Black Bull

Biodata

Feature	Details
Name	Black Bull (大黑牛)
Alias(es)	Ximen Black Bull; Ox Ancestor; Junior Brother Bull
Species/Race	Spirit beast; later identified as a Bull Clan being
Gender	Male
Affiliation	Five Aggregates Sect; Firmament Formation Dao Palace
Occupation/Role	Formation Dao master; Earth-Rank Array Venerable; guardian of Chen Xun and the Five Aggregates Sect
Status	Active
First Appearance	5

Power Progression

Stage / Realm / Level	Chapter	Notes
Water Spirit Art, Second Level	38	Reached the second level alongside Chen Xun after roughly half a year of cultivating and watering spirit fields.
Foundation Establishment Realm	63	Broke through with Chen Xun after their prolonged preparation with Foundation Establishment Pills.
Foundation Establishment Middle Stage	80	Reached the middle stage, though the pair’s mana subsequently declined and left them only somewhat above their initial Foundation Establishment level.
Foundation Establishment Late Stage	93	Advanced through more than a century of cultivation in the Spirit Medicine Garden and high-grade Three-Element Pills.
Golden Core Realm	107	Endured Heavenly Tribulation, formed a core, and underwent a bodily transformation into a yak-like battle form.
Golden Core Middle Stage	132	Reached after a hundred years of secluded cultivation, with stronger physique, mana, and Divine Sense.
Golden Core Peak Stage	155	Reached the Golden Core Realm’s limits; five Golden Cores stabilized within his body.
Nascent Soul Realm	181	His formation attainments improved dramatically after his breakthrough.
Void Refining Realm	383	Advanced while using the Black Coffin to preserve a Primordial Spirit as a contingency.
Tribulation Transcendence Realm	595	Faced the next major cultivation hurdle: refining all ten thousand Daos of Rules at once, a process estimated to require a million years.
Great Vehicle Middle Phase	667	Broke through alongside Chen Xun; his aura and Formation Dao attainments drew widespread attention.
Half-Immortal Realm	1078	Emerged from long seclusion as a Half-Immortal, commanding reverence throughout the Jade Bamboo Mountains.
Dao Attainment / Transcendence	2505	Transcended the Shadow Immortal Realm without drawing Heavenly Tribulation, relying on personal comprehension of the great Dao.
Aligner of Orthodox and Reverse Myriad Daos	2506, 2507	Connected the Shadow Immortal Realm with the Eternal Ancient Immortal Territory, aligning their incompatible Daos and causing a phenomenon felt throughout the True Immortal Realm.

Background and History

Early years

Black Bull traveled with Chen Xun from their earliest days outside Little Mountain Village. Villagers considered him extraordinary enough to capture and slaughter as a tonic, while Chen Xun treated him as a companion rather than livestock 3.

The pair developed their habit of leaving no trace while surviving in the wilderness: Black Bull buried bloodstains and assisted Chen Xun in disposing of evidence after hunts 5. On New Year’s Eve in Panning City, he wrote his wish on a lantern: “Forever follow Chen.” 7

After discovering the Qi Refining Art, Black Bull began cultivating alongside Chen Xun. Although their Spiritual Roots proved weak, he could cultivate human techniques and spells—a rarity for a spirit beast 14 25.

Five Aggregates Sect period

Black Bull entered the Five Aggregates Sect with Chen Xun and became a registered spirit beast after establishing his foundation. He insisted on being called “Junior Brother Bull,” a request Chen Xun happily granted 77.

While Chen Xun refined pills and artifacts, Black Bull cultivated spirit medicines, learned the Object Manipulation Technique to write, and devoted himself to formations. He became a leader among the spirit beasts in the Spirit Medicine Garden 75.

During Chen Xun’s Golden Core Heavenly Tribulation at Morning Glow Snow Mountain, Black Bull guarded the mountain alone. He initially warned approaching cultivators away, then fought them when they repeatedly returned to intrude upon Chen Xun’s tribulation 104.

Black Bull later faced his own Heavenly Tribulation, formed his Golden Core, and emerged from a blood cocoon with a transformed yak-like body. He retained his preference for walking on all fours despite gaining the ability to stand upright naturally 107.

Formation Dao and the Five-Elements Immortal Path

Black Bull’s Formation Dao developed from simple layered arrays into a defining specialty. He studied formations alongside Chen Xun’s creation of the Five-Elements Immortal Path, eventually opening forty apertures himself and reorganizing formations into home defense, enemy expulsion, escape, and energy-gathering categories 204.

