149: Kumantong

“I know!”

Tang Ku slightly narrowed his eyes, thinking, “I was wondering what it was. So evil, yet without Demonic Qi or Evil Qi. Turns out it’s this thing!”

Clearly, Tang Ku had recognized what this thing was at a glance.

In Chinese ghost legends, there’s a type of malevolent spirit, born from deep resentment and causing harm, known as a Ghost Infant.

And this thing in front of him… it should be a type of Ghost Infant, with a very famous name in Thailand: Gu Mantong!

That’s right, it’s the kind of thing that often appears in many horror movies.

Some people ask, are Gu Mantong and Ghost Infants the same thing?

In terms of their formation, they are essentially the same.

A Ghost Infant is a prematurely deceased infant, transformed by resentment. Generally, if a person with much bad karma, after suffering through the Eighteen Levels of Hell, is reincarnated but dies prematurely, they are highly likely to become a Ghost Infant. A Gu Mantong is also formed from a deceased infant, but it is created by humans through various sorcery. It also carries resentment, and it is precisely this resentment that allows it to be manipulated to do unspeakable things. Some even use Gu Mantong to commit murder and arson, to achieve unmentionable goals.

So, essentially, these two things are the same; one is naturally formed and is an ominous object, while the other is artificially created. Generally, making a Gu Mantong is a lengthy process, and only Buddhist monks or those proficient in Buddha Dharma can create such a thing.

However, this Gu Mantong has a characteristic: no matter how much harm it causes, not a trace of Evil Qi or ghost Qi will emanate from it. It is an extremely concealed entity. Tang Ku had not sensed any ghost Qi, Evil Qi, or Demonic Qi in the entire Gao Family Village, or even the entire town. This was enough to indicate that this thing was very likely a Gu Mantong refined by a Buddhist monk.

“Alright, these guys in the Western Buddhist Realm are becoming more and more shameless… I wonder who would refine such a sinister thing…”

Tang Ku frowned slightly.

In the current situation, for this thing to suddenly appear, someone must be manipulating it to cause trouble. If it were to go on a killing spree, Tang Ku would have no choice but to deal with it first. However, Pigsy’s condition was actually very bad. If the energy in his mind completely solidified, even Tang Ku would be powerless to save him.

As he hesitated, the Gu Mantong suddenly opened its huge mouth, filled with sharp teeth, just like the terrifying mouth of a lamprey. It then accelerated in mid-air and flew straight towards Gao Cai.

No sooner said than done, Tang Ku immediately made a decision. He slapped Brick’s rear and angrily shouted, “What are you waiting for? Go deal with it!”

Brick, receiving the command, let out a surprised roar, then opened his mouth and sprayed a pillar of fire at the Gu Mantong.

Boom!

The Gu Mantong was startled and hastily dodged. The scorching breath of Samadhi True Fire merely grazed the sparse hair on its head, making it feel uncomfortable all over. If it had been directly hit, it might have truly been reduced to ashes.

Tang Ku, however, smiled faintly, then concentrated on sorting out the imbalanced energy within the wild boar.

Brick hadn’t been this happy in a long time. In fact, ever since he followed Tang Ku, he hadn’t fully stretched his limbs and moved freely.

Now he finally got a chance, and it was to subdue demons and devils. This way, he could also curry favor with Tang Ku and make his master pay more attention to him.

He was a Saint’s disciple after all; being treated like a pet every day was incredibly frustrating.

Tang Ku finally felt relieved, while Gao Cai, with his master and a crowd of curious servants, fled backward, leaving the battlefield to the nimble little thing and the bulky Brick.

However, fortunately, although Brick’s body wasn’t very agile, his skill of spitting fireballs and fire pillars was incredibly fast, flying around like a continuous barrage.

Still, he acted with a sense of proportion. These fireballs and similar things would quickly dissipate before hitting any buildings, to avoid harming the innocent.

He gently pressed his right palm on the wild boar’s neck, and the faint Vajra Zen Skill Dharma power, carrying the true power of the Buddha Dharma, slowly seeped into the wild boar’s body, reaching the energy mass near the brain at the back of the neck.

But soon, Tang Ku abandoned the impulse to directly untie this “knot.” Instead, he first used his energy to envelop this “knot,” then followed the much larger energy flow to the energy mass further back, and also enveloped it with Dharma power.

Releasing one alone might cause a counter-effect due to the strong energy impact. So, the best method was to slowly eliminate these two energy masses at the back of the neck, bit by bit, simultaneously. This way, the hidden danger could be minimized.

The method Tang Ku used was actually very simple: he used his own energy to “grind away” these two knots.

As external energy, his power would be judged as an invader by the body, so it would immediately resist. This way, it could counteract the energy he injected, thereby achieving the goal of smoothing it out.

It sounds simple but is difficult to do. This was equivalent to a minimally invasive surgery, requiring extremely high control and psychological fortitude from the practitioner. A slight mistake could directly turn Old Pig into an idiot.

Taking a deep breath, Tang Ku manipulated his energy like a sharp knife, fiercely piercing into the two masses of power simultaneously.

Sure enough, this time there was an immediate counterattack. Two silver-white lines of light suddenly differentiated from the two energy masses, striking back in the direction of the attack. The two collided and instantly dissipated a great deal.

Old Pig’s mind was suddenly a sharp pain, and his body trembled uncontrollably. He was in so much pain he almost jumped up. This method was no different from a flesh-cutting pain, the kind that hurts from the skin straight into the bone marrow.

“Don’t be afraid, don’t be afraid… With your master here, you’ll be fine. Just bear with it, it will be over soon!”

Tang Ku gently stroked the wild boar’s head with his left hand, softly comforting him.

It truly was a deep bond between master and disciple. Even though it felt like a bomb had exploded in his mind, the wild boar actually endured it. It must be said that this kind of trust is not easily built.

Tang Ku took a deep breath and attacked the two things again. The two energies finally began a head-on confrontation, and during this period, absolutely no mistakes were allowed.

Tang Ku was completely focused, almost fully immersing his mind in the intricate operation. And at this very moment, a figure in mid-air was coldly observing all of this, a strange smile playing on his lips.