The city of Chenxi had become the world's focal point in recent days.
News spread like wildfire: a divine battle had occurred on the outskirts of Chenxi, attracting global attention.
Investigations of the residual traces at the scene ultimately confirmed it was Thanatos, the God of Death, and Anubis, the God of Funerals, who had clashed.
This left everyone utterly bewildered.
After all, the ancient Egyptian pantheon had always been subservient to the ancient Greek pantheon, never retaliating when attacked or insulted.
Anubis, in particular, was known for bullying the weak and fearing the strong. How could he possibly dare to go to war with Thanatos?
Public opinion was overwhelmingly in favor of Anubis.
It was argued that even a cornered rabbit would bite, let alone a dog-headed god. It was surely Thanatos, the God of Death, who had become too arrogant, and Anubis had finally reached his breaking point.
Even the various pantheons were watching the spectacle. The Olympians had been too dominant in recent years, ambitious and always seeking to be the top dog.
Asgard erupted in cheers, publicly supporting Anubis and denouncing the Olympians for their disregard of divine law, constantly bullying the weak. They contrasted this with their own Norse pantheon, which advocated for equality among gods, love, and peace.
Hades, the King of the Underworld, was furious. Only he knew that his capable subordinate, Thanatos, the God of Death, was utterly gone, his very soul obliterated without a trace.
He immediately went to confront Set, demanding an explanation. After all, Set was Anubis's master and thus responsible.
"Hades, you should be seeking an account from Anubis. This matter has nothing to do with me."
Set acted as if he had no involvement whatsoever. He even produced valid evidence proving that Anubis had long been stripped of his divine status, no longer belonging to the ancient Egyptian pantheon, and had no connection to Set.
Therefore, everything Anubis had done was his own personal act.
Set washed his hands of the matter, leaving Hades frustrated. However, he sensed that something was amiss.
A god would only be stripped of their divine status for an unforgivable grave offense, their fate either death or eternal imprisonment.
When had Set become so lenient as to merely strip Anubis of his divine position and spare his life?
There was a trick to this, a definite trick.
Hades decided to personally intervene, to capture Anubis alive and uncover the truth.
...
On the streets of Chenxi, a man and a dog were aimlessly wandering.
On the LED screen of a nearby shopping mall, an advertisement for a game played: "Start with a Kun, Evolve by Devouring."
Ji Mo stared at the advertisement for a long time, remaining silent.
To alleviate his physical condition, he needed to absorb immense amounts of energy. Targeting gods was undoubtedly the best shortcut.
Just as he had been eating the flesh of the不死鸟 (Immortal Bird) daily, his physical condition had not worsened further, and the periods he could remain lucid had increased.
However, Li Er's words also held truth: this was a path of no return. If he lost control, he could very well lose his sanity, feeding on the world's populace and ultimately becoming another source of darkness.
Could he truly maintain a clear heart and remain untainted?
Ji Hanhan was conflicted.
Walking this unorthodox path had unpredictable consequences.
But without taking this unorthodox path, how could he gain enough strength to alter his destiny and change the future?
At this moment, the content on the LED screen changed to a montage of old movie clips, including "A Chinese Odyssey."
"Without the golden hoop, how can I save you!"
The conflict on Ji Mo's face dissipated, replaced by a relaxed smile. He had made up his mind.
An epoch is too long; seize the day!
He would become stronger at any cost, to reverse the outcome.
Even if it meant being a moth to a flame, he would do it without hesitation. He wanted to fight for a sliver of hope for Bao'er Jie and this world.
Therefore, there was nothing more to say. He needed no further reservations; he would target the gods.
"Good dog, we're out of food at home. You have bones to gnaw on so you won't starve, but I need to eat meat."
Ji Mo spoke, reminding Anubis.
Anubis shivered all over.
When Ji Mo was lucid, he still treated himself as a guard dog. But when he turned into Hanhan, he became food!
It had seen Ji Hanhan search on his phone multiple times: "How to slaughter a raw dog," and "One hundred ways to prepare dog meat."
The phone had been a gift from Qian Qianqian earlier, for maintaining contact.
Ji Mo had also sent messages to Qian Qianqian, hinting that he wanted to borrow some money to live on, but he had received no response.
It seemed that borrowing money was indeed the best way to end a friendship.
"Master, don't worry. The huge commotion in Chenxi will surely attract gods with ulterior motives. I will definitely be able to find these suckers."
Anubis acted like a subservient lackey and began sniffing around.
Seeing that Anubis didn't seem very reliable, Ji Mo sighed.
This situation felt exactly like starting with a dog, where all equipment and skills had to be earned through fighting.
He hoped this skinny dog would be somewhat useful, otherwise, he would have to seriously consider eating human flesh. Cutting off a few pieces shouldn't be too much of a problem, right?
On a secluded street, a beautiful young girl was walking in a hurry.
Around her, several "ghost fire" motorcycles (modified mopeds) roared back and forth. The young men on the bikes whistled and pestered her for her contact information.
They even deliberately revved their engines, creating gusts of wind, intending to lift the girl's short skirt.
Upon catching glimpses of fair white thighs, they erupted in excited laughter.
The girl had long, light green hair tied in twin ponytails, wearing a blue off-the-shoulder chiffon mini-dress. She was petite and delicate, with skin as fair as snow, incredibly pleasing to the eye.
Not to mention her large, flickering eyes and innocent expression, making anyone want to bully her.
The girl pursed her pink lips, having swallowed the word "Baka" (idiot) countless times, feeling furious.
She was a foreigner, from the country of Pen.
She had thought that her country, which produced so many disgusting perverts, was the worst, but even in this great civilized nation, she encountered such delinquent youths.
The girl's name was Senbon Sakura. Her purpose in coming here was to find the divine beast Yamata no Orochi and persuade it to return.
She hailed from the Senbon family, the oldest family in Pen. With deep family traditions, she understood the dangers of this mysterious country better than anyone.
The Senbon family was a rare anomaly in Pen, always advocating for peace and maintaining a sense of reverence.
Senbon Sakura had been influenced by this upbringing. Therefore, upon learning that Yamata no Orochi dared to cross the border, she intended to stop it.
Illegal entry was a blatant act of provocation. If it angered the great gods of Huaxia, Yamata no Orochi would surely perish, and Pen might even be implicated and sunk with a single blow.
Although it was said outside that Huaxia had no more gods, Senbon Sakura trusted her intuition. She absolutely could not provoke them, or the consequences would be unbearable for anyone.
"Hey, little girl, either add my WeChat or come for a ride with us. I'll take you flying..."
The "ghost fire" youths, noticing that there were no pedestrians on the street, became bolder.
However, before they could finish speaking, they heard a sharp cry of "Shinei!" (Die!) and were lifted into the air by a powerful gust of wind, crashing their vehicles and themselves. They were bruised, battered, and covered in injuries.
Seeing that there were no onlookers, Senbon Sakura naturally had no more reservations and decided to teach these street thugs a lesson.
"A cultivator, this little girl is a cultivator."
"Don't kill me..."
The "ghost fire" youths were terrified. They scrambled away, abandoning their vehicles and fleeing in panic.
Because "Shinei" meant "die," they were scared out of their wits, fearing they would be killed on the spot.
Senbon Sakura was still angry and wanted to continue teaching them a lesson.
Just then, a dark shadow lunged forward with lightning speed.