Duan De

Biodata

Power Progression

Background

Duan De is the reincarnation of the Netherworld Emperor, bearing Reincarnation Seals and possessing instincts shaped by countless lifetimes. He has existed across the Chaotic Ancient, Mythological, Primordial, and Desolate Antiquity eras, pursuing immortality through corpses and tombs. 48

His forgotten original identity is Cao Yusheng, the Tribulation Transcending Heavenly Venerable. Lin Xian identifies Cao Yusheng as Duan De’s first life, while the Netherworld Emperor and Source Emperor represent later incarnations. The Womb Mystery severs his memories and causality between lives, leaving him unable to consciously recognize many of his own past identities. 99 650

Duan De’s reincarnation path differs from ordinary corpse-shedding. He preserves his body through each life and is believed to cultivate an Impure World Reincarnation or Lunar Yin Chain Form, seeking to complete nine lives, shatter the Womb Mystery, and transcend death. 650

He is a grandmaster of feng shui and tomb exploration. A hint from Lin Xian is enough to awaken his instinctive awareness that Wan Qing’s tomb formation is abnormal, after which he begins tracing its yin-yang structure and terrain at high speed. 50

Appearance

Duan De is a plump, rosy-faced Daoist whose conspicuous weight and expressions frequently make him the target of ridicule.

• Fat build, with visibly jiggling flesh when excited 44
• Rosy complexion and a broad, delighted smile when obtaining treasure 44
• Often travels by divine rainbow 44 46
• Was once injured while seizing sentient weapons, returning with a golden short sword lodged in his backside 47
• Later commonly appears in luxurious purple-gold Daoist robes, with the Devouring Heaven Demonic Jar suspended above him. 567
• His bearing can change dramatically when he invokes his identities as the Netherworld Emperor or Tribulation Transcending Heavenly Venerable, allowing the ordinarily vulgar Daoist to project an ancient and unfathomable imperial presence. 410 580

Personality

Duan De is greedy, shameless, suspicious, and exceptionally quick to recognize profit. He justifies theft through karma, friendship, or “archaeology,” and readily competes with supposed allies over valuable artifacts. 45 48 49

Despite his opportunism, he is knowledgeable and adaptable. He immediately recognizes Ye Fan’s Desolate Ancient Sacred Body as useful against the sinister forces within yin tombs, while Lin Xian considers him a valuable long-term source of tomb-related intelligence and treasure. 46 48

His greed can override even severe caution. Imperial tombs, Heavenly Venerable inheritances, Immortal Medicines, and unfamiliar ancient ruins consistently draw him into danger despite his repeated declarations that he has learned his lesson. 55 152 368

Duan De is also highly defensive of his wealth and secrets. After repeated robberies by Lin Xian, Ye Fan, and the Black Emperor, he grows far more suspicious of their invitations and demands proof before accepting a supposed tomb expedition. 152 208

Although he routinely denies being the Netherworld Emperor or Tribulation Transcending Heavenly Venerable, he becomes grave and philosophical when discussing reincarnation, the True Self, death, and the continuity of identity. 384 650

Abilities & Skills

Tomb Exploration and Feng Shui

Duan De’s specialty is locating, analyzing, and entering ancient tombs.

• Possesses near-instinctive sensitivity toward major tombs and suspicious burial formations due to his identity as the Netherworld Emperor’s reincarnation 50
• Analyzes yin-yang structures, feng shui, and terrain through hand seals 50
• Identifies valuable artifacts through experience honed by years of treasure hunting 49
• Recognized by Lin Xian as a grandmaster of feng shui 48
• Uses Source Heavenly Arts to seek dragon veins, assess burial terrain, locate Earth Dragon Pearls, and identify the concentration of dragon energy within soil. 152 153
• Possesses the Tomb Scripture, Thieving Scripture, and Source Immortal Art, though even these methods cannot overcome tombs requiring a specific bloodline or inheritance as a key. 650
• Can identify dangerous yin terrain and distinguish tombs capable of nurturing fortune from those that may produce Yin Spirits and ghost generals. 153

Reincarnation and Tribulation-Transcending Arts

Duan De’s cultivation path centers on surviving death, preserving the self across reincarnations, and refining death into life.

