Returning after 10000 Years Cultivation - Chapter 148

Killing infants so cruelly, wrapping them in sutras, and roasting them into thumb-sized dolls… How utterly vicious and horrifying!

“Mange, what are those? They look so scary!” Inside the Chevrolet, Zhao Xueqing frowned curiously.

“Those are called Kumthongs…” Shen Mange, who had some understanding of sorcery, immediately began to explain.

The Chinese meaning of “Kumthong” is “Golden Boy.” It is a strange sacred object that has been circulating in Thailand for hundreds of years, said to bring considerable wealth to those who enshrine it, but it is also extremely sinister and dangerous.

On one hand, one must find infants or young children, kill them in cruel ways—the more cruel the method, the stronger the child’s resentment, thus creating a more powerful evil spirit. Additionally, curse symbols must be inscribed, and sutras chanted to subdue the spirit, forcing the vengeful spirit to obey one’s commands.

Monks in Thailand are called “Long Po.” Legend says the first Kumthong was created by a Long Po.

Later, however, the process of creating Kumthongs contradicted the monks’ precept against killing. So, some monks left the clergy to specialize in making Kumthongs, or secular people learned the process. These people are called “A-Zan” in Thailand, meaning “teacher,” specifically referring to Voodoo masters or sorcerers.

Since then, the art of creating Kumthongs became widespread in Thailand, often involving cases where A-Zans murdered children to make them.

But A-Zans are immensely powerful, and even the police are often helpless against them. Over hundreds of years of development, the art of Kumthongs has grown stronger, and the evil spirits refined have become increasingly powerful.

“Jiang Tian, run! Call the police!”

Tang Jialin was already in despair. If Jiang Tian wasn’t a match for them, perhaps calling the police was their only sliver of hope.

“Such meager skill in corpse refinement, and you dare boast so arrogantly before me!” Jiang Tian’s expression was calm and composed, shaking his head in disdain.

“Die now!”

Infuriated by Jiang Tian’s words, Khuntha Basong’s face turned livid. He pointed his staff at Jiang Tian and let out a furious roar.

The Kumthongs suddenly vanished, as if entering another dimension. The next moment, they reappeared all around Jiang Tian.

The numerous Kumthongs opened their mouths wide, baring their fangs, and waved their long arms, clawing and biting at Jiang Tian with extreme ferocity, their movements fast as lightning.

“Thunder, come!”

Jiang Tian held a piece of dark, blackened wood in his hand and uttered a calm command.

Instantly, bolts of lightning as thick as a man’s arm appeared on the wood, flickering and dancing like silver snakes, coiling and writhing like giant pythons, striking out at the Kumthongs from all directions.

“Holy crap, so Jiang Tian is the God of Thunder…”

Zhao Yuanji stared blankly, muttering to himself, witnessing a scene he would remember for the rest of his life.

“A thunder-element magical artifact!”

Khuntha Basong, who had been so confident of victory, let out a sharp cry as if he’d been violently assaulted.

Lightning was the ultimate embodiment of pure, positive, and overwhelmingly powerful Yang energy, with extreme heat and ferocity. Whether as magical artifacts or spells, thunder-based abilities were among the most difficult to master.

Under heaven, among the many skilled sorcerers, only a handful could control lightning.

And lightning was the ultimate bane of evil and corrupt entities. His Kumthongs, though powerful, were like meeting their natural predator when faced with a thunder-element artifact.

In that instant, he tried to recall the Kumthongs, but the speed of lightning was far too fast. Before he could even issue the command, several Kumthongs were struck by Jiang Tian’s lightning, reduced to flying ashes, instantly dissipating into nothingness.

“This… this… this…”

Guo Lili’s face was deathly pale, her delicate body trembling uncontrollably. She couldn’t even form a complete sentence.

These were Kumthongs personally refined by Khuntha Basong, the Number One Evil Monk of Southeast Asia! He could even hold his own against a seasoned Transformation Realm Grandmaster for a while.

