Sages

Biodata

Feature	Value
Name	Sages
Original Name	诸圣
Classification	Holders of Sage Thrones, divine offices created by Heaven and Earth 117
Known Members	Hongjun, Nuwa, Hou Tu, Laozi, Yuanshi, Tongtian, Jieyin, Zhunti, and Zhen Yuanzi 1 183 201 202 203 341
Affiliation	Mystic Gate, Heavenly Court, Netherworld, and individual Sage traditions 238 252 312
Occupation/Role	Maintaining Heaven and Earth, transmitting the Dao, governing cosmic institutions, and guiding living beings 19 238 325
Status	Active; summoned by Hongjun to Violet Cloud Palace for an important discussion at the novel’s end 345
First Appearance	Hongjun’s announcement of Sagehood 1

Power Progression

Stage / Realm / Level	Chapter	Notes
Hongjun — Sage Realm	1	Announces that he has attained the Dao and become a Sage; his manifestation and pressure reach the entire Primordial World.
Hongjun — Merged with the Heavenly Dao	132	Confirmed to have already merged with the Dao when he intervenes in the Witch–Demon conflict. The chapter does not depict the merger itself.
Nuwa — Sage Realm	179 183	Becomes a Sage before the other five future Mystic Gate Sages, contrary to the widespread expectation that Laozi would ascend first.
Hou Tu — Sage Realm	183	Refines Primordial Purple Qi, claims a Sage Throne, and absorbs vast Great Dao Origin. Subsequently uses Netherworld-establishment merit to strengthen her body.
Laozi — Sage Taiqing	201	Establishes Daoism. Its modest Heavenly Dao Merit awakens his dormant Creation Merit, allowing him to refine Primordial Purple Qi.
Yuanshi — Sage Yuqing	201	Establishes the Exposition Sect; Heavenly recognition awakens his Creation Merit and enables Sagehood.
Tongtian — Sage Shangqing	202	Attains Sagehood after receiving merit for establishing the Interception Sect.
Jieyin and Zhunti — Sage Realm	202 203	Establish the Western Sect and make forty-eight great vows. Sect-establishment merit alone is insufficient for either brother.
Hou Tu — Partial Dao Fruit restoration	252	Uses merit from founding the Human Religion to heal Dao injuries and slightly repair her damaged Dao Fruit.
Nuwa — Advancement above the Dao-Proven Realm	304	Reflects on having experienced the Dao-Proven Realm and a realm above it, while recognizing that she remains far below Dan Jing and Hongjun.
Six Mystic Gate Sages — Rebuilt Dao Fruits and further advancement	312 313	Their shattered Dao Fruits have been restored; Dan Jing confirms that they have broken and rebuilt them and advanced another step.
Zhen Yuanzi — Sage Realm and Dao-Proven Realm	341 342	Claims his Sage Throne and takes the opportunity to prove his Dao. His late attainment leaves him behind the earlier Sages.

Membership

Sage	Principal position or tradition	Distinguishing role
Hongjun	Dao Ancestor; Violet Cloud Palace	First Sage and teacher of the six Mystic Gate Sages; merged with the Heavenly Dao 1 132 238 325.
Nuwa	Heavenly Emperor, Demon Emperor; later Monster Religion	Leads the Heavenly Court and Demon Race as distinct political forces; repeatedly organizes opposition to Dan Jing 156 213 280.
Hou Tu	Earth Sovereign; Netherworld and Human Religion	Establishes the Netherworld and its laws, supports the Witch Race, and later opens her religion to all living beings with affinity 183 252.
Laozi / Taiqing	Daoism	Follows tranquility and non-action; becomes the reluctant coordinator of collective Sage affairs 201 238.
Yuanshi / Yuqing	Exposition Sect	Emphasizes order, propriety, and selective recruitment; later develops a more adaptable teaching philosophy 201 312.
Tongtian / Shangqing	Interception Sect	Advocates teaching without discrimination and fighting for opportunity; his sect’s discipline improves after repeated punishments 202 295 312.
Jieyin	Western Sect	Cautious senior partner in the West’s revival; handles teaching at Mount Sumeru while Zhunti recruits more widely 251.
Zhunti	Western Sect	Uses numerous incarnations to preach and recruit throughout the Western Lands 251.
Zhen Yuanzi	Netherworld’s second-in-command	Holds the ninth established Sage foundation and eventually becomes a Sage 241 341.

