"East King Duke, without the advantage of a weapon, what can you use to fight me?"
"Today, I'll behead the Heavenly Emperor and destroy the Immortal Court!"
Black flames surged around Gui Che, turning into a black sun that devoured all light. Like a black hole in the starry sky, its terrifying might bore down on them.
Even the residual force alone left Pine Immortal gravely wounded, on the verge of death.
Seeing this, East King Duke waved a hand and shielded him behind himself, then frowned at Gui Che.
"This is a little troublesome!"
East King Duke pursed his lips. He hadn't had time to cultivate any divine abilities, and his only source of strength right now was the Sky Measuring Ruler.
But the Sky Measuring Ruler was a Top-grade Innate Spiritual Treasure, with forty-five restrictions. Just as Gui Che had said, he had only barely refined ten of them and couldn't bring out its full power.
In this situation, all he could do was barely keep from losing.
But word of today's battle would certainly spread. If he only managed to draw against one of Di Jun's subordinates, his reputation as the Heavenly Emperor would surely suffer.
Just as he was wondering how to handle this, a steady stream of voices suddenly sounded in his ears, filling him with joy.
[ Ding! Group member Ye Fan cultivated the Heavenly Emperor Visualization Diagram and became a Heavenly Emperor believer. You have received Protagonist Destiny and Faith Power! ] [ Ding! Group member Ying Zheng cultivated the Heavenly Emperor Visualization Diagram and became a Heavenly Emperor believer. You have received Human Emperor Destiny and the faith of an entire nation! ] [ Ding! ... ] [ ... ] [ Billion Times Critical Strike triggered. Congratulations, host! You have received one-tenth of the Faith Dao Law, the Destiny Treasure Heavenly Emperor Seal, and the divine ability Emperor Fist! ] [ The Faith Dao Law is merging. Host's cultivation has risen to the mid-stage Great Luo Golden Immortal! ]
"Haha... Hic! How is this possible?!"
Gui Che, who had been laughing wildly, saw East King Duke's aura surge. In an instant, his cultivation rose from the mid-stage Taiyi Golden Immortal to the mid-stage Great Luo Golden Immortal. Gui Che was stunned, as if someone had grabbed him by the throat, and let out a harsh cry.
"Great Luo! How could you have reached the Great Luo realm?!"
A Great Luo Golden Immortal was a top powerhouse who could dominate a region, even in the Primordial World.
The Three Pure Ones and the Demon Emperor Di Jun, for instance, were all at this level.
He couldn't understand why East King Duke, whose cultivation had been lower than his just moments ago, had suddenly advanced so far in the blink of an eye.
"I am the Heavenly Emperor. What could be impossible?"
After speaking, East King Duke put away the Sky Measuring Ruler.
"I don't need a Spiritual Treasure to kill you. If you can take one punch from me, I'll spare your life!"
After speaking, East King Duke formed a hand seal. An aura of imperial authority appeared around his fist, then transformed into the phantom of a Heavenly Emperor that pierced through space and struck Gui Che.
The Fangtian Huaji snapped in two. Gui Che's body shattered into pieces, revealing his true form: a nine-headed bird. Towering black flames burned without end, absorbing everything in the world as he tried to repair himself. But as a golden fist mark spread across his chest, his body gradually began to disintegrate.
"No! I'm a demon god of the Demon Court! You can't kill me!"
Half of Gui Che's nine heads vanished at once, while the others continued to crumble. Terror filled his heart.
After some time spent recovering, Pine Immortal had stabilized his injuries. Hearing Gui Che's words, he hesitated and glanced at East King Duke.
"Your Majesty, Gui Che is a general of the Demon Court. If you kill him, the Demon Emperor and the others surely won't let this go."
To an immortal like him, with no backing, the Demon Emperor was an unreachable figure who could reduce him to ashes with a single word.
"It doesn't matter!"
East King Duke waved away his words.
He saw things clearly. Even without this incident, his relationship with Di Jun and the others would never have been good.
As long as the Demon Court existed, there could be no reconciliation between them.
"But what about you? Though you were caught in this through no fault of your own, you've still offended the Demon Court. What do you plan to do now?"
Gui Che died amid his wails. Only then did East King Duke turn to Pine Immortal.
"I have no choice but to leave this place and evade the Demon Court's pursuit," Pine Immortal said with a bitter smile.
Then he looked at East King Duke, his eyes lighting up.
"Would this humble immortal be fortunate enough to serve Your Majesty?"
East King Duke paused, then took a closer look at him.
Perhaps because Pine Immortal had become an immortal after being a pine tree, his body was filled with pure energy. He even had a good deal of merit about him. At a glance, he seemed to be an immortal devoted to cultivation.
"Very well. My Penglai Immortal Mountain is in need of someone to manage it. Come back with me."
In the Primordial World, it was easy to tell whether someone was good or evil: one only had to see whether they had more merit or more Karmic Debt.
The Heavenly Dao had only just come into being, and it was now at its height. This way of judging people couldn't be wrong.
Once he established the Immortal Court, his Penglai Immortal Mountain would be filled with little spirits such as immortal mushrooms and Jade Grass. They couldn't be left unattended.
He would feel more at ease with a spirit like Pine Immortal, who had taken plant form, looking after them.
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
Pine Immortal was overcome with excitement, but immediately added, "Please wait a moment, Your Majesty."
He temporarily suppressed his injuries and began forming hand seals. A rich aura of life rose from the mountain beneath him.
As Pine Immortal circulated his cultivation method, a milky-white stone spring appeared before him.
The stone spring released a misty, multicolored aura in the air. At the slightest hint of its energy, the mountain below them, battered and scarred by the battle, returned to its original state.
Even Pine Immortal, standing nearby, regained some color in his pale face.
"Your Majesty, this spring is something I found by chance. It contains the source of life. When I took some of its water, I accidentally let a trace of its aura leak out, and that was how that wretch Gui Che tracked me down."
"Now that I have Your Majesty's protection, I would like to offer it to you."
East King Duke looked over. The spring water shimmered in three colors, containing the power of the sun, the moon, and the stars.
After a moment's thought, he understood what it was.
"I won't hide this from you. This should be the legendary Three Lights Divine Water."
"The golden water is Sunlight Divine Water, which can wear away blood, essence, flesh, and bone."
"The silver water is Moonlight Divine Water, which can corrode the primordial spirit and soul."
"The purple water is Starlight Divine Water, which can dissolve true spirits and consciousness."
"Together, the three waters are known as the greatest healing medicine in the Primordial World. Are you sure you want to give it to me?"
Pine Immortal had been reluctant to part with it, but hearing East King Duke's explanation only made him more resolute.
"As the saying goes, an innocent man gets into trouble for possessing a treasure. Though this Three Lights Divine Water is precious, I had barely obtained it before it brought me a deadly calamity. I dare not keep it. Please accept it, Your Majesty."
Hearing this, East King Duke didn't insist. He accepted it directly.
The Three Lights Divine Water was indeed a treasure, worth more than an ordinary Innate Spiritual Treasure.
More importantly, it could do a great deal to nourish the Creation White Lotus.
The fated treasure he had divined earlier had to be this.
Considering the great karmic bond Pine Immortal had placed himself in by giving him this treasure, East King Duke thought for a moment, then reached toward Pine Immortal's brow.
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