Tales of Herding Gods

Panda Novel

Within Carefree Village’s 33 heavens, everyone had sensed the surging consciousness from Divine King Lang Wo.

The masters of creation had attacked them with such great fanfare yet had announced that they were actually here to make peace, intending to have a meeting with Founding Emperor. This seemed to be a little strange.

The masters of creation came with an overpowering aura and, judging by the scene, it was evident that they had a definite upper-hand and that it would only be too easy for them to exterminate Carefree Village. So how could it be possible that they would want to make peace under such circumstances?

“It’s most likely a trap to lure Founding Emperor out so that they can eliminate him!” This was the guess that many had.

Looking at the scene right now, it really did look like a trap.

However, at this time, a goddess with unparalleled beauty flew out from the masters of creation camp. She gently drew a line in the space between their camp and Carefree Village, and a platform appeared in the void. Everyone was able to see clearly all happenings on that platform.

The female divine king’s figure grew smaller and smaller, and finally, she was the size of a regular person. She flew onto the platform with a youthful-looking male dressed in red robes, alongside a huge head, and they waited there quietly.

In the Carefree Village Founding Emperor Celestial Heavens, Founding Emperor was silent for a moment before he said to Qin Hanzhen and Yan Yunxi, “Both of you shall accompany me there. Remember, you must not call him by his name. Addressing him as Celestial Venerable Mu or holy infant will do.”

Qin Hanzhen and Yan Yunxi agreed.

Yan Yunxi laughed. “King Zhen is his birth father, so he probably won’t be too harsh.”

Qin Hanzhen remained silent.

The three of them flew out from the Founding Emperor Celestial Heavens and landed on that platform, facing Qin Mu, Divine King Lang Wo, and Divine King Shu Jun directly.

Qin Mu waved his hand, and a long table appeared alongside six chairs with each pair of chairs facing each other. He raised a hand and smiled. “Celestial Venerable Qin, please take a seat.”

“Mu…”

Qin Hanzhen opened his mouth to speak, but he quickly corrected himself. “Celestial Venerable Mu, after you.”

Everyone got into their seats. This platform was in the central zone that divided the two camps, and everything that happened on the platform could be observed clearly by either party.

Qin Mu and Divine King Lang Wo sat down, while Divine King Shu Jun also rested in his chair. Divine King Shu Jun’s huge eyes rolled about, inspecting the three sitting opposite them.

Divine King Lang Wo said, “Qin Ye, this is the holy infant of my masters of creation race.”

The Founding Emperor nodded and replied, “I’ve long heard of your great name.”

Qin Mu smiled slightly in return.

Divine King Lang Wo continued, “This is Divine King Shu Jun, a divine king from the previous generation of our masters of creation race.”

Founding Emperor replied, “I’ve long heard of your great name.”

Divine King Shu Jun laughed. “You must not have heard of my title, as I have been dead for god knows how many tens of thousands of years.”

Founding Emperor smiled slightly, and Yan Yunxi beside him laughed. “It’s truly interesting that the holy infant of the masters of creation is the great Celestial Venerable Mu. Is Celestial Venerable Mu not of the human race?”

Qin Mu smiled but didn’t reply. Divine King Lang Wo looked around and said, “The holy infant has the ability to create, so there’s no issue as to whether he is from the human race or the masters of creation race. If there are too deep-rooted prejudices amongst races, it would just make us look petty and narrow-minded.”

Yan Yunxi smiled. “Back then, that wasn’t what Divine King Lang Wo said. Back then, when we came to the Paramita World to build Carefree Village, Divine King Lang Wo and the masters of creation race viewed us as aliens who came to invade you, and you intended to annihilate us.”

Divine King Lang Wo glanced at her. The hanging beads on her phoenix crown shook slightly, and she replied steadily, “Every inch of land and every area of space of the Paramita World was forged by the consciousness of my masters of creation race. It is soaked in the fresh blood of our people. After experiencing the near extinction of our race, the masters of creation escaped to this place. It is the final resting and repopulating ground of our race. When Dao friend Qin Ye came here from afar, our race was always welcoming and courteous, and we never cheated you, am I right?”

Founding Emperor nodded. “When I first followed the map and came here, that is true. I am indebted to Divine King’s cordial hospitality, and I cannot thank you enough.”

