Tales of Herding Gods Chapter 1835

Chapter 1835: Summary of the First Live Stream Event

Translator: 549690339

During the initial live broadcast, numerous fans struggled to locate the genuine Otaku Pig. To assist those who missed the session, I am organizing the key points discussed. Please note that a second live stream is scheduled for September 10th.

Character Discussions

1. Who is the father of Si Qin?

Qin Mu is the father of Si Qin. I couldn't state this explicitly in the text because my wife reads my work as I write it. However, hints were dropped earlier in the narrative. The Painting Saint Deaf once examined a piece given to Lang Bao by Qin Mu and noted it felt unfinished. This incompleteness stemmed from the fact that the figures were actually imprinted rather than painted. Essentially, Qin Mu and Lang Bao reenacted their first encounter, and their essence was captured on the canvas. Qin Siqin was born through this process rather than being a mere creation. I simply cannot describe the details more explicitly.

2. Who are the Fifth and Sixth Young Masters? Why was their conclusion so brief?

The Fifth Young Master is Traceless, a man, and the Sixth Young Master is Zhan Ji, a woman. Their roles in the Tales of Herding Gods were limited because they weren't central to the primary conflict. I focused on characters with high plot relevance, such as Supreme, Wuji, Ling Xiao, Zi Xiao, Primal Chaos, and the fifth and sixth siblings. One fell victim to the schemes of Primal Chaos, while the other followed their teacher’s commands too strictly.

3. Are the Grandmaster and Heavenly Venerate Yun still among the living?

Both the Grandmaster and Heavenly Venerate Yun have perished. Heavenly Venerate Yun’s death is absolute; there is no path to revival. He died taking down a clone of the Second Young Master Wuji. His final actions left Heavenly Venerate Hao with a shattered Dao heart and a permanent psychological scar, preventing Hao’s soul from ever reaching the Chaos or the River of Chaos. Because of these unique circumstances, Qin Mu is unable to save him. As for the Grandmaster, he did not undergo reincarnation. He likely ended up in Youdu, where the Earth Count would have consumed his primordial spirit due to the weight of his transgressions.

4. The relationships between Qin Mu and Heavenly Venerate Ling, Heavenly Venerate Yue, and Bai Qu’er.

I believe that for characters of their stature, traditional marriage and child-rearing would clash with their core personalities and roles. Maintaining a sense of ambiguity in their relationships serves their characters much better.

5. The identity of the "Thin and Long Freak."

This individual is the one responsible for the death of Cripple. When the ancient experts from the prehistoric eras arrived, Cripple sacrificed himself to shield Qin Mu. This specific practitioner had a massive vertical eye centered on his forehead.

(Did Cripple actually die?)

Cripple survived. The text explains that Qin Mu eventually located this freak and personally instructed him on how to refine the cultivation of that vertical eye. Consequently, because Qin Mu taught him his techniques, Mu was able to sabotage the methods and ensure Cripple’s survival.

6. Was Great Change a protagonist or an antagonist?

For the residents of the seventeenth epoch, Great Change was certainly a savior. However, his morality varies across different cosmic eras. His connection to the Heaven Cleaving Society is complex. In a past life, he led the Celestial Capital. While Tai Yi did not wish to slaughter the Heaven Cleaving masses, those people were essentially "mad scientists" devoid of ethics or human empathy. They pursued extreme paths of research without restraint. Tai Yi interacted with them prior to returning to the fourth epoch, but in the current seventeenth epoch, he is a force for good.

7. Why do the Palace Master of Miluo Palace and Qin Lingyun feel like plot devices?

I intentionally limited the focus on the Palace Master. Had I detailed his struggles across every previous universe, the book’s balance would have shifted away from the main story. Tales of Herding Gods is not about the history of Miluo Palace or Qin Lingyun’s heroics; it is the story of Eternal Peace finding its own salvation.

8. Lan Yutian’s innate connection to the Dao.

Lan Yutian’s talent is a reflection of real-world inequality. Some people are simply born with superior gifts. I once knew a genius who entered a top university at age eleven and became a professor in his twenties. Some people are naturally more capable than the average person. We must accept this. However, like Qin Mu, if you maintain the confidence of an "Overlord Body" and refuse to believe anyone is your superior, you can eventually overtake even the most gifted geniuses. Lan Yutian and Xu Shenghua are simply the peak of natural intelligence in this setting.

9. Was Great Change actually the Palace Master of the First Epoch?

The Master of Miluo Palace was the very first being of the first epoch. Naturally, this would be a version of Great Change, as he is always the first to manifest. In every epoch, the "Innate Five Great Changes" are often targeted for possession because their Qi and origins are so potent. The first was the Palace Master, the second was Supreme, and so on. Beings from later eras couldn't resist taking over these five "fools" to secure power. While the five are equal in nature, their appearances are dictated by the sequence of the universe's birth.

