Tales of Herding Gods

Chapter 349: Three Aeons Breakthrough

Translator: Ninetales Editor: DarkGem

Hermit Qing You’s evaluation of Qin Mu’s sword skill could be said to be extremely high. One of the most powerful sword skills in the world couldn’t be achieved by simply learning a few profound sword skills. It required one to have an extremely high understanding of the sword and have reached the level of skill, where one could create their own sword skills.

Qin Mu’s current standard surpassed sword techniques and reached the realm of skill. Even though he said his move was full of flaws, those who could see them were experts that were either half a step into the sword path, or experts that had already entered the sword path!

Such people in the world were as rare as phoenix feathers and unicorn horns and could be counted on one’s hands.

For Qin Mu to have entered the stage of skill at such a young age—even if his sword skill was full of flaws in his eyes—it was still an incomparably marvelous work of art in the eyes of others who had yet to enter that stage.

Yet Village Chief was still not satisfied with such a disciple, saying that he was a broken sieve full of holes and wouldn’t know how he died when he faced a superior opponent.

This requirement was simply too high.

But Qin Mu actually acknowledged it and wasn’t resentful or complacent in the least. This kind of humbleness was much more sincere than the humbleness he had shown after defeating Long Yu.

Hermit Qing You shook his head. ‘This pair of master and disciple are weirdos.’

His eyes sparkled, and he said solemnly, “Human Emperor Qin, the defeat of the three disciples of my Little Jade Capital doesn’t mean that your abilities are high. They are merely ten to twenty percent higher than theirs. Hall of Three Aeons and Hall of Five Qi will be the true test!”

When he said that, Long Yu and Mu Qingdai revealed ashamed looks as they thought that Hermit Qing You was saving face for them. Wang Muran, on the other hand, seemed to be thinking about something.

“Immortal Qing You’s judgment is truly extraordinary.” Qin Mu nodded. “My abilities are indeed ten to twenty percent higher than theirs.”

This sentence of his was no longer humble. It was stating the facts.

They were all at Six Directions Realm, and when their cultivation ability reached that step, being ten to twenty percent stronger than the opponent meant that one could defeat them in one or two moves!

After all, the scope and knowledge they possessed were completely different!

When one’s abilities reached their level, if they wanted to continue improving, they would need lots of hard work in order to improve ten percent. It was extremely difficult to improve under such conditions.

That ten to twenty percent advantage was extremely hard to get!

If Qin Mu hadn’t stepped into the realm of skill, he would have needed more than a few moves if he wanted to defeat Long Yu and Mu Qingdai.

“Muran, you guys shall withdraw. Human Emperor Qin, follow me. I will bring you to Hall of Three Aeons.” Hermit Qing You then walked down the mountain.

Wang Muran and the rest revealed expressions of envy, and Long Yu muttered in a low voice, “When can I enter Hall of Three Aeons and Hall of Five Qi…”

Village Chief immediately said, “Many thanks, Dao Friend Qing You!”

Hermit Qing You shook his head and said, “Human Emperor has the right to enter Hall of Three Aeons and Hall of Five Qi.”

Qin Mu followed them, bewildered. ‘From their words, Hall of Three Aeons and Hall of Five Qi don’t seem like some test, but like a huge opportunity. Grandpa Village Chief has already thanked Immortal Qing You twice, and for him to do that, those places cannot be ordinary. However, didn’t Xu Shenghua also enter Hall of Three Aeons and Hall of Five Qi? He used ten days to pass through both of them, so it doesn’t seem like they’re something that’s worthy of Grandpa Village Chief thanks…’

He thought that Hall of Three Aeons and Hall of Five Qi would just be immortals of Little Jade Capital fighting him personally, giving him a test of sorts. However, he was no longer so sure.

Village Chief floated over and smiled. “Since Mu’er is allowed to enter Hall of Three Aeons and Hall of Five Qi, why don’t you just open Hall of Six Directions as well?”

Hermit Qing You sneered. “Dao friend, don’t be unsatisfied with small gains!”

