Zhang Yifan

Biodata

Feature	Details
Name	Zhang Yifan (张一凡)
Alias(es)	Father; Grandpa; Great-Grandfather
Species/Race	Human by self-perception; his true nature is unspecified
Gender	Male
Occupation/Role	Farmer, cook, and host of a farmhouse courtyard
Status	Alive
First Appearance	Chapter 1 1

Background

Zhang Yifan transmigrated to Fengxian County sixty years before the story. A system took his wife to another world because of her potential as a Great Emperor, promising they would meet again; Zhang was left believing that both she and his son had gone adventuring. 1

His mansion’s grand formation temporarily stores his “invincible magical power,” leaving him unable to use it or cultivate normally. Consequently, Zhang believes he is an ordinary mortal despite the extraordinary effects surrounding his home. 1 17

When the Jade Emperor visits his rural courtyard in a youthful mortal form, Zhang mistakes him for his long-absent son because of their identical appearance. He immediately forces the Jade Emperor to kneel and call him “Dad,” beginning the false father-son relationship that draws the Heavenly Court and numerous Primordial powers to his home. 1 2

Appearance

Zhang usually appears as a humble, elderly farmer with no visible magical-power fluctuations. He works his vegetable patch in plain clothes with his sleeves and trouser legs rolled up, though the Jade Emperor privately considers him to possess the face of a handsome man around forty. 39 50

• Often seen resting in a rocking chair, eating fruit, or tending vegetables. 1 39
• Keeps the practical appearance and habits of a rural householder despite possessing extraordinary household objects. 8 24 40
• Is frequently mistaken by newcomers for an ordinary mortal before they witness the courtyard’s effects. 15 39 42

Personality

Zhang is deeply family-oriented. He is delighted when the Jade Emperor brings the Queen Mother and Seven Fairies to visit, readily accepting them as his daughter-in-law and granddaughters. He worries that their eagerness for his food means they have been neglected, even kicking and scolding the Jade Emperor for supposedly starving them. 6 8

He is generous and hospitable, regularly feeding visitors, offering tea in sacks, and inviting others to stay or return for meals. His kindness extends to strangers; he welcomes Nuwa into the courtyard while believing her to be a hungry beggar. 17 26 42

Despite seeing himself as a retiree uninterested in immortal affairs, Zhang is blunt, decisive, and unusually well-informed when discussing the Primordial Era. He readily criticizes powerful figures such as Sect Master Tongtian and Dao Ancestor Hongjun, often presenting major historical revelations as casual stories. 18 46 49

Abilities & Skills

Mansion Grand Formation

Zhang’s residence contains a grand formation that stores his magical power and suppresses the abilities of those who enter.

• Temporarily holds Zhang’s invincible magical power, preventing him from recognizing his own strength. 1 17
• Removes visitors’ cultivation, magical power, and divine sense, reducing even Quasi-Saints and Sages to mortal-like states within the courtyard. 1 6 15 23 42
• Prevents powerful visitors from escaping Zhang’s authority or acting freely against him. 1 2

Great Dao Knowledge

Zhang possesses knowledge of the Primordial World’s advancement and hidden history that shocks its leading figures.

• Explains two methods to advance the Primordial World: halt the Journey to the West Tribulation and kill Hongjun, or gather 108 Great Perfection Primordial Great Luo Golden Immortals for an ascension ceremony. 4
• States that Pangu’s primordial-spirit manifestation is necessary for the world’s advancement. 19
• Reveals the Seal Heaven Plan, identifying the Dragon-Han Initial Tribulation, the War of Dao and Demon, and Purple Heaven Palace preaching as steps in Hongjun’s scheme to control the Primordial Era. 46 47 48 49
• Offers political guidance that inspires the Jade Emperor to assert authority over the Heavenly Court. 9 30

Culinary Enlightenment

Zhang’s food, wine, and tea contain Great Dao Law Fragments and produce extraordinary cultivation gains, though he treats them as ordinary refreshments.

• His wine allows the Seven Fairies to make major cultivation leaps after a single bowl. 7
• His meals contain Great Dao Law Fragments that grant insight and rapid growth to figures including Yang Jian and Sect Master Tongtian. 17 25
• His Enlightenment Tea aids cultivation and comprehension; Zhang keeps a large supply and gives it away freely. 17 26
• Even his foot-washing water contains Great Dao Laws valuable enough for the Dragon Ancestor to regard as a supreme gift. 10

Physical Strength and Great Dao Saber Intent

Zhang displays overwhelming physical power and practical mastery over Great Dao-level objects.

