Hongjun

Biodata

Feature	Details
Name	Hongjun (鸿钧)
Alias(es)	Saint Hongjun; Dao Ancestor; Heavenly Dao Hongjun
Species/Race	Innate Divine Being
Gender	Male
Affiliation	Heavenly Dao; Xuanmen; Zixiao Palace
Occupation/Role	Heavenly Dao’s spokesperson; Dao lecturer; founder of the Three Corpses method
Status	Active; merged with the Heavenly Dao, while seeking eventual transcendence and restoration of his true self
First Appearance	Chapter 22

Power Progression

Stage / Realm / Level	Chapter	Notes
Saint	90	Attains Sainthood with the Heavenly Dao’s aid, revealing a realm above Grand Luo Golden Immortal and announcing his first Zixiao Palace sermon.
Sixth-level Saint	124	Reaches the sixth level of Sainthood through the Heavenly Dao’s assistance while in the process of integrating with it.
Primordial Supreme Grand Luo Golden Immortal / Heavenly Dao Realm	199	Completes his merger with the Heavenly Dao; his pressure spreads across the Primordial World, though the Heavenly Dao enters slumber immediately afterward.

Appearance

Hongjun first appears as a white-robed Daoist emerging from concealment in a nameless valley. 22

• Usually carries the composed, detached bearing of a senior Daoist.
• Following Xuanxiao’s lightning attacks, he has twice been left scorched black and disheveled. 23 124
• After merging with the Dao, his aura becomes increasingly ethereal and his expression markedly indifferent. 199

Personality

Hongjun cultivates an outwardly emotionless Dao, but he is not portrayed as indifferent to the Primordial World. Even the deaths of old friends Yin and Yang and Qian Kun do not divert him from what he sees as the greater need for the world’s stability and development. This “great love” is part of why the Heavenly Dao chooses him as its partner. 111

He is strategic, cautious, and capable of political calculation. He attempts to influence the allocation of Saint positions, obstructs Jieyin and Zhunti’s path to Zixiao Palace, and seeks the attendance of key figures whose recognition will aid his integration with the Heavenly Dao. 97 110 His confidence is tempered after Xuanxiao’s subconscious lightning strike severely injures him, leaving him far more wary of the Dao Venerable. 93 95

After the balance among the Heavenly, Earthly, and Human Paths improves, Hongjun gradually regains emotions suppressed by his union with the Heavenly Dao. He ultimately hopes that the Primordial Era’s Grand Perfection will free him from the need to remain merged with the Dao. 354

Abilities & Skills

Three Corpses Method

Hongjun derives the Three Corpses method from the Jade Butterfly of Creation and uses it to create three bodies equal to himself in cultivation, aura, and spirit. 57

• The method severs corpses through the inextinguishable spiritual light within Innate Spirit Treasures. 97
• Higher-grade Innate Spirit Treasures produce more powerful Three Corpses. 97
• Attaining Dao through the method requires the Three Corpses to become one, a feat Hongjun describes as requiring exceptional perseverance. 147
• Hongjun himself did not attain Sainthood through the Three Corpses method. 147

Heavenly Dao Communion

Before his merger, Hongjun alone can communicate with the Heavenly Dao through the Jade Butterfly of Creation. He uses this connection to learn that Xuanxiao has been granted the title of Dao Venerable. 22

• Travels to the Heavenly Dao’s origin space to seek its counsel. 61
• Receives the Heavenly Dao’s support in attaining Sainthood. 146
• Gains authority to act on the Heavenly Dao’s behalf after integration, but his true spirit becomes bound to it. 97
• Risks emotional assimilation and the loss of his individual will through prolonged union with the Heavenly Dao. 97

Saintly Authority

Hongjun’s ascension manifests as purple energy, merit, celestial music, falling flowers, and golden lotuses across the Primordial World. 90

• His Saintly pressure compels beings throughout the Primordial World to prostrate themselves. 90
• Effortlessly forces Luohu away from a Zixiao Palace futon despite Luohu being close to the Primordial Grand Luo Golden Immortal realm. 109
• Can borrow the Heavenly Dao’s power; after merging with it, he reaches the Heavenly Dao Realm. 124 199
• His manifestation as Heavenly Dao Hongjun confronts Luohu during Luohu’s attempt to attain the Hunyuan realm. 140

Dao Preaching

Hongjun’s three sermons establish an orderly cultivation framework for the beings of the Primordial World. 66 146

• Announces his first sermon at Zixiao Palace thirty thousand years after attaining Sainthood. 90
• Explains cultivation realms from Earth Immortal through Grand Luo Golden Immortal during his first sermon. 134
• Teaches the Three Corpses path, the requirements for Sainthood, and the function of Primordial Violet Qi. 147 197
• Preaches three times to repay the opportunities granted by the Heavenly Dao. 146

