Tongtian

Biodata

Feature	Details
Name	Tongtian (通天)
Alias(es)	Upper Pure One Tongtian; Sword Saint Tongtian; Tongtian Sword Sage 14 29 38
Species/Race	Pangu Orthodox; an innate sacred being formed from Pangu’s Primordial Spirit 2 6
Gender	Male
Affiliation	Three Pure Ones; founder and sect master of the Jie Sect 1 29
Occupation/Role	Sword Dao cultivator; formation master; teacher and protector of the Jie Sect 5 38
Status	Active 50
First Appearance	Chapter 1

Power Progression

Stage / Realm / Level	Chapter	Notes
Great Luo Realm	5	Possessed the Nine-Turn Origin Art as his innate inheritance; at this point, its recorded teachings extended only to the Great Luo realm. 5
Primordial Golden Immortal	13	Broke through after choosing to split Lu Chen’s final Dutian Divine Thunder rather than allow his disciple to die. His Sword Dao became sharp enough to transcend Great Luo. 13
Late Primordial Golden Immortal	21	His Sword Dao reached roughly eighty percent comprehension after fighting the Western pair; he continued advancing toward its peak. 21
Half-step toward Grand Primordial Luo	28	Reached a bottleneck beyond the Primordial Golden Immortal realm and borrowed the Jade Disc of Creation to complete his Sword Dao. 28
Primordial Zenith Dao / Primordial Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal	29	Achieved Swordheart Clarity, used the Green Duckweed Sword to suppress the Jie Sect’s fortune, and transcended the river of Heavenly Dao through the Sword Dao. 29

Background and History

Tongtian traveled the Primordial World with Laozi and Yuanshi as one of the Three Pure Ones. Unlike Yuanshi’s open disdain for rat spirits, Tongtian treated Lu Chen and Duobao warmly. After calculating that Duobao possessed a master-disciple fate with him, he accepted Duobao as his first disciple. When Lu Chen refused to be separated from Duobao, Tongtian accepted him as well and recognized him as the sect’s eldest disciple despite his later entry. 1 2

He brought both disciples to Kunlun Mountain and allowed them to cultivate according to their unusual habits, including living in dug-out holes. Tongtian passed down the Nine-Turn Origin Art and his formation insights, arranged for Lu Chen and Duobao to receive the Three Pure Ones’ teachings in alchemy and artifact refinement, and brought them to Hongjun’s lectures in Zixiao Palace. 3 5

Tongtian alone could hear Lu Chen’s unspoken inner thoughts. Initially bewildered by Lu Chen’s inexplicable knowledge, he came to rely on it when judging Hongjun’s teachings and the dangers of the Three Corpses Severance path. He refused to sever a corpse despite pressure from Laozi and Yuanshi, suspecting that Hongjun had hidden a flaw in the method. 3 4 6 11

When Lu Chen’s Great Luo tribulation escalated into the annihilating Dutian Divine Thunder, Tongtian chose to intervene despite suspecting Hongjun and the Heavenly Dao were responsible. His sword strike at the final bolt clarified his resolve and enabled his breakthrough into the Primordial Golden Immortal realm. Though Lu Chen appeared to lose his Dao Fruit, Tongtian accepted the outcome as long as his disciple survived. 12 13

After Zhunti and Jieyin attempted to coerce Lu Chen in the West, Tongtian confronted both alone. He overwhelmed them and their Dao Corpses, destroyed Zhunti’s Good Corpse, and forced the pair—under Hongjun’s supervision—to swear a Heavenly Dao Oath never to scheme against Tongtian or his sect. 17 18 19 20

Following the rise of the other Sages, Tongtian established the Jie Sect on the principle of education without distinction. Rather than use the resulting merit to become a conventional merit-based Sage, he placed it into the Green Duckweed Sword and completed his own Sword Dao through Swordheart Clarity. He then entrusted Lu Chen with recruiting and administering the sect. 29 31

Tongtian later defended the Jie Sect’s interests against Yuanshi’s demands for its cave abodes, observed the Witch-Demon war with Lu Chen, and continued cultivating in seclusion while Lu Chen and Duobao managed the growing sect. 38 40 41 47

Appearance

Tongtian manifests in human form. He first appears as a young Daoist and is later described wearing green robes; his presence carries increasingly oppressive sword intent after his advances in the Sword Dao. 1 28 29

• Human-shaped Dao body 1
• Green robes 28 29
• Carries the Green Duckweed Sword 13 18
• Sword Dao breakthrough leaves a sword-scar-like imprint between his brows 29

Personality

Tongtian is notably warm, receptive, and generous toward disciples. He accepts Duobao and Lu Chen without prejudice, defends their unconventional choices on Kunlun Mountain, and shares his own innate inheritance with them. 1 3 5

He is emotionally attached to his disciples and regards threats against them as personal offenses. Lu Chen’s tribulation drives him to oppose the apparent will of Hongjun and the Heavenly Dao, while Zhunti and Jieyin’s coercion of Lu Chen prompts Tongtian to pursue their deaths before accepting an oath that protects the Jie Sect. 13 18 19