Divine King Lang Wo continued, “Dao friend Qin Ye said that your people were in danger and had come here to borrow some resting ground. On account of us sharing a similar fate, our people allowed you to stay here for survival. Dao friend Qin Ye, you said you would like to borrow a small piece of land that would be divided by your sword, and we agreed, am I right?”

Founding Emperor nodded silently.

Divine King Lang Wo continued coldly, “We treated you with sincerity, yet with one strike of your sword, Dao friend Qin Ye sliced away half the land in my Paramita World. Although my race is generous, we aren’t generous to such an extent. We were sincere towards you, yet Dao friend Qin Ye played tricks with us. If you were in our shoes and others were to come and take away half of your Carefree Village, would you be agreeable?”

Yan Yunxi replied, “Although His Majesty did play a trick when he asked for the small piece of land divided by his sword, the masters of creation race also didn’t keep to their word. Instead, they led their people to attack us. This resulted in casualties on both ends. The people of Carefree Village suffered even greater losses…”

Divine King Lang Wo laughed coldly. “As to what is right and what is wrong, does Heavenly Teacher Zi Xi not have an answer in your heart?”

Yan Yunxi replied, “The number of people and gods and devils that died at the hands of you, the masters of creation, is thousands of times more than the number of you who have died. Where do these dead people go to redress their injustices? How do you speak of what is right and wrong? Divine King, Carefree Village never wanted to become enemies with the masters of creation. We merely sought a place to rest. His Majesty also said back then that we were only borrowing land for our survival, that he was waiting for someone to come. When that person comes, we will leave this place and return Carefree Village to you. So why is it that you are all intent on annihilating us?”

Shu Jun raged, saying, “You came to invade my race, and you don’t allow us to retaliate? Is that reasonable?”

Yan Yunxi was about to speak when Founding Emperor raised a hand to stop her from continuing. “Heavenly Teacher, we were in the wrong first, the divine king can’t be blamed.”

He looked to Qin Mu and asked, “Does the holy infant have anything to say?”

Qin Mu replied, “We are all distressed people from all over the place, sharing similar fates, yet you are bullying the other distressed people, it’s truly not acceptable.”

Qin Hanzhen coughed. “Celestial Venerable Mu, as one of the human race, you should think for the sake of the human race, and you should think from the perspective of the situation the Founding Emperor Celestial Heavens were in back then.”

Qin Mu replied indifferently, “I would also like to think from your perspective. It’s just that I can’t seem to recall if you all have ever done the same. When the Founding Emperor Celestial Heavens was annihilated, the citizens of the Founding Emperor Celestial Heavens all scattered and drifted from place to place. There were casualties and ones who escaped. The lucky one percent who survived, they escaped to Eternal Peace. Has Founding Emperor ever spared a thought for them? I guess not? Are those people not people? Are the descendants of those people not people? Oh yes, they are the ones abandoned by the gods.”

He sneered. “I originally thought that the Great Ruins were the ones abandoned by the gods. It was only later on that I knew it wasn’t the Great Ruins but Eternal Peace who were the abandoned ones. Back then, I still foolishly believed that Eternal Peace was the abandoned people of the gods of the celestial heavens. Only later on did I realize that I was wrong. Eternal Peace wasn’t abandoned by the celestial heavens, they are the people abandoned by Founding Emperor.”

Qin Hanzhen furrowed his brows and couldn’t help but add, “The situation back then, the whole Founding Emperor Celestial Heavens was about to be annihilated. We could only salvage the strength of the core members and their power, so we were unable to protect those mortals. Only by doing that would we have the opportunity to retaliate in the future! Celestial Venerable Mu, try to think from this angle, if you were in that situation, you would also have done the same…”

“If I were in that situation?”

Qin Mu replied indifferently, “The outbreak in Eternal Peace wasn’t much different from what the Founding Emperor Celestial Heavens faced back then. Eternal Peace Imperial Preceptor didn’t escape to Carefree Village, Emperor Yanfeng didn’t escape to Carefree Village—they both stayed with the citizens that they sought to protect. I didn’t leave either. Were they unable to leave? Was I unable to leave?”