Equipment / Treasures

• Jade Butterfly of Creation — Fragments of a Chaos Supreme Treasure that Hongjun obtained by chance. They allow him to glimpse Dao mysteries, communicate with the Heavenly Dao, and develop the Three Corpses method. 22 57 146
• Dust whisk — Carried while discussing the Primordial Era’s broader trends with Xuanxiao. 357

Relationships

• Xuanxiao — Long-time friend, powerful ally, and the figure Hongjun treats with greatest caution. They debate Dao for 29,900 years, coordinate the Primordial World’s defense, and discuss Hongjun’s eventual freedom from the Heavenly Dao. 95 97 199 354
• Heavenly Dao — Hongjun’s patron and eventual counterpart in Dao integration. Their union grants immense authority but binds Hongjun’s true spirit and threatens his emotions and autonomy. 97 199
• Luohu — Former like-minded friend during the Fierce Beast Tribulation, later a rival in the Dao-Demon Struggle. Their paths diverge sharply after Hongjun accepts the Heavenly Dao. 140
• The Three Pure Ones — Hongjun seeks their recognition and attempts to recruit them as disciples, but they refuse due to their bond with Xuanxiao. 97 196
• Haotian and Yaochi — His Daoist attendants and later members of the Six Imperial Ones. Hongjun entrusts them with guarding Zixiao Palace after being injured by Xuanxiao’s lightning. 93 354
• Nuwa — Direct disciple; receives three Supreme Grade Innate Spirit Treasures upon entering Xuanmen. 196
• Zhenyuanzi — Direct disciple; receives the Creation Cauldron, Kunwu Sword, and Twelve-Grade Pure World White Lotus. 196
• Jieyin and Zhunti — Nominal disciples accepted despite Hongjun’s reluctance and concerns over their future departure from Xuanmen. 110 196
• Hun Kun — A past benefactor who sacrifices himself to save Hongjun during the Fierce Beast Tribulation. Hongjun later tries to repay this debt by securing opportunities for Hongyun and Kunpeng. 102

Story Role / Major Arcs

Encounter with Xuanxiao

Hongjun first meets Xuanxiao after concealing himself with the Jade Butterfly of Creation. He reveals that the Heavenly Dao has bestowed the title “Dao Venerable” upon Xuanxiao, beginning their long association. 22 While travelling with Xuanxiao, Hongjun is accidentally struck by tribulation lightning meant as punishment for Xuanxiao’s words, leaving him scorched and bewildered. 23

Saint Ascension and Zixiao Palace

Hongjun becomes the Primordial World’s first publicly recognized Saint and invites all fated beings to hear his Dao at Zixiao Palace. 90 Xuanxiao’s unconscious reaction to Hongjun’s Saintly pressure then sends a lightning bolt into Zixiao Palace, seriously injuring Hongjun and shattering his brief confidence that Sainthood might place him on Xuanxiao’s level. 93 95

He debates the Dao with Xuanxiao for 29,900 years, gains insight into Xuanxiao’s all-encompassing path, and prepares his sermon around the Three Corpses method and the requirements for Dao integration. 97

Three Sermons and Saint Positions

Hongjun’s sermons systematize cultivation across the Primordial World, give seekers access to the Three Corpses method, and reveal the existence of nine Saint positions. 134 147 197 He accepts Nuwa and Zhenyuanzi as direct disciples, Jieyin and Zhunti as nominal disciples, and grants selected figures Primordial Violet Qi. 196 197

Merging with the Dao

After completing his sermons, Hongjun announces that he will unite with the Heavenly Dao to repair its flaws. 195 He entrusts the Primordial World’s defense to Xuanxiao and other great beings before completing the merger ten thousand years later. 199

The union elevates him to the Heavenly Dao Realm but confines him to the Heavenly Dao’s functions. His manifested form later confronts Luohu during the latter’s breakthrough attempt. 140 199

Later Governance

As the Primordial Era develops, Hongjun works with Xuanxiao to establish a more balanced order among the Heavenly, Earthly, and Human Paths. 239 354 He helps settle the dispute over the new Immortal Court by endorsing the Six Imperial Ones’ joint governance. 349

When Xuanxiao authorizes it, Hongjun merges the Origin Realm into the Primordial World’s western territories to balance heaven-and-earth fortune and settle his remaining karmic debt to the West. 687 688

Notable Quotes

“I am Hongjun, and I have now attained sainthood.” 90

“In thirty thousand years, I will preach the Dao in the Zixiao Palace beyond the heavens.” 90

“Today, my Dao law is complete. I shall use myself as a boat to ferry the Dao across the river, carrying the Dao with my body, and lodging the Dao within me.” 199