But they were utterly destroyed by a single strike from Jiang Tian. How terrifyingly powerful Jiang Tian must be!

“He can control lightning… It seems this man is a master sorcerer!”

The next moment, Khuntha Basong pushed off with the tips of his toes. Without even turning around, his body shot downhill like a falcon, fleeing for his life.

Guo Lili stared, dumbfounded and unable to believe it.

She had anticipated the beginning, but she never could have predicted this outcome!

She never imagined Khuntha Basong would turn tail and flee after just one exchange with Jiang Tian. She stood there, completely petrified.

But how could Guo Lili possibly understand the terror in Khuntha Basong’s heart? He was scared out of his wits!

“This kid is actually skilled in both martial arts and sorcery! Too terrifying!”
“The Guo family’s intelligence has screwed me over! They didn’t know he also masters sorcery and controls the hardest-to-master thunder! He’s probably at least at the late-stage of reaching the Dao Body, if not already in the Mysterious Transcendence realm!”
“A peerless expert skilled in both martial arts and sorcery has appeared in a small place like Northern Jiangsu? This is utterly unbelievable!”
“It seems only Wang Chongyan can suppress him. I’m definitely no match!”

The trees on both sides flew past as he fled. Thoughts rushed through Khuntha Basong’s mind. As he ran for his life, he inwardly lamented and raged.

“Khuntha Basong, don’t you think it’s a bit late to run now?”
“Die!”

Jiang Tian let out a soft sigh, raised his hand, and gripped the Thunderfall Wood.

Crackle! A bolt of lightning appeared in his hand. He swung his arm and hurled the lightning.

“He caught up? How is he so fast!”

Hearing Jiang Tian’s telepathic voice as if it were right next to his ear, Khuntha Basong—who had already covered hundreds of meters in just a few seconds—was scared out of his wits. He turned his head in shock.

“My life is over!”

In his pupils, a silver snake-like bolt grew larger and larger. Khuntha Basong’s eyes were filled with terror and despair. There was no time to dodge. He let out one last shocked cry before the lightning completely enveloped him, turning him into a pile of ashes.

Guo Lili’s heart pounded with fear. She trembled, looking as if she had lost her entire family.

The final lightning bolt that killed Khuntha Basong was as thick as a giant python, fast as a raging dragon, striking hundreds of meters away. It looked exactly like the lightning the God of Thunder threw in Hollywood blockbusters, making it hard for her to believe.

“Fan Tian…”

Guo Lili looked distractedly at Fan Tian. After all, he was a disciple of Wang Chongyan; she hoped he could protect her and help her escape.

Unexpectedly, Fan Tian didn’t dare to resist at all. He fell to his knees with a thud, kowtowing repeatedly like pounding garlic, and said through sobs, “Disciple Fan Tian submits wholeheartedly! I beg Master Jiang to spare this dog’s life!”

He was only at the Internal Energy level. Fighting Jiang Tian would be like showing off one’s meager skill in front of an expert; utterly futile.

“Could he be a god?” Tang Jialin was dumbstruck, staring blankly and muttering to herself.

Forget Jiang Tian; even Meng Kong’s ability to physically withstand a car and manifest a giant crocodile seemed unbelievable to her, like a superhero from a Hollywood movie.

But seeing Jiang Tian command thunder and hurl lightning bolts made it even more incredible. It felt like witnessing a Buddha or a deity from mythology.

As for Zhao Yuanji, his guts were twisted with regret. Waves of fear washed over him, and he couldn’t stop trembling.

What the hell was I thinking!

I actually tried to compete with Jiang Tian for a girl’s affection and even wanted to come here to cripple him? Was I trying to get myself killed?

“Guo Lili, how should we settle this debt between us?” Jiang Tian looked at Guo Lili and put away the Thunderfall Wood.

He had obtained this from the Shennong Sect and refined it into a thunder-element magical artifact. It could be used multiple times and was quite handy.

