Tales of Herding Gods

“Senior Twiger feels even nicer to touch like this!” Hu Ling’er said to Qin Mu with a serious face. The little fox had gone to touch twice, and she felt that he was quite chubby.

Qin Mu was slightly worried that his senior brother won’t be able to stop himself and grow fat from eating too many Gold Water Mixed Vitality Pills.

However, the black tiger god was his senior brother and had followed Saint Woodcutter much longer. On top of that, he was a famous god, so as a junior brother, Qin Mu wasn’t really in a place to say anything.

Even if he asked the black tiger god to eat fewer Mixed Vitality Pills, he reckoned he wouldn’t listen to him. The black tiger god listened more to the dragon qilin than him.

‘I should let Saint Woodcutter have the headache.’

Qin Mu turned around and saw trails of devil qi rushing into the sky. Some of it was in the form of lotuses and some were like clouds. There were also some shaped like peacocks and devil gods. All of these were apparitions formed by the vital qi of the devil experts.

To be able to create them, they had to be experts of Celestial Being Realm or even above!

Yet the strong devil practitioners didn’t rush over to kill them. It was as if they were waiting for something.

“An expert of Divine Bridge Realm has arrived!”

Qin Mu focused his gaze and suddenly saw a divine bridge stretching dozens of miles across the sky. A devil god primordial spirit walked through it with the celestial palaces of the devil path above him. This was the apparition of a strong practitioner of Divine Bridge Realm.

In Eternal Peace, those on Divine Bridge Realm were existences of cult master level. Their abilities had been the greatest, but that was in the past. After Qin Mu spread the method to repair the divine bridge and enter the celestial palaces, one could only be considered an expert of the cult master level once they became a god.

However, the divine arts practitioners of Divine Bridge Realm were still extremely powerful existences. If they gave chase, only the black tiger god could protect the group from harm!

In a bit, Qin Mu saw a second divine bridge, followed by a third and a fourth…

More and more strong practitioners of Divine Bridge Realm appeared behind them. They had all kinds of primordial spirits, and their locations on the divine bridges were different, representing different levels of cultivation.

The primordial spirits looked at them from afar as beams of devil light kept sweeping past them recklessly.

Yet even though so many strong practitioners of Divine Bridge Realm had come, they still didn’t attack.

‘They’re waiting for an even stronger existence to descend!’ Qin Mu narrowed his eyes and looked away while thinking, ‘The only ones stronger than the divine bridge practitioners will be devil gods who had entered the celestial palaces! It’s just that there’s no way to know if the devil god that’s hurrying over has crossed Southern Heavenly Gate or not…”

He took a look at the black tiger god who was lying on the chest with the dragon qilin. Ever since the two had found a common topic, they had become lazy. The black tiger god was always lying on the chest and whispering something with the dragon qilin.

Qin Mu felt an uneasiness brewing in his heart. ‘Hope the one that comes hasn’t crossed Southern Heavenly Gate yet…’

With a worried expression, Sang Hua said in a low voice, “Brother Cult Master, if we continue heading forward, we’ll soon reach the frontlines There are numerous strong devil practitioners there.”

Qin Mu’s mind shook. He instantly knew what the devils were waiting for.

‘There are numerous strong practitioners in front of us, and with the pursuers chasing behind, they will be able to pincer us, making it hard for us to take care of both our front and back. The devils behind are not waiting for the devil god since they’re among them already, waiting for us to fall into the trap!’

Qin Mu composed himself and came to the side of the chest. The black tiger god and the dragon qilin were muttering something, but when they saw him coming, they immediately shut their mouths.

Qin Mu told them about his guess and said solemnly, “Senior Brother Tiger, the more we go forward, the closer we get to the frontlines, and the more dangerous it gets for us! When we come close enough, there will definitely be a devil god that will lead an army to block our path. Meanwhile, from the back, another devil god will block our retreat! If we are pincered between the two sides, we will be vanquished!”

The black tiger god stood up like a huge cat and said solemnly, “Great strategy! However, they’re looking down on me! I had followed my lord to conquer the north and south and experienced countless battles. I’ve earned fame by bathing in the blood of my enemies! After my lord turned into a rock, I had also fallen into slumber. Looks like these devil brats have forgotten about my awe! Don’t be afraid. When we’re a thousand miles away from the frontlines, call me!”