• Six Sages of the Mystic Gate refers to Nuwa, the Three Pure Ones, Jieyin, and Zhunti—not Hongjun or Hou Tu 312.
• Seven Sages in the battles against Dan Jing adds Hou Tu to those six. Hongjun does not participate in their coalition 217.
• Heaven and Earth have nine established Sage Thrones. Dan Jing later receives a tenth foundation beyond that arrangement, but does not claim Sagehood 241 245.
• Dan Jing, Xi He, and Chang Xi are not Sages merely because they possess Dao-Proven cultivation or comparable power. The sisters explicitly hold no Sage Thrones 244 332 343.

Sage Thrones and Dao Attainment

Concept	Nature	Significance
Sage Throne	A divine office created by Heaven and Earth	Grants authority over Heaven and Earth, laws, rules, and access to Heavenly Dao power 117.
Primordial Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal Dao Fruit	Personally cultivated attainment	Distinct from the Sage office; its power and Dao foundation must be developed by the cultivator 117.
Primordial Purple Qi	Foundation for Sagehood	Must be refined to obtain the Sage position; possessing it does not guarantee success 39 73 245.
Merit and Destiny Aura	Resources supporting advancement	Merit enables Purple Qi refinement, while Nuwa also uses Demon Race Destiny Aura and considers the separate fortune of the Heavenly Emperor position 39 148.
Sage responsibilities	Obligations attached to the office	Include maintaining the Primordial World and protecting Heaven, Earth, and living beings 19 325 343.

Sagehood provides a shortcut toward understanding higher cultivation, not an excuse to stop cultivating. Through the Throne’s authority, a Sage can perceive mysteries of the Primordial Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal realm and pursue its Dao Fruit 117 173.

The novel explicitly rejects the claim that a Sage must lose to a Primordial Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal outside the Primordial World. Dao attainment, cultivation, and exceptional methods determine the outcome; Yang Mei’s earlier Dao attainment explains his advantage over Hongjun in their confrontation 117.

Abilities & Skills

Authority over Heaven and Earth

• Sage Thrones grant command over cosmic rules, laws, and other supreme powers 117.
• Hongjun uses Words Made Law to incorporate a three-hundred-yuanhui prohibition on Witch–Demon warfare into Heaven and Earth’s rules 132.
• Hou Tu uses Sage power to fuse worlds into the Netherworld and establish its governing structure 183.

Dao Instruction and Enlightenment

• Hongjun’s first sermon covers cosmic origins, Yin–Yang, the Five Elements, Immortal Dao realms, and Great Luo cultivation over three thousand years 3.
• Sage traditions transmit teachings among Acquired Sentient Beings, drawing Human Dao Fortune and helping restore their leaders’ Dao Fruits 255 256.
• Even imprisoned Sages embody Dao principles through their postures. Observers at Golden Immortal level or higher can gain enlightenment from watching them 222.

Manifestations and Spiritual Pressure

• Sage appearances produce cosmic phenomena, including Dao fragrance, golden flowers, lotuses, and immense Dharma forms 1 201.
• Laozi’s ascension projects his Dao of tranquil inaction onto living beings, making them feel calm or detached from worldly struggles 201.
• Newly ascended Nuwa and Hou Tu exert pressure that cultivators below Sagehood or the Dao-Proven Realm struggle to endure 183.

Heavenly Secrets and Perception

• Sages ordinarily calculate heavenly secrets and foresee dangers through their methods 251.
• Dan Jing’s concealment blocks those deductions completely, even for Laozi using the Taiji Diagram 254 255.
• This does not make them blind: Jieyin can still verify reports through observable traces left by Dan Jing and his disciples 263.

