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Dao Foundation
Heavenly Calamity
Biodata
| Feature | Value |
|---|---|
| Name | Dao Foundation (道基) |
| Nature | The root and origin of a Great Dao or Law; a measure of a Dao Proving world's foundational power 6448 |
| Status | Individual Dao Foundations may be concealed, exposed, devoured, reshaped, or disappear from their original locations 6448 6511 6586 |
| First Appearance | Chapter 6447, “Dao Foundation” 6447 |
Nature and Terminology
A Dao Foundation is the underlying root of a Law and the Great Dao derived from it. In Dao Proving Heaven terminology, it more precisely expresses the origin and strength of a Dao Proving world than the Chaos Heaven term Dao Extreme. 6448
- Dao Foundations determine the Laws governing their associated worlds and can contain immense power, including the means to create worlds and life when combined with sufficient Destiny and Daoist lineage. 5700
- A Dao Foundation may exist as a world or universe with its own Heavenly Dao, inhabitants, and Laws. Divine Intent Heaven, for example, developed into a relatively mature small world. 6496
- Dao Foundations are not necessarily passive terrain. Some can disperse and reassemble, devour other Foundations, or exert pressure on the Dao Achievers within them. 6458 6750
- Plants, beasts, insects, and other beings may generate Dao Foundations, though such beings are generally appendages of a Foundation rather than Dao Achieving Immortals themselves. 8163
Ranks
| Rank | Documented properties |
|---|---|
| Seven Extremes | Powerful but obtainable Dao Foundations. Hidden Seven Extremes Foundations can grant a Great Dao leading toward Dao Proving Heaven when merged with a compatible cultivator. 6448 |
| Eight Extremes | Considered irreplicable. An Eight Extremes Dao Foundation can rival the foundational power of Creation Heaven and possess Laws of exceptional depth. 6447 6585 |
Dao Foundation Universes
A Dao Foundation Universe is a world formed around a Dao Foundation and its Laws.
- Cultivators who achieve Dao within a Dao Foundation Universe become part of it. Even if they are devoured, traces of their existence remain within that Foundation rather than vanishing completely. 6458
- More Dao Achievers within a Foundation can make it more stable and powerful. 6458
- A Dao Foundation can be condensed into a humanoid illusory spirit for combat. Damage to this form causes Dao Foundation power to leak out like blood from a wound. 6604
- If an illusory spirit dies while the Foundation survives, the Foundation sinks and may eventually receive a replacement Dao Achiever; the successor generally does not recognize the former illusory spirit. 8162
- Dao Achievers seek to strengthen their illusory spirits because returning to their Dao Foundation after defeat leaves them at a disadvantage. 8167
Concealment and Exposure
The Qiong Tian Jade was itself a top-tier Seven Extremes Dao Foundation. Its special nature allowed it to coexist with, rather than consume, other relatively gentle Seven Extremes Foundations, concealing them throughout the Nine-Layer Heavens. 6448
When the Qiong Tian Jade underwent Dao Proving, the concealed Foundations broke free from hiding and became detectable. Han Shanshan's Dao Extreme detectors registered three separate fluctuations at approximately Seven Extremes strength near the Nine-Layer Heavens' boundary. 6447 6448
- Han Shanshan's detectors use materials and Law-annihilating runes that allow Dao Extreme fluctuations to pass through and be recorded without destroying the devices. 6447
- Han Shanshan proposed establishing Hunting Grounds so that cultivators could compete for the newly exposed Foundations under controlled conditions, rather than allowing unrestricted conflict over them. 6448
- The Qiong Tian Jade's Dao Proving also exposed the Seven Extremes Blood Demon Dao Foundation, which had previously remained hidden in the Nine-Layer Heavens. 6449
Known Dao Foundations
| Dao Foundation | Rank / condition | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Qiong Tian Jade | Top-tier Seven Extremes | Concealed other compatible Dao Foundations until its Dao Proving exposed them. 6448 |
| Blood Demon Dao Foundation | Seven Extremes | A masterless Foundation suspected of having mutated from Heaven-Opening Blood; its blood demonic Laws may affect the sanity of Dao Achievers within it. 6449 6458 |
| Divine Intent Dao Foundation | Seven Extremes | A mature small world whose two Seven Extremes Daoist lineages were restarted and converted into controllable Dao Extreme power. 6496 6509 |
| Tian Tu Realm | Seven Extremes | Its Foundation was described as thick like jade paste; Dao Bodies dissolve upon entering it. It later vanished from its original location. 6511 6512 |
| Sword Heaven-like Dao Foundation | Eight Extremes | Possesses Sword Laws suited to direct, highly destructive sword techniques and is comparable in scale to Creation Heaven's Foundation. 6585 |
Conflict and Devouring
Dao Foundations can be seized in conflicts between Dao Achievers and Dao Foundation Universes.
- If a Dao Foundation is intercepted, its power may be devoured and incorporated into the victor's Foundation; successful counter-interception can yield an equivalent increase in Foundation power. 6586
- Smaller Dao Foundation Universes can be absorbed by stronger ones, while those that submit may remain as vassals rather than being destroyed. 7701
- Foundation Universes are not won through conventional warfare alone. Their Laws, adaptability, completeness, and ability to counter opposing Laws determine the outcome of a Heavenly Dao Battle. 6611
- A Dao Foundation may be rebuilt by dismantling damaged sections and replacing them with compatible Great Dao Foundations, restoring and strengthening the whole structure. 6634
History
Long before the current era, immortal cultivators who refused to follow the Nine Supreme Immortals into the newly opened Nine Heavens sought refuge in super Dao Foundations that the Nine Cauldrons could not fully eradicate. Certain clans achieved Dao within selected Foundations—including Blood Demon Heaven, Divine Will Heaven, You Huang Heaven, and Three Vehicle Heaven—and waited for a future Heaven-Opening. 6497
After the Qiong Tian Jade's Dao Proving exposed several concealed Seven Extremes Dao Foundations, Creation Heaven began investigating, sealing, and competing for them. The discovery established the Nine-Layer Heavens as a source of hidden Dao Foundation treasures capable of producing new Seven Extremes Dao Foundations. 6448 6449