Yuanshi

Biodata

Feature	Value
Name	Yuanshi (元始)
Species/Race	Innate deity formed from Pangu’s primordial spirit 2 4
Gender	Male
Affiliation	Three Pure Ones; Hongjun’s tutelage 3 10
Occupation/Role	Second brother of the Three Pure Ones; Hongjun’s direct, or Entry, Disciple; master of Guangchengzi and Red Essence Child 5 11 39
Residence	Jade Void Palace, Mount Kunlun 39
Cultivation	Late-stage Great Luo Golden Immortal 19 34 48
Status	Alive; last shown watching the Sun Star from Mount Kunlun 48
First Appearance	Journey through Chaos to the Purple Heavens Palace 3

Power Progression

Stage / Realm / Level	Chapter	Notes
Peak Grand Unity Golden Immortal	4	Established cultivation at his first confrontation with Daochen; nevertheless, Daochen strikes him before he can react.
Great Luo Golden Immortal	8	Breaks through during Hongjun’s first lecture, after Laozi and before Tongtian. Blooms eighth-grade flowers, matching both brothers and demonstrating exceptional innate talent.
Late-stage Great Luo Golden Immortal	19	Reaches this stage alongside Laozi and Tongtian after secluded cultivation on Mount Kunlun. His later confrontation with Daochen explicitly displays this realm’s aura 34.

Background / History

Origin and the First Confrontation

Yuanshi and the other Three Pure Ones formed from Pangu’s primordial spirit. Collectively, they received ten percent of Pangu’s world-opening merit, described as a foundation for their future Sagehood. Yuanshi regards this origin as proof of his superiority over beings such as the Golden Crows 2 4.

While traveling through Chaos to hear Hongjun preach, Yuanshi dismisses the deaths of accompanying innate deities as evidence of insufficient blessings. He then disparages Daochen, Dijun, and Taiyi as creatures “clad in fur and armor.” Daochen confronts him and strikes his face with the Heaven Measuring Ruler 3 4.

Laozi negotiates a settlement rather than risk missing the lecture. Yuanshi surrenders the Wu Earth Apricot Yellow Banner, while further pressure forces Laozi to give up the Earth-Leaving Flame Light Banner. Yuanshi leaves humiliated, promising revenge after attaining Sagehood; his brothers warn him against further provocations 4 5.

Hongjun’s Lecture and Discipleship

Yuanshi occupies the fourth of the original six special meditation cushions, between Laozi and Tongtian. During Hongjun’s lecture, he advances to Great Luo with eighth-grade flowers, then mocks Daochen’s apparent lack of progress 6 8.

Hongjun accepts him as an Entry Disciple. This rank promises a share of the future treasure distribution but does not permit unsummoned access to the Purple Heavens Palace. When Hongjun offers Daochen the higher position of Personal Disciple, Yuanshi becomes intensely jealous at the prospect of having to recognize his rival as eldest senior brother 10 11.

Daochen’s refusal delights him. Outside the palace, Yuanshi renews his mockery, only to call for Laozi’s protection when Daochen attacks. Daochen defeats the Three Pure Ones alone, bloodies Yuanshi, and publicly warns him against further provocation. Laozi blames Yuanshi for disgracing the brothers 12 13 14.

Goumang’s Challenge and the Kunlun Blockade

After reaching late-stage Great Luo, Yuanshi wants another attack on Daochen, but both brothers refuse to support him. Goumang’s arrival interrupts the dispute: the Ancestral Witch proposes defeating the Three Pure Ones before challenging Daochen, which Yuanshi interprets as an intolerable insult 19 20.

Yuanshi initially struggles against Goumang’s physical resilience and Yi Wood healing. He eventually gains the upper hand, identifies the heart as the source of that healing power, restrains Goumang, and directs the Three Treasures Ruyi toward it. Zhurong intervenes before the strike can kill him 20 21 22.

Rather than face both Witches, Yuanshi withdraws behind Mount Kunlun’s protective formation. Dijiang then relocates Goumang’s and Zhurong’s tribes to the mountain’s foot, pressuring the Three Pure Ones and harassing their disciples. Yuanshi ultimately accepts Laozi’s advice to avoid escalation and restrains his followers before leaving for a treasure opportunity on Mount Buzhou 22 23.

Mount Buzhou and Pangu’s Legacy

At Mount Buzhou, Yuanshi again declares the Three Pure Ones to be Pangu’s “orthodox heirs.” The Twelve Ancestral Witches reject the claim, turning the treasure expedition into a public contest over ancestral legitimacy 28.

Despite Daochen’s taunting from the sidelines, Yuanshi follows his brothers’ warnings not to provoke a second opponent. During the battle, he and Tongtian attempt to target Zhulong to disrupt the Witches’ time manipulation, but the other Witches intercept them. Six surround Yuanshi, leaving him badly beaten while spectators laugh at his predicament 30 31.

The Gourd Vine Battle and Its Aftermath

Yuanshi later leads the pressure against Daochen over possession of the Xiantian Gourd Vine. The Three Pure Ones combine their late-stage Great Luo auras with those of other contenders, but Daochen breaks the combined pressure. The brothers then privately agree to use the ensuing battle to kill him 34 35.

