Tales of Herding Gods

The dragon qilin got a fright. “Five million rings aren’t even ten percent? Does that mean Mother Earth has lived for at least 50 million years?”

Qin Mu was still counting the growth rings as he said, “The number you mentioned is too little. This wooden rod is just the core of the Primordial Tree. This isn’t the entire trunk, who knows how many layers are on the outside. With a conservative estimate, the tree core could be displaying only ten percent of her actual age.”

Yan’er got a fright as well, as this implied that Mother Earth was at least five billion years old.

“Young Master, if this wooden rod doesn’t show Mother Earth’s real age, why are we counting the growth rings?” Yan’er was puzzled.

Qin Mu continued counting as he distractedly said, “The goal isn’t just counting the growth rings but determining the age of this treasure so that we can decide what to refine it into. Also, the growth rings hide the secrets of Mother Earth’s early years. For example, this set of growth rings are very close to each other, showing that roughly two million years after Mother Earth was born, there was a major incident that caused the Primordial Tree to almost stop growing. This means that the Primordial Realm was facing a calamity at that time.”

The lifeforms after the beginning didn’t know of the matters that happened before Dragon Han. No one would be able to find out unless the ancient gods reveal it.

That was the ancient primordial era, and the world didn’t have records of that era.

Qin Mu carefully completed his count of the growth rings and said softly, “The core of the Primordial Tree spanned more than 76 million years, within which there were 10 calamities that caused the Primordial Tree to almost stop growing. It seems that during the rule of the ancient gods, the Primordial Realm wasn’t peaceful. However, these ancient gods were the most powerful existences during the ancient primordial era. How did they encounter such dangers? Unless they killed each other, or could there have been some other powers?”

Logically, the ancient gods were the most powerful during the ancient era, and there had been nothing able to threaten them. Mother Earth’s existence was on par with Earth Count and Heaven Duke, and her abilities were only inferior to the ancient Celestial Emperor.

She shouldn’t have encountered any danger in the ancient primordial era unless Earth Count, Heaven Duke, or ancient Celestial Emperor attacked her. However, during that period, their conflicts hadn’t reached the point that they were unable to exist alongside each other. Hence, it was impossible that they tried to kill each other.

Qin Mu thought for quite a while but couldn’t figure anything out.

‘The core of the Primordial Tree has so many growth rings. It will be very difficult to refine it into my divine weapon and attune it to a state where I can control it at will. Maybe I can imprint rune markings on each year’s growth ring—one formation and one heaven on every growth ring. That would be more than 76 million formations! Just the energy of the formations would be enough to destroy heaven and earth!’

Qin Mu was full of fighting spirit, but soon, his expression darkened. There were too many growth rings on the core of the Primordial Tree, and he didn’t have sufficient knowledge to imprint formations on each and every growth ring.

His accumulation of knowledge hadn’t reached such a profound level.

‘How about I use it as a spear? However, I’m not proficient with spears… How about a flying sword?’

He gave it some thought and tried to channel vital qi into the core of the Primordial Tree. Following this, his expression was as black as coal.

His vital qi had already recovered to its peak and wasn’t inferior to a god. However, when his tremendous magic power poured into the core, it was like clay oxen entering the sea, gone forever. There was no way to fill it up.

Mother Earth had indeed given him a remarkable treasure. Even existences on the Emperor’s Throne Realm may not be able to refine such treasures. However, he was unable to invoke the power of the core of the Primordial Tree!

Qin Mu continued to execute his vital qi and finally managed to levitate the core of the Primordial Tree. However, the wooden rod was too long. After he performed a few stabs, he was out of magic power.

‘No wonder Mother Earth was in such a hurry!’

Qin Mu stretched out his hand and grabbed the rod, laboriously swinging it a few times. He realized if he were to use it as a spear, he lacked a spearhead, and if he were to use it as a rod, it would be too long.

