Tales of Herding Gods

Chapter 1057: Ancient Gods and the Golden Coffin

‘How could such a scary creature exist?’

Qin Mu couldn’t help but shudder. At that moment, he noticed that there were actually flesh films between the four front legs of the void beast, meaning it could fly!

When it spread its flesh films, it could travel through the air like a bat!

An ancient ferocious beast that could fly, traverse through the void, and consume everything. It was an oddity that the masters of creation weren’t wiped out by these beasts!

‘Could it be that the masters of creation from prehistory could control these powerful lifeforms with consciousness?’ Qin Mu was a little puzzled.

Luo Xiao was ineffably excited. He flew to the front and stroked the extremely rugged skin of the void beast, finding it hard to suppress his emotions as he spoke incoherently. “This is the void beast that our ancestors spoke of. According to legend, only the strongest warriors of the tribes are able to subdue this beast. I didn’t expect that I would be able to do it…”

Qin Mu carefully examined the void beast and saw that there were many spiral markings on its skin. Those should be void patterns.

His heart trembled slightly. ‘If we could do thorough research on these void patterns, perhaps we could sort out a set of void runes and establish a set of void divine arts. We could even establish a type of completely new Great Dao…’

With glowing eyes, he took out a mirror and flew up into the air, illuminating around the void beast as he circled it.

Suddenly, Yan’er’s exclaimed, “Young Master, quickly look at your surroundings!”

Qin Mu looked around and was shocked. Cracks were appearing on the ground of the ancestral court as many giant eyeballs appeared on the surface!

They were of different sizes. Some of the eyeballs looked like they were grown within the mountains!

Even the circumference of the smallest eyeball was over a hundred feet long!

More giant eyeballs emerged from the ground, like bamboo shoots sprouting after a rain. They blinked and looked at them excitedly.

Not only that, he saw giant eyeballs popping out in the sky, their numbers growing rapidly. As he looked around, he realized that the sky of the ancestral court would soon be covered by the giant eyeballs!

Qin Mu felt a chill down his spine, but he couldn’t help but copy down the void patterns of the void beast that Luo Xiao had captured. He then quickly flew back to the sacrificial altar and said hastily, “It’s likely that there are no other beasts in the ancestral court as they were all eaten by the void beasts. It’s dangerous to remain here. We should leave immediately!”

Luo Xiao hurriedly said, “I still have to make contact with the ancestors of the ancestral court. Let’s wait awhile!”

Da Hong smiled faintly and said, “Old Brother Mu, aren’t you curious about the Grand Primordium Divine Stone mine in the ancestral court? I would like to go there and take a look. I heard Celestial Emperor was born out of an egg that was harvested from that mine. Old Brother Gu Xiao, aren’t you curious as well?”

Qin Mu took a glance at him.

Gu Xiao said plainly, “I heard that the Grand Emperor’s Grand Primordium Origin Stone also came from that mine. Naturally, I’m curious too. Our trip will be wasted if we don’t get to visit the mine.”

The two stood on opposite ends of the sacrificial altar, staring at each other.

Cold sweat appeared on Qin Mu’s head. He stepped back as his consciousness rippled. “Yan’er, prepare to extinguish the lantern at any moment!”

Yan’er hurriedly took down the lantern that was hanging on the treasure carriage. She flew and landed on Qin Mu’s shoulder, saying into his ear, “Young Master, it’s still daylight, so if we put out the lantern, I’m afraid we won’t be able to return to the ghost ship.”

Qin Mu’s consciousness trembled. “I used to be Son of Youdu and Little Earth Count, so I’m able to darken the sky again. If they make a move, you will immediately put out the lantern!”

If Da Hong and Gu Xiao fought, it would be more dangerous than the void beasts!

He had some worries. The ancestral court was clearly sealed up jointly by the ancient gods, and they had used the reverse sides of Youdu, Xuandu, Yuandu, the celestial heavens, the Ruins of End, and the four poles to seal it. That kind of seal was simply too strong.

Whether they would be able to return to the ghost ship when they put out the lantern in the ancestral court, he was actually uncertain.

As Da Hong and Gu Xiao faced each other, one was folding his arms, while the other was filing his fingernails and giving off a smile that would put people at ease.

“Raaah—”

Heaven and earth shook violently. Gigantic void beasts slowly floated out from the ground, emerged out of the mountains, and materialized in the sky.

The incomparably huge creatures looked as though they didn’t have a fixed shape and could traverse through anything!

The cold sweat on Qin Mu’s forehead grew. He whispered, “Luo Xiao, did you manage to establish contact with your ancestors’ consciousness? If you’re done, we should leave immediately!”

