Laughter erupted from the other side, dismissing Ji Mo as a mere clown.
How dare he speak such arrogant words, not knowing his own limitations?
However.
In the next second, the smiles on their faces vanished, replaced by terror.
From the large pit behind Ji Mo, demonic smoke billowed, and an endless stream of Heavenly Poison Demonic Ants surged out, like a tide, rushing towards the people from Flying Phoenix Ridge and Tongtian Pavilion.
The leading elders of Flying Phoenix Ridge and Tongtian Pavilion remained relatively calm, not overly panicked. With their strength, they were certainly capable of resisting the attacks of the Heavenly Poison Demonic Ant swarm.
Their eyes gleamed, fixed on the shimmering tiger tally in Ji Mo's hand, filled with greed.
"An immortal artifact in this brat's possession? It's our lucky day."
These two old fellows roared with laughter.
The Heavenly Poison Demonic Ants could not stop them, meaning this immortal artifact was destined to be theirs.
Ji Mo had used spicy rabbit heads as bait to lure the Iron-Eating Beast into action, but the beast's round, dark eyes rolled around, clearly not satisfied and wanting more benefits.
This little fellow, though appearing simple, was quite cunning and sly.
Ji Mo saw through its little trick and didn't indulge it. He directly grabbed one of its hind legs and threatened it fiercely, "Don't play dumb with me. If you don't listen, it won't be rabbit heads that are spicy, but this little stubby leg of yours."
With that, he unceremoniously flung the Iron-Eating Beast away.
The overwhelming swarm of Heavenly Poison Demonic Ants engaged in combat with the cultivators from Flying Phoenix Ridge and Tongtian Pavilion, while the two elders, disregarding the lives of their subordinates, rushed towards Ji Mo.
There was only one immortal artifact, and whoever grabbed it first would own it.
At this moment, a black and white spherical object hurtled towards them.
The Tongtian Pavilion elder struck out with his palm, his fierce winds surging, intending to smash the Iron-Eating Beast into a pulp.
*Bang!*
The palm strike sounded like it hit immortal gold, emitting a thunderous roar.
The terrifying impact shattered his palm bones and sent his entire body flying backward.
The Tongtian Pavilion elder suffered a great disadvantage right at the start of the battle, spitting blood as he flew.
He was quick to react, immediately summoning two dream-grade magical treasures to protect himself, and shouted, "This demonic beast is not right!"
Then, he quickly swallowed a life-saving pill, ignoring the pain, and consumed several more. The injury to his left hand was temporarily halted, and his shattered palm bones began to recover.
Simultaneously, the Flying Phoenix Ridge elder drew his Emperor Weapon and launched an attack.
His body rumbled, and a sea of blood energy surged from him. The Emperor Axe in his hand erupted with dazzling radiance, unleashing his full strength as a fifth-level Mortal Immortal realm cultivator.
"Vermin, die!"
The Flying Phoenix Ridge elder roared, the Emperor Axe spewing dozens of feet of crimson light as it slashed towards the Iron-Eating Beast's head.
The word "vermin" clearly displeased the Iron-Eating Beast. As a divine beast, it would not tolerate being defiled by an ant. Its starlike eyes immediately filled with fury.
The Iron-Eating Beast did not dodge at all; it swung its claws to meet the attack.
It intended to meet the Emperor Weapon head-on with its claws, displaying immense power.
Sparks flew. The Iron-Eating Beast's claws were unharmed, while the Emperor Axe itself developed several cracks.
It was utterly unbelievable; the Iron-Eating Beast's sharp claws were even harder than the Emperor Weapon.
The Flying Phoenix Ridge elder cried out in pain, feeling a sharp ache in his tiger's mouth, and almost dropped the Emperor Axe.
The blood in his chest churned, and his expression turned extremely grim. He gritted his teeth and swallowed the blood that rose to his throat.
The Tongtian Pavilion elder's face was ashen. He said coldly, "Let's join forces and attack together."
He activated a dream-grade magical treasure, emitting a soul-stirring glow as he hurled it at the Iron-Eating Beast.
The two of them attacked together, unleashing their most powerful assaults, launching a furious offensive against the Iron-Eating Beast.
The battle on the field was fierce and bloody.
The Heavenly Poison Demonic Ant swarm pounced on one cultivator after another, devouring them completely in moments. Skeletons littered the ground, and crimson bloodstains stained the earth.
The Iron-Eating Beast, perhaps truly fearing being spiced by Ji Mo, fought with extreme ferocity, dominating the two elders.
Its mouth was also busy, "munching" on anything it caught.
Ji Mo was greatly pleased, feeling he had found a path. Although he couldn't cultivate, summoners seemed very powerful, which suited him perfectly.
He mused that if he could find a few more pets as fierce as the Iron-Eating Beast but not as lazy, he could walk unhindered throughout the world.
"What exactly is this? Could it be the mythical beast from demonic legends, the Iron Eater!"
The two elders were terrified, experiencing something so horrifying for the first time in their lives.
This demonic beast was too ferocious, showing no fear of dream-grade equipment, even treating it like a snack, gnawing it to pieces with satisfying crunches.
Several pieces of their dream-grade equipment were damaged, with large chunks bitten off and swallowed by the Iron-Eating Beast like snacks.
"What a shame for these fine treasures."
The cultivators from the Yu family winced in pain, watching. These were all dream-grade equipment, and to see them devoured like snacks by the Iron-Eating Beast was truly a waste.
However, the Iron-Eating Beast lived up to its name; its bite was so strong it could even crush Emperor Weapons!
Ji Mo watched with great interest, unaware that a mass of black mist was drifting erratically, slowly approaching him.
Under the cover of the surrounding demonic energy, the black mist moved silently, reaching Ji Mo from behind.
The attack arrived stealthily.
A blurred, distorted figure emerged, its sharp claws piercing towards Ji Mo's back.
"Big liar, be careful!"
Ning Wenjing happened to see this scene and was greatly alarmed.
No one had expected an unknown creature to attempt to assassinate Ji Mo.
Ji Mo staggered slightly, feeling someone push him from behind. He then heard Ning Wenjing's cry and quickly turned to look.
Upon seeing it, he was startled.
"Holy crap! What the hell is that!"
Ji Mo recoiled several steps, feeling as if he had seen a ghost in broad daylight.
He could vaguely make out that it was a humanoid creature, but its body was condensed from drifting mist. Where its head and eyes should be, two balls of flickering fire burned, looking incredibly terrifying.
"Impossible, how are you completely unharmed?"
The black mist formed a blurred face, flowing with shock.
The force of that attack should have been enough to instantly kill anyone below the sixth-level Mortal Immortal realm, yet the person before it was completely fine. It was incredible!
In the distance, the proprietress also saw this scene and exclaimed, "Isn't that an Night Priest? It's truly audacious, daring to defy its superiors and attack Mr. Ji."
The black mist that appeared was none other than the incredibly mysterious Night Priest!
The Ancient Soul Devouring Toad said, "It must want to snatch back the tiger tally, but it has greatly underestimated Mr. Ji."
"Hand over the tiger tally, and I shall spare your life."
The Night Priest's voice was bone-chillingly cold, simultaneously emitting a monstrous pressure. A powerful and peerless mental force locked firmly onto Ji Mo.