Tang San

Biodata

Feature	Details
Name	Tang San (唐三)
Alias(es)	Sanzang; Tang Sanzang; Dharma Master Sanzang; the Pilgrim 104 200
Species/Race	A reborn soul-possessing outsider inhabiting Tang San's body; identified as having human–soul beast mixed heritage 49 50 98 195
Gender	Male
Affiliation	Western Buddhism; Mount Ling; westward scripture pilgrimage 104 197 198
Occupation/Role	Former Sea God successor; Buddhist Dharma Master and pilgrim seeking the true scriptures 36 198
Status	Alive; continues the westward journey with disciples 277
First Appearance	Chapter 1 1

Power Progression

Stage / Realm / Level	Chapter	Notes
Level 69 Control System Spirit Master	36	Listed as the third backup candidate and Sea God's successor.
Soul Saint; golden mana	98	Zhun Ti Daoist injects golden power into him, converting his soul power into mana and raising him to Soul Saint level; Tang San subsequently kills Tang Chen with the Clear Sky Hammer. 98 99
Buddhist power as Sanzang	104	Zhun Ti forcibly converts him to Buddhism, granting him the dharma name Sanzang and surrounding him with Buddhist light.
Mortal body	165	Maitreya strips him of his Buddhist magic power and demotes him to the mortal realm for his actions against Er Ming and A Xiu.
Blue Silver Grass rebirth	194 195	After being swallowed by Nihility Devouring Flame, he repeatedly regenerates from Blue Silver Grass; this rebirth is not assigned a formal realm.

Background / History

Sea God Island and Xiao Wu's death

Tang San endures the Sea God's Light on Sea God Island as the Sea God's successor. At this time, he regards the Clear Sky Hammer as a symbol of invincibility, but witnessing greater powers shatters that confidence and strengthens his resolve to grow stronger for Xiao Wu's sake. 1 19

When Xiao Wu is selected and teleported away by the Sky Screen, Tang San begs Bo Saixi to save her and suppresses his anger when he realizes he still needs the Sea God's inheritance. 16 Tang Chen later kills Xiao Wu in the Prehistoric World, creating an irreparable rift between Tang San and the Clear Sky Sect. 21

Tang San is named a backup candidate for the Prehistoric World while still a Level 69 Spirit Master. He accepts the opportunity because he believes the Sea God's power could let him avenge Xiao Wu and possibly resurrect her. 36

Exposure and arrival in the Prehistoric World

The Sky Screen exposes Tang San as a reborn possessor rather than the original child of Tang Hao and Ah Yin. The revelation causes the Clear Sky Sect to reject him as a thief of its bloodline and techniques, while Ah Yin reacts with hostility toward the being occupying her child's body. 49 50

After dying on Sea God Island, Tang San receives the Sea God's power and is transported to the Prehistoric World. There he meets Zhun Ti Daoist, who immediately recognizes both his origins and his obsession with reviving Xiao Wu and killing Tang Chen. 53 96

Revenge against Tang Chen

Tang San agrees to enter Buddhism only after bargaining for help with his vengeance and Xiao Wu's resurrection. Privately, he intends to abandon Buddhism once he has reunited with Xiao Wu and restored the Tang Sect. 97

His first attack on Tang Chen, using the Tang Sect hidden weapon Bodhi Blood, is effortlessly deflected. Zhun Ti then empowers him with golden mana, allowing Tang San to overwhelm and kill Tang Chen with the Clear Sky Hammer. 97 98 99

After the killing, Tang San asks Zhun Ti to capture Tang Chen's soul for reincarnation rather than destroy it completely. His pursuit of Xiao Wu continues into the Netherworld, where he also protects Ning Rongrong from Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo. 100 101

Conversion into Sanzang

Zhun Ti ultimately fails to restore Xiao Wu, instead extracting the remnant of her soul from Tang San's spirit ring and sending it into reincarnation. Tang San resists, but Zhun Ti forcibly converts him into a monk, shaves his blue hair, clothes him in a gray robe, and grants him the dharma name Sanzang. 104