• Bears four Reincarnation Seals during his fifth life and seeks to perfect his path through nine lives and nine deaths. 164 207
• His Reincarnation Seals preserve ancient instincts and fragments of knowledge even when the Womb Mystery erases his conscious memories. 461 650
• Possesses the Tribulation-Transcending Heavenly Art, a Heavenly Venerable inheritance concerned with overcoming the death tribulation and transforming death qi into pure yang life qi. 208
• Completes the Tribulation-Transcending Heavenly Art after absorbing Deliverance Immortal Light, refining yin qi into Pure Yang. 579
• Enters Nirvana seclusion within a cocoon protected by an Emperor Formation and the Devouring Heaven Demonic Jar, cleansing and remaking his body with Solar Yang energy. 461
• His current seventh life has reached the later stages of the Red-Dust Immortal Path, though he has yet to unite his nine lives into one. 732

Treasure Seeking

He is drawn to valuable objects and risks injury or conflict to obtain them.

• Uses a treasure-seeking method to locate spirit weapons 44
• Seized multiple sentient weapons released from the Qing Emperor’s tomb, though one injured him during the attempt 47
• Immediately recognized the green-copper fragment of the Immortal-Ascension Cauldron as valuable and tried to claim it 49
• His greed is so predictable that Lin Xian correctly expects him to return whenever profit is available 46 47
• Accumulated sufficient tomb-raiding wealth to outfit himself in Immortal Altar-level robes and accessories. 152
• Recognized the Divine Marked Purple Gold Pagoda as an Emperor Weapon embryo and a supreme refining material on sight. 384
• Instinctively responds to rare treasures even while unconscious or in life-and-death seclusion, as his bodily instincts retain knowledge absent from his conscious memory. 461

Combat and Defensive Methods

Though tomb exploration remains his foremost specialty, Duan De possesses formidable combat methods and ancient defensive resources.

• Uses the Devouring Heaven Demonic Jar to release the divine might of the Ruthless Great Emperor and protect himself against powerful opponents. 425 567
• Possesses sufficient strength as a Great Saint to fight the Black Emperor directly, though the latter’s Beginningless formations can restrain him. 568
• Can invoke the Human Emperor Banner and his Reincarnation Seals to manifest the majesty of a Netherworld Supreme. 580
• The Underworld’s Emperor Weapons recognize and aid him, including a Heavenly Halberd, black shield, and dark battle armor. 636 642
• His connection to the Netherworld Emperor enables three Underworld Emperor Weapons to resonate with his will and release immense power. 652
• Uses ancient languages, bluffing, Faith Power rhetoric, and claimed Heavenly Court authority to weaken enemies psychologically and politically before battle. 582

Cultivation

Duan De is a Life Spring realm cultivator when he first encounters Lin Xian in the Primordial Ruins. 44

• Travels through the air on a divine rainbow 44 46
• His cultivation is lower than Lin Xian’s Divine Bridge realm, forcing him to yield when confronted directly 45
• His identity as the Netherworld Emperor’s reincarnation gives him knowledge and instincts beyond his displayed realm 48 50
• Reaches the Great Saint Realm during his Solar Star Nirvana and approaches the Quasi-Emperor threshold. 567
• Later displays Quasi-Emperor-level power and advances further along the Red-Dust Immortal Path through his successive reincarnations. 580 732

Equipment / Items

• Spirit weapon dagger — carried when Lin Xian first confronts him; surrendered under pressure. 44
• Sentient weapons — captured several during the Qing Emperor’s tomb disturbance. 45 47
• Blood-red shield — seized amid the rain of sentient weapons. 47
• Source stones — repeatedly handed over to Lin Xian as compensation after being outmaneuvered. 45 46
• Devouring Heaven Demonic Jar — an Emperor Weapon that recognizes Duan De and serves as both his principal weapon and the protection of his Nirvana cocoon. 153 425 461
• Cracked bowl — the skullcap portion of the Devouring Heaven Demonic Jar, used by Duan De defensively during the trap at the false Heavenly Venerable tomb. 153
• Divine Marked Purple Gold Pagoda — an Emperor Weapon embryo recovered in Kunlun; Duan De leaves it within Kunlun’s Emperor Formation for safekeeping because of its dangerous karmic ties. 384
• Human Emperor Banner — temporarily wielded to amplify his Reincarnation Seals and Netherworld Emperor authority. 580
• Underworld Emperor Weapons — a dark battle armor, Heavenly Halberd, and black shield that resonate with his identity as the Netherworld Emperor. 636 642

