Tales of Herding Gods

Chapter 932: Staring Into the Abyss

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

Dao was toads.

This single sentence encapsulated Dao Ancestor’s desire to seek Dao.

Dao Ancestor never cared about anything else when seeking Dao. He couldn’t even settle his own basic needs and relied on Brahma Buddha’s help. When Qin Mu returned to the first year of the Dragon Han Era and saw the two of them, it was Brahma Buddha who came to beg and acquired spirit pills to keep both of them alive.

Then, Dao Ancestor was fully focused on Dao, and he didn’t care about anything else.

Dao was toads. He thought of the ancient gods as Dao and, thus, toads. He used algebra to analyze them. During this million years’ worth of time, he refined classic algebra to its greatest potential. He used it to analyze the Great Dao of the ancient gods and morphed it into runes before helping the ten Celestial Venerables construct the Celestial Heavens Realm.

He no longer needed Brahma Buddha to beg for him.

Qin Mu’s point about him asking for Dao from Dao implied that he was asking for Dao from the ancient gods. Ancient gods were the embodiment of Dao, and by asking for Dao from them, the Dao would still be there regardless of his begging. He hadn’t created at all.

Qin Mu also talked about asking for Dao from people, which referred to people with the powers of creation. There was no sword path before people existed. People created the sword path. The same could be said about the path of painting and calligraphy, spirit embryo, and cultivation techniques.

Cultivation techniques, regardless of divine treasure or celestial palace, were created by people and not found on ancient gods or toads.

Dao Ancestor’s intense research of Dao during these past few years made him unable to break free of his learning, which also made him inferior compared to the ten Celestial Venerables.

However, he must have realized his own limits, which was why he told the two toads to guard the door themselves.

There wasn’t necessarily a direct correlation between age, intelligence, and wisdom. Intelligence and wisdom depended on nature and nurture equally, and nurture depended on the environment.

Qin Mu was born from Eternal Peace and witnessed its reform. Thus, he became its leader and witnessed the process of change of the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth, from its reform to the changes in its paths and skills.

He dared not say that his experiences superseded those of Dao Ancestor, but in some aspects, his opinion was superior.

“I have heard that Mistress Yunxiao went to the Jade Pool and saw Celestial Venerable Mu. I assume that you’re here for Celestial Venerable Yun’s case.”

Dao Ancestor retrieved a wooden case and said, “I have been guarding this case for thousands of years. Now, I can finally shed this burden.”

Qin Mu took the case and asked, “You also don’t know what’s inside of it?”

Dao Ancestor shook his head and replied, “It’s an object meant for you from Celestial Venerable Yun, how could I open it? There were two cases from Celestial Venerable Yun. One for you, and one for Celestial Venerable Qin. I have already passed him his case.”

“Celestial Venerable Yun left a case for Founding Emperor? Mistress Yunxiao didn’t tell me that.”

Qin Mu was curious and asked, “What was in Celestial Venerable Qin’s case?”

Dao Ancestor laughed. “I was beside Celestial Venerable Qin when he opened it. It was a topographic map of a place called the Great Void, which I didn’t observe in detail.”

“The Great Void?”

Qin Mu felt agitated and asked, “I just visited Celestial Venerable Huo and Celestial Venerable Xu, and I heard that there were some peculiarities in the Great Void. They brought their disciples to tour the area. What is the Great Void?”

Dao Ancestor shook his head and replied, “I don’t know, only the ten Celestial Venerables do. I have only heard about it and don’t know what’s there, nor where it is. However, I do know that when Celestial Venerable Qin received the topographic map, a calamity occurred, and he went to Carefree Village. Rumor has it that Carefree Village is in the Great Void. The ten Celestial Venerables care a lot about the Great Void because they want to know what happened to Celestial Venerable Qin.”

Qin Mu fell into deep thought. The Great Void, Carefree Village, and the world visualized by the masters of creation. What was the link between these three things?

He witnessed the prehistoric masters of creation coalesce a consciousness unbelievably stronger than any of theirs in the relief sculptures of the Blood Rust Zone. They created another world out of nothing at all in an attempt to distance themselves from this chaotic world and the killings of the ancient gods.