“I’m willing to pay with money to spare my life!”

An unprecedented sense of crisis welled up in Guo Lili’s heart. Terrified, her body went weak, and she staggered backward as if she had seen a demon god.

In her eyes now, Jiang Tian was truly terrifying. Probably even her entire Guo family couldn’t stop him.

“Just some scattered bits of silver? Do you think I care about that?”

Jiang Tian sneered disdainfully and said calmly, “Back in the valley, I warned you. If you dared disrespect me again, I would exterminate your entire Guo family! Did you think I was joking?”

“You!”

Guo Lili retreated several steps in fear, forcing herself to calm down. “Master Jiang, it’s better to resolve enmities than create them. You, Master Jiang, are undoubtedly powerful, but my Guo family has assets worth hundreds of billions, dominates Singapore, and has a good relationship with Master Wang Chongyan of the Singapore Guild. We are not to be trifled with! Even if you aren’t afraid, what about your family, your loved ones, your friends?”

“You dare threaten me? Do you have a death wish!”

Jiang Tian’s face darkened. He flicked his fingers.

A silver snake of lightning coiled nimbly between his five fingers, as docile as a kitten.

Seeing this, Guo Lili fell to her knees with a thud. Her body trembled violently, tears streaming down her face as she said in a trembling voice, “Master Jiang, I didn’t mean to threaten you at all! I was just stating the facts…”

Suddenly, an idea struck her. A plan came to mind. She clung to Jiang Tian’s legs, rubbing her full chest against his calf and knee. She lifted her tear-streaked, beautiful face, putting on a pitiful expression, deploying a gentle offensive as she pleaded:

“Jiang Tian, as long as you don’t kill me, I’m willing to be your woman! I’ll obey your every word, treat you with tenderness. Then, it would be like you control the Guo family of Southeast Asia. Wouldn’t that be good?”

“The Guo family! She’s Guo Lili from the Southeast Asian Guo family! She came here to invest a while ago!”

Suddenly, Tang Jialin let out a shocked exclamation. Her beautiful eyes widened, her pretty face full of disbelief, her full chest heaving dramatically.

The Guo family of Southeast Asia!

She’d heard their assets were worth hundreds of billions, with immense influence. And now, the Guo family’s young mistress actually wanted to be Jiang Tian’s wife!

“This… Jiang Tian is so incredibly lucky, isn’t he?”

Zhao Yuanji finally reacted, immediately finding it hard to believe, followed by a wave of envy and jealousy.

He had been somewhat proud of himself for winning Tang Jialin’s affection, thinking he had one-upped Jiang Tian.

But now, discovering this woman had such a powerful background, Tang Jialin paled in comparison to Guo Lili. It was like a country hen meeting a phoenix!

“You common, vulgar powders and paints, ugly beyond belief, always trying to seduce with your looks. How laughable and overestimating yourselves!”

Jiang Tian kicked her away, his face full of mockery. “Why don’t you take a piss and look at your reflection? Are you even worthy of being my woman? You’re not even fit to be my slave or maid!”

“Jiang Tian, you…”

Guo Lili was instantly overwhelmed with shame, her face burning red. But upon careful thought, it was indeed true.

With Jiang Tian’s terrifying power, he could probably stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Wang Chongyan. She really wasn’t worthy of him.

Inside the Chevrolet, Zhao Xueqing noticed Shen Mange’s pretty face was flushed red, and she was even breaking out in a sweat. She couldn’t help but ask with concern, “Mange, are you okay…”

“I’m fine, I’m fine…”

Shen Mange gave an awkward smile, involuntarily recalling Jiang Tian’s words back in Galo City. A sour, bitter feeling rose in her heart, hard to describe.

Jiang Tian pondered for a moment, then suddenly said, “You have repeatedly provoked me. A hundred deaths could not atone for your crimes; you deserve execution. I can spare your life, but I cannot let it go without some consequence…”