Relationships

• Lin Xian — Initially robbed and extorted by Lin Xian, who later recruits him into an “archaeological” partnership and deliberately exploits his obsession with famous tombs. Their later relationship remains one of mutual usefulness, distrust, and constant bargaining; Lin Xian appoints him the Heavenly Court’s third-ranking deputy leader and nominal governor of the Underworld. 44 45 46 47 48 49 369
• Ye Fan — First steals Ye Fan’s blood-red bead and other discoveries under the pretext of karmic fate; later becomes his temporary tomb-raiding partner and names him the “Innate Archaeological Sacred Body.” Ye Fan subsequently joins Lin Xian and the Black Emperor in repeatedly robbing Duan De, but also cooperates with him in major Heavenly Court expeditions. 44 45 48 153 368
• Netherworld Emperor — Duan De is his reincarnation and retains Reincarnation Seals and tomb-related instincts from that identity. The Underworld’s weapons recognize Duan De as their former master. 48 50 636
• Cao Yusheng / Tribulation Transcending Heavenly Venerable — Duan De’s first life and the origin of his Tribulation-Transcending Heavenly Art. The Womb Mystery prevents him from reliably recalling this identity. 650
• Black Emperor — A frequent rival, accomplice, and fellow scoundrel. The two fight bitterly over treasures and formations but repeatedly cooperate in tomb raids, traps, and Heavenly Court schemes. 153 568
• Hua Yunfei — Duan De’s tomb-raiding partner for a period; together they accumulate considerable wealth from archaeological work. 152
• Gai Jiuyou — Exchanges the Tribulation Immortal Song with Duan De for the Tribulation-Transcending Heavenly Art, gaining insight into Duan De’s reincarnation path. 208
• Divine Baby — Lin Xian forcibly establishes a chaotic master-disciple relationship between them. Duan De senses that the spirit of the Immortal-Ascension Cauldron may have been connected to one of his past lives. 379
• Lingbao Tianzun — Lingbao’s Executioner Sword Formation recognizes Duan De as the Netherworld Emperor and attacks him with ancient hostility, implying a serious enmity between their historical identities. 578
• Underworld — An organization historically associated with the Netherworld Emperor that later betrays or opposes him. Its Yin Spirits and Emperor Weapons nevertheless continue to react strongly to his presence. 384 636

Story Role / Major Arcs

Qing Emperor’s Tomb

Duan De first appears in the Primordial Ruins holding a spirit weapon. Lin Xian falsely accuses him of being an undead fiend, intimidates him, and takes the weapon. 44

He subsequently steals a blood-red bead excavated by Ye Fan, calling it an item “fated” to him. When Lin Xian returns, Duan De is repeatedly captured, released, and forced to surrender sentient weapons and Source as compensation. 44 45

Alliance with Lin Xian and Ye Fan

After the Treasure-Gathering Basin releases sentient weapons, Duan De agrees to cooperate with Lin Xian and Ye Fan, though he initially demands half of all profits. 47

Lin Xian presents the partnership as archaeology rather than tomb robbery. Duan De enthusiastically embraces the explanation, claiming that buried treasures should return to the living and help civilization progress. 48

Search for Ancient Tombs

Duan De joins Lin Xian and Ye Fan in robbing cultivators who attempt to seize their treasures. He competes with them for a fragment of the Immortal-Ascension Cauldron, then becomes intensely interested when Lin Xian claims knowledge of the Netherworld Emperor’s Tomb and Source Emperor’s Tomb. 48 49

At Lin Xian’s suggestion, Duan De investigates the suspicious feng shui surrounding Wan Qing’s tomb, realizing that its apparent arrangement conceals a larger mystery. 50

After escaping the Primordial Ruins, he agrees to meet Lin Xian again in three years, exchanges tracking jade pendants with him, and unsuccessfully attempts to steal Lin Xian’s Green Lotus Jade Pendant. 55

False Heavenly Venerable Tomb

Lin Xian, Ye Fan, Black Emperor, and Wu Zhongtian exploit Duan De’s interest in Cao Yusheng by building a false Tribulation Transcending Heavenly Venerable tomb using authentic Chaotic Ancient Runes, Source Heavenly Master terrain, and Emperor-level formation patterns. 152 153

