Hongjun

Biodata

Feature	Details
Name	Hongjun (鸿钧)
Alias(es)	Dao Ancestor; Heavenly Dao Saint
Species/Race	Primordial Being; later a Heavenly Dao Saint 29 52
Gender	Male
Affiliation	Mystic Gate; Heavenly Dao 39 151
Occupation/Role	Founder of the Mystic Gate; Dao preacher of Purple Cloud Palace; teacher of the Mystic Gate disciples 52 60
Status	Merged with the Heavenly Dao; continues to act from Zixiao Palace 151 159
First Appearance	Chapter 16

Power Progression

Stage / Realm / Level	Chapter	Notes
Quasi-Saint	29	Arrives with Luohu, Willow, Yin Yang, and Qiankun to seize the Heavenly Dao Opportunity following the Dragon-Phoenix Calamity.
Peak Quasi-Saint / half-Dao	43	Leads the Mystic Gate against Mount Sumeru and is described as capable of personally breaking its defensive formation, though he conserves power for Luohu.
Heavenly Dao Saint	52	Announces that, after comprehending the Dao for twelve epochs, he has proven the Dao and become a Heavenly Dao Saint.
Merged with the Heavenly Dao	62	Leaves Purple Cloud Palace after distributing his treasures, declaring that he will merge with the Heavenly Dao and no longer appear openly in the world.

Appearance

Hongjun first appears as a short, elderly Daoist with concealed aura, white hair, a long white beard, and a bald crown ringed by hanging white hair. Despite this somewhat unusual appearance, he carries an immortal and otherworldly bearing. In battle, he wears white robes and carries a jade disc. 16 43

• Snow-white eyebrows and beard.
• Bald scalp with a ring of white hair.
• White Daoist robes during the Mystic-Demon conflict.
• Often rides or stands upon an auspicious cloud. 16 43

Personality

Hongjun is composed and guarded, remaining expressionless amid disputes over the Heavenly Dao Primordial Violet Qi and speaking with measured restraint. He recognizes Li Xuan's clone as sharing an origin with him, but does not reveal the full nature of that connection. 16 30 32

He is also a calculating strategist. During the siege of Mount Sumeru, he declines to personally break the Demon Cult's formation because doing so would consume power needed to confront Luohu, even as Mystic Gate followers die in large numbers. He later conceals the decisive advantage of his Three Corpses until Luohu believes victory is assured. 43 46

As a teacher, Hongjun is discerning and hierarchical: he divides his eighteen accepted disciples into six inner disciples and twelve outer disciples, then distributes treasures according to what he calls their destined ownership. 60 62

Abilities & Skills

Slaying Three Corpses

Hongjun's self-created Great Dao technique manifests three additional bodies with distinct appearances and temperaments.

• Reveals three incarnations in white, red, and green robes, all sharing Hongjun's features. 46
• Uses the three bodies to seize the Immortal-Severing, Immortal-Trapping, and Immortal-Butchering Swords simultaneously.
• Enables him to reverse Luohu's advantage within the Immortal-Slaying Sword Formation and claim all four swords. 46

Formation Analysis and Deduction

Using the Jade Plate of Creation, Hongjun can deduce the structure and weaknesses of powerful formations.

• Identifies the Immortal-Slaying Sword Formation's four formation eyes and determines that all must be broken at once. 44
• Suffers backlash from forcibly investigating the formation's killing intent. 44
• Organizes Willow, Yin Yang, and Qiankun into a four-person assault targeting the formation eyes simultaneously. 44

Dao Preaching

Hongjun teaches multiple levels of Dao at Purple Cloud Palace.

• His first sermon on the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth lasts three thousand years and benefits the Three Thousand Red Dust Guests. 57
• His second sermon explains the Primordial Great Dao over five thousand years. 60
• His final teachings cover methods of Becoming a Saint, including proving the Dao by force, law, Slaying Three Corpses, and merit. 61
• Selects disciples according to their aptitude and comprehension after the second sermon. 60

Heavenly Dao Authority

After merging with the Heavenly Dao, Hongjun acts directly upon the fate of the Human Emperors.

• Strips Di Tang of his cultivation and decrees that Human Emperors may no longer cultivate. 150
• Grants the Human Emperor lineage a strand of Heavenly Dao Primordial Violet Qi as protection, while limiting each emperor to a mortal lifespan. 150
• Provides the Investiture of the Gods to the Three Pure Ones and directs them to prepare for the coming great tribulation. 159

Equipment / Assets

• Jade Plate of Creation — Used for divination, deduction, and suppressing the Immortal-Slaying Sword's killing intent. 31 44 46
• Myriad Heavens Auspicious Cloud — A defensive treasure formed from Pangu's righteous chest qi; it protects Hongjun within the Immortal-Slaying Sword Formation. 46
• Purple Cloud Palace — His Dao venue in Chaos space, where he preaches to Primordial beings. 52 54
• Four Swords of Zhu Xian — Seized from Luohu after breaking the Immortal-Slaying Sword Formation, then bestowed upon Ling Bao Tianzun alongside the formation diagram. 46 62

