Lu Dongbin

Biodata

Feature	Details
Name	Lu Dongbin (吕洞宾) 770
Alias(es)	Reincarnation of Emperor Donghua; Third Brother 808 778
Species/Race	Human reincarnate; immortal cultivator 785 808
Gender	Male
Affiliation	Eight Immortals; disciple of Han Zhongli; formerly joined the Heaven-Piercing Sect while under the influence of his Love Demon 785 825 853
Occupation/Role	Sword cultivator and one of the Eight Immortals 793 825
Status	Alive and active 1041
First Appearance	Mentioned in Chapter 62; appears in Chapter 770 62 770

Power Progression

Stage / Realm / Level	Chapter	Notes
Immortal cultivation initiated	785	Passed Han Zhongli’s trials, formally became his disciple, and began learning jade refinement and gold refinement to refine essence and nourish qi. 785
Human Immortal	793	Had only recently attained Human Immortalhood when he fought Chun Ying, whose cultivation far exceeded his own. 793
Three-Tribulation Earth Immortal	835	After returning to his proper place as Emperor Donghua’s reincarnation, he recovered part of his former cultivation and immediately reached Three-Tribulation Earth Immortal rank. 835

Background

Lu Dongbin was born into the scholarly Lü family alongside his younger brother, Ling Qing. Their grandfather and father served in the imperial court, and the family placed exceptional hopes on the two brothers because both were born amid unusual celestial signs. While Ling Qing turned to cultivation after awakening past-life memories, Lu Dongbin initially devoted himself to the imperial examinations. 770

During his searches for the missing Ling Qing, Lu Dongbin encountered Fire Dragon True Person on Mount Lu and received the Heavenly Evasion Sword Art. Even after gaining this sword inheritance, he remained focused on securing worldly accomplishment through the examinations. 778

After failing the examinations with Ling Qing, Lu Dongbin experienced the Yellow Millet Dream and came to understand Han Zhongli’s lesson that fame, fortune, love, and hatred were transient. He thereafter accepted the path of immortality, endured ten trials, and offered tea to Han Zhongli to establish their master-disciple bond. 779 781 785

Although many immortals initially mistook both Lü brothers for Emperor Donghua’s reincarnation, Lu Dongbin later confirmed that he alone was the true reincarnation. Canglingzi had deliberately linked Ling Qing’s fate to his own to create the confusion. 789 808

Personality

Lu Dongbin began as ambitious and deeply invested in fame and scholarly success; failure in the examinations disappointed him far more than it did Ling Qing. The Yellow Millet Dream changed his direction, but not his capacity for strong feeling. 779 781

He possesses a righteous, heroic temperament and rejects Canglingzi’s belief that strength alone determines right and wrong. Even when tempted with freedom from heavenly laws, he initially declared that righteousness and evil could not coexist. 841

His defining weakness is love. The feelings he suppressed across his existence as Emperor Donghua became a millennium-long love tribulation centered on Peony Fairy and her reincarnation, White Peony. When he chose to refine that tribulation into a Love Demon, his buried resentment and desire overwhelmed his judgment, driving him to oppose his master, brothers, and fellow immortals. 839 847 853

Abilities & Skills

Swordsmanship and Sword Flight

Lu Dongbin learned the Heavenly Evasion Sword Art from Fire Dragon True Person and later studied sword refinement and sword-riding under Ling Qing. 778

• Uses flying swords for rapid travel, interception, and combat. 793
• Can fight while directing several swords at once. 835
• United himself with his sword to become a ten-thousand-zhang sword light during the battle against the Seven Absolutes Demon King. 1041

Pure Yang Sword Cultivation

His cultivation is closely tied to his Pure Yang Sword and his status as Emperor Donghua’s reincarnation.

• The Pure Yang Sword can manifest as a fire dragon to shield him and attack enemies. 851
• After recovering part of his past-life strength, he reached Three-Tribulation Earth Immortal rank. 835
• His three immortal swords had developed sentience by the time of the battle against Single-Horn Master and Divine Tassel King. 835

Love Demon and Demonic Cultivation

Lu Dongbin voluntarily transformed his millennium love tribulation into a Love Demon in an attempt to control it. 847

• He sealed away his own mind and allowed the Love Demon to indulge the desires he had previously restrained. 849 850
• After joining the Heaven-Piercing Sect, he received the Hundred Poisons True Scripture and began gathering poisons to cultivate poisonous arts. 857
• The demonic side of his heart was ultimately severed when White Peony used the Immortal-Slaying Sword, restoring his clarity and heroic spirit. 861