His natal formation flags became increasingly compatible with Five-Elements Qi, enabling him to alter the Five Extremes Formation with his own treasures as its formation eye 155. His attainments later earned him an Earth-Rank Inspector appointment on the Firmament Dao Rail, followed by promotion to Earth-Rank Array Venerable and entry into Immortal History 655 667.

Later journey

Black Bull traveled with Chen Xun and Little Scarlet across Great Li, the Heavenbreak Great Plain, and the wider cultivation world. He formed an immediate bond with Little Scarlet through spirit-beast language and became a source of safety for the younger lion 221 224.

After Chen Xun’s Dao Sacrifice and Black Bull’s own seclusion, he entered the Ancient Immortal Forbidden Grounds’ Myriad Tribulations Time-Sand to search for him. There, he discovered that his second Primordial Spirit was being assimilated by a statue and chose to sacrifice an Immortal Dao Origin to investigate the forbidden ground’s grand configuration 1148 1153.

Black Bull eventually became a central force in opening the void with tens of millions of cultivators from numerous races, personally coordinating the effort from within thousands of formations 2168. His final Dao attainment aligned the orthodox Myriad Daos of the Eternal Ancient Immortal Territory with the Shadow Immortal Realm’s reverse Myriad Daos 2505 2506.

Appearance

Black Bull usually appears as a robust black ox with heavy horns and a simple, honest expression. His true form and aura become progressively more imposing as his cultivation rises.

• Initially wore beast hides and painted stripes alongside Chen Xun while living in the Ningyun Mountain Range 14.
• Stood seven chi tall and was already powerfully built during the Five Aggregates Sect period 94.
• After forming his Golden Core, temporarily transformed into a fur-covered yak-like form capable of standing upright 107.
• In Void Refining form, he resembles a burly humanoid with a bovine face, dense black fur, and heterochromatic Five-Elements eyes 383.
• After reaching the Tribulation Transcendence Realm, his horns lengthened like swords and carried interwoven Five-Elements lightning; Dao patterns became visible across his hide 703.

Personality

Black Bull is deeply loyal, simple-hearted, and emotionally direct. His wish to follow Chen Xun forever defines nearly every stage of his life, from their earliest wilderness travels to his decision to confront the Ancient Immortal Forbidden Grounds alone for Chen Xun’s sake 7 1148.

He is openhearted around spirit beasts and easily delighted by friendship, praise, food, or new formation discoveries. Chen Xun notes that he has always loved making friends and does not mind familiar gestures from strangers who approach him with goodwill 1665.

Beneath his usually guileless behavior lies a stubborn and ruthless side. When Chen Xun is threatened, Black Bull becomes fiercely protective; he fought alone to guard Chen Xun’s tribulation, and his colder persona is capable of using others without hesitation to secure Chen Xun’s safety 104 756.

Abilities & Skills

Five-Elements Cultivation

Black Bull possesses Five-Element Mixed Spiritual Roots and can cultivate human cultivation methods and spells despite being a spirit beast.

• Can cultivate techniques normally unsuitable for spirit beasts 25.
• Cultivates all five elements, eventually forming five Golden Cores and later a five-element Nascent Soul 155 195.
• His Five-Elements pressure can lock down the void and reveal hidden heavenly veins 929.
• His bloodline and Five-Elements power suppress other spirit beasts instinctively 208 253.

Formation Dao

Formations are Black Bull’s foremost specialty. He studies them with exceptional persistence and eventually becomes one of the most recognized Formation Dao masters of his era.

• Stacks multiple small arrays to amplify their effects; his layered arrays could withstand the first heavenly tribulation of Core Formation 118.
• Constructed a thirty-two-flag defensive formation that Chen Xun judged capable of stopping Golden Core Middle Stage cultivators, including underground incursions 138.
• Uses natal formation flags to control and modify the Five Extremes Formation 155.
• Constructed portions of the Firmament Dao Rail and received an Earth-Rank Inspector appointment for this work 649 655.
• Created a vast formation world in the Land of Void to help his companions sever their chains 667.
• Activated a Bagua-shaped spacetime formation with Star-River Origin Ore, opening a teleportation passage spanning tens of thousands of li 1586.
• Can command formations of heaven and earth; ancient creatures found that laws could not suppress his formations 1247.

