Pei Ling

Biodata

Feature	Value
Name	Pei Ling (裴陵)
Alias(es)	Ling’er, used by his family; Junior Brother Pei, used by Qiao Ranran 15 30
Gender	Male 46
Affiliation	Pei Family; Profound Heart Sect 15 30
Occupation/Role	Cultivator; disciple of Nie Gui 30
Status	Alive and reborn; his Divine Soul stabilizes, but poison continues to trouble him 46 49
First Appearance	Introduced in the opening account of his previous life and rebirth; encountered by Qiao Ranran on the roadside 1 3

Power Progression

Stage / Realm / Level	Chapter	Notes
Foundation Establishment	16	Described as having only just reached the realm. After rebirth, his Divine Soul retains strength equivalent to Late Tribulation Transcendence, creating a dangerous mismatch with his comparatively weak body.

• His long-distance spatial travel leads Qiao Ranran to estimate that his power is at least at the Mahayana Realm; this is her assessment of his demonstrated abilities, not a documented cultivation breakthrough 31.
• Following a brief retreat, his Divine Soul settles and he can cultivate normally again. No higher bodily cultivation realm is specified 46.

Background / History

Previous Life

Pei Ling returned too late to prevent the extermination of the Pei Family. He found the ancestral home ruined and his parents among the dead. The attackers spared him for the family’s supposed Treasure Map, then imprisoned him in the Abyss 1 15.

He became a demon after the massacre. In the Abyss, scorching demonic fire and biting Astral Wind consumed his bones and blood essence and tore at his Divine Soul. He eventually escaped and sought revenge against the cultivation world 1 27.

One of his revenge preparations was the Ten-Thousand-Bone Soul-Birthing Formation, which took years of work. The terror it caused the supposedly righteous cultivators gave him satisfaction even while he was gravely wounded 16.

Rebirth and Roadside Rescue

Pei Ling was reborn at the roadside where he had once collapsed, badly injured and poisoned. In the original course of events, he survived abandonment by crawling into a demon-beast cave and eating its creatures and herbs. This time, Qiao Ranran stabilized him, spent her only Spirit Stone on protection, and brought him to the Tao Family Clinic 1 3 4.

He initially resisted her care: he seized her ankle, was knocked unconscious with a silver needle, and later restrained her wrists to avoid the same treatment. Despite shattered bones, he attempted to leave until she warned that his poison would flare before he escaped town 3 4 5.

Saving the Pei Family

Qiao Ranran’s intervention allowed Pei Ling to reach his family before the Righteous Sects’ trap closed. He warned his grandfather that surrendering the supposed Treasure Map would not save them and urged the family to abandon its ancestral home 15.

The family departed in separate groups for Hidden Return Cliff. Pei Ling knew the area intimately because he had emerged from the Abyss nearby in his previous life. Its harsh outer terrain would conceal the family, while its safer depths offered a place to recover 15.

He remained behind to prepare a Ten-Thousand-Bone Soul-Birthing Formation using the ancestral grounds and possessions the family could not carry away. His present strength limited the formation; the provided account does not show the outcome of this trap 15 16.

Joining the Profound Heart Sect

Unlike disciples brought back by a master, Pei Ling found the Profound Heart Sect himself and knocked on the stone tablet below the Immortal Ascension Road. He became Nie Gui’s disciple and Qiao Ranran’s junior brother 30.

His purpose was to obtain an unusual Divine Soul cultivation method from the sect’s Book Repository. Its books were accessible to anyone who could overcome their individual restrictions, and his powerful soul could deceive even cultivation-based requirements 32.

Qi Zhuoyu brought him to Qiao Ranran for treatment while Xi Lingge was in seclusion. Pei Ling paid her outstanding consultation fee with a storage pouch and supplied the spirit plants she requested 21 22.

South Sea Journey and Return

When Qiao Ranran requested Blood Jade Nectar to improve her constitution, Pei Ling took her to the South Sea by tearing open space. He sent his Primordial Spirit into the South Sea Extremity, retrieved the nectar, and fed it to her 31 32 34.

The journey also served his own need to resolve his Divine Sense problem. Carrying Qiao Ranran through space made the task harder, and he privately questioned his claim that bringing her had merely been incidental 44.

