Tu Shan Jun

Biodata

Feature	Information
Name	Tu Shan Jun (塗山君)
Alias(es)	Venerable Soul True Person; Red-Haired Daoist; Demonic Venerable; Venerable Tai Shi; Soul Devouring Demonic Venerable; Ghost Emperor
Species/Race	Ghost Cultivator; Master Soul/Tool Spirit of the Venerable Soul Banner
Gender	Male
Affiliation	Venerable Soul Banner; Great Black Mountain; Taiyi Sect; Underworld
Occupation/Role	Banner Master Soul; cultivator; artifact refiner; alchemist; talisman master; sect old ancestor; master
First Appearance	7

Power Progression

Stage / Realm / Level	Chapter	Notes
Qi Condensation Third Layer	32	Absorbs a living soul into the Venerable Soul Banner, greatly strengthening himself and healing battle wounds.
Qi Condensation Tenth Layer	128	Absorbs 158 Yin Souls; the Soul Banner holds over 600 souls afterward.
Qi Condensation Eleventh Layer	132	Breaks through alongside the Soul Banner's promotion to Peak-Grade Magic Tool.
Foundation Establishment	140	Uses Ghost King Reborn for a temporary breakthrough, then solidifies the realm by absorbing Cheng Hui's living soul.
Foundation Establishment Mid Stage	147	Reaches the mid stage as the Soul Banner's vacant slots continue filling over a decade.
Foundation Establishment Peak	168	Reveals his peak aura while confronting Ding Chuanli.
Mid Golden Core Stage	238	Promotes the Venerable Soul Banner to a Magic Treasure by smelting the Three-Bodied Demon Ghost and a damaged magic treasure.
Golden Core Late Stage	331	His cultivation returns to this level after dismissing the externally empowered Ghost King in the World state.
Nascent Soul	692	Faces Heavenly Flame Venerable as a Nascent Soul cultivator; Ghost King Reborn temporarily elevates him to Early Soul Transformation.
Soul Transformation Venerable	759	Endures a three-year thunder tribulation with aid from Xu Sanniang.
Venerable One	760	Completes his transformation during the tribulation, absorbs the Lord of the East Sea's soul, and refines the Ageless Corpse.
Virtual Saint	923	Advances after manifesting the principles of Life, Death, Reincarnation, Yin and Yang, and the Five Elements.
Sea Realm	923	Further breakthrough following his comprehension of Yin-Yang mutual generation and the cycle of life and death.
Refining the False Realm	948	Battles peak Great Saint Gu Su Cuiguang while wielding Heaven Strike and relying on the Undying Dao Body.
Dao Achievement	1029	Achieves the Dao as the Venerable Soul Banner becomes a Divine Weapon.
Lord of the Great Dao	1035	Intervenes between Tai Yan and Wu Rong after achieving the Dao.
Two-Flower Dao Lord	1051	Regains his arm, stabilizes his cultivation, and reaches the Two-Flower realm.
Great Divine Ability User	1159	Defeats Emperor Ji, causing other Great Divine Ability Users to retreat.
Heaven-Wielding Sect Leader	1187	Emerges from seclusion at Luodu Mountain and displays the power to reverse time with the Yin Yang Millstone.

Background / History

Tu Shan Jun began as the master soul bound to the Venerable Soul Banner. Unable to freely store items within the banner at first, he used his own body to hold storage talismans and possessions. He sought a cultivator capable of wielding the banner so that he could continue advancing. 7

He initially operated through Li Qingfeng, then passed through Xiang Hu before taking Wen Yue as his disciple and Banner Master. Tu Shan Jun taught Wen Yue concealment techniques, supplied him with cultivation resources, and guided him through political and military struggles. 65 74

After Wen Yue's death during his attempted Foundation Establishment, Tu Shan Jun left Small Lingzhou with Ding Xie. He continued improving the Venerable Soul Banner through artifact refining, gathering Yin Spirits, and developing his own cultivation arts. 152 155 238

