Tales of Herding Gods Chapter 1833

The Miluo Palace Master wore a faint smile. “Fellow Daoist Hundun, your strength is formidable, yet your mastery remains incomplete. Though you have attained the Dao, a great distance still separates you from my level. To others, I am like the Master of the Capital of Heaven or the Blasphemer Ling; my cultivation exceeds theirs, even if my technical refinement might lag. In the eyes of Old Man Wu Ya, I am the one who falls short. However, standing before you, our paths and cultivation are nearly equal. The only thing that places me above you is my fire mastery.”

A peculiar light gleamed in Qin Mu’s eyes as he asked with uncertainty, “Fire mastery?”

“Precisely,” the Palace Master of Miluo continued. “Once you reach our heights, your Path and cultivation become comparable. The true measure of difference lies in the quality of one's fire mastery. I possess eight hundred billion years of additional attainment and have witnessed the history of the First Epoch, which you have not. Chaos, once you are able to journey back to the dawn of the First Epoch, your attainment will match and perhaps even eclipse mine. Chaos possesses an inherent advantage that primordial chaos cannot rival. Your ultimate achievements will surpass my own.”

He offered his guidance with gravity, “You have witnessed the ruin of sixteen universes and the creation tribulations from the Second to the Seventeenth Epoch, but the First Epoch remains a mystery to you. When you can return to its beginning, you will rise above me. For now, however, you are just slightly weaker. That difference is a mere thin line.”

Qin Mu’s expression shifted slightly. Suddenly, his image appeared throughout the myriad of indivisible spaces. Countless versions of him manifested within those infinite pockets, each performing a unique divine art!

Not a single one of these divine arts was a duplicate!

This represented his pinnacle achievement!

The infinite tiny spaces within the life creation tribulation represented the endless possibilities of the future universe. They were snapshots of what was to come, and he could saturate them all with just a single thought!

He had ascended to the Path of Dao through the destruction tribulation of the Sixteenth Epoch. Even if it seemed effortless for him, figures like Supreme Master and Wuji would find such a feat incomprehensible and impossible to grasp!

Yet, the moment his thought took shape, a version of the Miluo Palace Master appeared in every one of those spaces!

The Miluo Palace Master’s maneuver was both earlier and swifter. Just as Qin Mu’s divine arts began to erupt, the Palace Master had already acted a step ahead of him!

Qin Mu’s frame shuddered, and he vanished from the myriad spaces. He returned to a single form, but he was already too late.

The Miluo Palace also consolidated into one, and a divine art was already striking his chest.

A line was indeed a line.

The disparity in the quality of fire mastery signified an infinite gap. To bridge such a distance would require immense time and dedicated effort.

Boom!

Qin Mu was thrown backward, sent reeling back into the destruction tribulation by the Master of Miluo Palace.

This single blow from the Master of Miluo Palace was the equivalent of casting him back into the past.

“Chaos, you will eventually reach my level and even surpass me.”

The Master of Miluo Palace smiled and whispered to himself, “It is simply that you are not there yet.”

With a wave of his sleeve, he sent Qin Lingjun back to Qin Mu’s side. With Qin Mu no longer interfering, he could finally observe the future of the Seventeenth Epoch.

As Qin Mu tumbled into the river of chaos, he raised a hand to steady himself. Qin Lingjun’s feet touched down upon his palms.

Qin Mu’s face darkened slightly as he gently set Qin Lingjun down. He had lost this encounter decisively.

The Master of Miluo Palace gazed into the future. Now, with Qin Mu’s obstruction removed, the entire history of the Seventeenth Epoch flooded his vision.

From the first breath of primordial chaos to the rise of the five suns, followed by the Great Changes, the felling of the tree, the ascent of the Creators, and the birth of the Ancient Gods—the history of the Seventeenth Epoch unfolded in a way never seen before.

There was no World Tree, no Heaven Splitting Multitude, and no Miluo Palace.

The Creators fell into decline, and the Dragon was split into three. The crimson tide persisted, High Emperors clashed, and the Founding Emperor rose. Eternal Peace emerged from the ruins.

Six billion years passed in a heartbeat, followed by the invasion of Miluo Palace. The World Tree was reborn, and another three and a half billion years of the future were revealed to him.

His vision paused briefly as he saw Qin Mu return to the past, then he continued to look ahead.

He saw a future that Qin Mu had never lived through. it was a vibrant, diverse future, even more thrilling than the one where Qin Mu was present. However, as the Master of Miluo Palace peered further into the distance, his Dao heart began to tremble.

One hundred billion years into the Seventeenth Epoch, the universe’s scale had already eclipsed the First Epoch. Yet, it showed no signs of stopping its expansion.

After two hundred billion years, no new Daoists were born.

By three hundred billion years, the sheer vastness of space caused the Psionic Bridge to fade, losing its connection to other worlds. Only Daoists could traverse the infinite starry void to find their peers.

Even for Daoists, finding others took an eternity. By then, practitioners of divine arts were extinct. The spiritual Qi of heaven and earth had been stretched so thin by the expanding universe that it was nearly gone.

