Ten thousand years ago, the Demon Realm launched a massive invasion of the Xuanling Realm. The Dark Night Priest served as the strategist and advisor for the demon army at that time.
It possessed immense power, was proficient in the Eight Trigrams of the Innate, and excelled in the art of Yan Sheng, allowing it to anticipate enemy movements. It led the demon legions in conjunction with the Ghost Realm, sweeping through more than half of the Xuanling Realm.
In the end, Bai Di emerged, turning the tide of the battle, defeating the allied forces of the Ghost and Demon races, and destroying the Gates of the Ghost Realm and the Demon Realm, sealing them completely.
The Dark Night Priest survived the chaos and had been lurking in the Xuanling Realm for years, secretly instigating various human and demon factions, gathering forces, and intending to break the seals and reopen the Demon Realm Gate.
A while ago, at a great cost, it calculated that the Demon Realm Gate was about to reopen. It then hid within the ruins of the ancient Human-Demon Battlefield, awaiting its opportunity.
The Dark Night Priest firmly believed that once the Demon Realm Gate reopened, it would be the time for the Demon race to dominate the Xuanling Realm.
However, the appearance of the Tiger Tally made it impatient. This military token of the demon army had been lost by it years ago, so it naturally wanted to reclaim it immediately.
Therefore, it disregarded the exposure of its whereabouts and directly attacked Ji Mo.
It had expected to reclaim the Tiger Tally with ease but unexpectedly encountered a formidable opponent.
"You're dreaming."
How could Ji Mo possibly agree? He was convinced that the Tiger Tally in his hand was an extraordinary treasure that could be used to control various demonic creatures, and he would never hand it over for nothing.
Moreover, he had been scared since childhood, so why would he fear the other party's threats?
"Vile human, do you think your robust physique means I have no way to deal with you?"
The Dark Night Priest's fiery eyes emitted a faint green glow, filled with killing intent.
The failed sneak attack from behind made it realize that Ji Mo's body was incredibly strong, and physical attacks likely wouldn't harm him. However, its greatest strength lay in mental attacks.
Seeing Ji Mo's defiance, the Dark Night Priest wasted no more words and decisively attacked.
Its brow contorted, emitting a dazzling light, and a vertical eye appeared.
This vertical eye was as black as ink, resembling an endless abyss, from which terrifying mental energy erupted and then surged out like a volcano.
The mental secret power churned like a vast sea, with towering waves, violently impacting Ji Mo's mental consciousness.
The Dark Night Priest had successfully assassinated countless experts with this move, and even super-experts in the ninth level of the Mortal Immortal realm had suffered greatly at its hands, nearly having their will completely erased.
It had to be said that the Dark Night Priest's mental power was truly immense. As soon as the divine ability was unleashed, the surrounding cultivators of the Yu family, even from a considerable distance, were affected. They felt splitting headaches, and their mental consciousness showed signs of collapse.
Yu Xiaohuan cried out in pain, clutching her head with both hands, her face contorted in agony, almost revealing her true form on the spot.
Ning Wenjing felt a roaring in her head, her pupils instantly losing focus, but she quickly regained her composure.
This was because Ji Mo, with quick reflexes, pulled her behind him, shielding Ning Wenjing.
His body was as imposing as a mountain, seemingly capable of withstanding all dangers, and indeed, it was. The terrifying mental attack was entirely intercepted by him.
"I refuse to believe your mental power is greater than mine."
The Dark Night Priest roared, its mental energy surging, the vertical eye spewing dark light, and countless runes intertwined. More immense mental impacts, like waves, crashed over and over.
The cultivators of the Yu family couldn't bear it, blood seeping from their noses and mouths, and they couldn't help but cry out in pain.
Yu Xiaohuan's pretty face had completely lost its color, and she was on the verge of collapse.
"Playing tricks, you think I'll be afraid of you just because you've grown a third eye."
Ji Mo couldn't feel the mental impact at all, but he couldn't stand seeing three eyes staring at him. He strode forward and poked out his index finger.
The Dark Night Priest's face was filled with disbelief. Under such a massive mental impact, the opponent hadn't even blinked and was completely unaffected. It was utterly unexpected.
It wanted to dodge but found its body as if imprisoned, unable to move. It could only watch helplessly as Ji Mo's finger poked towards its vertical eye.
"Hmph, naive. Do you think this clone of mine is afraid of you poking its eye?"
The Dark Night Priest remained calm, showing no signs of panic.
But then, it let out a scream. Ji Mo's finger had accurately pierced its vertical eye.
There was no flesh or blood flying, nor was there any gushing blood, but the Dark Night Priest's body, like porcelain, developed dense cracks.
Its expression twisted, and it roared, "You just wait, I will surely make your life worse than death!"
With that, its body exploded, turning into a wisp of green smoke.
In the air, a yellowed talisman shattered, turning into scattered paper scraps.
"So it was the art of Yan Sheng. Just a charade, as expected."
Ji Mo said disdainfully.
Having some knowledge of the orthodox Xuanxue Five Arts of Taoism, he naturally looked down upon such unorthodox tricks.
"With one finger, you destroyed the Dark Night Priest's clone. Mr. Ji is truly formidable!"
The proprietress in the distance exclaimed with admiration, her eyes sparkling with a peculiar light as she gazed at Ji Mo.
The Desolate Ancient Soul Devouring Toad said with some concern, "The Priest is extremely petty and vengeful. I fear it will not give up easily."
"Can a speck of dust shake the bright moon? If it foolishly dares to attack again, Mr. Ji will likely not let it off easily."
The proprietress said dismissively, full of confidence in Ji Mo.
How could these lowly beings possibly harm a reincarnated Demon God?
In a hidden underground cave within the ruins of the ancient Human-Demon Battlefield, a piercing scream echoed.
A figure clad in a black cloak pounded his chest and stomped his feet, roaring at the sky.
His body was shrouded in a gray mist, obscuring his true appearance and making him incredibly mysterious. It was the Dark Night Priest's true form.
Faintly visible, blue blood flowed from its forehead. As the blood dripped onto the ground, it hissed, and the mud and stones were corroded.
"How is this possible? What is the origin of this human? How could it injure my true form through a clone?"
The Dark Night Priest gritted its teeth, filled with rage, its eyes bloodshot.
This was the first time it had encountered such a situation. The opponent's Xuanxue techniques were actually more profound than its own, which made it deeply resentful.
It had been immersed in the art of Yan Sheng for over ten thousand years, reaching a state of perfection. It refused to believe that a mere human could be more skilled than itself.
"I can also injure people from afar, and my methods are thousands of times stronger than yours."
The Dark Night Priest, brimming with anger, swore to kill that scoundrel.
It took out a small piece of ten-thousand-year-old aged wood, carved it into Ji Mo's likeness, then bit its finger, squeezed out blue vital blood, and smeared profound runes onto the wooden figure.
"Ji, let's see if I can't stab you to death."
The Dark Night Priest grinned sinisterly, picked up a three-inch nail, and forcefully drove it into the head of the wooden figure in its hand.