Old Daoist

Biodata

Feature	Information
Name	Qingyuan Old Daoist (老道)
Alias(es)	Old Daoist; Old Taoist
Gender	Male
Occupation/Role	Immortal Dao cultivator; talisman and formation specialist
Status	Deceased; killed by Zhang You after their alliance collapsed 38
First Appearance	Chapter 12

Power Progression

Stage / Realm / Level	Chapter	Notes
Ninth Level of the Qi Refining Realm	12–13	Identifies himself as a ninth-level Qi Refining cultivator; he had remained stuck at this realm for decades. 12 13 18
Half-step Foundation Establishment Realm	28	Breaks through amid the battle against Bai Huang and the flame spirits after prolonged combat in the Ghost Domain. 26 28 34

Background / History

Qingyuan first encounters Zhang You while assisting against the Headless Corpse Evil. He uses talismans and a whisk to fend off its regenerating tentacles, but Zhang You knocks him unconscious afterward and takes him to Fahua Temple for information about the Immortal Dao. Qingyuan explains that Zhang You lacks a Spiritual Root and therefore cannot cultivate the conventional immortal path. 12 13

He is drawn into the Ghost Domain alongside Zhang You after the Blood Shadow Ghost Mother incident. Throughout their journey, Qingyuan provides knowledge of Yin entities, Ghost Walls, Netherworld Ghostfire, cultivation realms, and the wider state of the cultivation world. He repeatedly relies on Zhang You's strength when faced with opponents beyond his ability to handle. 16 18 21 23 30

Although he presents their partnership as mutual survival, Qingyuan had engineered their entry into the Ghost Domain. After learning that Zhang You possessed the Pure Body and could cultivate the Martial Dao, he sought Ghost Domain treasures and a way to obtain materials for a Longevity Pill. 33 34

At the hundredth mountain step, Qingyuan turns on Zhang You. He uses the Blood Spirit Annihilation Array, a formation designed to suppress Martial Dao blood energy, intending to capture Zhang You alive for his Pure Body. When his spells and artifacts fail, he resorts to a damaged Immortal Artifact and an Emperor Artifact fragment, sacrificing his own lifespan to activate them. 34 35 36

Zhang You survives Qingyuan's final attack through the Netherworld Ghostfire. Qingyuan attempts to escape, but Zhang You catches him and decapitates him. Qingyuan's final detonation destroys his own body and tears open an exit from the unstable Ghost Domain. 37 38

Personality

Qingyuan is knowledgeable, cautious, and highly pragmatic. He readily explains cultivation matters to Zhang You when it benefits his immediate safety, and he recognizes when stronger enemies should be avoided rather than confronted. 13 18 21

His apparent cooperation conceals deep greed and calculation. He deliberately allows Zhang You to abduct him, follows him into the Ghost Domain, and waits until he has acquired sufficient tools and power before attempting to seize Zhang You's Pure Body. 33 34

Despite his scheming, Qingyuan is not fearless. He is vulnerable to spiritual attacks, worries about opponents beyond his realm, and considers cooperating with Bai Huang when Zhang You's fate appears uncertain. 16 20 28

Abilities & Skills

Immortal Dao Cultivation

Qingyuan is an Immortal Dao cultivator who progressed from the ninth level of Qi Refining to Half-step Foundation Establishment.

• Possesses decades of cultivation experience but had long been unable to cross into Foundation Establishment. 18
• Understands the distinctions between Qi Refining, Foundation Establishment, Soul, and Innate realms. 13
• Explains that Foundation Establishment cultivators begin transforming spiritual energy toward true essence. 18 26

Talismans and Formations

Qingyuan is highly proficient with talismans, using them for offense, defense, concealment, and scouting.

