Lu Chen

Biodata

Name	Lu Chen (陆沉)
Alias(es)	Mysterious Abyss Emperor; Emperor; Northern Sea Black Tortoise; “Ancestor”
Species/Race	Primordial Black Tortoise
Gender	Male
Affiliation	Guixu; Guixu Inner Realm
Occupation/Role	Hidden founder and protector of Guixu; ruler in practice, despite rejecting the title
Status	Alive; usually cultivates in seclusion beside the Ruins Sea Eye
First Appearance	Chapter 1

Power Progression

Stage / Realm / Level	Chapter	Notes
Chaos Tortoise Breathing Method	1	Obtained after choosing to hide in the Ruins Sea Eye; conceals aura, karma, and heavenly secrets.
Chaos Shell-Shedding Method, First Layer	3	Creates a path for his true body to abandon the Old Shell, though it is initially insufficient to escape Saint-level karma.
Chaos Shell-Shedding Method, Fourth-Layer Fragment	16	A faint boundary begins forming between Lu Chen’s Old Shell and true body.
Chaos Shell-Shedding Method, Second Layer completed	18	Allows part of his karma to be transferred onto the Old Shell, preparing it to be sacrificed in his place.
Chaos Shell-Shedding Method, Third-Layer Fragment	26	Introduces the principle of the Old Shell bearing destiny, potentially allowing it to bear the fate of supporting the heavens.
Chaos Shell-Shedding Method, Additional Fourth-Layer Fragment	29	Received after repelling Ao Cang through the Great Dream Black Tortoise Technique.
Chaos Shell-Shedding Method, Fifth-Layer Fragment	32	Develops “life substitution”: the Old Shell bears karma, fate, and tribulation while the true body escapes.
Chaos Shell-Shedding Method, Sixth-Layer Prototype	47	Establishes the crucial principle of the Old Shell bearing the Heaven-Mending Death Tribulation while the true body returns to Guixu.
Sixth Layer stabilized with merit	48	Heaven-and-earth merit is fused into the Old Shell, strengthening its capacity to bear destiny.

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 Ruins Sea Eye and receives the Chaos Tortoise Breathing Method and the Guixu Womb Membrane. 1

Within his shell, Lu Chen establishes the Guixu Inner Realm, 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 Guixu 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 Guixu as a refuge governed through the Book of Cause and Effect. 4

Appearance

Lu Chen’s true form is a colossal black tortoise sleeping in the depths of Guixu. 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 Guixu Inner Realm and is surrounded by concealment techniques while he cultivates. 4
• His Black Tortoise Dharma Body manifests as a vast phantom used to defend Guixu without exposing his true form. 12 15
• His Old Shell gradually develops gray Dao patterns and later a faint golden merit pattern. 4 48

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 Guixu is attacked, he usually fights through the Guixu 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 Guixu’s leaders see a far-sighted ruler guiding a new order. 3 18 44

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 Guixu. 1
• Can be reinforced with additional tortoise-breath sealing restrictions around the Guixu Womb Membrane. 31

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

Guixu Womb Membrane and Inner Realm

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

• Expands and stabilizes Guixu 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 Guixu 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

Black Tortoise Sea-Calming Formation

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

• Draws upon the Ruins Sea Eye to strengthen Guixu’s offense and defense. 3
• Suppresses intruders and enforces Guixu’s prohibition against private violence. 6
• Defeats Ao Lie’s invading force and later supports the Guixu Dharma Body against the Blackwater Dragon King. 9 14
• Its strength depends on Guixu’s foundations; prolonged combat against Daluo-level opponents consumes substantial power. 15

Guixu Dharma Body

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

• Allows Lu Chen to defend Guixu without revealing his true body. 12
• Uses Return Ruins 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 Guixu’s growth and the results of its expeditions. 24

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

Cause-and-Effect Governance

Lu Chen establishes Guixu’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 Guixu 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

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Guixu Womb Membrane — Concealed inner world within Lu Chen’s shell; later evolves into a minor-world prototype. 1 26
• Black Tortoise Sea-Calming Formation — Guixu’s central formation for suppression and defense. 3
• Book of Cause and Effect — Prototype karmic record used to judge entrants, expose wrongdoing, and administer Guixu’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 Guixu’s defensive power. 18 19
• Black Tortoise Sea-Calming Pearl — Innate spirit treasure that stabilizes water fortune, anchors sea veins, and enables Guixu’s aquatic evolution. 20 26
• Heaven-Deceiving Tortoise Shell — Used to conceal Guixu’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 Guixu. 32
• Frostflame Phoenix Feather — Transformed into the Frostflame Parasol Tree, supporting the Frost Phoenix Lineage and Guixu’s elemental balance. 35
• Three Lives Gate — Guixu’s permanent entrance system, examining karma, heart-nature, and killing tribulation. 47

Relationships

• Lan Shuang — Sea Spirit Clan chief and Lu Chen’s principal administrator. She manages Guixu’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 Guixu 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 Guixu Academy instructor; Lu Chen supports her right to protect her clan under Guixu law. 25 34 35
• Lin Yue — Water Qilin Branch leader and Guixu Guest Official; assists with ley lines, earth veins, and the realm’s stability. 36 44
• Ancestral Dragon — Dragon Clan ruler who tests Guixu’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 — A future threat in Lu Chen’s foreknowledge; her destined use of the Black Tortoise’s limbs motivates his shell-shedding cultivation. 1 48

Major Arcs

Founding of Guixu

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

Rise of Guixu Divine City

After ten thousand years of seclusion, Lu Chen discovers that Guixu 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 Guixu’s formations to punish Ao Lie and later defeats the Blackwater Dragon King through the Dharma Body. Dragon-Suppressing Pass becomes Guixu’s defensive frontier. 9 15

The Northern Dark Water Palace Expedition

Lu Chen sends Guixu’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 Guixu’s principle that karma—not bloodline—determines judgment. 29 32

Guixu as a Sanctuary

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

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 Guixu’s first Realm-Guarding Yin Soldiers. 47 49

Notable Quotes

“Guixu 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 Guixu, first learn how to survive.” 47

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

Trivia

• Lu Chen dislikes being called “Emperor” because he believes grand titles attract deadly attention, but Guixu’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