Lin Feng and Zhun Ti identify Tang San as a person of great destiny meant to travel between worlds, spread the Prehistoric World's orthodoxy, and gather fortune for the Prehistoric World. Tang San himself is frightened by the scale of the plan imposed upon him. 111

A Xiu and Er Ming

As a Buddhist monk, Tang San encounters A Xiu, Xiao Wu's reincarnation, living alongside the reborn Er Ming. Believing Er Ming has bewitched her, he defeats and nearly kills the ape before taking A Xiu away after she pleads for Er Ming's life. 144 145

His conduct toward Er Ming is later exposed before Buddhism. Maitreya judges him for attempting to kill Er Ming and forcibly taking people away, strips him of his Buddhist power, and orders him to endure eighty-one tribulations. 165

Rebirth and the westward journey

While under Mount Ling's control, Tang San is abandoned at the Tongtian River and swallowed by the Deep Sea Demonic Whale King, which is possessed by Nihility Devouring Flame. He revives as Blue Silver Grass and repeatedly regenerates after being devoured again. 194 195

After this ordeal, he reaches Zhaoge and holds a Water and Land Dharma Assembly. He vows to bear the sins of all living beings, travel west, and retrieve scriptures that will save the world. 198

Tang Hao interrupts the assembly and publicly denounces him for killing Tang Chen and possessing his son's body. Forced by the crowd and his father, Tang San declares that he will “scrape his bones” and “carve his flesh” to repay his parents, symbolically ending his identity as Tang San and continuing as Sanzang. Sunlight and Moonlight Bodhisattvas later restore his body. 198 200 202

Disciples and later journey

At Mo Mountain, Tang San discovers that the sealed protector assigned to his journey is Er Ming. Er Ming spares Tang San only because Xiao Wu remains on Mount Ling, then becomes his unwilling disciple under the restraint of a Tightening Fillet. 203 206 207

Tang San is later captured and tortured by the Shanli Tribe, whose poisonous creatures benefit from feeding on his regenerative body. Great Immortal Jinding rescues him, regrows his legs, and instructs Er Ming to protect him. 257 261 264

When his former teacher Yu Xiaogang reappears as a Pig Monster, Tang San reluctantly accepts him as his second disciple and gives him the Buddhist name Wuneng. 266 271

Appearance

Tang San originally has blue hair, which is shed during Zhun Ti's forced Buddhist conversion. As Sanzang, he commonly appears in monk's robes and carries a Buddhist staff. 104 145

• His transformed Blue Silver Grass form is a tall plant with deep-blue leaves veined with golden light. 194
• He wears a Brocade Kasaya during the Zhaoge Dharma Assembly. 198
• He uses a Nine-Ringed Monk Staff and, earlier, a tin staff in battle. 145 198

Personality

Tang San's defining motivation is his fixation on Xiao Wu. Her death drives him to seek revenge against Tang Chen, pursue resurrection through the Netherworld, and later claim A Xiu as Xiao Wu's reincarnation. 21 53 145

He is calculating and highly adaptable when confronting superior powers. He apologizes to Bo Saixi once he recognizes the value of the Sea God's path, immediately kneels before Zhun Ti after realizing the monk knows his secrets, and agrees to conversion while privately intending to break that promise later. 36 96 97

Tang San presents himself as compassionate and devout while acting ruthlessly toward perceived rivals. His public vow in Zhaoge wins the people's reverence, but his treatment of Er Ming leads to the loss of his Buddhist powers. 145 165 198

Repeated death and rebirth at the Tongtian River dull his terror and anger, leaving him with a single enduring resolve: travel to Zhaoge, spread the Dharma, and atone for his sins. 195

Abilities & Skills

Clear Sky Hammer

Tang San wields the Clear Sky Hammer, originally the source of much of his confidence as a Spirit Master. 19

