Tales of Herding Gods

“Primordial Spirit Assembly?”

The black tiger god was puzzled; he had never heard of this phrase before. Si Yunxiang took out a huge stack of blueprints and laid them out in the city tower. Drawn on them were all kinds of rune markings.

“This is a technique that Cult Master and divine arts practitioners of Eternal Peace worked together to create, and it was named Secrets of Three Primordial Spirit Assembly by the emperor.”

Si Yunxiang searched for a moment and found Qin Mu’s primordial spirit marking, then took out cinnabar and brush. After dissolving the cinnabar, she started drawing on the pillars of the city tower.

“Cult Master once imprinted everyone’s primordial spirit marking in Imperial College’s Hall of Supreme Learning. His own marking was also there. Primordial Spirit Assembly uses them to attract a person’s primordial spirit over, so everyone could gather with their primordial spirits to discuss matters.”

Ling Yuxiu took out a stick of incense and stabbed it below the primordial spirit marking, then lit it up. “This Soul Guide Incense that cowherd had created from the divine art Soul Guide. It is used to bring a primordial spirit over. We want to use it and the markings to make a connection with his primordial spirit, then guide it over her and ask him about his location.”

The two girls looked at each other, and Si Yunxiang released her vital qi, lighting up Qin Mu’s primordial spirit marking. Ling Yuxiu in the meantime used her vital qi to wrap the fragrance of Soul Guide Incense to send it into the primordial spirit marking.

Everyone waited quietly in the tower and watched the Soul Guide Incense burn down. Its smoke rose in spirals, but the fragrance wasn’t too thick, more like refreshing.

Incense didn’t last for too long, so as the Soul Guide Incense burned down bit by bit, everyone’s heart was on tenterhooks. The primordial spirit marking and Soul Guide Incense would invoke a reaction with Qin Mu’s primordial spirit, so he would just need to execute Secrets of Three Primordial Spirit Assembly to be able to come to them.

However, if he’d met with some bad luck, he wouldn’t be able to come to meet them.

When Soul Guide Incense was halfway done and there was still no activity, everyone became worried. But at that moment, wind howled and rushed into the city tower.

Everyone was delighted. They saw that Qin Mu’s primordial spirit was faintly discernible and not stable.

“Cult Master, where are you?” The dragon qilin was extremely delighted and cried out hurriedly, “The spirit pills you have prepared are finished. Come back quickly!”

“I prepared enough pills for three-four months for you, so how have you finished them already?”

“This…” The dragon qilin was speechless.

“Young master, we’re looking for you. Where are you now?” Hu Ling’er asked.

Qin Mu shook his head. “I also don’t know. I’m in the devils’ territory, but there are no sun, moon, or stars in the sky to orient myself. I was kidnapped by Fu Riluo, but managed to escape with difficulty. Now I’m being pursued by the elites of the devil race so my primordial spirit can’t stay here for long.”

Everyone frowned greatly.

Sang Hua suddenly spoke up. “Brother who threshes the grains, look at the terrain of the surrounding mountains and remember them. Check if there are any cities around. Supreme Emperor Heaven has sixty-four cities, and the name of each one is different. The terrain around each city is also different, so whatever you tell us, we’ll be able to determine your location.”

Qin Mu’s primordial spirit picked up the cinnabar brush and drew on the ground. He quickly painted the terrain around him. “I didn’t see any god city.”

Sang Hua, Yu He, and the rest of the divine arts practitioners of Supreme Emperor Heaven took a look, then shook their heads. They were too young and hadn’t been to the devils’ territory before.

“Let me call my father!” Sang Hua left in a hurry.

Suddenly Qin Mu’s primordial spirit dimmed. “The enemies are here. I need to go back!”

A gust of violent wind blew out of the city tower, and the primordial spirit disappeared without a trace. Not long later, Sang Hua brought God Sang Ye over, and he examined the terrain that Qin Mu had drawn in detail. He thought for a moment before crying out, “He’s near the devils’ old nest! He is in Black Sun Mountain Range that’s beside Returning Maiden City!”

Yu He frowned. “Returning Maiden City? Wasn’t that god city destroyed? I’ve heard that that place has become an ominous land…”

God Sang Ye nodded. “When the devils invaded, they first appeared in Returning Maiden City and completely destroyed it. In front of Black Sun Mountain Range is the battlefield of Returning Maiden City. That place was the cruelest battlefield in Supreme Emperor Heaven; close to a thousand gods and devils died there! The numbers of divine arts practitioners that lost their lives on both sides are uncountable! If he continues walking forward, he will enter that ominous land!”

“Why do you say that place is ominous?” Ling Yuxiu asked in puzzlement.

“Too many gods and devils died there, and their blood has all gathered together, forming an extremely strange zone. It is filled with the undying wills of gods and devils as well as curses and devil nature of the damned souls. So many divine arts practitioners, gods, and devils were lost there that they could make the entire zone light up like day when night falls.”

There was a hint of terror in his voice when he continued. “What light up the night are barn lanterns. They hang on the small boats that come from Youdu. Countless messengers of death sailed around, making that old battlefield a treacherous place. Back then, I had yet to cultivate to the god realm and was only a small soldier…”

After the huge battle, the place had become incomparably desolate. Young Sang Ye had suffered heavy injuries in the battle, and when he woke up, the sky was already dark.

When he crawled up from the pile of corpses, he saw an unforgettable sight. Small boats sailed from the darkness, and under their lanterns were thousands of elders that looked exactly the same. They went around silently and reaped the souls from the battlefield.