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Fire Dragon Pure Yang Sword — His principal sword; can become a fire dragon and protect its wielder. 793 851
• Male and Female Treasure Swords — A paired set of sentient swords used in tandem with the Pure Yang Sword. 819 835
• Primordial Unity Eight Trigrams Dao Robe — Gifted by Han Zhongli; resists water, fire, blades, and weapons. 835
• Sword Crane talisman artifact — Carries allies by flight and can revert to a jade talisman. 793
• Hundred Ghosts Gourd — A black gourd containing fierce ghosts; Ling Qing entrusted it to him as a means to resolve Fei Changfang’s tribulation. 825 836
• Mountain-Stabilizing Divine Needle — Temporarily wielded against Pangolin; its power fixed the earth veins within a hundred li and prevented Pangolin’s earth-escape. 805

Relationships

• Ling Qing / Lu Daoqing — Younger brother born of the same mother. Lu Dongbin respects Ling Qing’s steadfast pursuit of the Dao and defended his character when the other immortals suspected him of serving Canglingzi. Their relationship later fractured when Ling Qing refused to help him retrieve White Peony. 779 810 850
• Han Zhongli — Master. Han Zhongli accepted Lu Dongbin after his ten trials and taught him jade and gold refinement. He later dueled Lu Dongbin in an effort to awaken him from the Love Demon’s influence. 785 851
• Peony Fairy / White Peony — His central love tribulation. Lu Dongbin’s attachment to Peony Fairy deepened after learning of their past connection; after her reincarnation as White Peony, their love became the basis of his fall into demonhood and eventual redemption. 799 825 861
• Canglingzi — Enemy and manipulator. Canglingzi exploited Lu Dongbin’s love tribulation, recruited him into the Heaven-Piercing Sect, and intended to turn him into a weapon against the Heavenly Court. 841 853 857
• He Xiangu — Fellow immortal and ally. Lu Dongbin risked himself to save her soul and later fought beside her against the Heaven-Piercing Sect. 803 861
• Han Xiangzi — Fellow immortal who confronted Lu Dongbin over abandoning his mission for White Peony; Lu Dongbin wounded him while consumed by obsession. 852 853
• Gan Jiang and Mo Ye — Ghostly sword spirits whose grievance Lu Dongbin resolved. They merged into a treasured sword and followed him thereafter. 819

Story Role / Major Arcs

Search for Immortality

Lu Dongbin transitions from a scholar pursuing the imperial examinations to a cultivator after the Yellow Millet Dream reveals the emptiness of fame and fortune. He passes Han Zhongli’s ten trials and becomes Han Zhongli’s disciple. 779 781 785

The Reincarnation of Emperor Donghua

The immortals mistake both Lu Dongbin and Ling Qing for Emperor Donghua’s reincarnation because of Canglingzi’s interference. Lu Dongbin eventually confirms his true identity, becoming the central figure in the Eight Immortals’ struggle against the Heaven-Piercing Sect. 789 808

Peony Fairy and the Love Tribulation

Lu Dongbin develops feelings for Peony Fairy while helping save He Xiangu. Peony Fairy steals the Mountain-Stabilizing Divine Needle for him and is banished to the mortal world as punishment, leaving Lu Dongbin torn between personal devotion and his duty to the Eight Immortals. 803 805 806

Return to His Proper Place

After aiding Gan Jiang and Mo Ye, Lu Dongbin gains their treasured sword. Upon returning to his rightful status as Emperor Donghua’s reincarnation, he recovers past-life strength and becomes a Three-Tribulation Earth Immortal. 819 835

Descent into Demonhood

Unable to resolve his bond with White Peony, Lu Dongbin refines his love tribulation into a Love Demon. Canglingzi and the Heaven-Piercing Sect exploit his desperation, eventually persuading him to join them in exchange for White Peony’s safety. 847 850 853

Redemption

As Lu Dongbin’s demonic nature grows severe enough for him to contemplate killing Ling Qing, Han Zhongli, and the other immortals, White Peony rejects the inhuman version of him. She uses the Immortal-Slaying Sword to cut away his demonic side, allowing him to regain himself. 857 861

Notable Quotes

“Righteousness and evil cannot coexist!” 841

“If becoming immortal means I can't be with White Peony, then why shouldn't I become a demon?” 853