Thus, could the world that was created by these masters of creation be the Great Void?

Would Carefree Village be within the Great Void then?

Both Qin Hanzhen and Princess Consort Zhen talked about the dangers lurking within Carefree Village. What was that supposed to mean?

Qin Mu had numerous questions that he couldn’t answer.

Qin Mu opened Celestial Venerable Yun’s case and was stunned. Within it was a small sacrificial altar.

It was too small, around three-tenths of an inch in length and only as tall as two fingers stacked together. It was very compact to be put in such a case.

Qin Mu wanted to retrieve the small sacrificial altar from the case, but he realized that his hand grew smaller when it entered the case. As a result, his hand couldn’t reach the bottom.

‘The interior of this case is very large, and the altar isn’t as small as it looks.’

Qin Mu carefully examined the case and its altar before suddenly discovering something unbelievably minuscule on the altar.

He sent forth his magic power and used his vital qi to create a palm, which he sent into the space in the case, retrieving the item on the altar.

Qin Mu recalled his vital qi and found a cubic seal in his hand that was slightly larger than his palm.

‘This seal is...’

He couldn’t help but ponder. The seal wasn’t large and was translucent, and it was made from an unknown forged substance that barely allowed him to see the markings on his palm.

It was a seal, but there were no words on it, unlike ordinary seals. The only thing on top of it was a complex sculpture of a mountain.

He played with it before handing it to Dao Ancestor and asking, “Can you find out what secrets this seal contains?”

Dao Ancestor meticulously examined it, and an eye suddenly appeared in the heart of his eyebrows, giving off limitless starlight. It was the Heaven Eye Divine Art.

After a while, the heaven eye on his forehead closed itself before another eye appeared. It carried with it blazing Youdu devil flames. It was the eye of Earth Count.

He dispersed it and used the various divine eye divine arts of various ancient gods, but he couldn’t discover the secrets of the seal.

“I can’t see the secrets within the seal.”

Dao Ancestor shook his head and returned the seal to him. “Since Celestial Venerable Yun was so serious about handing it to Celestial Venerable, it must contain a deeper meaning.”

Qin Mu was agitated as he opened his third eye to carefully examine it. At that moment, Shu Jun’s voice appeared, saying, “This was the imperial seal of Grand Emperor Ju Yushi! It’s a precious artifact formed by coalescing his consciousness!”

Qin Mu used his third eye to observe it and immediately discovered something unusual with the imperial seal.

It was an object formed by coalescing an unbelievably strong consciousness. In his third eye’s point of view, it morphed into an extraordinarily tall emperor that stood in the center of his palm!

His gaze fell on this emperor’s body, and he instantly felt that his consciousness was under attack!

It was instantly forced into his body, and the heart of his brows was squeezed to the point of collapse.

Qin Mu immediately closed his third eye, and Shu Jun’s voice continued, “How could the treasure of Grand Emperor Ju Yushi end up here? It symbolized his authority. During his time, he carried it around when he went around the universe, and it exterminated all races that didn’t submit to his rule! When his seal appeared, corpses appeared in a radius of ten thousand miles! No one dared to disobey him! However, he should have died during the siege of the ancient gods, so why would his seal appear?”

The attack on Qin Mu’s consciousness left him with a cracking headache. It was only after a moment that he recovered slightly and asked, “Shu Jun, how can one unleash the Grand Emperor’s seal’s potential?”

Shu Jun laughed. “Give me all of your essence, blood, and consciousness for the next three years, and I will teach you how to unleash its potential. It’s extremely powerful and has killed countless masters of creation, patriarchs, and ancient gods created by billions of races. None of them could counter its power. Give me your essence, blood, and consciousness for the next three years, and I can allow you to harness its power!”

‘Forget it.”

Qin Mu ignored him and muttered to himself, “What could Celestial Venerable Yun mean by leaving this seal behind. He gave Founding Emperor a topographic map of the Great Void and gave me the Grand Emperor’s seal. These two items are likely linked...”

Dao Ancestor was shocked. “Celestial Venerable Mu knows the name of this seal?”

