Joker

Biodata

Feature	Information
Name	Joker
Alias(es)	小丑; codename Joker
Species/Race	Human Fallen; later manifests a spider-like aberration 26 28
Gender	Male
Affiliation	Grave Diggers organization; the organization was later wiped out by Gu Jianlin's side 35 97
Occupation/Role	Former dimensional surveyor in the Kirin Immortal Palace excavation project; later a Fallen operative targeting Gu Jianlin 35
Status	Deceased; killed by Gu Jianlin. His soul was imprisoned in the Soul-Pacifying Bell, then collapsed when an unknown primordial entity manifested through it; the Black Kirin dispersed the manifestation 29 35
First Appearance	Ch. 16 (mentioned as an assessment target); Ch. 24 (personally appears) 16 24

Power Progression

Stage / Realm / Level	Chapter	Notes
First-Rank Magician / Fallen	18, 20, 218	Initially identified as a first-rank Magician who had stolen two Mythic Armaments. His publicly listed Magician abilities include Danger Prediction, Card Blade, Hypnosis, Teleportation, and Death Illusion. Huaiyin later described him as only a first-tier Magician when he obtained the armaments 18 20 218
Tier 2 Magician / Fallen	25, 30, 33, 362	During his confrontation with Gu Jianlin, he is described as a Tier 2 Magician and was officially confirmed as a Tier 2 Fallen after his death. His Hypnosis, teleportation, and card attacks are countered through profiling and prediction 25 30 33 362
Spider aberration	26	After his escape is interrupted, he mutates: eight steel-like spider legs emerge from his back, his eyes become compound eyes, and his body develops fur and enhanced durability 26
Fully mutated Fallen state	27, 28, 29	He regenerates by drinking blood, deploys webs and steel limbs, and survives a gas explosion, but is completely overwhelmed after Gu Jianlin's Ancient God transformation 27 28 29

Background / History

Joker participated in the Kirin Immortal Palace excavation project six months before his death as a dimensional surveyor. Gu Ci'an served as an investigator on the same project, making the two former colleagues 35.

During a seabed survey, Joker heard a seventeenth voice report in despite the diving team having only sixteen members. Though no one believed his report, project members subsequently began disappearing without leaving bodies. Convinced that an infiltrating “demon” was among them, Joker began killing those he suspected 35.

He later found and partially decoded Gu Ci'an's diary, concluding that Gu Ci'an knew multiple Ancient Gods were sleeping in the Kirin Immortal Palace. Joker's account claims Gu Ci'an discovered him decoding the diary and began killing indiscriminately; Joker survived only by chance 35.

Four months before the school incident, Joker's mind was corrupted. He murdered two colleagues, became involved in the Blood Moon Massacre, was severely wounded by the rampaging Gu Ci'an, and fled. That same night, he used his credentials to steal the Non-Existent Lock and Soul-Pacifying Bell from an ancient-relic vault. He subsequently killed fifty-seven people while remaining at large 20.

Although Joker stole the two Mythic Armaments from Ether Association custody, Huaiyin later revealed that he had personally recovered them from the Kirin Immortal Palace and delivered them to the Association before they had been identified 218.

After joining the Grave Diggers, Joker and his organization monitored Gu Jianlin from their base at Black Cloud Stronghold, believing Gu Ci'an may have left his son an item capable of granting access to the deepest part of the Kirin Immortal Palace 35.

Following Joker's death, the Grave Diggers were eliminated by Gu Jianlin's side. A Gu Master later confirmed that Joker had been one of the organization's disposable pieces used to test Gu Jianlin 97.

Appearance

In his ordinary state, Joker is a plain, unremarkable-looking man whose appearance offers little immediate indication of his danger 25.

• Gu Jianlin's profile estimates that he is forty-six years old, psychologically unstable, highly educated, and possesses non-human traits 24.
• His aberrant form develops eight blade-like, steel-hard spider legs, compound eyes, facial fur, and the ability to produce spider silk 26 27.
• In his fully mutated state, he can crawl across walls, rapidly regenerate damaged limbs, and endure severe physical trauma 27 28.