• Uses golden mana to empower the hammer after Zhun Ti's intervention. 98 101
• Kills Tang Chen with a single decisive hammer blow after being raised to Soul Saint level. 98 99
• Defeats Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo with one hammer strike while protecting Ning Rongrong. 101
• His early confidence in the hammer is shaken when it is pierced with ease by a stronger opponent. 19

Tang Sect Hidden Weapons

Tang San retains Tang Sect techniques and seeks to establish the Tang Sect in the Prehistoric World. 53

• Bodhi Blood — a crimson blood bead described as the second-ranked Tang Sect hidden-weapon technique. 97
• Its killing power is ineffective against Tang Chen, who deflects it with a casual finger flick. 97

Buddhist Dharma

As Sanzang, Tang San serves as a Buddhist pilgrim tasked with spreading the Dharma and retrieving the true scriptures. 104 197

• Conducts the Water and Land Dharma Assembly in Zhaoge. 198
• Makes a grand vow to bear the sins of living beings and complete the westward journey. 198
• His Buddhist magic is conditional; Maitreya removes it after judging his actions against Er Ming and A Xiu. 165

Blue Silver Regeneration

Tang San can regenerate through Blue Silver Grass after fatal injury or consumption. 194 195

• Reforms from a grass seed after being swallowed by Nihility Devouring Flame. 194
• Repeatedly revives after successive devourings. 195
• His wounds heal visibly even after being used as feed for poisonous insects. 260
• This ability makes him a target: the Shanli Tribe exploits him to strengthen poisonous creatures, while outsiders spread rumors that he is an “Undying Immortal Herb.” 195 261

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Clear Sky Hammer — his principal Spirit Master weapon. 19 99
• Bodhi Blood — Tang Sect hidden weapon used against Tang Chen. 97
• Tin Staff — used to overpower Er Ming during their first confrontation in the mountains. 145
• Nine-Ringed Monk Staff — carried during the Zhaoge Dharma Assembly and westward journey. 198 203
• Brocade Kasaya — ceremonial Buddhist robe worn during the Zhaoge assembly. 198
• Tightening Fillet incantation — a restraint spell entrusted to Tang San for controlling Er Ming. 207

Relationships

• Xiao Wu / A Xiu — Tang San's lover and central obsession. Xiao Wu's death motivates his war against Tang Chen; after her reincarnation as A Xiu, Tang San takes her away from Er Ming. 21 145
• Tang Chen — his great-grandfather by the body he inhabits and Xiao Wu's killer. Tang San kills him in revenge, then asks Zhun Ti to preserve his soul for reincarnation. 97 99 100
• Tang Hao — Tang San's father figure, who rejects him as the possessor of his biological son's body and attacks him publicly in Zhaoge. 198 199
• Ah Yin — Tang Hao's wife and the original body's mother. She regards Tang San as the thief who occupied her child and uses the Blue Silver Emperor's authority. 49 195
• Zhun Ti Daoist — benefactor, manipulator, and Buddhist master. He empowers Tang San against Tang Chen, then forcibly converts him into Sanzang. 98 104
• Er Ming — bitter enemy, unwilling first disciple, and later assigned protector. Their feud centers on Xiao Wu/A Xiu and Tang San's actions against him. 145 206 207 264
• Da Ming — Er Ming's brother, who vows to become Tang San's mortal enemy after Tang San defeats Er Ming and takes A Xiu away. 145
• Yu Xiaogang / Wuneng — Tang San's former teacher, later accepted as his second disciple despite Tang San's reluctance. 271
• Ning Rongrong — fellow Spirit Master whom Tang San protects in the Netherworld from Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo. 100 101

Notable Quotes

“Whoever dares to take Xiao Wu away, I will fight them to the death!” 16

“There is no Tang San left in this world, only the Pilgrim—Sanzang!” 200