• Breaks a hoe identified by its spirit as a Great Dao Artifact without hesitation. 40
• Uses a bamboo knife to butcher the Green Ox through movements perceived as containing the True Meaning of the Great Dao and profound Great Dao Saber Intent. 25
• Handles and uses household tools that the Jade Emperor, Yang Jian, Zhao Gongming, and other powerful cultivators cannot lift or properly wield. 24 40 41

Cultivation Limitation

Zhang cannot consciously access his own stored power and believes his attempts at cultivation have failed.

• He has practiced the manuals provided by his system but believes he has never developed magical power. 17
• His inability to cultivate normally is caused by the mansion formation collecting and storing his power. 1 17

Equipment / Household Items

• Enlightenment Tea — Rare tea that promotes enlightenment and cultivation; Zhang has a warehouse full of it. 17
• Jade Nectar / wine — Wine containing Great Dao Law Fragments and immense cultivation benefits. 2 7
• Cleaver — A kitchen cleaver the Jade Emperor and Yang Jian identify as a Great Dao Artifact after neither can lift it. 24
• Hoe — A Great Dao Artifact powerful enough to threaten Heavenly Dao-level beings; Zhang later breaks it as though it were ordinary farm equipment. 40 41
• Bamboo knife — Used to butcher the Green Ox while demonstrating Great Dao Saber Intent. 25
• Nine Golden Crows — Raised by Zhang as birds in his courtyard. 7 16

Relationships

• Jade Emperor — Zhang mistakes the Heavenly Emperor for his long-lost son and treats him with strict paternal authority; the Jade Emperor ultimately embraces the role to remain close to him. 1 2 4
• Queen Mother — Regarded by Zhang as his daughter-in-law after she visits with the Jade Emperor. 6 7
• Seven Fairies — Zhang’s presumed granddaughters; he dotes on them, feeds them, and worries over their welfare. 6 8
• Yang Jian — Introduced as Zhang’s grandson through the Jade Emperor’s sworn sister; Zhang immediately takes a liking to him and has him help weed the garden. 15
• Sect Master Tongtian — Treated as a younger relative and called “Little Tongtong”; Zhang teases and criticizes him while also feeding him and gifting him Enlightenment Tea. 16 17 18
• Kirin Ancestor — Serves Zhang in the form of a large black dog and guards the courtyard, despite Zhang calling it an “ugly dog.” 2 24
• Dragon Ancestor — Lives in Zhang’s pond as a golden fish and eagerly consumes the Great Dao remnants in his foot-washing water. 10
• Nuwa — Zhang receives her as a hungry little beggar and later treats her as part of his extended household. 42 44

Story Role / Major Arcs

Mistaken Fatherhood

Zhang’s mistaken identification of the Jade Emperor as his son establishes the central family dynamic. His courtyard strips the Jade Emperor of power, forcing the Heavenly Emperor to submit and eventually return with his wife, daughters, and trusted subordinates. 1 6 7

Heavenly Court Adviser

Without knowing the Jade Emperor’s identity, Zhang advises him on how an emperor should deal with opposition: retain those who submit and replace those who do not. His counsel emboldens the Jade Emperor to challenge the Journey to the West arrangement and consolidate control over the Heavenly Court. 4 9 17

Host to Primordial Powers

Zhang’s meals and hospitality turn his farmhouse into a gathering place for the Jade Emperor’s household, Yang Jian, Sect Master Tongtian, the San Xiao, heavenly gods, and Nuwa. Visitors gain cultivation, Great Dao insight, and access to Great Dao-level artifacts while performing ordinary farm and household work for him. 15 23 25 39 41 42

Revealer of the Seal Heaven Plan

Zhang recounts hidden Primordial history, claiming that Hongjun manipulated successive tribulations to eliminate rival races, control cultivation paths, and place all beings under the Xuanmen system. These revelations reshape how the Jade Emperor, Tongtian, Nuwa, and others understand their world. 46 47 48 49

Notable Quotes

“Those who follow me prosper, those who oppose me perish!” 9

“In the Heavenly Court, even Sages are not allowed to be presumptuous!” 9

“Eating well and sleeping well is the most important matter in heaven and earth!” 50

Trivia

• Zhang considers Enlightenment Tea to be ordinary tea and is unaware why Sect Master Tongtian treasures it. 17
• He believes the Kirin Ancestor may have been a sheepdog in a past life. 24
• He mistakes Great Dao Artifacts for mundane household tools and is willing to destroy them when they inconvenience his “family.” 24 40 41