Tales of Herding Gods

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

Even King Yama couldn’t help being astonished. He suddenly turned to look at Qin Mu, and the black cape fluttered up with a wave motion as though it was being blown by the wind. “Youdu? You weren’t born in Carefree Village but in Youdu?”

Qin Mu still couldn’t see the face under the black robe and just nodded. “My parents were headed to Great Ruins from Carefree Village, but they were ambushed on their way. The casualties were high, and the lucky survivors escaped into Youdu. I was then born there.”

He had discovered his birth in Ghost Valley, and from the time trace in that ship, his mother ha still been holding him in her womb. The precious ship suffered the attacks of gods and devils, getting struck down to the bottom of Ghost Valley, embedding itself between the seal of the two worlds.

To avoid the extraterritorial devils, his mother led the people of the ship to seek refuge in Youdu. Qin Mu should have been born in Youdu, but he didn’t know how he was brought to Great Ruins after he was born and floated down Surging River to Disabled Elderly Village.

Granny Si had heard the cries of an infant and picked him up to bring to the village.

He was born in Youdu, and there was no doubt about that.

“You were born in Youdu…” The tone of King Yama held some disappointment. “I thought it would be an old swallow returning to lead us into battle, finishing what wasn’t done. Never did I expect to see a new swallow. It would have been as well, but in the end, it wasn’t a new swallow either, just one chick. Hehe, Founding Emperor, you are really carefree in Carefree Village, having already forgotten that you still have people waiting for you in this world to make a comeback!”

His tone was slightly angry. “Carefree Village is not a tender village nor an unmoved village; it’s a place for you to make a comeback and not a place for you to sink into oblivion! In Great Ruins, there are still countless gods and devils that are waiting silently for you to return. They are waiting for you to raise your flag and fight!”

His cape was still fluttering. Only when his heart was roused or when his fighting spirit was overflowing n would his cape tremble violently.

Suddenly, his aura weakened, and he became slightly dispirited. “I don’t believe an emperor who had founded an era would be willing to accept defeat and become silent. Yet, I have already waited for twenty thousand years, and the stone statues in Great Ruins and the ghosts in Fengdu have also waited twenty thousand years. Why have you not returned…”

Qin Mu looked at him quietly, not knowing what to say.

King Yama had been anticipating a guest from Carefree Village and hoping for the news of Founding Emperor for twenty thousand years.

Yet what he found was only Qin Mu, a person that was born in Youdu although he had the bloodline of Founding Emperor.

Qin Mu wasn’t the person he was waiting for. Even if it was Qin Hanzhen, at least he could encourage him and bring news of Carefree Village.

Yet Qin Mu who was born in Youdu was completely clueless about Carefree Village.

The identity of Founding Emperor’s descendant couldn’t soothe the heart of loyal soldiers that had waited for twenty thousand years.

After a long time, King Yama’s breath returned to normal. The eyes under the black robe shifted to Qin Mu as he said, “You were born in Youdu, and it is the same Fengdu—they are both the worlds of the dead. I have never heard of humans being born in the world of the dead. Let me see if there’s anything wrong with you.”

Qin Mu stared blankly as he didn’t understand him.

Suddenly, King Yama started walking around him and speaking in a solemn voice. “There are few people in Youdu, but monsters can be born in Youdu. They are a combination of spirits and Youdu’s devil nature. You have seen the monsters under Bridge of Helplessness which are from Youdu. You being born in Youdu is different from how those monsters were born from the grievances of heaven and earth and the devil nature. You were born from the womb, but you might be contaminated by the devil nature of Youdu.”

“Contaminated by the devil nature of Youdu?” Qin Mu probed. “What you mean is?”

He was slightly shocked. A devil god had once said that he was a devil just like him. Had it been not lying, and he actually had devil nature on him?

And he had it since the moment he was born?

King Yama didn’t continue speaking. Instead, he lifted the hood of the black robe and revealed his face beneath it.

Before Qin Mu could see it, the two eyes were like swirling whirlpools which sucked his mind inside.

“Don’t be scared. I’m just exploring your soul to see if it’s different from humans who are born in the normal world.”

Qin Mu felt his world spinning as though he was situated in the center of two eyes. They were scarlet like blood and strangely large. The pupils looked at him with from the left and right while he was spinning continuously, unable to fall to the bottom!

He seemed to just go down into boundless darkness with a never-ending sinking sensation.

When King Yama spoke, his words seemed to be extremely far from him, even further than the nine heavens above. “There has been no human that was ever been born in Youdu before and I don’t know what happens when a human is born in Youdu. However, I can guess that when you were born, something extremely terrifying happened.

“The devil nature and souls roaming around in Youdu would have tried to enter your body. Your mother should have been able to defend against the roaming souls in Youdu, but she might not have been able to keep the devil nature away. I want to see what Youdu has done to you…”

Qin Mu tried his best to stabilize his mind, and the jade pendant on his neck suddenly floated up. The light hummed as it burst outward as though it was defending him against King Yama’s blood eyes.

The two blood eyes grew bigger, and the light of the jade pendant got brighter. In the end though, the two blood eyes of King Yama suppressed the light of the jade pendant.

Qin Mu wanted to struggle, but he couldn’t muster any strength at all. He could only let that two nightmare-like blood eyes to continue prying and suppressing him.

