Song Qiu

Biodata

Feature	Details
Name	Song Qiu (宋秋)
Alias(es)	Old Ancestor Song Qiu; Pillar of the Song Family
Gender	Male
Affiliation	Song Family
Occupation/Role	Song Family Old Ancestor and its foremost protector
Cultivation	Peak Golden Core; later a Half-step Nascent Soul cultivator 160 207 298
Status	Deceased; his Soul Lantern ultimately extinguished after his failed breakthrough 304
First Appearance	Chapter 158

Power Progression

Stage / Realm / Level	Chapter	Notes
Peak Golden Core	160	Regarded as the Song Family’s absolute pillar, above its six clan elders in authority and strength.
Half-step Nascent Soul	207 234	Publicly known as only a step from Nascent Soul, though age and a damaged foundation made a conventional breakthrough unlikely.
Attempted Nascent Soul	301 303	Used Ghost Peaches to force a breakthrough. His Nascent Soul nearly stabilized, but his Inner Demon caused the attempt to collapse and completed his Wood Transformation.

Background

Song Qiu was born an illegitimate son of a former Song Family head and was not initially inducted into the family’s cultivation system. His talent later made him one of Chen Kingdom’s ten foremost young geniuses and the most dazzling prodigy in Song Family history 234 260.

Unable to resolve a mental obstruction in his youth, he entered the mortal world to refine his heart. He deliberately married an impoverished mortal woman, treating the marriage as an exercise in observing love, aging, sickness, and death rather than as a relationship between equals. They had a son, but Song Qiu continued to regard both wife and child as whetstones for his Dao 180 260.

His wife’s death and his son’s resentment exposed the flaw in that belief. Song Qiu eventually realized that his claimed ruthlessness was self-deception: he had neither truly severed mortal attachments nor faced his own heart. This unresolved guilt became the Inner Demon that prevented him from reaching Nascent Soul by ordinary means 260.

Appearance

Song Qiu initially appears as an exceptionally aged man with a wrinkled face, a gentle expression, and a subdued, elder-like presence despite his overwhelming cultivation 158 160.

• His body gradually undergoes Wood Transformation after he borrows power from the Song Family’s Immortal Root; his skin turns gray-white and bark-like 277.
• By his pursuit of Song Chengan, his face and hands are nearly fully wooden, forcing him to conceal them with a human-skin mask and gloves 292.
• His empowered manifestation is accompanied by the phantom of a towering ancient tree and descending branches 276.

Personality

Song Qiu presents himself as warm, patient, and understanding. He dismisses the clan elders’ invasive investigation of Song Chengan’s memories, argues that cultivators are entitled to private fortuitous encounters, and gives Song Chengan personal attention that the rest of the family finds unusual 160.

His kindness is complicated by an extreme fear of death and fixation on Nascent Soul. He considers the Song Family important, but explicitly places his own survival above its members when the two conflict. He is willing to strip his descendants of their Spiritual Powers, sacrifice the family’s future talents, and pursue Song Chengan as a vessel if doing so offers him another life 298 301.

Despite this ruthlessness, Song Qiu is not emotionally empty. His mortal wife and son remain the unresolved core of his Inner Demon, and his final failure comes when his desire to repay what he owed them overcomes his attempt to transcend those attachments 303.

Abilities & Skills

Wood Spirit True Qi and Immortal Root Empowerment

Song Qiu cultivates the Song Family’s Wood Spirit True Qi and can temporarily borrow the power of the family’s revived Immortal Root.

• Temporarily raises his cultivation to a level capable of confronting Nascent Soul cultivators 277 292.
• Manifested an ancient-tree phantom and severely injured the Sky-Breaking Demon Lord with a single strike 276.
• The technique could only be used three times in his life 277.
• Each use accelerated his irreversible Wood Transformation 277 292.

Spirit Deprivation / Soul Plunder

Song Qiu’s Spirit Pool-derived Spiritual Power can strip others of their Spiritual Powers and techniques. It is also called Soul Plunder in connection with his Body Snatching art 277 292.

• Allows him to seize another cultivator’s Spiritual Power and magic 277.
• Can assist Body Snatching, increasing its success rate while allowing him to retain his own abilities and acquire those of the vessel 277 292.
• He admitted to taking the Spiritual Powers of Song Chengyun and Song Shangcheng 301.
• Its value made Song Chengan’s collection of abilities—particularly the Boat Carving Sword Technique—his ideal target 277.

