Lu Chen

Biodata

Power Progression

Background

Lu Chen awakens in the Northern Sea on the eve of the Dragon-Han Cataclysm as an immense Black Tortoise. Knowing that the Northern Sea Black Tortoise is destined to be killed by Nuwa and used to support the heavens, he rejects opportunities to join the Dragon Clan or establish a public tribe. Instead, he hides in the Abyss Sea Eye and receives the Chaos Tortoise Breathing Method and the Abyssal Womb Membrane. 1

Within his shell, Lu Chen establishes the Inner Realm of the Abyss, intending it to become an isolated calamity-avoidance sanctuary. Its barren island gradually develops spiritual veins and vegetation during his early seclusion. 1

His isolation is interrupted when the Sea Spirit Clan flees Dragon Clan persecution. Lu Chen shelters them for one hundred years, defeats the pursuing Ao Zheng without killing him, and becomes unwillingly known as an “Emperor.” 1 2 When the refugees transform his temporary shelter into a settlement, Lu Chen permits them to remain but forbids expansion, recruitment, and imperial proclamations in his name. 3

Over ten thousand years, the Sea Spirit Clan and other refugees turn Abyss into a functioning city with thirty-six clans, administrative bureaus, a Realm Guard, cultivation facilities, and the Northern Darkness Dao Palace. Lu Chen refuses both to establish a divine court and to expel the inhabitants, choosing instead to preserve Abyss as a refuge governed through the Book of Cause and Effect. 4

Abyss survives the Dragon-Han Cataclysm by sheltering the young and weak of the three clans, maintaining the Three Lives Gate, and avoiding direct involvement in the decisive battles. Following Luohou’s defeat, Hongjun grants Abyss Heaven-and-Earth Clear Qi in recognition of its preservation of survivors. 63

After the catastrophe, Lu Chen refuses both the Three-Clan Fortune and efforts to revive the former Dragon, Phoenix, and Qilin hegemonies. He instead allows their remnants to preserve their identities under Abyss’s protection, provided that their former struggle for supremacy does not continue. 65

Hongjun’s rise as the first Heavenly Dao Saint brings Lu Chen into the Purple Cloud Palace lectures. Lu Chen attends only through Old Shell Dharma Forms, studies space, karma, concealment, and pocket realms, and refuses to compete for cushions, political offices, or Primordial Purple Qi. His repeated refusals greatly enhance his mysterious reputation while allowing his true body to remain hidden in Abyss. 70 71 76 111 112

Lu Chen eventually concludes that he cannot permanently prevent the Heaven-Mending Death Tribulation merely by changing events such as Gonggong’s future collision with Buzhou Mountain. His long-term strategy becomes making the Old Shell more recognizable than his true body as the legitimate Northern Sea Black Tortoise and fate-bearer in the eyes of heaven and earth. 87 91 92

He further considers transforming the future sacrifice into a meritorious act by proactively offering the completed Old Body to stabilize the Four Extremes while Nuwa mends heaven. This remains a proposed future path rather than an accomplished escape from the tribulation. 120

After the establishment of Reincarnation, Lu Chen observes the complete passage from death to renewed life and recognizes the corresponding cycle already present within Abyss. This insight produces his own Life and Death Abyss Great Dao and allows him to advance from the Great Luo Limit to the Initial Realm of Primordial Unity Golden Immortal without following the Three Corpses Severing path. 164 165

His victories over Daoist Xuan Cang, Ancestor Youquan, and Minghe’s Blood God Child lead him to reconsider his assumption that Nuwa must always be stronger than him. He adopts a dual strategy: continue cultivating the Old Shell as a substitute while strengthening his true body until forcibly severing its legs becomes impossible or prohibitively costly. Concealment, realm displacement, and additional escape routes remain essential safeguards. 169 170

Appearance

Lu Chen’s true form is a colossal black tortoise sleeping in the depths of Abyss. His shell is described as continent-like, while his four legs resemble pillars capable of supporting heaven itself. 1

• His body is large enough to force apart undersea mountain ranges when he awakens. 1
• His shell contains the Inner Realm of the Abyss and is surrounded by concealment techniques while he cultivates. 4
• His Black Tortoise Dharma Body manifests as a vast phantom used to defend Abyss without exposing his true form. 12 15
• His Old Shell gradually develops gray Dao patterns and later a faint golden merit pattern. 4 48
• His Old Shell Dharma Form normally appears as a young Daoist in dark black robes, publicly receiving visitors under the identity of Mysterious Abyss. 70 92
• The Old Shell gradually becomes more lifelike and independent, eventually restoring a complete Black Tortoise body with four immense legs marked by Nuwa’s Creation Dao. 115 126 128
• The Old Shell’s immense body resembles a genuine ancient Primordial Black Tortoise rather than an ordinary incarnation or discarded shell. 128
• In its awakened human form, the Old Shell has black hair falling over its shoulders, a calm expression, and eyes carrying the abyssal depth associated with the Abyss Sea Eye. 128
• Following his breakthrough, the Life and Death Wheel manifests as a black-and-white Dao wheel, with opposing streams of law circulating around his Black Tortoise true form. 168 170

Personality

Lu Chen is cautious, pragmatic, and intensely survival-oriented. He considers fame, factional allegiance, and open displays of strength dangerous because they create karma and attract the attention of figures such as the Ancestral Dragon, Nuwa, Hongjun, and Luohou. 1 43

