Tales of Herding Gods

The dragon qilin and Yan’er walked out from behind him carefully. Their hearts pounded when they looked at the countless experts of the Green Dragon Celestial Palace in the sky.

“Fatty Dragon, is this a good mess to clean up?”

Yan’er instinctively and nervously became a little green sparrow that landed on the dragon qilin’s head. She scratched his scalp with her claws and whispered, “Master seems to have defeated East Deity’s reincarnation in too brutal a manner…”

From afar, a loud boom sounded. It came from the collapse of the palace that East Deity’s reincarnation was smashed through.

The other palaces fell along with it, which frightened the other strong practitioners of the dragon race out of their shocked state.

Yan’er became more and more nervous as she clutched onto the dragon qilin’s head in a manner that made it itchy.

The dragon qilin calmed himself down and replied, “It’s hard to say whether we can clean up this mess. However, East Deity wanted to use Cult Master’s visit and name to establish his authority. What Cult Master did was merely him fighting back.”

Yan’er didn’t understand him.

However, the dragon qilin understood everything.

East Deity clearly had the intention to put down Celestial Venerable Mu’s name, which was why he summoned most of the dragons in his celestial palace.

If he wanted to test Qin Mu’s power only, he wouldn’t have had to summon all of the officials of the Green Dragon Celestial Palace, nor invite so many people. It was clear that East Deity had a hidden motive.

He wanted to use Qin Mu’s title of Celestial Venerable to establish his authority, which was understandable.

During these couple of years, the authority of the Green Dragon Celestial Palace and the ancient gods became shakier and shakier as the celestial heavens’ ten Celestial Venerables’ authority grew. Sometimes, when the Celestial Venerables did things, they didn’t even bother using the title of their common lord, the ancient Celestial Emperor. Instead, they used their own title instead.

It was easy for the Celestial Venerables to disobey, raid, and annihilate their families.

The crisis in the Green Dragon Celestial Palace was visible to the people of the East Pole. The ten Celestial Venerables pressured from the top, while Green Deity of the Eastern Sky pressured from the bottom. Now, even the divine weapon Celestial Venerable Yu, which was holding six god cities, had descended from the celestial heavens with millions of gods and devils!

The divine weapon Celestial Venerable Yu’s mudra technique was even pointed straight at the Green Dragon Celestial Palace in a completely unrestrained fashion, which suppressed the confidence of the heavenly dragon race of the East Pole.

As one of the four deities of the ancient gods, East Deity needed a way to reinvigorate morale.

Defeating Qin Mu would allow him to know his position in their cooperation. Without the support of the ancient gods, Qin Mu could achieve nothing!

In their cooperation, the ancient gods were the masters and leaders, while Qin Mu was the follower that acted only on their orders.

Additionally, although Celestial Venerable Mu’s name paled in comparison to the ten Celestial Venerables of today, he was still the oldest elder of the Heaven Alliance. Defeating him would allow East Deity to make the ancient gods seem invincible in the eyes of his people.

This was why East Deity set the two tests when Qin Mu arrived.

“What he didn’t expect is how Celestial Venerable Mu is still a Celestial Venerable.”

The dragon qilin shook his head. East Deity had the wrong idea of controlling and taking advantage of Qin Mu the whole time. He failed to see how times had changed from his ivory tower. Ancient gods were no longer the strongest beings.

Qin Mu, as one of the three heroes of Eternal Peace’s reform, didn’t have the intention of surpassing the ancient gods. Instead, his intention was to get all gods, ancient or new, to serve people.

Qin Mu and the ancient gods’ motives were thus naturally in conflict, even contradictory. How could Qin Mu let East Deity control him?

Besides, while Qin Mu still had some power in the past as Celestial Venerable Mu, it had been decreasing. The Eternal Peace Calamity was a great learning experience for him, increasing his cultivation base, knowledge, and experience greatly.

Add to that the trip through the Great Void, and Qin Mu could easily beat the reincarnations of ancient gods, even if he may not be able to do so to Celestial Venerables in the same realm.

Suddenly, another loud rumble came. Another large dragon-shaped memorial came crashing down.

Yan’er was relaxed, but she couldn’t help but clutch the dragon qilin’s head tighter with her claws upon hearing it. She took a piece of his scale as a result.

It was painful for the dragon qilin, but he kept quiet.

The dragons in the sky were seemingly awakened by the crash of the memorial. None of them thought this would be the end, least of all East Deity.

