Dark Hut

Biodata

Feature	Value
Name	Dark Hut (暗庐)
Alias(es)	Dark Hut School; Shadow Cottage 8 179
Organization Type	A major Western Continent cultivation sect sustained by a secret realm of the same name 25 178
Headquarters	Jing Province, Western Continent 25
Leadership	Qinglan, the current Master of the Shadow Cottage; privately agrees to serve as Raphael’s deputy once Raphael fully masters the Dark Hut 418 443
Internal Divisions	Qi Sect and Blood Sect 8 243
Associated Pathways	Prisoner/Chained and Criminal/Abyss 245 252
Foundational Cultivation Art	Demon Source Scripture, comprising nine levels 26
Status	Active; cooperating with the Lord of Evil Desires and preparing to strike the Penglai Sect 443
First Appearance	Discussed as the Shadow Cottage 8

Power Progression

The documented progression primarily concerns Raphael’s growing control over the secret realm that supplies the sect’s power.

Stage / Realm / Level	Chapter	Notes
Partial mastery of the Dark Hut	162	The Oldest One establishes Raphael’s abstract connection to the realm. He gains authority over parts of its landscape and access to its Astral Body connections.
Sequence 5 Wraith	236 237	Raphael can bring his entire self inside in Wraith Form. His stronger connection permits extensive renovation; his summoned phantom approaches Sequence 3 strength, subject to its supporting mediums.
Sequence 4 Marionette	364 366	The Hut raises his existing Criminal-pathway abilities to demigod strength, though it does not grant Demon-exclusive abilities. He begins dismantling God Almighty’s arrangements within the realm.
Sequence 3 Silent Disciple	408	His control deepens again. The realm temporarily stabilizes his collapsing body after the imbalance between his pathways becomes critical.
Dual-pathway state: Silent Disciple and Demon	410 411	Within the Hut, the Lord of Evil Desires reaches roughly angel-level strength, gaining some Chained and Abyss authorities and essentially all their angel-level abilities.
First-stage Union with the Dao breakthrough	417 442	Raphael’s connection becomes more direct. He bypasses a seal intended to cut him off from the Hut and imprisons God Almighty’s avatar.
Ancient Bane and Blatherer	436 437 438	After Raphael becomes an angel through Ancient Bane, the Hut also raises his Blatherer abilities to angel level. This enhancement does not increase his authorities.

Organization and Leadership

Internal Divisions

• Qi Sect — Accepts disciples recognized by the True Lord’s Jade Body. They receive magical power, reconstructed bodies, and standardized cultivation instruction at the sect’s branches 26.
• Blood Sect — Uses Inner Cores, the Western Continent’s term for Beyonder characteristics. Its standing rose after a founding master reached the middle Void Refinement Realm; equal status with the Qi Sect took another century or two 8 243.
• Demon Lord Xuanyin’s leadership — Xuanyin leads the Blood Sect. His exceptional abilities and creation of three cultivation methods place his influence alongside the sect’s late Void Refinement cultivator, helping secure resources for his division 25.

High-Level Forces

Rank	Approximate Equivalent	Earlier Account	Later Account
Master of the Shadow Cottage	Dual-pathway King of Angel; borrowed power can approach “half a Great Old One”	Maintains a carefully limited partnership with the realm 178	Qinglan remains the incumbent head while arranging Raphael’s succession 443
Late Void Refinement Realm	Sequence 1	One cultivator 25	One Grand Cultivator 443
Middle Void Refinement Realm	Sequence 2	Three cultivators, including Demon Lord Xuanyin 25	Three Grand Cultivators 443
Early Void Refinement Realm	Sequence 3	Several cultivators 25	Five Grand Cultivators 443
Provincial branch leaders	Generally Sequence 4 or Sequence 3	Usually late Deification or early Void Refinement cultivators 25	—

• By the later account, the sect has nine Grand Cultivators besides Qinglan. Its high-end combat strength exceeds that of an ordinary church, but its mid- and low-sequence membership is smaller than that of the Churches of the True Gods 443.
• Sequence 3 cultivators hold substantially higher standing than Sequence 4 cultivators; Raphael accommodates this distinction when arranging seats at the Sorn City war council 369.

