Duan De

Biodata

Feature	Details
Name	Duan De (段德)
Alias(es)	Fat Daoist; Daoist priest; “Ancient Scholar”
Gender	Male
Affiliation	Temporary archaeological partnership with Lin Xian and Ye Fan 48 49
Occupation/Role	Tomb raider and treasure hunter who reframes his work as “archaeology” 47 48
Status	Active
First Appearance	Chapter 44

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

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

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. 48 46

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

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

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

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

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. 44 49
• 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.” 44 45 48
• Netherworld Emperor — Duan De is his reincarnation and retains Reincarnation Seals and tomb-related instincts from that identity. 48 50

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

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

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