Zunti

Biodata

Feature	Details
Name	Zunti (准提); also rendered Zhunti 261
Alias(es)	Bodhi Old Ancestor, a role he plays in the Journey to the West scenario 550
Affiliation	Western Religion; Hongjun’s disciple and Jieyin’s junior brother 229 254
Occupation/Role	Heavenly Dao Saint; co-founder of the Western Religion; Sun Wukong’s master in the Journey to the West scenario 254 550
Status	Active as of Chapter 649; has fallen and been resurrected on multiple occasions 260 263 649
First Appearance	Chapter 119

Power Progression

Stage / Realm / Level	Chapter	Notes
Middle-stage Grand Unity Golden Immortal	120	Wields the Seven Treasures Wonderful Tree, but Kong Xuan’s Five-Colored Divine Light overcomes its attack.
Quasi-Saint	192	Described as a Quasi-Saint Great Expert when Kun Peng confronts him and Jieyin.
Mid-Quasi-Saint	229	Severs his second corpse with the aid of spiritual treasures; the advancement largely depletes his accumulated foundation.
Heavenly Dao Saint	254	Establishes the Western Religion with Jieyin and takes forty-eight great vows to borrow enough Merit for both to attain sainthood.
Second-level Heavenly Dao Saint	368	Can wield the power of heaven and earth, though his cultivation remains far below Hongjun’s late-stage Heavenly Dao Saint level.

History

Purple Cloud Palace

Zunti and Jieyin arrive at the Purple Cloud Palace looking like beggars and find its futons occupied. Their display of grief persuades Hongyun to offer his seat. They then eye Kun Peng’s cushion, provoking a fight: Kun Peng sends them flying, and Kong Xuan blocks Zunti’s counterattack. Kun Peng ultimately drives them from the seats and returns Hongyun’s cushion 119 120 122.

Their conflict with Ling Tian and Kun Peng continues around the Palace’s lectures. Ling Tian seizes Zunti’s Seven Treasures Wonderful Tree, an event Zunti and Jieyin regard as a profound humiliation. By the end of the three lectures, Hongjun accepts them as registered disciples and grants them spiritual treasures 192 229.

The Human Race and sainthood

Seeking opportunities to advance further, Zunti proposes capturing and torturing powerful humans. Jieyin instead suggests directing ferocious beasts against the Human Race, then intervening to win its gratitude. The brothers set the beast tide in motion, but the humans repel it. Nuwa exposes their involvement and severely injures them; they retreat to Mount Sumeru after being rebuked at the Purple Cloud Palace 229 230 233 234 235 236.

Zunti and Jieyin later establish the Western Religion. When its Merit proves insufficient for both, they take forty-eight great vows and borrow Merit from the Heavenly Dao, enabling both to attain sainthood 254.

Conflict with the Phoenix Clan

During an attack on the Phoenix Clan, Yuan Feng taunts Zunti into entering the Southern Ming Undying Volcano alone. Inside its protective array, he cannot effectively mobilize the power of heaven and earth. Ling Tian uses him as a sparring partner for Yuan Feng and the clan. After prolonged attacks, Zunti tries to end his own life; Ling Tian instead kills and refines him into Saint’s Essence Blood. Hongjun resurrects him through the Heavenly Dao 258 259 260.

Zunti is lured into the volcano again after Yuan Feng publicly reveals paintings of his ordeal. Later, the World Tree Avatar repeatedly kills him with the God Slaying Spear while he fights alongside Laozi, Yuanshi, and Jieyin. Each resurrection consumes Heavenly Dao Origin, drawing Hongjun’s anger 261 262 263.

Hongjun’s missions

Zunti and Jieyin repeatedly act on Hongjun’s plans involving the Demon Court and the Witch–Demon conflict. Zunti offers Di Jun a woman with Taiyin Fate as an alternative for the Heavenly Marriage and later helps present the Demon Court with the Witch-Slaying Sword method 326 356. When ordered to ignite a full Witch–Demon war, Zunti tries to persuade Di Jun to attack the Witch Clan, but Di Jun rejects him 368 369 370.

In the Journey to the West scenario, Ling Tian assigns Zunti the role of Bodhi Old Ancestor. He teaches Sun Wukong the Nine Revolutions Profound Art and spars with him. Once Wukong reaches Primordial Golden Immortal, Zunti struggles to withstand his attacks, then tells him that his foundation is at the level of a Chaos Demon God 550 553 554 555.

Appearance

Zunti is described late in the story as wrinkled and bald 649.

• Earlier presentation: He and Jieyin appear beggar-like when they arrive at the Purple Cloud Palace 119.

Personality

Zunti is ambitious and quick to pursue an advantage, but his pride often makes him impulsive. He attacks when Kun Peng challenges him and enters the Phoenix Clan’s trap after Yuan Feng insults him. When overmatched, he readily begs for mercy or tries to preserve his reputation through an account of events favorable to himself 120 192 258 261.

Jieyin commonly takes the more cautious role in their partnership. Zunti accepts his brother’s plans against the Human Race and looks to him for a way to carry out Hongjun’s Witch–Demon mission 229 368. As Sun Wukong’s master, Zunti suppresses his own strength to protect his disciple during sparring and eventually speaks candidly about Wukong’s potential 554 555.

Abilities & Skills

Heavenly Dao Saint power

• World-shaping power: Zunti can mobilize the power of heaven and earth for attacks and defense 262 335.
• Major limitation: Inside the Southern Ming Undying Volcano’s protective array, he loses effective access to that power and must fight largely on his remaining strength 259.
• Resurrection: Hongjun can resurrect him through the Heavenly Dao after a fall, at the cost of Heavenly Dao Origin 260 263.

Merit Golden Body

• Zunti uses his Merit Golden Body while sparring with Sun Wukong. It withstands considerable force but shows signs of breaking under Wukong’s attacks after his breakthrough 553 555.

Illusion and manipulation

• Zunti and Jieyin use advanced illusions to lure a beast tide toward the Human Ancestral Land 230.
• Zunti uses emotional appeals at the Purple Cloud Palace and offers Di Jun the prospect of sainthood while urging him toward war 119 369.

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Seven Treasures Wonderful Tree — Zunti’s top-grade Innate Spiritual Treasure, capable of sending out seven-colored light to brush away targets; Ling Tian later seizes it 120 192.
• Six Roots Pure Bamboo — Used in his fight with Yuan Feng inside the Southern Ming Undying Volcano 259.

Relationships

• Jieyin — Senior brother and closest partner in establishing the Western Religion and carrying out Hongjun’s missions; Jieyin repeatedly tries to protect or rescue him 229 254 258 262.
• Hongjun — Master who grants Zunti spiritual treasures and resurrects him, but also rebukes and threatens him over failed assignments 229 260 263 368.
• Ling Tian — Longstanding adversary who seizes Zunti’s treasure and uses him as a Phoenix Clan training opponent; later assigns him the Bodhi Old Ancestor role 192 259 550.
• Yuan Feng — Phoenix Clan guardian whose taunts draw Zunti into the volcano’s trap; she gains cultivation progress from fighting him 258 259 261.
• Sun Wukong — Disciple whom Zunti teaches and tests through sparring, eventually acknowledging the strength of his foundation 550 553 555.
• Nuwa — Exposes Zunti’s scheme against the Human Race and severely injures him and Jieyin 234 235.
• Kun Peng — Rival since the Purple Cloud Palace dispute; Zunti later intervenes against him on the Demon Court’s behalf 120 335.