Of the three Gu worms—Essence, Qi, and Spirit—the easiest to deal with was the Essence Gu worm.
The Gu worm's greatest strength lay in its powerful body and immense strength. Donghua studied the worm fighting the Golden Dragon and estimated its physical strength to be at the Mid Quasi-Saint level.
Having made up his mind, Donghua acted at once. He released the Jingyang Bell and transformed into Evil Corpse Jingyang, blocking the God Gu worm's attack.
His true body shot forward and unleashed the full power of the Dragon Head Golden Staff. The staff transformed into a Golden Dragon and merged with the one from before, instantly becoming a purple-gold Golden Giant Dragon.
This was the Dragon Head Golden Staff at its most powerful, after merging with Purple Mansion Destiny and Fortune and the spiritual treasure.
The purple-gold dragon soared into the sky and coiled directly around the Essence Gu worm.
Though the trapped Gu worm possessed immense strength, it couldn't break free.
Donghua seized the opportunity and used Heavenly Dharma Elephant Earth. The Pure Yang Sword grew along with him, and he struck at the Gu worm with the colossal force of Dragon Subduing Tiger Taming.
By the time King Pan reacted, it was already too late. Donghua's sword pierced straight through the Essence Gu worm.
Still not satisfied, Donghua twisted the Pure Yang Sword again, shredding the Essence Gu worm to pieces.
The remains of the worm dispersed into a vast cloud of Essence, Qi, and Spirit. Donghua took out a gourd spiritual treasure and gathered up the drifting Essence, Qi, and Spirit.
The moment the Essence Gu worm was slain, King Pan could no longer withstand the backlash from its death. He spat out a mouthful of Dao blood, which splattered across the ground.
Yet the attack King Pan had launched earlier was still in motion. Donghua had no time to save Qianyu, so he teleported in front of him and took the blow with his own body.
Donghua didn't consider himself a wholly good person. But Qianyu had drawn King Pan's ire only because he had warned Donghua. If Qianyu died like this, Donghua's Dao Heart would never be at peace.
And so the story returned to the opening scene.
That blow had been brutal. Pain surged through Donghua's body, wave after wave.
The Power of Tribulation was difficult to heal, like the wounds left by a heavenly tribulation. Worse still, it carried poison.
Had that blow struck Qianyu, he would have died without a doubt.
Donghua used Pure Yang Power to seal the Power of Tribulation coursing through his body, then sprang into the air, a great seal appearing in his hand.
It was the spiritual treasure Dao Ancestor Hongjun had given him at the Purple Mansion banquet long ago: the Seal Heaven Seal.
Donghua still hadn't discovered what this spiritual treasure was meant to do. But it was extraordinarily hard, and it could devour Primordial Spirit Power, making it perfect for dealing with the God Gu worm.
In the sky, Donghua's Evil Corpse Jingyang was locked in fierce combat with the Spirit Gu. The Jingyang Bell was a spiritual treasure geared toward Primordial Spirit Power, so the Spirit Gu couldn't get the better of Jingyang for the moment.
Donghua condensed Pure Yang Magical Power into the Seal Heaven Seal, waited for his chance, then hurled it.
The attack didn't miss. The seal slammed directly into the Spirit Gu's forehead.
"As I thought, it works."
The Spirit Gu swayed, clearly badly hurt, its earlier ferocity gone.
Donghua showed no mercy. He raised the seal and struck again.
Another blow, and the Spirit Gu's form began to shrink.
Donghua raised the seal once more, but this time he couldn't bring it down. In the distance, King Pan ignored the injuries inflicted on him by the death of his Gu worm.
Summoning all his willpower, he lifted the King Pan Banner to block the attack, then tried to seize the Spirit Gu while he had the chance.
But Donghua wasn't about to give him that chance. He tossed the Seal Heaven Seal to Evil Corpse Jingyang, then charged at King Pan with his sword.
Both men were injured, but King Pan was in worse shape. This showed just how great a flaw there was in the cultivation method that turned the Three Flowers into three Gu worms.
The Gu worms were its strength, but they were also its weakness.
A case of winning and losing by the same hand.
Donghua and King Pan clashed again, but this time Donghua didn't attack. He merely kept King Pan occupied, waiting for Evil Corpse Jingyang to finish the job.
Sure enough, before long, the Spirit Gu had shrunk under the Evil Corpse's relentless blows, and its body began to turn transparent.
Seeing this, King Pan felt fear and fury in equal measure. For the first time, he truly felt the threat of death.
He turned to Donghua and said, "Fellow Daoist East King, this old Daoist apologizes for what happened today. I'm willing to offer you the High-grade Innate Spiritual Treasure in my possession as compensation. Can we put an end to this here?"
