Yao Lao

Biodata

Feature	Details
Name	Yao Lao / Yao Chen
Alias(es)	Venerable Yao; Medicine Emperor; original Pavilion Master of Starfall Pavilion 120 165
Gender	Male
Affiliation	Starfall Pavilion (founder and original pavilion master); allied with the Pill Tower 120 158
Occupation/Role	Eighth-Tier Alchemy Grandmaster; mentor and personal teacher of Xiao Yun 120 169
Status	Alive; resurrected in a physical body 147
First Appearance	Chapter 61

Power Progression

Stage / Realm / Level	Chapter	Notes
Nine-Turn Peak Dou Zun	133	His cultivation before his body was destroyed; he considered an immediate resurrection undesirable because it could have left him at only five or six stars.
Soul body, roughly Dou Emperor-level	86	While residing in the Bone Flame Ring, his remaining strength was less than a tenth of his former power.
Nine-Star Dou Zun	147	Revived using a Three-Star Dou Zun corpse, the Bone-Growing Blood-Fusion Pill, Heavenly Flame, and his own Soul Power.
Peak Dou Zun	170	Restored his former peak through the Fire Restoration Pill and a traded restorative treasure.
Half-Saint	269	Broke through after Xiao Yun's rapid rise drew him close to being surpassed.
One-Star Dou Sheng	319	Advanced with essence blood provided by Xiao Yun, overcoming the limitations caused by earlier self-damaging cultivation.

Background / History

Yao Chen was born into the Yao Clan. His father held no particularly high status, but undertook missions to secure Yao Chen's cultivation resources. Yao Chen was later expelled from the clan; he holds Yao Wangui, then head of the Punishment Hall, responsible for refusing to distinguish right from wrong in the matter 340 329.

Before his fall, Yao Chen founded Starfall Pavilion and became renowned across the Central Plains as Venerable Yao, an Eighth-Tier Alchemy Grandmaster whose public pill refinements once rivaled the Pill Tower in fame 120 165. He reached Nine-Turn Peak Dou Zun, but his pursuit of revenge after leaving the Yao Clan led him to overdraw his potential with medicinal pills, leaving lasting damage to his body 133 269.

His disciple Han Feng betrayed him in cooperation with the Hall of Souls. Han Feng sought Yao Chen's cultivation technique, while the Hall of Souls wanted his soul; Yao Chen self-destructed his body and escaped as a soul body into the Bone Flame Ring. Han Feng concealed the betrayal by claiming that Yao Chen had died in a furnace explosion 185 316.

While hidden in the ring, Yao Lao placed a sub-flame of the Bone Spirit Cold Flame inside Xiao Yan and dispersed Xiao Yan's cultivated Dou Qi to maintain his own safety. When Xiao Yun detected the flame, Yao Lao arranged a private meeting and ultimately chose to cooperate with him 61 62. He entrusted Xiao Yun with the Bone Flame Ring, his pill formulas, and the formula for the Bone-Growing Blood-Fusion Pill in return for assistance restoring his body 65.

Yao Lao confronted Han Feng in the Black-Corner Region, but rage and rusty combat instincts initially compromised his fighting. After Han Feng's defeat, Yao Lao was left grieving for the former disciple he had raised like a son 76 88.

He returned to Starfall Pavilion as a soul body and reunited with Wind Venerable, who had continued searching for him after his disappearance. There, Yao Lao formally accepted Xiao Yun as his personal disciple and passed on the Soul Origin Art, advanced Dou Techniques, and alchemy records 120.

Xiao Yun eventually revived Yao Lao in a Three-Star Dou Zun body. Continuous soul nourishment during their years together allowed Yao Lao to revive at Nine-Star Dou Zun rather than at a substantially lower level 147. After regaining his peak strength and later reaching Dou Sheng, he returned to the Yao Clan with Xiao Yun. The clan ultimately permitted him to inscribe his parents' names upon its Clan Monument, fulfilling his lifelong wish 319 331 332.

Appearance

Yao Lao first appears as an illusory, white-haired elderly soul with graying whiskers. Following his resurrection, he possesses a physical body and is described as a white-robed, white-haired middle-aged man 62 158.

• His soul resides within the black Bone Flame Ring when disembodied 65.
• His soul form becomes noticeably illusory when his Soul Power is depleted 65.
• His restored body projects an aura strong enough to overwhelm lower-ranked Dou Zuns 147.

Personality

Yao Lao is cautious and distrustful after Han Feng's betrayal. He initially views Xiao Yun's extraordinary talent as both an opportunity for revival and a potential danger, but accepts their partnership after Xiao Yun demonstrates restraint, sincerity, and ambition beyond immediate gain 62 65.