He consistently prefers concealment, formations, deception, delegated administration, and strategic deterrence over direct confrontation. Even when Abyss is attacked, he usually fights through the Abyss Dharma Body rather than reveal his true form. 8 12 29

Despite his fear of entanglement, Lu Chen is compassionate toward persecuted clans. He repeatedly accepts refugees after karmic screening, refuses to exploit the Black-Shelled Turtle Tribe’s fortune, and establishes systems that protect both living beings and vengeful souls. 18 47 49

His practical instructions are frequently interpreted by his followers as profound political doctrine. Lu Chen usually intends only to prevent trouble, while Abyss’s leaders see a far-sighted ruler guiding a new order. 3 18 44

Lu Chen considers survival the foundation of all cultivation. He does not reject combat absolutely, but believes one should fight only when victory is possible, retreat when it is not, and fight desperately only if escape is impossible. 75

He rejects even exceptional opportunities when they threaten his independence. This includes the Three-Clan Fortune, Demon Court authority, the conventional Three Corpses Severing path, and Hongjun’s offer of Primordial Purple Qi. 65 76 96 111

His restraint does not extend to tolerating slaughter committed in his name. When the false Mysterious Abyss Divine Court uses his title to collect tribute and kill, Lu Chen personally takes control of the Old Shell to stop it, recognizing the threat to both innocent beings and the integrity of his cultivated public identity. 136

After acquiring reliable offensive abilities, Lu Chen becomes more willing to eliminate unavoidable threats rather than merely drive them away. This does not become a desire for conquest: he regards growing stronger as a way to deter attacks and preserve peaceful cultivation. 166 169 183

He also becomes more critical of treating his knowledge of the original story as an unchangeable verdict. Although his true body remains highly compatible with the heavenly-pillar fate, he recognizes that his system, techniques, independent Great Dao, and accumulated preparations distinguish him from the original doomed Black Tortoise. 169

Abilities & Skills

Chaos Tortoise Breathing Method

A concealment technique acquired upon Lu Chen’s awakening.

• Restrains his aura and suppresses the overwhelming presence of his Black Tortoise true form. 1
• Conceals karma and blocks heavenly secrets, allowing him to remain hidden in Abyss. 1
• Can be reinforced with additional tortoise-breath sealing restrictions around the Abyssal Womb Membrane. 31
• Helps conceal the true body, Old Shell Avatar, and false spatial traces during remote expeditions. 89
• Is layered with the Heaven-Deceiving Tortoise Shell, Abyssal Womb Membrane, and Primordial Chaos Abyss Embryonic Breath to direct external perception toward the Old Shell even after Nuwa becomes a Saint. 124 125

Chaos Shell-Shedding Method

Lu Chen’s central survival technique and his intended answer to the future Heaven-Mending Death Tribulation.

• Nurtures hidden vitality beneath the Old Shell and provides a means to abandon it. 3 4
• Transfers karma from his true body onto the Old Shell. 18
• Develops the ability for the Old Shell to bear destiny, karma, and tribulation in place of the true body. 26 32 47
• Remains incomplete for much of the story; Lu Chen acknowledges that escaping a Saint’s karmic entanglement requires further progress. 18
• Its ultimate goal is not merely to provide a durable decoy, but to make the Old Shell a genuine alternative fate-bearer recognized by heaven and earth. 91 92
• Uses the Old Shell’s accumulated merit, historical karma, earth-vein connections, public recognition, and tribulation experience to raise its fate-bearing legitimacy. 92
• Its seventh layer is perfected through the choice to make the Old Shell bear Luohou’s final demonic tribulation, adding a second Tribulation-Bearing Rune to its foundations. 62 63
• Remains part of Lu Chen’s preparations even after he decides to pursue enough personal strength to resist the Heaven-Mending Death Tribulation directly. 169

Abyssal Womb Membrane and Inner Realm

The Womb Membrane creates the concealed world within Lu Chen’s shell.

• Expands and stabilizes Abyss as refugees, spiritual veins, formations, and treasures are incorporated into it. 1 26
• Evolves into the prototype of a minor world after the refinement of the Black Tortoise Sea-Calming Pearl. 26
• Forms the basis of Lu Chen’s Abyss Dharma Body and supports spatial displacement during battle. 12 14
• Provides the intended escape route for Lu Chen’s true body if the Old Shell is taken to support the heavens. 47
• Uses the Northern Darkness Sea, Mysterious Peak Mountain, and Three Lives Gate as water, land, and karmic anchors for eventual relocation. 78
• Recycles the remains and spirituality of dead plants, beasts, and declining spirit veins into the foundations of later life; understanding this existing process becomes central to Lu Chen’s Life and Death Abyss Great Dao. 164
• Begins participating in an expanded cultivation cycle linking the Inner Realm’s life energy with Lu Chen’s shell, four legs, Primordial Spirit, and Dao fruit. 183

Black Tortoise Sea-Calming Formation

A defensive formation awarded after Lu Chen shelters the Sea Spirit Clan for a century.