Village Chief sneered back at him. “You allowed Xu Shenghua from High Heavens to enter Hall of Three Aeons and Hall of Five Qi, so is Human Emperor inferior to Xu Shenghua?”

Hermit Qing You shook his head. “High Heavens is extremely strong and not inferior to Hall of Human Emperors. They are even stronger. I need a bowl of water as a scale, for I can’t show favoritism or else I will be criticized.”

Village Chief tried to agitate him then. “The number one sacred ground is merely so, aren’t you just afraid of High Heavens creating trouble for you?”

Hermit Qing You said indifferently, “You can’t rile me up. Little Jade Capital became known as the number one sacred ground because of outsiders forcing that title on us. We have never claimed it ourselves. Dao friend, you can stop trying.”

While talking, they came to a celestial mountain and went up it, until Hall of Three Aeons appeared right in front of them. There were three immortals of Little Jade Capital waiting outside the hall who looked much older than Village Chief, Dao Master, and the rest. Their eye sockets were sunken in, making their eyes look round and small. Their white hair and long eyebrows were all dragging on the ground, so even though they were standing, they seemed very short.

The height of those three old immortals and Xiong Qi’er was about the same.

“Senior brothers, thank you for the trouble.” Hermit Qing You greeted the three men.

The old immortals returned his greeting and said, “Human Emperor has come to visit so we naturally have to receive him politely.”

Village Chief’s gaze flickered and he said, “The three aeons of Little Jade Capital? How are you guys still alive? You’re all much older than I!”

The old immortals took a look at him, and an old woman said with her sunken mouth that had no teeth, “Earth Count must have forgotten about us, that’s why he hasn’t come to claim our lives.”

Village Chief was bewildered.

The three old immortals dragged their long eyebrows and white hair into the hall and said, “Human Emperor, please follow us.”

Qin Mu caught up to them, a little afraid that these people would step on their own hair or eyebrows. Luckily, that didn’t happen. Their white eyebrows and hair were like living objects as they were always able to avoid the feet.

‘Could it be that because they had lived for so long that their hair also became spirits?’ Qin Mu guessed secretly.

Suddenly, he stepped on the air and leaped into the sky. His vital qi trembled and transformed into wings on his back. Qin Mu then flapped them to hover in the sky, his body moving up and down.

In front of him, bright flames surged forth and dazzled his eyes. Formation markings appeared layer after layer as Qin Mu operated Nine Heavens Eyes Awakening Skill to open Green Heaven’s Eyes. Only then was he able to look at the incomparably bright flames in front of him.

The flames filled the entire sky, but they rapidly moved away. A huge blazing sun pulled farther and farther away from him before stopping in the sky.

Then, a cool sensation came from the back. Qin Mu hurriedly turned around and saw a huge moon covering the sky behind him. It was also pulling away rapidly.

“The heaven aeon as the sun, the water aeon as the moon, then where’s the earth aeon?”

Qin Mu looked at his feet and saw dirt-yellow streams of air flowing everywhere. As they churned below, huge mountains slowly rose from the ground without any regular pattern.

When the three aeons flowed together, they immediately became verdant hills and limpid water with all living things growing in the auspicious and peaceful world.

“Human Emperor, do you choose to break through the heaven aeon, the earth aeon, or the water aeon?” a rumbling voice which could deafen the ears asked.

Qin Mu looked toward the source of the sound and saw a brilliant gold god standing upright in the sun. Behind him was a three-legged golden crow. The god also had three legs, and there was also a third eye at the heart of his brows, while in his hand was a huge bell.

Qin Mu turned back to take a look and saw that there was a woman in the moon. She was sparkling with silvery light, her hair like silver threads. A huge toad stood behind her back with dark and muddled eyes. The female god held an osmanthus tree in her hand while her silver-white clothing fluttered in the breeze.

Qin Mu looked down and saw the third god. His body was tall and upright, with yellow dragons coiling all around him. The yellow air bobbed up and down under his feet as it continuously surged around.

Qin Mu breathed in the air and instantly felt different kinds of energy pouring toward him. This actually made his spirit embryo grow a bit.