Personality

Joker is vindictive, sadistic, and intensely confident in his ability to control a situation from concealment. He regards Gu Jianlin as prey and fixates on revenge against Gu Ci'an through his son, repeatedly threatening Gu Jianlin's mother and sister 24 25 26.

As a Magician, he weaponizes conversation. He deliberately provokes fear, grief, and anger to create psychological openings for Hypnosis, speaking at length even in combat to impose suggestions on his target 25.

His caution is matched by cruelty. He concealed his activities, used animal organs to prepare a Necro-Gu attack, and allowed the Ether Association task force to enter the trap rather than fleeing from the school 24 27.

Joker possesses a deeply ingrained fear of the unknown entity he believed infiltrated the Kirin Immortal Palace project. Even after his self-awareness was erased by the Soul-Pacifying Bell, recollections of the “number seventeen” incident and Gu Ci'an's diary caused his soul to tremble in terror 35.

Abilities & Skills

Magician Path

Joker uses the Magician Path's early-stage abilities, combining deception, psychological pressure, and sudden repositioning in combat 20 25.

• Hypnosis — Imposes psychological suggestions through speech, eye contact, gestures, and even previously thrown cards; it can force targets into drowsiness or trauma-induced hallucinations. Gu Jianlin's Black Kirin consciousness repeatedly disrupts its effects 25.
• Teleportation — Allows him to dissolve into smoke and reappear elsewhere, often to evade attacks or create an opening for a Card Blade strike. It is more accurately a charged leap and requires preparation before activation 25.
• Card Blade — Throws playing cards hardened enough to slice through a chair leg and embed in a wall. Cards can also be used to seed suggestions for later Hypnosis 25.
• Danger Prediction — Senses hostility from stronger opponents, though it can be circumvented by a coordinated group rather than a single hostile presence 20 27.
• Death Illusion — Listed among his known Magician Path abilities, though no specific use is documented 20.

Spider Aberration

Joker's aberration radically improves his physical combat capability after his normal Magician tactics fail.

• Produces eight steel-like limbs capable of blocking bullets and cutting through obstacles 26.
• Generates spider silk and webs to restrict movement and control enclosed spaces 26 28.
• Grants wall-crawling, explosive jumping power, enhanced toughness, and rapid regeneration after consuming blood 27 28.
• Does not protect him from Gu Jianlin's Ancient God transformation; his limbs are torn apart and his attacks cannot pierce Kirin scales 28 29.

Necro-Gu Scheme

Joker uses a Necro-Gu supplied by the entity backing his organization.

• Extracted animal organs and secretly used the Non-Existent Lock's concealment to place the Gu in the Ether Association operatives' food 24 27.
• The activated Gu incapacitates the task force with violent coughing, bleeding, and collapse, allowing Joker to recover and resume the fight 27.
• Joker avoids using it on Gu Jianlin and Su Youzhu because their low ranks could cause them to die before he obtained the information he wanted 27.
• The Gu Master's later statements establish that Joker and other Grave Diggers were expendable test subjects in a larger effort to probe Gu Jianlin 97.

Limitations

• Forcibly containing the Non-Existent Lock and Soul-Pacifying Bell at his rank overdraws Joker's life and soul, placing him under severe strain 24.
• His Danger Prediction cannot adequately warn him against a coordinated assault by numerous weaker opponents 27.
• His spider aberration can regenerate through blood consumption, but it remains vulnerable to overwhelming destructive force and Ancient God-level power 27 28 29.

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Non-Existent Lock — A Mythic Armament represented by silver chains. It causes others to neglect Joker's existence, conceals his aura, and can form a void barrier that cuts off perception of the outside world 26 27.
• Soul-Pacifying Bell — A Mythic Armament that attacks and enslaves souls. Joker intended to use it to enslave Gu Jianlin and force information from him 27.
• Playing cards — Used as Card Blades in conjunction with his Magician abilities and as vessels for delayed Hypnosis 25.
• Necro-Gu — A lethal Gu-based trap supplied through his organization's patron 24 27.
• Mythic Armament provenance — The Non-Existent Lock and Soul-Pacifying Bell had originally been recovered from the Kirin Immortal Palace by Huaiyin and handed to the Ether Association before Joker stole them 218.

