Tales of Herding Gods

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

The other human emperors had weird expressions, and they were all silent.

Tuo Yu was always the most reliable one among them, and his attainments in algebra were known to be unmatched in the world. Yet against Overlord Body Qin, mistakes actually showed up even with his algebra attainments.

When facing an ‘overlord body’ like Qin Mu, any mistake could result in total humiliation!

For precaution, they would rather not trust Human Emperor Tuo Yu’s calculations.

Human Emperor Tuo Yu was angered and jumped down the bridge. “You guys don’t trust me? Can I still be wrong? I’ll go down and cripple this brat for all of you to see!”

“Great Overarching Heavenly Stars Palm Force!”

…

On the bridge, Second Ancestor said calmly, “Look, I said his calculations were wrong, right? Now he’s floating. If we believed him, the ones floating now would be us.”

Third Ancestor and the other past emperors had the same sentiments. Human Emperor Qing Ning popped his head out and rejoiced at the other’s misfortune. “Master, where did you calculate wrong now?”

Human Emperor Tuo Yu had nothing left to live for and said with a stupefied expression, “Primordial spirit. I calculated his primordial spirit wrongly; it’s stronger than I reckoned… But I feel that I’ve seen through him now!”

He leaped out from the water and landed on the bridge all drenched. He had a smile of exultation. “I definitely won’t calculate wrongly this time, so I can definitely tell you where his flaw is! Just believe me this once!”

The past human emperors yawned while Human Emperor Qin Ning’s gaze flickered. “Since master has already seen through his flaw, master can go down again and defeat that rascal. We will cheer for master!”

Human Emperor Tuo Yu took out his abacus spirit weapon and slapped his disciple’s head with it. “As a disciple, not only are you not supporting your master, you’re even rejoicing in my misfortune! What have I taught you? I taught you the path of calculation yet you learned some temperament! Go down and beat him up for me!”

Qing Ning turned his head to look at Human Emperor Kong Xian who was overjoyed and kicked him down the bridge. “I taught you temperament yet you cultivated some spells with words? Go down and beat him up for me!”

Human Emperor Kong Xian saw Qin Mu rushing over and immediately waved his hands while shaking his head. “Human Emperor Qin is indeed an overlord body, so there’s no need to fight.”

Qin Mu immediately stopped and smiled. “I’m also not someone who likes fighting. I just feel that the paths, skills, and divine arts of ancestors and grand-masters can still be improved, even if they’re already powerful. If you could continue to develop their power, you would definitely surpass your past selves. Especially Ancestor Kong Xian’s spells with words are extremely extraordinary. It’s the most marvelous divine art I have ever seen!”

Human Emperor Kong Xian was delighted and couldn’t contain his joy. “You also think my divine art is extraordinary?”

Qin Mu nodded, and his two hands moved as he walked on the river. He made the sealing pose and said, “When I saw ancestor attacking Ancestor Qing Ning, you used this move to directly seal Ancestor Qing Ning. I wonder what divine art was that?”

“This is Secrets of Seal Word!”

Human Emperor Kong Xian couldn’t conceal his excitement when talking about his divine art. He taught Qin Mu personally how to execute vital qi for Secrets of Seal Word and how he should speak. “The crux of spells with words lies in soundwave divine arts and talisman divine arts, merging body movements, footwork, and technique into one, then adding arrays of vital qi runes. Only then can you execute it! Look!”

He used his vital qi, and his foot moved two circles while his hands crossed each other. With his vital qi bursting forth, he shouted, “Seal!”

With that shout, his vital qi formed a huge seal word under his feet like ink, and Qin Mu’s eyes instantly turned black. He couldn’t hear any sounds—all his five senses were completely blocked off. He couldn’t even sense his own vital qi.

The next instant, the feeling of his five senses having been sealed vanished.

“Great divine art!”

Qin Mu was beyond excited and consulted Human Emperor Kong Xian again. Then, after a moment, he tried it for himself, executing Secrets of Seal Word. “Seal!”

A huge seal word instantly appeared on the river under his feet!

Human Emperor Kong Xian was stunned. ‘He has managed to learn it so fast? He learned the ultimate art of my life on the first try? Could this world really have an overlord body? It isn’t just a story that Little Su made up?’