After four hundred billion years, most stars had burned out or evaporated. The once brilliant universe grew dim.

By five hundred billion years, the final sun went dark, and the remaining holy lands lost their vitality.

The Origin World crumbled, Xuan Du fell apart, and Hades ceased to be. The Shady Firmament World vanished entirely, and the various heavens drifted toward the ultimate void.

Six hundred billion years later, the Master of Miluo Palace watched as the final holy land was extinguished.

The Seventeenth Epoch universe was now a pitch-black abyss, save for the rare, flickering spark—the dying light of a Dao practitioner.

He looked even further. Total darkness reigned as the last echoes of the Dao practitioners faded away.

He gazed toward the absolute end, where even the final glimmer vanished. The entire Seventeenth Epoch universe had flattened into an impossibly thin, endless membrane.

Matter had decayed into the smallest possible particles, distributed evenly across the void membrane of the cosmos.

The universe had returned to nothingness.

The Great Nirvana.

Pu.

The Master of Miluo Palace coughed up a spray of Dao blood. The vision of the Great Nirvana eight hundred billion years in the future had shattered his Dao heart. All his persistence and his philosophies were rendered meaningless in that moment.

His divine arts and Dao techniques were powerless against it!

He had spent countless ages preparing for destruction tribulations and life creation tribulations. But against this inevitable Great Nirvana, his efforts were useless. He could conceive of no way to stop it.

Dazed and broken, he retreated from the Seventeenth Epoch before its life creation tribulation arrived, returning to the destruction tribulation of the Sixteenth Epoch and his Miluo Palace.

He fell into a deep silence, searching for an answer. Yet, despite his immense wisdom, no solution appeared.

Every path led to failure. In the face of that final annihilation, all his work was for naught.

He reflected on his persistence throughout sixteen universe eras, only to see all his hopes crushed.

He felt his Dao heart begin to crumble. The ideals he had lived for were splintering.

There was no escape.

The Master of Miluo Palace called together all the Young Masters, Hall Masters, and Dao practitioners. Qin Mu was there as well, silently holding the small hand of Qin Lingyun.

The Master told them that the Seventeenth Epoch was doomed to eventual destruction and commanded them to return to the eras of their birth. There was no longer a reason to pursue the future.

The members of Miluo Palace looked at one another in shock, unable to understand why their teacher would say such things.

The Palace Master sat in a state of dejection, refusing to speak. The palace fell into chaos, and eventually, the Master stood and walked away.

He crossed the River of Chaos, with Grand Supreme following behind, watching as the Master returned his cultivation to the universe.

By the time he reached the palace of the First Era, his physical form had begun to waste away.

He climbed the stairs, his flesh vanishing piece by piece. When he reached the final step, he was nothing more than a skeleton.

Grand Supreme heard his teacher release a heavy sigh and sit down. His Dao Tree manifested behind him, its sixteen Dao fruits glowing with a dying light.

Grand Supreme collapsed to the ground, weeping bitterly.

After a long time, Grand Supreme left the Miluo Palace and returned to the Sixteenth Epoch. He relayed the order for all Young Masters, Hall Masters, and Dao practitioners to return to their original eras.

The seven Supreme Dao Halls, representing the greatest achievements of the Jade Capital, were arranged around the Miluo Palace of the First Epoch.

The seven Young Masters were lost in thought.

“Let us go back to our own times,” Grand Supreme said with a heavy heart.

Young Master Zi Xiao stood, flicking his sleeves as he turned to leave. “Teacher may have surrendered, but I never will!”

Young Master Ling Xiao’s eyes flashed as he rose. “Teacher has abandoned his ideals, but his disciple shall inherit them. If I give up as well, then all hope is lost! Even without Teacher, I will overcome the destruction and creation tribulations!”

He, too, departed.

Young Master Wuzong and Young Master Zhan Ji both sighed and left in silence.

Young Master Wuji let out a soft laugh and vanished instantly.

Only Qin Mu and Grand Supreme remained in the palace. Grand Supreme seemed on the verge of fading into destruction himself. He looked at Qin Mu with weary eyes and asked, “Chaos, why do you stay?”

“I was born in the Seventeenth Epoch, so I cannot return there yet.”

Qin Mu smiled calmly and said, “Teacher’s Dao heart died because he saw the entire future. However, what he failed to realize is that subtle changes occurred the moment he returned to the destruction of the Sixteenth Epoch.”

Grand Supreme looked at him again, blinking.

Qin Mu stood up. “We can return to the Sixteenth Epoch’s destruction. You will see changes that were not there when Teacher first entered it.”

Though skeptical, Grand Supreme stood and crossed the fifteen rivers with him to reach the Sixteenth River.

“Tai Yi!”

Grand Supreme suddenly leaped into the air, rushing into the destruction tribulation to stop the fleeing Tai Yi.

“Chaos, why aren’t you helping me?” Tai Yi cried out.

A moment later, Tai Yi was captured. Grand Supreme suppressed him within the God Coffin of Burial Path and hammered in the Slaughter Path Divine Nails. He struck the coffin, saying, “I have kept this coffin ready for you for ages!”