He later ruled Great Black Mountain, using the Great Black Mountain River and Land Seal to confer authority and distribute Incense and Votive Power among his followers. He established spiritual fields, encouraged trade, and supported the mountain's demons and ghosts with resources and cultivation opportunities. 306 308

Tu Shan Jun became an Old Ancestor of the Taiyi Sect after True Monarch Taiyi accepted him into the Taiyi Ascension to Immortality Sect's lineage. Though he valued Taiyi and the sect's disciples, he remained wary of surrendering his freedom or letting others control the Venerable Soul Banner. 544 684 782

Following repeated losses, betrayals, and conflicts over his identity as a Tool Spirit, Tu Shan Jun eventually founded and led the Underworld alongside Wu Rong. His later path centered on establishing an Underworld Bureaucracy capable of governing life and death while resisting greater calamities. 1038 1100 1120

Appearance

Tu Shan Jun usually manifests as a tall, broad-shouldered ghost cultivator in dark robes. His appearance becomes more imposing and inhuman when he releases his power. 64 168

• Solemn green or cyan-gray face.
• Wild crimson hair.
• Scarlet ghost eyes, sometimes set within darkened eye whites.
• Sharp fangs normally folded inside his mouth.
• Curving ghost horns on his forehead.
• Black Daoist or hooded robes, often with red-black patterns.
• A body condensed from Sha Qi that can be restored after damage. 115 140 436 693

Personality

Tu Shan Jun is quiet, solitary, and intensely self-reliant. He studies scriptures, formations, techniques, alchemy, talisman making, and artifact refining with sustained patience. Ding Xie observes that he prefers silence and regularly reads or experiments rather than socializing. 158

He distrusts easily and habitually examines gifts, formations, and agreements for hidden danger. This caution stems from repeated deception, threats to the Soul Banner, and the danger posed by cultivators who covet his nature as a Tool Spirit. 289 558 782

Despite his ruthlessness toward enemies, he adheres to personal principles: he repays kindness with kindness and grievances with direct retaliation. He protects disciples, followers, and those he considers his own, but refuses to decide another person's path for them. 45 713 986

Tu Shan Jun is emotionally reserved rather than emotionless. Wen Yue's death, the destruction of Great Black Mountain, the loss of disciples, and his separation from Tu Shan Jing Hong leave lasting marks on him. 152 421 808 810

Abilities & Skills

Master Soul of the Venerable Soul Banner

Tu Shan Jun is inseparable from the Venerable Soul Banner; the banner and master soul support one another's advancement. His strength rises with the banner's grade and the Yin Spirits it contains. 317 644

• Absorbs living souls, Yin Spirits, and Sha Qi to strengthen himself.
• Reforms his body with Sha Qi and Yin Soul Pills after severe damage.
• Can return to the banner when a manifested body is destroyed.
• Risks true death only if both his master soul and the banner are destroyed together. 128 693 1023

Soul Absorption and Soul Inquiry

Tu Shan Jun extracts and refines souls for information, cultivation resources, and skill seeds. 33 170

• Extracts cultivation methods, techniques, and practical insights from souls.
• Uses Soul Searching to investigate enemies and recover memories.
• Can refine captured Yin Spirits into the Soul Banner.
• His soul-refining methods are widely regarded as demonic and cruel. 170 479 721 727

Venerable Soul Banner Arts

The Soul Banner is Tu Shan Jun's central weapon, treasury, formation core, and source of divine abilities. 317 559 1029

• Soul Gathering into Pills — Condenses Yin Soul Pills from wandering Yin Souls and Sha Qi; these pills assist Banner Masters in cultivation. 64
• Night Parade of a Hundred Ghosts — Releases ghostly forces through the banner. 53
• Ten Thousand Ghosts Curse Devour — Uses an altar, the target's name and birth date, and the banner's ghosts to curse and kill. 317
• Ten Directions Ghost King Killing Array — A large-scale ghost formation supported by the banner and subordinate Yin Spirits. 436 794
• Boundless Return to the Void — Allows the banner to store living beings and creates an incomplete internal space. 559 560
• Thunder Prison Nether Howl Robe — A banner-derived divine ability used against the Void Heaven Divine Anomaly. 794