Combat and Mobility

Black Bull combines overwhelming physical strength with Five-Elements techniques, movement arts, and formations.

• His Black Bull Charge was already regarded as extraordinarily powerful during his early cultivation 14.
• Learned the Basic Five-Element Escape Art and could evade Chen Xun’s Fireball Technique by transforming into green smoke 77.
• Fought three Nascent Soul cultivators at once while protecting Chen Xun and Little Scarlet 234.
• Manifested a million-zhang Five Heads and Ten Arms Black Bull Dharma Aspect to face the Immortal Ye Qingyou 858.
• Defeated the rule power of a mountain vein through relentless attacks, refusing to retreat despite his formations initially being shattered 719.
• Can descend through causality without visible movement, appearing before others in less than a breath 2511.

Body Tempering and Bloodline

Black Bull completed Chen Xun’s body-tempering method after twenty years of seclusion, fully awakening a stronger true form.

• His awakening generated a towering phantom that Divine Sense could not penetrate 253.
• His physique and bloodline pressure forced Little Scarlet’s blood and qi into turmoil 253.
• The Bull-Faced Mountain Clan recognizes him as a bloodline forebear, and their ancestor was subdued beneath one hoof 1957.
• His body later carried seven great laws and exceeded Chen Xun’s physique after their breakthrough to the Tribulation Transcendence Realm 703.

Spirit Medicine Cultivation

Black Bull has long cultivated spirit medicines as both a practical trade and a source of resources for the group.

• Used the Water Spirit Art to tend spirit fields and reached its second level in half a year 38.
• Cultivated Soul-Cleansing Grass aboard the group’s vessel, protecting its passengers from the God-Slaying Wind 215.
• Continues to combine spirit-medicine cultivation with formation work and long-term resource planning 118 204.

Equipment

• Black Coffin — His natal magic treasure, personally made by Chen Xun. It was nourished with Black Bull’s essence blood, later fully refined, and can preserve a Primordial Spirit as a backup 93 133 383.
• Bandit Outfit and Hood — A custom black outfit made by Chen Xun. Its hood can obstruct Divine Sense and may protect against attacks targeting the soul, Divine Sense, or Primordial Spirit 94 133.
• Five-Elements Natal Formation Flags — Refined from a ninety-nine-thousand-year-old Crane Spirit Tree and used to enhance the Five Extremes Formation 155.
• Formation Booklet — A magic treasure with storage space and a distinct formation branded on every page, allowing formations to be activated during battle 732.
• Earth-Rank Inspector Robes and Identity Plaque — Official artifacts of the Firmament Formation Dao Palace, denoting his authority as an Earth-Rank Inspector 656.

Relationships

• Chen Xun — Blood brother, lifelong companion, and closest ally. Black Bull wished to follow him forever, protects him without hesitation, and undertook the dangers of Myriad Tribulations Time-Sand to find him 7 104 1148.
• Ji Kun — Friend from the Five Aggregates Sect. Ji Kun called him Junior Brother Bull and offered to secure Foundation Establishment resources for him; Black Bull later remembered Ji Kun despite countless changes and transformations 77 1078.
• Little Scarlet — Fellow spirit beast and younger companion. They communicate in beast language, mine resources together, and Black Bull serves as a source of security for the timid lion 221 224 253.
• Frog Daoist — Companion who persistently sought Black Bull’s help with the Myriad Tribulations Time-Sand problem and later showed shock and concern when Black Bull was injured 1078 1148.
• He Ling — Treats Black Bull as her second brother; their relationship is communicated through instinctive gestures rather than lengthy conversation 1148.
• Five Aggregates Sect — Black Bull became a hidden guardian of the sect and destroyed three attacking sects while Chen Xun was away 1152.
• Venerable Qi Ying — Array Lord who recognized Black Bull’s Formation Dao accomplishments and supported his appointment as an Earth-Rank Inspector 655.

Trivia

• Black Bull learned to write with the Object Manipulation Technique and used written messages to communicate with cultivators 75 104.
• He normally communicates through moos, but can transmit them directly through Divine Sense after reaching the Golden Core Realm 107.
• Chen Xun frequently calls him “Old Bull,” while Black Bull once formally requested the title “Junior Brother Bull” after establishing his foundation 77.
• Despite his terrifying later reputation, Black Bull is particularly pleased by sincere praise from Chen Xun 138.