Zhu Rong

Biodata

Feature	Information
Name	Zhu Rong (祝融)
Alias(es)	Ancestral Witch of Fire
Species/Race	Ancestral Witch
Gender	Male
Affiliation	Witch Clan; Twelve Ancestral Witches
Occupation/Role	Fire-law wielder; elder brother and protector of Pan Xuan
Status	Active 25
First Appearance	Chapter 1

Power Progression

Stage / Realm / Level	Chapter	Notes
Beyond Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal / Primordial Golden Immortal	20, 24	Absorbed the pure Sha Qi of the Ferocious Beast Calamity abyss, breaking the limits of his physical body alongside ten other Ancestral Witches. Their new realm was later identified as Primordial Golden Immortal.
Mixed Origin Golden Immortal	25	Reached the Mixed Origin Golden Immortal realm before the group departed to climb Mount Buzhou.

Background / History

Zhu Rong is one of the Twelve Ancestral Witches born from Pangu's essence blood and inherently commands the Law of Fire. When Pan Xuan first awakened in Pangu Hall, Zhu Rong recognized that the dragon shared the Ancestral Witches' origin but found Pan Xuan's peaceful, righteous aura unlike their battle-oriented nature 1.

During the Witches' initial suspicion of Pan Xuan, Zhu Rong impatiently proposed throwing the apparent treasure into his Southern Illumination Divine Flame to expose its true nature. Once Pan Xuan established that he was born from Pangu's noble righteous qi, Zhu Rong apologized for his earlier hostility and accepted him as a brother 2 3.

Zhu Rong participated in the collective effort to help Pan Xuan take human form. He transformed into an innate Dao body, expounded the Law of Fire as the fifth Ancestral Witch to teach Pan Xuan, and repeatedly treated the younger brother with rough but affectionate familiarity 6 7.

After Pan Xuan took form, Zhu Rong volunteered as the first subject for the Heavenly Enlightenment Wisdom Light. The technique made his thoughts clearer and gave him a faint grasp of concepts he had previously struggled to understand, though its effect was limited by his already exceptional aptitude and Pan Xuan's lower cultivation 9 10. He later volunteered again in hopes of developing a primordial spirit like Houtu, but did not succeed 11.

He supported Pan Xuan's strategy of secretly strengthening the Witch Clan through battlefield salvage rather than openly expanding its population. Zhu Rong then helped collect corpses from the Dragon, Phoenix, and Qilin Clan battlefields, both to nourish the Pangu Blood Pool and to accumulate strength without drawing major attention 15 16.

In the western lands, Zhu Rong attacked an ancient innate restriction with the Southern Illumination Divine Flame. After Pan Xuan opened the restriction, Zhu Rong absorbed the Sha Qi within the resulting abyss and achieved a major physical breakthrough 19 20. He later joined the group in recovering the Destruction Stele and agreed to cease frequent corpse-collection after reaching the Mixed Origin Golden Immortal realm 21 25.

Appearance

In his true form, Zhu Rong is a fire-wreathed god-demon with a beast's head and human body. His innate Dao body retains the same aggressive, blazing presence 1 6.

• True form
  • Beast head and human body.
  • Crimson scales covering his body.
  • Fire snakes piercing his ears and fire dragons beneath his feet.
  • Surrounded by raging flames 1.
• Innate Dao body
  • Burly man over twelve feet tall.
  • Crimson hair and a red beard.
  • Bare chest and heavily muscled build.
  • Torch-like eyes and faint firelight flowing around his body 6.

Personality

Zhu Rong is hot-headed, blunt, and quick to turn disagreements into confrontations, especially with Gong Gong. His first instinct toward an unknown object is often direct force; he proposed burning Pan Xuan to reveal his identity and later rushed toward the Destruction Stele before Pan Xuan stopped him 2 21.