He returned weakened, acknowledged damage to his Divine Sense, and said he could no longer transport her back to the sect. Qiao Ranran consequently took the lead in finding help for their return 35.

Near Vast Sea City, he noticed Qiao Ranran’s distress at meeting Wen Ziheng. He kept Wen away from her while probing his background. Damage to Pei Ling’s Divine Soul had erased some memories, leaving him uncertain whether he had known Wen in his previous life 39 40.

After a brief retreat restored his vitality and settled his Divine Soul, Pei Ling resumed traveling with Qiao Ranran. When she treated Wei Huai and a powerful Demon Beast approached, he sheltered all three in a cliffside cave and sealed it with protective formations 46 47 49 50.

Appearance

• Face: A handsome young man whose gentle, guileless expression can conceal a dangerous disposition. A genuine-looking smile briefly transforms his usually cool, distant appearance 15 28 40.
• Eyes: Frequently so dark that Qiao Ranran cannot distinguish his pupils; black mist fades from them when he composes himself before his father 15 32.
• Complexion: Usually pale and unhealthy during his injuries. A severe poison flare turns his face gray-blue 35 37.
• Body temperature: Unnaturally cold despite having no ice Spirit Root 30.
• Hair and lips: Black, smooth, soft hair; red lips that Qiao Ranran finds unusually cold 16 26 50.

Personality

Pei Ling habitually presents himself as harmless, obedient, or courteous while concealing a violent and calculating nature. He prefers to eliminate uncertain threats before they grow and considers killing Qiao Ranran before deciding that watching her develop would be more interesting 15 22 40.

His family remains a clear priority. He argues that its living members matter more than its ancestral property, organizes their escape, and stays behind to confront their pursuers 15.

Long exposure to suffering has distorted his relationship with pain. The burning medicinal bath and stirring poison recreate sensations from the Abyss, giving him an unexpected sense of security. Conversely, relief from pain initially feels unfamiliar 27 28 37.

His interest in Qiao Ranran develops into concern, jealousy, and possessiveness. He enjoys breaking her composure, dislikes her attention falling on other men, and is unsettled by realizing that she saved him as she would any stranger. He also notices her exhaustion and worries about her habit of cultivating without regard for her surroundings 31 40 47 50.

Abilities & Skills

Divine Soul and Primordial Spirit

His retained Divine Soul possesses Late Tribulation Transcendence–level strength despite his Foundation Establishment body 16.

• Sends his Primordial Spirit outside his body to bypass its physical limitations 32.
• Crosses the South Sea in spirit form while leaving a trace of consciousness to monitor his body and Qiao Ranran 32 33.
• Uses soul power to bypass cultivation restrictions in the Book Repository 32.
• Risks destruction when his Primordial Spirit is exposed to Astral Winds, lightning, and Spatial Rifts 32.

Spatial Travel and Sword Flight

• Tears open space for long-distance travel, taking Qiao Ranran from the sect to the South Sea 31 32.
• Shields her from Astral Wind during the journey 31.
• Finds spatial travel difficult in his current condition, especially while carrying another person 44.
• Uses sword flight after his retreat, stopping repeatedly to replenish Spiritual Power 47.

Formation Arts

• Ten-Thousand-Bone Soul-Birthing Formation: Plans to turn the Pei ancestral grounds into a trap whose center makes intruders its foundation and sacrifice. His current cultivation limits its effectiveness 15 16.
• Protection and concealment: Rapidly layers formations inside a cliffside cave to hide the group from an approaching Demon Beast 49.
• Sensory isolation: His cave formation prevents Wei Huai from detecting the situation outside 50.
• Cost: The rapid defensive preparations leave him weakened, with chaotic energy and stirring poison 49.

Combat and Intimidation

• Blasts an opening into a cliff with his palm, then uses a Spell Art to seal it with earth and stone 49.
• Reveals a violent aura that makes the great sea turtle perceive him as an immediate threat 36.
• His Divine Soul deters perceptive sea beasts from approaching him 33.
• Retains enough physical strength while severely injured to restrain Qiao Ranran and move despite shattered bones 3 5.

