Tales of Herding Gods

Chapter 971: The Plight of the Holy Infant

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

Qin Hanzhen solemnly said, “Mu’er has suffered too much. I don’t know how he persevered without collapsing when he found out he was merely the second consciousness of Qin Fengqing.”

Princess Consort Zhen cried and said, “When I learned that he severed his soul and dug out his eye to preserve Fengqing, I couldn’t stop crying. This child, I don’t know how he managed to survive. Fengqing had a mother, but he was a mere orphan. An orphan who was tortured like this...”

Qin Mu was the second consciousness in Qin Fengqing’s body. Qin Fengqing, Son of Youdu, had done too much evil and was thus sealed by Earth Count and exiled to the world of the living.

Qin Mu’s consciousness was born the moment he went from Youdu to the Great Ruins in the world of the living. Thus, he was an orphan at birth. With him placed in a basket, Aunt Ping’er escaped from the gods and devils of the celestial heavens with him.

He drifted along the Surging River when Aunt Ping’er died, and it was Disabled Elderly Village that adopted him.

During his childhood and youth, Qin Mu thought he was unique. Then, he realized that he was but a mere second consciousness born from that body. That body didn’t belong to him, and he didn’t even have his own soul.

Later on, when he faced the Eternal Peace Calamity, he was surrounded. In the face of great despair, he dug out his own third eye to ensure that the Son of Youdu, Qin Fengqing, didn’t fall into the hands of the celestial heavens. He even severed his soul to send Qin Fengqing to Youdu.

He only preserved the body that wasn’t his in order for his consciousness to survive. In the end, he became a useless person in the eyes of others, a useless Overlord Body.

Princess Consort Zhen and Qin Hanzhen found it hard to imagine how Qin Mu survived all of these hardships. It was hard to imagine how he was able to retain his vigorous spirit, search around, and find this place.

Their love for Qin Mu contained not only tender parental love but also guilt.

“If we told Founding Emperor this, he wouldn’t have allowed him to be damaged in any way.”

Qin Hanzhen drove the boat afar, consoling himself, “Founding Emperor has wanted to see him for a long time. He’s an extremely powerful person, he must have a way to fix everything.”

Princess Consort Zhen nodded. She couldn’t help but cry when thinking about Qin Mu suffering in the hands of the masters of creation.

“This is basically torture!”

In the land of the Xiu Clan, Qin Mu was given a red robe and placed on the highest seat. He was clearly disconcerted.

Just now, when the masters of creation changed him, they gave him a red belly band, which made Qin Mu feel uncomfortable.

However, it was natural for a two-year-old naughty kid to have a red belly band put on him. After all, kids at that age would run around half-naked with only their belly bands. Qin Mu wore one when he was two to three years old as well. He was even flicked by Grandpa Cripple and Grandpa Blind until he cried.

This was the past that should have been dropped.

He sat upon the highest seat. This stage was shaped like a sacrificial altar, which seemed grand to him but was small for an adult master of creation.

Qin Mu sat on the top of it and felt like he was an offering placed on the sacrificial altar. He began to panic within.

The masters of creation of the Xiu Clan were too cordial. Not only did they let him sit in the highest seat, but they also came to visit him. Each one of them sat in front of him for a long time and stared at the eye in the heart of his brows, examining it before nodding and backing off happily.

Qin Mu sat there honestly and let them examine him. After all, Xiu Zhong was behind him, which prevented him from escaping.

“These masters of creation who escaped into the Paramita World have truly fallen!” Shu Jun sized up everything around them using the eyes in his head, feeling bitter.

Today’s masters of creation still organized themselves with a tribal system. However, there were differences between them and the masters of creation of the past. The most notable difference was their buildings. The buildings here were extremely extravagant, delicate, and complicated.

Each of the buildings was of a different elevation and had a picturesque quality. The masters of creation even visualized the mountains and land around it to decorate, carefully and beautifully, the surrounding landscape. Together, they formed a colorful and multilayered picture that, when looked down upon from the sky, looked like a picture of a phoenix city, with the phoenix spreading its wings and flying high.