Ghost King Reborn

A high-cost emergency technique that gathers the strength of the banner's ghosts onto Tu Shan Jun. 140

• Temporarily raised him from Qi Condensation completion to Foundation Establishment strength.
• Later allowed him to temporarily reach Early Soul Transformation while facing a Venerable One. 140 692
• Requires immense Banner Master magic power and can severely drain the wielder. 140

Demonic Ape Will-Fixing Fist

Tu Shan Jun's foundational fist and visualization art, originally known through the Three Forms of Demonic Ape Intent Fist. 7 22

• Develops through visualization, combat, and True Intent.
• Includes Demonic Ape Worshiping the Moon, used to suppress the Blood Demon's Yin Spirit. 144
• He considers it too dangerous to teach freely and initially reserves it for Banner Masters. 81
• His later understanding develops into the Soul Devouring Fist, a fist of resistance and persistence toward immortality. 346

Dao Bodies and Physical Resilience

Tu Shan Jun's body is exceptionally difficult to destroy and becomes more complete as he advances. 693 760

• Unmelting Bone — Preserves his bones even after attacks that destroy flesh and organs. 693
• Ageless Corpse — A Lunar Power-refined body with corpse-puppet-like traits; part of his incomplete Dao Body. 760
• Undying Dao Body — Enables repeated destruction and reconstruction of his body during battle and tribulation. 948 1023
• Can create a Dao Soldier body from bones, Yin Soul Pills, and Sha Qi. 693

Three Forms and Yin-Yang Great Dao

Tu Shan Jun develops multiple forms through Yin-Yang harmony and the One Qi Transforms into Three Pure Ones Great Art. 823 1051 1083

• Possesses Yin Spirit, Yang Spirit, and Dharma Appearance manifestations.
• Carries Dao concepts of Reincarnation, Yin and Yang, and Life and Death. 1016
• Uses the Yin Yang Millstone to manifest and manipulate his Great Dao. 1069 1187
• Later manifests Life and Death, Yin and Yang, and Reincarnation at full strength. 1120

Alchemy, Talismans, Formations, and Artifact Refining

Tu Shan Jun is a highly versatile cultivator of the Hundred Arts. 197 457

• Successfully creates Third Tier Demon Suppressing and Divine Travel Talismans. 161
• Becomes a certified First Tier Talisman Master while concealing greater ability. 722
• Refines pills up to the mid-Golden Core stage and develops high-grade cultivation resources for disciples. 335
• Uses complex arrays for protection, concealment, combat, artifact refinement, and spiritual-plant cultivation. 334 980
• Promotes the Venerable Soul Banner through multiple stages of artifact refining, eventually forging it into a Divine Weapon. 238 559 1023 1029

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Venerable Soul Banner — His true body and primary treasure; progresses from Magic Tool to Magic Treasure, Spirit Treasure, and Divine Weapon. 238 448 559 1029
• Spirit Light Sword / Sword Hairpin — A personally significant Mid-Grade Magic Sword recovered from the Hall of Offerings. 146
• Ghost Hand — A dangerous ghostly weapon requiring a sufficiently strong flesh-and-blood user. 74 80
• Blood Jade Gourd — A mysterious treasure connected to the Primal Saint Spirit Demon. 496 686
• Heaven Strike — Divine weapon used against Gu Su Cuiguang. 948 962
• Yin Yang Millstone — Great Dao manifestation capable of reversing time and exerting Yin-Yang power. 1069 1187
• Venerable Soul Spiked Hammer — A heavy divine weapon wielded in his later battles. 1120 1148