He is a demanding but supportive mentor. He gives blunt guidance on cultivation, alchemy, and interpersonal matters, and is willing to warn Xiao Yun against repeating the self-destructive path that stalled his own cultivation for decades 95 269.

Despite his status, Yao Lao is prone to gruff humor and irritation, particularly when Xiao Yun sealed him inside the Bone Flame Ring for six months. His restraint disappears when Han Feng or his expulsion from the Yao Clan is invoked 142 329.

Abilities & Skills

Alchemy

Yao Lao is an Eighth-Tier Alchemy Grandmaster once regarded as the continent's foremost alchemist 148 169.

• Refined the Eighth-Tier Nine-Colored Fire Restoration Pill, which can raise a fire-attributed Dou Zun by one star and improve the chance of reaching Half-Saint by ten percent 169.
• Supplied Xiao Yun with high-tier pill formulas, including the Seventh-Tier Bone-Growing Blood-Fusion Pill 65.
• Evaluates and improves Xiao Yun's alchemy, while encouraging him to develop methods beyond Yao Lao's own path 163.
• Publicly restored his reputation through high-level pill refinement after decades of presumed death 165 169.

Soul Power and Soul Arts

As a soul body for much of the story, Yao Lao possesses exceptional Soul Power and specialized soul knowledge.

• Passed the Soul Origin Art to Xiao Yun; the technique continuously absorbs traces of external soul energy when activated 120.
• Concealed Xiao Yun's presence with a soul barrier during cultivation in the Black-Corner Region 72.
• Temporarily lent Soul Power to raise Xiao Yun's cultivation to Four-Star Dou Zong during the battle with Han Feng 76.
• His depleted soul state limited his combat strength to roughly the Dou Emperor level before his resurrection 86.

Heavenly Flame and Spatial Expertise

Yao Lao possesses the Bone Spirit Cold Flame; one of its sub-flames was concealed within Xiao Yan's body 61 65.

• Broke spatial barriers protecting ancient-ruin treasures 74.
• Located hidden entrances and recognized methods for unlocking sealed spaces 75.
• Opened a spatial passage to remove Xiao Yun and Xian'er from the Pill Tower Trading Fair 158.

Cultivation and Combat

Yao Lao was a Nine-Turn Peak Dou Zun before losing his body and later regained that level after resurrection 133 170.

• His Nine-Star Dou Zun aura vastly exceeded that of Skyfire Venerable and Iron Sword Venerable after revival 147.
• Reached Half-Saint and then One-Star Dou Sheng with Xiao Yun's support 269 319.
• His soul-body combat was initially hindered by diminished power and neglected fighting practice, especially during his clash with Han Feng 76 86.

Equipment / Items

• Bone Flame Ring — Black Storage Ring that housed Yao Lao's soul and contained his pill formulas; later worn by Xiao Yun 65.
• Bone-Growing Blood-Fusion Pill formula — Seventh-Tier resurrection formula given to Xiao Yun, requiring a Heavenly Flame, high-tier Magical Beast Essence Blood, and a Dou Zong-or-higher corpse 65.
• Alchemy inheritances — Includes Medicine Gate, Alchemy Notes, the Heaven-Controlling Flame cultivation technique, Heaven-Splitting Flame Palm, and Three-Flame Dragon Lock 120.

Relationships

• Xiao Yun — Personal disciple, revival partner, and eventual close companion. Yao Lao entrusted him with his ring and inheritance; Xiao Yun later restored his body and helped him reach Dou Sheng 65 120 147 319.
• Han Feng — Former disciple whom Yao Lao raised from a Black-Corner Region orphan. Han Feng betrayed and ambushed him with the Hall of Souls, leaving Yao Lao with enduring grief and rage 88 185.
• Wind Venerable — Lifelong friend and Starfall Pavilion's deputy pavilion master. Wind Venerable searched for Yao Lao throughout the years of his disappearance and welcomed his return 120.
• Skyfire Venerable — Fellow soul body and ally. Yao Lao advised Xiao Yun to be candid about the possibility of reviving him, recognizing that secrecy would breed resentment 94 95.
• Yao Dan — Yao Clan Chief who acknowledged the clan's past failure toward Yao Lao and permitted Yao Lao to honor his parents at the Clan Monument 330 331.
• Yao Wangui — Former head of the Yao Clan's Punishment Hall and a central figure in Yao Lao's expulsion; their meeting reignites Yao Lao's resentment 329.
• Xuan Kongzi — Pill Tower leader and fellow alchemy grandmaster. He supports Yao Lao at the Pill Tower Trading Fair and later works alongside him against the Hall of Souls 158 169.

Notable Quotes

“You are beyond saving...”
— Yao Lao to Han Feng 76

“What leader of a faction is a soul body?”
— Yao Lao, refusing to resume Starfall Pavilion leadership before his resurrection 120