The attempt fails. Yuanshi is grievously wounded and returns to the Jade Void Palace without his destined treasure. Guangchengzi and Red Essence Child avoid questioning him directly because of his fury 37 39.

The two disciples subsequently spread exaggerated accounts of the defeat after hearing the story from Crane Spirit Boy. When the recovered Yuanshi discovers that the Three Pure Ones’ humiliation has become public knowledge, he erupts in anger and spits blood 40.

Fixation on Daochen

When Daochen misses his announced preaching date, Yuanshi abandons secluded cultivation and waits at Mount Kunlun’s entrance to witness his embarrassment. His disciples must keep watch with him, while Laozi concludes that the earlier beatings have left him obsessed with Daochen 48.

Appearance

• Middle-aged male appearance, with a cold expression during the journey through Chaos 3.
• Habitually icy or stern demeanor, particularly when confronting Daochen or addressing his own disciples 4 40.

Personality

Yuanshi is proud of his Pangu origin and treats it as a basis for hierarchy. His contempt for the Golden Crow brothers and insistence on the Three Pure Ones’ exclusive ancestral legitimacy repeatedly create conflicts that Laozi and Tongtian must manage 4 5 28.

He places enormous importance on dignity. Goumang’s insults provoke increasingly vicious attacks, while Daochen’s public victories produce jealousy, rage, and lasting resentment. That resentment eventually interferes with cultivation: he spends a century watching for Daochen’s failure instead of training 11 21 40 48.

Despite his temper, Yuanshi can recognize unfavorable odds. He retreats rather than fight Goumang and Zhurong together and accepts restraint when his brothers warn that further conflict could cost them a treasure opportunity 22 23.

Abilities & Skills

Cultivation and Innate Talent

Yuanshi’s eighth-grade Great Luo flowers place him among the lecture’s most talented cultivators 8.

• Shares the Three Pure Ones’ origin in Pangu’s primordial spirit and their inherited world-opening merit 2.
• Advances to late-stage Great Luo through secluded cultivation 19.
• Remains unable to overcome Daochen despite his cultivation, discipleship, and cooperation with his brothers 13 14 37.

Treasure-Based Combat

Yuanshi primarily fights with the Three Treasures Ruyi, whose strikes carry power described as capable of shattering stars 21.

• Repeatedly wounds and drives back Goumang despite the Witch’s formidable body and rapid healing 20 21.
• Uses restraint and a targeted strike against Goumang’s heart rather than relying solely on repeated blunt attacks 21 22.
• Coordinates with Tongtian to attack Zhulong, recognizing time manipulation as a critical threat 31.
• Is overwhelmed when six Ancestral Witches attack him simultaneously 31.

Movement and Magical Energy

Yuanshi demonstrates rapid movement and control of projected magical power 3 20.

• Disperses chaotic currents with a crimson ribbon of light 3.
• Appears before Goumang almost instantly as golden light flashes beneath his feet 20.
• Projects his late-stage Great Luo aura as part of the coalition’s pressure against Daochen 34.

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Three Treasures Ruyi — A Supreme Xiantian Spiritual Treasure and Yuanshi’s principal weapon. Formed after the Creation Green Lotus split apart; used against Goumang and the Ancestral Witches 14 20 31 43.
• Wu Earth Apricot Yellow Banner / Wuji Apricot Yellow Banner — Former possession surrendered to Daochen. One of the Innate Five Directional Banners and a component of the Innate Five Elements Formation; capable of establishing the defensive Central Thick-Earth Formation 5 19.
• Mount Kunlun’s protective formation — Raised after his withdrawal from Goumang and Zhurong, preventing the confrontation from continuing inside the mountain 22.

Relationships

• Pangu — Source of his primordial-spirit origin. Yuanshi’s claim to be Pangu’s orthodox heir is central to his rivalry with the Witch Clan 2 4 28.
• Laozi — Elder brother and frequent protector. Repeatedly negotiates or intervenes on Yuanshi’s behalf, but increasingly refuses to bear the consequences of his provocations 4 5 13 19.
• Tongtian — Younger brother. Warns Yuanshi against reckless behavior and fights beside him, while avoiding involvement in his renewed revenge plans 5 19 31.
• Hongjun — Master who accepts him as an Entry Disciple; Yuanshi initially expects this status to deter Daochen 10 11 13.
• Daochen — Bitter rival whose repeated victories undermine Yuanshi’s dignity and eventually become the focus of his attention at the expense of cultivation 4 14 37 48.
• Goumang — Combat opponent whose taunts inflame Yuanshi’s temper. Yuanshi nearly kills him before Zhurong intervenes 20 21 22.
• Guangchengzi and Red Essence Child — Disciples and attendants. Fear his anger and accidentally spread the rumors that make his defeat widely known 39 40 48.

Notable Quotes

“How could the pursuit of the Dao ever be easy? If they died in Chaos, it only means their blessings were insufficient.” 3

“Hmph! They were merely two Supreme Xiantian Spiritual Treasures. Once I attain the Dao and become a Sage, let's see whether you still dare treat me like this!” 5

“Eldest Brother, save me!” 13