Their gazes went towards Qin Mu on the dragon island. He had already put away his sword pellet. As the saying goes, a person hated by many would die, even without an illness. Qin Mu remained calm despite being stared at by so many expert dragons.

“What do we do, Big Brother?” the officials at the Green Dragon Celestial Palace asked the crown prince.

He was out of ideas too. Although he was the only being at the Emperor’s Throne Realm, he was like the memorial that collapsed just now in the East Pole—good looking but of little use.

The real person in charge was still his father, East Deity. He had little power.

East Deity had great longevity and was a control-freak. As his crown prince, Yuan Long could only cultivate to the Emperor’s Throne Realm due to the chaotic period in the High Emperor Era. He went down to fight and was thus able to escape East Deity’s shadow, which allowed him to cultivate to that point.

When the High Emperor Era ended and he returned, he was under East Deity’s shadow once again.

Under his father’s shadow, he couldn’t be in charge.

At that moment, an ancient and vast aura rose, growing stronger and stronger. East Deity’s giant body circled the Green Dragon Celestial Palace again and again. His green scales reflected the sun like a mirror, causing the surrounding palaces to be clearly reflected in them as well.

His head was above the Numinous Sky Hall, and he looked down as his whiskers fluttered in the air. He came to the dragon island in the Jade Pool and stirred large waves with his whiskers.

Qin Mu looked up at this ancient god and smiled. “East Deity, I passed the test, right?”

East Deity narrowed his eyes and stared at him. After a while, he laughed. “Yes, you did. Celestial Venerable Mu, you have a great deal of potential, and you won’t pale in comparison to the ten Celestial Venerables in the future.”

Qin Mu relaxed and replied, “It’s good that I didn’t disappoint you. Regarding the Numinous Treasure Mountain…”

His mouth opened, and he smiled. “I will deliver on my promise. It’s just that the mountain is heavy. You might not be able to take it.”

Qin Mu was full of smiles. “Rest assured, East Deity, I have a way to do it! I came here to meet you and catch up. Since I have disturbed you here, I shall leave now.”

East Deity tried to get him to stay. “Are you not staying for a couple more days, Celestial Venerable Mu?”

“No, no.”

They exchanged formalities before Qin Mu ordered the dragon qilin and Yan’er to pack up. East Deity flew to the Numinous Treasure Mountain and picked up a peak. The celestial heavens’ gods and devils were aghast as they complained, “Is East Deity planning to move the Numinous Treasure Mountain? Where will we find dragon tooth knives in the future?”

Luckily, East Deity only removed a peak. There were eight others left.

The peak was extremely heavy. Although it wasn’t the entire mountain, it was a major part of it. When East Deity moved it there, its power of magnetism contorted space.

Qin Mu’s eyes jumped. The mountain wasn’t big for East Deity, but it was for him. It was also too large and heavy for him to lift.

East Deity morphed into a deity in a green shirt. He stood in the air, lifting the peak with one hand, and said, “Celestial Venerable Mu, here’s the mountain, catch!” As soon as he finished speaking, he flung the mountain at him!

The dragon qilin and Yan’er felt a chill down their spines. This peak was too large. Even if they fled, they wouldn’t be able to escape the mountain’s pressure.

Qin Mu smiled and extended his hand to take out his third eye before flinging it.

His third eye went straight for the mountain. Its pupil seemed to be swirling as a light shot straight at the mountain.

The light swept the mountain, and it vanished.

The God Eye returned to the heart of Qin Mu’s brows, and his flesh and blood regrew automatically. His nerves reconnected automatically too.

His third eye blinked, and he found that the peak’s influence wasn’t great. He smiled. “Many thanks, East Deity. You don’t need to see me off.”

East Deity was stunned as he descended from the heavens with his officials. He said, “You don’t have to take it to heart, Celestial Venerable Mu. The two tests were merely a game.”

Qin Mu said, “I feel bad for wrecking your palaces.”

“You don’t have to blame yourself, Celestial Venerable. I have many heavenly dragons well-versed in construction. I can just rebuild them.”

East Deity walked side by side with Qin Mu in a relaxed manner, without the forceful aura he gave off earlier. He smiled. “When you came, I didn’t welcome you. Now that you’re leaving, I must send you off. Celestial Venerable, we have reached the Southern Heavenly Gate.”

“Farewell.” Qin Mu turned around and bowed.

East Deity returned the formality and said, “Take care, Celestial Venerable.”

Qin Mu called the dragon qilin and Yan’er before walking out.

After around a thousand miles of walking, divine light filled the sky as the heavenly dragons danced in it. East Deity led his officials there again. He laughed and said, “I didn’t properly send you off just now, so I’m here to do it properly this time!”