Luo Xiao’s consciousness penetrated the layers of the void of the ancestral court, searching for the consciousness of his ancestors. His expression was blank as he muttered, “There are no signs of consciousness here…”

He suddenly became incredibly dispirited and chuckled. “Brother Mu, I’m unable to find my ancestors’ consciousness in the ancestral court. It’s likely that their consciousness has already been swallowed up by the void beasts. How do I go back and explain this to the chiefs?”

He sat on the ground in a daze, trying to support his collapsing beliefs.

There was no Dao heart during the masters of creation’s era. The Dao heart was only created after the system of divine treasures and celestial palaces was established. Hence, the cultivation of his frame of mind was substandard, far below Qin Mu and the rest.

More void beasts materialized. The void beasts in the sky had already begun to spread open their huge flesh films, which wavered as they flew over.

Qin Mu suddenly shouted, “No one will be able to leave the ancestral court if I’m dead!”

On the sacrificial altar, Gu Xiao and Da Hong separated their gazes. Gu Xiao stretched his body and smiled. “Since we plan to head over to the mine, why don’t we go together? What does Brother Hong think?”

Da Hong chuckled and said, “I’m thinking the same thing.”

Qin Mu pulled Luo Xiao up and yelled, “Most likely, the ancestor spirits of your ancestors are hidden in the higher voids. These void beasts are unable to reach there. Don’t blame yourself. Take control of your void beast and take us out of here!”

On the ground, countless void beasts pounced over like a huge torrent, surrounding them completely!

Luo Xiao roused his spirits. “Right! The cultivations of the ancestor spirits of my ancestors were much stronger than mine. They must have deposited their consciousness in the higher voids! This must be the case!”

Qin Mu’s magic power exploded, picking up the sacrificial altar as it rose through the air with a whoosh. It landed on the head of the void beast that Luo Xiao had subdued, anchoring itself among the bone mountains.

Luo Xiao immediately focused on driving the void beast. As its six legs strode forward, its speed grew faster and faster. Suddenly, it leaped out of the void just before the rest of the void beasts pounced onto them!

The surrounding space suddenly became strange, and the bodies of Qin Mu and the others on the sacrificial altar slowly became transparent. Qin Mu raised his palm and could see the veins and muscle fibers across the skin.

Among them, only Gu Xiao and Da Hong’s corporeal bodies didn’t experience any changes.

The void beast leaped into the first void, avoiding the attacks of the other void beasts. At that moment, a sharp claw suddenly emerged from the void, swiping at the void beast and the people on the sacrificial altar!

The claws of that void beast glowed with the cold gleam that only divine weapons possessed, tearing the first void as it swiped over.

Luo Xiao hurriedly took control of the void beast to evade the attack. Its huge claw swept over their heads, leaving rows of cuts in the void.

More claws of the void beasts appeared in the void, wildly swinging around. As Luo Xiao was controlling the ancient beast for the first time, he couldn’t dodge those attacks in time. The void beast released an ear-piercing cry, and there were many wounds on its body.

Whoosh—

Many void beasts broke into the first void, one after another. There was excitement in their eyes as they pounced at them.

They raised their eyelids and opened their gigantic mouths. Their mouths occupied half of their heads, squeezing their eye pupils into a faint line.

Luo Xiao quickly controlled the void beast. Suddenly, it shrunk its body and managed to escape through the perimeter of void beasts. It leaped again, entering the second void.

In the second void, everyone was able to see their bones. They were like transparent shrimps in the ocean, their internal organs clearly visible.

However, the rest of the void beasts had entered the second void, lunging over.

The void beasts could change their sizes, becoming bigger or smaller, being extremely elastic.

Qin Mu emitted his consciousness, pouring it into the void beast nearest them as he tried to control it.

Even though that void beast had shrunk its size, it was still extremely humongous. It immediately gave off an ear-piercing shriek when it was attacked by Qin Mu’s consciousness.

Suddenly, Qin Mu felt dizzy. The beast’s shriek was able to penetrate his consciousness and disrupt his thoughts, catching him by surprise.

The shriek wasn’t exactly a real shriek. When the void beast detected danger, it would use its consciousness to create an ear-piercing shriek, penetrating into the enemy’s consciousness and disrupting their movements.

Clearly, the void beasts had learned something from their battles with the masters of creation.

‘Great Overarching Supreme Consciousness!’

Qin Mu’s consciousness underwent a transformation, turning into layers and layers of heavens that blocked the shriek of the void beast. Afterward, he imprinted his Great Overarching Supreme Consciousness into its mind.

The void beast was so powerful that it could use its shrieks to forcefully resist his Great Overarching Supreme Consciousness, even attacking and defending with it. Its defense was on point, and Qin Mu was unable to overcome its consciousness within a short span of time.

