"Fellow Daoist, why not show us your treasure?"
Primordial Heavenly Lord looked eagerly at the Yin-Yang Dao Lotus beneath East King Duke's feet.
Though the Three Pure Ones were honored as incarnations of Pangu's Primordial Spirit and were top-tier Innate Divine Demons who had become Great Luo Golden Immortals upon taking form, only Taiqing had a Companion Treasure. The other two brothers had no treasures to protect themselves.
Primordial often lamented that Heaven's Dao was unfair. The three brothers had traveled around Buzhou Mountain this time hoping to test their Destined Affinity and find some Spiritual Treasures for protection.
Alas, ten thousand years had passed, and they had yet to obtain even one decent Spiritual Treasure.
One day, the Three Pure Ones sensed a wave of innate spiritual power on the mountainside of Buzhou Mountain. When they hurried over, they saw East King Duke flying out of the formation.
East King Duke stood on a Dao Lotus and held a command banner. He had two Innate Spiritual Treasures in hand, and both were clearly extraordinary. Primordial was consumed by jealousy. He considered himself Pangu Orthodox, yet felt Heaven's Dao had not favored him. Seeing the man before him with more than one treasure, he seethed with indignation.
East King Duke was renowned in the Eastern Sea, but his name carried little weight on the Primordial Continent. The Three Pure Ones usually meditated in seclusion on Kunlun Mountain and knew little about the Great Divine Power Users of the Primordial World, especially the cultivators of the Four Seas. By contrast, East King Duke had heard plenty about the three of them.
The Three Pure Ones were incarnations of Pangu's Primordial Spirit. Though they had inherited considerable Merit of Opening the Heavens when they were born, their Primordial Spirit had split into three, leaving them with innate weaknesses.
Taiqing Laozi was scheming, Jade Pure Primordial was jealous, and Upper Pure Tongtian was quick to anger.
"Jade Pure Fellow Daoist, what do you mean by this?"
East King Duke spoke coldly.
"Nothing more than this: if the treasure you acquired is destined for us Three Pure Ones, then return it, and you can avoid being entangled in Karma."
Primordial Heavenly Lord's words made East King Duke laugh in fury.
"Whoever has the Destined Affinity gets the treasure. I acquired it, so it belongs to me. What Karma are you talking about?"
"The Primordial World was created by Father God. We Three Pure Ones inherited Pangu Luck, so everything in the world is destined for us."
Primordial's smugness was utterly outrageous.
"If you claim to be Pangu Orthodox, why don't you carry out Pangu's will and follow the Great God's example by transforming your body into heaven and earth to nourish the Primordial World and benefit all living beings? Why come after my things instead?"
East King Duke sneered at him.
"You!"
His scheme had been exposed in a single sentence, and Primordial Heavenly Lord flew into a rage. Even Taiqing Laozi and Upper Pure Tongtian, standing nearby, looked angry.
"East King Duke, enough talk. Hand over the Spiritual Treasure and we'll avoid a fight. Otherwise, don't blame my Jade Pure Immortal Arts for showing no mercy."
East King Duke burst out laughing.
"There, that's more like it. If you want to steal my treasure, just say so. Why dress it up with talk of Destined Affinity and Karma? Primordial, the Spiritual Treasure is right here. If you have what it takes, come and take it. I'd be glad to test the Three Pure Ones' arts."
With that, he rose into the air on the Dao Lotus and casually flicked the Blazing Sun Command Banner he had just acquired into the air before him. Looking down at the three men below, he cut an unparalleled figure.
Laozi and Tongtian looked troubled. Jade Pure Primordial, however, could no longer hold himself back when he saw the Blazing Sun Command Banner radiating Innate Qi. He leaped up and reached out to seize it.
East King Duke looked on with disdain. The Three Pure Ones were not yet the Heavenly Dao Saints of later generations, nor did they possess any Innate Supreme Treasures. All three were merely Mid-stage Great Luo Golden Immortals, and Primordial Heavenly Lord was far beneath him.
East King Duke pointed, sending a surge of Supreme Yang Qi straight at Primordial.
Primordial Heavenly Lord was an extremely arrogant man. He believed the Three Pure Ones, as Pangu Orthodox, stood at the pinnacle of the Primordial World. He had never expected East King Duke's immortal arts to be so fierce.
He hurriedly used the Jade Pure Immortal Art to resist. Though he managed to block the attack, he did so rather clumsily.
East King Duke had already wanted to teach the Jade Pure Daoist a lesson. Now that he had the upper hand, he pressed the attack and planted his foot before throwing a punch.
Supreme Yang Divine Fist!