Yan’er and the dragon qilin were shocked as they thought, “Could East Deity be here to silence us and take back his treasure after how he was humiliated and taken advantage of?’

Qin Mu jumped down from the dragon qilin’s back. He was visibly touched as he sighed and said, “You sending me off is already overwhelming enough. If you do it again, I’ll be embarrassed. Deity, I receive your favor fully. Please stay.”

East Deity sighed. “Meeting you allowed me to reflect on myself. If I don’t send you off, I won’t feel good.”

Qin Mu bowed, and East Deity returned the bow before personally helping him get on the dragon qilin’s back. He said, “I wish you a smooth journey!”

“Farewell, Deity.”

The dragon qilin sped forward without looking back. Yet, he saw the many heavenly dragons of the East Pole led by East Deity Qing Long watching from above, which was a touching moment.

The dragon qilin was going to talk to Qin Mu when divine light flooded in. East Deity came forward again and hollered, “Please halt, Celestial Venerable Mu!”

Qin Mu got the dragon qilin to stop. He jumped off of him, and beside him, a dragon lady held a tray with great wine and golden cups. East Deity personally poured him wine and raised his cup. “I never had a drink with you after you arrived, Celestial Venerable. It’s a mistake of mine. Thus, I would like to toast a cup to you now, Celestial Venerable.”

Qin Mu raised his cup and drank with him. He smiled and said, “I have a low alcohol tolerance and am already tipsy. One cup of your great wine is better than thousands of jugs of other wine. Farewell, Deity.”

East Deity watched him get on the dragon qilin before waving goodbye.

The dragon qilin carried Qin Mu and Yan’er near the divine weapon Celestial Venerable Yu. Yet, again, East Deity approached them with strong practitioners of the Green Dragon Celestial Palace. East Deity asked people to offer fruits while he regretfully said, “I failed to be a proper host to you, so instead, I will offer these fruits to you.”

Qin Mu got Yan’er to receive them before saying, “Your gratitude is too much, Deity.”

East Deity waved goodbye again.

After another thousand miles, the dragon qilin came to the borders of another god city, and again, East Deity came to send him off. He choked on his tears and said, “Now that I’m sending you off, I don’t know when we’ll meet again. I will send you off again.”

Qin Mu couldn’t hold back his tears either, and he chokingly said, “Your hospitality is something I cannot repay even if I pulverize myself, Deity!”

They hugged before parting and wiping their tears.

The gods and devils of the six god cities on the divine weapon Celestial Venerable Yu watched the scene and quietly gossiped about it.

Qin Mu rode on again, and before the dragon qilin could ask about his doubts, he saw East Deity arrive to send them off again.

East Deity and his entourage sent them off nine times. He sent them to the side of the treasure carriage and personally tied up the heavenly dragons, helped Qin Mu up into the carriage, and watched him sit down.

“Please return, Deity,” Qin Mu opened the windows and said with red eyes.

East Deity sighed. “When can we meet again?”

They watched the carriage enter the Spirit Energy Mutual Shift Bridge before returning.

“East Deity Qing Long is really a powerful figure.”

Qin Mu reflected, “How can Green Deity of the Eastern Sky beat him? Maybe only God Emperor Lang Xuan can suppress him.”

In the carriage, Divine King Lang Wo’s figure appeared and plainly said, “It’s not easy to battle us and survive the battle of the Blood Rust Zone. Holy infant, I’m worried that you underestimated him.”

Qin Mu smiled and said, “He underestimated me. He suffered some disadvantages, but he made up for it in the end.”

The dragon qilin couldn’t hold back his questions and asked, “Cult Master, why did he send you off so sincerely after being taken advantage of? Nine times as well! Even if Celestial Emperor came over here, he might not have sent him off nine times.”

Yan’er was filled with doubts too as she commented, “East Deity is petty. He doesn’t seem to be such a person!”

Qin Mu smiled. “He wants the celestial heavens to know that he has allied with me. He also wants them to know that he values me more than anything else. He’s doing this to express his stand to the other ancient gods and to force the celestial heavens to go against me.”

He rubbed his temple and explained, “I put him at a disadvantage, beat up his reincarnation, and won a peak in a bet in front of all his descendants. Why wouldn’t he try to get revenge on me after he lost? He looked sincere in sending me off nine times to ensure that people know he values me. However, the more he values me, the more the celestial heavens will want to get rid of me. What he’s doing is essentially putting me on a grill.”