‘If only I could shorten it a little…’

Just as he thought this, the core of the Primordial Tree immediately shortened by quite a bit.

Qin Mu was taken aback and said, “Shorten a little more.”

Again, the core of the Primordial Tree shortened by a little.

Qin Mu said, “Continue to shorten a little more.”

The core of the Primordial Tree had shortened until it was only three feet. Qin Mu brandished it in his hands, treating it as a sword. It was so much easier to use. He couldn’t resist but to delightfully say, “Lengthen!”

Thud—

Suddenly, the core of the Primordial Tree in his hand expanded dramatically, turning into a long staff that managed to stab the top of a mountain that was hundreds of miles away. The staff created a narrow hole in the mountain as it exited through it.

Qin Mu got a fright. He forcefully tried to pull it out but was unsuccessful, so he helplessly said, “Shorten…”

With a whoosh, Qin Mu involuntarily flew off the dragon qilin’s head as the shortening rod dragged and smashed him into the top of the mountain, creating a loud boom.

The dragon qilin and Yan’er were astonished. They saw that the impact had created a crack on the mountain peak. After a while, Qin Mu jumped out from within the mountain peak, looking very miserable.

Qin Mu’s heart stirred, and he took out his sword pellet. It flew and landed on top of the rod, becoming the spearhead. The spear then followed him wherever he went—its thickness, length, and hardness all in a state of flux. It looked as though a big python was floating and circling around his body, absolutely terrifying.

“It seems that this core of the Primordial Tree is quite alright.”

Qin Mu turned and flew back, exclaiming in admiration as he put away his sword pellet. “It’s a pity I can’t transform it into a wooden sword, as I’m unable to kill anyone with it. I’m unfamiliar with spears, so it’s a pity this weapon is in my hands.”

He stored the core of the Primordial Tree in his taotie sack as Yan’er stepped forward to help him tidy up his messy attire.

Qin Mu took out a small jade bottle, opened the seal, and used his vital qi to draw out a drop of the primordial liquid. “Yan’er, this is for you.”

Yan’er was surprised and delighted, and she quickly swallowed the primordial liquid.

The dragon qilin looked on with lots of envy. Qin Mu said, “Fatty Dragon, you’re still unable to suppress the primordial liquid’s energy, so even a drop will kill you. I have put away a drop for when you are older.”

The dragon qilin agreed and was relieved.

“With the core of the Primordial Tree, maybe it’s possible to save Big Senior Brother…”

Qin Mu found himself alone and took out the peachwood hairpin. He faced the Surging River and activated the hairpin, and the vast and mighty celestial river gushed out and merged with the Surging River.

After Cripple saved him, he told him what Human Emperor Qi Kang saw at the Surging River. Green Deity of the Eastern Sky tried to drown Wei Suifeng after capturing him, but Wei Suifeng fused together with the ghost ship and escaped.

When they were in the Eastern Celestial Palace’s sphere of influence, Qin Mu hadn’t wanted to alert the Eastern Celestial Palace. Now that Mother Earth dared to appear, it meant that he was out of the Eastern Celestial Palace’s territory. Hence, Qin Mu wanted to see if it was possible to use the peachwood hairpin to save the ghost ship, together with Wei Suifeng, from Celestial Venerable Ling’s divine art.

The divine art in the peachwood hairpin was activated, and a fog immediately rose from the heart of the river, its mists looking like they came from the past as the river water churned and surged!

The Surging River and celestial river used to be one body that was then cut into two. Today, it was reunified. Immediately, apparitions of all kinds appeared as strange light radiated from the river, brightening up the sky.

Large ships with overlapping palaces, countless gods and devils, and a myriad of apparitions surged forward, all sorts of deafening noises clashing together.

These apparitions represented the history of the Surging River—the people and buildings of the past, as well as the historical incidents that happened. This was all driven by Celestial Venerable Ling’s unchanging divine art, bursting forth all at once!

