Sky-Gazing Hound

Biodata

Feature	Details
Name	Sky-Gazing Hound
Original Name	望天犼
Alias(es)	Great Demon in the Pot; Grandpa Hou
Species/Race	Sky-Gazing Hound, a unique Malevolent Hound and Spirit Cultivator; only one exists at a time 726 831
Gender	Male
Affiliation	Heavenly God Academy — Vice President 1316 1317
Occupation/Role	Former Mahayana Venerable; advisor and occasional combat partner to Xu Chunniang; later an academy vice president 709 1317
Status	Alive; entered the Immortal Realm as a Half Immortal 1325 1326
First Appearance	Chapter 709

Power Progression

Stage / Realm / Level	Chapter	Notes
Mahayana Stage, former Venerable	709 732	Identified as a Mahayana Venerable before his fall and confinement.
Remnant soul, sealed in the Soul Suppressing Pot	709 832	The pot restricted his strength and prevented him from restoring a body, though he retained formidable divine-soul power and Ember Burning Black Flame.
Integration Stage, demonic cultivation	950	After parting from Xu Chunniang, he ultimately adopted demonic arts; his cultivation was observed at only the Integration Stage.
Late Mahayana Stage	1316 1318	Recovered to become one of the Spirit World's peak cultivators and Vice President of Heavenly God Academy.
Half Immortal	1325 1326	Ascended to the Immortal Realm with Xu Chunniang and received an identity talisman token.

Background / History

Origin and confinement

The Sky-Gazing Hound is a naturally born Malevolent Hound, uniquely created by heaven and earth and imbued with yin and yang essence. A second Sky-Gazing Hound will not be born until a thousand years after his death 726. His race possesses an instinctive craving for dragon meat, which left him hunted by dragons and unwelcome among much of the demon race 709.

Before his imprisonment, he traveled widely through the Spirit World, established a teleportation array linking the human and beast territories, and amassed a cave dwelling full of spirit crystals 709. At some point, he was reduced to a remnant soul and sealed in the Soul Suppressing Pot by an old enemy 831 832.

Partnership with Xu Chunniang

While confined in the pot, he became Xu Chunniang's reluctant guide and companion. He supplied information about the Spirit World, races, treasures, formations, and cultivation, while Xu used his hidden cave's spirit crystals to advance her own cultivation 709 816.

The pair bargained constantly. He initially demanded an Innate spiritual treasure as payment for his help, while Xu refused to yield control of their partnership 718 832. Despite his complaints, he warned her of danger during the Heavenly God Academy trials, accompanied her through the Sea of Learning and Mountain of Books, and waited for her rather than leave the Golden House alone 728 743 748.

After Xu refined the first law pattern of the Soul Suppressing Pot and loosened his restraints, he regained his freedom. Though he briefly considered settling old scores—including with Xu—he ultimately chose to sever their partnership and depart peacefully 832.

Return to the Spirit World

The Sky-Gazing Hound later cultivated demonic arts and eventually recovered to the late Mahayana Stage. He became Vice President of Heavenly God Academy, a position connected to his past association with Xu Chunniang and President Hua Yao 950 1318.

When Xu Chunniang's remnant soul returned to the academy, he recognized her aura and agreed not to trouble Zhao He at her request. He subsequently treated Zhao He with unexpected consideration, offering advice and resources despite his earlier hostility 1318 1320.

Ascension

After Xu Chunniang recovered her memories and found her long-sought turning point, the Sky-Gazing Hound chose to accompany her to the Immortal Realm. He entered legally through Boundary Lake and received an identity talisman, but was limited to Zongdong Heaven until becoming a true Immortal 1325.

Xu then sealed his memories of their reunion and left him to survive independently in the Immortal Realm, believing that relying on her protection would stunt his growth 1326.

Appearance

During Hua Yao's test, a phantom Sky-Gazing Hound appeared as a ferocious beast wreathed in black flames. Its enormous head resembled a Kirin's at first glance, though it was distinctly different upon closer inspection 733.

• A hound-like beast with paws and a tail 1317 1326
• Associated with all-consuming black fire 719 733
• Possesses a powerful physique and unusually stable divine soul 733

Personality

The Sky-Gazing Hound is proud, boastful, impulsive, and deeply convinced that overwhelming strength matters more than insight. He dismisses compassion, patience, and subtle understanding of the Dao as unnecessary so long as one has enough power 731. He also covets rare resources, spirit crystals, dragon meat, Golden Edicts, and the Seven-Colored Golden Carp with little restraint 709 757 774.