Protection and Recovery

• Heaven and Earth bolster and protect Sages, making extreme incapacitation difficult under ordinary circumstances 221.
• Their blood contains profound Dao rhythms; the nine-colored rain following their defeat cleanses baleful forces and slightly strengthens the cosmos 220.
• Protection is not absolute. Dan Jing can prevent recovery, shatter their bodies, damage their Dao Fruits, and imprison them 221 222 294 312.

Combat Mastery and Limitations

• Hongjun catches and destroys the Twelve Ancestral Witches’ strongest axe attack with one hand, breaking their formation and causing severe backlash 131 132.
• Newly acquired Sage power does not automatically confer mastery of the Throne’s authority. Nuwa and Hou Tu initially rely on treasures and brute force, which Dan Jing defeats decisively 185 186.
• Numerical superiority does not overcome a sufficiently large Dao gap: all seven coalition Sages lose to Dan Jing 220.
• The Sun Star and Starry Sky are forbidden territories that the Sages cannot simply attack to force Dan Jing into battle 212.

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Taiji Diagram — Laozi: Suppresses Daoism’s Destiny Aura and serves as a major combat treasure 201 205.
• Pangu Banner — Yuanshi: Suppresses the Exposition Sect’s Destiny Aura and supplies offensive power against Dan Jing 201 205.
• Four Immortal-Slaying Swords and Immortal-Slaying Sword Formation — Tongtian: Central to his challenges against Dan Jing and the seven-Sage battlefield preparations 204 213.
• Merit Golden Lotus — Western Sect: Used to suppress the sect’s destiny during its establishment 202.
• Human Book — Hou Tu: A top-grade innate spiritual treasure used to suppress the Human Religion’s providence 252.
• Nuwa’s combat treasures: Include the Landscape and States Map, Cosmic Cauldron, Red Embroidered Ball, Heavenly Radiance Saber, and Cosmic Ring 185.
• Primordial Purple Qi: Coveted Sage foundations whose possession drives factional competition and attempts to prevent rival powers from gaining another Sage 163 245 246.

Story Role / Major Arcs

Hongjun’s Rise and Dao Lectures

Hongjun’s announcement introduces Sage authority to the Primordial World. He invites beings with affinity to Violet Cloud Palace fifty thousand years later, establishing his role as a universal Dao teacher 1.

At the first sermon, he keeps the palace open for more than ten additional years to accommodate Dan Jing. He tolerates Dan Jing’s irreverent greeting and proceeds with the three-thousand-year lecture 3.

Expansion of Sagehood

Hongjun’s intervention in the Witch–Demon conflict demonstrates the gap between Dao-Proven power and the strongest formations beneath it. He divides authority between demons in the heavens and witches on earth, temporarily forbidding war 131 132.

Nuwa and Hou Tu’s ascensions give the Heavenly Court and Netherworld opposing Sage-backed leaders. The Three Pure Ones then attain Sagehood through sect establishment and Creation Merit, while Jieyin and Zhunti rely on the Western Sect and forty-eight great vows 183 201 202 203.

Defeats by Dan Jing

Confrontation	Participants	Outcome
Newly ascended rivals	Nuwa and Hou Tu	Dan Jing defeats both with the Chaos Bell and ruler-based power, exposing their poor mastery of Sage authority 185 186.
Kunlun Mountain challenge	Three Pure Ones, Jieyin, and Zhunti	Tongtian initiates the fight; all five commit their strength and are left incapacitated. After five yuanhui, the Three Pure Ones have recovered only about one-third of their injuries 204 205 208.
Prepared East Sea battle	All seven coalition Sages	Their formations and treasures fail to secure victory. Dan Jing forbids their use of Dharma treasures within the True Sea of the Great Dao and suppresses them with the Chaos Bell 217 219 220.
“Seven Sages in Jail”	The defeated seven	Their captivity becomes a public spectacle and cultivation opportunity. The restriction ends after ten epochs 221 222.

The defeats do not create lasting unity. Nuwa blames Tongtian’s premature aggression, while Hou Tu regrets choosing the coalition and later rejects relying on the other Sages for a future challenge 209 220 244.

