Yao Chen

Biodata

Background and History

Yao Chen was once a renowned alchemist of the Central Plains. His former disciple Han Feng betrayed him, leaving him without a body. Yao Chen took refuge in the Bone Flame Ring, where he lay dormant and absorbed the Dou Qi Xiao Yan cultivated for three years. That drain caused Xiao Yan’s apparent regression from a gifted cultivator to the third stage of Dou Qi 82 86.

By his own reckoning, Yao Chen had disappeared from the Central Plains a hundred years before formally accepting Xiao Yan as his disciple. He had treated Han Feng like his own son, making the betrayal especially painful; Mu Gu was also present when Han Feng betrayed him 89 93.

After awakening, Yao Chen continued taking Xiao Yan’s Dou Qi without revealing himself. Li Changqing identified the ring as the cause of Xiao Yan’s condition and forced Yao Chen to appear. Yao Chen admitted what he had done and offered to help Xiao Yan recover in exchange for becoming his teacher. Xiao Yan accepted after Li explained Yao Chen’s standing as the Medicine Venerable 87 88 89.

Yao Chen learned that Xiao Yan and Li Changqing were Otherworlders and promised to keep Xiao Yan’s origin secret. When Ling Ying was exposed as an eavesdropper, Yao Chen initially considered silencing him to prevent his whereabouts from reaching the Hall of Souls. He ultimately accepted Ling Ying’s assurance that his faction had no connection to that organization, having inferred that the guard probably served an Ancient Emperor Clan other than the Hun Clan 89 90.

In exchange for information about the Green Lotus Core Flame, Sea Heart Flame, and Fallen Heart Flame, Yao Chen gave Li Changqing three Earth Tier Dou Techniques. He also traded his alchemy experience for Li’s promise to help acquire Heavenly Flames. The exchange served both Xiao Yan’s cultivation and Yao Chen’s hope of restoring his body, which required three Heavenly Flames 93 94.

Yao Chen guided Xiao Yan’s successful absorption of the Amethyst Winged Lion King’s Purple Flame, confirming that the Flame Mantra could evolve. Their subsequent search beneath the Tagor Desert ended when they discovered that Gu Yuena had already taken the Green Lotus Core Flame. Yao Chen prepared to possess Xiao Yan and seize it, but Xiao Yan stopped him after recognizing her. Rather than risk wasting Li Changqing’s promised assistance on an uncertain confrontation, Yao Chen proposed targeting Han Feng’s Sea Heart Flame 104 106 107.

During the confrontation with Han Feng, Yao Chen gave his former disciple a chance to explain the betrayal. Han Feng insisted that Yao Chen had wronged him by withholding the Flame Mantra. Yao Chen said he had considered the technique dangerously untested and could not bring himself to kill Han Feng; at his request, Li Changqing destroyed Han Feng’s soul 115.

After returning to Snake-People territory, Yao Chen obtained the Green Lotus Core Flame from Gu Yuena in exchange for an Earth-Tier Technique and a promise to refine a Dou Ancestor-Breaking Pill. When Medusa sought to seize the flame from Xiao Yan, Yao Chen stopped her. Xiao Yan’s absorption of the Sea Heart Flame and Green Lotus Core Flame evolved the Flame Mantra twice and contributed to his advancement to Dou Ling 126.

Yao Chen later explained the threat posed by the Hall of Souls, which had helped bring about his loss of a body. When Xiao Yan offered to avenge him, Yao Chen told his new disciple to focus first on his three-year agreement with Nalan Yanran 89. He subsequently feigned unconsciousness after recovering from a period of Soul Force exhaustion, using the time to see how Xiao Yan would fare without his guidance 126 129.

The exhaustion followed his assistance in Xiao Yan’s creation of the Flame Lotus of the Buddha’s Fury, which killed Mo Cheng. The Seven Illusory Green Spirit Saliva that Xiao Yan obtained after treating Nalan Jie restored Yao Chen, but he continued pretending to sleep until the confrontation involving Protector Wu. He then told Xiao Yan that he was pleased with his disciple’s independent accomplishments 126 129.

With his Bone Spirit Cold Fire and Xiao Yan’s two Heavenly Flames, Yao Chen recognized that they possessed the three flames needed to refine a replacement body. He considered Protector Wu’s Dou Zong body a possible fallback, despite his distaste for using someone from the Hall of Souls 130. He later assessed Li Changqing’s Soul Force and guided him through the successful refinement of an Eighth-Grade Venerable Origin Pill 133 134.

