Chen Delu

Biodata

Feature	Value
Name	Chen Delu (陈德鲁)
Alias(es)	Master Chen; Elder Chen; Old Master Chen
Species/Race	Human
Gender	Male
Affiliation	Yama Gate; Seven Kill Sect
Occupation/Role	Founder of the executioner lineage; former/old sect master of Yama; master of the Seven Kill Sect; Liang Qisheng's master
Status	Active
First Appearance	Chapter 31

Background / History

Chen Delu was born Shao Delu, the youngest son of Shao Zhifeng—“Blood Shadow Mad Blade,” one of the Seven Kill Sect's three sect masters and its deputy master. During the sect's destruction, he survived only because he had fallen asleep in a cave on the back mountain. He subsequently adopted his mother's surname, changed his appearance and identity, and lived as Chen Delu to evade White Sheep Cave's pursuit. 53

The Seven Kill Sect had once dominated Guangchong Province through a killing-oriented path, nearing promotion to a prefecture-level sect. White Sheep Cave united three elders, hundreds of disciples, and more than a dozen allied forces to destroy it. Chen Delu maintains that the Seven Kill Sect's elites severely injured a White Sheep Cave elder and annihilated much of the attacking coalition despite the sect's fall. 53

In seclusion at Blade-Casting Town, Chen Delu established Yama Gate as a martial school and executioner organization. By operating it for decades and maintaining official connections, he nearly monopolized executioner work throughout Shiwu County's nine towns. 31 57

He quietly rebuilt a foundation for the Seven Kill Sect, gathering incomplete martial manuals, establishing the Shadow Assassins and Heavenly Net, and preserving the Decapitation Ghost Blade. His aim was to ensure that the Seven Kill Sect's heritage would not end. 49 55 56

Appearance

Chen Delu is an elderly yet imposing martial artist. Despite his age and semi-retirement, his presence is overwhelming enough to make younger martial artists feel as though they stand before a mountain or a demon god. 31 52

• Towering build and an oppressive, killing-honed aura. 31
• Described as an old man in retirement, with visible wrinkles and declining vitality. 54 83
• Can move with sudden, gale-like speed despite his age. 49
• His eyes can flash with a striking, daylight-like brilliance when alarmed or focused. 49

Personality

Chen Delu is severe, calculating, and deeply secretive. He tests Liang Qisheng's reactions before exposing the Seven Kill Sect's history, judging that talent without composure or discretion would not survive long enough to shoulder the sect's future. 54

He is intensely proud of the Seven Kill Sect's former glory and still carries resentment toward White Sheep Cave. His rebuilding efforts show patience and long-term planning: he accumulated manuals, personnel, intelligence assets, and methods of controlling them over decades. 53 55 56

Although his manner can be domineering and blunt, Chen Delu becomes notably tolerant and protective toward Liang Qisheng after recognizing his potential. He praises his disciple openly, saves him from the Heaven-Covering Cult, worries over his injuries, and reacts angrily when Liang disappears during the Demon Calamity. 51 53 105 119

Abilities & Skills

Organ-Refining Cultivation

Chen Delu is an Organ-Refining Realm martial artist capable of harmonizing the five viscera to generate internal energy. He remained concealed in Shiwu County, where even the strongest publicly known figures had not reached this realm. 83 119

• His internal force is substantially stronger than ordinary blood and qi. 83
• Even while old, he could test Liang Qisheng with enough force to wound him through formidable physical defenses. 83
• He was regarded as Yama Gate's strongest existence and a renowned figure in Shiwu County's underworld and official circles. 31

Yin-Yang Qi-Transforming Hand

Chen Delu's principal direct-lineage art is the Yin-Yang Qi-Transforming Hand, a technique recovered from the Seven Kill Sect's former assassination organization. 56 83

• Converts cultivated power through Yin-Yang transformation and can be used to evolve internal force. 83 84
• Produces elusive, continuously changing attack trajectories when combined with sword techniques. 82
• Allows the creation, control, and removal of Yin-Yang Blood Talismans. 84
• He later passes its oral teachings, mental method, and Five-Viscera Origin Forging method to Liang Qisheng. 83 84