He put away the seal and laughed. “I know a few things about it. It was formed by coalescing Grand Emperor Ju Yushi’s consciousness. However, I don’t know how to activate it. Dao Ancestor, you were on good terms with Celestial Venerable Yun, right?”

Dao Ancestor continued, “After I managed to accomplish things and stand out amongst the human race, Celestial Venerable Yun found me and asked me about my algebraic attainment. We talked for quite a long time. For me, one could use my Dao of Algebra to break the Great Dao of the ancient gods and overthrow their rule.”

He talked about the events regarding Celestial Venerable Yun finding him.

At that time, Celestial Venerable Yun was already Celestial Emperor of the Heaven Han Celestial Heavens and belonged to the Dragon Han Celestial Heavens in name only, ruling all lifeforms after the beginning on behalf of ancient Celestial Emperor.

The Dragon Heaven Celestial Heavens was ruled by Celestial Venerable Hao, who ruled over all half-gods.

The two celestial heavens often fought one another, the battle between half-gods and lifeforms never ceasing. The battle between the races lasted hundreds of thousands of years during the Dragon Han Era, and countless people died.

However, in name, both celestial heavens were branches of the Dragon Han Celestial Heavens, as ancient gods still ruled the world. The strife between the half-gods and lifeforms after the beginning merely secured the ancient gods’ rule. The Heaven Han Celestial Heavens and Dragon Heaven Celestial Heavens still paid tribute to the ancient gods.

If they didn’t pay tribute, the ancient gods of the Dragon Han Celestial Heavens would descend and help the other side in the conflict, punishing anyone who disobeyed its authority. So much blood was shed that it formed rivers, and so many people died that their corpses formed mountains.

It was under those conditions that Celestial Venerable Yun found the slightly famous Dao Ancestor and invited him to join the Heaven Alliance.

Then, he attempted to analyze all of the Great Daos with algebra. He was well-versed in all kinds of divine arts, it was just that his power was not great and that he hadn’t learned many divine arts.

During those trying times, there were as many talents as stars in the universe. There were also many strong warriors. Dao Ancestor and Brahma Buddha weren’t remarkable then.

When Celestial Venerable Yun told Dao Ancestor that his algebra could break down the ancient gods’ Great Dao and completely overthrow their rule, ending the suffering in the world, Dao Ancestor was shocked and didn’t believe him.

Then, Dao Ancestor had already split with Brahma Buddha. Both of them lived their own lives and had their own disciples.

Yet, Celestial Venerable Yun made him believe that it could be performed and that ordinary people, too, could understand the spring of the ancient gods’ power and even attain it.

Thus, Dao Ancestor carried out Celestial Venerable Yun’s plan and broke down the Great Dao of the ancient gods without stopping for hundreds of thousands of years.

And today, he had drawn the foundations of the ancient gods’ Great Dao.

“However, I also observed changes in the world’s affairs, and today’s ancient gods aren’t the threat faced by heaven and earth.”

Dao Ancestor was in a daze before suddenly saying, “The Heaven Alliance has replaced the ancient gods as the threat faced by the world. I am a mere researcher that doesn’t question worldly affairs and was thus unprepared and disturbed by this situation. Thus, when I learned that Celestial Venerable Mu was visiting me at Clear Sky Heaven, I took the risk and sent Celestial Venerable to the Guardian Pavilion with the intention of imparting the ancient gods’ Great Dao to Celestial Venerable to make some changes.”

Qin Mu thanked him and asked, “Why would Dao Ancestor impart the Guardian Pavilion’s ancient gods’ Great Dao to the ancient Celestial Emperor?”

Dao Ancestor hesitated before saying, “This was Celestial Venerable Yun’s idea too.”

Qin Mu was stunned.

“During the last periods of that era, Celestial Venerable Yun seemed to know he wouldn’t be able to live long enough. Thus, he told me that the Heaven Alliance had gone haywire and needed an enemy. He observed that amongst those inside the alliance, one of them could be the ancient Celestial Emperor and wanted me to get close to him.”

Dao Ancestor said, “He couldn’t solve the Heaven Alliance’s problems and could only do this to fracture it and prevent it from becoming too big. Unfortunately, it still became what he feared.”