He had cultivated his body for a thousand years on Buzhou Mountain and comprehended this Body Cultivation Divine Ability from the Supreme Yang Battle Body. As the ability took form, his Dao Body's bones and muscles rang out, and a wave of fist force burst forth, accompanied by a two-colored Dao Lotus.
The move was truly imposing, its aura striking fear into the heart. Primordial's expression changed drastically as he hurriedly gathered all his immortal power to defend himself.
Boom!
The blow sent him flying dozens of miles. Most of the Jade Pure power around Primordial was shattered. East King Duke pressed forward and threw another punch, its force even stronger than before.
"Second Brother, watch out!" "Second Brother!"
Laozi and Tongtian were shocked. Primordial had no time to defend himself and was about to be struck by the punch when a pagoda flew from Taiqing, stopping above Primordial's head and showering him with streams of Xuanhuang Qi that protected him.
Boom! Boom!
The fist force struck, sending tremors through the air. Streams of Xuanhuang Qi scattered in every direction, but Primordial's Dao Body remained unharmed.
"Heaven and Earth Mysterious Yellow Exquisite Pagoda!"
East King Duke instantly recognized it. This was the Merit Supreme Treasure, the Heaven and Earth Mysterious Yellow Exquisite Pagoda, Taiqing Laozi's Companion Treasure. It held the power of Xuanhuang Merit. When summoned above one's head, it released Xuanhuang Qi and offered unmatched defense. In terms of defensive power alone, it ranked among the top three in the Primordial World—one tier above the Wuji Apricot Yellow Banner he had obtained from Hongjun.
As soon as the Exquisite Pagoda appeared, Laozi and Tongtian flew forward and guarded Primordial from either side. The three men's auras joined together in an instant. The Three Pure Ones became One, and their might surged.
The Pangu Three Pure Ones were truly extraordinary, blessed by Heaven. East King Duke, too, put aside some of his contempt.
Primordial Heavenly Lord had never suffered such humiliation before. His face had already turned livid.
"The Three Pure Ones are bound together, even working in perfect harmony when you steal treasures. Fine, all three of you can come at me together."
Facing the Might of the Three Pure Ones, East King Duke laughed scornfully, his spirit soaring.
"Arrogant!"
"We aren't fighting for the treasure. We're fighting to uphold the name of the Pangu Three Pure Ones. We'll settle this with you."
East King Duke's attitude enraged all three. Taiqing Laozi used the Exquisite Pagoda to protect his brothers, and they each formed a hand seal and struck at East King Duke.
The Three Pure Ones' Immortal Arts shared the same origin and complemented one another. Combined, their power multiplied.
East King Duke didn't dare underestimate the attack. Yin-Yang Two Qi flashed beneath his feet as he took the blow head-on.
Rumble!
The Twelve-grade Yin-Yang Dao Lotus flashed with waves of two-colored spiritual light. Tested against the Three Pure Ones' Immortal Arts, its power proved equal to that of Ancestor Dragon, who had been in the Early Quasi-Saint realm.
With a thought, the Wuji Apricot Yellow Banner flew above East King Duke's head, shielding him from above and below. His Dao Body was instantly secure and unharmed. Then he summoned the Pure Yang Sword, activated the Supreme Yang Sword Dao, and slashed down at the Three Pure Ones.
Clang!
Clang!
Clang!
The Exquisite Pagoda was a postnatal Merit Supreme Treasure, its grade no lower than an Innate Supreme Treasure. But with Taiqing only at the Mid-stage Great Luo Golden Immortal realm, he was still far from being able to unleash its full power.
After thousands of exchanges, repeated strikes from East King Duke's divine abilities and sword sent the pagoda trembling. Xuanhuang Qi surged wildly, and it looked ready to scatter.
Taiqing Laozi turned deathly pale and hurriedly retreated with Primordial and Tongtian.
Only after they had fled several hundred miles did he call out, "Daoist Supreme Yang, please stop! We'll leave at once."
As he spoke, boundless clear qi surged from the Heaven and Earth Mysterious Yellow Exquisite Pagoda, sweeping up the Three Pure Ones. They transformed into a rainbow and vanished in an instant.
Seeing the Three Pure Ones retreat, East King Duke did not pursue them. He silently reminded himself not to underestimate the beings of the Primordial World. Though all three were only Mid-stage Great Luo Golden Immortals, they had still managed to fight him with the help of a single Spiritual Treasure.
In the future, all three would obtain Supreme Treasures. They might prove difficult to deal with then.
What's more, the Three Pure Ones were Heaven-ordained Saints. They were destined to become Heavenly Dao Supremes, and he had to be on his guard.
Even so, East King Duke felt no fear. If anything, his resolve to attain Primordial Unity grew stronger.
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