The black shadow that appeared was the Hellhound, Cerberus.
It had three heads, was as black as ink, its mouth full of fangs, and its body flowed with netherflame, ferocious and terrifying!
It had to be said that it was truly cunning, extremely cautious, and only emerged to contend for the spoils after everything had settled and there was no danger.
The Hellhound was skilled at digging. With a swipe of its claws, large amounts of mud and stone vanished instantly. In a short while, the ruins were dug open to reveal a deep pit, and the Li family's secret vault, buried underground, was exposed.
"I want to see what good treasures are hidden inside!"
The Hellhound's three heads were all grinning, and its body flashed as it intended to force its way into the secret vault.
It could already sense various energy signatures within, indicating the presence of astonishing items.
"Awooo..."
The next second, it let out a scream and retreated rapidly, its face full of surprise and uncertainty.
On its front claws, a small patch of scorched black appeared, clearly having been burned by something.
Within the secret vault, a ball of fire suddenly lit up.
It was an oil lamp, cast in bronze, only about a dozen centimeters in size, with a unique shape and an extremely ancient style.
The oil lamp emitted a faint glow. Due to the oil being almost depleted, the flame was only the size of a bean, but its power was astonishing, capable of injuring the Hellhound.
"A top-tier immortal artifact. This Li family has some substance."
The Hellhound, cautious by nature, watched carefully without acting rashly.
It wasn't that it feared the bronze oil lamp, but rather that it was afraid of other dangers. After all, caution ensures a safe journey for ten thousand years.
"Cerberus, can you do it? If not, go aside. You're too timid."
A mocking voice echoed from the sky.
The Four-Faced Buddha openly ridiculed the Hellhound, finding it a disgrace to the divine beasts to be so cowardly.
They were all top-tier beings, what was there to fear?
The Hellhound bared its teeth and barked, but it was too lazy to retort to the Four-Faced Buddha.
This was the land of Shenzhou, after all, with its most brilliant mythology. Who could be sure that the work of some great Chinese deity wasn't left behind here?
Elsewhere, one could be reckless, but here, it was not a bad idea to be a little careful.
The Four-Faced Buddha made another move, extending a finger. Golden light blazed, like a heavenly pillar descending.
The bronze oil lamp clearly sensed the impending danger. Runes intertwined, and the flame instantly erupted, transforming into a dragon shape that soared into the sky.
*Bang...*
The indestructible golden finger, like a force that could break everything, scattered the dragon-shaped flame and sent the bronze oil lamp flying.
Subsequently,
the finger continued to descend, with layers of energy ripples vibrating, breaking through the multiple restrictions of the Li family's secret vault and destroying them all.
Instantly, auspicious light surged, and multicolored halos bloomed, revealing the many items stored in the Li family's secret vault.
Among them, several items were particularly eye-catching.
Two scroll paintings, exuding profound daoist rhymes, were indeed the Tuibei Tu (Pushing Back the Future diagrams), and undoubtedly, they were genuine.
A banana fan, as green and lustrous as jade, was enveloped by dense wind elements, as if a mere gentle wave could unleash countless hurricanes.
There was also a golden mask, with a peculiar design. Although it didn't shine brightly, the fact that the light from other treasures deliberately avoided it indicated that this item was absolutely extraordinary.
"Old Master Li, you've hidden quite a few 'hot potatoes'."
Ji Mo's gaze fell on the two Tuibei Tu scrolls. He had always thought the old fox was cunning, and it turned out he was playing the trick of substituting a fake for the real.
Giving away the fakes and keeping the genuine articles in storage was quite something.
Li Tong's old face instantly flushed red with embarrassment. He deeply regretted not listening to Ji Mo's advice earlier.
If the items had been given to Ji Mo in advance, the Li family would not have fallen into such a predicament. Not only was their estate destroyed, but all their treasures were also plundered.
The most serious consequence, naturally, was that the Li family would face utter destruction, and everyone could be silenced.
These so-called deities, having made their move, would naturally eliminate all traces and sever all future troubles.
"Mr. Ji, if you can protect our lives, I am willing to give everything the Li family possesses to Longhu Mountain."
Li Tong pleaded. Ji Mo was now their only hope.
As long as they could survive, all external possessions could be discarded.
Ji Mo did not reply, mainly because Li Tong mentioned giving all the family assets to Longhu Mountain, which left him somewhat speechless.
Of course, whether he gave it to him or not, he would not stand by and watch them die.
"Ji Mo, if you can truly save my family's lives, I will agree to anything, even fulfilling the bet from last time at Jiming Mountain."
Li Feiyan bit her pink lips, willing to pay any price to save her family.
"Miss Li, please spare me. I won't sleep with you."
Ji Mo sternly refused, continuing to stare at the surveillance footage, anticipating the appearance of any other big fish.
His appetite was great, and one Buddha and one dog were clearly not enough to satisfy him.
Mainly, the Four-Faced Buddha couldn't be eaten, and the Hellhound, despite having three heads, didn't have much meat.
"The real Tuibei Tu! This is something Lord Tian Tu specifically asked for. I've finally made a great contribution this time."
The Hellhound shouted excitedly, its target being the Tuibei Tu.
As long as it could take the Tuibei Tu back to offer to Tian Tu and join the dark faction, it would be a sure bet, avoiding the dark harvest.
The Hellhound howled and rushed towards the secret vault, intending to take the Tuibei Tu and other treasures in one go.
The Four-Faced Buddha's eyes lit up green upon seeing the items before him. Naturally, he wanted to monopolize them all and was unwilling to let the Hellhound have any share.
He pointed a Buddha hand, stirring up an energy storm, intercepting the Hellhound.
"Cerberus, I will personally present the Tuibei Tu to Lord Tian Tu. You have no part in this. As for the treasures here, I can give you a few."
The Four-Faced Buddha spoke coldly, intending to take the lion's share and only give the Hellhound a sip of soup.
"You ugly thing, you have beautiful dreams. The conditions should be reversed..."
The Hellhound naturally refused and began to argue with the Four-Faced Buddha, not giving way at all.
The two surviving divine chosen ones were the lucky ones chosen by the Four-Faced Buddha and the Hellhound.
Originally, these two individuals were filled with fervent worship and devotion for their believed gods, extremely pious.
But at this moment, both of them stood dumbfounded.
Is this what gods are like?
They were no different from street ruffians or shrewish women. They were loudly plotting how to divide the spoils with red faces, their language extremely vulgar, escalating to cursing each other and even involving each other's families.
Their faith wavered. It turned out that the so-called gods were not sacred and inviolable; their greed was even greater than that of mortals.
Especially the Four-Faced Buddha, shouldn't he be filled with great compassion and have no desires?
Why was his face so greedy, and his eating so unsightly?
"How about a fifty-fifty split? We can both use the Tuibei Tu to curry favor with Lord Tian Tu. Moreover, we can cooperate in the future, plundering everywhere. The land of Shenzhou is full of treasures, and the Li family's collection is just the tip of the iceberg."
After much tugging and pulling, the Four-Faced Buddha and the Hellhound finally reached a consensus, willing to share the Li family's secret vault.
And at this moment.
The Li family members discovered that Ji Mo had suddenly disappeared.
"Ji, are you abandoning us and running away?" Li Feiyan cried out in shock.
Li Tong shook his head: "Don't talk nonsense. Mr. Ji is probably going to... slay a god."
"Still want to plunder everywhere? Die, bald donkey, go to hell."
Ji Mo's voice echoed from the sky, and he appeared behind the Four-Faced Buddha.
Immediately, without hesitation, he raised his palm and slapped the Four-Faced Buddha's shiny bald head forcefully.