Three Pure Ones

Biodata

Feature	Value
Name	Three Pure Ones (三清)
Type	Brotherhood of three innate deities 3 8
Alias(es)	“Pangu’s orthodox heirs” — their self-proclaimed title, contested by the Twelve Ancestral Witches 28
Origin	Formed from Pangu’s primordial spirit; collectively inherited ten percent of his merit from opening heaven 2
Members	Laozi, Yuanshi, and Tongtian 3
Leader	Laozi, the eldest brother and head of the group 5
Affiliation	Hongjun’s direct disciples 10
Headquarters	Mount Kunlun 15 28
Status	All three survive their defeats at Mount Buzhou and recover; Laozi and Tongtian subsequently return to seclusion 40
First Appearance	Mentioned in the account of Pangu’s merit; first appear directly while traveling through Chaos 2 3

Power Progression

Stage / Realm / Level	Chapter	Notes
Great Luo Golden Immortal	8	During Hongjun’s first sermon, Laozi breaks through from peak Grand Unity Golden Immortal, followed by Yuanshi and Tongtian. Each blooms eighth-grade Dao flowers, matching the grade Hongjun achieved upon entering Great Luo.
Late-stage Great Luo Golden Immortal	19	All three reach the late stage after secluded cultivation on Mount Kunlun. Their late-stage cultivation is reaffirmed during the contest for the Xiantian Gourd Vine 34.

Members

Member	Position	Character and conduct
Laozi	Eldest brother; group leader	Usually favors negotiation and restraint, but protects his brothers and the group’s reputation. Increasingly refuses to bear the consequences of Yuanshi’s provocations 4 13 19 23.
Yuanshi	Second brother	Proud of his Pangu origin and contemptuous of non-human beings. His insults repeatedly draw the entire brotherhood into conflicts, while his defeats fuel resentment toward Daochen and his own brothers 3 5 19 28.
Tongtian	Youngest brother	Regrets the deaths of fellow travelers in Chaos and admires Daochen’s exceptional breakthrough. Although he sometimes avoids his brothers’ disputes, he joins their battles and ultimately prioritizes rescuing them over obtaining treasures 3 9 19 36.

Background / History

Pangu’s Legacy

The Three Pure Ones formed from Pangu’s primordial spirit and received ten percent of his heaven-opening merit, described as the foundation of their future attainment of the Dao and Sagehood. Their shared origin grants them exceptional innate talent, but their claim to be Pangu’s exclusive “orthodox heirs” becomes a major source of conflict 2 8 28.

Journey to the Purple Heavens Palace

While crossing Chaos to attend Hongjun’s sermon, the brothers lose almost all the innate deities traveling with them. Tongtian mourns those deaths, whereas Yuanshi dismisses them as evidence of insufficient blessings. Yuanshi then insults the passing Golden Crow brothers as creatures “clad in fur and armor,” prompting Daochen to confront them 3.

Daochen strikes Yuanshi with the Heaven Measuring Ruler and tests Laozi’s defensive pagoda. Seeking to avoid missing the sermon, Laozi negotiates compensation. Yuanshi relinquishes the Wu Earth Apricot Yellow Banner, and Laozi is pressured into surrendering the Earth-Leaving Flame Light Banner. The settlement leaves the brothers blaming one another for their losses 4 5.

Hongjun’s First Sermon

Under Laozi’s protection, the brothers secure the third, fourth, and fifth special meditation cushions, after Dijun and Taiyi claim the first two. During the sermon, all three attain Great Luo Golden Immortal with eighth-grade flowers 6 8.

Daochen’s subsequent tenth-grade breakthrough produces sharply different reactions: Yuanshi is jealous, Laozi is shocked that the accepted ninth-grade limit can be surpassed, and Tongtian wishes to befriend him. Hongjun accepts the Three Pure Ones as direct disciples, but later offers Daochen the still higher position of Personal Disciple, which Daochen refuses 9 10 11.

Outside the palace, another confrontation draws all three brothers into battle against Daochen alone. Laozi is wounded despite his pagoda’s protection, and Yuanshi is bloodied and publicly warned against further provocation. Daochen leaves their bonded treasures untouched to avoid provoking Hongjun’s intervention 13 14.

Mount Kunlun Blockade

After all three reach late-stage Great Luo, Yuanshi wants revenge against Daochen. Laozi refuses to support another attack, and Tongtian avoids joining the dispute. Goumang’s arrival instead gives Yuanshi a new opponent 19 20.

Yuanshi eventually identifies the heart as the source of Goumang’s regenerative Yi Wood power and nearly lands a killing blow. Zhurong intervenes, prompting Yuanshi to withdraw behind Mount Kunlun’s protective formation. Dijiang then relocates Goumang’s and Zhurong’s tribes to the mountain’s foot, crowding the brothers’ cultivation grounds and threatening their disciples 21 22.

Laozi counsels restraint rather than retaliation. When a treasure opportunity emerges on Mount Buzhou, the brothers agree not to risk a prolonged battle that could cost them both the treasure and attendance at Hongjun’s next sermon 22 23.

Battle with the Twelve Ancestral Witches

At Mount Buzhou, Yuanshi again declares the Three Pure Ones to be Pangu’s orthodox heirs. The Twelve Ancestral Witches challenge that claim, arguing that their descent from Pangu’s blood essence gives them the rightful inheritance 28.