Despite his impulsiveness, he is forthright enough to admit when he is wrong. After Pan Xuan was accepted as kin, Zhu Rong apologized for his earlier doubts, pledged to protect him, and readily supported Pan Xuan's decisions once convinced of their merit 3 6 16. His enthusiasm for combat and growth remains constant, as shown by his eagerness to absorb the abyssal Sha Qi and his boredom after the group stopped making battlefield rounds 20 25.

Abilities & Skills

Law of Fire

Zhu Rong inherently commands the Law of Fire as the Ancestral Witch of Fire 1 7.

• Manifests the Southern Illumination Divine Flame.
• Formed his flames into a fire dragon to assault an ancient innate restriction 19.
• Used his flames to illuminate the descent into the Sha Qi abyss 20.
• His fire-law power underwent a qualitative increase after his breakthrough; his eyes were described as capable of burning all things to ashes and melting heaven and earth 20.
• His direct assault, even alongside the other Ancestral Witches' attacks, failed to break the innate restriction without Pan Xuan's intervention 19.

Physical Cultivation

As an Ancestral Witch, Zhu Rong possesses an exceptionally powerful physical body and benefits from Sha Qi that would corrode ordinary living beings 20.

• Absorbed ancient Ferocious Beast Sha Qi to temper and nourish his body 20.
• Broke past the limits of a Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal through the abyssal opportunity 20.
• Progressed from Primordial Golden Immortal to Mixed Origin Golden Immortal by Chapter 25 24 25.

Dao Exposition

Zhu Rong served as the fifth of the Twelve Ancestral Witches to expound the Dao to Pan Xuan, sharing his understanding of a fundamental law of heaven and earth 7.

• Helped Pan Xuan deepen his comprehension and progress toward taking a Dao body.
• Favored an informal teaching style, often patting Pan Xuan on the head hard enough to nearly send him flying 7.

Relationships

• Pan Xuan — Younger brother. Zhu Rong initially wanted to test him with fire, then accepted his shared origin and vowed to protect him. He was the first Ancestral Witch to receive Pan Xuan's Heavenly Enlightenment Wisdom Light 2 3 9 16.
• Gong Gong — Fellow Ancestral Witch and frequent verbal rival. Their fire-and-water opposition regularly leads to arguments, though they cooperate when supporting Pan Xuan or carrying out Witch Clan affairs 1 6 16 19.
• Di Jiang — Elder brother and leader of the Twelve Ancestral Witches. Zhu Rong yields when Di Jiang intervenes in his disputes and follows his decisions in major matters 1 15 17.
• Houtu — Younger sister among the Ancestral Witches. Zhu Rong celebrated her birth of a primordial spirit and urged her to describe the experience 12 13.
• Zhu Jiuyin — Fellow Ancestral Witch. Zhu Jiuyin compels Zhu Rong to participate in teaching Pan Xuan despite Zhu Rong's lack of confidence in expounding the Dao 6.

Story Role / Major Arcs

• Pan Xuan's awakening — Advocates testing the mysterious dragon with fire, then accepts Pan Xuan as a brother after his origin is confirmed 2 3.
• Pan Xuan's cultivation and transformation — Takes human form, expounds the Law of Fire to Pan Xuan, and later acts as the first test of the Heavenly Enlightenment Wisdom Light 6 7 9.
• Witch Clan strategy — Backs Pan Xuan's proposal to quietly gather resources and wait for the three great clans to weaken each other 15.
• Battlefield-cleaning campaign — Protects Pan Xuan while collecting fallen clan members' corpses and baleful energy at abandoned battlefields 16 17.
• Ferocious Beast Calamity abyss — Attacks the ancient restriction, descends into the abyss, absorbs its Sha Qi, and breaks through to a higher realm 19 20.
• Destruction Stele and Mount Buzhou — Investigates the recovered Destruction Stele, then joins the ascent of Mount Buzhou after reaching the Mixed Origin Golden Immortal realm 21 24 25.

Notable Quotes

“If anyone bullies you from now on, just give them my name, Zhu Rong!” 3

“Who cares whether they were Ferocious Beasts or not? As long as it can make me stronger! This Sha Qi is mine!” 20