Tales of Herding Gods

Chapter 1012: The Grand Emperor’s Consciousness

‘If one doesn’t work hard now, it will be useless to mourn when one’s old. When will you open the knife skill of the Emperor’s Throne Realm?’

Qin Mu walked out of his carriage. He had cultivated with people like Village Chief and Butcher, so he learned a lot, causing him to have 15 celestial palaces. Amongst them, eight were half palaces that were incomplete. They were, namely, the celestial palaces of the painting path, knife path, medicine path, divine arts path, forging path, Buddhist path, thief path, and formation path.

Although Qin Mu obtained the passed down wisdom of the masters of creation and entered the path via divine arts, opening eight heavens of it consecutively, his divine arts palace was still incomplete.

Out of what the nine elders of the Disabled Elderly Village passed down, the only complete celestial palace he had was that of the sword. However, this wasn’t to Village Chief’s credit, it was due to Qin Mu’s high attainment and comprehension in the sword path.

He cultivated with people like Butcher since he was young and was greatly influenced by him and Old Ma. Even his Overlord Body Three Elixir Technique was heavily influenced by them.

Only when Butcher and Old Ma opened an Emperor’s Throne level techniques would he be able to absorb the nutrients from them and perfect the eight incomplete celestial palaces.

Otherwise, it would be difficult for Qin Mu to break through to the god realm and become a god.

Qin Mu headed down this time to avoid the power struggle in the celestial heavens and to supervise the cultivation of Butcher, Granny Si, and Blind in Disabled Elderly Village so they could comprehend an Emperor’s Throne technique earlier.

Although the Surging River Academy changed its name to the Surging River Cult, there were no fundamental differences. The students were abnormally excited, for they got to see the face-off between three divine knives.

Heaven Knife Butcher, Demon Knife Zhe Huali, and the one-armed divine knife that came out of nowhere.

Their face-off was a fresh sight. Butcher’s Heaven Knife was liberating and free, Zhe Huali’s demon knife was peculiar and unpredictable, and the one-armed man’s divine knife was precise and bold.

Qin Mu saw the face-off between them before he even entered Surging River Academy. He stopped and saw how their knife lights were variated, gorgeous, and shocking as they sliced open the sky, forming black lines in people’s eyes.

Demon knife Zhe Huali’s capabilities had risen a lot. His cultivation was great, and he had extraordinary achievements in the knife path. He entered the path with the knife and came up with new ways to enter the path that were more suitable for him.

Zhe Huali was the disciple of Luo Wushuang and Fu Riluo, an important figure of the devil race, so he had both divine and devilish nature in him. However, he couldn’t enter the path with the knife for a long time, not until he met Butcher and his Heaven Knife. It was then that he became enlightened and broke through his mental barrier to enter the path with the knife.

His knife skill had Luo Wushuang’s precision and delicacy, but it also had the devil race’s devilish nature and Butcher’s magnificence. It was very impressive.

Yet, he was the first to fall due to his shallow attainment.

In the sky, only Heaven Knife Butcher and Luo Wushuang were still fighting.

Qin Mu looked up and saw Luo Wushuang deploying the fourteenth heaven of his knife path. His knife skills became more marvelous, and his knife heavens’ powers became shocking.

Yet, Butcher blocked it. He let loose his knife path and broke ten thousand skills with one force and one knife. It had the intention of returning to basics.

Suddenly, Luo Wushuang’s knife aura exploded as he comprehended the fifteenth heaven of the knife path!

Qin Mu was visibly shocked. ‘When I kicked Luo Wushuang to the Primordial Realm, he had only comprehended the fourteenth heaven. He comprehended the fifteenth so soon?’

The two divine knives collided in the air. Heaven Knife Butcher instantly felt inferior. Yet, he became more bold and strong as he laughed and said, “Your knife is too precise. Although you comprehended boldness, it’s still very artisan-like in essence!”

His knife light burst forth, opened, and closed. It shook Luo Wushuang’s knife path’s heavens and threatened to cut them in half!

Luo Wushuang coldly laughed. “Heaven Knife, your knife is too overbearing. You don’t know about restraint. All you know about is using your knife. When you’ve learned restraint, you will be the number one divine knife under the heavens, even above me!”

Their divine knives collided, and their knife lights burst forth and shone on everyone.

Both of them were injured and fell from the sky.

