Returning after 10000 Years Cultivation - Chapter 103

Watching Jiang Lin assert her dominance, Jiang Tian chuckled faintly but let her do as she pleased.

Finally, his gaze settled on Elder Bu Suanzi.

“Elder Bu, what about your Shennong Sect?”

Bu Suanzi trembled slightly, but as a high-ranking elder of a prestigious alchemy sect, he quickly composed himself.

“Grand Alchemist Jiang, it’s true that our Shennong Sect offended you. But as the saying goes, it’s better to resolve enmities than to create them. Why don’t we turn hostility into friendship?”

“Better to resolve enmities? Hah! The talk of weaklings!”

Jiang Tian sneered, his voice dripping with disdain.

“I, Jiang Taichu, whip the world into submission, sweeping across all directions. So what if the entire world opposes me?”

In his past life, Jiang Tian had proven his Dao through slaughter, dominating the heavens and earth without equal. If he had compromised and yielded at every turn, how could he have achieved such heights?

This world had limited resources, yet human greed was boundless. More often than not, it was a fight to the death.

“Jiang Taichu, you boast too boldly!”

Elder Bu’s face twisted in fury. “You are indeed strong, but do you know our Shennong Sect has over a thousand disciples, three grandmaster elders, and even a Dharma Cultivator guarding our gates? Do you truly wish to make an enemy of us?”

“Hah! A bunch of small fry!”

Jiang Tian looked down at Bu Suanzi as if he were an ant. “You should understand—from the moment you decided to ambush and poison me, your Shennong Sect was already doomed.”

“Your sect has two choices: be erased from existence, or kneel in submission and acknowledge me, Jiang Taichu, as your sovereign. Your sect leader and elders should serve as my alchemy assistants, fanning flames and tending the furnace. Understood?”

The moment these words left his mouth, the entire crowd was stunned.

Jiang Taichu’s arrogance was beyond belief!

Wipe out the Shennong Sect?

Make the entire sect bow and submit to him?

Even if he was a young grandmaster, the Shennong Sect had multiple grandmasters, protective formations, countless treasures, and a thousand disciples. How could one man challenge such a centuries-old powerhouse?

“Insolent brat! How dare you speak such nonsense!”

“You think being a grandmaster makes you invincible?”

Shen Mange’s face flushed with rage, and her disciples erupted in furious curses.

“I initially took pity on your talent and offered you a way out.”

“But since you refuse to recognize your limits, fine—today, I’ll annihilate you completely!”

Elder Bu sighed, then suddenly flipped his hand and summoned a black banner, hurling it toward Jiang Tian.

The banner unfurled like a small flag, and with a single wave—

Whoosh!

A sinister ghostly aura erupted.

Dark winds howled, black clouds churned, and sand and stones flew, blotting out the sky.

Clang!

A blood-soaked ghost general clad in iron armor leaped from the banner, brandishing a spear as it lunged at Jiang Tian.

“A fierce ghost soldier! Heavens—that’s the Ten Thousand Souls Black Banner!”

Shen Mange shuddered, her face filled with reverence.

Legend had it that Bu Suanzi was once the sect master of the Yin Ghost Sect, a demonic cultivation faction. Over a decade ago, while refining a treasure, he was nearly devoured by vengeful spirits and fell gravely ill.

He sought help from the Shennong Sect’s Left Sect Leader, who cured him. Grateful, Bu Suanzi joined the Shennong Sect.

The Ten Thousand Souls Black Banner was a demonic treasure of immense power.

During the Ming-Qing transition, a past Yin Ghost Sect leader served under Li Chengdong, a Qing general. After the massacre of Jiading, where over 100,000 anti-Qing resisters were slaughtered (known as the “Three Massacres of Jiading”), the sect leader used the souls of the slain to forge this banner.

With a single wave on the battlefield, ghost soldiers and generals would emerge, leaving countless corpses in their wake—a key weapon in the Qing’s conquest of the Southern Ming resistance.

“Mange, you have a keen eye. Today, I’ll use this banner to slay Jiang Taichu!”

Bu Suanzi smirked, waving the banner repeatedly.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Seven or eight ghost soldiers and generals materialized, their resentment palpable. Some wielded swords, others spears, all charging at Jiang Tian in unison.

These vengeful spirits had died in agony, their malice so intense that the grass withered and flowers wilted in their presence.

Among them were Ghost Kings and Ghost Generals, capable of slaying even Iron Body experts with a single strike.

“Holy crap! What the hell is that?!”

Jiang Lin turned pale and bolted in terror.

“You think these puny ghosts can challenge me, Jiang Taichu?”

Jiang Tian burst into laughter, utterly unimpressed.

Then, with a wave of his hand—

“Sword, come!”

Clatter!

Golden coins flew from his pouch, assembling into the Evil-Warding Golden Coin Sword.