Known Members and Associates

• Qinglan — Current Master of the Shadow Cottage and Dao Integrator of the Dark Hut. Accepts Raphael’s future leadership while securing his own position as deputy 368 418 443.
• Raphael / Zhou Fei / Lord of Evil Desires — Controls part of the secret realm, coordinates overseas operations, and supplies characteristics to strengthen the sect. His succession remains unannounced pending full mastery 242 418 443.
• Demon Lord Xuanyin — Blood Sect leader and middle Void Refinement cultivator; patriarch of Chen Qingzhi and his fellows 25.
• Chen Qingzhi — Leader of the Ji Province branch, with sufficient authority to know the sect’s high-level forces in detail 25.
• Xiao Shouzhen — Senior cultivator who receives Zhou Fei and attends the briefing for the first Sorn City expedition 242 243.
• Duan Ze’en — Leader of the first seven-disciple expedition; later joins the advance party preparing the campaign against Bidis City 245 250 370.
• Xin Wanqing — Expedition disciple who questions Zhou Fei and notices his resemblance to Oracle Raphael 245.
• Liang Jitang — Participates in the later campaign and spoils negotiations, accepting advancement formulas and acting guidance for the Blood Sect in exchange for relinquishing his claim to the Book of Wisdom 375.

Background and History

The first Master of the Shadow Cottage discovered the Dark Hut and began exploring it while drawing on its power. Early methods of resisting the realm’s erosion were incomplete. Over thousands of years, successive masters and disciples built the sect around this power source, developing sacrificial rituals and cultivation methods to manage its influence 156 178.

The Blood Sect’s rise followed the emergence of a middle Void Refinement cultivator several hundred years earlier. His achievement prompted the Master of the Shadow Cottage to recognize Blood Sect disciples, although parity with the Qi Sect required another century or two. Demon Lord Xuanyin later consolidated the division’s influence through his strength and cultivation methods 8 25.

Raphael’s Claim

After gaining partial control of the secret realm, Raphael appeared during an inspection ritual and declared that the Dark Hut had a new master. The incumbent considered entering to confront him, but doing so would accelerate his assimilation and cost him one or two hundred years of life. Their first negotiation ended without agreement or open hostility 178 179.

Raphael offered to reduce the realm’s influence on the incumbent, exchanging some borrowed strength for an almost unlimited lifespan. He also proposed expansion beyond the Twelve Provinces as the seal between the Three Realms loosened, while openly stating that he wanted the school as a force to carry out his aims 179.

First Sorn City Expedition

Raphael secured the sect’s cooperation by offering access to Inner Cores, Magical Treasures, and knowledge of another realm. Seven elite disciples travelled through the Dark Hut to the Forsaken Land of the Gods: two equivalent to Sequence 4 and five equivalent to Sequence 5 242 244 245 247.

Their coordinated formations relieved pressure on Sorn City during its battle against Bidisis. When an Outer Deity’s manifestation threatened the retreating allies, the Lord of Evil Desires protected them; the Oldest One subsequently used the Hut’s power to destroy the monster. The disciples received their agreed spoils, offered a lesser Sealed Artifact in thanks, and left their food supplies for the city’s hungry children 247 248 249.

On their return, senior cultivators interviewed the expedition members and imposed strict secrecy, even prohibiting discussion among the seven themselves. The haul exceeded what the sect had obtained over the preceding ten years. Reports of the Lord of Evil Desires’ power persuaded the incumbent to abandon his plans to reclaim the realm 250.

Further Cooperation and Succession

A later expedition brought fourteen elite disciples to Sorn City for the campaign against Bidis. The coalition included Klein, Bernadette, Cattleya, and Sorn City’s forces. Raphael supplied translation charms, while Dark Hut representatives joined the advance party preparing a teleportation array 369 370.

After Raphael’s progress in Union with the Dao, Qinglan began treating him with greater deference and provided his Daoist name, signalling a retreat from exclusive claim to the master’s title. Raphael supplied characteristics for the Blood Sect and requested an elite force for a possible war 417 418.

Their subsequent agreement established Raphael as the future head and Qinglan as his deputy, with the announcement delayed until Raphael fully mastered the Hut. Raphael supplied further resources and ordered the organization to strike Penglai and weaken the Celestial Worthy 443.