The elders didn’t make a sound yet the night was filled with the wails of countless souls who didn’t want to fall into Youdu. However, none of them were spared from the grasp of the messengers of death. They followed the small boats and floated into the darkness of Youdu.

God Sang Ye could never forget that sight!

“The broken souls weren’t taken away by the messengers of death, so as time went by, that place became an ominous land. There have been numerous strange incidents in there, and numerous peculiar things hide in that place.”

God Sang Ye composed himself before continuing. “Afterwards, both us and the devils have given up on that place. If Cult Master Qin continues to go forward, he will step into that ominous land.”

The dragon qilin suddenly cried out. “The mixing of god blood and devil blood can give birth to terrifying things like Lonely Mountain Ridge Root Demon! Quickly inform Cult Master to avoid that place!” the dragon qilin cried out.

“How strong is Lonely Mountain Ridge Root Demon?” God Sang Ye asked.

“About equivalent to a strong practitioner of Life and Death Realm.”

God Sang Ye sneered. “That should only be a little fellow. The things in the ominous land are even stronger than divine arts practitioners of Life and Death Realm. Quickly tell him to avoid that place!”

Si Yunxiang and Ling Yuxiu hurriedly contacted Qin Mu again yet even when the incense had finished burning, he still hadn’t responded.

“He should have encountered enemies so he doesn’t have the time to reply! This is bad!” Si Yunxiang said. “Those enemies must be strong, and they might even force him into the ominous land!”

“I shall go over there and fetch him back!” the black tiger god said resolutely.

God Sang Ye shook his head. “You can’t go. The journey would be too long, and there are too many variables. If you meet a devil god on the way, even you would die there. It’s best if you guys stay here and wait for his primordial spirit to reply, hoping that he will be able to walk out of the ominous land. Only by walking out could he have the chance to survive.”

The black tiger god frowned and shook his head. “I was the one that lost him. I need to find him!”

Si Yunxiang and Ling Yuxiu looked at each other and said in unison, “We’ll follow you!”

“Me too!” Hu Ling’er raised her tails and looked at her companion.

The dragon qilin hesitated. Hu Ling’er’s eyes narrowed, and she said gently, “Fatty Dragon, if we can’t find young master, you will have to starve.”

The dragon qilin was instantly full of vitality. “Count me in!”

Sang Hua looked at her father and said, “Father, they are unfamiliar with this place…”

God Sang Ye felt a headache coming. “Just be careful. A day after you guys enter the devils’ territory, I will lead troops to attack and attract their attention. You guys will be safer that way.”

At the borders of the ominous land, the Devil Fire Nightmare under Qin Mu let out a cry when its legs were cut off by a series of knife lights. A devil divine arts practitioners sliced open the horse’s belly and attacked Qin Mu who was on its back.

Qin Mu leaped up while pressing down with his palm. He shattered the devil along with the horse in a single move.

Whoosh!

An old woman rushed over with a huge calabash. Blood light poured out from it like a flood and drowned Qin Mu out. With a bloody stink, it swirled frantically before taking the shape of a huge crimson python that coiled around Qin Mu, snapping his bones.

Formation markings swirled in Qin Mu’s eyes, and sun rose from the Milky Way. Two beams of light shot out. One severed the head of the snake while the other severed the neck of the old woman.

A scorpion lady swung her barbed tail, and it pierced through Qin Mu’s shoulder, lifting him up high. She smashed him ruthlessly onto the ground, and a devil youth carrying eight big flags bowed toward Qin Mu. The eight flags flew out and poles stabbed into the ground around Qin Mu

“Devil Connecting Mountain Formation! Suppress, suppress, suppress, suppress, suppress, suppress, suppress, suppress!”

When the devil youth shouted the word eight times, eight mountain apparitions descended from the sky with loud explosions. The ground trembled from them.

Suddenly, countless stars flashed in the apparitions of the eight mountains and transformed into Great Overarching Heavenly Stars Forcefield. With a palm of Qin Mu, the eight mountains shattered.

He rushed out of the flag formation and saw over a dozen knife pellets swirling furiously toward him. He hurriedly pointed his hand in that direction, and a huge fix word appeared in the air. The dozens of knife pellets froze in the air. The next moment though, the began to spin and countless devil knives shot out, slashing the fix word into pieces!

Qin Mu turned, and, stepping on stars, he avoided the countless devil knives by a hair’s breadth. His sword pellet flew up then. Sweeping against the wind, it shattered all the blades in the air.

Over a dozen devil soldiers with three heads and four arms rushed over. They advanced and retreated, attacked and defended as they fought furiously with Qin Mu.

He blocked over and over again, suffering from dozens of blows in the blink of an eye. He then hurriedly escaped underground. The four-armed devils pressed their hands against it, causing the ground to bulge up, and Qin Mu was forced out.

He leaped into midair, but crashed down a moment later. He moved like a dragon and slithered like a snake, rushing into a huge swamp before him.

Numerous devil soldiers chased him to the side of the big swamp, but suddenly they all stopped and frowned.

“Should we go in?” a devil divine arts practitioner asked in a low voice.

Qin Mu walked into the huge swamp and looked around. There were thick fog and devil qi all around. Below the clear water, corpses floated. They would occasionally pop out onto the surface of the swamp, revealing their skeletons and some rusted spirit weapons.

He pondered for a moment before coming closer. He gently knocked the skeleton on the ground and asked with a smile, “This brother, how do I navigate here?”

The skeleton sat up and turned to look at him. He opened his mouth. “This is the road to the Yellow Springs. You can enter, but there’s no return.”