Ba Zunan

Biodata

Feature	Details
Name	Ba Zunan (八尊谙)
Alias(es)	Eighth Sword Immortal; First Seat of Saint Slave 596 738
Gender	Male
Affiliation	Saint Slave; sovereign of Void Island's Black-and-White Branches 626 1010
Occupation/Role	Ancient sword cultivator; leader of Saint Slave; Eighth Sword Immortal 596 957
Status	Active; attained Zero-Return Ancestral Godhood, then sealed his Ancestor status and returned to zero 1925 1980 2059
First Appearance	Revealed by name — Chapter 596

Power Progression

Stage / Realm / Level	Chapter	Notes
Innate Realm	624	Ba Zunan recounts reaching Innate in three breaths.
Sword Immortal	624	He claims to have reached Sword Immortal within three years of attaining Innate.
Innate Realm — renewed breakthrough	621	While weakened and sword-sealed, he breaks through to Innate again and regains flight.
Sword Self	1788 1863	After concluding that Sword Thought ultimately returns to Fame, he cultivates the Sword Self: a path centered on the “self” rather than conventional sword arts alone.
False Ancestor Transformation	1913	After absorbing the Sword Sea and Famous Swords, he withstands internal Ancestral God tribulation and enters a False Ancestor state.
First Mysterious Gate	1914	Uses the third realm of the Illusion Sword Technique and Great Dream of a Thousand Autumns to prove his Dao and open a Mysterious Gate.
Second Mysterious Gate	1917	Opens a second Mysterious Gate through the Myriad Sword Technique, surpassing Sword Ancestor Gu Louying's recorded achievement.
“Me” cultivation	1922	Refines his Sword Self through Hua Changdeng's attacks until reaching the state of “Me.”
Zero-Return Ancestral God	1923 1925	Fuses with Qingju into a “perfect zero,” attains the Dao, and becomes the first Zero-Return Ancestral God.

Background / History

From a young age, Ba Zunan contemplated the relationship between the self and the Dao. His encounter with Shen Yi in the Dragon Cave's Lost Awareness Forbidden Zone became decisive: Shen Yi's Ancient Martial Arts Two Principles exposed the limits of Ba Zunan's existing Ancient Sword Arts foundation and inspired his pursuit of the Sword Self. 1863

He rose with extraordinary speed, reportedly reaching Innate in three breaths and Sword Immortal in three years. His fame as the Eighth Sword Immortal was built through battle, and his Sword Thought grew from the recognition and observation of the Five Domains. 624 1291

At some point, the Judgment Division sentenced him to Void Island's Inner Island. Despite the Forbidden Law Barrier and Martial-Sealing Talisman, he subdued the Black-and-White Branches and later returned to the Five Domains without being detected. 1010

Appearance

During his sword-sealed years, Ba Zunan often appears frail, filthy, and nearly devoid of spiritual essence. His damaged body bears the consequences of containing overwhelming sword aura, but his true bearing remains that of a towering sword immortal. 596 943 1815

• Eight fingers and a scar across his neck. 943
• Clouded yellow eyes; his gaze can seem confused or entirely ordinary despite his reputation. 956 1263
• Sharp, angular middle-aged features beneath his disheveled hair and stubble. 956
• In his restored public appearance, he is over eight feet tall with broad shoulders, a narrow waist, and long limbs. 1870
• Wears simple pale blue-and-white sword robes, a feather-woven outer robe, dragon-patterned jade belt, and white plumed boots. 1870

Personality

Ba Zunan is direct, domineering, and unsparing toward enemies. He expects answers when he demands them, regards many opponents as unworthy of prolonged exchanges, and treats threats to Saint Slave with open hostility. 626 1819

He is also intensely committed to the Sword Dao's future. Though he acknowledges the damage caused by his Martial-Sealing Talisman and sword seal, he continues to guide promising sword cultivators, notably Xu Xiaoshou, and seeks paths beyond established sword-cultivation conventions. 957 1315 1788

His long pursuit of the Sword Self reflects a stubborn independence. Rather than accept the limits of his body, talent, or inherited methods, he repeatedly abandons completed paths to seek a more fundamental understanding of sword, self, Fame, and Dao. 1672 1863 1925

Abilities & Skills

Undying Sword Body

Ba Zunan discarded ordinary flesh to cultivate a body formed from sword aura. Even after suffering lethal damage, he can regenerate organs, bones, blood, and clothing from a trace of blood.