He couldn’t help being astonished. After cultivating to his step, almost all of the marvels of Spirit Embryo Divine Treasure had been uncovered, so there could be no more improvement. Yet at this place, Spirit Embryo Divine Treasure seemed to be able to continue improving!

“What is this place?” Qin Mu asked loudly. “Where are the three elders from earlier?”

“This is the Spirit Embryo Divine Treasure of a god,” the brilliant golden god in the sun said, his voice like thunder. “This god is already dead, so only his body remains. I’m Heaven Aeon Spiritual Master, with secret arts, I became the heaven aeon of this god.”

“I’m Water Aeon Spiritual Master,” said a voice from the bright moon behind Qin Mu. “I used secret arts to become the water aeon of this god.”

“And I’m Earth Aeon.”

The earth under Qin Mu’s feet swirled and rose. The giant stood still, but his body rose up with a swirl of air. A huge and twisted mountain then rose up in front of Qin Mu.

The giant looked down at Qin Mu from above. “Earth Aeon Spiritual Master pays his respects to Human Emperor!”

After being stunned for some time, Qin Mu came to a realization. “You’re much older than Grandpa Village Chief, but the reason you haven’t died is not because Earth Count forgot about you guys; it’s because you guys borrowed the Spirit Embryo Divine Treasure of this god to continue living!”

Earth Aeon Spiritual Master didn’t have the doddering appearance of when he was outside the hall. In his incomparably heavy voice, he said, “What you guessed is right! Human Emperors are indeed all smart people. The lifespan of the three of us has already surpassed two thousand years. If it were other people, they would have died three or four times. No matter if they were strong practitioners that were close to gods, they still couldn’t escape the fate of being born, growing old, then getting sick and dying. However, we live on by having seized an opportunity.”

Golden light fluttered around Heaven Aeon Spiritual Master and flames grew out from his back like rainbows and wings. “We aren’t clinging to our lives at death’s door, but are trying to choose the best talent in Little Jade Capital to push them one step forward. We want to let them take a look at the marvel of a god’s divine treasures to achieve a breakthrough.”

“However, if they want to receive the benefits, they have to pass the test of the three aeons.” Behind Qin Mu, Water Aeon Spiritual Master’s lights floated like rainbows as she came to Qin Mu’s side. She then said. “Test of the three aeons asks one to challenge the elites transformed from the three aeons of this god. Can you feel it? At this place, the density of the three aeons is enough to push your spirit embryo a step forward! However, since the ancient times, there haven’t been many that could reach the three aeons of the god. Those who could were all top notch people.”

‘There’s is such a place in Little Jade Capital?’

Qin Mu’s eyes lit up. Three aeons were heaven aeon, earth aeon, and water aeon. If he could achieve all three of them, his Spirit Embryo Realm would definitely break through once more!

Since his spirit embryo was already powerful enough to the point of being seen as abnormal, what level would it reach if it break through once again?

However, based on what the three spiritual masters said, he would need to challenge the elites of the three aeons in order to gain the benefits. And fighting with a god still made him uneasy.

“Hall of Three Aeons can only be challenged once! In that case, do you choose Heaven Aeon Breakthrough, Earth Aeon Breakthrough, or Water Aeon Breakthrough?” asked the three gods in unison.

Qin Mu pondered over it, then asked loudly, “Seniors, which is the strongest breakthrough?”

“Of course Three Aeons Breakthrough is the strongest!” the three of them said at the same time.

Qin Mu’s spirit was greatly roused, and he said in a loud and clear voice, “In that case, I shall challenge the three aeons!”

The three gods looked at one another and saw their own astonishment in the eyes of the others.

“As you wish!”

The sun trembled, and a trail of flame flew out. At the same time, a silver light and a yellow light shot out from the moonlight and the land. The lights transformed into three youths that possessed extremely powerful auras. What was weird was that the three of them looked exactly the same.

The three youths were all on Six Directions Realm. Suddenly, they walked into each other, and their bodies overlapped. The aura of the body then increased drastically, and the corners of Qin Mu’s eyes twitched irregularly.

‘Maybe Heaven Aeon Breakthrough might have been safer…’ he thought to himself.