Tales of Herding Gods
Chapter 1732: Heaven Duke And Ancestral God King

The shattered Great Overarching Heaven fell from the sky. The stars were like rain, sprinkling onto the land of the Primordial Realm like stars. The Grand Overarching Heaven of One Qi disintegrated as it fell, and the qi of the Connate Realm nourished the injured land.

Shang Jun raised his head, and starlight sparkled around him. The Great Overarching Heaven Fragments that had fallen turned into pure energy, causing the land after the battle to no longer be as devastated as before. Vegetation grew, and it was full of vitality. The land also became fertile.

This wasn't his sixteenth era, but the seventeenth. There were no old friends, but there were still ordinary people he wanted to protect.

He left silently and walked into the shadows.

As a killer whose hands were covered in blood, even though he had once again comprehended the ultimate killing intent and achieved the Dao, he wasn't willing to imprint his killing path in the ultimate void.

He didn't want to walk under the sunlight and be watched by others.

In the god city above the main camp of the celestial heavens, in the room where Qin Mu was recuperating, the light suddenly flickered. Qin Mu opened his eyes and looked at the dark shadow under the light. After a moment, he revealed a smile. "Second brother has left?"

Shang Jun walked out from the shadows under the lamp and nodded silently.

Qin Mu let out a sigh of relief and said ruefully, "Back then, I became sworn brothers with the Grand Emperor, Grand Primordium, and Luo Xiao. I didn't want to be born on the same day, month, and year, but I wanted to die on the same day, month, and year. After third brother Luo Xiao died, I kept thinking that he was too lonely and wanted to send my two brothers to meet him. Now, I've finally gotten what I wanted. Big brother and second brother, have a good journey."

His gaze landed on Shang Jun's face, and he said with a smile, "Shang Jun, there's no need for you to hide in the shadows. You can go out for a walk."

A sharp knife light flickered in Shang Jun's eyes, and he said solemnly, "In the past, you had always let me stay in your shadow because you were worried that my killing intent would be too strong and that I would lose control. Only by hiding in your shadow can you be at ease. Now, why do you want to let me out? I have already achieved the Dao twice, and my Dao heart is firm. Aren't you afraid that my killing intent will bring disaster to the world? You know that sometimes, I can't control my killing intent!"

Qin Mu's gaze was gentle, and he said with a smile, "In the past, your Dao heart was lacking, and it was hard for you to suppress your killing intent. Your self-control was very weak, so I wanted to bring you along. Now that your Dao heart is complete, you are no longer the Shang Lord of the past, so I let you out and gave you freedom."

Shang Jun was silent and wanted to retreat back into the shadows under the lamp.

Suddenly, Qin Mu said, "Don't walk in the shadow and walk out of the main door openly. You don't owe this universe anything. On the contrary, this universe owes you a favor."

Shang Jun was stunned. He appeared from the darkness under the lamp and walked towards the main door, his footsteps hesitant.

However, he still walked out. Outside the door, the first ray of sunlight shone over. It wasn't dazzling, but he raised his hand to cover his eyes. After a moment, he put his hand down.

"Shang Jun, I've always treated you as a friend."

Qin Mu's voice came from behind him, and his body trembled slightly. Friend?

He never had.

In the entire sixteenth era, he didn't have many friends, and he rarely interacted with others. He had killed too many people, and the destruction of the sixteenth era was directly related to him. He felt that he wasn't worthy of having friends.

Perhaps the few people sealed by the eldest young master in the filthy void could be considered his friends, but they couldn’t be said to be friends. They were just in the same boat, chatting and killing pigs. They hid their past from each other and refused to tell others about their past, so they couldn’t be considered friends.

In his heart, the word 'friend' was too heavy.

"You are not a tool for killing, nor a knife in my hand. You are my friend."

Qin Mu said from behind him, "A trustworthy friend. I will be your first friend in this era. In the future, you will meet other people and become friends with them."

Shang Jun tilted his head. "I don't need it. Friends are too cheap. Anyone who opens and closes their mouth can be said to be my friend. You are also not my friend. Friendship will only affect my judgment of right and wrong, making me soft-hearted."

He walked towards the east to face the sunlight, and his voice rang out. "Seventh young master, if there are too many of you who have achieved the path and caused this universe to collapse, I will also make a move. Even if it's you, I will definitely not show mercy! If you guys win and commit crimes, I will still make a move! This world needs my knife! Not the knife in your hands!"

Qin Mu revealed a smile and said to Ling Yuxiu who was beside him, "If I really committed adultery, he definitely won't kill me. I know he already treats me as a friend."