Yao Chen’s alchemical legacy later nearly exposed Li Changqing’s connection to him inside the Hall of Souls. Mu Gu recognized Yao Chen’s refinement methods and demanded to know his whereabouts. Li Changqing denied knowing Yao Chen, produced the alchemy book to explain his skills, and sent Mu Gu to investigate a false location 141.

Appearance

In his usual manifested form, Yao Chen appears as a translucent elderly man with an illusory white beard 88 133.

• Soul form — His lower body initially trails away like smoke, though he can form legs when he chooses 88.
• Soul Power manifestation — He can form an illusory hand, which he repeatedly uses to smack Xiao Yan on the head 89 90 106.

Personality

Yao Chen is protective of Xiao Yan but often expresses it through teasing, scolding, and tests. He urges Xiao Yan to work for his progress rather than expect cultivation shortcuts, and he temporarily withholds guidance to assess his disciple’s independence 89 126 129. He is more guarded about his own survival: the possibility of the Hall of Souls discovering him makes him cautious around unfamiliar observers 89 104.

His response to Han Feng shows the limits of that sternness. Despite the betrayal, Yao Chen first asks Li Changqing to spare Han Feng and later cannot deliver the final blow himself 113 115.

Yao Chen remains deeply attached to the master-disciple bond despite Han Feng’s betrayal. He insists that Xiao Yan formally become his disciple before receiving his teaching, and later takes reassurance in Xiao Yan’s promise to care for him after Han Feng’s death 88 115. His teasing can be bawdy, while praise for his alchemy and Heavenly Flame readily brings out his pride 88 92 107.

He also emphasizes reciprocity and practical limits. When Xiao Yan expects Li Changqing to provide Purple Flame freely, Yao Chen reminds him that their earlier assistance was purchased through an exchange, not owed because of their shared otherworldly origin 102.

Abilities & Skills

Alchemy

A peak Eighth-Rank Alchemist before losing his body, Yao Chen possesses extensive knowledge of pill formulas, fire control, and refinement techniques 88 94.

• He prepares medicinal aid for Xiao Yan’s cultivation and advises him on materials needed to absorb a Heavenly Flame 89 116.
• He gives Li Changqing a book containing his alchemical knowledge, including formulas of his own creation 94.
• He guides Li through the refinement of a Venerable Origin Pill, Li’s first successful Eighth-Grade pill 133 134.
• In his current soul state, Yao Chen says he cannot personally refine an Eighth-Grade pill 134.
• His instruction during the Venerable Origin Pill’s refinement lasts more than ten days and results in a pill that summons two-color Pill Lightning 134.
• His alchemical methods are distinctive enough for Mu Gu to recognize them when Li Changqing uses them 141.

Soul Force

Yao Chen uses Soul Force to perceive his surroundings, conceal Xiao Yan’s aura, and interact with others while disembodied 89 106.

• His Soul Force was in the Heaven Realm before his misfortune 133.
• He can use Soul Force alone to wield strength comparable to a Dou Huang 114.
• He explains the Mortal, Spirit, Heaven, and Emperor Soul Force realms, but says he has no dedicated Soul Force cultivation technique to teach 133.
• He can possess Xiao Yan to act through his body, including preparing to do so during the search for the Green Lotus Core Flame 106 107.
• His concealment prevents Gu Yuena’s Soul Force from locating Xiao Yan behind a rock in the underground magma cavern 106.
• He identifies Li Changqing’s Soul Force as Late Spirit Realm and judges it sufficient to refine most Eighth-Tier Pills 133.
• Severe expenditure can force him into dormancy. After assisting Xiao Yan’s Flame Lotus of the Buddha’s Fury, he exhausts his Soul Force and later recovers through the Seven Illusory Green Spirit Saliva 126.

Heavenly Flames and Cultivation Guidance

Yao Chen possesses the Bone Spirit Cold Fire, a Heavenly Flame ranked eleventh, which he says he obtained after nine brushes with death 92.

• He teaches Xiao Yan about Heavenly Flames and prepares the Flame Mantra for him, a technique that can evolve by absorbing them 92 93.
• He can sense a Heavenly Flame’s location through the reaction of his own flame, though his search beneath the Tagor Desert requires repeated attempts 106.
• He directs Xiao Yan’s cultivation and advises him during negotiations for resources 91 103.
• He guides Xiao Yan in refining Purple Flame and witnesses the Flame Mantra’s first demonstrated evolution, an outcome he had not previously confirmed himself 104.
• He helps Xiao Yan create the Flame Lotus of the Buddha’s Fury, at the cost of exhausting his Soul Force 126.
• He possesses a Low Earth Tier fire-attribute cultivation method that he offers Xiao Yan as an alternative to the initially Low Yellow Tier Flame Mantra 102.