• Endures attacks that should destroy a conventional body. 596
• Regenerated after Gou Wuyue pierced his head with the Voice of Nulan. 596
• His body constantly suffers from the high-speed sword aura within it. 596
• Major exertion severely consumes his vital energy, particularly while sword-sealed. 596 957

Ancient Sword Arts

Ba Zunan is proficient in all nine great sword techniques and is renowned for combining their principles fluidly rather than relying on fixed forms. 957 1222

• His improvised sword forms are often remembered as “one poem, one sword; one sword, one song.” 1222
• He can combine multiple Second-Realm sword principles into a single attack. 1913
• His combat style prioritizes awareness, adaptation, and exploiting an opponent's weakness over raw strength. 1908

Illusion Sword Technique

His Illusion Sword Technique distorts perception, creates convincing false phenomena, and turns an enemy's uncertainty into a fatal opening.

• Deceived Wang Rang and the White Robes into believing he had been killed before severing Wang Rang's Dao. 621
• Incapacitated Li You and the Nether Ghost Sect without directly attacking. 1819
• Produced phenomena including the Hundred Ghost Altar and Sunset Angel against Hua Changdeng. 1850
• Its third realm, Great Dream of a Thousand Autumns, manifested ancient Sword Immortals and opened a Mysterious Gate. 1914

Heart Sword Technique and Gods and Buddhas Under Eyes

Ba Zunan can project sword intent into the hearts of others and manipulate the emotions that arise there.

• Entered the hearts of everyone present at Eight Palaces Town, including Gou Wuyue and Wang Rang. 621
• His Gods and Buddhas Under Eyes can magnify fear, joy, anger, sorrow, and other desires until an opponent reveals a flaw. 1216
• Used the Heart Sword Technique to sever Wang Rang's Dao with one strike. 621

Have-and-Have-Not Sword Flow

A sword flow that erases or nullifies aspects of existence rather than merely cutting physical targets.

• Voidless Realm erased the surrounding rules of aberrant light on Void Island, protecting those within its range. 1214
• Heaven Abandoned stands beyond the First Realm and approaches the Second Realm of sword cultivation. 1214
• Destroyed Hua Changdeng's Hundred Ghost Altar. 1850
• Later used its severance principle alongside the Buddha Sword to purify Yincao's black sea of mist. 1906

Myriad Sword Technique

Ba Zunan's control over swords extends across the Five Domains.

• Summoned swords throughout the Five Domains, forming a sea of swords. 1879
• Drew Famous Swords such as Yuelian, Enchantress of Absolute Beauty, and Myriad Weapons Devil Ancestor to himself. 1879
• Opened his second Mysterious Gate through this technique. 1917

Sword Self and Qingju

The Sword Self is Ba Zunan's personal path beyond Sword Thought. It allows his existence and sword to transcend the usual separation between body, soul, intent, and self.

• His Sword Self remained after Hua Changdeng extinguished his body, spirit, and intent. 1921 1922
• Qingju restored him through the Sword Self after he sacrificed himself. 1923
• Their fusion created a “perfect zero,” enabling his Zero-Return Dao. 1923 1925

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Qingju — Ba Zunan's broken sword, summoned from the Burial Sword Tomb; it becomes one with him during his attainment of the Dao. 1923 1925
• Sack of swords — A sack he carries containing numerous swords, including Famous Swords. 1819
• Ghost Wheel Sorrow — Ninth-ranked Famous Sword; Li You offers it to Ba Zunan after recognizing the hopeless gap in power between them. 1819
• Mad Condor Sword — Used for Heaven's Liberation to instantly kill the Hammer Hall Yama Lord. 1907
• Qingfeng — Spiritual sword used to create nine world-destroying tornadoes. 1907 1908
• Saint Emperor's Golden Edict — Used to announce his return to the Five Domains. 1006

