Tales of Herding Gods

Qin Mu once again took on Mu Qing’s appearance, then quickened his pace as he walked on the celestial river.

When the Dragon Han Era was at its most magnificent, it began to go downhill.

He looked down and saw that in many of the kingdoms of gods in the Primordial Realm, the powerful half-gods had already toppled the statues of ancient gods.

Those giant statues were symbols of the ancient gods’ authority and power and were tall and majestic. Some were carved out of entire divine mountains, while some were collected from divine metal and iron, looking extremely extravagant.

In previous years, it was often the common people who came forth to worship and pray. They offered treasures and children, worshiping the high and mighty ancient gods who had power over them. They prayed for good weather and for heaven not to bring disasters upon them.

Now that the ancient gods were gone, there was a power vacuum within the celestial heavens. The half-gods took the opportunity to rise up and seize power. The ancient gods had become old gods, and thus their statues would need to be toppled, and their sacrificial altars smashed.

However, Qin Mu saw that after the powerful half-gods broke the statues and altars of the ancient gods, they enslaved common people to work laboriously to build new sacrificial altars over where the old ones stood.

Gigantic half-god statues were erected on top of the new sacrificial altars.

Unknowingly, Qin Mu walked down the celestial river, getting closer and closer to the mortal realm. As he looked at it, he saw scenes of broken old gods and newly erected new gods. The common people continued to be enslaved, their lives still a living hell.

Those new gods who held power now were in high spirits, celebrating their victory and ascension. They enjoyed the beauties and delicacies presented by the common people while being surrounded by mountains of various treasures.

They were drinking to their hearts’ content at their extravagant feast, laughing heartily and feeling extremely happy.

At the feet of their giant bodies, there were tens of thousands of ordinary men and women, who were trembling and burying their heads, repeatedly kowtowing until their heads bled.

‘Ah, this is the mortal realm.’

Qin Mu only came to his senses at that moment. In the past, when he walked on the celestial river, he was too high and too far to see the people of the Primordial Realm.

Ah, this was the mortal realm.

He had just realized this. Indeed, this was the mortal realm. The people hadn’t broken the gods in their hearts and temples. They hadn’t broken the high and mighty new gods and old gods.

When power had been let out of the cage, it was very difficult to put it back in again.

When servility was being brought out, it was very difficult to straighten those bent backs and knees again.

They had gotten rid of Celestial Emperor and overthrown the rule of the ancient gods, so why had the lives of the people not changed? Why were they still as stupefied as before?

Why did the old gods leave the world only to be replaced by a new group of gods?

Shouldn’t it all change?

This Dragon Han Revolution, did it have nothing to do with mortals?

‘Yes, this Dragon Han Revolution is far from being successful. What it got rid of were Celestial Emperor and the ancient gods. It only removed the original ruling class and replaced it with a batch of new rulers. The Dragon Han Revolution was fake, a mere illusion.’

He looked a little dazed and muttered, “Celestial Venerable Yun, did you see it? Don’t live too high or too far, or else you won’t see the sufferings of the people. You’ll lose the motivation to move forward and forget your original aspirations and intentions.”

He walked between the majestic divine mountains of the Primordial Realm, watching the half-gods celebrating wildly, watching the common people enduring the same hardships as before.

From Dragon Han to Crimson Light, from High Emperor to Founding Emperor, then to Eternal Peace, the goal of generations of compassionate and upright people wasn’t personal power and status, nor was it personal desires and wealth, it was a simple and pure belief and desire—to break the gods in one’s hearts and in the temples.

Darkness fell as the night sky covered the entire Primordial Realm.

His emotions were roused as he walked in the night with his lantern. He had all sorts of strange feelings in his heart, rising and falling like the waves of the celestial river.

He looked like a traveler who walked into the dark history of the distant ancient era with a lantern, searching in the dark for the footprints left behind by his predecessors, looking for their spirit that resembled candlelight in the darkness.

That was a type of spirit that was imprinted in the bloodline of ordinary folks. It was simple but arousing. When people felt it, it filled their eyes with warm tears and made their blood boil.

That simple spirit of theirs was deeply imprinted in the dark sky of history.

When future travelers walked into the dark history with lanterns, the light would illuminate the darkness. Their spirit would be like countless shining stars, inspiring the later generations.

Qin Mu didn’t stop walking as the long roar of an ancient god traveled from the darkness. The divine mountains in the distance looked like giant beasts lying prone in the dark.

From the darkness, a half-god seemed to have discovered him and cried out, “Celestial Venerable Mu—”

Qin Mu was stunned. Only then did he realize he was still wearing the face of Mu Qing.

He avoided the half-gods who were trying to hunt him, changing his form and making himself look like a half-god.

He walked from night to dawn, from day to night again, gradually nearing the territories of the human race.

Early one morning, he came to the territories of the human race in the Dragon Han Era. The sun poured down, shining on his worn and weary face.

He revealed a smile as he saw people cultivating the farmland. In the village not far away, there were divine arts practitioners teaching children how to open the divine treasures to become warriors.

In the distance, there were human cities. The hardworking merchants were already embarking on their journeys, planning to head towards the nearby cities of other Postcelestial races to trade.

It was a peaceful place. There was smoke rising from the village as people lived in prosperity and contentment.

Qin Mu put away the lantern, smiling as he walked towards the rising sun.

Suddenly, the sky shook violently. People looked up in panic, staring blankly at the sky.

Qin Mu looked up and saw the sloping celestial river looking like a huge white python hanging in the sky, shaking violently as it fell towards the Primordial Realm!

‘The geographical flow of the celestial river has changed…’

Qin Mu was at a loss. The celestial river originally flowed from Xuandu to the Four Extreme Heavens, and then from the East Pole towards the Primordial Realm. After passing through the celestial heavens, it entered the sky of the Primordial Realm.

The tributaries of the river ran through many heavens of the Primordial Realm, flowing out of these heavens to come together.

This big river that ran through the universe drifted through the sky in the Primordial Realm, transforming into the ghost river as it cut through Youdu, and pouring into the Ruins of End.

And now, as the celestial heavens rose in the air, it changed the flow of the celestial river!

The celestial river fell from the sky and was about to crash into the ground.

The celestial river flowing on the ground was the Surging River of the future!

However, the fall of the celestial river might bring about catastrophic disasters to the people living there!

A flood that engulfed heaven and earth would destroy everything there!

Without thinking, Qin Mu gave out a roar as his corporeal body expanded, transforming into his three-headed, six-armed form, his gigantic body covered with muscles. He leaped into the air, charging towards the falling celestial river!

Boom!

The celestial river fell on him, its boundless power pressing on his shoulder. Qin Mu’s vital qi radiated as it engulfed thousands of miles of the celestial river. He was trying his best to prevent the river from falling.

However, the celestial river that was confined between heaven and earth had already lost its shackles. As all its weight crashed down, it pressed upon him until his bones cracked, contorting his spine and steadily pushing his body downwards.

Qin Mu roared with all his might. The muscles under his skin swelled, his big tendons becoming tighter. His six arms held up the celestial river, like a giant carrying a blue sky, his skin being blown off bit by bit.

Suddenly, from the human territories, gods from the human race rushed to the sky, each holding up a section of the celestial river. The image of their rising bodies looked like beams of light.

The pressure on Qin Mu was greatly weakened. Despite the help from the gods of the human race, it was still difficult to support the weight of the celestial river. This big river continued to push them steadily downwards.

Finally, Qin Mu’s feet touched the ground, sinking deep into it. He looked at those who were stunned by the scene and cried, “Quick, run—”