The celestial river and Surging River trembled violently, and suddenly, the entire celestial river rose into the air, flying towards the sky. The thousand-mile-long river surface floated in the sky as apparitions of all kinds appeared. These floating palaces seemed as though they rose from the ashes of history to materialize in this era!

Boom—

Buildings, gods, and devils from each and every era clashed as countless fragments fell from the sky. It was an incomparably astonishing scene.

The fog was getting thicker as a ghost ship appeared among the mists. Black mists covered its exterior, along with chains circling the ghost ship like dragons and large pythons. However, they didn’t touch the ghost ship.

The hand that held the peachwood hairpin was shaking violently. Qin Mu quickly used both hands to grab the hairpin and stabilized his body. Even so, the peachwood hairpin felt like it was going to slip out of his hands.

“Wei Suifeng!”

Qin Mu shouted loudly, arms burrowing out of his armpits as he held onto the peachwood hairpin with all his might. “Big Senior Brother, why are you not out yet?”

The ghost ship appeared hazily as it moved through the black fog, nearing him.

The space surrounding Qin Mu appeared more and more unstable, and it started collapsing. Each and every era seemed to overlap, and with that, the palaces, gods, and devils. Even the ghost ship showed signs of crumbling.

On the ghost ship, a middle-aged man appeared at the bow. He opened his mouth and said something, but the echoes of each and every era appeared at the same time, making it extremely noisy and difficult to make out what he was trying to say.

Qin Mu freed up a hand and quickly took out the core of the Primordial Tree, shouting, “Enlarge!”

Whoosh—

The core of the Primordial Tree expanded rapidly towards the ghost ship, as though it was trying to build a bridge between the past and the present.

The current length of the core of the Primordial Tree was already immeasurable, but the ghost ship among the black fog was still far away. On the ghost ship, Wei Suifeng tried to fly onto the Primordial Tree, but the moment he flew up, his body dispersed and reappeared again at the bow of the ship. It was as though he had never left.

“Map…”

His voice was faintly heard.

Qin Mu was unable to hold onto the peachwood hairpin anymore and could only disperse his magic power. The celestial river immediately broke in two, with one half vanishing as the Surging River fell from the sky. The ghost ship, the large ships, the palaces, and the countless gods and devils rapidly retreated and faded into history.

The fog also shrunk quickly, soon disappearing without a trace.

The rod of the core of the Primordial Tree fell into Qin Mu’s hand.

Qin Mu looked around as the trembling space suddenly stabilized, returning to a calm state, as though the apparitions that happened a moment ago were just illusions.

“The peachwood hairpin is unable to pull the ghost ship out of Celestial Venerable Ling’s divine art, unless the map is the only thing that can save him?”

Qin Mu was stunned. He put away the peachwood hairpin and shouted, “Yan’er, quickly bring us away!”

Yan’er quickly transformed into the dragon sparrow, picking up the dragon qilin and throwing him on her back. Qin Mu also got on her back, after which, she spread her wings and immediately took off.

Right after they left, the surrounding space warped, and many strange-looking and strong gods arrived. They surveyed the area but didn’t find anything.

Suddenly, a god raised a gate. The gate opened, and Son of Heaven Yin walked out, taking stock of his surroundings.

“Black Deity, strange apparitions burst upon the celestial river. History was reenacted, and the broken river was reconnected. Do we need to report this to the celestial heavens?” a god asked.

Son of Heaven Yin frowned and said, “The celestial river that was broken into two was rejoined?”

The god said, “The other half of the celestial river suddenly appeared, and after a while, it disappeared.”

Son of Heaven Yin inspected the area and shouted, “This is a serious matter, check it thoroughly and find out which monster is inciting trouble. I will personally report this matter to the celestial heavens!”

Those gods and devils left one after another.

Son of Heaven Yin turned and returned through the gate, muttering softly, “Celestial Venerable Ling, ghost ship… Can’t the world have some peace? Who exactly is going through the old grudges of the past?”