He was still slightly uncertain. After Village Chief had entered Fengdu, he had treated lying to Qin Mu about the overlord body as the greatest achievement in his lifetime. He was very proud of it and didn’t hide it from any past human emperors.

It could be said that all the human emperor, with the exception of Qin Mu, knew that overlord body was fake. Only the youth was kept in the dark.

Yet now, Human Emperor felt that Qin Mu could really be an overlord body.

“Let me teach you Secrets of Strength Word.”

Human Emperor Kong Xian’s gaze flickered, and he imparted Secrets of Strength Word to Qin Mu. The youth mastered it in a short time once again, and when he executed it, the ‘strength’ word formed by runes appeared behind him. With the accompaniment of the temperament of the strength word, the power of the runes was activated. and the strength of his corporeal body was multiplied!

Human Emperor Kong Xian was ineffably astonished. It was impossible to master spells with words in such a short time. When he had created the divine art, he was already middle-aged. He had cultivated along with Human Emperor Qing Ning and had astonishing attainments in temperament, but wanting to break free, he had started to study hard and achieved extremely high attainments in calligraphy, runes, formations, body movements, footwork, and fist skills as well.

He had used dozens of years of his life to merge everything he had learned, and only then did he manage to create his ultimate art of spells with words, taking over as the human emperor and managing the Human Emperor’s Seal. All the sects in the martial world had been somewhat respectful of him.

For Qin Mu to master his spells with words in just a short while, didn’t this mean that he also had extremely high attainments in calligraphy, runes, formations, body movements, footwork, and fist skills?

Even if he had extremely high attainments in all these fields, to master the ultimate art that he had spent dozens of years to merge in such a short time was just too astonishing!

Qin Mu then learned Secrets of Fix Word which came out from the palm. The fix word appeared in front of him, and it was mastered by him as easily as all the others.

Human Emperor Kong Xian grew more and more astonished.

Suddenly, Third Ancestor spoke up. “Little Qin, come learn this move from me!”

Human Emperor Kong Xian was awakened from his astonishment and looked around. Only then did he realize that the numerous human emperors had come down from the bridge some time ago and gathered around them. Even Lan Po, Yi Shan, Qi Kang, and the rest who had floated down were also present. They were all staring at Qin Mu with strange gazes.

Human Emperor Kong Xian was puzzled and moved to the side.

Third Ancestor raised his palm and said solemnly, “This move of mine is called Yin Yang Heaven Flipping Hands. The palm is yin and the back of the hand is yang. Left and right can supplement each other, or you can also do dual yin or yang, flipping the heaven with yin and yang.”

He explained the circulation path of his technique, and with a turn of his hand, pure yang rushed out like thunder, giving off a series of explosions on the river that rang a hundred times. Throughout ten miles, the palm force of the pure yang exploded, and waves were raised dozens of yards high.

The palm of Third Ancestor flipped, and before the river water could land down, it instantly solidified and transformed into resplendent ice sculptures.

“Try it,” Third Ancestor said to Qin Mu while taking a step back.

Qin Mu pondered over it before suddenly taking a step forward. When he turned his hand around as yang, a series of explosions rang out on the river, spreading throughout the ten miles. Next, when he flipped his hand as yin and the palm force shot out, the river water froze in midair.

Third Ancestor raised his eyebrows but didn’t say anything.

“Brat Qin, learn this move from me!” Fifth Ancestor went up to him and said, “This move of my is called Five Thunder Heaven Raising Bell, and it’s the combination of thunder skill and fist skill!”

He punched out then. Instantly, a bell rang, and lightning coiled around his body, forming a huge transparent bell that rang in the air.

Fifth Ancestor moved skillfully, his fists and legs direct and efficient. His attack was simple yet effective. Any punch and any kick could make the bell vibrate, and the Five Thunder Heaven Raising Bell around him grew big at times and became small at others. It shook continuously, the power bursting forth from sometimes in a hum and sometimes in a haw. It had a certain kind of artistic mood and charm.

He imparted his Five Thunder Heavenly Raising Bell to Qin Mu who was full of anticipation.