• Draws upon the Abyss Sea Eye to strengthen Abyss’s offense and defense. 3
• Suppresses intruders and enforces Abyss’s prohibition against private violence. 6
• Defeats Ao Lie’s invading force and later supports the Abyss Dharma Body against the Blackwater Dragon King. 9 14
• Its strength depends on Abyss’s foundations; prolonged combat against Daluo-level opponents consumes substantial power. 15
• Can be projected through the Three Lives Post Stations, though such distant use consumes substantially more power than defending Abyss directly. 149

Abyss Dharma Body

A projection formed from Lu Chen’s divine sense, the Abyssal Womb Membrane, and the Sea-Calming Formation.

• Allows Lu Chen to defend Abyss without revealing his true body. 12
• Uses Abyss Heavy Water and overwhelming physical force to suppress the Blackwater Dragon King. 14 15
• Maintains the illusion that Lu Chen possesses an unfathomable “Seclusion Realm.” 15
• Can be strengthened through Abyss’s growth and the results of its expeditions. 24
• May be transmitted through the Three Lives Post Stations to exercise Abyss’s authority across the Northern Sea. 148
• Can channel the Death Law through a distant projection, allowing Lu Chen to attack Ancestor Youquan without moving his true body. 149 150
• Becomes substantially less costly to sustain over long distances after his advancement to Primordial Unity Golden Immortal. 165

Great Dream Black Tortoise Technique

A dream-based intimidation technique acquired against Ao Cang.

• Uses the sleeping aura of Lu Chen’s true body to create an immense dream manifestation. 29
• Magnifies the perceived scale and ancient pressure of the Black Tortoise without greatly increasing direct combat power. 29
• Injures Ao Cang’s Primordial Spirit and compels the Dragon Clan Main Lineage to retreat. 29

Abyss Stillness Art

A basic cultivation method created for Abyss Academy rather than a personal inheritance technique.

• Teaches aura concealment, stable foundations, reduced karma, restraint, and survival. 7
• Is summarized by Abyss Academy’s motto: “Fight less, kill less, bear less karma, live longer.” 7
• Improves the cultivation stability of weaker races, reduces cultivation deviation, and strengthens Realm Guard formations. 7
• Reflects Lu Chen’s belief that avoiding avoidable conflict is a legitimate cultivation path rather than cowardice. 7 75

Abyss Escape Realm Chapter

A spatial escape technique developed from Hongjun’s teachings on space, causality, Grotto-Heavens, and heavenly-earthly anchors.

• Uses Abyss’s internal water-and-land anchors to temporarily change its external spatial coordinates. 74
• Allows only limited short-range displacement at first and cannot guarantee escape from Saint-level heavenly-secrets tracking. 74
• Creates a layered survival structure in which Abyss is the deepest layer, the Old Shell is the middle layer, and the Dharma Form is the outermost layer. 74
• Can transmit Abyss power through the Three Lives Post Stations without moving either Lu Chen’s true body or the Old Shell. 148

Old Shell Avatar and Unification Shell-Nurturing Method

Lu Chen’s Old Shell develops from a passive substitute into a semi-autonomous public identity.

• The Old Shell Dharma Form can attend dangerous events, receive visitors, and accumulate public karma while Lu Chen’s true body remains concealed. 70 92
• The Unification Shell-Nurturing Method allows the Old Shell to independently receive karma and conceal heavenly secrets without severing Lu Chen’s unified Dao fruit. 96
• Its accumulated identity karma gradually forms Basic Heavenly Mandate Spirituality and then a Basic Identity Personality. 92 128
• The awakened Old Shell identifies itself as Mysterious Abyss while recognizing Lu Chen as its true body. 128
• It can make basic independent judgments and has been instructed to prioritize concealment, caution, and avoidance of unnecessary travel. 128 129
• Its defenses absorb and redirect Kunpeng’s test strike, leaving the avatar unharmed while forcing Kunpeng back three steps with a numbed hand. 77
• Hongjun warns that forcibly extinguishing the shell’s developing spirituality could damage its heavenly mandate, and suggests that beings of the same origin need not consume one another to return to unity. 97
• Before its full personality awakens, the Old Shell instinctively emerges to meet Nuwa and places itself before the true body in response to her Heaven-Mending karma. 114
• Nuwa restores its four legs using Nine Heavens Breathing Soil, Three Lights Divine Water, and Creation Saintly Power. 126
• Its awakened consciousness is confirmed to originate from Lu Chen’s own foundation and accumulated identity rather than a foreign consciousness. 128
• By the period following Nuwa’s departure, it can independently handle most ordinary affairs in the Northern Darkness Dao Palace; Lu Chen can still directly take control when necessary. 131 136

Death Law

A life-affecting law acquired through Lu Chen’s later cultivation.

• Targets vitality, lifespan, flesh, Primordial Spirits, and spirituality rather than relying solely on physical damage. 144 151
• Can follow an enemy’s connection to a treasure or cultivation system, as demonstrated by its erosion of Ancestor Youquan’s vitality and Myriad Souls Banner restrictions. 149
• Gives Lu Chen a meaningful offensive option beyond formation suppression, physical force, and defensive endurance. 144
• Is first comprehended after Lu Chen chooses to shelter willing ownerless souls rather than establish a Northern Nether Underworld Court or close the post-station route. 143
• Can erode the spirituality of spiritual materials and extinguish the restrictions of damaged spirit treasures, reducing them to ordinary material without first smashing them. 144
• Initially consumes substantial power against a Great Luo Late Stage opponent, especially through a distant Dharma Body, but ultimately extinguishes Ancestor Youquan’s vitality. 149 150 151
• Reaches perfection when Lu Chen reconstructs his Dao fruit and enters the Primordial Unity Golden Immortal realm. 165

Life and Death Abyss Great Dao

Lu Chen’s independent Great Dao emerges from observing Reincarnation and reinterpreting the natural circulation within his Inner Realm.