Qin Mu opened his mouth, but didn’t speak.

The black tiger god lay down again, then raised his head after a moment. “Do you still have any spirit herbs? The ones you gave me were all refined into pills. Give me some more; I can kill better with a full stomach.”

Qin Mu took out some spirit herbs from his taotie sack, just enough for one furnace. He handed them over and said, “Senior Brother Tiger, don’t eat too much, be careful of becoming like Fatty Dragon.”

The black tiger god laughed, looking rather conceited. “You’re underestimating me. I can dissolve these spirit pills just by cultivating and won’t have any excess flab. I know my limits. I shall show you how awe-inspiring I am later!”

“Sister Hua, how far are we from the frontlines?” Qin Mu inquired.

Sang Hua took out a geographic map and searched around it. She took out a ruler and measured. “This is… Cloud Gathering Mountain. We are still four thousand miles away.”

Qin Mu looked at the ratio and measured the distance himself. He shook his head and said, “Four thousand two hundred and sixty-one miles.”

“Why do you need to be so accurate for?” Sang Hua asked with a smile.

Qin Mu shook his head. ‘It’s because the algebra of your Supreme Emperor Heaven is so lousy. Even your sun was forged so crookedly that it’s unbearable to look at.’

Of course, he couldn’t say this directly in her face.

Ling Yuxiu and Si Yunxiang called Sang Hua over the moment she was free. The three girls chatted noisily and exchanged pointers on the paths, skills, and divine arts of Supreme Emperor Heaven and Eternal Peace.

Ling Yuxiu and Si Yunxiang sincerely sought knowledge from Sang Hua about the method of cultivating to a young true god, and Sang Hua told them everything she knew without holding back. She also asked them about the spells of Eternal Peace, and the two girls taught her the divine art that was recently created in Eternal Peace—Primordial Spirit Guide.

“Primordial Spirit Guide needs dual cultivation, so this technique should only be used between husband and wife,” Sang Hua said in astonishment.

Ling Yuxiu smiled at her. “Nonsense! As long as the primordial spirits are able to resonate, anyone will be able to cultivate. Even numerous monks and Daoists in Eternal Peace have cultivated it!”

Sang Hua was dumbfounded. After a moment, she asked suspiciously, “Even monks and Daoists have cultivated? You two have also cultivated it?”

“I cultivated it with the one who herds cows,” Ling Yuxiu said.

Sang Hua was slightly disappointed and jealous. She looked at Si Yunxiang and asked, “What about Sister Xiang?”

Si Yunxiang smiled at her. “I have also cultivated with Cult Master. His primordial spirit is very strong, and you will improve very fast if you dual cultivate your primordial spirit with him!”

Sang Hua’s eyes went wide, and she cried out, “How can you… two of…. that’s not right! Primordial Spirit Dual Cultivation clearly only allows one Dao partner!”

As she almost went into a frenzy, Si Yunxiang said bewitchingly, “Once you dual cultivate with Cult Master, you will understand. His primordial spirit is very strong!”

Sang Hua blushed and said with a low voice, “The rules our Supreme Emperor Heaven have regarding Primordial Spirit Dual Cultivation is different from those of your Eternal Peace. Primordial Spirit Dual Cultivation here is a taboo; only husband and wife can dual cultivate. Even being engaged is not enough.”

Ling Yuxiu and Si Yunxiang looked at each other and seemed to know the other’s thoughts. “The rules of Supreme Emperor Heaven are too old, but this is not your fault. Every place has its own rules. For example, all of West Earth’s women are little vixens. To pave the road, Imperial Preceptor had brought a thousand demoness and caused quite some trouble!”

Qin Mu went up high to look far into the distance. He saw incredibly thick devil qi rolling a thousand miles away from them. It was like a high wall that stretched ten thousand miles.

‘The devils’ main camp in the frontlines!’

