Dao Ancestor

Biodata

Feature	Information
Name	Dao Ancestor (道祖) 27
Alias(es)	Dao Sect's Dao Ancestor; Dao Ancestor of the Immortal Realm; Wu Zhi's past life 27 410 510
Gender	Male
Affiliation	Founder of the Dao Sect; former leader of the Immortal Realm faction opposing the Heavenly Dao's plan 27 647
Occupation/Role	Founder, lecturer on the Dao, creator of Daoist techniques, and ancient protector of the Myriad Realms 27 647 681
Status	Original Immortal body deceased and refined into the Ming Zhong World's continent; soul reincarnated as Wu Zhi and capable of brief awakenings through him 400 510 647
First Appearance	Chapter 27 (mentioned) 27

Power Progression

Stage / Realm / Level	Chapter	Notes
Immortal Realm ascendant	27	The Dao Sect's founding Dao Ancestor ascended to the Immortal Realm, leaving the Yin-Yang Heaven Seal behind as the sect's supreme treasure.
Limitless Primordial Immortal	503	Counted among the five Limitless Boundless Immortals before the Immortal Ascension Ladder was destroyed.
Three Corpses United as One	400	Silently completed the Severing Three Corpses method and reunited the three corpses, concealing the true extent of his strength from his enemies.

Background / History

Dao Ancestor was among the first people created by Tai Chu. Though Tai Chu fell while he was still young, he was taught by Qiong—the first person created by Tai Chu—whom he called the Holy Teacher. Of that generation, Dao Ancestor states that he alone survived. 732

He became the founder of the Dao Sect and later ascended to the Immortal Realm. The Dao Sect's Dao Ancestor was one of his Three Corpses; after the corpses reunited, they became one being again. Before ascending, he forged the Yin-Yang Heaven Seal as an Immortal Artifact and left it to protect the Dao Sect's fortune. 27 410

In the Immortal Realm, Dao Ancestor opposed the Heavenly Dao's proposal to destroy the world before the Black Tide, or Law of Destruction, could consume it. His faction lost the conflict, allowing the Heavenly Dao to reshape the Immortal Realm into an instrument for carrying out its will. 647

After being mortally wounded, Dao Ancestor shattered the Immortal Ascension Ladders to obstruct the pursuit of Extraterrestrial Demons and protect the Myriad Realms. He used his remaining power to shelter cultivators, leave behind a Stone Tablet, and refine his body into a continent for survivors to inhabit. His body continued moving only through obsession until he encountered Jiang Li and finally died completely. 400 401

His soul entered the Underworld but could not be fully cleansed by the Six Paths of Reincarnation Tablet; the attempt even cracked the artifact. He was ultimately reincarnated as the infant Wen Da, who later entered the Buddhist Sect under the name Wu Zhi. 510

Appearance

Dao Ancestor's original body was unimaginably vast after death: it spanned two provinces, was comparable in size to dozens of planets, and became the physical continent of the Ming Zhong World. The sun, moon, and stars of that world revolved around his corpse. 65

• His corpse's head, arms, legs, and torso form the terrain inhabited by humans and Ferocious Beasts. 65
• A newly born consciousness once formed within the corpse's Spirit Platform as a white-robed figure, but it possessed none of Dao Ancestor's memories or Daoist Arts. 65
• In the present era, he communicates by temporarily occupying Wu Zhi's body. 647

Personality

Dao Ancestor bore the responsibility of protecting cultivators and preserving a future against the Law of Destruction. Even after suffering irreparable injuries, he used his final actions to shield survivors, leave knowledge behind, and prevent the Immortal Realm from easily reaching other worlds. 400 647

Despite his stature, he is mischievous and irreverent. He impersonated lesser cultivators in the Immortal Realm for amusement, scammed Immortals in transactions, and once spent forty-nine years creating a divine ability merely to achieve the feat of “spitting out grape skins without eating grapes.” 587 621 647

He is candid about his own uncertainty. After awakening through Wu Zhi, he openly admitted that Jiang Li's Great Ascension Stage and ability to generate Spiritual Qi contradicted the Life Evolution Rule as he understood it. 647 692

Abilities & Skills

Three Corpses Cultivation Method

Dao Ancestor mastered the Severing Three Corpses method and reunited the three corpses into one, a feat that concealed his full strength from his enemies. 400

• The Dao Sect's founding ancestor was one of his Three Corpses. 410
• His incomplete separation from Wu Zhi requires Wu Zhi to learn Dao Ancestor's techniques. 637
• The Three Corpses United as One remained short of the higher state of Three Lives United as One. 518

Daoist Canon

Dao Ancestor's Daoist Canon is regarded as the foremost treasure of the Immortal Realm and the record of his lifetime of Daoist comprehension. 667

• Understanding half a volume is said to be sufficient to obtain the Heavenly Immortal fruit position. 667
• The Canon eventually filled the Miro Palace as Dao Ancestor's understanding deepened. 667
• Divine Treasure Venerable refined the Canon into the Dao Sword after Dao Ancestor's defeat. 667

Aura Observation Technique

Dao Ancestor created the Aura Observation Technique, an exceptionally difficult art for assessing another being's cultivation through their aura. 681

• Only Dao Ancestor and Divine Treasure Venerable are known to have fully mastered it. 681
• Even with this technique, Dao Ancestor could not perceive the depth of Jiang Li's power. 400 692

Law Manifests with Words

Dao Ancestor created the divine ability Law Manifests with Words after contemplating a paradox posed by the Confucian Saint for forty-nine years. 621

• The ability was created in Great Luo Heaven. 621
• Its origin reflects Dao Ancestor's willingness to pursue an absurd challenge to its absolute conclusion. 621

