corporeal body.”

Qin Mu looked at his face full of beard stubbles and nodded his head reluctantly. “You look a bit old, but you’re still pretending to be young, so you look a little odd.”

Shu Jun’s face darkened, and he looked even uglier now.

Qin Mu hurriedly continued, “The masters of creation will move the zone of dead stars that encircles Carefree Village, and the gods and devils of Carefree Village will also help out. It will be quite chaotic then, and we can make use of the period when they are shifting the stars to infiltrate Carefree Village. I will go and get changed first. After all, these red robes and the red belly band are too eye-catching.”

Just as he had expected, after Divine King Lang Wo and Founding Emperor announced the oath of peace between the two races, in no time, the masters of creation started to move the zone of dead stars that encircled Carefree Village.

The gods and devils of Carefree Village also flew out to help move those stars far away from Carefree Village. Some activated large ships, while others directly used their immense power to push the stars.

Qin Mu and Shu Jun took the chance to sneak into the lowest level of Carefree Village’s 33 heavens, Carefree Village’s Supreme Emperor Heaven.

At the same time, Founding Emperor’s orders were passed down. Every department of the celestial heavens was to work dutifully and in an orderly manner, and they were to be prepared to support Qin Fengqing in opening up the Paramita Youdu and setting up the cycle of life and death.

The greatest advantage Carefree Village had compared to Paramita’s masters of creation was that the various departments of the country from the Founding Emperor Era had all been retained. Founding Emperor only had to steer them in a general direction and pass down his orders, and the various departments would then be activated to complete and obtain the goal that he had set.

This was the country system that Saint Woodcutter of the four great heavenly teachers had created for Founding Emperor. Under such a system, the talent of every individual could be fully made use of. Each had their own specific profession, and every god and devil was able to participate in building the nation. Yet, at the same time, no one was overworked, and they were able to have sufficient time for cultivating and improving themselves.

Woodcutter Wen Tiange, as the leader of the four great heavenly teachers, had indelible merits during the Founding Emperor Era.

“Zi Xi, you have exchanged blows with Celestial Venerable Mu before, how are his sword skills?” Founding Emperor summoned Yan Yunxi over and asked.

Yan Yunxi’s gaze flickered, and she laughed. “Is Your Majesty really going to have a match with your own descendant? It’s a little beneath how an emperor should act, isn’t it?”

Founding Emperor shook his head. “It’s not a competition with my descendant, it’s a match between me as Celestial Venerable Qin and Celestial Venerable Mu. Although we are relatives, we have differences with regard to our ideals. The clash of ideals can sometimes be even more terrifying than hatred, and it will only snowball the grudges we have against each other.”

He touched the Carefree Sword gently and was a little lost in thought. After a while, he continued, “Instead of waiting for the day our ideals clash with each other, resulting in irreconcilable conflict, it’s better if we can first determine the winner and loser between us. For people with our tempers, we can no longer reason with words, we can only fight it out.”

He drew out the Carefree Sword and sized up the divine sword that had accompanied him as he grew. “Back then, it was this very sword that shone brightly in his hands. It allowed me to witness the marvels of the sword technique and let me resolve to enter the path with the sword.”

He waved the sword about, and it emanated cold sword rays that lingered in the skies. He continued leisurely, “It was also this sword that was passed down from my hands into his hands and allowed him to comprehend the matchless sword techniques. This very sword, it connected him and me, a million years apart and forty thousand years apart. I would like to know just how much he has improved compared to back then. You are the only one from Carefree Village who has seen his sword skills in recent years, and you know him better too. That’s why I’m asking you.”

“Celestial Venerable Mu’s sword skills have been peerless in this world for the last million years!”

Yan Yunxi drew her sword and continued solemnly, “Your Majesty’s Sword Dao is also at the pinnacle of the last million years! Your Majesty, I once met him in the Primordial Realm and asked him for guidance on the Raising Calamity Sword technique—please watch!”

She executed her divine sword, and the sword rays leaped about, imitating Qin Mu’s Raising Calamity Sword and demonstrating the nineteenth sword form of this technique.

Founding Emperor’s gaze flickered. Back then, Qin Mu had also executed the Raising Calamity Sword at the Jade Pool and had used one move to break through Mistress Yuanmu’s projection, shocking the world. It was just that he hadn’t been able to look at it closely then.

Even as an expert of the Numinous Sky Grand Completion Realm, Yan Yunxi still felt it was a bit strenuous to execute this move, and she was unable to completely demonstrate its essence. “When he executed this move, it was even more intricate, with so many changes in it that even I was unable to defend against it.”

“This is a basic sword skill.”

Founding Emperor waved the Carefree Sword and demonstrated the moves one after the other. “Before this move, there are still four more basic sword skills.”

The rays of his sword flickered, and he executed the eighteenth sword form, after which it transformed into the seventeenth sword form. He continued to deduce further until he deduced every one of the four great basic sword skills created by the reforms of Eternal Peace.

Founding Emperor closed his eyes, then suddenly opened them with a bright glint in his eyes. “After the nineteenth sword form, there’s still a twentieth sword form!”