Cultivation and Techniques

Demon Source Scripture

• Nine-level curriculum: Disciples must fully master one level before receiving another infusion of magical power and beginning the next 26.
• Body and spirit training: Familiarizes recipients with reconstructed bodies while tempering their minds and spirits to comprehend the Dark Hut 26.
• Boons: Brings Spirit Bodies and spirit forms closer to the secret realm, making its boons easier to receive 32.
• Protection: Resists the Hut’s erosion and reduces the damage Beyonder characteristics inflict on minds and Spirit Bodies; it does not guarantee permanent immunity to assimilation 156 162.
• Spiritual roots: Provides cultivation methods for single and dual spiritual roots, including guidance for managing incompatible impulses 33.
• Demigod cultivation: At Sequence 4, teaches drawing on external spirituality to replenish personal reserves and harmonizing with nature as groundwork for later cultivation 367.

Documented Divine Arts

Art or Method	Applications and Limits
Wolf Fang Art	Available to Sequence 7 disciples. Includes Nine Wolf Shadow Steps and Wolf Fang Claw; Raphael must transform into a Werewolf to execute the footwork’s longer steps 26 30.
Chaos Art	Another art available to Sequence 7 Dark Hut disciples; its effects are not detailed in the supplied account 26.
Phantom Divine Art	Fifth-level technique upgrading Nine Wolf Shadow Steps. Supports swift, precisely aimed attacks and provides possession guidance 252.
Demon Lord Dharma Body Art	Teaches low-ranking Demon Lord transformations and varied weapons. The dual-root form combines Prisoner and Criminal abilities; its Devil-form techniques use a long scythe, including flying-scythe attacks 252.
Heartless Pill	Recommended for Prisoner-aligned single-root cultivators at the late Mortal Realm when cultivation cannot restrain their urge to slaughter. Suppresses emotion, producing coldness and indifference 33.

Union with the Dao

• Recognition is not integration: Receiving the Dark Hut’s recognition and reaching Sequence 2 does not automatically establish a direct connection with it 442.
• Successful integration: Allows the recipient to borrow power on their own initiative rather than merely receive bestowals. A connected Sequence 2 can approach Sequence 1 strength and exceed Sequence 1 in some aspects of authority 442.
• Master’s risk: The incumbent’s immense borrowed power comes with gradual assimilation. Entering the realm before necessary accelerates that process 156 178 179.

Headquarters

• Location: Jing Province, with branches in other provinces, including Chen Qingzhi’s Ji Province branch 25.
• Ritual complex: A mountain-scale hall houses the great sacrificial altar, surrounded by covered walkways, a large plaza, and smaller open-air altars 178.
• Guards: At least early Deification cultivators, approximately Sequence 6. They wear long black robes and high topknots and carry finely crafted standard-issue spears and swords 178.
• Underground facilities: Include a secret chamber used by the Master and an altar used to dispatch disciples to the Forsaken Land of the Gods 244 366.
• Heaven and Earth Mirror: A bronze mirror used with incantations and spiritual qi to inspect the secret realm’s interior 178.

The Dark Hut Secret Realm

Nature and Landscape

• Source of the sect’s power: The organization depends so completely on the realm that losing its power supply would cause the sect to collapse within days 178.
• Sefirah: Initially described as a secret realm or ageless higher life-form; later accounts explicitly identify it as a sefirah associated with the Shadow World 156 178 417.
• Original landscape: Lava, volcanoes, exotic vegetation, a courtyard, wooden walkways, and a pavilion. The White Jade Orb attributes this environment to God Almighty’s conception of Devils and curse-using mutants during the First Epoch 156 178.
• Raphael’s renovation: Replaces his controlled section with a crystal hall, raised platform, high-backed crystal chair, and a clear pool containing blue Astral Body crystals 237 245.
• Source of Curses: A relatively independent component within the Hut whose form even God Almighty could not change 156.

Rituals and Communication

• Inspection rituals: Suitable offerings, invocations, and large amounts of spirituality elicit responses through which the Master checks the realm’s condition 178.
• Sacrifice and bestowal: Raphael establishes working sacrificial gates and bestowal through an honorific name directed at the Hut and himself 168.
• Astral connections: Originally represented by blue flames, linking Western Continent disciples, Mother Tree of Desire worshippers, and followers of the Dark Side of the Universe and Chained God 162.
• Prayer crystals: After renovation, crystals glow when their owners pray and rise to the pool’s surface when prayers address the Lord of Evil Desires 237.
• Remote descent: With the Oldest One’s assistance, the Hut breaks through the seal sufficiently for Raphael to descend anywhere on Earth 240.
• Personnel transfer: Initially limited to seven people per day; successfully used to move the first expedition between the Western Continent and Sorn City 237 244 249.