• Connects death, the return of spirituality to Abyss, and the emergence of new life into a single cycle. 164
• Unites the Death Law and Life Law around the Abyss Great Dao rather than treating life and death as isolated powers. 164
• Differs from Houtu’s Reincarnation: it does not assign True Spirits to future lives, govern the Six Paths, or itself reincarnate souls. 164
• Initially exists as a rudimentary Great Dao whose first transformation has not yet been achieved, with the Death Law near perfection and the Life Law newly initiated. 164
• Enables his old Great Luo Dao fruit to end and a new Dao fruit to grow from Abyss, completing his breakthrough without severing or recombining the Three Corpses. 165
• Makes his Dao fruit increasingly self-sustaining; even if surrounding heavenly-earthly laws temporarily disappear, he can maintain it through his own Life and Death Abyss. 165
• Supports a gradual expansion of the cycle from his Dao fruit into his body, Primordial Spirit, laws, and Inner Realm. 183

Abyss Life and Death Wheel

An innate divine ability naturally nurtured from Lu Chen’s own Great Dao rather than granted as a separate system technique. 165 166

• Life Wheel: Nourishes the body and Primordial Spirit, restores magical power, and gradually removes lingering decay; testing confirms that it can rapidly heal his wounds and restore an eroded spirit medicine. 165 166
• Death Wheel: Diminishes vitality, erodes the Primordial Spirit, corrodes magical power, and weakens Great Dao vitality. 165
• Abyss center: Receives and circulates the changes between life and death, allowing Lu Chen to recover while an opponent steadily deteriorates. 165
• Attritional combat: Complements his tough shell and powerful body by making prolonged combat increasingly unfavorable to his opponent. 165 166
• Internal erosion: Causes Mysterious Mountain to wither internally before the Old Shell’s touch makes it collapse, demonstrating destructive effects beyond visible surface damage. 166
• Combat application: Grinds Minghe’s personally controlled Blood God Child out of existence. 168 169
• Limitations: Same-realm opponents possess Great Dao protection and decay more slowly; Heavenly Dao Saints are harder still to affect. At his Initial Realm, Lu Chen cannot realistically grind a Saint to death with the wheel. 165
• Further development: Kuafu’s passage into Reincarnation inspires an additional Life Dao pattern and strengthens an incomplete aspect of the Life Wheel. 212

Heavenly Pillar Causality Perception

A specialized perception ability used to investigate the future collapse of Buzhou Mountain.

• Examines whether Buzhou Mountain will collapse rather than providing unrestricted knowledge of all future events. 87
• Reveals branches in which killing Gonggong or altering the Witch-Demon conflict still fails to prevent the collapse. 87
• Helps Lu Chen identify the imbalance of the Four Extremes and his own fate-bearing suitability as deeper causes of his danger. 87
• His true body’s heavenly-pillar fate-bearing compatibility remains 94% even after his breakthrough and change in strategy. 92 169

Cause-and-Effect Governance

Lu Chen establishes Abyss’s legal and security system around karmic judgment rather than bloodline.

• Entrusts the Book of Cause and Effect to Lan Shuang to screen newcomers, expose spies, and record karmic corruption. 4 8
• Enforces equal treatment of Dragon Clan members and lesser races under Abyss law. 31 32
• Establishes the Three Lives Gate to inspect karma, heart-nature, and killing tribulation before allowing entry. 47
• Purifies vengeful souls and allows willing spirits to become Realm-Guarding Yin Soldiers. 49
• Extends this protection through the Three Lives Post Stations, allowing souls throughout the Northern Sea to seek transport to Abyss. 148
• Defends the right of dead souls to choose whether to seek Abyss or follow other paths rather than be forcibly used as cultivation resources. 149
• Establishes the Calamity-Resolution Hall to register and judge old clan grievances while forbidding new private killings within Abyss. 38
• Places Abyss law above external affiliations within the Three Lives Gate while allowing residents to retain clan or Demon Court identities and leave freely. 102
• Requires investigation of outsiders fleeing crimes rather than allowing sanctuary to become automatic immunity; refuses to assist the Demon Court’s internal power struggles. 102
• Standardizes the rules of all sixty-seven Three Lives Post Stations through boundary steles bearing Ceasefire Dao Patterns merged into their formations. 180
• Maintains refuge without territorial recruitment: during the Golden Crow heat crisis, the public Mysterious Abyss identity refuses to send guides beyond the Northern Sea while Abyss reorganizes relief for those who arrive. 192

