Duan De

Biodata

Feature	Details
Name	Duan De (段德)
Alias(es)	Daoist Duan De; Netherworld Venerable; Tribulation Transcending Heavenly Venerable; Nether Emperor
Gender	Male
Affiliation	Ren's ally and longtime companion; former founder of the Underworld
Occupation/Role	Tomb raider; Origin Art, feng shui, and divination expert
First Appearance	Chapter 1180

Power Progression

Stage / Realm / Level	Chapter	Notes
Fourth reincarnation; Emperor-level body	1636, 1652	In the Archaic Era, Duan De is on his fourth life. His repeated cultivation method leaves him with an Emperor body even when his memories and cultivation are lost.
Nine Reincarnation Marks united	1858	The marks of nine lives fuse, restoring fragments of his accumulated memories and greatly raising his aura; he casually crushes several self-destructing Forbidden Zone Supremes.
Restored and strengthened Death Dao cultivation	2122	After being replenished with Yellow Plums, he unleashes the River of Death, demonstrating a fully restored and strengthened command of death energy.

Background

Duan De created the Tribulation Transcending Heavenly Art, a cultivation path centered on repeated death, rebirth, and recultivation. When he reached the final death tribulation too early and became a Great Emperor before completing the art, he chose to reincarnate and begin again. Each cycle requires him to sever his prior cultivation and memories, preserve an Emperor Scripture, cultivate anew, and eventually become a Great Emperor once more. The intended culmination is the fusion of nine lives’ Dao Fruits into the Red Dust Immortal realm 1636 1660.

In an earlier life, Duan De was Netherworld Venerable, founder of the Underworld and teacher of Emperor Zun. His loss of memory in successive lives leaves him dependent on tomb raiding for resources and clues about his own past, contributing to his reputation as an exceptionally shameless grave robber 1189 1653.

When Ren first meets him in the Shrouding the Heavens World, Duan De recognizes Ren’s Double Pupils as the legendary Eyes of a Sage and immediately attempts to withdraw. His curiosity nevertheless draws him back into Ren’s affairs, beginning a relationship that moves from extortion and mutual suspicion to genuine loyalty 1180 1181 1206.

Appearance

Duan De is a fat Daoist whose outward appearance is frequently disheveled by his expeditions and fights. His shifty, lecherous expression and habitual Daoist attire contrast sharply with the ancient knowledge and hidden power he possesses.

• Fat face and narrow, thief-like eyes.
• Commonly wears a Daoist robe; he has also hidden Buddhist garments and relics beneath Daoist clothing 1183.
• Often presents himself as a dignified master immediately after behaving disgracefully.
• Possesses an Emperor-level body capable of withstanding attacks that shred his clothing without harming his flesh 1652.

Personality

Duan De is greedy, opportunistic, and relentlessly tomb-obsessed. He treats sacred burial sites as opportunities, attempts to recruit powerful companions into grave robbing, and can demand compensation while standing in the middle of a life-or-death battle 1190 2128. His shamelessness is so extreme that both allies and enemies regularly consider him deserving of a beating.

Beneath this behavior is considerable caution and intelligence. He can recognize ancient formations, identify exceptional treasures, infiltrate hostile territories, and retreat when direct conflict is unwinnable. He prefers deception, preparation, terrain manipulation, and escape techniques over needlessly risking his life 1940 1941 1973.

He is fiercely loyal once he regards someone as a true companion. He offers Ren the Swallowing Heaven Demon Canopy during an Emperor Weapon confrontation, fights beside him in dangerous situations, and accepts that Ren withholds certain knowledge of his future to protect his destined path 1206 1654.

Abilities & Skills

Tribulation Transcending Heavenly Art

Duan De’s personal cultivation method is built on repeated self-severing, death, rebirth, and recultivation.