Fire Kingdom

Song Qiu wielded Fire Kingdom after obtaining it through his schemes against Song Family descendants.

• Activated alongside three Divine Ability Imprints during his confrontation with Monk Duzhi 298.
• Produces a vast sea of fire capable of engulfing the battlefield 298.
• Failed to overcome Monk Duzhi, a genuine Nascent Soul cultivator, while Song Qiu was injured and woodified 298.

Body Snatching

Song Qiu prepared elaborate formations to transfer his Spirit Soul into Song Chengan’s body.

• Chose Song Chengan because their fates were compatible and because Song Chengan possessed exceptional talent and Spiritual Powers 277 292.
• Originally planned to use Song Chengan as a Corpse Release substitute before deciding that directly taking his body was more valuable 277.
• His first attempt was repelled by Li Zhuer’s unidentified Buddhist technique 278.
• He continued pursuing Song Chengan to Arhat City and Lantu Temple despite his worsening condition 292 298.

Equipment / Items

• Life and Death Plate — A High-grade Spirit Treasure Song Qiu personally gave Song Chengan 180.
• Lifebound Magic Treasure and Storage Ring — Valuable possessions he bestowed on Song Chengan during his period of apparent patronage 223.
• Ghost Peaches — Spirit fruits required for his forced attempt at Nascent Soul; Song Shangyuan controlled two of them as leverage 301 302.
• Human-skin mask and gloves — Used to hide the visible effects of his Wood Transformation while he pursued Song Chengan 292.

Relationships

• Song Chengan — Initially treated as a treasured clan descendant and personally protected by Song Qiu. Song Qiu later revealed that Song Chengan had been adopted by Song Zhengxin rather than born into the Song Family, then attempted to seize his body for himself 158 277 301.
• Song Shangyuan — Song Family clan leader. Shangyuan initially trusted Song Qiu, but confronted him after learning that he had stolen Spiritual Powers from family descendants and targeted Song Chengan 301.
• Song Chengyun and Song Shangcheng — Descendants whose Spiritual Powers Song Qiu admitted to taking in pursuit of his own breakthrough 277 301.
• Unnamed mortal wife and son — The family Song Qiu formed during his mortal heart-refinement. His failure to acknowledge his wife’s devotion and his son’s resulting resentment became the foundation of his Inner Demon 260 303.
• Sky-Breaking Demon Lord — Song Qiu drove the demon lord away after he attacked Song Chengan, primarily to preserve the body Song Qiu intended to seize 276 277.
• Monk Duzhi — Master of Lantu Temple. Duzhi defeated Song Qiu in a contest of Dharma and prevented him from taking Song Chengan from the temple 298.

Story Role / Major Arcs

Song Chengan’s Recognition

Song Qiu personally guides Song Chengan’s Soul Lantern after the latter returns to the Song Family. He later halts the Mingxin Realm investigation, appearing to respect Song Chengan’s secrets while secretly ensuring that the family does not discover the truth of Song Chengan’s identity or opportunities 158 160 301.

Patron and Protector

He secures Song Chengan’s standing against the Zhou Family, gifts him cultivation resources and treasures, and intervenes when Chen Chuo attempts to kill him after Song Chengan’s battle with Chen Xuan 180 202 254.

The Body Snatching Revelation

After saving Song Chengan from the Sky-Breaking Demon Lord, Song Qiu reveals that his lifespan and body are nearing their limit. He then exposes his true plan: Song Chengan was selected as a compatible vessel whose body, talent, and Spiritual Powers could carry Song Qiu into Nascent Soul 277 278.

Pursuit to Arhat City

Following the failed first Body Snatching, Song Qiu disguises himself and pursues Song Chengan toward Arhat City. Monk Dufa temporarily traps him, while Monk Duzhi later defeats him at Lantu Temple, but Song Qiu continues seeking a final chance to seize Song Chengan’s body 292 298.

Failed Breakthrough and Death

Unable to seize Song Chengan, Song Qiu forces a Nascent Soul breakthrough using Ghost Peaches. During his Inner Demon trial, he encounters the spirits of his wife and son; his belated desire to repay them destroys his breakthrough, completes his Wood Transformation, and leads to his death 301 303 304.

Notable Quotes

“In the Cultivation World, it has always been the victor who takes all.” 278

“My family is very important to me, and I am willing to protect my family. But that is only if I am safe.” 298