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Abyssal Womb Membrane — Concealed inner world within Lu Chen’s shell; later evolves into a minor-world prototype. 1 26
• Black Tortoise Sea-Calming Formation — Abyss’s central formation for suppression and defense. 3
• Book of Cause and Effect — Prototype karmic record used to judge entrants, expose wrongdoing, and administer Abyss’s laws. 4 8
• Heaven-Deceiving Water Mist — Alters the perceptions and memories of weaker targets; used to feed false intelligence to the Dragon Clan. 8
• Northern Sea-Calming Stele Fragment — Reinforces Dragon-Suppressing Pass and stabilizes Abyss’s defensive power. 18 19
• Black Tortoise Sea-Calming Pearl — Innate spirit treasure that stabilizes water fortune, anchors sea veins, and enables Abyss’s aquatic evolution. 20 26
• Heaven-Deceiving Tortoise Shell — Used to conceal Abyss’s heavenly secrets and seal the Ancestral Dragon’s Reverse Scale against surveillance. 28 32
• Ancestral Dragon’s Reverse Scale — A controlled refuge token for endangered Dragon Clan bloodlines; sealed within Abyss. 32
• Frostflame Phoenix Feather — Transformed into the Frostflame Parasol Tree, supporting the Frost Phoenix Lineage and Abyss’s elemental balance. 35
• Three Lives Gate — Abyss’s permanent entrance system, examining karma, heart-nature, and killing tribulation. Strengthened by merit after Reincarnation’s establishment. 47 166
• Calamity-Viewing Platform — A remote observation platform that uses Abyss’s water veins, the Book of Cause and Effect, and three-clan tokens to monitor external calamities. 43
• Ebb-Tide Mandate Pattern — Allows Abyss to shelter the remnants of the three clans without inheriting the karmic burden of their former hegemony. 65
• Fate-Bearing Rune — A mark within the Old Shell that records and responds to its growing destiny, karma, and Heaven-Mending relevance. 92 110
• Soul-Guiding Lamp / Abyss Soul-Attracting Lamp — An innate Abyss treasure obtained after Lu Chen chooses to shelter willing ownerless souls. Guides willing dead souls through the Three Lives Gate and post-station network; strengthened by merit after Reincarnation’s establishment. 143 150 166
• Three Lives Post Stations — Sixty-seven spatial and karmic stations across the Northern Sea that guide souls, extend Abyss’s refuge routes, and serve as projection coordinates. Initially approved as a three-station trial to reduce crowding without expanding Abyss’s territory. 138 148
• Tribulation-Bearing Runes — Marks on the Old Shell recording its experience bearing major calamities; two are present after Luohou’s final demonic tribulation. 62 63
• Post-Station Boundary Steles — Steles installed simultaneously at all sixty-seven Three Lives Post Stations, carrying Ceasefire Dao Patterns integrated with each station’s formations. 180

Relationships

• Lan Shuang — Sea Spirit Clan chief and Lu Chen’s principal administrator. She manages Abyss’s institutions, interprets his decrees, and carries out the Book of Cause and Effect’s judgments. 2 4 49
• Ao Lie — Former Dragon Clan prince punished to guard Dragon-Suppressing Pass; later chooses Abyss over the Dragon Clan and becomes outer-gate guardian. 9 15 29
• Ancestor Xuan Jia — Black-Shelled Turtle Tribe leader who reveres Lu Chen as an ancestor; serves as inner-gate guardian and defensive specialist. 18 19
• Han Jue — Ice-Scaled prodigy initially disciplined by Lu Chen; becomes a Realm Guard leader, academy defender, and disciplinarian at the Young Clans Court. 6 41 46
• Feng Li — Leader of the Frost Phoenix Lineage and Abyss Academy instructor; Lu Chen supports her right to protect her clan under Abyss law. 25 34 35
• Lin Yue — Water Qilin Branch leader and Abyss Guest Official; assists with ley lines, earth veins, and the realm’s stability. 36 44
• Ancestral Dragon — Dragon Clan ruler who tests Abyss’s purpose but eventually recognizes it as a potential refuge for Dragon Clan survivors. 30 32
• Sea Devourer — Former ferocious-beast remnant soul bound by the Book of Cause and Effect; becomes a guardian of the Northern Darkness Sea and later redeems part of its karma. 25 42
• Nuwa — Lu Chen’s future karmic counterpart in the Heaven-Mending Death Tribulation. Though he fears her eventual need for a Northern Sea Black Tortoise, their direct interactions remain respectful, and her Creation Dao helps the Old Shell become increasingly lifelike. 72 115 126 128 After becoming a Saint, she personally thanks him for Abyss’s influence on her understanding of creation and restores the Old Shell’s four legs. Lu Chen accepts the existing benevolent connection but does not claim humanity’s creation merit. 125 126 128 He later abandons the assumption that she must necessarily remain stronger than him, without initiating present hostility toward her. 169
• Hongjun — The first Heavenly Dao Saint and Dao Ancestor. He recognizes Lu Chen’s unusual Old Shell path, permits his concealed participation in the Purple Cloud Palace lectures, and confirms that Lu Chen’s Dao does not lie in the conventional Saint Position. 72 97 111 Before attaining Sainthood, he recognizes Abyss as preserving the Primordial World’s next generation and promises to stop Luohou once if the Demon Ancestor comes to the Northern Sea. 56
• Tongtian — One of the Three Pure Ones who becomes fascinated by Lu Chen’s “Dao of survival.” He respects Lu Chen’s practical philosophy, later visits Abyss after attaining Sainthood, and leaves a sword mark for Abyss’s younger generation. 75 134
• Di Jun and Taiyi — Demon Court founders who invite Lu Chen to become co-lord of the north. Lu Chen respectfully refuses their hegemonic project while keeping diplomatic relations open. 76 Di Jun later personally thanks Mysterious Abyss for sparing the Seventh Golden Crow Prince and agrees to prevent his sons from attacking the Three Lives Post Stations with Solar True Fire; Mysterious Abyss declines to treat this as an owed favor. 192
• Kunpeng — A Northern Sea great power who tests Lu Chen’s Old Shell Avatar after the first Purple Cloud Palace lecture. The rebounding force forces Kunpeng back, but the encounter ends in mutual restraint rather than enmity. 77
• Gonggong — An Ancestral Witch and master of the Law of Water. His future connection to Buzhou Mountain alarms Lu Chen, but he is presently friendly, helps improve Abyss’s waterways, and comes to respect Lu Chen’s caution. 84 85 88
• Mysterious Abyss / Old Shell — Lu Chen’s shed shell, cultivated into a semi-autonomous substitute identity. It recognizes Lu Chen as its true body and is trained to act as Abyss’s public protector while carrying karma and destiny in his place. 92 128 129 It increasingly handles ordinary administration and visitors independently, while Lu Chen retains the ability to assume direct control. 131 136
• Ancestor Youquan — Great Luo Late Stage leader of the Nether Spring Lineage who treats Northern Sea souls as cultivation resources. His conflict with Lu Chen begins after his followers abduct souls from a Three Lives Post Station. 148 149 Lu Chen ultimately wears him down to death with the Death Law through a distant projection, gaining deeper understanding of the law from the process. 151 169
• Houtu — Ancestral Witch whose search for a destination for dead souls intersects with Abyss’s voluntary soul-guidance system. Her establishment of Reincarnation gives Lu Chen the opportunity to observe death and renewed life, leading to his independent Great Dao and breakthrough. 143 164 166
• Daoist Xuan Cang — Figure associated with the false Mysterious Abyss Divine Court, whose followers commit abuses in Lu Chen’s name. Lu Chen personally intervenes through the Old Shell and kills the Early Great Luo cultivator with a single palm strike. 136 138 149 169
• Minghe — Great power who visits Abyss after Reincarnation’s establishment and tests Lu Chen through a Blood God Child personally controlled by his true body. Lu Chen destroys the Blood God Child with the Abyss Life and Death Wheel. 166 167 168 169
• Kuafu — Great Shaman whose True Spirit reaches the Three Lives Gate after his death pursuing the Ten Golden Crows. Mysterious Abyss directs him toward Reincarnation, and Lu Chen gains a new Life Dao insight from witnessing his passage. 212