Qin Mu smiled. “Senior Brother, did this happen before Teacher entered the creation tribulation of the Seventeenth Epoch?”

Grand Supreme was taken aback and shook his head.

Qin Mu smiled. “Then look again.”

At that moment, the destruction tribulation was in turmoil. Countless Dao practitioners screamed as they were consumed by terrifying waves of power.

“Wuji, what are you doing?” Grand Supreme shouted.

“Wuji is on a rampage, devouring Dao practitioners to increase her own power.”

Qin Mu stood beside him and asked, “This did not happen before Teacher entered the life creation tribulation, did it?”

Grand Supreme was both horrified and enraged. He saw Wuji attempting to kill and devour Zhan Ji. Just as he moved to intervene, Ling Xiao, Zi Xiao, and Wu Zong arrived to surround Wuji.

“This never occurred before Teacher’s journey.”

Qin Mu’s eyes sharpened as he said gravely, “Then is the future Teacher saw for the Seventeenth Epoch still the true future?”

Grand Supreme was confused. Suddenly, a massive wooden vessel tore through the chaos and entered the river, appearing in the middle of the Young Masters' battle.

The ship was smashed to pieces by the Young Masters!

“Grand Supreme!”

Grand Supreme was stunned. He saw another version of himself and many Heaven Cleaving Multitudes appearing on the battlefield, turning the fight into a chaotic free-for-all!

“Senior Brother, this is all new!”

Qin Mu suddenly moved. Wuji had grabbed Zhan Ji, ready to seize her cultivation. Just as she was about to swallow her, Qin Mu slammed into her with a thunderous crash. Wuji’s body was broken, and she was sent flying!

Grand Supreme watched in awe as Qin Mu lifted the entire River of Chaos. In an instant, he had badly injured Ling Xiao, Zi Xiao, and Wu Zong. He also wounded the other Grand Supreme and sealed the Heaven Cleaving Multitudes, forcing them into the wreckage of the split ship!

“Lingjun, take them to the pickling grounds,” Qin Mu commanded.

Qin Lingjun immediately steered the broken vessel, carrying the Heaven Cleaving Multitudes away.

Tai Yi, looking pale and coughing blood, looked up. “Primal Chaos, do not destroy...”

“Dao Brother, please go!”

Qin Mu pointed a finger, and Tai Yi’s soul was ejected. It soared through the creation tribulation of the Seventeenth Epoch and landed nine and a half billion years into that era.

That was the exact moment when Grand Supreme transcended and was reincarnated.

Grand Supreme transcended, but in this life, his mother gave birth to twins. The two brothers were born together.

Back in the great calamity of the Sixteenth Epoch, Qin Mu smiled at Wuji. “Second Sister, you wanted to face me at your strongest, and I have granted that. However, you shouldn’t remember this.”

Whoosh—

The River of Chaos of the Sixteenth Epoch surged, forming a massive Reincarnation. When it faded, Wuji was back to fighting the three Young Masters.

Grand Supreme looked at Qin Mu with confusion, noticing a girl standing beside him. He was bewildered, having never seen her before.

Zhan Ji looked up at Qin Mu. “Seventh Young Master, what just happened?”

Qin Mu smiled. “Nothing at all.”

Zhan Ji no longer knew her own identity. Her memories and her very appearance had been altered; she was now a girl.

The others remembered "Zhan Ji," but they also had an impression of the girl next to Qin Mu.

In their altered memories, Qin Mu had always been accompanied by this girl, who was a companion to Qin Lingjun.

As they spoke, Young Master Wuji had severely wounded Ling Xiao, Zi Xiao, and Wu Zong. Grand Supreme was forced to intervene, but he was no match for Wuji.

Within the destruction tribulation, Wuji was nearly peerless.

“Father, who is she?” Qin Lingjun asked upon her return, looking at the girl Zhan Ji had become.

She was the only one unaffected by the divine art of Reincarnation.

“Your playmate.”

Qin Mu smiled, his gaze piercing through the rivers of chaos. He thought to himself, 'Teacher, have you realized it yet? The future you saw has already shifted.'

Chaos swirled in Qin Lingjun’s eyes as she looked at the transformed Zhan Ji. She saw through the girl's history and giggled. “How fascinating!”

Suddenly, a massive hand reached out from the Miluo Palace in the First Epoch’s destruction. It spanned across the sixteen rivers of chaos and descended into the calamity, crushing Young Master Wuji and driving her down into the Great Abyss of Sinkhole!

The giant hand transformed into a red knot, sealing the Great Abyss.

“Teacher!” Grand Supreme, Ling Xiao, and the others bowed in reverence.

Qin Mu’s eyes flickered. Although the Master of Miluo Palace had acted to suppress Wuji, Qin Mu did not feel his Dao Heart awakening.

Qin Mu frowned slightly and prepared to depart with Qin Lingjun and Zhan Ji. “With so much having changed, the future you saw is no longer the truth. Forget it, I’m going to sleep!”

“Chaos!”

Grand Supreme called out, but Qin Mu and his companions did not pause. Ling Xiao...