Hongjun

Biodata

Feature	Value
Name	Hongjun (鸿钧)
Alias(es)	Dao Ancestor
Gender	Male
Affiliation	Heavenly Dao; Purple Cloud Palace
Occupation/Role	Saint, preacher of the Great Dao, later the Dao-merged ruler of the Primordial World
Status	Self-Daoized after his defeat by Ao Chen, returning himself to Chaos 180
First Appearance	Announces his attainment of Sainthood and the opening of a Great Dao sermon at Purple Cloud Palace 4

Power Progression

Stage / Realm / Level	Chapter	Notes
Saint	4	Achieves Sainthood and proclaims that he will preach the Great Dao at Purple Cloud Palace in one thousand years.
Dao Integration — in progress	33	Prepares for his final union with the Heavenly Dao; his attention to events in the Primordial Wilderness is limited during this process.
Partially Dao-merged	81 100 103	Wields Heavenly Dao authority but remains constrained from fully intervening directly; he instead influences the World-Destroying Heavenly Punishment against Ao Chen.
Dao-merged	169	Publicly announces his successful merger with the Dao and declares the Heavenly Dao’s grand trend unalterable.
Enhanced Dao-merged authority	178	After Buzhou Mountain is broken, gathers greater Heavenly Dao power and gains substantially stronger control over the Primordial World’s laws.

Background / History

Hongjun attained Sainthood before Ao Chen could establish his own path. He announced that, after one thousand years, he would open Purple Cloud Palace beyond the Thirty-Three Heavens and preach a Great Dao aligned with the Heavenly Dao’s operation. This sermon drew the Three Thousand Red Dust Guests and established him as the Dao Ancestor. 4 6 9 12

During his teachings, Hongjun rejected Di Jun’s suggestion that a Heavenly Immortal could suppress a Grand Unity, insisting that realms possessed an inviolable order. He also revealed the Primordial Violet Qi as the foundation for Sainthood and distributed seven strands, with six going to fixed Saint candidates and the final strand to Hongyun. 33

As Hongjun moved toward Dao Integration, Ao Chen became an anomaly beyond his calculations. Hongjun’s Mythical Grand Unity Method was independent of the Primordial World’s Heavenly Dao system and could conceal heavenly secrets, preventing Hongjun from identifying him through divination. 33

Hongjun initially treated Ao Chen with caution rather than open hostility. He warned him against forcibly reversing life and death, but Ao Chen later concluded that Hongjun’s incomplete Dao Integration prevented him from acting directly at full power. 81 82

When Ao Chen’s Mysterious Immortal Chapter provoked the Heavenly Dao, Hongjun used his authority to intensify the resulting World-Destroying Heavenly Punishment. He reflected the True Spirit Imprints of six Heavenly Dao Saints into projections and used them to push the tribulation toward its permitted limit. 100 101 Ao Chen survived, and Hongjun warned that their reckoning would come once his Dao Integration was complete. 103

Hongjun’s control over the Heavenly Dao became increasingly overt. He restored Yuanshi Tianzun’s cultivation, granted him a portion of Heavenly Dao authority, and subtly deepened his disciple’s submission. 153 154 He later defeated Supreme Clarity Laozi with ease and declared that Dao Integration was nearing completion. 165 166

After successfully merging with the Dao, Hongjun declared that the Heavenly Dao’s grand trend could not be altered. He gravely wounded Luohu with a single exchange and began directly enforcing Heavenly Dao order across the Primordial World. 169 His final conflict with Ao Chen escalated into a Dao struggle across the Chaos Void, pitting Hongjun’s Order Law against Ao Chen’s Mythical Great Dao. 170 171 172

Hongjun eventually attempted to seal Ao Chen and the River of Time, but Ao Chen emerged as a Mythical Golden Immortal, rewrote spacetime’s rules, and severed Hongjun’s connection to the Heavenly Dao. Hongjun accepted defeat and chose to self-Daoize, triggering the collapse of the Primordial World before Ao Chen reversed time and restored it. 179 180

Personality

Hongjun is usually calm, detached, and authoritative. His speech carries the force of a Heavenly Dao decree, and he consistently frames dissent from his order as defiance of Heaven itself. 4 99 169

Despite this detachment, he is highly calculating and ruthless when his control is threatened. He manipulates the Heavenly Punishment through Saint True Spirit Projections, uses the Witch-Demon conflict to acquire greater Heavenly Dao force, and turns disciples and other great powers into instruments of his designs. 100 154 175

His opposition to Ao Chen becomes personal as their incompatible paths clash. Yet after defeat, Hongjun shows neither resentment nor panic; he acknowledges the failure of his calculations and accepts self-Daoization with a sense of release. 179 180

Abilities & Skills

Heavenly Dao Authority

After merging with the Dao, Hongjun can invoke the authority and laws of the Primordial World’s Heavenly Dao.

• Declares decrees that compel or direct major factions, including an order for the Demon Clan to annihilate the Witch Clan. 175
• Freezes and seals space across the Chaos Void, preventing Supreme Clarity Laozi from escaping. 165
• Mobilizes the Order Law Net to bind opponents across past, future, and multiple spatial dimensions. 170 172 178
• His authority is weakened or severed when Ao Chen rewrites the rules governing spacetime. 179

Dao Integration

Hongjun’s defining cultivation path is his merger with the Heavenly Dao.