Major Arcs

Founding of Abyss

Lu Chen chooses seclusion rather than joining the Dragon Clan, creates the Inner Realm of the Abyss, and gives temporary shelter to the Sea Spirit Clan. Their refuge becomes the foundation of Abyss’s society. 1 3

Rise of Abyss Divine City

After ten thousand years of seclusion, Lu Chen discovers that Abyss has grown into a city of thirty-six clans. He allows it to continue, establishes karmic screening, and indirectly accepts responsibility for its stability. 4

Dragon-Suppressing Pass Conflict

After Dragon Clan incursions, Lu Chen uses Abyss’s formations to punish Ao Lie and later defeats the Blackwater Dragon King through the Dharma Body. Dragon-Suppressing Pass becomes Abyss’s defensive frontier. 9 15

The Northern Dark Water Palace Expedition

Lu Chen sends Abyss’s leaders to seek the Black Tortoise Sea-Calming Pearl while ordering them to prioritize survival. The expedition secures the Pearl, the Sea-Swallowing Soul Pearl, and new alliances with the Frost Phoenix Lineage. 19 24 25

Recognition by the Three Clan Rulers

Lu Chen repels Ao Cang through the Great Dream Black Tortoise Technique, refuses to visit the Ancestral Dragon Palace, and defends Abyss’s principle that karma—not bloodline—determines judgment. 29 32

Abyss as a Sanctuary

Abyss accepts the Frost Phoenix Lineage and Water Qilin Branch under strict rules, while Lu Chen supports their autonomy without allowing Abyss to become involved in external wars. 34 36

When old grievances threaten internal strife, he establishes the Calamity-Resolution Hall. Past wrongs can be remembered and registered for karmic judgment, but they cannot justify new private killings inside Abyss. 38

Building a Future Beyond Clan Warfare

Lu Chen establishes the Young Clans Court so displaced children of all races can live and learn together rather than inherit the hatred of the Three Clans. 46

Three Lives Gate and Demon Cult Resistance

Lu Chen establishes the Three Lives Gate to protect refugees while rejecting contenders for supremacy. When Youdu attacks with vengeful souls, Lu Chen chooses purification over slaughter and turns the dead into Abyss’s first Realm-Guarding Yin Soldiers. 47 49

Dragon-Han Cataclysm and Its Aftermath

Abyss protects survivors throughout the Dragon-Han Cataclysm without joining the final battlefield. After the Three-Clan Era ends, Hongjun grants Abyss Heaven-and-Earth Clear Qi, while Lu Chen sees the first genuine possibility of surviving the future Heaven-Mending Death Tribulation. 54 63