Poison and Physical Limitations

His poison has developed a degree of sentience. Qiao Ranran distinguishes newly formed bodily poison from an older, deeply entrenched infection in his divine consciousness; both share the same origin but differ greatly in development 27.

Condition / Treatment	Result
Initial silver-needle treatment	Temporarily suppresses the poison but does not cure it 5.
Three-day medicinal bath	Uses heated medicine, pills, spells, and acupuncture to lure the bodily poison out rather than neutralize it 26 27.
Separation of the two infections	Qiao Ranran isolates the bodily poison from the infection in his divine consciousness, which she lacks the strength to treat 27 28.
Completed extraction	With Xi Lingge supplying Spiritual Power, the bodily poison flows into the bath. Xi removes the dangerous, writhing liquid 29.
Post–South Sea relapse	Poison from his divine consciousness begins corroding his cleaned meridians again. Acupuncture relieves his headache but cannot eliminate the deeper infection 37.
Later stabilization	His Divine Soul disturbance appears to disappear after retreat, but exertion still leaves his energy chaotic and poison stirring 46 49.

• His oversized Divine Soul threatens to overwhelm his weak body, compared to overfilling a fragile jar 16.
• Abyss-related trauma makes food nearly unbearable: whatever he eats recalls the texture of a Demon Beast once fed to him there. He also regards food as a source of impurities requiring purification 43.
• Divine Soul damage causes partial memory loss, including uncertainty about his past connection to Wen Ziheng 40.

Equipment / Items

• Sword — Used to carry himself and Qiao Ranran during their return journey 47.
• Storage pouch — Given to Qiao Ranran as his consultation fee 21.
• Blood Jade Nectar — Retrieved from the South Sea Extremity and given to Qiao Ranran to improve her meridians, Spirit Root, physique, and cultivation potential 34.
• Essence-Recovery Pills — Supplied by Qiao Ranran to replenish his Spiritual Power 47 49.
• Personal gold needles, proposed — Promises to obtain a set for Qiao Ranran to use exclusively on him; their acquisition is not shown 49.

Relationships

• Qiao Ranran — Rescuer, healer, and senior sister. Their initial mistrust develops into cooperation and growing attachment, though he remains intimidating and possessive. He obtains Blood Jade Nectar for her, while she repeatedly treats his pain and depleted energy 3 21 34 37 49 50.
• Old Master Pei — Grandfather. Trusts his warning, approves the evacuation, and asks him to survive and return to the family 15.
• Pei Father — Father. Notices that his son has changed and supports Old Master Pei’s decision to let him remain behind 15.
• Pei Mother — Mother; Pei Ling is her only son. She pleads for him to leave with the family, while he remembers her death in his previous life 15.
• Nie Gui — Master in name at the Profound Heart Sect. Even Nie Gui fails to detect the abnormality in Pei Ling’s Divine Soul 26 30 31.
• Qi Zhuoyu — Senior sect brother who arranges for Qiao Ranran to treat him 21.
• Xi Lingge — Qiao Ranran’s master. Supports the final poison extraction and removes the contaminated bath for study 29 46.
• Wen Ziheng — Object of suspicion and jealousy. Pei Ling obstructs his access to Qiao Ranran and investigates their connection 40 43.
• Wei Huai — Shelters him alongside Qiao Ranran, but threatens him for looking at her too long 49 50.
• Unnamed Abyss pet — Fed Pei Ling a Demon Beast during his imprisonment. He remembers making it a nest from the great sea turtle’s shell in his previous life and believes it is still struggling to survive in the Abyss 37 41 43.

Notable Quotes

“Grandfather, it’s only a house. Only a piece of land. That isn’t where the Pei Family’s roots lie. As long as our people live, we can put down roots anywhere.” 15

“I’ve never felt better.” 28

“Gold needles would suit your Acupuncture Technique better. I’ll find you a set later.”
“For. Me. Only.” 49

Trivia

• He explains Ling in his name as “mausoleum,” turning Wen Ziheng’s attempt at friendly conversation into another pointed joke 40.
• Although Qiao Ranran’s abilities fascinate him, he cannot recall hearing of her at the Profound Heart Sect in his previous life 28 33.