• His completed merger allows him to embody the Primordial World’s order and wield its Three Thousand Great Dao Laws through his actions. 169 172
• Dao Integration initially restricts his ability to intervene directly, forcing him to rely on indirect measures such as Heavenly Punishment. 82 100 103
• His Dao-merged state ultimately depends on his connection to the Heavenly Dao, which Ao Chen is able to sever. 179

Heavenly Punishment Manipulation

Hongjun can influence Heavenly Dao tribulations within limits imposed by the Great Dao.

• Strengthened the World-Destroying Heavenly Punishment aimed at Ao Chen’s forbidden scripture. 100
• Condensed the True Spirit Imprints of six Heavenly Dao Saints into projections to reinforce the tribulation. 100 101
• Could not increase the punishment without limit, since exceeding the Great Dao’s rules would bring unacceptable consequences to the Heavenly Dao itself. 100 103

Saint Origin and True Spirit Control

Hongjun retains control over the origins and True Spirit Imprints of those tied to the Heavenly Dao.

• The manifestation of six Saint True Spirit Projections reveals to the Saints that their True Spirits remain under his control. 101
• Restores Yuanshi Tianzun’s cultivation to the peak of Saint Fourth Heaven and grants him part of Heavenly Dao authority. 154
• Uses an imperceptible Heavenly Dao influence to erode Yuanshi Tianzun’s independent thoughts and deepen his loyalty. 154

Combat Power

Hongjun’s combat ability rises dramatically after Dao Integration.

• Blocks the Pangu phantom’s supreme axe strike, though the blow visibly disrupts his purple Dao rhyme. 99 100
• Easily defeats Luohu after Dao Integration, shattering the God-Slaying Spear’s attack and severely damaging Luohu’s Demon God Body in one move. 169
• Battles Ao Chen in a pure contest of Dao, wielding Order Divine Chains and the authority of the Heavenly Dao itself. 170 171 172
• Is ultimately unable to overcome Ao Chen’s Mythical Golden Immortal state. 179

Relationships

• Ao Chen — Principal rival in a life-or-death struggle of Dao; Hongjun regards Ao Chen as an anomaly threatening Heavenly Dao order, while Ao Chen opposes Hongjun’s control over fate and the Primordial World. 100 103 170 179
• Yuanshi Tianzun — Disciple whose cultivation Hongjun restores before directing him to retrieve Supreme Clarity Laozi; Hongjun reinforces Yuanshi’s loyalty through Heavenly Dao influence. 153 154
• Supreme Clarity Laozi — Former disciple whom Hongjun pursues after Laozi’s collaboration with Yang Mei; Hongjun captures and dissolves Laozi’s newly condensed Saint Dao Body. 153 165 166
• The Six Heavenly Dao Saints — Their True Spirit Imprints remain subject to Hongjun’s authority, a revelation that damages their fellowship and reverence for him. 100 101
• Luohu — Ancient Dao-Demon rival; Hongjun considers Luohu’s opposition to Heavenly Dao order a path to self-destruction and nearly annihilates him after Dao Integration. 169 173
• Yang Mei — Chaos Demon God and opponent whom Hongjun identifies as a long-standing threat; Hongjun repeatedly vows to settle accounts with him. 160 166 169
• Di Jun — Demon Emperor who receives Hongjun’s Heavenly Dao decree to begin the final war against the Witch Clan. 175
• The Twelve Ancestral Witches — Openly reject Hongjun’s order to halt the Witch-Demon War and attack him through the Twelve Capital Gods and Demons Great Array. 99 100

Story Role / Major Arcs

Purple Cloud Palace Sermons

Hongjun’s ascension to Sainthood marks a new era in the Primordial World. His sermons establish the orthodox Heavenly Dao path, gather the major great powers at Purple Cloud Palace, and distribute the Primordial Violet Qi that determines the initial Saint positions. 4 6 33

Rise of the Heavenly Dao

While pursuing Dao Integration, Hongjun oversees the Primordial World’s developing grand trend. His growing authority links the fates of the Dragon Clan, the Saints, the Witch-Demon conflict, and Hou Tu’s intended incarnation into reincarnation. 31 122 154

Conflict with Ao Chen

Ao Chen’s independent Mythical Great Dao becomes the primary threat to Hongjun’s order. Hongjun first warns him, then attempts to eliminate him through Heavenly Punishment, and finally confronts him directly after completing Dao Integration. 82 100 103 170

Dao Struggle and Defeat

Hongjun’s final battle with Ao Chen lasts across the Chaos Void and involves the Order Law Net, Saint Projections, the River of Time, and the Heavenly Dao’s full authority. Ao Chen’s breakthrough to Mythical Golden Immortal severs Hongjun from the Heavenly Dao, ending Hongjun’s rule. 173 174 175 179

Self-Daoization

After conceding defeat, Hongjun self-Daoizes and returns himself to Chaos. The resulting collapse of the Primordial World is reversed by Ao Chen, who restores the world and stabilizes its foundations. 180

Notable Quotes

“I am Hongjun. I have now achieved Sainthood. Mindful of the difficulty of cultivation for all living beings in the Primordial World, a thousand years hence, I shall open the Purple Cloud Palace amidst the chaos beyond the Thirty-Three Heavens and preach the Great Dao.” 4

“Immortals and mortals are distinct; realms have their order.” 33

“Today, I, Hongjun... have succeeded in merging with the Dao! Henceforth, the grand trend of the Heavenly Dao shall not be altered!” 169

“Since I merged with the Dao, I have prided myself on calculating all Heavenly secrets, governing the order of the Primordial World, and playing with all beings in the palm of my hand.” 179

“Hearing the Dao in the morning, dying at dusk is enough.” 180