Tathagata

Biodata

Feature	Information
Name	Tathagata
Alias(es)	Tathagata of Spirit Mountain; World Honored One
Species/Race	Primordial Sacred Spirit
Gender	Male
Affiliation	Buddhist sect; Spirit Mountain
Occupation/Role	Founder and leader of the Buddhist sect; cultivator
Status	Active
First Appearance	Chapter 562 (distant gaze); Chapter 601 (physical appearance)

Power Progression

Stage / Realm / Level	Chapter	Notes
Earth Immortal Dao Fruit	562 602	His distant gaze pressures Lu Ren across layers of space; he retains an Earth Immortal Dao Fruit and can employ Dao integration.
Celestial Immortal	706	Battles Lu Ren alongside the Jade Emperor as one of the Celestial Immortal-level powers.
Mid Celestial Immortal	739 750	After recovering resources on Hanging Mountain, he returns to the middle stage of the Celestial Immortal realm.

Background / History

Tathagata is a Primordial Sacred Spirit who founded Buddhism and built Spirit Mountain into a Buddhist power centered on Buddhist light, incense, and Wish Power. Beneath the sect's doctrines and sermons, he is described as having created many of Buddhism's scriptures and teachings himself. 728 740

In the distant past, he manipulated the ancestral witches Gonggong and Zhurong into crippling themselves, contributing to a disaster that nearly swept through Hantu. 607 He later traveled through the Unknown Land aboard Spirit Mountain in pursuit of the Other Shore, but the expedition found no path to transcendence and exhausted immense resources. 562 728

After Mahasthamaprapta is killed on the Moon, Tathagata detects Lu Ren through the death of his subordinate and observes him from afar. 562 He subsequently returns to the present world with Spirit Mountain, intervenes in Lu Ren's battle against the Jade Emperor, and attempts to recruit Lu Ren into the Buddhist sect. 601

Tathagata and Lu Ren clash repeatedly over humanity, cultivation, and the pursuit of transcendence. Although Tathagata considers mortals expendable resources, he must treat Lu Ren as a serious rival after Lu Ren reaches a comparable realm. 604 707 He later enters the Supreme Ancient Road with the Jade Emperor, transforming Spirit Mountain into a protective Dao artifact for the journey. 714 725

Appearance

Tathagata can appear as an immense golden Buddha or assume a more ordinary physical form when his power is suppressed.

• In battle, he manifests as a colossal golden Buddha surrounded by clouds, Buddhist light, thunder, and a cold vertical eye within tribulation clouds. 601
• His Buddha true-body is described as solemn and majestic, with a radiant Buddha Dao Fruit behind his head. 705
• On Hanging Mountain, he appears fat-headed and big-eared, bare-chested and bare-bellied, with layered fleshy protuberances atop his head. 728
• Under the suppression of the Supreme Ancient Road, he loses much of his divine aura and appears bedraggled and sluggish. 728
• He has a massive nine-meter-tall form while seated in Spirit Mountain's Mahavira Hall. 611

Personality

Tathagata maintains a serene, compassionate Buddhist facade, but his conduct is driven by survival, power, and his pursuit of the Dao. He is eloquent, patient, and highly skilled at using doctrine and wordplay to manipulate others. 601 607

He regards ordinary humans as disposable provisions and cannot understand Lu Ren's determination to protect them. Tathagata is willing to trade a supreme treasure for ten million people and views humanity as a source of cultivation recovery through Wish Power. 604 611

Despite his arrogance, Tathagata is cautious around opponents he cannot decisively defeat. He avoids direct risks, schemes through intermediaries, and can cooperate with rivals when circumstances demand it. 603 605 707 His dwindling lifespan and failed search for the Other Shore leave him increasingly desperate, resentful, and willing to abandon appearances. 728 759

Abilities & Skills

Buddhist Divine Arts

Tathagata commands Buddhist chants, seals, lotus manifestations, and overwhelming Buddha light through his Buddha true-body.