He felt that his corporal body didn’t have any strength, as though it had been detached from his soul.

It felt as though he was drowning and couldn’t breathe anymore. His soul was slowly floating out of his corporeal body.

At that moment, Qin Mu suddenly stopped spinning and whispers came from his surroundings. It was like countless devils hidden in the boundless darkness were talking in low voices.

Those whispers gradually came closer, growing louder and louder, noisier and noisier. They finally became countless voices that bombarded him with different words in different languages, splitting his head with the pain. They were so noisy that his thoughts and consciousness were becoming scattered and messy!

Finally, all of the voices overlapped together and became a single one!

It was Youdu’s devil language!

“Shut up!” Qin Mu shouted out angrily, but what came out from his mouth wasn’t the language of humans. It was Youdu’s devil language!

Suddenly, terrifying energy burst out from his body, and it could suddenly move. He was still located between the two blood eyes, standing there solitarily. Behind him was boundless darkness, but a seam split apart in the there!

It opened up, and whispers began again. The seam grew bigger and bigger, until light flowed out. With a hum, a huge eyeball appeared behind him and rotated left and right.

That eye presented a strange pupil and that was three pupils squeezed together. They were also rotating while changing their directions!

Devil light emanated from the eye as though there were black butterfly wings growing from its sides. It was pretty and flirtatious yet extremely strange.

“Shut up!” Qin Mu hugged his head while shouting angrily. “Stop being noisy!”

Whoosh!

The space in the surroundings trembled violently like cracking glass.

King Yama was shocked by the power in that roar and could only stare blankly at the bewitching eye behind him. He muttered, “You were born in Youdu and are indeed affected by Youdu’s devil nature. It is in your body, but it was being suppressed by the jade pendant. Now that I’ve suppressed the jade pendant, I’ve released your devil nature…”

“Stop being noisy!”

The Youdu’s devil language from Qin Mu’s mouth flowed smoothly like never before, and when his voice rang out, the space in the surroundings instantly shattered. The time and space created by the blood eyes of King Yama crumbled.

Behind him, another seam appeared as another eye was about to open.

King Yama felt his hair stand on ends. It was as if he was standing in front of a huge, terrifying beast that was about to wake up.

“What fierce devil nature! I can’t let you out!”

He made his move brazenly, and the two blood eyes withdrew rapidly. His cape fluttered and covered the heaven and earth, shrouding the entire Hall of King Qin. He mobilized all his strength to suppress the devil nature in Qin Mu’s body.

A voice full of the devil nature came from Hall of King Qin in fluent Youdu. “Merely a small ghost and you dare to suppress me?”

Boom!

Hall of King Qin trembled violently as another rumble rang out. Hall of King Qin trembled a few more times, and the pillars inside fell left and right. The roof of the hall suddenly split, and the hall shuddered as though it could collapse anytime.

Soon though, the hall regained its peace.

Qin Mu opened his eyes and looked around in a daze. In front of him, a few huge pillars had broken as though sliced into pieces by sharp claws. There were a few more that were bent from being smashed.

There was true fire of pure yang leaking in through the cracks within Hall of King Qin, burning the wood with tongues of flame.

It looked as if there had been a huge battle as creaks came from the roof. Lumps of dust and bricks fell from time to time.

“What happened?” Qin Mu was at a loss.

“Don’t you know what had happened?” King Yama’s voice came from the darkness.

Qin Mu immediately looked over and saw King Yama embedded in the center of a bent pillar. It seemed as though he’d been smashed against it by a terrifying power.

Qin Mu was dumbstruck and immediately went forward, wanting to help him, but King Yama waved his hand and struggled out of the pillar himself. “Do you really not know what happened?”

Qin Mu shook his head. He was completely clueless. He only remembered King Yama’s eyes looking at him as he continued to sink between them.

“It’s also good that you don’t know. Keep the jade pendant of Carefree Village with you all the time. You cannot lose it. No matter what, you can’t lose it.” King Yama let out a shaky breath and said calmly, “This jade pendant is of utmost importance to you. If you lose it, terrifying things will happen.”

Qin Mu pushed his jade pendant back under his clothes and asked, “Can I show the jade pendant to others?”

King Yama trembled violently, and he said sternly, “It’s best not to!”

Qin Mu smiled then. “I have taken the jade pendant off to show others numerous times before.”

King Yama let out another shaky breath. “That is their luck, and they should celebrate still being alive. You can go now. Chi Xiu, send him out!”

God Chi Xiu popped his head in and looked around curiously. When he saw the miserable situation of Hall of King Qin, he shrunk his neck back and said, “Cult Master Qin, follow me.”

Qin Mu had doubts. He hurriedly walked out of Hall of King Qin and asked God Chi Xiu in a low voice, “What happened just now?”

“I have no idea.” Chi Xiu shook his head and said, “Seems like some terrifying existence attacked Hall of King Qin. Don’t speak, you have the smell of a human…”

“Also!” King Yama’s voice came from behind. “You can walk into the darkness of Great Ruins and it won’t injure you at all. If there’s a chance, you should take a trip to Youdu.”

Qin Mu was slightly stunned. He turned back to cry out, “I can enter the darkness of Great Ruins?”

Before King Yama could reply, a loud rumble suddenly came from behind them, and Hall of King Qin crumbled straight on the ruler of Fengdu!