deprived of their magical weapons, began to lose heart. To complete
their discomfiture, Huang T'ien Hua brought to the attack a matchless
magical weapon. This was a spike 7 1/2 inches long, enclosed in a
silk sheath, and called 'Heart-piercer.' It projected so strong a
ray of light that eyes were blinded by it.

Huang T'ien Hua, hard pressed by Mo-li Ch'ing, drew the mysterious
spike from its sheath, and hurled it at his adversary. It entered
his neck, and with a deep groan the giant fell dead.

Mo-li Hung and Mo-li Hai hastened to avenge their brother, but ere
they could come within striking distance of Huang Ti'en Hua his
redoubtable spike reached their hearts, and they lay prone at his feet.

The one remaining hope for the sole survivor was in Hua-hu Tiao. Mo-li
Shou, not knowing that the creature had been slain, put his hand into
the bag to pull him out, whereupon Yang Chien, who had re-entered the
bag, bit his hand off at the wrist, so that there remained nothing
but a stump of bone.

In this moment of intense agony Mo-li Shou fell an easy prey to Huang
T'ien Hua, the magical spike pierced his heart, and he fell bathed
in his blood. Thus perished the last of the _Chin-kang_.



The Three Pure Ones

Turning to the gods of Taoism, we find that the triad or trinity,
already noted as forming the head of that hierarchy, consists of