He observed with Nine Heavens Divine Eyes and saw all kinds of variegated and gorgeous vision. They were apparitions formed by the experts of Celestial Being Realm, Life and Death Realm, and Divine Bridge Realm in the army of the devils!

“Sister Hua, give me the geographical map!”

She took out the map, and Qin Mu used his vital qi as a ruler to measure it precisely. He turned back to look at the pursuers and the devil qi which was becoming thicker and thicker. His gaze flickered. ‘There’s still eleven hundred miles. Senior Brother Tiger told me to call him at a thousand miles, but he seems to have become even fatter during this period of time.’

Qin Mu turned his head around and looked at the black tiger god on the chest. He said solemnly, “Senior Brother Tiger, we are a thousand miles away from the frontlines.”

The little tiger leaped from the chest and laughed. “Stay here and look at my methods!” Once he said so, he rushed towards the pursuers behind them.

Qin Mu looked at the black tiger god and saw him running faster and faster. As he ran, his corporeal body changed, and in not even a breath’s time, he went from a little black tiger that was a foot tall to a behemoth that was like a mountain. He was awe-inspiring, although his tummy seemed a little bit too big.

When the black tiger god ran, he moved from four legs on the ground to only the two hind ones exerting force. All kinds of runes spread throughout his body like an armor covering his entire being. Two huge hammers appeared in his front paws.

In a breath’s time, the black tiger god had already collided with the pursuers, and the bones of countless strong devil practitioners were broken. Their bodies flipped in the sky and fell down limply.

A devil god had indeed hidden himself, and he rushed into the sky at that moment with a battle-halbert to face the two huge hammers of the black tiger god. The latter was incomparably brave, but the devil god wasn’t weak as well. The instant the two of them clashed, Qin Mu immediately saw a mountain top floating up after being slashed.

“Let’s go quickly!” Qin Mu said rapidly. “Advance a hundred miles forward! Fatty Dragon, come down from the chest!”

Sang Hua didn’t understand what he was saying, but she still heeded his words, bringing the chest to hurry forward. The dragon qilin jumped and followed after them.

Behind them, there were numerous devil experts that had not died in the hands of the black tiger god. They immediately left the black tiger god behind to chase after the small group.

Meanwhile, in front of the main camp, the battle between the black tiger god and the devil god created ripples that alarmed the devil experts in the vicinity. Immediately, devil qi separated from the mass above the main camp and surged towards Qin Mu. It was most likely a strong practitioner of the devil race rushing to pincer them.

Qin Mu sprinted a hundred miles with everyone, then shouted, “Halt!”

Behind, a world-shaking explosion suddenly rang out as the black tiger god and the devil god flashed past while dueling. With a roar from the tiger, mountains and vegetations were sent flying, and random rocks rushed into the sky.

The black tiger god arrived frantically, and his huge hammers smashed the strong practitioners chasing after Qin Mu one after another.

Qin Mu saw the situation and immediately said, “Retreat a hundred miles.”

Sang Hua, Ling Yuxiu, and the rest didn’t understand, but they still sprinted backward according to his words. After the black tiger god killed the pursuers, he leaped over their heads and faced the numerous devil experts that were chasing them.

The devil experts were led by a devil god, but their battle formation was disrupted by the black tiger god. The two gods started fighting while the rest o the experts took a detour around them and rushed toward Qin Mu and the rest.

After Qin Mu brought everyone back a hundred miles, he stopped and said solemnly, “We should be safe now.”

After a moment, the primordial spirits of the strong devil practitioners arrived, and their divine arts rushed over from afar. Everyone’s expressions changed slightly, but a huge hammer came flying out of nowhere, smashing the divine arts and the primordial spirits of the strong devil practitioners into smithereens!

The black tiger god’s body flashed by them, and he grabbed the huge hammer that was flying towards everyone. He shook it forcefully and laughed loudly. “I believe I did not disappoint! Everyone, climb onto my back, and follow me into the enemy’s main camp. I’ll bring all of you back to Li City!”

Qin Mu let out a sigh of relief and thought to himself, ‘Brother Tiger has indeed grown fatter these days. His weight has increased, and his speed has decreased by ten percent, so I added an extra distance of a hundred miles, and looks like I was right to do that!’