Relationships

• Gu Jianlin — Primary enemy and intended revenge target. Joker monitored him because he was Gu Ci'an's son and because the Grave Diggers suspected he possessed something left by Gu Ci'an 24 25 35.
• Gu Ci'an — Former colleague in the Kirin Immortal Palace project. Joker later blamed and feared him, believing Gu Ci'an knew of the Ancient Gods in the palace and had attempted to kill him 25 35.
• Grave Diggers — Joker's organization after surviving the excavation-project incident. The group sought access to the Kirin Immortal Palace's deepest region and its potential benefits; it was later destroyed after Joker's death 35 97.
• Gu Master — A figure operating behind the Grave Diggers who later identified Joker as one of the pieces used to test Gu Jianlin 97.
• Unknown “lord” / primordial entity — Joker's organization is backed by a non-human existence, apparently an Ancient God, that supplied the Necro-Gu and promised complete evolution and rebirth. A terrifying entity manifests when Joker's soul is interrogated, but is dispersed by the Black Kirin 24 35 36.
• Huaiyin — Huaiyin originally recovered the Non-Existent Lock and Soul-Pacifying Bell from the Kirin Immortal Palace and turned them over to the Ether Association before Joker stole them 218.
• Ether Association — Joker considers its members incompetent and exploits their operation at Fengcheng No. 2 High School to eliminate the task force 25 27.

Story Role / Major Arcs

Assessment Mission

The Ether Association assigns Gu Jianlin the high-risk mission of hunting Joker, despite knowing that Joker's organization has already targeted Gu Jianlin and his family. The Tribunal frames the hunt as a test and promises Joker's Mythic Armaments as spoils if Gu Jianlin succeeds 17 18.

Fengcheng No. 2 High School Hunt

Joker threatens Gu Jianlin by letter and arranges a meeting behind the school playground. Gu Jianlin instead profiles the animal abuse and ritual traces around the school, identifies Joker, and confronts him in the cafeteria while protecting Su Youzhu 23 24.

Joker initially gains the advantage through Hypnosis, teleportation, and Card Blades, but Gu Jianlin's profiling lets him predict Joker's movements and resist his psychological tactics. Joker then activates the Non-Existent Lock and mutates into a spider-like Fallen 25 26.

Necro-Gu Reversal and Death

A fourteen-member Ether Association task force overwhelms Joker's mutated body, but his prepared Necro-Gu incapacitates the entire group. Joker regenerates, isolates Gu Jianlin with the Non-Existent Lock, and attempts to enslave his soul with the Soul-Pacifying Bell 26 27.

Gu Jianlin survives the barrier and awakens his Kirin form. Joker's spider limbs, webs, and Soul-Pacifying Bell become ineffective against the transformed Gu Jianlin, who strips him of both Mythic Armaments and kills him with Divine Sacrifice Fire 28 29.

Posthumous Interrogation

Gu Jianlin uses the Soul-Pacifying Bell to extract Joker's soul and learn about the Kirin Immortal Palace project, the mysterious “number seventeen,” the Grave Diggers, and their interest in Gu Ci'an's son. The interrogation ends when Joker's soul collapses and an unknown primordial entity manifests through it; the Black Kirin awakens and disperses the entity 35.

Posthumous Consequences

Joker's death completes Gu Jianlin's assessment mission and grants him possession of the Non-Existent Lock and Soul-Pacifying Bell 30.

Information obtained from Joker's soul directs Gu Jianlin toward the Grave Diggers and their backers. The Grave Diggers are subsequently eliminated, while the Gu Master confirms that Joker had merely been a pawn used to test Gu Jianlin 39 97.

Notable Quotes

“He is in the light, and I am in the dark. The one holding the initiative will always be me.” 24

“It’s a good thing you exist; I will make your death a painful one.” 25

“From here on out, it’s just you and me.” 27