Qin Mu was impressed and walked up. At that moment, Butcher recited loudly, “We go to battle in fancy and luxurious equipment, yet after the battle, all that’s left is the pitiful moonlight shining on us!”

Qin Mu followed up loudly, “The drums of war in the city still echo through the fields as the blood on the knife in the armory is still wet!”

Butcher was surprised and pleased as he rushed out of Surging River Academy while laughing. “Mu’er is back!”

They met, and Qin Mu opened his arms to hug Butcher, but Butcher cleaved with his knife, hollering, “I’m attacking, Mu’er!”

Qin Mu was shocked and dodged. He made two divine knives with his sword pellet, and their knife lights crisscrossed. After a while, Butcher’s blade was on Qin Mu’s neck. He was furious. “You embarrass me, still not having entered the path. You’re even worse than little Zhe!”

Qin Mu blushed and murmured, “Grandpa Butcher, it’s not that I can’t, I just put more effort into the sword path and divine arts…”

Butcher spat and glanced at Qin Mu’s entourage. He was shocked as he whispered, “There are people more beautiful than Granny Si? Is this your wife?”

Qin Mu blushed even more as he whispered, “Not yet… Pooh pooh! This is Divine King Lang Wo, the divine king of the masters of creation. She’s an expert that can compete with Celestial Venerables.”

Divine King Lang Wo greeted him.

Butcher became stern and returned the greeting properly. He said, “Mu’er, don’t leave yet. I will feed you tricks so that you don’t neglect your knife path.”

Qin Mu had to nod.

On the other side, Luo Wushuang rushed over with his knife. He was visibly solemn. Qin Mu smiled and said, “Divine Knife Luo, your improvement is rapid!”

Luo Wushuang pressed on his knife and coldly said, “You kicked me into the Primordial Tree celestial palace and caused me to be surrounded. I had to massacre people there just to avoid exposing my identity. Celestial Venerable Xiao’s strong practitioners chased me for two whole years and made me suffer!”

Qin Mu smiled. “If it wasn’t so, you wouldn’t have been able to cultivate the fifteenth heaven of your knife path. Don’t be rash, put down the knife. Zhe Huali, help me persuade your master!”

Zhe Huali walked over, shook his head, and said, “He isn’t my master anymore, he’s my Dao friend. I can’t persuade him. Celestial Venerable Mu, your title carries a lot of weight with it, how good are your knife skills?”

Qin Mu humped, and Luo Wushuang saw Divine King Lang Wo. He was scared as he hastily asked, “Yun Chuxiu? Mistress Yuanmu?”

Qin Mu hastily stopped him, shook his head, and explained, “This is the original owner.”

Luo Wushuang hesitantly asked, “There are ladies like this in this world?”

Qin Mu stayed in the Surging River Academy, and Divine King Lang Wo saw Qin Mu fight the three divine knives. He was beaten until his face was swollen and his nose was bruised. The injuries on his body were never-ending, which made her curious.

Given Qin Mu’s capabilities, if he used his divine arts via his consciousness, even Luo Wushuang would have a hard time breaking it. Yet, he insisted on using his knife skills against the three divine knives, which caused him to lose badly.

Five days later, Butcher lost his patience and said, “Your foundation is good. You learn everything quickly, but you just can’t enter the path with the knife. It’s probably because you care too much about your other paths. You should leave now.”

Qin Mu had to leave and continue on in the carriage.

“Celestial Venerable Mu, if you’re free, compare knife skills with me!” Zhe Huali waved at him.

Qin Mu humped, visibly displeased.

The carriage went on for several days, and they neared Fallen God Valley. It was leveled. Qin Mu wanted to go around it to go to River Tomb Academy to find Imperial Preceptor Jiang Baigui’s whereabouts. Suddenly, however, he saw a straw hut in the Fallen God Valley, and a young man walked out of it.

It was a young Celestial Venerable Yu.

Qin Mu was stunned and ordered Dutian Devil King to stop.

The young Celestial Venerable Yu saw him and was stunned too. He said, “It’s been a long time, Cult Master Qin.”

As soon as he stopped, a box walked out of the hut. It ran towards Qin Mu upon seeing him. It ran around Qin Mu’s legs and was affectionate towards him. It then ran to the dragon qilin’s side and opened and closed itself repeatedly, as if it had a lot to say to him.

The dragon qilin sat on the box, and the box ran around carrying him.

Qin Mu walked out of the carriage, getting everyone else to stay on the carriage as he walked to the young Celestial Venerable Yu alone. He said, “Xing An Daoist, have you finished studying the secrets to this corporeal body?”