10. Who was the true love of Qin Mu?

That is a complex question. He felt the strongest attraction toward God King Lang Bao, but attraction is not the same as love. The person who left the deepest mark on his soul was Bai Qu’er. However, his most enduring and profound bond was with his first love, the Seventh Princess Ling Yuxiu. Each relationship represents a different facet of his heart: Ling Yuxiu is the lifelong companion, Bai Qu’er is the cherished memory, and the God King is the unattainable desire. In short—yes, Qin Mu is a bit of a scumbag!

11. Did Lan Yutian and Xu Shenghua eventually surpass the Young Masters?

By the conclusion, they reached the same tier as the Young Masters. In the final chapter, they are seen standing alongside Grand Supreme and Great Change, reaching the level of Wuya and Wuji. To maintain the equilibrium of the seventeenth epoch, Grand Supreme and Great Change occasionally provide support to Eternal Peace, but they only do so because these characters have proven their own strength.

Plot Clarifications

1. Was the future foreseen by the Master of Miluo Palace accurate?

He saw the future correctly, but his vision was limited to 800 billion years. He could not see beyond that point because matter and time ceased to exist at that threshold. He died in despair because he couldn't perceive Qin Mu’s arrival or any hope beyond the void.

2. How did Qin Mu solve the "Final Silence"?

Qin Mu discovered a solution, which is evidenced by his return to the present. As an author, I based the "Final Silence" on scientific theories like the Big Rip and Heat Death, where the universe either tears apart or becomes a cold, empty void. Science doesn't have an answer for what happens after that point, and neither do I. However, Qin Mu found the answer. I left it somewhat vague to let the readers' imaginations fill in the gaps (and perhaps to slack off a little!).

3. Is the ending of the novel open-ended?

It is a definitive ending. Qin Mu returns to find the people of Eternal Peace safe within the Great Luo Heaven of Dao practitioners. The light remains burning there, meaning the cold silence was overcome. While some readers wanted more detail, a poll showed the vast majority were satisfied. I did add a small revision to clarify some of the unwritten parts.

4. Why does the Great Luo Heaven persist when matter is gone?

The Great Luo Heaven functions as an internal universe. While the external universe expands and dies, this internal system can shield itself from the final cold silence for a time.

5. Did Heavenly Venerate Yun leave treasures with the Dao Ancestor?

Yes, specifically the Supreme Emperor Seal and the Altar. He also provided the path to the Land of Taixu to Qin Ye. Yun’s strategy was to ensure the human race had a "way out" in the Other Shore world if they were ever pushed to the brink of extinction. This is why the Founding Emperor was able to establish Carefree Village there. Even if not stated explicitly, the clues regarding the Red Emperor and the others show how each leader tried to leave a legacy or escape for their people.

6. How did Miluo Palace cross epochs before the blood sacrifice?

Powerful beings like the Master of Miluo Palace could cross through sheer ability. The Palace and the Jade Capital were designed to withstand the tribulations of destruction. Qin Mu and Ling Xiao witnessed various "entities" surviving the creation tribulation, including the World Tree and the Palace itself. However, once the Master moved the Palace back to the first epoch, the remaining structures in the Jade Capital lost the ability to function as a singular protective vessel.

7. Is the world of the novel flat or round?

It is not a simple "flat earth" model. While places like the Ancestral Court and the Yuan World are massive continents, the universe also contains planets. It is possible that the story takes place in a universe much like ours, with stars and small planets orbiting suns, alongside these massive sacred cultivation lands.

8. Who destroyed the Divine Bridge?

A god from the Heavenly Court was responsible. Since the seven Dantian treasures (and the eighth, the Heavenly Palace) are hereditary, breaking the bridge of an ancestor causes the descendants to be born with a broken bridge as well.

The Conclusion and Future Plans

1. Thoughts on the next book?

I’ve worked on this for over two years, and my hair has turned white! I need a few months to rest and research. I don't expect a new project until the end of 2019.

2. Plans for a sequel?

I will write some side stories or a sequel around September. I'll let the fans vote on my WeChat account to decide which characters or plots to follow.

3. Will there be a direct "Part 2"?

No. There will be extra chapters, but no direct sequel. If I ever write a "God Shepherd 2," it means my new books failed and I'm desperate! You have my permission to scold me if that happens. The next book will use an entirely different universe system.

4. Did the female leads survive?

Yes, Heavenly Venerate Ling, Heavenly Venerate Yue, and the main heroine all survived. They reside within the Great Luo Heaven of Dao practitioners, where their abilities remain functional even during the great nirvana.

Other Notes

1. Physical books?

I changed publishers because the previous one wanted to censor too much. They wanted to rename characters like Blind and Mute and delete the scene where young Qin Mu urinated on a statue. That scene is vital for the theme of "destroying the god in one's heart." I hope the new publisher respects the original tone.

2. Thoughts on the manga?

Manga and man...