The youth muttered to himself irresolutely for a moment before suddenly raising his hands high up. Lightning covered him from above, and every punch and kick from him had great strength and were incomparably heavy. The ringing of a bell reverberated endlessly as Five Thunder Heaven Raising Bell shook without end. The power flowed through his fists and legs to strike out in all directions.

“Exactly the same!” Fifth Ancestor narrowed his eyes and let out a shaky breath.

“Come, learn a move from me!” Human Emperor Yi Shan went forward and said, “My divine art is compatible with my technique. A different circulation path of vital qi can transform divine arts, so that when they will burst forth, there will be astonishing power. This move of mine is called Celestial Cave and Milky Way Hanging From Jade Heaven!”

…

Without noticing it, Qin Mu had learned a move or two from the divine arts of all thirty-four human emperors. He would master all of them in a short time and execute them like the real deal. In the same realm, the power was also not inferior at all.

Second Ancestor had a grim expression. He looked at Third Ancestor, Fourth Ancestor, and they all nodded silently.

“Human Emperor Qin, go take a walk around the city,” Second Ancestor said with a smile. “I’ve heard from Little Su that you are also the cult master of Heavenly Devil Cult. It’s rare that you can come so why don’t you meet the past cult masters of Heavenly Devil Cult as well.”

Qin Mu was delighted. “I was planning to!”

Second Ancestor put away Between Life and Death. The huge river, long bridge, and pleasure boat swooshed as they flowed back into his sleeve, and Qin Mu immediately turned back from a body of flesh and blood back to a skeleton wearing clothes. He inquired about the location where the past cult master of Heavenly Devil Cult stayed and begged his pardon from all of the human emperors. Only then did he returned to the city and walk away.

Second Ancestor and the rest of the past human emperors returned to Sacred Hall of Five Yang and looked at one another in dismay before lowering their gazes.

“Is there such a mortal body? I can’t believe it!” Human Emperor Qi Kang let out a shaky breath and shook his head. “I won’t believe even if you beat me to death!”

“I also don’t believe.” Human Emperor Lan Po revealed a look of disbelief and said, “We’re all stubborn like a donkey and unwilling to learn from our masters, wanting to walk our own path no matter what. As a result, our Hall of Human Emperors never had an ultimate art that was properly passed down since everyone wanted to create their own! Different techniques, different divine arts, so if anyone wanted to learn our techniques and divine arts, it would be really strange!

“But he managed to learn all of them, and in little time. In the short while we spent on the river, he learned everything that we taught him and could use it freely as though he had put in a hundred years of hard work.”

Second Ancestor sighed and said, “I suspect he is truly an overlord body. Little Su might be right by accident. This child that he underestimated since he was young is truly the one and only overlord body.”

Everyone was suspicious, and Human Emperor Qi Kang said, “Do you think that Brat Su was trying to make a fool of us? He should have known that Brat Qin was a true overlord body, but purposely said that he was lying to him while in truth he was lying to us to humiliate us?”

“There’s this possibility!” Human Emperor Yi Shan slapped his thigh fiercely and shouted out, “That’s your style, brat! He is your disciple so he is definitely like you, lying without blinking his eyes!”

Human Emperor Qi Kang’s fists crackled from his clenching and he sneered. “The brat went to find First Ancestor. When he comes back, see how will I teach him a lesson!”

“It’s how will we teach him a lesson!” everyone sneered in unison.

At that moment, in secret territories in the depths of Great Ruins, there was a faint glow in the darkness. Village Chief floated through an ancient ruin, coming to another wonderful world. After walking for a moment, he finally revealed a smile.

In front of him was a cluster of ancient buildings that had an interesting and appealing grace of a foreign land that the current generation didn’t possess.

He searched for a moment and finally found the person he was looking for.

The man stood in front of a stone tablet beside a palace, reading the inscriptions there.

“What’s First Ancestor looking at?” Village chief asked curiously.

“This is the last ruin of High Emperor Era. When the celestial heavens of High Emperor Era were wiped out, the remaining survivors escaped here and rebuilt High Emperor Sanctuary. This place was akin to their Carefree Village, but it was wiped out later on. I’m looking for their history.” First Ancestor didn’t look back. “The records they left behind are too few, but I found this.”

Village Chief was slightly stunned while looking at the stone tablet. “What’s recorded there?”

“The legend of the overlord body from forty thousand years ago!”