Laozi initially attempts diplomacy, then shields all three brothers with his pagoda and severely wounds Xuanming. The ensuing battle divides unevenly: Laozi withstands Dijiang, Zhulong, and Xuanming; Tongtian fights Qiangliang, Tianwu, and Houtu; and Yuanshi is surrounded by the remaining six Witches 30 31.

The confrontation ends in disgrace when the Three Pure Ones attack ordinary Witch Clan members. Daochen and Nüwa openly condemn their conduct, while the other observers silently judge them 33.

Xiantian Gourd Vine Contest

The Gourd Vine’s emergence interrupts the brothers’ departure from Mount Buzhou. They join other powerful cultivators in challenging Daochen’s exclusive claim, leading a combined display of late-stage Great Luo pressure that he breaks with a single strike 33 34.

Daochen’s time-law acceleration and weapons overwhelm Laozi and Yuanshi. Laozi is gravely wounded, while Yuanshi suffers broken immortal bones and severe damage to the Three Treasures Ruyi. Tongtian abandons the treasure contest, retrieves both brothers, and escapes; Daochen allows him to leave 36.

Recovery and Public Humiliation

Back on Mount Kunlun, the brothers gather in the Supreme Purity Realm while Laozi recovers. An account passed from Duobao to Crane Spirit Boy reaches Guangchengzi and Red Essence Child, who spread increasingly distorted versions of Daochen’s victory 40.

The Three Pure Ones heal, but emerge to discover that their defeat has become common knowledge. Yuanshi spits blood in humiliation, while Laozi and Tongtian return to seclusion. The exaggerated rumors also attract crowds of demons seeking instruction from Daochen and his brothers 40 43.

Abilities & Skills

Primordial-Spirit Cultivation

• Their origin in Pangu’s primordial spirit gives them a particular advantage in comprehending Hongjun’s teachings on Great Luo cultivation 8.
• All three possess eighth-grade Dao flowers, placing their demonstrated cultivation talent among the Primordial World’s finest 8.
• Daochen’s tenth-grade flowers surpass their achievement despite his later breakthrough 9.

Coordinated Combat

• The brothers have fought together in harmony for years and are regarded by observers as a single fighting unit 13.
• Laozi provides shared protection while Yuanshi and Tongtian attack with their respective weapons 30 31.
• Against Zhulong’s time manipulation, Yuanshi and Tongtian jointly target him to remove the Witches’ advantage 31.
• Their combined strength repeatedly proves insufficient against Daochen 13 14 36.

Divination

• Laozi calculates the expected timing of the Mount Buzhou opportunity and correctly suspects interference when its presence disappears 28.
• He cannot identify whoever concealed it. Daochen’s two banners and Taiyi’s Chaos Bell jointly obscure the Gourd Vine’s location 27 28.

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Heaven and Earth’s Yellow Exquisite Pagoda — Laozi: An acquired supreme treasure of merit formed from ten percent of Pangu’s heaven-opening merit. It shields the brotherhood and releases offensive black-and-yellow qi, but does not prevent Daochen from injuring Laozi 2 13 30.
• Three Treasures Ruyi — Yuanshi: Used against Goumang and Zhulong. Daochen later cracks its surface and severely damages its spirituality, making recovery require an immense span of years 20 31 36.
• Green Duckweed Sword — Tongtian: Produces powerful sword qi and serves as a flying sword. Tongtian uses it to sweep aside the Chaos Bell before rescuing his brothers 28 31 36.
• Wu Earth Apricot Yellow Banner / Wuji Apricot Yellow Banner — formerly Yuanshi’s: One of the Innate Five Directional Banners and a component of the Innate Five Elements Formation; surrendered to Daochen as compensation 5.
• Earth-Leaving Flame Light Banner — formerly Laozi’s: Another Five Directional Banner, surrendered under pressure to settle the same dispute 5.

Relationships

• Pangu — Source of their primordial spirits and inherited merit. Their claim to his orthodox succession is disputed by other beings with Pangu-derived origins 2 22 28.
• Hongjun — Master who accepts all three as direct disciples after his first sermon 10.
• Daochen — Repeated opponent who takes two of their banners, defeats them outside the Purple Heavens Palace, and gravely wounds Laozi and Yuanshi at Mount Buzhou. His hostility toward Tongtian is comparatively limited 5 14 36.
• Twelve Ancestral Witches — Rival inheritors of Pangu’s legacy. Their feud produces the Mount Kunlun blockade and the battle at Mount Buzhou 22 28 33.
• Dijun and Eastern Emperor Taiyi — Fellow registered disciples of Hongjun and supporters of Daochen. Both reject the Three Pure Ones’ exclusive claim to Pangu’s inheritance 10 13 22.
• Nüwa — Fellow direct disciple of Hongjun who publicly condemns their attack on ordinary Witch Clan members 10 33.

Disciples and Attendants

• Guangchengzi and Red Essence Child — Yuanshi’s disciples, whose retellings help turn the Mount Buzhou defeat into widespread, exaggerated rumor 39 40.
• Duobao — Source of the battle account later repeated by Crane Spirit Boy 40.
• Crane Spirit Boy — Repeats Duobao’s account to Guangchengzi and Red Essence Child, warning them not to spread it 40.
• Tongtian’s disciples — Largely non-human followers whose safety particularly concerns Tongtian during the Witch Clan’s occupation around Mount Kunlun 22.