Immense Immortal Power

At the end of his life, Dao Ancestor's remaining obsession retained enough force to affect the Myriad Realms. 400

• He crushed the Immortal Ascension Ladder to hinder pursuers from locating other worlds. 400
• He protected cultivators in his palm while moving through the Void, though the crude protection damaged their Spirit Platforms and memories. 400
• His original corpse was so large that its transformed body became an entire world-continent. 65
• His death was unavoidable after his Spirit Platform was pierced, his sight lost, and his body catastrophically wounded. 400

Reincarnation and Temporary Possession

Dao Ancestor's soul resisted the Underworld's reincarnation process and retained enough continuity to awaken within Wu Zhi. 510 647

• He reincarnated as Wen Da, later known as Wu Zhi of the Buddhist Sect. 510
• He can temporarily occupy Wu Zhi's body to speak and use knowledge from his former life. 647
• Prolonged possession would assimilate Wu Zhi, so Dao Ancestor limits the duration of each awakening. 647
• Wu Zhi remains his own person rather than being replaced by Dao Ancestor. 520

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Yin-Yang Heaven Seal — Immortal Artifact forged by Dao Ancestor and left as the Dao Sect's supreme treasure; it regards him as its master. 27 58
• A Qing — Dao Ancestor's mount, later corrupted and defeated; the Stone Tablet identifies it as his mount. 65 401
• Stone Tablet — His final message to Immortal Realm survivors, written before he refined his body into a continent. 400 401
• Daoist Canon — His accumulated Daoist teachings and greatest legacy; later refined into the Dao Sword by Divine Treasure Venerable. 667

Relationships

• Jiang Li — Dao Ancestor encountered Jiang Li after death and recognized him as an unfathomable power from the future; Jiang Li became the hope Dao Ancestor believed could confront the Law of Destruction. 400 692
• Wu Zhi — His reincarnated identity. Dao Ancestor temporarily awakens through Wu Zhi but avoids prolonged possession to preserve the monk's independent self. 510 647
• Bai Hongtu — Founder of Bai Hongtu's Dao Sect lineage; Bai Hongtu pays him respect as a junior and later learns that the Dao Sect ancestor was one of Dao Ancestor's Three Corpses. 410 647
• Changcun Immortal Elder — Dao Ancestor's disciple and the Yin-Yang Heaven Seal's junior brother; Changcun grieved deeply upon discovering his master's corpse. 58 65
• Confucian Saint — Once sought the Dao from Dao Ancestor before attaining enlightenment; the two later reunited after Dao Ancestor's reincarnation. 426 692
• Buddha — The Buddha listened to Dao Ancestor's lectures before attaining enlightenment; Dao Ancestor considered Buddhism part of the Dao. 510
• Houtu Empress — A longtime junior in seniority who knew Dao Ancestor's warning about the future power who would surpass him. 508 744
• Emperor Shun — Convinced Dao Ancestor that a second method against the Law of Destruction existed and that the future would be resolved, prompting Dao Ancestor to reincarnate. 732
• Divine Treasure Venerable — His principal adversary in the Immortal Realm conflict; the Heavenly Dao's incarnation later used Dao Ancestor's Canon to forge the Dao Sword. 647 667

Story Role / Major Arcs

Immortal Realm Conflict

Dao Ancestor led the faction that rejected the Heavenly Dao's plan to preemptively destroy the world before the Black Tide arrived. His defeat enabled the Heavenly Dao to dominate the Immortal Realm and pursue destruction of the Myriad Realms. 647

Destruction of the Immortal Ascension Ladder

While mortally wounded and pursued, Dao Ancestor destroyed the Immortal Ascension Ladders to delay enemies seeking access to other worlds. He then created a final refuge by transforming his body into the Ming Zhong World's continent. 400 410

Ming Zhong World Discovery

The Yin-Yang Heaven Seal sensed its master's karma in the Ming Zhong World, leading Jiang Li to investigate. The search revealed that the entire continent was Dao Ancestor's corpse and that its newly formed sentience threatened the inhabitants until Jiang Li destroyed it. 58 65

Reincarnation as Wu Zhi

The Underworld revealed that Dao Ancestor had reincarnated into Wu Zhi. Later, he awakened through Wu Zhi to explain the Black Tide, the Law of Destruction, and the original split between himself and the Heavenly Dao. 510 647

Legacy in the Present Era

Dao Ancestor's knowledge continues to guide the response to the Black Tide. He identifies Jiang Li as a possibility beyond his understanding and believes Jiang Li may be capable of reaching the Possibility Convergence Land to eliminate the Law of Destruction at its source. 692

Notable Quotes

“Who are you... You come from the future... There are cultivators like you in the future... You are even stronger than me... There is still hope... There is still hope for everything...” 400

“I can't occupy this little monk's body for too long, or he will be assimilated by me.” 647

“The hope I speak of is not that Jiang Human Emperor can defeat the Immortal Realm and the Heavenly Dao, but that he has the possibility of fighting the Destruction Rule, going to the Possibility Convergence Land, and eliminating the rule from its source.” 692

Trivia

• The Yin-Yang Heaven Seal cried and searched for Dao Ancestor for five days after escaping the Nine Provinces. 58
• The Six Paths of Reincarnation Tablet cracked while attempting to erase the portion of Dao Ancestor's soul that represented his former self. 510
• Dao Ancestor once lectured to the Immortals on how to pursue the Red Dust Fairy. 689
• He sold the first Tian Yuan Emperor a gourd at three times the usual price, later becoming known for having scammed Immortals more than once. 587