His gaze landed on Founding Emperor’s face. “This is where Founding Emperor is inferior to me, to Emperor Yanfeng, and to Eternal Peace Imperial Preceptor. Back then, you left. You took your strongest away with you and built Carefree Village, doing and achieving absolutely nothing in the last twenty thousand years, and you made no contributions either. Because you all left, there no longer existed the Founding Emperor Era. We didn’t leave, we stayed behind, and thus the Eternal Peace Era still exists. Heh, to imagine myself to be in your situation…”

He exclaimed proudly, “When I was in your situation, I did better than you! Emperor Yanfeng and Eternal Peace Imperial Preceptor did better than you! The subordinates of Eternal Peace also did better than your subordinates!”

Qin Hanzhen didn’t speak any further.

Founding Emperor nodded. “You all did a lot better than I did back then. Back in the Dragon Han Era, I already admired you greatly. I thought that you were a hero. I am not. I am unable to be like you, to do the things a hero would do.”

“Your Majesty!”

Yan Yunxi frowned. “Why are you calling yourself useless? Even if we really fight, Carefree Village is fearless, why is there a need to lower your head to him? His so-called formations of the masters of creation, and his so-called celestial palaces and divine weapons, to me, there are plenty of loopholes abound. It’s obvious that they are just trying to intimidate us!”

Qin Mu glanced at her and smiled slightly. “Heavenly Teacher Zi Xi, what you see is what I want you to see. If I truly wished to exterminate Carefree Village, you wouldn’t be able to stop it.”

Yan Yunxi was enraged, and she gritted her teeth in anger.

Qin Mu continued indifferently, “You have all hidden in Carefree Village for too long. You don’t understand the complete transformations of the outside world. You have lost your will to improve and lost your will to fight. I can train the masters of creation to reach this standard in one month’s time, and in no time, I will be able to improve their divine arts and skills to yet another level. If I leave this time, the next time I lead my army into Carefree Village, what you will see will no longer be visualized celestial palaces and divine weapons and armor.”

Yan Yunxi snorted, turning her head away as she gritted her teeth. “I should have just let Lü Zheng kick you to death back then!”

Qin Mu’s gaze returned to Founding Emperor. “You are too calm, too calculative, always looking in front and back. I am less calculative, and I am more reckless when I do things. I really did lead the army here to intimidate you, but the masters of creation and Carefree Village also really need to make peace. Thus, while I am intimidating you, I am also here to have peace talks with you.”

Founding Emperor replied, “I’d like to hear what you have to say.”

Qin Mu looked at Divine King Lang Wo, and Divine King Lang Wo nodded gently.

“Carefree Village will be handed to you, and you will get full control of it. The masters of creation won’t come to make trouble again. However, in exchange, Son of Youdu Qin Fengqing will open Youdu in the Paramita World and the Land of the Great Void, creating another Youdu to gather the wandering spirits to create peace in the Land of the Great Void.”

Qin Mu continued, “The Land of the Great Void will be controlled by the masters of creation. Carefree Village is not to interfere with any affairs there. As the Earth Count of the Great Void’s Youdu, the Son of Youdu must be fair and just in handling matters. He must set up and adhere to the cycle of life and death and must not swallow up souls based on his own preferences. If Carefree Village can do all of this, the two races will be able to get along harmoniously and resist formidable enemies together.”

Speaking up to this point, he looked towards Divine King Lang Wo and asked, “Does Big Sister have anything else to add?”

Divine King Lang Wo’s gaze flickered. “Carefree Village shall come to the territory of the masters of creation to build academies and schools to impart paths, skills, and divine arts. In exchange, the masters of creation can also set up academies in Carefree Village to impart the way to cultivate consciousness.”

Qin Mu leaned backward and rested on the back of his seat as he smiled. “What does Celestial Venerable Qin think of this?”

Founding Emperor replied, “What Celestial Venerable Mu has suggested is extremely right. I haven’t wasted a trip here. Do our races need to set up any form of pact?”

“There’s no need.”

With the table between them, Qin Mu stretched out a palm. “We just have to shake hands, and the oath of our alliance will be considered sealed.”

Founding Emperor stretched out a hand, and they gripped onto each other tightly.

Founding Emperor revealed a smile and looked at him from top to bottom, laughing. “Celestial Venerable Mu is still wearing your red robes. Could it be that you are still wearing a large red belly band underneath?”

Qin Mu retracted his palm and leaned back in the chair. He raised his brows and replied, “Yes, I’m not even wearing underwear inside. Why, do you wish to beat me up?”

“I do!” Founding Emperor nodded his head heavily.