• Erases or loses his cultivation and memories between lives, retaining only an Emperor Scripture and basic knowledge 1653.
• Reaches Great Emperor level repeatedly before beginning the next cycle.
• Accumulates the Dao Fruits of nine lives to pursue Red Dust Immortality 1636 1660.
• His nine Reincarnation Marks can fuse and return accumulated memories and power 1858.

Life and Death Dao

Duan De’s true path is the Life-and-Death Dao, particularly the Death Dao. His apparent reincarnations are described as cycles of death, corpse-based cultivation, resurrection, and renewed life 1901.

• Death Seal — Converts surrounding Spiritual Qi into lethal Death Qi 1901.
• Life Extremity Seal / Death Extremity Seal — Used simultaneously against Corpse Taiyi and Kunpeng 1973.
• River of Death — Forms a torrent of death energy, coffins, and remains after his cultivation is restored 2122.
• Life-and-Death Escape Technique — Uses the cycles of life, death, and reincarnation to flee multiple powerful pursuers 1973.
• His unleashed Death Qi can threaten the Mortal World itself, forcing Emperor Zun to contain it with the Human Race’s barrier 1901.

Origin Art, Feng Shui, and Formation Analysis

Duan De is the forefather of the Source Heavenly Masters and has exceptionally deep Origin Art attainments 1897.

• Connects to Battle Province’s feng shui formations, killing terrain, and the Ancestor Dragon’s Dragon Claw spirit vein to empower his attacks 1897.
• Can borrow the momentum of the Mortal World’s Eighteen Provinces and fight Chi You’s Ancestral Shaman Body directly 1898.
• Identifies great tombs and exceptional burial formations almost immediately 1660.
• Uses terrain, formations, and concealment techniques to explore hostile hidden worlds with Feilian 1943.

Calculation and Divination Art

Duan De created Nine Secrets: Shu, the Calculation Art, originally to support his tomb-raiding activities 1940.

• Learned much of Kunpeng’s divination understanding by observing the Dao rhythms of the Hetu Luoshu Diagram 1940.
• Condenses a phantom Luoshu Diagram to calculate the location of an Innate Demon God tomb 1941.
• Recognizes when divination risks alerting the true Luoshu Diagram and prepares formations to conceal the backlash 1941.

Physical Strength and Combat

Duan De’s body has been rebuilt through nine Emperor-level cultivation cycles, giving him exceptional physical strength 1911.

• His Emperor body is difficult for lower-level techniques to damage 1652 1653.
• Trades blows with Chi You and is considered comparable to Emperor Zun when empowered by Origin Art 1897.
• Uses brutal, unconventional close-combat moves even while fighting serious opponents 1897.
• His Tribulation Crossing Thunder Domain can block Chi You’s attacks 1896.

Transformation and Infiltration

Duan De possesses a self-created Transformation Technique distinct from those of the Primordial World.

• Successfully infiltrates Kunpeng’s Demon Master Palace with Feilian while disguised as a demon 1940.
• His unfamiliar transformation method initially prevents Kunpeng from recognizing him 1940.
• Uses stealth and the Taixu Pagoda to escape or conceal allies during dangerous expeditions 1943 1973.

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Life-and-Death Reincarnation Disk — An Acquired-forged treasure incorporating rare materials and Spirit Treasure Origins; damaged by Taiyi’s World-Destroying Golden Wheel 2128.
• Taixu Pagoda — Used for concealment, transport, and sheltering Feilian during escapes 1943 1973.
• Emperor Weapon component associated with the Devouring Heaven Demonic Jar — Identified within Duan De as the Jar’s lid and later referred to as the Swallowing Heaven Demon Canopy 1182 1206.
• Emperor Weapon-grade pagoda — Given to Duan De by Ren after the latter obtained the Swallowing Heaven Demon Canopy 1340.
• Enlightenment Tea Tree Dao Diagram — A former possession woven from Enlightenment Tea Tree bark; Duan De surrendered it to Zi Xuan as compensation for robbing the Sacred Water Sect’s tombs 1654.