Relationships

• Storyteller — His younger brother and close companion; Storyteller worries over the damage Ba Zunan suffers whenever he acts. 596 1633
• Gou Wuyue — Former friend and ideological rival. Their reunion at Eight Palaces Town forces Gou Wuyue to confront the narrowness of his own aspirations. 620 622
• Xu Xiaoshou — Ally and potential successor whom Ba Zunan guides toward the Holy Palace path; Ba Zunan openly judges his talent as surpassing his own. 624 1315
• Hua Changdeng — Longstanding rival and Ba Zunan's central opponent in the struggle over the Sword Dao, Sword Self, and Ancestral Godhood. 1850 1917 1926
• Xiao Kongtong — Sword-cultivation inheritor whose Sword-Nurturing Art forms part of Ba Zunan's Dao. 1925
• Mei Suren — Fellow Sword Immortal invited by Ba Zunan to discuss the inheritance and future of the Sword Dao. 957
• Wen Ting — Ally who assists Ba Zunan's travel through the starry sky and later offers Qingju's sword tears for his cultivation. 1633 1926
• Moon Palace Slave — Holds deep affection for Ba Zunan and grieves when his body, spirit, and intent appear to be destroyed. 1921 1922

Story Role / Major Arcs

Return at Eight Palaces Town

Ba Zunan reveals his identity while confronting Gou Wuyue and the White Robes. Despite the Martial-Sealing Talisman and his apparently Acquired-level condition, he uses the Illusion Sword Technique, Heart Sword Technique, and Great Buddha Slash to kill Wang Rang and hundreds of White Robes. 596 601 621

Guide to Xu Xiaoshou

After the Eight Palaces Town battle, Ba Zunan directs Xu Xiaoshou toward Gui-Zhe Holy Mountain and outlines the route through East Heavenly King City, the Four Symbols Secret Realm, and the Holy Palace Trial. 624 He later gives Xu Xiaoshou authority within Saint Slave through a Receiving-Character Token and considers him capable of filling the vacancy left by Wuxiu. 1310

Void Island and the Five Domains

Ba Zunan exposes the Saint-Sealing Dao Foundation to the Five Domains and calls spirit refiners to Sky City. He then engineers a treasure rain over the Yunlun Mountain Range, drawing cultivators into a frenzy and disrupting the existing balance of power. 908 910

Sword Self and the Hua Changdeng Conflict

Preparing to challenge Hua Changdeng, Ba Zunan tempers his sword and refines the Sword Self. 1633 1788 Their final conflict escalates from Illusion Sword exchanges and Famous Sword summoning to Mysterious Gates, False Ancestor Transformation, and the completion of Ba Zunan's Zero-Return Dao. 1850 1913 1917 1925

Reshaping the Time Realm

After attaining the Dao, Ba Zunan severs the Time Realm Rift from the Holy Spirit Continent with Qingju. Kong Yuhen and several Ancestors then stabilize a newly reconstructed passage to the Time Realm. 1932

Identity and Impersonators

Ba Zunan's fame is so overwhelming that his name is repeatedly used by imitators, admirers, and allies.

• A “361st Ba Zunan” challenged the Yao Clan while using Ba Zunan's identity. 731
• Xu Xiaoshou impersonated Ba Zunan before being confronted by the real First Seat; another admirer also claimed the name and possessed Sword Thought. 738
• Xiao Kongtong later maintained a Ba Zunan disguise on Void Island to conceal Moon-Joining Immortal City's involvement and keep Number Two in check. 1215
• Several feats publicly attributed to “Ba Zunan” during that Void Island confrontation were therefore performed by Xiao Kongtong rather than the real Eighth Sword Immortal. 1214 1215

Notable Quotes

“My name is Ba Zunan.” 596 601

“Sword, Self.” 1788

“For the inheritance of the Sword Dao, and for the future of the Sword Dao.” 957

Trivia

• Ba Zunan's name held first place in the Southern Domain's role-playing rankings for thirty years, despite the region not respecting Ancient Sword Arts. 1716
• He authored the Canon of Sword Observation, an unconventional work examining how the nine major sword techniques and their realms can merge toward the end of the Sword Dao. 1630
• His fame itself nourishes his Sword Thought; widespread recognition is a fundamental component of his sword path. 1291 1716