He is bluntly critical of human cultivators, the Heavenly Dao, and the cultivation systems created by powerful factions. His worldview holds that all beings follow their own nature, whether humans plunder faith power or Sky-Gazing Hounds consume dragons 714.

Beneath his arrogance, he is pragmatic and capable of concern. He repeatedly warned Xu of hidden threats, intervened when she faced danger, and waited for her in the Golden House despite finding a way out 749 750 760. He can also be petty: Zhao He's cautious response to his attempted test irritated him enough that he singled her out for future attention 1317.

Abilities & Skills

Ember Burning Black Flame

The Sky-Gazing Hound's signature black flame is a destructive fire associated with his nature as a Malevolent Hound.

• Melted a one-armed cultivator's natal flying sword into molten iron in less than a breath 719
• Required two months to grind down and kill a late Void Refining Stone Jade Person while restrained by the Soul Suppressing Pot 748
• Helped Xu Chunniang suppress the Pure Yang Fire so that Heartfall Flame could absorb it 757
• Could be used to provoke lightning tribulation in order to protect Xu 760
• He claims that, once free of the pot's restrictions, the flame can burn a Mahayana Demon King to death 832

Fire and Devouring Laws

He understands the laws of fire and devouring, fitting his innate hunger for dragon flesh 709 800.

• Uses devouring as part of his natural combat and cultivation path 800
• His racial appetite for dragons is instinctive rather than a learned preference 709

Divine Soul and Spiritual Sense

Even as a remnant soul, the Sky-Gazing Hound retained exceptional divine-soul strength.

• Communicates over long distances through divine sense and assists Xu without leaving the Soul Suppressing Pot 709 729
• Sensed shared law-pattern characteristics between the Dragon Soul Bell and Soul Suppressing Pot 729
• Could not detect Xu's virtual body after she refined it into nothingness 745
• Failed to detect the hidden Void Beast until it revealed itself, showing that concealment within the void can bypass his senses 749

Bloodline Inheritance

His bloodline preserves knowledge unavailable through ordinary study 816.

• Identifies races, their habits, and their exploitable weaknesses 786 816
• Knows Dragon Clan secrets, including the origin of the Dragon Clan Sacred Tree 729
• Provided Xu with practical information that helped her navigate the Trial of Ten Thousand Races 816

Combat Ability

His direct combat ability remains dangerous even when limited by the Soul Suppressing Pot.

• Killed a Beautiful People Race cultivator after the cultivator attempted to self-destruct and escape 757
• Fought the Void Beast repeatedly, though neither side could decisively harm the other while it hid in the void 750
• His phantom form was considered difficult to defeat due to its physique, stable divine soul, and black flame 733

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Soul Suppressing Pot — His prison for much of the story; he could control it in battle, but its restraints severely limited him 747 748 832.
• Teleportation Array — A historical array he constructed for travel between the human and beast races 709.
• Identity Talisman Token — Issued to him upon entering the Immortal Realm 1325.

Relationships

• Xu Chunniang — Former jailer, bargaining partner, and long-term companion. Their alliance was marked by frequent arguments, mutual reliance, and eventual reconciliation after his freedom and later recovery 709 832 1318 1325.
• Hua Yao — President of Heavenly God Academy and a figure connected to his vice presidency; she warned him not to damage the reputation of the Profound Method Venerable 1318.
• Zhao He — Initially targeted for an unnecessary test, but later protected and advised after Xu Chunniang requested that he leave her alone 1317 1318 1320.
• Scorched Bone — An old acquaintance whose exact past relationship with him remains unknown; Scorched Bone recognized his aura but could not recall whether they had been allies or enemies 1317.
• Old Dragon — A long-standing adversary connected to the Ten Thousand Monster Tomb and the Sky-Gazing Hound's past imprisonment 729 832.
• Seven-Colored Golden Carp — A prospective meal in his eyes; Xu prevented him from killing it because it belonged to the Treant Race 774.

Notable Quotes

“I don't need to understand these things. As long as my strength is sufficient, that's all that matters. One strength breaks all laws, understand?” 731

“Hahaha, Grandpa Hou has finally arrived in the Immortal Realm! Just watch as I write a legend belonging to me in this vast world!” 1326

Trivia

• He refers to himself as “Grandpa Hou,” particularly when boasting or demanding respect 719 779.
• He once claimed to have infiltrated a dragon's lair at the Integration Stage and stolen a Soul Transformation dragon cub from beneath a Tribulation Passage dragon's notice 779.
• He envies the Sea of Learning's spiritual qi, believing it could save him nearly a thousand years of cultivation if he were not restrained 743.