His Sword Dao changes him from hesitant and concerned with brotherly ties into someone direct, uncompromising, and willing to sever enemies without regard for nominal shared lineage. Nevertheless, he remains capable of restraint: he ultimately accepts Hongjun’s settlement with the Western pair and later refuses Yuanshi’s request because it would harm his own disciples rather than merely to spite his brother. 18 20 41

Abilities & Skills

Sword Dao

Tongtian’s primary path is the Sword Dao. His breakthroughs come from personal conviction and sword comprehension rather than the Three Corpses path or merit-based Sainthood. 13 29

• Reached Primordial Golden Immortal by striking at Lu Chen’s final thunderbolt. 13
• Achieved Swordheart Clarity by trusting only himself and the sword in his hand. 29
• His Primordial path grants combat power beyond comparable Three Corpses cultivators. 18 19
• Suppressed Zhunti, Jieyin, and their four Dao Corpses alone despite their Mid-Quasi-Saint cultivation. 18
• Can release azure Sword Qi capable of breaking high-level defensive treasures and barriers. 17 18

Formation Dao

Tongtian is skilled in formations and passed his own formation insights to Lu Chen and Duobao. 5

• Recognized the All-Heaven Star Formation as incomplete during the Witch-Demon conflict. 38
• Identified its missing foundations: full stellar power, Stellar Banners, and Lunar Star support. 38
• Uses formation knowledge as part of his broader cultivation inheritance. 5

Teaching and Dao Comprehension

Tongtian is an accomplished teacher who provides cultivation methods, specialized teachings, and individual guidance suited to his disciples’ aptitudes. 2 5 29

• Transmitted the Nine-Turn Origin Art, his innate legacy, to Lu Chen and Duobao. 5
• Passed the Shangqing Sword Canon directly to Lu Chen and Duobao. 31
• Guided Lu Chen toward the Devouring Path rather than the Sword Dao. 29
• Supported Duobao’s choice of Three Corpses Severance while promising to investigate how to perfect the method. 29 31
• Structured the Jie Sect’s direct and outer disciple hierarchy. 31

Perception of Lu Chen’s Inner Thoughts

Tongtian is uniquely able to hear Lu Chen’s inner voice; no other character is shown sharing this ability. Its exact cause is not explained. 3 4

• Heard Lu Chen’s advice during Duobao’s transformation tribulation. 3
• Learned fragments of Lu Chen’s knowledge about Hongjun, future events, and the Western Sect. 6 7
• Used Lu Chen’s thoughts to question the Three Corpses Severance method without revealing his secret to Laozi or Yuanshi. 11 14

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Green Duckweed Sword — Tongtian’s primary sword and the treasure used to suppress the Jie Sect’s fortune. It was upgraded into a Primordial Supreme Treasure after being refined with Primordial Chaos Purple Qi and other materials. 16 18 29
• Four Swords of Execution — Four swords summoned alongside the Green Duckweed Sword when Tongtian prepared to kill Zhunti and Jieyin. 18 19
• Jade Disc of Creation — Borrowed from Lu Chen to aid his comprehension of the Sword Dao before his final breakthrough. 28 29
• Sword Talismans — Three talismans containing Tongtian’s full-strength sword strikes, given to Lu Chen for protection in the West. 20

Relationships

• Lu Chen — Disciple, eldest senior brother of the Jie Sect, and Tongtian’s most trusted representative. Tongtian repeatedly protects him, entrusts him with sect recruitment and administration, and hears his inner thoughts. 2 13 29 31
• Duobao — First disciple and later second senior brother of the Jie Sect. Tongtian accepted him after calculating their master-disciple fate and continued guiding his cultivation. 1 29 31
• Laozi — Eldest brother and fellow member of the Three Pure Ones. Laozi often mediates disputes between Tongtian and Yuanshi, though their cultivation paths diverge. 5 11 41 47
• Yuanshi — Second brother and increasingly estranged sect rival. Their relationship worsens after Tongtian protects Jie Sect resources and surpasses Yuanshi through the Sword Dao. 29 41 47
• Hongjun — Teacher and Dao Ancestor. Tongtian becomes suspicious of Hongjun’s teachings, defies the apparent will of the Heavenly Dao to save Lu Chen, and later challenges Hongjun openly during the dispute with the Western pair. 11 13 19
• Jieyin and Zhunti — Fellow disciples under Hongjun and enemies of Tongtian’s sect. Tongtian maimed their Dao foundations and compelled them to swear not to scheme against him or his disciples. 18 19 20
• Jie Sect disciples — Sect master and protector. Tongtian delegates daily governance to Lu Chen and Duobao but refuses to sacrifice the disciples’ cave abodes for Yuanshi’s Chan Sect. 31 41

Notable Quotes

“Since you wished to bully the weak with your strength, you must pay the price!” 18

“I am Upper Pure One Tongtian. Of the Great Dao’s fifty, Heaven derives forty-nine; all things between heaven and earth possess a single thread of vitality. I am willing to seize that thread of vitality for all living beings.” 29

“Believe not in heaven, understand not the Dao, believe only in oneself, believe only in the three-foot blade in one’s hand.” 29