Protection and Limits

• Power amplification: Raises Raphael’s existing Prisoner and Criminal abilities beyond their normal sequence strength without necessarily granting higher-sequence exclusive abilities or increasing authorities 168 364 438.
• Refuge: Raphael can enter with his entire self in Wraith Form, but cannot do so while restrained 236.
• Purification: The Hut destroys the Illusion Master avatar’s attempted intrusion and would automatically purify it if brought inside 200.
• Advancement support: Can replenish a cursed mummy for repeated Marionette advancement rituals in roughly a dozen days, provided characteristics are available 364.
• Capacity constraints: Sealing the Supernova Dominator consumes part of the realm’s strength 411.
• Deceptive manifestation: The Lord of Evil Desires’ projected appearance can conceal Raphael’s true level even from angels 168.

Former Masters

Master	Documented Fate
First	Discovered the Hut; initially retained only a trace of consciousness after near-total assimilation. Later merged completely into the sefirah 156 417.
Second	Appeared as a shrivelled, lucid adviser. Raphael later discovered that God Almighty’s surviving arrangement had replaced the original master, whose consciousness was long destroyed; the avatar was sealed in the Colorful Lamp 156 417.
Third	Destroyed his own mind and soul to escape impending assimilation, leaving a skeleton without spiritual qi. His remains later merged into the Hut 156 417.
Fourth	Became a tree through the Mother Tree of Desire’s influence, serving as her concealed foothold. Raphael’s Demon Personality later activated it during the struggle with the Oldest One 156 439.

Contested Control and Sealed Powers

• God Almighty’s arrangements — Formed a secondary barrier preventing the Mother Tree of Desire from controlling the Shadow World or locating Raphael through it. They also contained hostile resurrection and possession mechanisms 162 366 417.
• Chaos Sea aura — Remained entangled with the Hut after Raphael broke God Almighty’s cross. He contained the exposed region but could not fully separate it from the realm 366.
• Supernova Dominator — Imprisoned in a Spirituality Cage sustained by the Oldest One. Later secretly cooperated with the Oldest One during the attempt to assimilate Raphael 373 375 439.
• Mother Tree crisis — Activating the fourth master exposed the Shadow World above the Fog Sea, drawing the Six Gods’ attention and incoming power from Cosmic Darkness and the Chained God. The Oldest One closed the entrance only after that power had entered 439 440.
• After the struggle — Raphael reported that the Oldest One had absorbed the Mother Tree’s influence and divinity, becoming another presence within him; Raphael believed he still retained control 443.
• Later negotiations — The imprisoned Supernova Dominator supplied a planetary destination and travel assistance in exchange for Raphael’s promise of release after Earth’s coming battle with the Great Old Ones 446.

External Relationships

• Sorn City — Military partner and overseas foothold for the Lord of Evil Desires. Dark Hut expeditions provide reinforcements in exchange for agreed shares of characteristics and Magical Treasures 242 249 369.
• Klein and the Tarot Club — Cooperate with Dark Hut representatives in the later Bidis campaign. Klein encounters the disciples directly and helps their advance party hold off enhanced enemy Saints 369 370.
• Queen Mystic Bernadette — Provides teleportation assistance for the coalition in exchange for a share of the spoils 369.
• Penglai Sect — Target of Raphael’s preparations and subsequent order to attack, with the stated aim of weakening the Celestial Worthy 417 418 443.

Trivia

• The name “Dark Hut” comes from the simple black thatched cottage formed above the sacrificial altar when a major ritual connects to the realm 178.
• The sect tried to study the other world’s language after its first expedition, but the few remembered sentences were insufficient to decipher the unfamiliar language family 369.
• Raphael’s transportation ritual was partly theatrical: he modelled its dance on Zhuge Liang summoning the east wind in Romance of the Three Kingdoms. The observing Grand Cultivators mistook it for a distinctive Otherworld ritual 244.