Ling Yuxiu pursed her lips and smiled. "Husband, I think you are thinking too much."

Shang Jun walked on the land of Eternal Peace, going from the border station to the city of Eternal Peace, then from the city to the countryside, walking aimlessly.

Eternal Peace was peaceful, and there was no killing on the battlefield at all. This place was filled with tranquility, and it also filled his heart with tranquility, allowing him to stay away from killing and disputes.

The battle at the frontlines was still ongoing, but the people behind weren't affected. When the news of the Heavenly Court's defeat spread, everyone felt a huge weight off their shoulders, and smiles gradually appeared on their faces.

With a straw stick in his mouth, he leaned against the tree and lazily looked at the sunlight through the canopy.

At this moment, six to seven children ran over and laughed happily. They went around crazily and it was very lively.

The children left, and Shang Jun picked up the flower crown left behind by the children and wore it on his forehead. He hugged his arms in front of his chest and leaned against the tree to sleep.

"This sunlight is really good…" he mumbled as he moved the straw stick.

Xuandu.

The stars trembled, and the stars shifted. This meant that the world was still not peaceful.

However, not many people noticed Xuandu now. The main force of Eternal Peace was still chasing after the celestial heavens, chasing the remnants of the celestial heavens out of the Primordial Realm.

The battle in Xuandu was between Heaven Duke and Ancestral God King.

Xuandu was simply too vast, so this battle didn't affect the Primordial Realm. When Jiang Baigui was at Xuandu, he only defeated the army of the Sun Guardian and Moon Guardian. He didn't interfere in the battle between Heaven Duke and Ancestral God King.

His actions were extremely rational. Since the army of Xuandu's Sun Guardian and Moon Guardian had been wiped out, Ancestral God King wouldn't be of much use even if he killed Heaven Duke.

At this moment, if he led his troops to attack the main camp of the celestial heavens, it would bring about an unexpected effect, which was enough to cause the morale of the celestial heavens to collapse. Therefore, he decisively left Xuandu, leaving Heaven Duke and Ancestral God King behind.

Ancestral Godking's Dao Heart fell into the divine art of Nine Hells Incarceration and merged with Heaven Duke's Dao heart.

The battle of Dao hearts between father and son was not as nimble as a real battle of knives and spears, but it was even more dangerous.

In the Nine Hells Stage, Heaven Duke was fighting with Ancestral God King's Dao heart. Outside, Heaven Duke's true body was motionless. Only Ancestral God King and the reincarnated Heaven Duke were still fighting!

Heaven Duke's true body was filled with starlight, and the light of the Heavenly Dao was flowing continuously towards the reincarnated Heaven Duke.

After Heaven Duke's reincarnation was shattered by Ancestral God King, this peculiar sight appeared. Heaven Duke's true body no longer listened to Ancestral God King's mobilization. No matter how he executed his magic power or how he controlled it with his primordial spirit, the corporeal body of the ancient god remained motionless.

On the contrary, the Heavenly Dao that flowed out from Heaven Duke's true body started to flow towards Heaven Duke's soul to reconstruct his corporeal body!

This was a battle of the heavens.

In the battle of the Heaven's Heart, Heaven Duke displayed a heaven's heart that was more compatible with the Heavenly Dao than Ancestor God King and defeated Ancestor God King, causing the Heavenly Dao to abandon Ancestor God King.

The destruction of Heaven Duke's reincarnation was a blessing in disguise.

However, even without Heaven Duke's true body, Ancestral God King's battle power was still extremely astonishing. He was still one of the strongest existences in the world, and his cultivation and abilities far surpassed Heaven Duke!

However, something terrifying happened.

When he faced Heaven Duke, he had an overwhelming advantage and heavily injured him time again. However, Heaven Duke never died and was healed by Xuandu's Heavenly Dao again!

On the contrary, every time he squandered his power, his own power would decrease slightly. His corporeal body and primordial spirit weren't locked by the Nine Hells Stage, only his Dao heart was locked. What his Dao heart was affected by was his frame of mind.

This seemingly harmless Dao heart had affected his recovery ability and even his cultivation, preventing his cultivation from recovering to its peak. Even the wounds on his corporeal body couldn't be healed!

At the same time, Heaven Duke became stronger. With the support of the Heavenly Dao, Heaven Duke's abilities were getting closer to him!

With this, he would be no longer Heaven Duke's opponent!

Nine Hells Incarceration Dao was long-lasting. The terrifying aspect of Qin Mu's divine art was something only those who had experienced it could understand!