Duan De sees through portions of the deception but still enters the prepared dragon lair because its terrain corresponds to his own Source Arts. Black Emperor’s urine contaminates the site, turning the supposed dragon lair into a “dog kennel,” before the group beats Duan De unconscious and plunders most of his treasures. 153

Heavenly Court and Kunlun Expedition

Duan De becomes an indispensable consultant to Lin Xian’s Great Love Immortal Alliance and later the Heavenly Court because of his archaeology, Source Arts, and knowledge of ancient eras. Lin Xian repeatedly describes him as a renewable source of treasures and a key figure in rebuilding the Heavenly Court. 99 161

When Heavenly Court prepares to travel to Kunlun Immortal Mountain, Duan De insists on joining because he instinctively feels that Kunlun is his true home. Lin Xian and Ye Fan charge him two god-grade refining materials for admission, leading to his “purchase” of a ticket home. 368

Duan De is subsequently appointed the Heavenly Court’s third-ranking figure and nominal governor of the Underworld, despite Ye Fan’s skepticism over the seriousness of the appointment. 369

Solar Star Nirvana

Duan De enters a heavily defended Nirvana seclusion within the Solar Star, protected by an Emperor Formation and the Devouring Heaven Demonic Jar. His instincts respond to mentions of rare treasures and Evolution Gene Liquid even while his conscious self remains in a life-and-death slumber. 461

Lin Xian exploits this weakness to obtain the complete Immortal Platform Volume of the Tribulation-Transcending Heavenly Art. Duan De later emerges as a Great Saint approaching the Quasi-Emperor Realm. 461 567

Lingbao Tianzun’s Legacy

Heavenly Court lures Duan De into Lingbao Tianzun’s Immortal Altar by promising Supreme Being-level treasures. The gathered Sovereigns inspect his Reincarnation Seals and use him as bait to awaken Lingbao’s remaining will. 578

Lingbao’s Executioner Sword Formation recognizes Duan De as the Netherworld Emperor and attacks him, while the Bronze Ghost Lamp suppresses the swords’ killing intent. The incident confirms that Duan De’s past identities remain deeply entangled with Mythical Era figures and their surviving artifacts. 578

During the ensuing investigation, Duan De completes the Tribulation-Transcending Heavenly Art by refining yin qi into Pure Yang, bringing his reincarnation path substantially closer to its intended completion. 579

Underworld and Later Reincarnations

Duan De’s identity as the Netherworld Emperor becomes increasingly difficult to conceal as Underworld Emperor Weapons recognize him, Yin Spirits kneel to him, and ancient cultivators treat him as a returned Supreme Being. He continues to deny the identity whenever its karmic consequences become inconvenient. 580 636

By his seventh life, Duan De has progressed into the later stages of the Red-Dust Immortal Path. His memories gradually reawaken, though the Womb Mystery and his habitual evasiveness continue to obscure the boundary between Duan De, Cao Yusheng, and the Netherworld Emperor. 650 732

Notable Quotes

“The dead must make way for the living. Only the living can carry civilization forward.” 48

“Why not become sworn brothers? From now on, your treasures will be my treasures, while my treasures will still be my treasures.” 45

“The flesh is a universe, and the Primordial Spirit reincarnates within the body. Yesterday's me was me, today's me is me, and tomorrow's me will also be me.” 384

“How could you understand the fields this poor Daoist studies? This is great archaeology, the study of the origins and trajectories of all living beings!” 421

Trivia

• Duan De calls himself the greatest Ancient Scholar in the Big Dipper cultivation world. 48
• Lin Xian views him as a “renewable” source of treasure and refuses to eliminate him for that reason. 46
• Ye Fan’s curse that Duan De would fall from the sky is immediately followed by Duan De crashing into the ground. 45
• The fake tomb that Lin Xian uses to rob Duan De is constructed with the Source Heavenly Master tradition that originally descended from Duan De’s own Source Emperor identity. 152 153
• Duan De’s instinctive response to the name Cao Yusheng is confusion, while the prospect of robbing a tomb immediately restores his focus. 650
• His attempts to recruit Little Squirrel as a disciple fail when she misunderstands his instruction and repeatedly calls him “Disciple” instead of “Master.” 389