During Luohou’s final attack, Lu Chen uses the Old Shell to bear the World-Destroying Demonic Tribulation rather than expose his true body. The ordeal perfects the seventh layer of the Chaos Shell-Shedding Method and adds a second Tribulation-Bearing Rune. 62 63

Embers May Remain, Hegemony Must Not Continue

Lu Chen rejects the Three-Clan Fortune while allowing Dragon, Phoenix, and Qilin remnants to preserve their people and identities. Abyss becomes a refuge for reconstruction rather than a successor state to the fallen hegemonies. 65

Purple Cloud Palace Lectures

Lu Chen attends Hongjun’s lectures through an Old Shell Dharma Form, studies escape, concealment, causality, and pocket realms, and repeatedly sits beside the exit rather than compete for prestige. His conduct earns him the reputation of a practitioner of the Life-Preservation Dao. 70 71 74 75

Refusal of Hegemony and Sainthood

Lu Chen refuses Di Jun and Taiyi’s invitation to become co-lord of the north and later rejects Hongjun’s offer of Primordial Purple Qi. His refusal of conventional authority convinces many great powers that he follows an independent Primordial Unity path. 76 111 112

Old Shell Fate-Bearing Plan

After investigating Buzhou Mountain and the inevitability of the Heaven-Mending Death Tribulation, Lu Chen commits to raising the Old Shell into a fate-bearer more convincing than his true body. The shell begins accumulating independent karma, identity, spirituality, and public recognition as Mysterious Abyss. 91 92 96

Hongjun’s warning about the shell’s developing spirituality makes Lu Chen consider cooperation with its future consciousness rather than forcibly suppressing it. The establishment of a shared Abyss Registry raises its Fate-Bearing Degree to 42%, and Nuwa’s advancing Sainthood karma later coincides with both its Fate-Bearing Degree and substitution progress reaching 46%. 97 102 113

Lu Chen also identifies a possible future in which the completed Old Body voluntarily stabilizes heaven and earns merit instead of being forcibly killed as sacrificial material. 120

Gonggong and the Heavenly Pillar Causality

Gonggong’s visits bring both valuable water-Dao assistance and alarming evidence of his future connection to Buzhou Mountain’s collapse. Lu Chen learns that simply killing or preventing Gonggong would not reliably avert the Heaven-Mending event, reinforcing his plan to redirect fate rather than erase it. 84 87 88

Nuwa’s Visits to Abyss

Nuwa visits Abyss before and after attaining Sainthood, observing the coexistence of its many races and the Young Clans Court. Her Creation Dao is inspired by Abyss’s children, while her perception confirms that Lu Chen’s Old Shell is developing into a true living identity. 115 116 126

After creating humanity and attaining Sainthood, Nuwa personally bows in thanks for the influence Abyss had on her understanding that life needs opportunities to survive, learn, and grow rather than a predetermined perfect future. Lu Chen refuses to claim an enlightenment favor or the principal merit of humanity’s creation, though he accepts that the benevolent connection already exists. 125

Nuwa then restores the Old Shell’s four immense legs through Creation Dao, Nine Heavens Breathing Soil, and Three Lights Divine Water, completing an important physical foundation for its future heaven-bearing role. 126 128

Awakening of Mysterious Abyss

Nuwa’s Creation Dao and the Old Shell’s accumulated identity karma lead the Old Shell to awaken a Basic Identity Personality. Lu Chen begins personally teaching it how to impersonate him safely, making it Abyss’s increasingly independent public representative. 128 129

Three Lives Post Stations and the Nether Spring Conflict

Lu Chen connects the Abyss Escape Realm Chapter to sixty-seven Three Lives Post Stations, extending Abyss’s protective reach across the Northern Sea. When the Nether Spring Lineage abducts more than thirty thousand souls, Lu Chen uses post-station projections and the Death Law to confront Ancestor Youquan. 148 149

The stolen group numbers 31,462 souls. Ancestor Youquan’s intervention allows Lu Chen to trace the karmic connection to the Extreme Yin Trench, although sustaining a distant projection and attacking a Great Luo Late Stage opponent initially imposes heavy costs. 148 149 150

Lu Chen ultimately extinguishes Youquan’s vitality. Observing the entire decline deepens his Death Law beyond the understanding he gained from experiments on herbs, materials, and damaged treasures. 151 169

False Mysterious Abyss Divine Court

A false Divine Court invokes Lu Chen’s title to collect tribute and commit slaughter. Because these acts could corrupt the public identity and karmic foundations he has cultivated for the Old Shell, Lu Chen personally takes control of Mysterious Abyss and intervenes. Daoist Xuan Cang is killed with one palm strike. 136 138 149 169

After the false court falls, Northern Sea clans flock to the Three Lives Gate. Lu Chen refuses to turn this influx into territorial expansion and approves an initial three-station trial of voluntary transfer points along the waterways, forming the beginning of the Three Lives Post Station network. 138

Reincarnation and the Independent Primordial Unity Path

Lu Chen declines to make Abyss an underworld court, instead permitting willing ownerless souls to seek temporary shelter and obtaining the Soul-Attracting Lamp. This route intersects with Houtu’s search for the dead’s ultimate destination. 143

When Reincarnation begins operating, Lu Chen observes the complete cycle of souls, karma, True Spirits, and renewed life. He recognizes that Abyss likewise receives endings and returns their remaining spirituality to the foundations of future life. The Death Law and Life Law unite around Abyss, forming the rudimentary Life and Death Abyss Great Dao and opening the Great Luo Limit. 164