Xing An glanced at the carriage, retracted his gaze, and invited him into the hut. “About there. This corporeal body contains all sorts of delicate runes of the ancient gods that can create all sorts of celestial palaces and ancient gods. It’s impressive! Please look at it, Cult Master Qin!”

His straw hut seemed small, but it had a lot of space inside. There were countless bookshelves filled with books inside. Qin Mu picked up a book and saw that there were all sorts of Great Dao runes of the ancient gods recorded inside!

Qin Mu closed the book and said, “Xing An, your talent is extraordinary, but you used it in the wrong place.”

Xing An raised his eyebrows and proudly said with some conceit, “I may not have done many good things or saved people during the Eternal Peace Calamity five years ago, but if I finish researching the marvels of this corporeal body, I can help the world. People will recognize me! Cult Master Qin, you are just jealous of me!”

Qin Mu shook his head. He retrieved a mirror and said, “The jade scroll in this mirror recorded down all of the Great Dao runes of the ancient gods in this body of yours. Now I will give it to you.”

Xing An’s mind was blown as he took the mirror and examined the jade scrolls inside it. It indeed had the Great Dao runes found in the divine weapon Celestial Venerable Yu. It was even more precise than his, as Qin Mu had recalculated it with microscopic algebra!

He was disappointed and could hardly recover.

“You are too shut off. You come into contact with the outside world too rarely.”

Qin Mu looked at him pitifully and said, “I gave the executives of the Eternal Peace reform this jade scroll. Although it isn’t everything, it has quite a lot. If you interacted with other people more, you wouldn’t have wasted five years here.”

Xing An humphed and took the mirror. He plainly asked, “Have you comprehended the achievement of using your body as a Dao foundation to hide the ancient gods of the heavenly cycle?”

Qin Mu’s aura rumbled as divine light appeared around his body. Two thousand or so ancient gods appeared on his corporeal body as he asked, “Are you talking about this?”

Xing An was dumbstruck, and he found himself unable to speak.

Qin Mu dispersed the apparition of the ancient gods and praised him, “You were able to comprehend hiding the ancient gods of the heavenly cycle in your own corporeal body through your own exploration. You definitely have great talent, though that’s to be expected of a saint of the previous generation. You should seek Dao Master Lin Xuan. His attainment in microscopic algebra is way above mine, and he has researched the Great Dao runes of the ancient gods for a long time. If your wisdom is combined with his, more can be achieved with less effort.”

Xing An became silent and stored the straw hut with the wave of his hand as he prepared to move.

Qin Mu extended his hand to stop him, and Xing An was confused.

Qin Mu smiled. “When we traveled through here, you captured this body, which had a shred of consciousness of a Celestial Venerable. Is it still here?”

Xing An nodded and said, “I couldn’t refine it, so I sealed it.”

“Give it to me.” Qin Mu’s gaze flashed.

Xing An retrieved a jade bottle and passed it to him. He turned around to call on his box before picking it up and leaving.

Qin Mu watched him leave before returning to the carriage. He played with the bottle and was visibly in deep thoughts.

Shu Jun looked at it and inquired, “What’s inside, holy infant?”

“A shred of consciousness of a Celestial Venerable.”

The carriage set forth, and Qin Mu looked at Fallen God Valley outside. His gaze was faint as he said, “Five years ago, when the divine weapon Celestial Venerable Yu was created, a Celestial Venerable came here immediately to see if Celestial Venerable Ling was really dead. Then, I entered the place with Celestial Emperor’s disciple, Yan Qiling, as well as Xing An and others. Only Celestial Emperor and the Grand Emperor care this much about the fate of Celestial Venerable Ling. Celestial Emperor sent Yan Qiling here, so it must have been the Grand Emperor.”

He examined the jade bottle, and plainly said, “Celestial Emperor only cares about his corporeal body, while the Grand Emperor cares about Celestial Venerable Ling’s death. At that time, I was thinking about how ‘coincidental’ it was that others were exploring the Fallen God Valley at the same time I was. Now, it seems that the Grand Emperor and Celestial Emperor predicted correctly that only I could open the Fallen God Valley and enter it, so they arrived here with me. It’s just that the Grand Emperor failed to predict that his consciousness would one day be in my hands.”

“You are saying that the Grand Emperor’s consciousness is in this bottle?” Divine King Lang Wo’s gaze flashed.