Shu Jun was so pissed that his two eyeballs vibrated and bounced around in their sockets. He kept on repeating how it was a betrayal of tradition.

However, what interested him and Qin Mu was how the masters of creation here had started to cultivate divine arts!

They saw many children of Qin Mu’s height working hard to visualize divine arts, attempting to use visualization to unleash their power.

The young children of the masters of creation, even those who were just born, could cultivate. This was because they imparted wisdom via their consciousness. When a baby was born, an elder would personally come and use consciousness to impart the wisdom of the masters of creation race.

Thus, even babies who were just born could talk, write, and use consciousness cultivation, making them tough.

There were even imposing masters of creation imparting knowledge about runes to these young children, teaching them the logic behind them.

What surprised Qin Mu even further was how the masters of creation, who he imagined to be brutes that smashed people with bone clubs, were learning how to forge divine weapons!

Those skilled masters of creation used their consciousness to forge and visualize weapons. Such weapons didn’t pale in comparison to those forged from divine gold and metals!

‘The masters of creation underwent a massive reform and are now catching up to this era.’

Qin Mu praised in his mind, ‘They are way more advanced than primitives like Shu Jun, a lot smarter too.’

Shu Jun would have been furious if he knew Qin Mu’s thoughts.

Xiu Zhong said to Qin Mu, “I have already notified all of the other clans of the appearance of the holy infant. The chiefs of the other clans, including the Great Purple Clan, the Pearl Mound Clan, the Peaceful Dragon Clan, and the Summer Stage Clan, will all appear. There will be great festivities. By then, each of the clans’ chiefs will have small tests for you to determine if you really are the holy infant.”

Qin Mu was nervous as he asked, “Small tests? Are they dangerous?”

“No, absolutely not!”

Xiu Zhong patted his chest, which made a sound louder than what drums could make, as he laughed. “You’re the holy infant, why would they dare to use tests that are too dangerous?”

Qin Mu became at ease.

Xiu Zhong continued, “The common lord of all our clans will also be here to witness the festivities! She is our king, the only divine king of the masters of creation!”

Qin Mu was excited on the outside but bitter on the inside as he thought, ‘Will Mom and Dad come here to save me? Even if they do, they might not be able to save me from so many masters of creation chiefs. Even if Founding Emperor comes, the masters of creation might still win. Furthermore, there’s a divine king! If I’m busted...’

After a long while, Qin Mu finally finished seeing the masters of creation of the Xiu Clan. There weren’t many of them, only around a hundred thousand. However, it took days to see all of them.

These masters of creation circled the sacrificial altar, forming several large circles. This scene resembled what Qin Mu saw at the Blood Rust Zone.

At the Blood Rust Zone, he saw many skeletons of the masters of creation in circles around the sacrificial altar. In the center of the altar was a liquid light that coalesced into the form of Heaven Duke.

This scene caused him to remember something unpleasant.

‘Will these masters of creation visualize an ancient god to examine me? It’s fine if I get busted, but if they decide to kill me, I’ll be done for!’

As soon as he thought about that, Xiu Zhong stepped forward to the sacrificial altar and solemnly said, “People of the Xiu Clan, the holy infant has descended, and he will lead us, the masters of creation, to restore our former glory, sweep through the universe, and reform it!”

The hundreds of thousands of masters of creation cheered, their voices like thunder that cut through the clouds.

“The holy infant is a gift from the heavens! The neighboring Carefree Village has a big-headed weird infant who is arrogant and a killer of our people! However, the descent of the holy infant will allow us to eliminate the weird infant!”

Xiu Zhong shouted out, “Everyone, worship the holy infant with me to help him grow so that he can eliminate the weird infant next door!”

The hundreds of thousands of masters of creation followed along, and the Grand Primordium Divine Stones in their brows revealed their glow. It grew brighter and brighter as multicolored rays of light moved through the air towards Qin Mu, who was at the highest point on the sacrificial altar!

Qin Mu’s heart jumped. This was how they worshipped the Grand Emperor!