“Huh? What kind of treasure is this?” Shen Mange’s face darkened with unease.

“Bluffing!”

Bu Suanzi scoffed. “Who in this world can master both martial arts and sorcery? The effort it takes to reach his martial prowess leaves no time for spellcraft!”

He smirked, certain Jiang Tian would soon fall to the ghostly onslaught.

But then—

Sword in hand, Jiang Tian swung.

A golden light erupted, sweeping outward like liquid silver.

Sizzle! Sizzle! Sizzle!

The ghost soldiers wailed as the sword’s radiance shredded them to nothing in seconds.

A tremendous suction force formed, pulling the black ghostly energy into the sword like a whale swallowing water.

The golden sword light didn’t stop there—

Snap!

Bu Suanzi’s banner shattered into pieces.

As the elder stared in disbelief, Jiang Tian collected the coins and sneered:

“You thought this trash could threaten me? Pathetic.”

Bu Suanzi’s shock turned to venomous hatred.

“You’ve destroyed my treasure. For now, I can’t touch you. But once I return to the sect, I’ll rally all our elders to tear you apart!”

“What the hell are you looking at?!”*

Jiang Tian suddenly glared.

His tone was so crude it sounded like a thug at a barbecue stall—utterly unrefined.

Before Bu Suanzi could retort (“What if I am?!”), Jiang Tian raised his hand and slammed it down.

Boom!

A massive palm of energy crushed down.

“How dare you—”*

Bu Suanzi’s scream was cut short as his body exploded, blood spraying everywhere. His corpse flew like a ragdoll before hitting the ground—dead.

“Elder Bu…”

Shen Mange stood frozen, her face splattered with blood.

He was a Shennong Sect elder, a revered figure second only to the sect leader. Even Hong Tianzhao had treated him with respect.

Yet Jiang Tian had killed him as casually as slaughtering a dog—without hesitation.

The surrounding martial artists trembled, not daring to make a sound.

If Jiang Tian’s killing of Hong Tianzhao had shocked them, his execution of Bu Suanzi terrified them.

“He’s a complete demon! Ruthless, insane—no backing or status matters to him!”

Chen Bo’s swollen face twitched as he wet himself again.

“Now, is there anyone else who refuses to submit?”

Jiang Tian’s gaze swept the crowd, his tone indifferent, as if killing Bu Suanzi had been no different from squashing an ant.

This time, everyone lowered their heads, trembling, not daring to meet his eyes.

“We, disciples of the Shennong Sect, submit!”

Even Shen Mange could hold out no longer. Humiliated, she knelt and bowed deeply.

“With power like this, forget protecting the Jiang family—he could dominate all of China!”

Jiang Lin stared at Jiang Tian with awe, fists clenched, as if she’d gained the greatest backer imaginable.

That Night – Medicine Capital Hotel

After having their memories altered by Jiang Tian’s divine sense, the martial artists were dismissed.

Jiang Lin, dressed in fresh clothes, eagerly rushed to Jiang Tian’s suite.

To her surprise, the lofty Shen Mange sat meekly beside Jiang Tian like a scolded wife, while Chen Bo knelt on the floor, serving tea like a loyal servant.

Jiang Tian, lounging on the sofa with his legs crossed, exuded the aura of a supreme grandmaster—utterly commanding.

“Jiang Tian—er, Grandmaster Jiang, did I come at a bad time?” Jiang Lin asked nervously.

“Grandmaster Jiang? Don’t be ridiculous.”

Jiang Tian waved her off warmly. “No matter how much we clashed as kids, you’re still my cousin. Blood ties can’t be broken. Sit.”

Touched nearly to tears, Jiang Lin quietly took a seat beside him.

“Grandmaster Jiang, as I was saying—those herbs absorbed the spiritual energy condensed by the Shennong Cauldron’s water, producing Wood Qi.”

Shen Mange finished her report.

“Hmm. The cauldron is wooden, so it must gather Wood Spirit Liquid. It’s likely made from thousand-year-old sacred wood.”

“Perfect as the wood element for my Five Elements Spirit Gathering Array.”

Jiang Tian smiled faintly. “Good. We’ll rest for two days, then head to the Shennong Sect.”

“You—you’re going to the Shennong Sect? Why?” Shen Mange paled.

“To kill and seize treasures, of course! Since you, a junior, made a mistake, I’ll hold your elders accountable.”

Jiang Tian spat melon seed shells onto the floor, which Chen Bo hurriedly picked up.

“Grandmaster Jiang, must you escalate things to this point?”

Being called a “junior” by someone younger infuriated Shen Mange, but remembering Jiang Tian’s might, she forced a sweet smile.

Leaning close, she took his hand and cooed:

“You should know—I’m from the Yanjing Shen Family, and the future successor of the Shennong Sect!”

“So what?” Jiang Tian glanced at her indifferently.