Tales of Herding Gods Chapter 1834

Within the Hall of Chaos, Qin Mu and Founding Emperor Qin Ye engaged in a lengthy conversation before Zhan Ji was finally instructed to escort Founding Emperor Qin Ye out.

“Eternal Peace will be fine, won't it?” Qin Mu inquired softly.

“How have you been?” This was the initial question he had posed upon meeting Founding Emperor Qin Ye. To the Founding Emperor, it was a mere greeting, but to Qin Mu, it carried an immense weight.

He had been separated from the Founding Emperor and his other companions for sixteen universe eras—a span of trillions of years. He had endured relentless storms and stood witness to the birth and extinction of sixteen separate universes.

The history he had lived through was grand, perhaps even more magnificent than the story of Eternal Peace. It was a journey of incredible complexity.

He had harbored a fear of forgetting Eternal Peace and his old comrades. After all, he was only three and a half billion years old within the seventeenth epoch, a duration that seemed insignificant compared to the trillions of years he had traversed.

Nevertheless, that place was his home.

“Eternal Peace must be alright.”

A smile touched Qin Mu’s face as he gathered his resolve and stepped out of the Hall of Chaos. “Lingyun, Heavenly Venerate Moon, and I have spent so much time preparing; it is impossible for Eternal Peace to fail!”

Standing before the hall, he gazed at the Miluo Palace, which remained firmly shut.

“Teacher, the future you once envisioned has never truly come to pass.”

Qin Mu spoke in a low voice, “Because the moment you turn back to the destruction of the sixteenth epoch, the future shifts away from what you saw. However, you were correct about one thing. To surpass you, I must return to the first epoch—not to its destruction, but to the creation tribulation of that first era. Seventeen universe epochs and yet only sixteen creation tribulations... it is indeed quite peculiar.”

Previously, Qin Mu lacked the necessary depth to return to the dawn of the first universe epoch. Now, however, he had achieved sufficient maturity.

Amidst the destruction of the first epoch, the sound of Dao resonated throughout Miluo Palace. This was the ripple Qin Mu’s path of chaos sought within the life creation tribulation of the first epoch.

The Life Creation Tribulation was a cataclysmic event capable of rending the heavens and earth. The first epoch spanned a vast history of eight hundred billion years. Normally, one could not sense such ripples during the destruction of that era. Yet, for Chaos, the vibrations caused by the opening of the heavens and earth were eternal.

These fluctuations were etched into the very fabric of the universe, becoming so minute that even a destruction tribulation could not erase them.

After a long silence, Qin Mu’s expression shifted slightly. The chaotic cycles began to rotate, fiercely slicing through past time and space, carving through the eight hundred billion years of the first epoch’s history!

Walking through these cycles, Qin Mu finally stepped into the immense timeline of the first epoch!

The epic grandeur of the first epoch unfolded before him. Traveling backward through the chaotic cycle of reincarnation, he witnessed the poignant and beautiful events of the distant past.

Qin Mu did not falter or pause. He pressed onward, deeper into the past.

Finally, as his strength neared exhaustion, he reached the era before the first epoch had even begun.

Perhaps here, he could discover the solution to the Great Nirvana of the seventeenth epoch!

Back in the seventeenth epoch, following Qin Mu’s departure:

The conflict between Eternal Peace, the path builders, and the Hall Masters of Miluo Palace raged on. Jade Capital City was now devoid of Third Young Master Ling Xiao and Fourth Young Master Zi Xiao. Likewise, Eternal Peace was without Qin Mu, causing the war to cycle endlessly.

Jade Capital City eventually launched an assault near the Origin World. With such a formidable foe threatening Eternal Peace, the movement for reform found renewed vigor.

After hundreds of millions of years, Dao Ancestor Lan Yutian finally grasped the secrets of the Young Master’s Supreme Heavenly Well. By breaking through it and neutralizing the supreme unusual treasures, he left the Hall Masters and Dao practitioners of Miluo Palace with no advantages to exploit.

At this juncture, Old Man Wuya returned, seizing control of the Beast World behind the Origin World. The roots of the World Tree tore through time and space, permitting prehistoric experts to descend continuously.

As these prehistoric experts achieved the Dao, additional Great Overarching Heavens manifested within the Ultimate Void, leading to brutal clashes between the opposing sides.

Caught between two enemies, Eternal Peace found itself in a three-way chaotic struggle. This pressure allowed the reforms of Eternal Peace to flourish. The number of Dao practitioners in Eternal Peace surged, eventually suppressing the other two factions.

During this era, Wuji had reincarnated and attained the Dao twice. She reconstructed the Great Abyss of Sinkhole and began a campaign of slaughter. Few Dao practitioners from the three factions could stand against her.

Just as Young Master Wuji seemed poised to become invincible, Young Master Grand Supreme and Great Yi displayed their true, terrifying combat power, using their strength to hold Wuji at bay.

Young Master Wuji’s dominance was checked, yet Grand Supreme and Great Yi were unable to defeat her entirely.