Relationships

• Li Qingfeng — Early Banner Master and Tu Shan Jun's first friend; Tu Shan Jun later visits his grave and recovers the Spirit Sword connected to him. 145 146
• Wen Yue — Disciple and Banner Master. Tu Shan Jun trains, equips, advises, and protects him; Wen Yue's death deeply affects him. 65 74 152
• Ding Xie — Close friend and fellow cultivator. Ding Xie vouches for Tu Shan Jun before True Person Scarlet Cloud and later helps him access resources and artifact-refining opportunities. 217 238
• True Monarch Taiyi — Senior brother, artifact-refining collaborator, and founder of the Taiyi Sect line Tu Shan Jun joins. Their shared history is central to Tu Shan Jun's later ties to the sect. 544 558 684
• True Person Meteor Flame — Trusted ally and friend. Tu Shan Jun forms an alliance with him, later entrusting him with his identity as the Soul Banner's master soul. 328 773
• Tu Shan Jing Hong — Adopted daughter. Tu Shan Jun is protective of her cultivation, safety, and education, though he struggles with her mischief and extraordinary potential. 334 337 345
• Chi Xuan — Later Banner Master and disciple. Tu Shan Jun guides his cultivation, but regrets failing to understand the burdens Chi Xuan carried before his death. 373 414 448
• Xu Sanniang — Disciple and later Banner Master who supports him during his Soul Transformation tribulation at the cost of her own cultivation. 722 759 762
• Wu Rong — True disciple and later ally in establishing the Underworld. Tu Shan Jun repeatedly protects him and treats his status as master-disciple as more important than origin or species. 686 1026 1038
• Zhou Xinglie — Registered disciple who later formally joins Tu Shan Jun's lineage. Tu Shan Jun mourns his death and takes in his Yin Spirit despite the risks. 810 1035
• Demonic Head — Subordinate and recurring source of information. Tu Shan Jun alternates between using, threatening, and instructing it. 480 616 1093

Story Role / Major Arcs

Search for a Banner Master

Tu Shan Jun survives as the underdeveloped master soul of the Venerable Soul Banner, gathers cultivation resources, and waits for someone capable of advancing his banner and his own power. 7 58

Wen Yue's Mentor

He accepts Wen Yue as a disciple, teaches him cultivation and strategy, and helps him navigate the conflict surrounding Copper Pass City. Their partnership culminates in the defeat of the Blood Demon threat, but Wen Yue later dies attempting Foundation Establishment. 65 128 144 152

Great Black Mountain King

After years of advancement, Tu Shan Jun seizes control of Great Black Mountain, builds its economy and cultivation base, and turns its demons and ghosts into an organized power. 306 308 340

Tool Spirit Pursuit

The Venerable Soul Banner's nature as an advancing Tool Spirit treasure draws the attention of sects, cultivators, and powerful enemies. Tu Shan Jun repeatedly hides his identity, changes bodies, and fights to keep the banner from being controlled by others. 644 684 816 836

Taiyi Sect Old Ancestor

Tu Shan Jun becomes tied to the Taiyi Sect through True Monarch Taiyi, teaches disciples, protects the sect when necessary, and repeatedly struggles with the responsibility of carrying others' hopes. 544 616 807 811

Underworld Founder

After achieving the Dao, Tu Shan Jun and Wu Rong pursue the creation of an Underworld Bureaucracy governing life and death. He becomes the Underworld's central power while preparing for wider conflicts among Great Dao Lords and Great Divine Ability Users. 1038 1100 1120

Notable Quotes

“My name. Tu Shan Jun.” 64

“Cultivate properly.” 373

“I don't like my life and death not being controlled by myself.” 689

“I just want to achieve immortality peacefully, not be a ‘savior’.” 573

“There is nothing in this world that is completely certain. Just do your best!” 1198

Trivia

• Tu Shan Jun stores items inside his own body when the Venerable Soul Banner lacks internal storage space. 7
• He enjoys wine, often carrying and drinking from a gourd, though he avoids alcohol when facing major matters. 116 1130
• He has written extensive personal notes on alchemy, herbology, artifact refining, formations, and techniques. 197
• He advocates education without discrimination while governing Great Black Mountain. 335
• He dislikes excessive social maneuvering and admits that Taiyi was better at managing networks, etiquette, and strategy. 743