History

Dragon-Phoenix Calamity

During the early Dragon-Phoenix Calamity, Hongjun encounters Li Xuan's Heavenly Immortal-level clone on a mountain while both conceal their auras. He says that they share the same origin and predicts that they will meet again, introducing himself as Hongjun before vanishing. 16

Hongjun later joins Willow, Luohu, Yin Yang, and Qiankun at the culmination of the calamity. When five strands of Heavenly Dao Primordial Violet Qi enter Li Xuan's body, Hongjun and Willow intercept Luohu's attempt to kill Li Xuan, arguing that the opportunity belongs to whoever receives it. 29 30

After Li Xuan's incarnation disappears and the Violet Qi becomes undetectable, Hongjun participates in the unsuccessful attempt to calculate its location. He later intervenes in Willow's clash with Luohu, helping force Luohu to withdraw. 31 32

Mystic Gate and the Mystic-Demon Great Tribulation

Hongjun establishes the Mystic Gate in the east, promoting peace and attracting numerous Primordial beings in opposition to Luohu's Demon Cult. 39

He leads the Mystic Gate's invasion of Mount Sumeru after Luohu's initial defeat. Hongjun allows prolonged attrition at the Demon Cult's mountain-protecting formation rather than expend his own power prematurely, then relies on Willow to break the formation. 43

When Luohu unveils the Immortal-Slaying Sword Formation, Hongjun deduces its weakness and recruits Willow, Yin Yang, and Qiankun to attack its four formation eyes together. After Yin Yang and Qiankun self-destruct and the formation nearly overwhelms him, Hongjun reveals his Three Corpses, breaks the formation, seizes the Four Swords of Zhu Xian, and defeats Luohu. 44 45 46

Attainment of the Dao and Purple Cloud Palace

After twelve epochs of comprehension, Hongjun becomes a Heavenly Dao Saint. He establishes Purple Cloud Palace in Chaos space and invites qualified Primordial beings to hear his teachings; he also publicly invites Long Aotian to attend. 52

Li Xuan secretly sends an altered Incarnation Outside the Body to the palace. Hongjun senses nothing unusual and mistakes the disguised incarnation for an ordinary powerful Primordial being, unaware that Long Aotian is present before him. 54

Following his sermons, Hongjun accepts eighteen remaining listeners as Mystic Gate disciples. The Three Pure Ones, Nuwa, Jieyin, and Hong Yun become inner disciples, while Tai Yi, Zhunti, Di Jun, Houtu, Zhen Yuanzi, Chen Haonan, and others enter the outer sect. 60

At Treasure Distribution Cliff, Hongjun gives his accumulated treasures to his disciples but grants none to Chen Haonan, stating that treasure ownership is determined by fate. He then declares that he will merge with the Heavenly Dao. 62

Heavenly Dao Era

As part of the Heavenly Dao, Hongjun suppresses the Human Emperor's ability to cultivate and institutes the inheritance of protective Primordial Violet Qi among successive Human Emperors. 150

When the Jade Emperor asks for capable subordinates, Hongjun summons the Three Pure Ones and presents the Investiture of the Gods, beginning the preparations for the next great tribulation. 159

Relationships

• Li Xuan / Long Aotian — Meets Li Xuan's clone during the Dragon-Phoenix Calamity and identifies a shared origin. Later protects Li Xuan's claim to the Heavenly Dao Primordial Violet Qi, seeks Long Aotian publicly, and unknowingly accepts Li Xuan's disguised incarnation as Chen Haonan. 16 30 52 54
• Willow — Fellow Quasi-Saint and temporary ally. Hongjun helps defend Willow against Luohu, then works with him to break the Immortal-Slaying Sword Formation. 32 44
• Luohu — Primary rival during the Mystic-Demon Great Tribulation. Hongjun ultimately defeats him through Slaying Three Corpses and takes the Four Swords of Zhu Xian. 42 46
• Yin Yang and Qiankun — Allies recruited to break Luohu's formation; both join Hongjun's four-person assault on its formation eyes. 44 45
• The Three Pure Ones — His first three inner disciples and major recipients of his treasure distribution. 60 62
• Nuwa, Jieyin, and Hong Yun — His fourth, fifth, and sixth inner disciples, respectively. 60
• Jade Emperor — Grants the Jade Emperor's request for Heavenly Court subordinates and initiates the Investiture of the Gods process. 159

Notable Quotes

“Under the great calamity, young friend may try to hide, but I fear you won't escape it in the future. You and This Poor Daoist will meet again.” 16

“I am Hongjun. Having comprehended the Dao for twelve epochs... Today, I have proven the Way and become a Heavenly Dao Saint.” 52