Elsewhere, Miluo Palace maintained its ground and began seizing portions of the heavens. They recruited gifted divine arts practitioners, teaching them divine arts, paths, and skills in an attempt to establish a permanent presence in the seventeenth epoch.

Old Man Wuya also solidified his rule over the Beast World. This three-sided conflict, coupled with the rivalry between Wuji, Grand Supreme, and Great Yi, made the seventeenth epoch remarkably vibrant and complex.

Eternal Peace attempted to eradicate Miluo Palace and Old Man Wuya on several occasions. However, whenever they grew close to victory, Wuya would support Miluo Palace, and Miluo Palace would return the favor.

Even Grand Supreme and Great Yi would occasionally assist Miluo Palace or Old Man Wuya to keep Eternal Peace in check!

Conversely, if Eternal Peace faced total annihilation, Young Master Wuya or Grand Supreme and Great Yi would intervene to save them!

This state of affairs drove Lan Yutian, Xu Shenghua, and their allies to the brink of madness.

Time was indifferent, and the evolution of matter continued. Even with Great Overarching Heavens established in the Ultimate Void, the expansion of the void could not be halted.

The heavens grew increasingly vast, and the gaps between them widened. Mystic City expanded to an incredible size, encompassing the Four Extreme Heavens and all the worlds within. New stars flared into existence, filling the immense starry sky.

Even Heavenly Dukes with vast divine abilities found it impossible to manage such a sprawling Xuan Du. Miluo Palace and Old Man Wuya quickly exploited this, invading Xuan Du to claim territory.

By the 100th billionth year of the seventeenth epoch, the universe’s scale had already eclipsed that of the first epoch.

As the Master of Miluo Palace had foreseen, this vastness made the seventeenth epoch as radiant as the first. With four major powers rising, no single entity could unify the universe; even the Eternal Peace Heavenly Court lacked the reach to govern such an expanse.

This was exactly what Old Man Wuya desired. His World Tree spread across a massive area, and any region beyond the control of Eternal Peace became his domain.

As ages passed, even Old Man Wuya struggled to cope with the ever-growing universe.

The seventeenth epoch’s universe was now larger than the first, and it showed no signs of stopping its expansion.

While wars between the factions persisted, they became less frequent as a terrifying truth came to light.

As the universe expanded, the spiritual energy and Qi between heaven and earth grew increasingly sparse. Most conflicts were no longer about ideology; they became desperate wars over Holy Lands rich in spiritual energy and Qi.

Eventually, billions of years passed without a single new Dao practitioner appearing in the universe.

In the 200 billionth year, Lan Yutian and Xu Shenghua sought out Young Master Wuji, Grand Supreme, and Tai Yi to deliberate on the universe’s fate. They convinced the three to join forces and find Old Man Wuya. Together, they all traveled to Jade Capital City.

The giants of the seventeenth epoch finally gathered to discuss how to combat the expansion of the void.

“We must set aside our differences and allow the Great Overarching Heavens of all Dao practitioners to be branded into the Ultimate Void to halt its expansion!”

Old Man Wuya declared, “The Dao Realm system of the Ancestral Court is valid. The Dao practitioners of Eternal Peace can manifest their Dao externally and brand their Great Overarching Heavens into the Ultimate Void. As for Young Master Wuji’s Path of Returning to Ruins, it can consume the Ultimate Void. Together with myself and the Dao practitioners of Miluo Palace, we can surely stop this expansion.”

The giants of the seventeenth epoch finally united, forming what would be known as the first alliance of Miluo Palace in history.

One by one, Great Overarching Heavens ascended and were etched into the universe's Ultimate Void. The most powerful beings of the seventeenth epoch attempted to prevent the Great Nirvana. This was their maiden effort.

However, the Ultimate Void did not stop expanding as they had hoped, nor was it forced back into chaos by the power of the Dao practitioners.

The void continued its advance. The Ultimate Void merged with the other thirty-five voids. The combined Great Overarching Heavens of tens of thousands of Dao practitioners could not crush the Ultimate Void; instead, their heavens were stretched thin, expanding outward along with the void itself!

During the second alliance at Miluo Palace, Young Master Wuji suggested, “The Path of Returning to Ruins can restrain the void. Only by devouring the expanding void can we hope to stop it.”

She held nothing back, sharing her Path of Returning to Ruins with the world.

The Dao practitioners began their second attempt. However, as the Great Abysses of Returning Ruins formed in the void to consume it, they simply evaporated and fell apart.

Seven billion years later, the second attempt was deemed a failure.

At the third alliance, Lan Yutian proposed, “Eternal Peace achieves the Dao within, containing its own universe; thus, it can avoid being consumed by the void.”

By then, the seventeenth universe had reached its 300 billionth year. The spiritual energy and Qi of the world had become incredibly faint. Not only were there no new Dao practitioners, but even new gods were rare. Divine arts practitioners had become the peak of worldly power.

No new Dao practitioners emerged.

Following the third alliance, wars over Holy Lands intensified until they eventually ceased.

It was not the wisdom of the giants that ended the wars, but the sheer scale of the universe.