Hearing King Pan's words, Donghua thought, These old geezers really know when to bend. They don't care about saving face at all.
But he said nothing, instead pressing his attack even harder.
King Pan grew anxious. If they kept fighting, his Spirit Gu would be doomed.
"What would it take for you to stop? Name your terms."
This time, Donghua didn't mock him. His voice was icy as he replied, "Fellow Daoist King Pan, neither of us is a three-year-old child. After things have gone this far, how could there still be any room for reconciliation?"
Because of his memories from his Previous Life, Donghua had always been a kind person. But his experiences in the Primordial Wilderness had taught him that when it was time to root out an enemy, he couldn't afford to show mercy.
No matter how beautiful the Primordial Wilderness was, it was still a world where the strong preyed on the weak.
Now that the two sides had formed a karmic bond, the only way forward was for one of them to die. Donghua was afraid of death and didn't want to die.
Not even a High-grade Innate Spiritual Treasure could make him stop, let alone anything less. And if he killed his opponent, the spiritual treasures would be his anyway.
Seeing that there was no hope of negotiating, King Pan stopped trying to reason with him. He spat out several mouthfuls of Dao blood onto the King Pan Banner.
The Power of Tribulation he had cultivated manifested as a river of laws that wound around him, mingled with countless other laws.
"He's going all out!"
Donghua had expected this when he refused King Pan's offer.
He held the Dragon Head Golden Staff in his left hand and the Pure Yang Sword in his right, slowly unfolding the Pure Yang Great Dao.
The two began the most unadorned kind of battle, like two mortals trading blows with their martial skills.
Yet the danger was immense.
This wasn't child's play. It was a clash of Great Daos. One careless mistake, and one of them would be destroyed along with his Dao. Worse, losing a Dao clash meant losing even the chance to be reborn through reincarnation.
At a certain point in their clash, King Pan suddenly stiffened. His mind seemed to stop working, and he stood there, stunned.
The Spirit Gu in the distance had been battered almost beyond recognition by the Seal Heaven Seal. Its form flickered, growing faint and insubstantial, until at last it was beaten apart and scattered.
"The Spirit Gu is dead!"
Donghua wasn't about to let such a perfect opportunity slip by. The Pure Yang Sword struck with increasing force, the Pure Yang Great Dao manifesting upon its blade and carrying boundless power as it pierced straight through King Pan's head.
Even after that blow, Donghua wasn't satisfied. He swung several more times, hacking King Pan to pieces.
Then he unleashed one divine attack after another—Pure Yang Divine Thunder, Pure Yang Divine Light, Pure Yang Divine Fire—all of them hammering into King Pan.
The key was to be thorough!
The next moment, King Pan's vast Great Dao split apart. The Power of Tribulation returned to Heaven and Earth, changing the sky. Dark clouds blanketed the heavens, and thunder roared.
A torrential downpour began, as though Heaven itself mourned the fall of this mighty figure.
With King Pan dead, Donghua finally relaxed. Leaning on the Dragon Head Golden Staff for support, he collected all the spiritual treasures and other valuables scattered on the ground.
In the distance, the Qi Gu, suppressed by the White Lotus, buzzed about like a headless fly, not knowing what to do.
Donghua struggled to undo the White Lotus's seal, caught the Qi Gu in a gourd, then drew the White Lotus back into his body to suppress his injuries.
Beside him, Crown Prince Changqin helped several people to their feet. Everyone on the mountaintop staggered unsteadily, but they all burst out laughing.
Their laughter was open and joyful, full of bold exuberance.
This brings the first volume, The Rebirth of East King Gong, more or less to a close. A modern young man went from being ignorant and naive to wielding Quasi-Saint power and finding his own path. Along the way, he met and befriended a number of people.
Wangyue is a new writer, and my writing may still be rough. Some parts might not have turned out well, but I'll keep working hard.
I've made a few minor revisions to earlier sections today, mainly in parts of the first ten chapters. If you're interested, feel free to take a look. There's no need to reread them, though—the plot is unchanged; I only adjusted the tone of some dialogue.
Lastly, I'd like to ask everyone for some cultivation resources. Send those monthly passes and recommendation votes my way!
Thanks to Jinying Chuange for the monthly pass. You've been supporting me all along, and I'm very grateful.
Thanks to Shu Yongheng Tiandi, 20220916180618290, Chuxin Guoke, and the other readers for your recommendation votes.
Thanks to fellow Daoist Huang Ahu for your suggestions about the book.
Thank you all for your support. I'll keep working hard.
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