Blade and Executioner Arts

Chen Delu is the founding ancestor of Yama Gate's executioner lineage and a veteran executioner whose killing intent was tempered through countless killings. 31 81

• Previously wielded the Decapitation Ghost Blade, though controlling it required immense hardship and exposed him to its killing intent. 51
• His sword and beheading techniques are difficult to predict, shifting from impossible angles without being bound by conventional forms. 82
• He can channel Yin-Yang Qi-Transforming Hand into a wooden sword, producing dense sword-light phantoms and cutting force. 82 83

Yin-Yang Blood Talisman Art

Chen Delu uses Yin-Yang Blood Talismans to secure the loyalty of his hidden personnel. 56

• The talismans fundamentally control the Shadow Assassins and Heavenly Net, preventing rebellion. 56
• He transfers nineteen operatives—ten Shadow Assassins and nine intelligence specialists—to Liang Qisheng's command. 56
• He teaches Liang Qisheng the control methods necessary to command the organization. 56

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Decapitation Ghost Blade — A sentient demon blade and one of the Seven Kill Sect's remaining relics. Chen Delu once barely controlled it before sealing it in the ancestral hall; it later recognizes Liang Qisheng as its master. 49 51 53
• Three-foot wooden sword — Used during his sparring assessment of Liang Qisheng; despite being wooden, it withstands the force of their exchange until covered in fine cracks. 82 83
• Seven Kill Sect secret armory — A hidden collection of martial manuals and fragments gathered over decades from Shiwu County's families and factions. 54 55

Relationships

• Liang Qisheng — Master and sole true disciple. Chen Delu identifies Liang's comprehension of the Seven Kill Blade Intent, inducts him into the Seven Kill Sect, and entrusts him with its revival. 31 52 54
• Zhao Hu — Senior disciple of Yama Gate. Chen Delu considers Zhao Hu talented and loyal, but far less exceptional than Liang Qisheng. 31 56 82
• Shao Zhifeng — Father; one of the Seven Kill Sect's three sect masters and its deputy master. 53
• White Sheep Cave — Enemy faction responsible for the destruction of the Seven Kill Sect and the reason Chen Delu continues to conceal his original identity. 53
• Shadow Assassins and Heavenly Net — Chen Delu's assassination and intelligence networks, cultivated as part of his preparations to rebuild the Seven Kill Sect. 56

Story Role / Major Arcs

Discovery of Liang Qisheng

Chen Delu appears after Liang Qisheng comprehends a trace of the Seven Kill Blade Intent from the Decapitation Ghost Blade. He confirms Liang's aptitude, accepts him as a disciple, and begins directing him toward the Ghost Slaying Blade Art. 31 32

Restoration of the Seven Kill Sect's Lineage

When the Decapitation Ghost Blade chooses Liang as its master, Chen Delu recognizes him as the long-awaited inheritor of the Seven Kill Blade. He brings Liang into the hidden Seven Kill Sect, reveals its destruction, makes him the sole true disciple, and assigns him the responsibility of preserving its inheritance. 49 51 52 53 54

Transfer of Resources and Authority

Chen Delu equips Liang with the incomplete Spirit Snake Coiling Silk Force, access to the secret armory, and control of the Shadow Assassins and Heavenly Net. Following Liang's Bone-Forging breakthrough and sparring assessment, Chen Delu decides to hand over leadership of Yama and the Yin-Yang Qi-Transforming Hand. 55 56 83 84

Mentor During the Demon Calamity

During Shiwu County's Demon Calamity, Chen Delu supplies Liang with information on demons, devils, Demon Blood, Devil Flesh, and Golden Cicada Gu. He rescues Liang after the Heaven-Covering Cult Leader's attack and continues to caution him against unnecessary risks. 85 99 105 119

Trivia

• Chen Delu originally belonged to the Shao family but took his mother's surname after the Seven Kill Sect's destruction. 53
• He calls Yama Gate something he established while bored in seclusion, while treating the Seven Kill Sect as his true lineage. 53
• He was unable to fully control the Decapitation Ghost Blade in his youth, making its effortless recognition of Liang Qisheng especially shocking to him. 51