• Dispels the Great Hall's illusion with an Immeasurable Yang Fire talisman formation. 17
• Creates protective barriers around himself and uses talismans to resist attacks from evil entities. 12 17
• Establishes a soundproofing talisman formation to weaken the Evil Buddha Statue's mind-controlling chant. 20
• Folds talismans into paper cranes to scout dangerous areas remotely. 17 21
• Uses Swiftness Talismans and a Divine Movement Talisman to improve mobility. 22 35

Spells

Qingyuan employs elemental spells in combat.

• Fireball Technique — launches a large fireball at Zhang You. 35
• Fire Dragon Technique — summons a fire dragon to attack. 35
• Magma Technique — creates erupting magma from the ground. 35
• Earth Spike Technique — raises earthen spikes beneath an opponent. 35

Blood Spirit Annihilation Array

An ancient formation Qingyuan obtains in the Ghost Domain specifically to counter Martial Dao practitioners.

• Suppresses a target's blood energy. 34
• Can reverse and destabilize the target's own blood qi through Reverse Yin and Yang. 35
• Returns expelled blood-energy attacks to their source. 35
• Fails to fully neutralize Zhang You, who can still mobilize part of his blood energy and withstand its backlash with his physical body. 34 35

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Whisk — used to strike and disperse the Headless Corpse Evil's tentacles. 12
• Spirit swords — employed in direct combat, including the destruction of the Blood Demon. 15 20
• Broken Sword — a damaged Immortal Artifact capable of injuring Zhang You; Qingyuan sacrifices lifespan and heart's blood to draw out more of its power. 33 35 37
• Emperor Artifact fragment — a small iron shard and Qingyuan's ultimate trump card; its activation consumes extreme amounts of his lifespan, energy, spirit, and vitality. 36 37
• Blood-Sucking Whip — a barbed, venomous whip designed to pierce defenses, drain blood, and sap strength; Zhang You breaks it. 34
• Bronze heart-protecting mirror — prevents Zhang You's palm strike from immediately killing him. 37
• Artifact hairpin — protects his head from a lethal blow, though it leaves him severely injured. 37
• Minor Realm-Breaking Talisman — intended to tear open the Ghost Domain and enable escape through a spatial weak point. 26 37
• Spatial artifact and defensive robe — revealed while ascending the Ghost Domain mountain. 33
• Great Yellow Bell — previously lent to Shopkeeper Li's group in exchange for Blood Crystals and Pure Body-based Essence Pills. 34

Relationships

• Zhang You — Initially an uneasy companion in the Ghost Domain; Qingyuan secretly covets Zhang You's Pure Body and Martial Dao potential, eventually betraying him and being killed by him. 13 26 33 34 38
• Blood Shadow Ghost Mother — Opposed her alongside Zhang You; Qingyuan kills the Blood Demon she summons. 14 15
• Bai Huang — Recognizes him as a former Demon Suppression Guard and regards him as untrustworthy; briefly considers cooperating with him only if Zhang You dies. 26 28
• Shopkeeper Li — Has prior dealings with him and lends him the Great Yellow Bell in exchange for promised Blood Crystals and Essence Pills. 34

Story Role / Major Arcs

Headless Corpse Evil

Qingyuan joins Zhang You against the Headless Corpse Evil, displaying his talismans, whisk, and defensive techniques. Zhang You later knocks him out to interrogate him about immortal cultivation. 12 13

Ghost Domain Expedition

Qingyuan accompanies Zhang You through Fahua Temple's Ghost Domain, where he dispels illusions, scouts with paper cranes, fights Mist Ghosts, identifies Netherworld Ghostfire, and breaks through to Half-step Foundation Establishment. 16 17 21 23 28

Betrayal at the Mountain Summit

Qingyuan reveals that the expedition was a calculated attempt to exploit Zhang You. He activates the Blood Spirit Annihilation Array and deploys his accumulated artifacts in an effort to capture Zhang You alive. 33 34 35

Death Match

After exhausting his formations, spells, and damaged Immortal Artifact, Qingyuan activates an Emperor Artifact fragment at the cost of his lifespan. Zhang You survives, defeats him in close combat, and kills him before escaping the Ghost Domain. 36 37 38