Instantly.
The Four-Faced Buddha’s head exploded, his skull cracking open. His body convulsed violently, crashing heavily from the sky to the ground.
His head throbbed, golden divine blood oozing, smearing his face. His mind buzzed.
"What kind of lowly rat dares to ambush me? Show yourself and fight me head-on!"
The Four-Faced Buddha struggled to his feet, roaring at the sky, filled with immense grief and indignation.
To be taken down with a single slap was a profound humiliation. He swore the opponent would pay dearly in blood.
The Hellhound cursed the Buddha as an idiot but didn't stand idly by. It acted decisively.
Its three gaping maws opened, radiating divine light and spewing runes, each unleashing an attack of a different attribute.
The first mouth spewed forth raging flames, black as ink – the Hellfire, capable of incinerating any flesh and blood.
The second mouth spat a cascade of water, sweeping across the sky – the Water of the Yellow Springs, possessing the power to devour souls and erode bones.
The third mouth crackled with electricity, the terrifying lightning transforming into a thousand-zhang blood python, hurtling towards Ji Mo.
"You like a head-on fight, do you? Then take this!"
Ji Mo’s arms flexed, and his body plummeted downwards.
He was currently in his "Three-Second Manly" state, his combat power sky-high. He completely ignored the Hellhound's attacks, his skin glowing with a faint luminescence, impervious to all techniques. He effortlessly disintegrated the incoming hellfire and Yellow Springs water.
The thousand-zhang blood python met its end like an egg hitting a rock, shattering into pieces.
Ji Mo was fierce and unstoppable, raising his leg ferociously towards the Four-Faced Buddha’s broad face.
Seeing this, the Four-Faced Buddha's scalp tingled, his eight eyeballs bulging in terror.
His entire body turned cold, trembling. He felt the imminent threat of death.
This kick contained an unimaginably terrifying power, capable of shattering mountains and rivers. He had no confidence whatsoever in his ability to withstand it head-on.
At this moment, he wished he could slap himself.
Why had he insisted on a frontal confrontation when he couldn't possibly endure it?
The Four-Faced Buddha tried to dodge, but a terrifying energy field sealed the void, making evasion impossible.
At the brink of death, he looked towards the stunned God-Chosen in the distance, his eyes turning cold. A decision was made.
*Bang!*
Ji Mo precisely stomped on the Four-Faced Buddha’s face. The terrifying energy poured in, dislocating the Buddha's features.
Immediately after, the Four-Faced Buddha let out a piercing scream. His golden body, like porcelain, was covered in cracks. Large amounts of blood gushed out, his flesh and blood a bloody mess. In an instant, he lost all signs of life.
Ji Mo was somewhat surprised, not expecting the Four-Faced Buddha to be so fragile. However, he soon discovered the truth: "Something's wrong, the soul has changed. This is a substitution technique."
Meanwhile, the God-Chosen in the distance jolted. His pupils flickered with intense Buddhist light, and his entire aura changed drastically.
It turned out the Four-Faced Buddha had directly used a soul-swapping secret technique, exchanging souls with his God-Chosen. He had abandoned his physical body to escape this calamity.
The so-called God-Chosen were actually a huge trap. They were not fortunate individuals but rather unlucky ones.
In reality, God-Chosen were merely tools meticulously cultivated by gods – puppets, cauldrons, or backup plans for survival, pitiful sacrifices.
Herbert, standing nearby, was stunned and finally understood.
He had always been proud of being a God-Chosen, believing himself to be the son of destiny. He never imagined the reality was so cruel, that God-Chosen were merely tools casually sacrificed by the gods.
He had been so grateful to the Hellhound, obeying its every command and committing so many evil deeds.
To save his own life, the Four-Faced Buddha had unhesitatingly used his God-Chosen as a shield. It was utterly inhuman. He suspected the Hellhound was of the same ilk.
Suddenly, Herbert felt as if he had fallen into an ice cellar, dreading that he too might not escape misfortune.
"Cerberus, hold on for a moment! I'm going to get reinforcements."
The Four-Faced Buddha, having already possessed his God-Chosen, turned deathly pale. He dared not linger for another second. Shamelessly, he called out to the Hellhound and then decisively betrayed his ally.
He intended to have the Hellhound stall Ji Mo while he made his escape.
Ji Mo ignored the fleeing Four-Faced Buddha. The bald monk was cunning, but his timing was terrible. He fled directly into Xi Gou's ambush zone, a sure path to his own demise.
"Four-Faced Buddha, you damn—"
The Hellhound exploded in rage, its lungs about to burst.
By the time he brought reinforcements, his grave would likely be overgrown.
Its face darkened, and it turned its gaze to Herbert, issuing a command.
The pitiable Herbert, though already on guard, could not escape his fate. His body erupted with all its strength, and he involuntarily charged towards Ji Mo.
The Hellhound intended to sacrifice Herbert to buy itself a sliver of time to escape.
Its entire body glowed, runes interwoven, and it burrowed its head into the ground.
As long as it could burrow back underground, it would be like a dragon returning to the sea; even a God King couldn't catch it.
However, as the Hellhound’s body was only half-buried, it could move no further.
Ji Mo kicked Herbert aside and swiftly pounced, grabbing one of the Hellhound's legs.
Then, like pulling a radish, he yanked it straight out of the ground.
The Hellhound was swung around and slammed down several times.
Finally, its bones were scattered, and it fainted from the pain.
"Old Heavenly Master, you're so fast! You're already done?!"
Zhang Ye walked over, applauding like a seal, his face filled with awe.
These were two deities! Especially the Four-Faced Buddha, whose strength was close to that of a main god. Yet, in Ji Mo's hands, he was easily dealt with by a slap and a kick.
"A true man should be as quick as possible."
Ji Mo spoke, a twitch at the corner of his mouth.
No man liked being told he was quick, but he had physical issues. Thus, he struck like lightning, the faster he resolved the battle, the better.
A short while later, Anubis returned, dragging the Four-Faced Buddha, who looked like a beaten dog covered in bite marks.
"Take them back quietly. The bald monk can be fertilizer, and the dog can be made into a dry pot."
Ji Mo instructed Anubis to take the Hellhound and the Four-Faced Buddha's golden body back, then strode towards the Li family's secret vault.
"I must be seeing things. Ji Mo killed two deities in mere breaths?"
Li Feiyan gasped, her heart pounding wildly.
Even though she had witnessed it herself, she found it hard to believe.
These were two divine beings, not some random cats or dogs, and they were gone just like that!
"No disrespect! From now on, you must address Mr. Ji as Divine Venerable Master. Today, I finally understand the meaning of 'appearances can be deceiving.' Divine Venerable Ji looks a bit slow-witted, but his strength is astonishing. With him here, who will dare bully our China again?"
Li Tong said with deep emotion, leading everyone out of the bunker and back to the surface.
"It really is the true Tuibei Tu."
Entering the secret vault, Ji Mo’s first stop was naturally the two Tuibei Tu paintings.
Both depicted apocalyptic scenes. One was similar to the previous fake, yet with slight differences.
The other depicted the arrival of a harsh winter, all realms in mourning, and the great destruction of the universe. Even the Blue Star seemed to have been blown apart.
Both paintings foretold tragic endings, but they also seemed to hide certain variables, as if Li Chunfeng and Yuan Tiangang had left some guidance for future generations.
Ji Mo overlapped the two paintings. Some lines intertwined, forming faint, indistinct patterns.
"This is... Xuanyuan Cave?!"