Luckily, Heaven Duke seemed to still have a father-son relationship with him and didn't kill him all along, leaving some leeway. Even so, Ancestral God King's injuries were getting worse.

He wanted to take the chance to kill Heaven Duke while Heaven Duke was still alive. However, he couldn't kill Heaven Duke no matter what!

More importantly, he had already suffered a crushing defeat in the battle of the Dao heart on the Nine Hells Stage!

His Dao heart was crushed by Heaven Duke, and he laid in the tiny square inch of land like a dead dog. Beside him, Heaven Duke's Dao heart looked up at the sky.

"My son, the Nine Hells Stage is the stage that locks one's Dao heart. It's also a place to train one's Dao heart."

Heaven Duke retracted his gaze and looked at Ancestral God King's Dao heart, which was trying to get up. He said earnestly, "Qin Mu's divine art explained the marvels of the Dao contained in the Nine Hells Stage and fused them with his understanding of the Dao heart. He put in a lot of effort and used this move to trap the Dao heart of my clone of Celestial Venerable Hong, hoping that I would be able to walk out of the Nine Hells Stage and comprehend the heaven's heart. At that time, I was foolish, misunderstanding his good intentions. As a result, my reputation was ruined and my clone died."

"After I reincarnated, I was willing to endure the karma of the people who died because of my sins. I heard the thoughts of all living beings in the karma. Only then did I realize that this is the first time I'm so close to the heaven's heart."

A look of anticipation appeared in his eyes. "Youdu and Xuandu are opposing each other, and the Great Dao of Youdu and the Great Dao of Xuandu are opposing each other. However, this is the first time I have been so close to the heaven's heart in the flames of Youdu. This is the first time I'm so close to the Heavenly Dao. I'm wailing in the flames of karma, but I'm so moved that my eyes are brimming with tears. I have endured my karma, yet I have comprehended the heaven's heart as the human heart! My son, this time, I will give you this chance. Stand up and walk out from the Nine Hells Stage."

Ancestral God King's Dao heart got up shakily and chuckled. "So what if I walk out?"

Heaven Duke encouraged him and said, "As long as you comprehend the heaven's heart, you can walk out. After you walk out, you can go to Youdu to endure the hellfire caused by your own karma and burn your sins in the hellfire to suffer."

"Hahahaha! Father!"

Ancestral God King's Dao heart laughed until he couldn't straighten his back. "You have enjoyed the power of being high above, enjoyed wealth, and the worship and fear of all living beings. Can you still return to the past? You can, I can't! You can give up all of this, but I can't. Furthermore, you want me to admit defeat willingly and suffer in Youdu. I can't!"

He attacked Heaven Duke's heart again, but he missed. Heaven Duke's Dao heart slowly rose and flew out of Nine Hells Platform, gradually disappearing into the sky.

Ancestral God King's Dao heart looked up and saw Heaven Duke's face becoming bigger, filling the entire sky of Nine Hells Platform.

"Come out."

Heaven Duke said, "Become a human first, then comprehend the human heart, comprehend the heaven's heart, and walk out of the Nine Hells Stage."

"Half-gods are born to be more noble than humans, just like Postcelestial lifeforms!"

Ancestral God King's Dao heart rushed upwards frantically, and he said sternly, "Humans are also divided into three, six, and nine grades, let alone me being a half-god. I have the strongest bloodline in the world, the highest spirit body, and the boundless power of wisdom. Why do I have to become a human? Why do I have to comprehend the heart of the human heart? My heart is the heaven's heart! I'm so strong that even the god of the heavens, the god of the fathers, and all the living beings in the heavens and worlds have to submit to me!"

Whoosh—

The moment he rushed out of the Nine Hells Stage, countless thorny mountains suddenly pierced out from the Nine Hells Stage. They came from all directions, and countless thorny mountains pierced through his Dao heart!

Ancestral God King's Dao heart was nailed to the air and destroyed.

In the outside world, Ancestral God King went completely crazy and attacked Heaven Duke. Heaven Duke closed his eyes, and the starlight was like tears.

Puff puff puff—

Huge thorns stabbed out from Ancestral God King's body in all directions. When Ancestral God King rushed to Heaven Duke's side, blood splattered all over his body.

"I can't accept this…"

Ancestral God King raised his bloody palm and smeared fresh blood all over his face. He chuckled and said, "Father, I'm indignant. I didn't lose to you… Gu…"

Blood poured out from his mouth and blocked his throat.

"…I lost to… Celestial Venerable Mu. I didn't lose to your heaven's heart…"

He fell backward with his eyes wide open.