In his head, Shu Jun’s big head was furious as he scolded, “When I was a king, no one worshipped me like this. This b*stard took all of my glory and is regarded as the holy infant to be worshipped by you lot like the Grand Emperor! You lot lack discerning power and have offended me!”

Qin Mu had already used the Grand Overarching Supreme Consciousness to lock the Grand Primordium Origin Stone, so no matter how much he howled, his consciousness couldn’t get out.

The masters of creation’s visualization consciousness formed many rays of light that were about to condense into a light liquid that flowed towards the heart of Qin Mu’s brows.

Qin Mu felt wave after wave of terrifying energy entering his brain, strengthening his consciousness. It elevated his corporeal body at a rate that amazed him!

“Hold it!”

Suddenly, a stern voice that came from a consciousness boomed in the air, causing the consciousness of the masters of creation around the sacrificial altar to break. The sacrifice was forced to stop.

Xiu Zhong frowned and looked towards the sound. There were extravagant boats, treasure carriages, rainbow phoenixes, flying dragons, and castles that flew towards them. On them were imposing masters of creation that radiated light. The light from the hexagon-shaped eye in the middle of their brows was even more shocking.

They landed and shook each other’s hands. Their transport soon became consciousness and dissipated.

“Holy infant, they are the chiefs of the various clans.”

Xiu Zhong whispered to Qin Mu before welcoming them and solemnly apologizing, “You chiefs came from afar, yet I didn’t welcome you. Please forgive me. However, why did you chiefs interrupt our sacrifice to the holy infant?”

An elderly, white-haired master of creation wearing white robes tapped his staff and looked towards Qin Mu with an electrifying gaze. He solemnly said, “It’s unsure whether he’s the holy infant. Why rush into things, Chief Xiu Zhong? That thief Qin Ye has many tricks up his sleeves. The holy infant you found might be fake, a product of his deception!”

Xiu Zhong said, “In the prophecy, it was said that the holy infant would appear here with the Origin Stone. The heart of Mu Qing’s brows has it, making him the holy infant.”

That elderly master of creation moved his head, which was larger than the sacrificial altar, forward to carefully examine Qin Mu’s third eye. After a while, he retracted it.

The other chiefs also went forward to size up Qin Mu’s third eye carefully. They all nodded and agreed, “It’s indeed the Origin Stone.”

Xiu Zhong smiled. “Since we’ve verified his identity, we should...”

“Hold it!”

That white-robed master of creation shook his head and said, “The prophecy also said that the holy infant would have a seal of authority with him to symbolize his supreme power! If he really is the holy infant, then he would have had the seal with him when he was born!”

“That’s right!”

The other chiefs continued, “The prophecy also said that when the holy infant was born, he would have supreme power over the masters of creation. He would be born on the sacrificial altar symbolizing it! This was the prophecy passed down generation after generation via the consciousness of our ancestors. It wouldn’t be wrong!”

“That thief named Qin is extremely sly and crafty. He said he wanted to borrow a piece of land then. Who knew that he was so greedy that he borrowed such a large plot of land!”

An angry chief went forward and gestured around, saying, “Thief Qin said he wanted to borrow a small piece of land. In the end, a small piece of land meant 33 heavens! This fellow is sly. If this new holy infant that just appeared can’t pull out the seal, he’s a mole that Thief Qin placed within us!”

In the Origin Stone in Qin Mu’s third eye, Shu Jun’s big head cheered, “That’s right, this fellow is a mole. I’m the real holy infant you guys are looking for!”

Xiu Zhong frowned and looked at Qin Mu on the sacrificial altar.

Qin Mu had no choice but to pull out the Grand Emperor’s seal, saying, “Is this the seal you guys are talking about? And the sacrificial altar carrying the seal...”

A giant sacrificial altar came out of his third eye and smashed onto the ground.

“Is it this one?”

Qin Mu was visibly hopeless. He cried in his heart, ‘I really don’t want to be your holy infant. I want to return home! I want to go back to Carefree Village! However, if I say it out loud, you guys will beat me to death...’