‘My consciousness attainments are about the same as Luo Xiao. Even if he’s stronger than me, he couldn’t be much stronger. I have the Grand Emperor’s Great Overarching Supreme Consciousness. My consciousness divine arts also surpass his by several times over. How was he able to subdue that void beast so quickly?’

Qin Mu felt a chill down his spine. Luo Xiao had subdued the void beast too quickly. Could it be that it wasn’t Luo Xiao who subdued the void beast, but someone else?

Luo Xiao drove the beast and traversed through the void continuously, leaping through the third, fourth, and fifth voids.

When they reached the sixth void, everyone could basically only see their primordial spirits. They were unable to see their corporeal bodies anymore.

The only difference was that the eye at the heart of Qin Mu’s brows wasn’t assimilated by the void. It remained floating in front of his primordial spirit.

Of course, Gu Xiao and Da Hong’s corporeal bodies didn’t experience any changes.

‘Gu Xiao and Da Hong are indeed Celestial Emperor and the Grand Emperor!’ Qin Mu was astonished.

Behind, there were still countless void beasts chasing after them. Some of the younger void beasts were unable to penetrate deep into the void and were blocked at the fifth void.

Qin Mu was still trying to control the void beast. However, the beast continued to use its ear-piercing shrikes to resist his Great Overarching Consciousness.

Qin Mu raised his eyebrows. ‘The one controlling the void beast isn’t Luo Xiao, but the Grand Emperor!’

Luo Xiao was feeling a little uneasy. He shouted, “If we continue to go deeper into the void, our corporeal bodies and primordial spirits will get assimilated!”

The void beast leaped into the sixth void. On the sacrificial altar, Qin Mu, Yan’er, and the rest immediately felt that their primordial spirits and corporeal bodies were getting assimilated by the void. The only thing that could resist the void’s assimilation was consciousness!

Qin Mu continued to battle with that void beast with his consciousness, trying to see if he could control it. He could also feel his corporeal body and primordial spirit getting assimilated by the void. Fortunately, he was able to endure the assimilation coming from the sixth void since it wasn’t that intense.

The void beast was already having trouble with his Great Overarching Supreme Consciousness. Soon, he would be able to control it.

Luo Xiao controlled the void beast and leaped into the seventh void, with plenty of void beasts pursuing behind. All of their corporeal bodies started to have trouble coping.

At that moment, Qin Mu finally took control of the void beast. He quickly retracted his consciousness, using it to engulf the dragon qilin, Yan’er, and the six heavenly dragons.

The pressure on them was greatly reduced.

Luo Xiao controlled the void beast to continue penetrating into the void, traversing through it ceaselessly. Qin Mu didn’t have the void beast that he had tamed follow him, allowing it to escape back into the void instead.

He made use of the eye of that void beast to observe the world of the ancestral court. Under his control, the void beast galloped non-stop as it flew through the air, burrowed into the ground, and dove into the ocean.

He was observing the geography of the ancestral court. However, the more he saw, the more frightened he became.

There were no other lifeforms in the ancestral court. They were all exterminated, leaving only countless void beasts!

That place was extremely desolate, with no other lifeforms. One couldn’t even see a tiny bit of greenery. There were only large-scale battlefield remnants, abandoned cities of the masters of creation, and run-down tribal areas with bones scattered everywhere.

Their group was possibly the only lifeforms that had entered the world of the ancestral court for countless years.

At that moment, Qin Mu, through the eye of the void beast, saw a touch of green.

It was a mine that stretched for thousands of miles. Within it, there were plants and flowers engulfed in a strange colorful glow.

Qin Mu controlled the void beast, arriving in front of the mine. Suddenly it stopped moving. No matter how he urged it, the giant beast was unwilling to enter the mine.

At that moment, Qin Mu noticed that there were piles of bones of countless void beasts around the mine!

He looked in front and saw an even more frightening scene. Below the plants in the mine, there were countless white skeletons whose skulls were embedded with the Grand Primordium Divine Stone!

Qin Mu was shocked. As his gaze penetrated deeper, many skeletal giants appeared in his eyes.

There were eight of them, giants that were only left with bones and covered in light. They stood in the forest, their postures looking as though they were walking forward. On their shoulders was a huge golden coffin. They looked like they had died on their way to the depths of the mine!

‘Those are… eight ancient gods!’

Qin Mu’s heart shuddered. ‘I wonder, who’s inside the golden coffin?’

Suddenly, he felt that his body was being pulled up sharply, which was an optical illusion caused by his entry into a deeper void.

Luo Xiao controlled the void beast and led them into the nineteenth void. There, Qin Mu had difficulty controlling his own void beast. The void beast was freed from his consciousness, and it shook its huge head. As it looked into the mine, terror appeared in its eye. It hurriedly ran away and quickly disappeared without a trace.