Reconstruction and the Rise of Acquired Beings

Under Dan Jing’s decree, the Sages coordinate the removal of Primordial Innate Beings from the Primordial Land and the settlement of Acquired Sentient Beings. Laozi reluctantly leads the planning, while Hou Tu forces a renegotiation of benefits for the Witch Race and Reincarnation 238 239.

Education and Dao propagation become central to the new order. The flourishing Human Dao strengthens Sage lineages and accelerates Dao Fruit restoration, giving the Sages a direct incentive to support acquired civilization 255 256.

Dan Jing’s advertised Purple Qi reward intensifies factional competition. Privately, however, the new strand represents a nontransferable tenth Throne; Zhen Yuanzi already holds the ninth established foundation 241 245 246 247.

Religious Competition and Reform

Hou Tu establishes the Human Religion before Nuwa can use the same name, turning their rivalry into a contest over legitimacy and influence 252.

Dan Jing’s later inspections punish the Three Pure Ones for inactivity, elitist teaching, and failures of disciple discipline. Tongtian’s sect has accumulated enough harmful karma to turn one-fifth of its Destiny Aura black 293 294 295.

By the later summons to the Sun Star, Yuanshi and Tongtian’s doctrines have become more complementary, and their brotherly relationship has improved. Jieyin and Zhunti’s restraint and work among the Houtian Tribes have also earned the Western Sect a strong reputation 312.

Investiture Calamity Cycle

Each Mystic Gate Sage tradition receives advance allocations of five Upper Star Deity slots and one hundred Middle Star Deity slots. Xi He and Chang Xi oversee the undertaking and announce the Investiture Calamity Cycle 314 315.

The Sages adopt different strategies: Tongtian pursues Upper positions for powerful disciples, while several other factions favor safer Middle and Lower offices 322.

Dan Jing ultimately condemns the Six Sages for neglecting their responsibilities. Tongtian’s sect alone fills and exceeds its allotted positions; the other five fail to fill their Upper allocations. The Six accept punishment and responsibility for the Investiture Ceremony, with Hongjun’s reputation threatened if they fail 325.

Later Cosmic Changes

The Sages witness Dan Jing’s reforging of the Heavenly Circumference Stars and recognize the Three Daos’ readiness to intervene. His display of countless flawless, complete Daos reveals a level far beyond their own 332 333.

Zhen Yuanzi finally becomes a Sage, but his late attainment leaves him below the earlier Sages and even Xi He and Chang Xi 341 342.

At the novel’s end, Hongjun orders all Sages to gather at Violet Cloud Palace in ten thousand years to discuss an important matter 345.

Relationships

• Dan Jing — Benefactor, opponent, and coercive overseer. He guides their Sage opportunities, defeats their coalitions, and demands that they support the world’s prosperity. They prefer his flexible demands to Hongjun’s potentially unalterable arrangements 238 246 325.
• Hongjun — First Sage and teacher of the Six Mystic Gate Sages. Their loyalty remains significant: the prospect of Dan Jing publicly questioning him motivates them to complete the Investiture Ceremony properly 325.
• Xi He and Chang Xi — Dao-Proven peers without Sage Thrones. The Six treat them respectfully because of their cultivation, merit, and close connection to Dan Jing, and accept their leadership of Investiture 315 317 332.
• Acquired Sentient Beings — Recipients of Sage education and the foundation of growing Human Dao Fortune. Their prosperity strengthens the Sage traditions and aids Dao Fruit recovery 256.
• Fuxi, Xuan Ming, and Zhu Jiuyin — Dan Jing’s disciples, whose shared apprenticeship crosses Demon–Witch divisions. The Sages observe their travels, support their undertakings, and prepare gifts or inheritances for them 263 264 276.

Notable Quotes

“From this day onward in the Primordial World, demons shall rule the heavens and witches shall govern the earth. For three hundred yuanhui, no war may arise between the two races.”
— Hongjun, establishing a binding heavenly rule 132

“I am a Sage—Who can suppress me? Who dares suppress me?”
— Nuwa, immediately before her defeat by Dan Jing 185

“Sun God, descend and fight!”
— Nuwa, leading the seven-Sage challenge 217