• His Buddha hand can contend directly with Lu Ren's Sky-Supporting Greatsword. 705
• He exhales lightning and transforms golden light into Buddhist seals and lotus flowers. 603
• His manifested form radiates immense incense Wish Power and Buddhist light capable of drawing all attention to him. 705
• He can create an illusory Buddha Kingdom through Buddhist chanting. 602

Eye of Heavenly Punishment

A supreme thunder-based treasure refined over more than one hundred thousand years after Tathagata acquired it from the Unknown Land. 602

• Summons vast golden lightning comparable to a heavenly river descending upon its target. 601
• The eye's thunderbolts carry dense Buddhist power and destructive force. 601
• Lu Ren destroys its spiritual brilliance by striking directly into its pupil, injuring Tathagata's mind and spirit. 602

Dao Integration

Tathagata can merge his aura with the starry sky through a secret art, amplifying his power by drawing upon the surrounding cosmos. 602

• Allows him to seize the initiative against powerful opponents. 602
• Its displayed power is considered dangerous enough that even the Jade Emperor might avoid confronting it directly. 602

Xumi Mustard Seed Technique

Tathagata expands the interior of his residence into a space far larger than its exterior dimensions. 749

• Conceals an enlarged courtyard behind an ordinary door. 749
• Remains functional within the restrictive environment of Hanging Mountain. 749

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Thirty-Six-Petaled Merit Golden Lotus — A lotus throne that emits Buddhist light; on Hanging Mountain, it is transformed into a meditation cushion. 611 750
• Buddha Kasaya — Buddhist garment worn in battle. 705
• Thousand Buddha Beads — Prayer beads wrapped around his hand. 705
• Eye of Heavenly Punishment — Thunderbolt supreme treasure later damaged by Lu Ren. 601 602
• Golden Bowl — A treasured artifact damaged by Lu Ren's five-hundredfold strike. 713
• Spirit Mountain — His Buddhist domain and world-crossing vessel, later condensed into a defensive innate Dao artifact. 605 714

Relationships

• Lu Ren — Enemy and rival. Tathagata attempts to recruit him, fights him repeatedly, and considers him a dangerous obstacle to his plans. 601 604 750
• Jade Emperor — Longstanding collaborator and mutual rival. They cooperate against common threats while remaining deeply distrustful of one another. 605 691 728
• Mahasthamaprapta — Buddhist Bodhisattva whose death alerts Tathagata to Lu Ren's presence. 560 562
• Four Demonic Generals — Powerful manifestations used in the scheme involving the Outer Gods and the True Realm. 605
• Spirit Mountain's Buddhist cultivators — His followers and source of Buddhist power; many are annihilated when Lu Ren destroys a vast lake with a single punch. 708

Story Role / Major Arcs

Return of Spirit Mountain

Tathagata's presence is first felt when he gazes across space at Lu Ren after Mahasthamaprapta's death. He and Spirit Mountain are preparing to return after their failed search for the Other Shore. 562

Conflict with Lu Ren

Tathagata appears during Lu Ren's conflict with the Jade Emperor and offers Lu Ren entry into the Buddhist sect. Lu Ren rejects him, destroys the Eye of Heavenly Punishment, and forces Tathagata into a direct confrontation. 601 602

True Realm Crisis

Tathagata and Lu Ren suspend their battle after a spatial rift admits Outer Gods from the True Realm. Tathagata attempts to manipulate Lu Ren into confronting the threat, then cooperates with the Jade Emperor in a larger scheme involving Spirit Mountain and Hantu. 603 605

Ascension Platform Rivalry

As Tathagata's lifespan becomes increasingly pressing, he joins the Jade Emperor in constructing and guarding the Ascension Platform. He views Lu Ren's rapid growth as a threat and considers preventing Lu Ren from living peacefully if he cannot secure his own opportunity. 690 691

Supreme Ancient Road

Tathagata transforms Spirit Mountain into a protective artifact and races the Jade Emperor into the Supreme Ancient Road in pursuit of the Golden Immortal Dao Fruit. 714 725 On Hanging Mountain, he recovers through cultivation, reaches the Mid Celestial Immortal realm, and cautiously considers whether cooperation with Lu Ren is necessary. 728 739 750

Notable Quotes

“For a few ants, mortals like wild grass, you wish to form an endless enmity with immortals and Buddhas? Why go so far?” 604

“Fellow Daoist, Supreme One said that Heaven and Earth are heartless, treating all things as straw dogs. Amitabha Buddha regards all living beings equally. Plants, trees, fish, and birds may be used—why can humans not be used?” 604

“We do not have much Lifespan left. If we do not set out soon, there truly will be no hope.” 728