He reconstructs his Dao fruit and becomes an Initial Realm Primordial Unity Golden Immortal without severing the Three Corpses. The Death Law reaches perfection, and his own Great Dao naturally produces the Abyss Life and Death Wheel. Subsequent merit stabilizes his breakthrough and strengthens Abyss’s soul-guidance infrastructure. 165 166

Minghe’s Test and a Second Answer to the Death Tribulation

Minghe arrives after Lu Chen’s breakthrough and tests him through a personally controlled Blood God Child. The Abyss Life and Death Wheel grinds the manifestation out of existence, demonstrating that Lu Chen is no longer limited to enduring attacks or repelling intruders. 166 167 168 169

Reflecting on this and his previous victories, Lu Chen questions why his knowledge of the original Black Tortoise’s death should determine his own future. He resolves to pursue sufficient strength to withstand or resist any attempt to sever his legs while continuing the Old Shell substitution plan, concealment, and escape preparations. 169 170

Post-Station Ceasefire and the Golden Crow Heat Crisis

Lu Chen installs boundary steles bearing Ceasefire Dao Patterns at all sixty-seven Three Lives Post Stations rather than closing them or turning them into the foundations of a kingdom. The standardized rules deter both Witch and Demon forces from fighting within station boundaries. 180

As heat spreads into the Northern Sea, Lu Chen notices unusually vigorous Solar True Fire and considers the Ten Golden Crows’ possible involvement. He treats his foreknowledge as a reference rather than assuming that events must occur on their original schedule. 184

Di Jun later thanks Mysterious Abyss for sparing his Seventh Prince and agrees to keep the Golden Crows from attacking the stations. As heat-driven refugees crowd the network, Mysterious Abyss refuses to send guides beyond the Northern Sea, while Abyss reorganizes staffing, food, shelter, and medicine for those who arrive. 192

Kuafu’s Passage into Reincarnation

After Kuafu dies pursuing the Ten Golden Crows, his True Spirit reaches the Three Lives Gate. Mysterious Abyss directs him along the Netherworld passage toward Reincarnation, where Houtu’s Great Dao receives him. Watching the Great Shaman’s passage inspires a new Life Dao pattern within Lu Chen and strengthens the Life-and-Death Wheel, causing dead spiritual grass in Abyss to sprout again. 212

Notable Quotes

“Abyss does not take in those who vie for supremacy. It only takes in living beings fleeing calamity.” 31

“Examine karma, not status. Examine heart-nature, not bloodline. Sever killing tribulation, admit no contenders for supremacy. To enter Abyss, first learn how to survive.” 47

“When you grow up, decide for yourself.” 46

“Cultivation is a long road. First, stay alive. The other Great Daos can be comprehended slowly later.” 75

“If you can beat them, fight. If you cannot beat them, leave. If you cannot leave, then fight for your life.” 75

“The embers may remain; hegemony must not continue.” 65

“First, if you don't have to go out, don't.” 129

“Even if heaven and earth choose me. Someone still has to be able to cut through me, don't they?” 169

“Trouble I can't avoid can be killed. A future death tribulation can be fought, too.” 169

“Heaven and earth think I'm suited to holding up the sky. That's their business. Whether I agree is my business.” 170

Trivia

• Lu Chen dislikes being called “Emperor” because he believes grand titles attract deadly attention, but Abyss’s inhabitants continue using the title. 2 4
• His followers frequently interpret his attempts to avoid trouble as elaborate strategic planning. 3 18
• He calls his supposed cultivation level the “Seclusion Realm,” an intentionally vague answer that causes outsiders to overestimate him. 15
• Lu Chen considers the ability to hide, sleep, and avoid calamities more valuable than public prestige or conquest. 4 44
• He repeatedly chooses seats beside Purple Cloud Palace’s entrance because he values an escape route over the prestige of sitting near Hongjun. 71 94
• Gonggong’s repeated admiration for Lu Chen’s four sturdy legs is deeply unsettling to Lu Chen because of the future Heaven-Mending Death Tribulation. 85
• The Old Shell inherits Lu Chen’s temperament so strongly that one of its first opinions is that Ao Lie and Han Jue “talk too much.” 128
• Although Abyss’s inhabitants believe Lu Chen’s rejections of authority prove unfathomable wisdom, he privately summarizes his true ambition much more simply: a long, preferably infinite lifespan. 76
• Rumors label him a Half-Step Primordial Unity expert after he refuses Primordial Purple Qi, but his actual breakthrough to Primordial Unity Golden Immortal occurs later through his own Life and Death Abyss Great Dao. 112 164 165
• Sea Devourer claims Lu Chen’s original Black Tortoise body destroyed its physical form merely by turning over. Lu Chen has no clear recollection of the incident and finds only vague residual memories of intruders being repelled during the body’s long slumber. 25
• His habitual place beside Purple Cloud Palace’s door becomes so established that another attendee keeps it open for him before the third lecture. 109
• Lu Chen describes the Abyss Life and Death Wheel as seeming even better suited to prolonged attrition than his tortoise shell. 165
• His later pursuit of strength remains motivated by the same desire for quiet cultivation: if he becomes strong enough that others stop attacking him, he can continue lying low in peace. 183

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