Relationships

• Ren — Longtime companion across several lifetimes. Their relationship begins with Ren robbing and coercing him, but develops into trust; Duan De risks his Emperor Weapon to aid Ren and Ren promises to support his future reincarnations 1182 1206 1654.
• Ye Fan — Initially joins Ren in stripping Duan De’s possessions. Later travels in the same wider circle and remains a frequent target of Duan De’s shameless antics 1183 1358.
• Black Emperor — Constant rival and fellow troublemaker. Their bickering, thefts, and shared grave-robbing repeatedly create problems for Ren 1192 1850 1897.
• Emperor Zun — Duan De’s former disciple from his life as Netherworld Venerable. Their history is complicated by Duan De’s guilt over Emperor Zun’s eventual path 1189 1687.
• Feilian — Tomb-raiding partner and companion during infiltrations of Demon Court territory and the hunt for an Innate Demon God tomb 1940 1943.
• Chi You — Enemy after Duan De steals Chi You’s Primordial Spirit Crystal. Their conflict escalates into a battle involving Death Dao, Origin Art, and the Twelve Demon God Banners 1896 1905.
• Zi Xuan — Sacred Water Sect disciple whose ancestral tombs Duan De plunders. He compensates her with an Enlightenment Tea Tree Dao Diagram after Ren and the Wushi Emperor Bell intervene 1652 1654.

Story Role / Major Arcs

Encounter with Ren and Ye Fan

Duan De first encounters Ren while attempting to seize treasures under the pretense of protecting a child. Ren’s Double Pupils frighten him, while Ren’s later discovery of Duan De’s Emperor Weapon component turns the Daoist into an unwilling target for “purification” and robbery 1180 1182 1183.

Demon Emperor’s Heart Conflict

Ren recruits Duan De to help seize the Demon Emperor’s Heart in exchange for information about the Ruthless Emperor and Duan De’s forgotten origins. Duan De fights alongside Ren when the surrounding cultivators turn hostile, establishing the beginning of their more functional alliance 1184 1186.

Purple Mountain Expedition

Duan De accompanies Ren into Purple Mountain, recognizes its tomb-like nature, and attempts to recruit Ren into a tomb-raiding partnership. He assists in navigating its secrets, meets Jiang Taixu, and later helps Ren reach Emperor Wu Shi’s inheritance 1189 1190 1192.

Reincarnation and Sacred Water Sect Incident

During the Archaic Era, Ren finds a reincarnated Duan De fleeing after robbing Sacred Water Sect tombs. Ren forces him to compensate Zi Xuan, protects the secrecy of his reincarnation path, and promises support through his future lives 1652 1654.

Battle Province and Chi You

Duan De’s theft of Chi You’s Primordial Spirit Crystal helps cause Chi You’s confusion and rampage. He reveals his formidable Origin Art and Death Dao while fighting Chi You, then reluctantly returns the crystal after Ren intervenes 1897 1901 1905.

Demon Court Infiltration

With Feilian, Duan De infiltrates Kunpeng’s Demon Master Palace, studies the Hetu Luoshu Diagram, and improves his Calculation Art. Their search for an Innate Demon God tomb exposes surviving Divine Beast clans and draws them into conflict with Taiyi, Kunpeng, and Corpse Taiyi 1940 1943 1973.

Notable Quotes

“No tomb can stump this Daoist master!” 1941

“If this Daoist lord doesn't show his might, do you think I'm a sickly cat?” 1898

Trivia

• Duan De created Nine Secrets: Shu primarily to make tomb raiding easier, despite later generations revering it as a supreme Calculation Art 1940.
• He considers fleeing after being discovered in a tomb to be part of the grave-robbing profession’s proper “craft” 1973.
• His notoriety becomes so extensive across his reincarnations that collecting the bounties placed on him by offended Holy Lands and families could supposedly purchase several Holy Lands 1850.