The expansion made waging war nearly impossible. The Spirit Energy Mutual Transfer Bridges, which had once revolutionized Eternal Peace, were now useless. As the bridges between the great heavens snapped, traveling to other realms became an impossible dream.

Connections between the great heavens were slowly severed.

A sense of hopelessness gripped every realm.

It was then that the Saint of Thieves approached Lan Yutian and Xu Shenghua. He revealed, “After my rescue, I stole numerous treasures from Old Man Wuya and Miluo Palace, hiding them in the chaotic space of Chaos. These artifacts might release enough spiritual power and Qi to delay the Great Nirvana for a time.”

Xu Shenghua shook his head. “No matter the quantity, treasures can only stall the Great Nirvana briefly.”

“What if they are Treasures of Chaos?”

The Saint of Thieves explained, “Chaos told me that he and the Daughter of Chaos gathered treasures from the River of Chaos during the destruction of the sixteen cosmic eras. They hid them in the chaotic space and the unclean field. They might be useful now.”

Upon hearing this, Xu Shenghua and Lan Yutian felt a spark of hope. They set out for the chaotic space and the unclean field.

Even for the most powerful Dao practitioners, the journey to these locations took hundreds of thousands of years.

The treasures stashed by Chaos and his daughter became the final lifeline for the seventeenth epoch. When these items were recovered and distributed among the Holy Lands, spiritual energy flourished once more, extending the universe's lifespan.

Yet, even the Treasures of Chaos would eventually be drained of their energy.

That inevitable day drew closer.

By the 400 billionth year, most stars had gone dark or evaporated. Only the Holy Lands continued to emit the spiritual energy necessary to sustain life.

On this day, a mysterious vibration pulsed through the universe, felt in every corner.

Sensing the tremor, Lan Yutian said to Xu Shenghua, “The World Tree has fallen. Old Man Wuya was torn apart by the void's power. He has transformed into the Dao.”

Xu Shenghua felt a faint sorrow echoing from the universe's depths and shook his head. “Old Man Wuya did not truly attain the Dao. His foundation was unstable. His Great Dao was vaporized by the void and exists no more.”

They felt only grief, harboring no malice toward their former foe.

Old Man Wuya’s presence had allowed the universe to endure longer than it otherwise would have.

Without him, the Great Nirvana would have arrived much sooner.

Following Wuya’s death, a peculiar vibration disturbed the void. Xu Shenghua and Lan Yutian were stunned to see new universes forming within the unclean field of the void!

Young Master Grand Supreme and Tai Yi arrived to explain. “That is Tai Yi’s body,” Tai Yi told them. “He and the others who split the heavens became Daoists suppressed by Chaos during the past sixteen eras. They were sent to the unclean field by Chaos and escaped the life creation tribulations one after another. Now, the Genesis Tribulation has finally found them.”

Tai Yi continued, “My body and the body of Tiandu are there as well. Our physical forms are undergoing the Genesis Tribulation. This was a contingency plan by Chaos. They are using this process to prolong the life of the seventeenth epoch.”

Tai Yi sighed, “I never grasped why he did those things—why he gathered Chaos Treasures during the apocalypses, why he targeted the heaven-cleaving practitioners and Tai Yi, or why he placed prehistoric experts in coffins. Now, I finally see.”

He was overwhelmed with emotion. Chaos had begun laying these plans during the destruction of the first epoch, nearly two trillion years ago.

What moved him most was that this was the future Qin Mu had described—the future the Master of Miluo Palace could not see, the future that had been changed!

Xu Shenghua and Lan Yutian were deeply shaken.

Nothing in the void could escape the life creation tribulation; it was merely a matter of time.

Qin Mu had subjected these prehistoric experts, the heaven-cleavers of Heavenly Capital, and the bodies of Great Change and Heavenly Capital to the life creation tribulation to pump the last remnants of spiritual energy into a dying universe.

Even so, this final surge of energy could not sustain the seventeenth epoch forever.

Five hundred billion years in, the final sun went out. The remaining Holy Lands slowly lost their power.

The Origin World, Xuan Du, Youdu, and the Heavenly Shade World were gone. The various heavens crumbled into the void, returning to nothingness.

When another strange tremor shook the universe, Grand Supreme and Tai Yi remained silent. Only Lan Yutian spoke: “Young Master Wuji, our old enemy, has been vaporized by the void. The only Holy Lands left are Jade Capital City and Eternal Peace.”

Eternal Peace survived within the Ancestral Court’s Primordial Chaos Cauldron, while Jade Capital City, refined by the Master of Miluo Palace and his Young Masters, stood as the final two sanctuaries where life could still persist and grow.

However, even the practitioners within these sanctuaries could feel their Great Dao slowly turning to void.

Eventually, their Great Dao would crumble, and they would become mortals. Like all other mortals, they would eventually vanish into the void.

After Young Master Wuji evaporated, the Primordial Chaos Cauldron and Jade Capital City also began to crack and expand, casting a shadow of absolute despair over everyone.

They looked out into a universe of total darkness.

The sky had gone black.

“Has the chaotic space still not bloomed?” Xu Shenghua’s hair turned from white to gray as he, too, began to age.