Body Restoration Knowledge

Yao Chen knows a method of restoring his physical body that he discovered in an ancient ruin. Before Li Changqing revealed his own knowledge of it, Yao Chen had told no outsider other than Xiao Yan 133.

• The method requires three Heavenly Flames. His initial plan is to combine his Bone Spirit Cold Fire with two flames absorbed by Xiao Yan through the Flame Mantra 93.
• Once Xiao Yan possesses the Sea Heart Flame and Green Lotus Core Flame, the necessary three flames are available 130.
• He considers Protector Wu’s Dou Zong body a possible fallback material for a replacement body 130.

Dou Techniques

Yao Chen’s collection includes powerful techniques that he uses as bargaining resources. The three he exchanges with Li Changqing are selected to suit Li’s combat style 93 98.

Power Progression

Equipment and Items

• Bone Flame Ring — Yao Chen’s refuge while he remains a disembodied soul; Xiao Yan wears it 82 88.
• Bone Spirit Cold Fire — His Heavenly Flame, ranked eleventh 92.
• Alchemy legacy book — His written fire-control methods, pill-refining knowledge, and formulas, which he gives to Li Changqing 94. He originally prepared it to leave proof of his life if he died; Mu Gu later recognizes it when Li uses it to explain the origin of his alchemy skills 94 141.
• Li Changqing’s jade token — Contains a trace of Li’s Soul Force and allows Yao Chen or Xiao Yan to signal their location when requesting his promised assistance 93 107.
• Seven Illusory Green Spirit Saliva — Obtained by Xiao Yan as payment for treating Nalan Jie and used to restore Yao Chen after his Soul Force exhaustion 126.

Relationships

• Xiao Yan — His current disciple. Yao Chen caused Xiao Yan’s three-year loss of Dou Qi, then became his teacher and guided his recovery; Xiao Yan later promises to care for him 88 89 115. Yao Chen keeps his otherworldly origin secret, helps him acquire and refine flames, and tests his independence by concealing his recovery from dormancy 89 104 126 129.
• Han Feng — His former disciple, whose betrayal left Yao Chen disembodied. Yao Chen cannot bring himself to kill him and asks Li Changqing to do so 82 115.
• Li Changqing — An ally and trading partner who exposes Yao Chen’s presence, exchanges Heavenly Flame information for techniques and alchemy knowledge, helps him confront Han Feng, and later receives his guidance in refining an Eighth-Grade pill 88 93 94 115 133 134. Li later conceals their connection from the Hall of Souls when Mu Gu recognizes Yao Chen’s alchemical methods 141.
• Gu Yuena — Initially an obstacle to obtaining the Green Lotus Core Flame. Yao Chen later trades an Earth-Tier Technique and a promise to refine a Dou Ancestor-Breaking Pill for the flame 106 126.
• Medusa — Yao Chen prevents her from seizing the Green Lotus Core Flame after it passes to Xiao Yan 126. His recovery of the flame from Gu Yuena is later identified as important to the circumstances that allowed Medusa’s evolution into a Seven-Colored Heaven-Swallowing Python 177.
• Ling Ying — An initially distrusted observer. Yao Chen accepts his presence after satisfying himself that the guard’s faction is not affiliated with the Hall of Souls, while insisting that his whereabouts remain secret 89 90.
• Mu Gu — A Hall of Souls alchemist present during Han Feng’s betrayal. He later recognizes Yao Chen’s methods in Li Changqing’s alchemy and attempts to discover Yao Chen’s whereabouts 93 141.
• Qing Xianzi — An old romantic connection of Yao Chen’s. She is a Half-Saint and supreme elder of the Flower Sect; their connection provides a reason for contact between the Flower Sect and Xiao Yan, who becomes Starfall Pavilion’s young pavilion master 177.
• Hall of Souls — An organization implicated in the destruction of his body and a continuing threat to his survival 89 129.

Notable Quotes

“If you want to improve quickly, you'll have to work hard yourself. There are no shortcuts on the path of cultivation.” 89

“Li Changqing, please finish Han Feng for me.” 115

“I woke up long ago. I wanted to see what you could accomplish on your own, so I kept pretending to be unconscious. From what I've seen, I'm very pleased.” 129

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